Patents by Inventor Timothy O'Donnell

Timothy O'Donnell 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: 20260233756
    Abstract: Provided are methods for methods and systems for measuring sensor visibility, which can include obtaining sensor data associated with an autonomous vehicle and determining a blockage parameter indicative of a blockage of a sensor based on a comparison of the sensor data with secondary data. Some methods described also include controlling an operation of an autonomous vehicle based on the blockage parameter. Systems and computer program products are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2026
    Publication date: August 13, 2026
    Inventor: Timothy O'Donnell
  • Patent number: 12644967
    Abstract: Provided are interchangeable ring lenses for sensing systems, which can include a LiDAR sensor configured to rotate about a rotation axis within an interchangeable ring lens and receive electromagnetic radiation. Some systems also include a mount portion of the interchangeable ring lens that includes a threaded connection for removably coupling the interchangeable ring lens to a base. Some systems also include the interchangeable ring lens being removable from the base by the threaded connection. Some systems also include an elastomeric seal for at least partially sealing the interchangeable ring lens to the base. Methods and computer program products are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2026
    Assignee: Motional AD LLC
    Inventor: Timothy O'Donnell
  • Patent number: 12623683
    Abstract: Provided are methods for methods and systems for measuring sensor visibility, which can include obtaining sensor data associated with an autonomous vehicle and determining a blockage parameter indicative of a blockage of a sensor based on a comparison of the sensor data with secondary data. Some methods described also include controlling an operation of an autonomous vehicle based on the blockage parameter. Systems and computer program products are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2026
    Assignee: Motional AD LLC
    Inventor: Timothy O'Donnell
  • Patent number: 12591064
    Abstract: Provided are methods for sensor operation, which can include obtaining first location data of a first sensor associated with an autonomous vehicle and determining a first position parameter and a first configuration parameter of the first sensor. Some methods described also include operating the first sensor based on the first configuration parameter. Systems and computer program products are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2026
    Assignee: Motional AD LLC
    Inventors: Giancarlo Baldan, Timothy O'Donnell, William Buono
  • Publication number: 20260056301
    Abstract: Provided are methods for managing vehicle sensors, which can include: determining a stopping distance for a vehicle travelling on a route, identifying one or more sensors of the vehicle that have respective detection ranges less than the stopping distance, and upon identifying the one or more sensors, deactivating at least one operation of at least one sensor of the one or more sensors. Systems and computer program products are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2025
    Publication date: February 26, 2026
    Inventor: Timothy O'Donnell
  • Patent number: 12461210
    Abstract: Provided are methods for managing vehicle sensors, which can include: determining a stopping distance for a vehicle travelling on a route, identifying one or more sensors of the vehicle that have respective detection ranges less than the stopping distance, and upon identifying the one or more sensors, deactivating at least one operation of at least one sensor of the one or more sensors. Systems and computer program products are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2025
    Assignee: Motional AD LLC
    Inventor: Timothy O'Donnell
  • Patent number: 12286009
    Abstract: Estimating fuel consumptions of a vehicle is disclosed. A first fuel consumption value in a first time interval is estimated using fuel-sender resistance data. A second fuel consumption value in a second time interval is estimated using fuel-injected mass data. At least the first fuel consumption value and the second fuel consumption value are combined to obtain a fuel consumption value. The fuel consumption value is then output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2025
    Assignee: Nissan North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Vikram Krishnamurthy, Timothy O'Donnell, Lawrence Rosinski
  • Publication number: 20240059141
    Abstract: Estimating fuel consumptions of a vehicle is disclosed. A first fuel consumption value in a first time interval is estimated using fuel-sender resistance data. A second fuel consumption value in a second time interval is estimated using fuel-injected mass data. At least the first fuel consumption value and the second fuel consumption value are combined to obtain a fuel consumption value. The fuel consumption value is then output.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2023
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Applicant: Nissan North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Vikram Krishnamurthy, Timothy O'Donnell, Lawrence Rosinski
  • Patent number: 11820221
    Abstract: Estimating a fuel consumption includes receiving a request for estimating the fuel consumption between a first time and a second time; estimating a first fuel consumption value in a first time interval using fuel-sender resistance data; estimating a second fuel consumption value in a second time interval using fuel-injected mass data, where the first time interval and the second time interval are consecutive, non-overlapping intervals; and combining at least the first fuel consumption value and the second fuel consumption value to obtain a fuel consumption value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: Nissan North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Vikram Krishnamurthy, Timothy O'Donnell, Lawrence Rosinski
  • Publication number: 20230296780
    Abstract: Provided are methods for sensor operation, which can include obtaining first location data of a first sensor associated with an autonomous vehicle and determining a first position parameter and a first configuration parameter of the first sensor. Some methods described also include operating the first sensor based on the first configuration parameter. Systems and computer program products are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2022
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Inventors: Giancarlo BALDAN, Timothy O'DONNELL, William BUONO
  • Patent number: 11693406
    Abstract: A machine is disclosed. The machine may include at least one of a propulsion system or a steering system configured to operate under automatic control in an autonomous mode of the machine; and a controller configured to obtain one or more parameters associated with a task that is to be performed in the autonomous mode, determine an estimated completion time for the task based on the one or more parameters associated with the task, and perform one or more actions based on the estimated completion time for the task.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: Caterpillar Paving Products Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Jason McGee, Sangameshwar Sonth, Timothy O'Donnell, Kristen Ann Gerstner
  • Patent number: 11685412
