Patents by Inventor William FLOYD-JONES

William FLOYD-JONES 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: 11964393
    Abstract: A robot control system determines which of a number of discretizations to use to generate discretized representations of robot swept volumes and to generate discretized representations of the environment in which the robot will operate. Obstacle voxels (or boxes) representing the environment and obstacles therein are streamed into the processor and stored in on-chip environment memory. At runtime, the robot control system may dynamically switch between multiple motion planning graphs stored in off-chip or on-chip memory. The dynamically switching between multiple motion planning graphs at runtime enables the robot to perform motion planning at a relatively low cost as characteristics of the robot itself change. Various aspects of such robot motion planning are implemented in particular systems and methods that facilitate motion planning of the robot for various environments and tasks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: REALTIME ROBOTICS, INC.
    Inventors: Daniel Sorin, George Konidaris, Sean Murray, William Floyd-Jones, Peter Howard, Xianchao Long
  • Publication number: 20240009845
    Abstract: Systems, methods and user interfaces employ clearance or margin determinations in motion planning and motion control for robots in operational environments, the clearance or margin determinations representing an amount of clearance or margin between at least one portion of a robot and one or more objects in the operational environment. Clearances may be displayed in a presentation of motion, for instance displayed in a presentation of a roadmap or a number of paths in a representation of a three-dimensional environment in which the robot operates. Roadmaps may be adjusted based at least in part of determined clearances, for instance based on user input or autonomously.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2021
    Publication date: January 11, 2024
    Inventors: William Floyd-Jones, Sean Murray, Ty Tremblay
  • Publication number: 20230356400
    Abstract: A robot control system determines which of a number of discretizations to use to generate discretized representations of robot swept volumes and to generate discretized representations of the environment in which the robot will operate. Obstacle voxels (or boxes) representing the environment and obstacles therein are streamed into the processor and stored in on-chip environment memory. At runtime, the robot control system may dynamically switch between multiple motion planning graphs stored in off-chip or on-chip memory. The dynamically switching between multiple motion planning graphs at runtime enables the robot to perform motion planning at a relatively low cost as characteristics of the robot itself change.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2023
    Publication date: November 9, 2023
    Inventors: Daniel Sorin, George Konidaris, Sean Murray, William Floyd-Jones
  • Publication number: 20230347520
    Abstract: A robot control system determines which of a number of discretizations to use to generate discretized representations of robot swept volumes and to generate discretized representations of the environment in which the robot will operate. Obstacle voxels (or boxes) representing the environment and obstacles therein are streamed into the processor and stored in on-chip environment memory. At runtime, the robot control system may dynamically switch between multiple motion planning graphs stored in off-chip or on-chip memory. The dynamically switching between multiple motion planning graphs at runtime enables the robot to perform motion planning at a relatively low cost as characteristics of the robot itself change. Various aspects of such robot motion planning are implemented in particular systems and methods that facilitate motion planning of the robot for various environments and tasks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2023
    Publication date: November 2, 2023
    Inventors: Daniel Sorin, George Konidaris, Sean Murray, William Floyd-Jones, Peter Howard, Xianchao Long
  • Publication number: 20230347519
    Abstract: A robot control system determines which of a number of discretizations to use to generate discretized representations of robot swept volumes and to generate discretized representations of the environment in which the robot will operate. Obstacle voxels (or boxes) representing the environment and obstacles therein are streamed into the processor and stored in on-chip environment memory. At runtime, the robot control system may dynamically switch between multiple motion planning graphs stored in off-chip or on-chip memory. The dynamically switching between multiple motion planning graphs at runtime enables the robot to perform motion planning at a relatively low cost as characteristics of the robot itself change. Various aspects of such robot motion planning are implemented in particular systems and methods that facilitate motion planning of the robot for various environments and tasks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2023
    Publication date: November 2, 2023
    Inventors: Daniel Sorin, George Konidaris, Sean Murray, William Floyd-Jones, Peter Howard, Xianchao Long
  • Patent number: 11745346
    Abstract: A robot control system determines which of a number of discretizations to use to generate discretized representations of robot swept volumes and to generate discretized representations of the environment in which the robot will operate. Obstacle voxels (or boxes) representing the environment and obstacles therein are streamed into the processor and stored in on-chip environment memory. At runtime, the robot control system may dynamically switch between multiple motion planning graphs stored in off-chip or on-chip memory. The dynamically switching between multiple motion planning graphs at runtime enables the robot to perform motion planning at a relatively low cost as characteristics of the robot itself change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: REALTIME ROBOTICS, INC.
