Patents by Inventor Alan Sullivan

Alan Sullivan has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20230342944
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system and a method for motion prediction for autonomous driving. The system disclosed herein provides an efficient deep-neural-network-based system to jointly perform perception and motion prediction from 3D point clouds. This system is able to take a pair of LiDAR sweeps as input and outputs for each point in the second sweep, both a classification of the point into one of a set of semantic classes, and a motion vector indicating the motion of the point within the world coordinate system. The system includes a spatiotemporal pyramid network, which extracts deep spatial and temporal features in a hierarchical fashion. The training of this system is regularized with spatial and temporal consistency losses. Thus providing an improved motion planner for autonomous driving applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2022
    Publication date: October 26, 2023
    Inventors: Alan Sullivan, Siheng Chen, Jun Wang, Xiaolong Li
  • Publication number: 20230267614
    Abstract: An imaging controller is provided for segmenting instances from depth images including objects to be manipulated by a robot. The imaging controller includes an input interface configured to receive a depth image that includes objects, a memory configured to store instructions and a neural network trained to segment instances from the objects in the depth image, and a processor, coupled with the memory, configured to perform the instructions to segment a pickable instance using the trained neural network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2022
    Publication date: August 24, 2023
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Anoop Cherian, Tim Marks, Alan Sullivan
  • Patent number: 11651497
    Abstract: System and method for generating verisimilar images from real depth images. Train a generative adversarial neural network (GAN) by accessing test depth images having identical instances as instances of a real depth image. Input the test depth images in the generator to generate estimated depth images representing an implicit three-dimensional model of the object. Input, each estimated depth image into a discriminator to obtain a loss and into a pose encoder to obtain a matching loss. Iteratively repeat processes until the losses are minimized to a threshold, to end training. Identify the instances in the real image using the trained GAN pose encoder, to produce a pose transformation matrix for each instance in the real image. Identify pixels in the depth images corresponding to the instances of the real image and merge the pixels for the depth images to form an instance segmentation map for the real depth image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Inventors: Anoop Cherian, Goncalo José Dias Pais, Tim Marks, Alan Sullivan
  • Patent number: 11635299
    Abstract: A navigation system for providing driving instructions to a driver of a vehicle traveling on a route is provided. The driving instructions are generated by executing a multimodal fusion method that comprises extracting features from sensor measurements, annotating the features with directions for the vehicle to follow the route with respect to objects sensed by the sensors, and encoding the annotated features with a multimodal attention neural network to produce encodings. The encodings are transformed into a common latent space, and the transformed encodings are fused using an attention mechanism producing an encoded representation of the scene. The method further comprises decoding the encoded representation with a sentence generation neural network to generate a driving instruction and submitting the driving instruction to an output device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Inventors: Chiori Hori, Anoop Cherian, Siheng Chen, Tim Marks, Jonathan Le Roux, Takaaki Hori, Bret Harsham, Anthony Vetro, Alan Sullivan
  • Patent number: 11582485
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure discloses a scene-aware video encoder system. The scene-aware encoder system transforms a sequence of video frames of a video of a scene into a spatio-temporal scene graph. The spatio-temporal scene graph includes nodes representing one or multiple static and dynamic objects in the scene. Each node of the spatio-temporal scene graph describes an appearance, a location, and/or a motion of each of the objects (static and dynamic objects) at different time instances. The nodes of the spatio-temporal scene graph are embedded into a latent space using a spatio-temporal transformer encoding different combinations of different nodes of the spatio-temporal scene graph corresponding to different spatio-temporal volumes of the scene. Each node of the different nodes encoded in each of the combinations is weighted with an attention score determined as a function of similarities of spatio-temporal locations of the different nodes in the combination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Anoop Cherian, Chiori Hori, Jonathan Le Roux, Tim Marks, Alan Sullivan
  • Publication number: 20220305646
    Abstract: A system for parameter tuning for robotic manipulators is provided. The system includes an interface configured to receive a task specification, a plurality of physical parameters, and a plurality of control parameters, wherein the interface is configured to communicate with a real-world robot via a robot controller. The system further includes a memory to store computer-executable programs including a robot simulation module, a robot controller, and an auto-tuning module a processor, in connection with the memory. In this case, the processor is configured to acquire, in communication with the real-world robot, state values of the real-world robot, state values of the robot simulation module, simultaneously update, by use of a predetermined optimization algorithm with the auto-tuning module, an estimate of one or more of the physical, and said control parameters, and store the updated parameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2021
