Patents by Inventor Christopher A. Gariepy

Christopher A. Gariepy 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: 20240391475
    Abstract: Systems and methods for monitoring a fleet of self-driving vehicles are disclosed. The system comprises one or more self-driving vehicles having at least one sensor for collecting current state information, a fleet-management system, and computer-readable media for storing reference data. The method comprises autonomously navigating a self-driving vehicle in an environment, collecting current state information using the vehicle's sensor, comparing the current state information with the reference data, identifying outlier data in the current state information, and generating an alert based on the outlier data. A notification based on the alert may be sent to one or more monitoring devices according to the type and severity of the outlier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2024
    Publication date: November 28, 2024
    Inventors: Anthony William TOD, David Andrew BROWN, Guillaume AUTRAN, Ryan Christopher GARIEPY, Bryan WEBB, Matthew Allen RENDALL
  • Patent number: 12122367
    Abstract: The various embodiments described herein generally relate to systems and methods for operating one or more self-driving vehicles. In some embodiments, the self-driving vehicles may include a vehicle processor being operable to: control the vehicle to navigate an operating environment in an initial vehicle navigation mode; monitor for one or more trigger conditions indicating a possible change for the vehicle navigation mode; detect a trigger condition; determine a prospective vehicle navigation mode associated with the detected trigger condition; determine whether to change from the initial vehicle navigation mode to the prospective vehicle navigation mode; and in response to determining to change from the initial vehicle navigation mode to the prospective vehicle navigation mode, adjust one or more vehicle attributes corresponding to the prospective vehicle navigation mode, otherwise continue to operate the vehicle in the initial vehicle navigation mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: ROCKWELL AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Ryan Christopher Gariepy, Yvan Geoffrey Rodrigues, Matthew Lord, Ivor Wanders, Jason Mercer, James Servos, Roydyn Clayton
  • Patent number: 12099354
    Abstract: Systems and methods for monitoring a self-driving vehicle are presented. The system comprises a camera, a processor, a communications transceiver, a computer-readable medium, and a display device. The processor can be configured to receive an image of a self-driving vehicle from the camera, and vehicle information from the self-driving vehicle. A graphic comprising the image of the self-driving vehicle and a visual representation of the vehicle information is then displayed on the display device. The vehicle information may comprise any or all of vehicle-status information, vehicle-mission information, vehicle-metric information, and vehicle-environment information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2024
    Assignee: ROCKWELL AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Anthony William Tod, Ryan Christopher Gariepy
  • Patent number: 12099368
    Abstract: Systems and methods for providing inter-vehicle communication are disclosed. The method includes receiving, at a fleet management system, operating data from one or more self-driving vehicles via a communication network, and operating the fleet management system to determine a characteristic of a set of vehicles of one or more self-driving vehicles satisfies at least one communication condition. In response to determining the set of vehicles satisfies the at least one communication condition, the fleet management system can operate to select a stored data portion from a manager storage unit based at least on the characteristic of the set of vehicles; and transmit the data portion to the set of vehicles via the communication network. A method of providing inter-vehicle communication between one or more self-driving vehicles is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2024
    Assignee: ROCKWELL AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Smriti Chopra, Ryan Christopher Gariepy, Shahab Kaynama, Pavel Bovbel, Andrei Petru Ionescu, Jason Mercer
  • Publication number: 20240308504
    Abstract: The various embodiments described herein generally relate to systems and methods for operating one or more self-driving vehicles. In some embodiments, the self-driving vehicles may include a vehicle processor being operable to: control the vehicle to navigate an operating environment in an initial vehicle navigation mode; monitor for one or more trigger conditions indicating a possible change for the vehicle navigation mode; detect a trigger condition; determine a prospective vehicle navigation mode associated with the detected trigger condition; determine whether to change from the initial vehicle navigation mode to the prospective vehicle navigation mode; and in response to determining to change from the initial vehicle navigation mode to the prospective vehicle navigation mode, adjust one or more vehicle attributes corresponding to the prospective vehicle navigation mode, otherwise continue to operate the vehicle in the initial vehicle navigation mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2024
