Patents by Inventor Scott SCHLACTER

Scott SCHLACTER 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: 20260125059
    Abstract: Embodiments herein include an oversized automated vehicle having a trailer portion and tractor portion performing a J-hook turn at an intersection. The automated vehicle includes an autonomy system for gathering and processing various types of data. The autonomy system generates a candidate trajectory, including the trailer path and the tractor path performing a J-hook turn, and generates driving instructions for the automated vehicle according to a satisfactory candidate trajectory. The autonomy system applies an optimization function for iteratively generating and modifying the candidate trajectory. Using the map data for the intersection, the optimization function modifies the candidate trajectory, such that if the tractor or the trailer were to drive along the predicted tractor path and trailer path, then the tractor and the trailer would perform the J-hook turn while fitting within the drivable surface boundary and inner boundaries (e.g., driving lanes).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2025
    Publication date: May 7, 2026
    Inventors: Scott Schlacter, Manas Gupta, Zachary Brock, Mihir Deshingkar
  • Patent number: 12573209
    Abstract: Embodiments include systems and methods for determining states of traffic lights and managing behavior of an automated vehicle approaching an intersection. An autonomy system applies an object recognition engine trained to recognize a traffic light, and identify and confirm the state of the traffic light. A first neural network trained for object detection recognizes a traffic light and defines a bounding box around the recognized traffic light. A second neural network receives the region of the image bounded by the box as constituting the traffic light and “reads” the light. The automated vehicle uses other information, such as states of pedestrian traffic lights, detection of objects in and near the intersection, and glare on one or more cameras, to supplement its determination of the right of way through the intersection. The autonomy system generates a driving instruction based on the traffic light combined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2026
    Assignee: Torc Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: John Hutchinson, Indrajeet Kumar Mishra, Rasika Kangutkar, Scott Schlacter
  • Patent number: 12485896
    Abstract: Embodiments herein include an oversized automated vehicle having a trailer portion and tractor portion performing a J-hook turn at an intersection. The automated vehicle includes an autonomy system for gathering and processing various types of data. The autonomy system generates a candidate trajectory, including the trailer path and the tractor path performing a J-hook turn, and generates driving instructions for the automated vehicle according to a satisfactory candidate trajectory. The autonomy system applies an optimization function for iteratively generating and modifying the candidate trajectory. Using the map data for the intersection, the optimization function modifies the candidate trajectory, such that if the tractor or the trailer were to drive along the predicted tractor path and trailer path, then the tractor and the trailer would perform the J-hook turn while fitting within the drivable surface boundary and inner boundaries (e.g., driving lanes).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2025
    Assignee: TORC Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott Schlacter, Manas Gupta, Zachary Brock, Mihir Deshingkar
  • Publication number: 20250058778
    Abstract: Embodiments herein include an oversized automated vehicle having a trailer portion and tractor portion performing a J-hook turn at an intersection. The automated vehicle includes an autonomy system for gathering and processing various types of data. The autonomy system generates a candidate trajectory, including the trailer path and the tractor path performing a J-hook turn, and generates driving instructions for the automated vehicle according to a satisfactory candidate trajectory. The autonomy system applies an optimization function for iteratively generating and modifying the candidate trajectory. Using the map data for the intersection, the optimization function modifies the candidate trajectory, such that if the tractor or the trailer were to drive along the predicted tractor path and trailer path, then the tractor and the trailer would perform the J-hook turn while fitting within the drivable surface boundary and inner boundaries (e.g., driving lanes).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2023
    Publication date: February 20, 2025
    Applicant: TORC Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott SCHLACTER, Manas GUPTA, Zachary BROCK, Mihir DESHINGKAR
  • Publication number: 20250026376
    Abstract: Embodiments herein include an autonomy system of an automated vehicle performing operations for detecting and avoiding lazy or unpredictable vehicles on a roadway. The autonomy system generates bounding boxes for tracking traffic vehicles recognized in sensor data. For close vehicles, the autonomy system generates expanded bounding boxes. The autonomy system determines the close vehicle is an encroaching vehicle by detecting that the expanded bounding box of the close vehicle overlapped the middle lane line or enters into the automated vehicle's current lane of travel. The autonomy system may simulate the behavior of the close vehicle by forward-propagating predicted positions of the close vehicle and expanded bounding box over some future time. In response to detecting the encroaching vehicle, the autonomy system may determine whether to perform an avoidance action or select a particular avoidance action, such as biasing away from the encroaching vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2023
    Publication date: January 23, 2025
    Applicant: TORC Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott Schlacter, Manas Gupta, Pradeep Suresh
  • Publication number: 20240371178
    Abstract: Embodiments include systems and methods for determining states of traffic lights and managing behavior of an automated vehicle approaching an intersection. An autonomy system applies an object recognition engine trained to recognize a traffic light, and identify and confirm the state of the traffic light. A first neural network trained for object detection recognizes a traffic light and defines a bounding box around the recognized traffic light. A second neural network receives the region of the image bounded by the box as constituting the traffic light and “reads” the light. The automated vehicle uses other information, such as states of pedestrian traffic lights, detection of objects in and near the intersection, and glare on one or more cameras, to supplement its determination of the right of way through the intersection. The autonomy system generates a driving instruction based on the traffic light combined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2023
    Publication date: November 7, 2024
    Applicant: TORC Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: John HUTCHINSON, Indrajeet Kumar MISHRA, Rasika KANGUTKAR, Scott SCHLACTER