Patents by Inventor Brian Torcellini

Brian Torcellini 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).

  • Removable manual controls for an autonomous vehicle
    Patent number: 10513286
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a vehicle for maneuvering a passenger to a destination autonomously. The vehicle includes a computing system and a set of user input buttons for communicating requests to stop the vehicle and to initiate a trip to the destination with the computing system The vehicle has no steering wheel and no user inputs for the steering, acceleration, and deceleration of the vehicle other than the set of user input buttons. In order to safely test the vehicle, a removable manual control system may be used. The system may include a housing having an electronic connection to a computing system of the vehicle. The housing includes a steering input configured to allow a passenger to control the direction of the vehicle. The system also includes one or more computing devices configured to receive input from the steering input and send instructions the computing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Christopher John Stoffel, Brian Douglas Cullinane, Nathaniel Fairfield, Alex Khaykin, Brian Torcellini
  • Removable manual controls for an autonomous vehicle
    Patent number: 9802638
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a vehicle for maneuvering a passenger to a destination autonomously. The vehicle includes a computing system and a set of user input buttons for communicating requests to stop the vehicle and to initiate a trip to the destination with the computing system The vehicle has no steering wheel and no user inputs for the steering, acceleration, and deceleration of the vehicle other than the set of user input buttons. In order to safely test the vehicle, a removable manual control system may be used. The system may include a housing having an electronic connection to a computing system of the vehicle. The housing includes a steering input configured to allow a passenger to control the direction of the vehicle. The system also includes one or more computing devices configured to receive input from the steering input and send instructions the computing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Christopher John Stoffel, Brian Douglas Cullinane, Nathaniel Fairfield, Alex Khaykin, Brian Torcellini