    Publication date: September 29, 2022
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Siddarth Jain, Jeroen van Baar, Radu Ioan Corcodel, Alan Sullivan, Mouhacine Benosman
  • Publication number: 20220309672
    Abstract: System and method for generating verisimilar images from real depth images. Train a generative adversarial neural network (GAN) by accessing test depth images having identical instances as instances of a real depth image. Input the test depth images in the generator to generate estimated depth images representing an implicit three-dimensional model of the object. Input, each estimated depth image into a discriminator to obtain a loss and into a pose encoder to obtain a matching loss. Iteratively repeat processes until the losses are minimized to a threshold, to end training. Identify the instances in the real image using the trained GAN pose encoder, to produce a pose transformation matrix for each instance in the real image. Identify pixels in the depth images corresponding to the instances of the real image and merge the pixels for the depth images to form an instance segmentation map for the real depth image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Publication date: September 29, 2022
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Anoop Cherian, Goncalo José Dias Pais, Tim Marks, Alan Sullivan
  • Publication number: 20220153181
    Abstract: A wheel chock assembly to secure a wheel of a motorcycle and/or bicycle by encasing the wheel and secured by a lockable lock pin. The wheel chock assembly can be used with one of the various mounting assemblies and with the frame securement collar assembly. The wheel chock assembly when mounted on one of the various mounting assemblies can be used to secure a motorcycle and/or bicycle on the bed of a truck or on the bed wall of a truck, trailer floor, trailer wall or trailer railing and even in a garage on the floor or wall. The securement collar assembly is used either around the steering column and frame attaching to the wheel chock assembly's lock pin for securement or between the rear tire and the frame attaching to the wheel chock assembly's lock pin for securement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2021
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Inventors: Ryker Alan Sullivan, Michael Thomas Sullivane
  • Publication number: 20220048733
    Abstract: Systems, methods and devices for real-time contactless elevator service operation of an elevator includes a trained neural network (TNN) model. The TNN model is trained using a training processor with augmented datasets as a synthetic training dataset, to later perform elevator identifier recognition. The augmented data sets are generated from synthetic text images, the synthetic text images are augmented with different geometrical parameters and visual parameters to a predetermined number of variations in appearance to a set of training elevator identifiers. A camera captures a user image. A text image portion from the user image is extracted using the TNN model, and detects an elevator identifier in the extracted text image portion using the extracted text image portion and the TNN model. The detected elevator identifier is displayed for user confirmation or user cancellation, and upon user confirmation, generates a control command based the detected elevator identifier associated with an elevator service.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2020
    Publication date: February 17, 2022
    Inventors: Zafer Sahinoglu, Kuan-Chuan Peng, Alan Sullivan, William Yerazunis
  • Publication number: 20210247201
    Abstract: A navigation system configured to provide driving instructions to a driver of a moving vehicle based on real-time description of objects in a scene pertinent to driving the vehicle is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2020
    Publication date: August 12, 2021
    Applicant: Mitsubishi ELectric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Chiori Hori, Anoop Cherian, Siheng Chen, Tim Marks, Jonathan Le Roux, Takaaki Hori, Bret Harsham, Anthony Vetro, Alan Sullivan
  • Patent number: 10353352
    Abstract: A distributed machining simulation partitions a model of the workpiece to produce a set of sub-workpieces and modifies the machining instructions for each sub-workpiece to produce a set of groups of modified machining instructions different from the machining instructions. Each group of the modified machining instructions is associated with a sub-workpiece and includes effective machining instructions that move the machining tool through the sub-workpiece and at least one fake machining instruction that moves the machining tool through the model of the workpiece outside of the sub-workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Teng-Yok Lee, Alan Sullivan, Jay Thornton
  • Publication number: 20190147403
    Abstract: A system for determining compliance of one or more regulations and/or business rules according to transmission of a proposed communication to an intended recipient at a specified time of delivery is disclosed. The system comprises a server device includes executable instructions configured to perform operations including receiving, from a business, a request for a determination as to whether transmission of the proposed communication to the intended recipient at a specified time of delivery would violate one or more regulations and/or business rules. In response to receiving the request, the system retrieves business metadata and proposed communication metadata, parses the proposed communication metadata to determine a communication type and selects a workflow from a set of workflows based thereon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2017
    Publication date: May 16, 2019
    Inventors: Douglas William Lawrence, Jeffrey Alan Sullivan
  • Publication number: 20180239312