    Publication date: September 19, 2024
    Inventors: Ryan Christopher Gariepy, Yvan Geoffrey Rodrigues, Matthew Lord, Ivor Wanders, Jason Mercer, James Servos, Roydyn Clayton
  • Patent number: 12084069
    Abstract: Systems and methods for monitoring a fleet of self-driving vehicles are disclosed. The system comprises one or more self-driving vehicles having at least one sensor for collecting current state information, a fleet-management system, and computer-readable media for storing reference data. The method comprises autonomously navigating a self-driving vehicle in an environment, collecting current state information using the vehicle's sensor, comparing the current state information with the reference data, identifying outlier data in the current state information, and generating an alert based on the outlier data. A notification based on the alert may be sent to one or more monitoring devices according to the type and severity of the outlier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: ROCKWELL AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Anthony William Tod, David Andrew Brown, Guillaume Autran, Ryan Christopher Gariepy, Bryan Webb, Matthew Allen Rendall
  • Patent number: 12078989
    Abstract: A system for remote viewing and control of self-driving vehicles includes: an execution subsystem for deployment at an execution location containing a self-driving vehicle. The execution subsystem includes: a capture assembly to capture multimedia data depicting the execution location, and a server to receive the multimedia data and transmit the multimedia data for presentation at an operator location remote from the execution location. The server relays operational commands and operational status data between the self-driving vehicle and the operator location. The system includes an operator subsystem for deployment at the operator location, including: a display assembly, and a computing device to: (a) establish a connection with the server; (b) receive the multimedia data from the server and control the display assembly to present the multimedia data; and (c) receive control commands and transmit the control commands to the server for execution by the self-driving vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2024
    Assignee: ROCKWELL AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: Ryan Christopher Gariepy
  • Patent number: 12072709
    Abstract: A system, method and apparatus for executing tasks with unmanned vehicles is provided. The system includes an unmanned vehicle comprising: a chassis; a propulsion system configured to move the chassis; sensor(s) configured to sense features around the chassis; a memory storing feature reference data; a communication interface; and a processor configured to: receive, using the interface, a command having task data and a location associated with a given feature; control the propulsion system to move the chassis to the location; while the chassis is moving to the location, determine, using the sensor(s), that the given feature is detected based on the feature reference data; and, responsive to the given feature being detected, control the propulsion system to execute a task based on the task data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2024
    Assignee: ROCKWELL AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Ryan Christopher Gariepy, Yan Ma, Alex Bencz
  • Patent number: 12073357
    Abstract: Systems and methods for autonomous provision replenishment are disclosed. Parts used in a manufacturing process are stored in an intermediate stock queue. When the parts are consumed by the manufacturing process and the number of parts in the queue falls below a threshold, a provision-replenishment signal is generated. One or more self-driving material-transport vehicles, a fleet-management system, and a provision-notification device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2024
    Assignee: ROCKWELL AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Ryan Christopher Gariepy, Simon Drexler, Roydyn Clayton
  • Patent number: 12066837
    Abstract: Systems and methods for flexible conveyance in an assembly-line or manufacturing process are disclosed. A fleet of self-driving vehicles and a fleet-management system can be used to convey workpieces through a sequence of workstations at which operations are performed in order to produce a finished assembly. An assembly can be transported to a first workstation using a self-driving vehicle, where an operation is performed on the assembly. Subsequently, the assembly can be transported to a second workstation using the self-driving vehicle. The operation can be performed on the assembly while it is being conveyed by the self-driving vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2024
    Assignee: ROCKWELL AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Ryan Christopher Gariepy, Andrew Dobson, Nir Rikovitch, William John Alexander Torrens, Roydyn Clayton
