Patents by Inventor Steven G. Malson

Steven G. Malson 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: 12233533
    Abstract: The techniques and systems herein enable robot management in populated areas. Specifically, a robot management system receives, from a robot system, a requested route and time for the robot system to travel. A dynamic map that includes dynamic and temporal information about an area of the requested route is then used to determine whether the requested route and time are approved, approved with a modified route or time, or disapproved. An approval message, a modified approval message, or a disapproval message is then generated and sent to the robot system. By using the described techniques, municipalities can monitor, manage, and regulate robots across various operators and locations. Doing so may prevent a high density of robots along various routes, disruptions to the services of such robots, and/or disruptions to surrounding pedestrians and vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2025
    Assignee: Aptiv Technologies AG
    Inventors: James Nicholas Nickolaou, Steven G. Malson, Yusuf Zohar Dilawar, Neha N. Gupta
  • Patent number: 12214785
    Abstract: This document describes techniques for localizing a vehicle to map data, for example, to enable assisted driving and automated driving within a road. A road model builder is described that uses vehicle location data to determine its position relative to map data obtained from a provider, which can be different than the location data's source. Using the vehicle position, the road model builder maintains a current lane segment for the vehicle and its relative position within the current lane segment. Based on its relative position, the road model builder determines whether a transition to another lane segment is appropriate before setting the current lane segment to be the other lane segment. The current lane segment, when provided as an input to an assisted-driving or automated-driving system, can enable safer operation of the vehicle and use fewer computing resources than other systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Aptiv Technologies AG
    Inventors: Steven G. Malson, James Nicholas Nickolaou
  • Publication number: 20240246560
    Abstract: The techniques and systems herein enable robot management in populated areas. Specifically, a vehicle system receives sensor data indicating aspects of an environment proximate a vehicle that comprises the vehicle system. Based on the sensor data, it is determined whether robots are in the environment proximate the vehicle. Responsive to determining that a robot is in the environment proximate the vehicle, attributes of the robot are determined based on the sensor data. A robot message is then generated that includes indications of the attributes of the robot, and the robot message is transmitted for receipt by a robot management system. By using the described techniques, the robot management system can leverage the vast number of vehicles with advanced sensor suites to monitor robots. Doing so may enable verification of routes and identification of robots that are not registered.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2023
    Publication date: July 25, 2024
    Inventors: James Nicholas Nickolaou, Steven G. Malson, Yusuf Zohar Dilawar, Neha N. Gupta
  • Publication number: 20240246243
    Abstract: The techniques and systems herein enable robot management in populated areas. Specifically, a robot management system receives, from a robot system, a requested route and time for the robot system to travel. A dynamic map that includes dynamic and temporal information about an area of the requested route is then used to determine whether the requested route and time are approved, approved with a modified route or time, or disapproved. An approval message, a modified approval message, or a disapproval message is then generated and sent to the robot system. By using the described techniques, municipalities can monitor, manage, and regulate robots across various operators and locations. Doing so may prevent a high density of robots along various routes, disruptions to the services of such robots, and/or disruptions to surrounding pedestrians and vehicles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2023
    Publication date: July 25, 2024
    Inventors: James Nicholas Nickolaou, Steven G. Malson, Yusuf Zohar Dilawar, Neha N. Gupta
  • Patent number: 11802771
    Abstract: This document describes techniques, apparatuses, and systems for standard-definition (SD) to high-definition (HD) navigation route determination. An example route builder receives a navigation route generated for a host vehicle. The navigation route includes a list of waypoints generated by an SD map database. The route builder matches the list of waypoints to lane geometry data maintained in an HD map database and outputs HD navigation route to a vehicle controller. The HD navigation route includes the list of waypoints, additional waypoints, and lane geometry data. The vehicle controller can then operate the host vehicle in a roadway environment along the HD navigation route. In this way, the described techniques and systems can provide HD navigation routes required by some assisted-driving and autonomous-driving systems based on SD navigation routes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: Aptiv Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Steven G. Malson, James Nicholas Nickolaou
  • Patent number: 11796325