    Inventors: Daniel Sorin, George Konidaris, Sean Murray, William Floyd-Jones
  • Patent number: 11738457
    Abstract: A robot control system determines which of a number of discretizations to use to generate discretized representations of robot swept volumes and to generate discretized representations of the environment in which the robot will operate. Obstacle voxels (or boxes) representing the environment and obstacles therein are streamed into the processor and stored in on-chip environment memory. At runtime, the robot control system may dynamically switch between multiple motion planning graphs stored in off-chip or on-chip memory. The dynamically switching between multiple motion planning graphs at runtime enables the robot to perform motion planning at a relatively low cost as characteristics of the robot itself change. Various aspects of such robot motion planning are implemented in particular systems and methods that facilitate motion planning of the robot for various environments and tasks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: REALTIME ROBOTICS, INC.
    Inventors: Daniel Sorin, George Konidaris, Sean Murray, William Floyd-Jones, Peter Howard, Xianchao Long
  • Patent number: 11634126
    Abstract: A motion planner performs motion planning with collision assessment, using a motion planning lattice that represents configuration states of a primary agent (e.g., autonomous vehicle) as nodes and transitions between states as edges. The system may assign cost values to edges, the cost values representing probability or likelihood of collision for the corresponding transition. The cost values may additionally or alternatively represent a severity of collision, for example generated via a parametric function with two or more parameters and one or more weights. A primary agent and/or dynamic obstacles may be represented as respective oriented bounding boxes. Some obstacles (e.g., road markings, edge of road) may be represented as curves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: REALTIME ROBOTICS, INC.
    Inventors: William Floyd-Jones, Bryce Willey, George Konidaris, Xianchao Long
  • Patent number: 11429105
    Abstract: A system for motion planning for autonomous vehicles can include a plurality of sensors, a plurality of detectors in electrical communication with the plurality of sensors, and a motion planning module in electrical communication with the plurality of detectors and a computing system of an autonomous vehicle. The motion planning module stores a planning graph with each node representing, explicitly or implicitly, time and variables defining a state of the autonomous vehicle, an operating environment, or both the state of the autonomous vehicle and the operating environment. A reconfigurable processor can include a collision detection module and, optionally, a shortest path module. Pre-computed collision data and planning graph data reflecting logical/physical node mapping can be communicated to the processor during a programming phase and used during runtime.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignees: DUKE UNIVERSITY, BROWN UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Daniel J. Sorin, George D. Konidaris, William Floyd-Jones, Sean Murray
  • Publication number: 20220193911
    Abstract: A processor-based system provides a user interface to facilitate generation of motion planning graphs or roadmaps, for example via autonomous generate of additional poses, for example neighboring poses, based on specified seed or origin pose, and/or generate or sub-lattice connecting poses and/or edges to couple separate regions or sub-lattices of the motion planning graph together. Such may include performing collision-checking and/or kinematic checking (e.g., taking into account kinematic constraints of robots being modeled). The resulting motion planning graphs or roadmaps are useful in controlling robots during runtime. Robots may include robots with appendages and/or robots in the form of autonomous vehicles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2020
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Inventors: William Floyd-Jones, Sean Murray, Matthew Ryan, Arne Sieverling
  • Publication number: 20220176951
    Abstract: A motion planner of an autonomous vehicle's computer system uses reconfigurable collision detection architecture hardware to perform a collision assessment on a planning graph for the vehicle prior to execution of a motion plan. For edges on the planning graph, which represent transitions in states of the vehicle, the system sets a probability of collision with a dynamic object in the environment based at least in part on the collision assessment. Depending on whether the goal of the vehicle is to avoid or collide with a particular dynamic object in the environment, the system then performs an optimization to identify a path in the resulting planning graph with either a relatively high or relatively low potential of a collision with the particular dynamic object. The system then causes the actuator system of the vehicle to implement a motion plan with the applicable identified path based at least in part on the optimization.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2022
    Publication date: June 9, 2022
    Inventors: Daniel SORIN, William FLOYD-JONES, Sean MURRAY, George KONIDARIS, William WALKER
