Patents by Inventor SARAH THORNTON

SARAH THORNTON 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: 20220290405
    Abstract: This description provides an autonomous or semi-autonomous earth shaping vehicle that is capable of cooperatively filling earth into a fill location in a dig site. A first earth shaping vehicle configured with a hauling tool carrying a volume of earth navigates to the fill location. At the fill location, the first earth shaping vehicle navigates over a target tool path to fill earth from the hauling tool into the fill location. As the first earth shaping vehicle fills earth into the fill location, a measurement sensor coupled to the first earth shaping vehicle measures a compaction level of earth filled into the fill location. If the measured compaction level is determined to be below a threshold compaction level, the first earth shaping vehicle communicates a request for a second earth shaping vehicle configured with a compaction tool to compact earth in the fill location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2022
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Inventors: NOAH AUSTEN READY-CAMPBELL, ANDREW LIANG, EVAN WEST, LUCAS BRUDER, GAURAV JITENDRA KIKANI, PRADEESH SUGANTHAN, JAMES EMERICK, AMMAR KOTHARI, ALAN ARGONDIZZA, SARAH THORNTON, HEE GU YEA, THOMAS PECH
  • Patent number: 11401690
    Abstract: This description provides an autonomous or semi-autonomous earth shaping vehicle that is capable of cooperatively filling earth into a fill location in a dig site. A first earth shaping vehicle configured with a hauling tool carrying a volume of earth navigates to the fill location. At the fill location, the first earth shaping vehicle navigates over a target tool path to fill earth from the hauling tool into the fill location. As the first earth shaping vehicle fills earth into the fill location, a measurement sensor coupled to the first earth shaping vehicle measures a compaction level of earth filled into the fill location. If the measured compaction level is determined to be below a threshold compaction level, the first earth shaping vehicle communicates a request for a second earth shaping vehicle configured with a compaction tool to compact earth in the fill location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: BUILT ROBOTICS INC.
    Inventors: Noah Austen Ready-Campbell, Andrew Liang, Evan West, Lucas Bruder, Gaurav Jitendra Kikani, Pradeesh Suganthan, James Emerick, Ammar Kothari, Alan Argondizza, Sarah Thornton, Hee Gu Yea, Thomas Pech
  • Patent number: 11385646
    Abstract: This description provides an autonomous or semi-autonomous earth shaping vehicle that is capable of cooperatively executing an earth shaping routine in a dig site with other earth shaping vehicles. A first earth shaping vehicle configured with a tool for excavating earth navigates to a dig location containing earth to be excavated. The first earth shaping vehicle identifies a loading location where the first vehicle may transfer earth to a second earth shaping vehicle configured with a tool for hauling earth between locations. Upon navigating to the loading location and detecting the second earth shaping vehicle at the loading location, the first earth shaping vehicle transfers earth from its excavation tool to the hauling tool of the second earth shaping vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: Built Robotics Inc.