  • Publication number: 20240270240
    Abstract: The various embodiments described herein generally relate to systems and methods for operating one or more self-driving vehicles. In some embodiments, the self-driving vehicles may include a vehicle processor being operable to: control the vehicle to navigate an operating environment in an initial vehicle navigation mode; monitor for one or more trigger conditions indicating a possible change for the vehicle navigation mode; detect a trigger condition; determine a prospective vehicle navigation mode associated with the detected trigger condition; determine whether to change from the initial vehicle navigation mode to the prospective vehicle navigation mode; and in response to determining to change from the initial vehicle navigation mode to the prospective vehicle navigation mode, adjust one or more vehicle attributes corresponding to the prospective vehicle navigation mode, otherwise continue to operate the vehicle in the initial vehicle navigation mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2024
    Publication date: August 15, 2024
    Inventors: Ryan Christopher Gariepy, Yvan Geoffrey Rodrigues, Matthew Lord, Ivor Wanders, Jason Mercer, James Servos, Roydyn Clayton
  • Publication number: 20240184300
    Abstract: There is provided a driver-support system for use with a human-operated material-transport vehicle, and methods for using the same. The system has at least one sensor, a human-vehicle interface, and a transceiver for communicating with a fleet-management system. The system also has a processor that is configured to provide a mapping application and a localization application based on information received from the sensor. The mapping application and localization application may be provided in a single localization-and-mapping (“SLAM”) application, which may obtain input from the sensor, for example, when the sensor is an optical sensor such as a LiDAR or video camera.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2024
    Publication date: June 6, 2024
    Inventors: Ryan Christopher Gariepy, Matthew Allen Rendall, Simon Drexler, Roydyn Clayton, Shahab Kaynama
  • Publication number: 20240149451
    Abstract: Systems and methods for process tending with a robot arm are presented. The system comprises a robot arm and robot arm control system mounted on a self-driving vehicle, and a server in communication with the vehicle and/or robot arm control system. The vehicle has a vehicle control system for storing a map and receiving a waypoint based on a process location provided by the server. The robot arm control system stores at programs that is executable by the robot arm. The vehicle control system autonomously navigates the vehicle to the waypoint based on the map, and the robot arm control system selects a target program from the stored programs based on the process location and/or a process identifier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2023
    Publication date: May 9, 2024
    Inventors: Daniel Cantor, Ryan Christopher Gariepy, Roydyn Clayton, Yvan Geoffrey Rodrigues, Anthony William Tod, Bryce William Vondervoort
  • Patent number: 11975955
    Abstract: The various embodiments described herein generally relate to an autonomous material transport vehicle, and systems and methods for operating an autonomous material transport vehicle. The autonomous material transport vehicle comprises: a sensing system operable to monitor an environment of the vehicle; a drive system for operating the vehicle; a processor operable to: receive a location of a load; initiate the drive system to navigate the vehicle to the location; following initiation of the drive system, operate the sensing system to monitor for one or more objects within a detection range; and in response to the sensing system detecting the one or more objects within the detection range, determine whether the load is within the detection range; and when the load is within the detection range, operate the drive system to position the vehicle for transporting the load, otherwise, determine a collision avoidance operation to avoid the one or more objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: CLEARPATH ROBOTICS INC.
    Inventors: Nolan Lunscher, Enrique Fernandez Perdomo, James Servos, Ryan Christopher Gariepy
  • Patent number: 11960300
    Abstract: There is provided a driver-support system for use with a human-operated material-transport vehicle, and methods for using the same. The system has at least one sensor, a human-vehicle interface, and a transceiver for communicating with a fleet-management system. The system also has a processor that is configured to provide a mapping application and a localization application based on information received from the sensor. The mapping application and localization application may be provided in a single localization-and-mapping (“SLAM”) application, which may obtain input from the sensor, for example, when the sensor is an optical sensor such as a LiDAR or video camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: CLEARPATH ROBOTICS INC.