    Abstract: A distributed machining simulation partitions a model of the workpiece to produce a set of sub-workpieces and modifies the machining instructions for each sub-workpiece to produce a set of groups of modified machining instructions different from the machining instructions. Each group of the modified machining instructions is associated with a sub-workpiece and includes effective machining instructions that move the machining tool through the sub-workpiece and at least one fake machining instruction that moves the machining tool through the model of the workpiece outside of the sub-workpiece.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2017
    Publication date: August 23, 2018
    Inventors: Teng-Yok Lee, Alan Sullivan, Jay Thornton
  • Publication number: 20180099151
    Abstract: Systems and methods for radiation treatment for determining a dose of radiation. Determining, for a tumor voxel, a value for maximum and minimum constraints, for treating the tumor voxel based on a distance function of a distance field of the tumor and distance fields of organs at risk (OARs). Each constraint on each tumor voxel is a function of a distance from the tumor voxel to a boundary of the tumor, and distances to boundaries of OARs. Determining, for an OAR voxel, a value of a maximum constraint based on the distance field of the tumor. Each constraint on each OAR voxel is a function of a distance from the OAR voxel to the boundary of the tumor. Determining a tumor constraint and a corresponding OAR constraint according to a threshold constraint set, to obtain the constraint set. Determine the dose of radiation, according to the constraint set.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2016
    Publication date: April 12, 2018
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Alan Sullivan, Teng-Yok Lee
  • Patent number: 9892215
    Abstract: A method determines a feedrate of a tool machining a workpiece according to a path. The method partitions the path into a set of segments, such that within each segment a function of engagement of the tool and the workpiece is substantially constant. Next, the method determines a feedrate for each segment in the set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Huseyin Erdim, Alan Sullivan
  • Patent number: 9718146
    Abstract: A method calibrates a laser processing machine by commanding a scan head to direct a laser beam to a desired position, then senses an actual position of the laser beam directly using a position sensitive detector (PSD) after the scan head is positioned. A relative position between the scan head and PSD is altered using one or more linear actuators. A position feedback loop is closed around the linear actuators so that the relative position of the laser beam on the PSD is reduced to zero. The actual position of the laser spot is then measured indirectly by encoders attached to linear axes of the laser processing machine. The actual position is stored in a memory. An error is determined as a difference between the desired position and the actual position. Compensation coefficients are determined from the error and stored for later use during operation of the laser processing machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Abraham M Goldsmith, Scott A Bortoff, Vijay Shilpiekandula, Alan Sullivan, William S Yerazunis, John C Barnwell, III
  • Publication number: 20160330952
    Abstract: The invention provides methods for the encapsulation of volatile organic compounds by formation of stable emulsions of the volatile organic compound that are mixed with encapsulating polymer solutions and then formed into ultrafine fibers. The ultrafine fibers containing the encapsulated volatile organic compounds can be formed into a variety of formats for use to preserve perishable products.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2015
    Publication date: November 17, 2016
    Inventors: Loong-Tak Lim, Suramya D.F. Mihindukulasuriya, Gopinadhan Paliyath, Jayasankar Subramanian, J. Alan Sullivan
  • Patent number: 9336624
    Abstract: A method and system renders a 3D model of a 3D object as an image including image samples. The 3D model is a distance field, and the distance field includes surface cells representing portions of a surface of the 3D object. A set of image samples in the image is determined in an object-order phase for each surface cell. Each surface cell is then processed independent of other surface cells. The processing casts a ray, in an image order phase from each image sample in the set of image samples, through the surface cell to determine a contribution of the surface cell to the image sample, and then the image is rendered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Alan Sullivan, Sarah F. Frisken, Ronald N. Perry
  • Patent number: 9304508
    Abstract: A method associates a cell in the composite adaptive distance field (cADF) with a machining instruction that changes a type of the cell or a type of a distance field in the cell in forming a composite surface of the workpiece to produce at least part of an association, and associates the distance field in the cell with the machining instruction changing the type of the distance field in forming the composite surface of the workpiece to produce at least part of the association. In response to receiving a command to undo a simulation of the machining to the intermediate machining instruction, a subset of cells and a subset of distance fields forming the composite surface of the workpiece at a time of the simulation by the intermediate machining instruction are identified using the association and the intermediate representation of the workpiece is determined using the subset of cells and the subset of distance fields.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Alan Sullivan, Dmytro Konobrytskyi
  • Patent number: 9122270
    Abstract: A computer program product for processing a model of an object according to a set of instructions includes a non-transitory computer-readable memory storing a model of an object represented by a hybrid adaptively sampled distance field (ADF), wherein the model includes a hierarchy of cells, wherein at least one cell includes a set of distance functions forming at least part of a boundary of the object and a set of distance samples of at least some of the distance functions, such that a processor executing the set of instructions processes the model of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Alan Sullivan