  • Patent number: 11340616
    Abstract: A system for motion planning for autonomous vehicles can include a plurality of sensors, a plurality of detectors in electrical communication with the plurality of sensors, and a motion planning module in electrical communication with the plurality of detectors and a computing system of an autonomous vehicle. The motion planning module stores a planning graph with each node representing, explicitly or implicitly, time and variables defining a state of the autonomous vehicle, an operating environment, or both the state of the autonomous vehicle and the operating environment. A reconfigurable processor can include a collision detection module and, optionally, a shortest path module. Pre-computed collision data and planning graph data reflecting logical/physical node mapping can be communicated to the processor during a programming phase and used during runtime.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignees: DUKE UNIVERSITY, BROWN UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Daniel J. Sorin, George D. Konidaris, William Floyd-Jones, Sean Murray
  • Patent number: 11292456
    Abstract: A motion planner of an autonomous vehicle's computer system uses reconfigurable collision detection architecture hardware to perform a collision assessment on a planning graph for the vehicle prior to execution of a motion plan. For edges on the planning graph, which represent transitions in states of the vehicle, the system sets a probability of collision with a dynamic object in the environment based at least in part on the collision assessment. Depending on whether the goal of the vehicle is to avoid or collide with a particular dynamic object in the environment, the system then performs an optimization to identify a path in the resulting planning graph with either a relatively high or relatively low potential of a collision with the particular dynamic object. The system then causes the actuator system of the vehicle to implement a motion plan with the applicable identified path based at least in part on the optimization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignees: DUKE UNIVERSITY, BROWN UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Daniel Sorin, William Floyd-Jones, Sean Murray, George Konidaris, William Walker
  • Publication number: 20220080594
    Abstract: A robot control system determines which of a number of discretizations to use to generate discretized representations of robot swept volumes and to generate discretized representations of the environment in which the robot will operate. Obstacle voxels (or boxes) representing the environment and obstacles therein are streamed into the processor and stored in on-chip environment memory. At runtime, the robot control system may dynamically switch between multiple motion planning graphs stored in off-chip or on-chip memory. The dynamically switching between multiple motion planning graphs at runtime enables the robot to perform motion planning at a relatively low cost as characteristics of the robot itself change.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2021
    Publication date: March 17, 2022
    Inventors: Daniel Sorin, George Konidaris, Sean Murray, William Floyd-Jones
  • Publication number: 20220057803
    Abstract: A motion planner of a computer system of a primary agent, e.g., an autonomous vehicle, uses reconfigurable collision detection architecture hardware to perform a collision assessment on a planning graph for the primary agent prior to execution of a motion plan. For edges on the planning graph, which represent transitions in states of the primary agent, the system sets a probability of collision with another agent, e.g., a dynamic object, in the environment based at least in part on the collision assessment. Depending on whether the goal of the primary agent is to avoid or collide with a particular dynamic object in the environment, the system then performs an optimization to identify a path in the resulting planning graph with either a relatively low or relatively high potential of a collision with the particular dynamic object. The system then causes the actuator system of the primary agent to implement a motion plan with the applicable identified path based at least in part on the optimization.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2019
    Publication date: February 24, 2022
    Inventors: Daniel SORIN, William FLOYD-JONES, Sean MURRAY, George KONIDARIS, William WALKER
  • Patent number: 11235465
    Abstract: A robot control system determines which of a number of discretizations to use to generate discretized representations of robot swept volumes and to generate discretized representations of the environment in which the robot will operate. Obstacle voxels (or boxes) representing the environment and obstacles therein are streamed into the processor and stored in on-chip environment memory. At runtime, the robot control system may dynamically switch between multiple motion planning graphs stored in off-chip or on-chip memory. The dynamically switching between multiple motion planning graphs at runtime enables the robot to perform motion planning at a relatively low cost as characteristics of the robot itself change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: REALTIME ROBOTICS, INC.
