Patents by Inventor Zack Zhu

Zack Zhu 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: 11837083
    Abstract: It is determined whether the number of second probe apparatuses in the vicinity of a first probe apparatus satisfies a volume threshold requirement. Responsive to determining that the volume threshold requirement is satisfied, an instance of individual probe data is generated and provided. Responsive to determining that the volume threshold requirement is not satisfied, it is determined if a first instance of collaborative probe data corresponds to a portion of a trajectory of the first probe apparatus. Responsive to determining that the first instance of collaborative probe data corresponds to the portion of the trajectory, a contribution is added to the first instance of collaborative probe data and the updated first instance of collaborative probe data is provided. Otherwise, a first instance of collaborative probe data is generated that comprises a partial representation of probe data corresponding to the portion of the trajectory of the first probe apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: HERE GLOBAL B.V.
    Inventors: David Jonietz, Tero Keski-Valkama, Elena Mumford, Zack Zhu
  • Patent number: 11634300
    Abstract: A method for detecting an entry into an elevator car of an elevator system by a passenger uses a mobile device carried by the passenger. The mobile device has at least one, but in particular a plurality of sensors, with which the mobile device detects and evaluates measured values. An entry into the elevator car is then detected on the basis of comparing the measured values with at least one stored signal pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: INVENTIO AG
    Inventors: Christian Studer, Martin Kusserow, Reto Tschuppert, Zack Zhu
  • Patent number: 11524869
    Abstract: A method for monitoring an elevator system utilizes a mobile terminal device having at least one sensor to collect measurement values in an elevator car. The mobile terminal device is carried by a passenger of the elevator system. The collected measurement values are transmitted by the mobile terminal device to a central evaluation unit where they are evaluated. The mobile terminal device activates a measurement mode when it detects that it is located in a region of a shaft door of the elevator system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: INVENTIO AG
    Inventors: Christian Studer, Martin Kusserow, Reto Tschuppert, Zack Zhu
  • Patent number: 11524876
    Abstract: An elevator door arrangement is monitored wherein the elevator door arrangement includes at least one door wing and an electric actuator for displacing the door wing in at least one of an opening direction and a closing direction during a door motion event. A method for performing the monitoring includes a learning phase and an application phase. During the learning phase, different types of door motion events are identified and for each type of event a reference motion event duration is determined. During the application phase, a door arrangement operation is observed such as to detect door motion events and the different types of door motion events are distinguished upon comparison of the reference motion event durations with actual motion event durations measured during the application phase. Using the method, door motion events in an elevator may be recognized and monitored in an automatic manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: INVENTIO AG
    Inventors: Martin Kusserow, Zack Zhu, Jose Alberto Mancera Andrade
  • Patent number: 11479442
    Abstract: A method and a device for monitoring characteristics of an elevator door motion procedure use a smart mobile device including multiple sensors. The method includes: (i) determining a time window, within which a door motion is assumed to occur, including a time interval enclosed by a start time limit and an end time limit and wherein at least one of the start time limit and the end time limit is determined based on first measurement values acquired by a first sensor in the smart mobile device; and (ii) detecting characteristics of the procedure based on second measurement values acquired during the time window by a second sensor in the smart mobile device. Using the method, door motion characteristics can be reliably monitored using a passenger's smart mobile phone while substantially limiting sensing and processing capacities required by the smart mobile phone as well as avoiding compromising passenger privacy requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: INVENTIO AG
    Inventors: Alberto Chiappa, Martin Kusserow, Zack Zhu
  • Publication number: 20220238013
    Abstract: It is determined whether the number of second probe apparatuses in the vicinity of a first probe apparatus satisfies a volume threshold requirement. Responsive to determining that the volume threshold requirement is satisfied, an instance of individual probe data is generated and provided. Responsive to determining that the volume threshold requirement is not satisfied, it is determined if a first instance of collaborative probe data corresponds to a portion of a trajectory of the first probe apparatus. Responsive to determining that the first instance of collaborative probe data corresponds to the portion of the trajectory, a contribution is added to the first instance of collaborative probe data and the updated first instance of collaborative probe data is provided. Otherwise, a first instance of collaborative probe data is generated that comprises a partial representation of probe data corresponding to the portion of the trajectory of the first probe apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2022
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Inventors: David Jonietz, Tero Keski-Valkama, Elena Mumford, Zack Zhu
  • Patent number: 11397818
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided to determine a semantic privacy index that quantifies the risk associated with re-identification of a trajectory following anonymization of the trajectory. In the context of a method, information regarding a trajectory is received. After the trajectory has been map matched to a portion of a road network, the method associates contextual information comprising one or more map features with the trajectory. The method also provides the information regarding the trajectory and the contextual information comprising the one or more map features to a risk estimation model in order to generate the semantic privacy index.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: HERE GLOBAL B.V.