    Abstract: An autonomous machine control system is disclosed. The autonomous machine control system may include a controller configured to: cause an initiation of an autonomous mode of a machine, the autonomous mode providing automatic control of a propulsion operation, a steering operation, and a work operation of the machine; determine that automatic control of the work operation is to be disabled in the autonomous mode of the machine; and cause automatic control of the work operation to be disabled in the autonomous mode of the machine, while automatic control of the propulsion operation and the steering operation is enabled in the autonomous mode of the machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Caterpillar Paving Products Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy O'Donnell, Nicholas A Oetken, Kyle Hendricks, Robert Jason McGee
  • Publication number: 20230168351
    Abstract: Provided are methods for managing vehicle sensors, which can include: determining a stopping distance for a vehicle travelling on a route, identifying one or more sensors of the vehicle that have respective detection ranges less than the stopping distance, and upon identifying the one or more sensors, deactivating at least one operation of at least one sensor of the one or more sensors. Systems and computer program products are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2021
    Publication date: June 1, 2023
    Inventor: Timothy O'Donnell
  • Publication number: 20220410697
    Abstract: Estimating a fuel consumption includes receiving a request for estimating the fuel consumption between a first time and a second time; estimating a first fuel consumption value in a first time interval using fuel-sender resistance data; estimating a second fuel consumption value in a second time interval using fuel-injected mass data, where the first time interval and the second time interval are consecutive, non-overlapping intervals; and combining at least the first fuel consumption value and the second fuel consumption value to obtain a fuel consumption value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2021
    Publication date: December 29, 2022
    Inventors: Vikram Krishnamurthy, Timothy O'Donnell, Lawrence Rosinski
  • Publication number: 20210276596
    Abstract: An autonomous machine control system is disclosed. The autonomous machine control system may include a controller configured to: cause an initiation of an autonomous mode of a machine, the autonomous mode providing automatic control of a propulsion operation, a steering operation, and a work operation of the machine; determine that automatic control of the work operation is to be disabled in the autonomous mode of the machine; and cause automatic control of the work operation to be disabled in the autonomous mode of the machine, while automatic control of the propulsion operation and the steering operation is enabled in the autonomous mode of the machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2020
    Publication date: September 9, 2021
    Applicant: Caterpillar Paving Products Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy O'DONNELL, Nicholas A OETKEN, Kyle HENDRICKS, Robert Jason MCGEE
  • Publication number: 20210278841
    Abstract: A machine is disclosed. The machine may include at least one of a propulsion system or a steering system configured to operate under automatic control in an autonomous mode of the machine; and a controller configured to obtain one or more parameters associated with a task that is to be performed in the autonomous mode, determine an estimated completion time for the task based on the one or more parameters associated with the task, and perform one or more actions based on the estimated completion time for the task.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2020
    Publication date: September 9, 2021
    Applicant: Caterpillar Paving Products Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Jason MCGEE, Sangameshwar SONTH, Timothy O'DONNELL, Kristen Ann GERSTNER
  • Patent number: 11009881
    Abstract: A control system for an autonomous vehicle is disclosed. The control system may receive information that identifies distances, measured by a sensor of the autonomous vehicle, to different points of a roadway. The control system may generate a representation of a curve based on the information that identifies the distances. The representation of the curve may include a series of points that represent a curvature of the roadway. The control system may identify a point, of the series of points, that satisfies a condition based on the representation of the curve. The control system may store, in the memory, an indication that the point is a center point of the roadway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: Caterpillar Paving Products Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy O'Donnell
  • Patent number: 10976746
    Abstract: System and methods for marking a work area boundary of an autonomous vehicle are disclosed. A system may receive an indication that boundary marking for a work area is to be activated, and may transmit an activation signal to a marking actuator based on receiving the indication that boundary marking for the work area is to be activated. The activation signal may cause the marking actuator to begin marking the boundary as a vehicle, that includes the system, traverses the boundary. The system may store information that identifies a plurality of marked locations along the boundary. The system may determine that boundary marking for the work area is to be deactivated, and may transmit a deactivation signal to the marking actuator based on determining that boundary marking for the work area is to be deactivated. The deactivation signal may cause the marking actuator to stop marking the boundary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Caterpillar Paving Products Inc.
    Inventors: Kyle Hendricks, Jeremy Lee, Timothy O'Donnell
  • Patent number: 10920401
    Abstract: System and methods for managing work area reservations are disclosed. A system may receive an indication of a work area to be reserved for an autonomous operation of the autonomous vehicle; broadcast a request to reserve the work area for the autonomous vehicle; determine whether a communication, that indicates a reservation conflict for the work area, has been received; selectively reserve the work area and instructing one or more controllers of the autonomous vehicle to perform the autonomous operation in the work area based on determining whether the communication has been received by the autonomous vehicle; and broadcast, during the autonomous operation, one or more signals identifying the work area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Caterpillar Paving Products Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy O'Donnell
  • Publication number: 20200319646
    Abstract: A control system for an autonomous vehicle is disclosed. The control system may receive information that identifies distances, measured by a sensor of the autonomous vehicle, to different points of a roadway. The control system may generate a representation of a curve based on the information that identifies the distances. The representation of the curve may include a series of points that represent a curvature of the roadway. The control system may identify a point, of the series of points, that satisfies a condition based on the representation of the curve. The control system may store, in the memory, an indication that the point is a center point of the roadway.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2019
    Publication date: October 8, 2020
    Applicant: Caterpillar Paving Products Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy O'DONNELL