    Inventors: Daniel Sorin, George Konidaris, Sean Murray, William Floyd-Jones
  • Publication number: 20210023706
    Abstract: A robot control system determines which of a number of discretizations to use to generate discretized representations of robot swept volumes and to generate discretized representations of the environment in which the robot will operate. Obstacle voxels (or boxes) representing the environment and obstacles therein are streamed into the processor and stored in on-chip environment memory. At runtime, the robot control system may dynamically switch between multiple motion planning graphs stored in off-chip or on-chip memory. The dynamically switching between multiple motion planning graphs at runtime enables the robot to perform motion planning at a relatively low cost as characteristics of the robot itself change. Various aspects of such robot motion planning are implemented in particular systems and methods that facilitate motion planning of the robot for various environments and tasks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2019
    Publication date: January 28, 2021
    Inventors: Daniel Sorin, George Konidaris, Sean Murray, William Floyd-Jones, Peter Howard, Xianchao Long
  • Publication number: 20200398428
    Abstract: Collision detection useful in motion planning for robotics advantageously represents planned motions of each of a plurality of robots as obstacles when performing motion planning for any given robot in the plurality of robots that operate in a shared workspace, including taking into account the planned motions during collision assessment. Edges of a motion planning graph are assigned cost values, based at least in part on the collision assessment. Obstacles may be pruned as corresponding motions are completed. Motion planning requests may be queued, and some robots skipped, for example in response to an error or blocked condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Publication date: December 24, 2020
    Inventors: Sean Murray, William Floyd-Jones, Xianchao Long
  • Publication number: 20200377085
    Abstract: A motion planner performs motion planning with collision assessment, using a motion planning lattice that represents configuration states of a primary agent (e.g., autonomous vehicle) as nodes and transitions between states as edges. The system may assign cost values to edges, the cost values representing probability or likelihood of collision for the corresponding transition. The cost values may additionally or alternatively represent a severity of collision, for example generated via a parametric function with two or more parameters and one or more weights. A primary agent and/or dynamic obstacles may be represented as respective oriented bounding boxes. Some obstacles (e.g., road markings, edge of road) may be represented as curves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2020
    Publication date: December 3, 2020
    Inventors: William Floyd-Jones, Bryce Willey, George Konidaris, Xianchao Long
  • Publication number: 20190240835
    Abstract: A robot control system determines which of a number of discretizations to use to generate discretized representations of robot swept volumes and to generate discretized representations of the environment in which the robot will operate. Obstacle voxels (or boxes) representing the environment and obstacles therein are streamed into the processor and stored in on-chip environment memory. At runtime, the robot control system may dynamically switch between multiple motion planning graphs stored in off-chip or on-chip memory. The dynamically switching between multiple motion planning graphs at runtime enables the robot to perform motion planning at a relatively low cost as characteristics of the robot itself change.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2019
    Publication date: August 8, 2019
    Inventors: Daniel Sorin, George Konidaris, Sean Murray, William Floyd-Jones