Patents by Inventor Christopher Ludwick

Christopher Ludwick 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).

  • Patent number: 9436182
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a vehicle for maneuvering a passenger to a destination autonomously. The vehicle includes one or more computing devices and a set of user input buttons for communicating requests to stop the vehicle and to initiate a trip to the destination with the one or more computing devices. The set of user input buttons consisting essentially of a dual-purpose button and an emergency stopping button different from the dual-purpose button configured to stop the vehicle. The dual-purpose button has a first purpose for communicating a request to initiate the trip to the destination and a second purpose for communicating a request to pull the vehicle over and stop the vehicle. 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Philip Nemec, Anne Aula, David Tse-Zhou Lu, Brian Cullinane, Calvin Karl Johnson, Albert Shane, Christopher Ludwick, YooJung Ahn
  • Publication number: 20150338849
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a vehicle for maneuvering a passenger to a destination autonomously. The vehicle includes one or more computing devices and a set of user input buttons for communicating requests to stop the vehicle and to initiate a trip to the destination with the one or more computing devices. The set of user input buttons consisting essentially of a dual-purpose button and an emergency stopping button different from the dual-purpose button configured to stop the vehicle. The dual-purpose button has a first purpose for communicating a request to initiate the trip to the destination and a second purpose for communicating a request to pull the vehicle over and stop the vehicle. 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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2014
    Publication date: November 26, 2015
    Inventors: Philip Nemec, Anne Aula, David Tse-Zhou Lu, Brian Cullinane, Calvin Karl Johnson, Albert Shane, Christopher Ludwick, YooJung Ahn
  • Publication number: 20150268665
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to enabling an autonomous vehicle operating in a self-driving mode to communicate information about what the vehicle is about to do or is currently doing. For example, one or more processors may maneuver a vehicle in an autonomous or self-driving mode. While maneuvering the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode, a time when the vehicle will begin to accelerate may be determined. A first audible signal may be played through a speaker at a time t seconds before the time when the vehicle will begin to accelerate. While maneuvering the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode, a time when the vehicle will begin to decelerate may also be determined. A second audible signal, different from the first audible signal, may be played through the speaker at the time when the vehicle begins decelerating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2013
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Christopher Ludwick, Clifford Ivar Nass, David I. Ferguson