    Inventors: Noah Austen Ready-Campbell, Andrew Liang, Evan West, Lucas Bruder, Gaurav Jitendra Kikani, Pradeesh Suganthan, James Emerick, Ammar Kothari, Alan Argondizza, Sarah Thornton, Hee Gu Yea, Thomas Pech
  • Publication number: 20210148086
    Abstract: This description provides an autonomous or semi-autonomous earth shaping vehicle that is capable of cooperatively filling earth into a fill location in a dig site. A first earth shaping vehicle configured with a hauling tool carrying a volume of earth navigates to the fill location. At the fill location, the first earth shaping vehicle navigates over a target tool path to fill earth from the hauling tool into the fill location. As the first earth shaping vehicle fills earth into the fill location, a measurement sensor coupled to the first earth shaping vehicle measures a compaction level of earth filled into the fill location. If the measured compaction level is determined to be below a threshold compaction level, the first earth shaping vehicle communicates a request for a second earth shaping vehicle configured with a compaction tool to compact earth in the fill location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Publication date: May 20, 2021
    Inventors: NOAH AUSTEN READY-CAMPBELL, ANDREW LIANG, EVAN WEST, LUCAS BRUDER, GAURAV JITENDRA KIKANI, PRADEESH SUGANTHAN, JAMES EMERICK, AMMAR KOTHARI, ALAN ARGONDIZZA, SARAH THORNTON, HEE GU YEA, THOMAS PECH
  • Publication number: 20210149391
    Abstract: This description provides an autonomous or semi-autonomous earth shaping vehicle that is capable of cooperatively hauling earth from a first location to a second location in a dig site with other earth shaping vehicles. A first earth shaping vehicle navigates through a set of coordinates within the coordinate space that represent a path from the start location to the end location. As the first earth shaping vehicle navigates towards the end location, the set of coordinates are dynamically updated to avoid collisions with neighboring earth shaping vehicles in the dig site. The updates to the set of coordinates are determines based on a position of the first earth shaping vehicle relative to a position of the second earth shaping vehicle. The velocity of the first earth shaping vehicle may be adjusted to maintain a threshold distance between the first earth shaping vehicle and each neighboring earth shaping vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Publication date: May 20, 2021
    Inventors: NOAH AUSTEN READY-CAMPBELL, ANDREW LIANG, EVAN WEST, LUCAS BRUDER, GAURAV JITENDRA KIKANI, PRADEESH SUGANTHAN, JAMES EMERICK, AMMAR KOTHARI, ALAN ARGONDIZZA, SARAH THORNTON, HEE GU YEA, THOMAS PECH
  • Publication number: 20210149403
    Abstract: This description provides an autonomous or semi-autonomous earth shaping vehicle that is capable of cooperatively executing an earth shaping routine in a dig site with other earth shaping vehicles. A first earth shaping vehicle configured with a tool for excavating earth navigates to a dig location containing earth to be excavated. The first earth shaping vehicle identifies a loading location where the first vehicle may transfer earth to a second earth shaping vehicle configured with a tool for hauling earth between locations. Upon navigating to the loading location and detecting the second earth shaping vehicle at the loading location, the first earth shaping vehicle transfers earth from its excavation tool to the hauling tool of the second earth shaping vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Publication date: May 20, 2021
    Inventors: NOAH AUSTEN READY-CAMPBELL, ANDREW LIANG, EVAN WEST, LUCAS BRUDER, GAURAV JITENDRA KIKANI, PRADEESH SUGANTHAN, JAMES EMERICK, AMMAR KOTHARI, ALAN ARGONDIZZA, SARAH THORNTON, HEE GU YEA, THOMAS PECH
  • Patent number: 9181995
    Abstract: A hydraulically actuated clutch is controlled based on a mathematical model that predicts the position of the clutch piston based on the profile of the commanded pressure over time. During a clutch engagement, a set of delays associated with the preparatory phase of engagement are measured and compared to predicted values. Model parameters are then adaptively adjusted based on the differences between the measured and predicted delays and on an estimate of the sensitivities between model parameters and the delays. Subsequent engagements are controlled based on the updated mathematical model to reduce the delays. Changes in the measured delays following adaptation of the model parameters are utilized to update the estimate of the sensitivities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Sarah Thornton, Diana Yanakiev, Dimitar Petrov Filev, Yan Wang, Anuradha Annaswamy, Gregory Michael Pietron
  • Publication number: 20150308523
    Abstract: A hydraulically actuated clutch is controlled based on a mathematical model that predicts the position of the clutch piston based on the profile of the commanded pressure over time. During a clutch engagement, a set of delays associated with the preparatory phase of engagement are measured and compared to predicted values. Model parameters are then adaptively adjusted based on the differences between the measured and predicted delays and on an estimate of the sensitivities between model parameters and the delays. Subsequent engagements are controlled based on the updated mathematical model to reduce the delays. Changes in the measured delays following adaptation of the model parameters are utilized to update the estimate of the sensitivities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2014
    Publication date: October 29, 2015
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: SARAH THORNTON, DIANA YANAKIEV, DIMITAR PETROV FILEV, YAN WANG, ANURADHA ANNASWAMY, GREGORY MICHAEL PIETRON