    Inventors: Ryan Christopher Gariepy, Matthew Allen Rendall, Simon Drexler, Roydyn Clayton, Shahab Kaynama
  • Patent number: 11945443
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for traction detection and control of a self-driving vehicle. The self-driving vehicle has drive motors that drive drive-wheels according to a drive-motor speed. Traction detection and control can be obtained by measuring the vehicle speed with a sensor such as a LiDAR or video camera, and measuring the wheel speed of the drive wheels with a sensor such as a rotary encoder. The difference between the measured vehicle speed and the measured wheel speeds can be used to determine if a loss of traction has occurred in any of the wheels. If a loss of traction is detected, then a recovery strategy can be selected from a list of recovery strategies in order to reduce the effects of the loss of traction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: CLEARPATH ROBOTICS INC.
    Inventors: Ryan Christopher Gariepy, Shahab Kaynama
  • Patent number: 11938932
    Abstract: Systems and methods for self-driving collision prevention are presented. The system comprises a self-driving vehicle safety system, having one or more sensors in communication with a control system. The control system is configured determine safety fields and instruct the sensors to scan a region corresponding to the safety fields. The control system determines exclusion regions, and omits the exclusion regions from the safety field. The safety system may also include capability reduction parameters that can be used to constrain the drive system of the vehicle, for example, by restricting turning radius and speed in accordance with the safety fields.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: CLEARPATH ROBOTICS INC.
    Inventors: Matthew Lord, Ryan Christopher Gariepy, Peiyi Chen, Michael Irvine, Alex Bencz
  • Publication number: 20240094737
    Abstract: Systems and methods for operating a mobile robot is disclosed. The system can include a processor and a plurality of sensors mounted on the mobile robot. The method includes operating the mobile robot to autonomously navigate along a trajectory. While the mobile robot autonomously navigates along the trajectory, the method involves operating the processor to: monitor an angular velocity and a linear velocity of the mobile robot; determine one or more critical sensor regions defined with reference to the mobile robot based at least on the angular velocity and the linear velocity of the mobile robot; and adapt the operation of the plurality of sensors to prioritize capture of sensor data within the one or more critical sensor regions. Each sensor can be operable to capture the sensor data for an adjustable detection region defined with respect to the sensor and the mobile robot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Inventors: Jason MERCER, Ivor Wanders, Ryan Christopher Gariepy, Peiyi Chen, Krispin Alexander Davies, Farwa Khan
  • Patent number: 11906961
    Abstract: Systems and methods of unmanned vehicles having self-calibrating sensors and actuators are provided. The unmanned vehicle comprises a communication interface and a processor for controlling a propulsion system of the vehicle and receiving sensor data from one or more sensors of the vehicle. The processor is configured to operate in a guided calibration mode by controlling the propulsion system according to commands received from an external guided control system, while processing the sensor data to determine a degree of certainty on a calibration the sensor data and a position of the vehicle. The processor determines that the degree of certainty is above a threshold value associated with safe operation of the propulsion system in an autonomous calibration mode, and subsequently switch operation of the propulsion system to the autonomous calibration mode based on the determination that the degree of certainty is above the threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: CLEARPATH ROBOTICS INC.
    Inventors: Ryan Christopher Gariepy, Kareem Shehata, Prasenjit Mukherjee, Anthony Tod, Teyvonia Thomas, Yan Ma
  • Publication number: 20240054434
    Abstract: Systems and methods for autonomous lineside delivery to an assembly-line using a self-driving vehicle are disclosed, comprising receiving a part-supply schedule having a part identifier identifying a part to be supplied, an assembly-line location to be supplied with the part, and a delivery time for supplying the part to the assembly-line location. A mission is generated based on the schedule, and sent to a self-driving vehicle. The self-driving vehicle executes the mission such that the part is supplied to the assembly-line location in accordance with the part-supply schedule.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2023
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Inventors: Ryan Christopher GARIEPY, Simon Drexler, Roydyn Clayton, Sam Adrian Jenkins, Pavel Bovbel, Yvan Geoffrey Rodrigues