    Abstract: This document describes vehicle localization using map and vision data. For example, this document describes a localization system that obtains a map centerline point and a vision centerline point of a lane of a roadway. The localization system also obtains the position of the vehicle. The localization system can then compare the map centerline point and the vision centerline point to generate a lateral and a longitudinal correction relative to the vehicle's position. The lateral and longitudinal corrections are used to generate a corrected position. In this way, the described localization system can provide accurate vehicle localization that addresses potential drift caused by lapsed or inaccurate positioning data and allows for the operation of assisted-driving and autonomous-driving systems at higher speeds and on roadways with tighter curves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Aptiv Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Steven G. Malson, James Nicholas Nickolaou
  • Publication number: 20230258458
    Abstract: This document describes vehicle localization using map and vision data. For example, this document describes a localization system that obtains a map centerline point and a vision centerline point of a lane of a roadway. The localization system also obtains the position of the vehicle. The localization system can then compare the map centerline point and the vision centerline point to generate a lateral and a longitudinal correction relative to the vehicle's position. The lateral and longitudinal corrections are used to generate a corrected position. In this way, the described localization system can provide accurate vehicle localization that addresses potential drift caused by lapsed or inaccurate positioning data and allows for the operation of assisted-driving and autonomous-driving systems at higher speeds and on roadways with tighter curves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2022
    Publication date: August 17, 2023
    Inventors: Steven G. Malson, James Nicholas Nickolaou
  • Publication number: 20230140162
    Abstract: This document describes techniques, apparatuses, and systems for standard-definition (SD) to high-definition (HD) navigation route determination. An example route builder receives a navigation route generated for a host vehicle. The navigation route includes a list of waypoints generated by an SD map database. The route builder matches the list of waypoints to lane geometry data maintained in an HD map database and outputs HD navigation route to a vehicle controller. The HD navigation route includes the list of waypoints, additional waypoints, and lane geometry data. The vehicle controller can then operate the host vehicle in a roadway environment along the HD navigation route. In this way, the described techniques and systems can provide HD navigation routes required by some assisted-driving and autonomous-driving systems based on SD navigation routes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Publication date: May 4, 2023
    Inventors: Steven G. Malson, James Nicholas Nickolaou
  • Publication number: 20230082106
    Abstract: This document describes techniques for localizing a vehicle to map data, for example, to enable assisted driving and automated driving within a road. A road model builder is described that uses vehicle location data to determine its position relative to map data obtained from a provider, which can be different than the location data's source. Using the vehicle position, the road model builder maintains a current lane segment for the vehicle and its relative position within the current lane segment. Based on its relative position, the road model builder determines whether a transition to another lane segment is appropriate before setting the current lane segment to be the other lane segment. The current lane segment, when provided as an input to an assisted-driving or automated-driving system, can enable safer operation of the vehicle and use fewer computing resources than other systems.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2022
    Publication date: March 16, 2023
    Inventors: Steven G. Malson, James Nicholas Nickolaou
  • Patent number: 11147006
    Abstract: Techniques for establishing and controlling information sharing via a dynamic wireless mesh network for a group of vehicles comprise determining a set of communication parameters for the group of vehicles and, based on the set of communication parameters, establishing the dynamic wireless mesh network for the group of vehicles, wherein each vehicle in the group of vehicles is a node in the dynamic wireless mesh network, determining a set of routing rules for the dynamic wireless mesh network, controlling information sharing between the group of vehicles through the dynamic wireless mesh network using the set of routing rules, and selectively adjusting the set of routing rules in response to changes in the set of communication parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: FCA US LLC
    Inventors: Gunmeet Sandhu, David M Caranci, Craig D Conkling, Venkatesh Natarajan, Steven G Malson, Michael J Minewiser
  • Publication number: 20210022064
    Abstract: Techniques for establishing and controlling information sharing via a dynamic wireless mesh network for a group of vehicles comprise determining a set of communication parameters for the group of vehicles and, based on the set of communication parameters, establishing the dynamic wireless mesh network for the group of vehicles, wherein each vehicle in the group of vehicles is a node in the dynamic wireless mesh network, determining a set of routing rules for the dynamic wireless mesh network, controlling information sharing between the group of vehicles through the dynamic wireless mesh network using the set of routing rules, and selectively adjusting the set of routing rules in response to changes in the set of communication parameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2019
    Publication date: January 21, 2021
    Inventors: Gunmeet Sandhu, David M. Caranci, Craig D. Conkling, Venkatesh Natarajan, Steven G. Malson, Michael J. Minewiser