    Inventors: Raghavendran Balu, Stefano Bennati, Aleksandra Kovacevic, Arash Ostadzadeh, Kai Pöthkow, Elena Mumford, Elena Vidyakina, Zack Zhu
  • Patent number: 11365096
    Abstract: The present application relates to a continuously conveying passenger transport system which can be walked on and is designed as an escalator or moving walkway and a mobile device charging device for wirelessly electrically charging at least one mobile device during a passenger transport.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: INVENTIO AG
    Inventors: Martin Kusserow, Zack Zhu, Thomas Novacek
  • Patent number: 11335187
    Abstract: It is determined whether the number of second probe apparatuses in the vicinity of a first probe apparatus satisfies a volume threshold requirement. Responsive to determining that the volume threshold requirement is satisfied, an instance of individual probe data is generated and provided. Responsive to determining that the volume threshold requirement is not satisfied, it is determined if a first instance of collaborative probe data corresponds to a portion of a trajectory of the first probe apparatus. Responsive to determining that the first instance of collaborative probe data corresponds to the portion of the trajectory, a contribution is added to the first instance of collaborative probe data and the updated first instance of collaborative probe data is provided. Otherwise, a first instance of collaborative probe data is generated that comprises a partial representation of probe data corresponding to the portion of the trajectory of the first probe apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: HERE Global B.V.
    Inventors: David Jonietz, Tero Keski-Valkama, Elena Mumford, Zack Zhu
  • Publication number: 20210371233
    Abstract: A method for determining a mapping of a number of floors to be served by an elevator includes the steps of: (a) determining, during a multiplicity of trips of an elevator car of the elevator, a trip-dependent physical parameter value which unambiguously depends on at least one of a trip duration and a trip distance; and (b) clustering the determined trip-dependent physical parameter values to clusters to define each of the floors in the mapping. In a training phase, the method automatically determines the number of floors served and then, in an operation phase, classifies each of the observed trips and finally detects and tracks a current position of the elevator car. An elevator monitoring device implementing such method may be retrofitted into existing elevators for e.g. remotely monitoring the elevator operation and does not necessarily require any data transfer between components of the elevator and the elevator monitoring device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2019
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Inventors: Martin Kusserow, Michael Guarisco, Zack Zhu
  • Publication number: 20210238010
    Abstract: An elevator controller detects a malfunction such as elevator blockage in an observed elevator utilizing a method including: acquiring first data during an application phase, the first data correlating with at least one condition in the observed elevator; acquiring further data during the application phase, the further data correlating with the at least one condition in other elevators; determining a current relative behavior of the observed elevator during the application phase based on a comparison of the first data with the further data; and detecting the malfunction in the observed elevator based on an analysis of the current relative behavior. The normal relative behavior information of the observed elevator, learned in a machine learning procedure during a preceding learning phase, is taken into account upon analyzing the current relative behavior of the observed elevator. The method enables automatically detecting malfunctions in an elevator while reducing a probability of false alarms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2019
    Publication date: August 5, 2021
    Inventors: Martin Kusserow, Zack Zhu
  • Publication number: 20210182402
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided to determine a semantic privacy index that quantifies the risk associated with re-identification of a trajectory following anonymization of the trajectory. In the context of a method, information regarding a trajectory is received. After the trajectory has been map matched to a portion of a road network, the method associates contextual information comprising one or more map features with the trajectory. The method also provides the information regarding the trajectory and the contextual information comprising the one or more map features to a risk estimation model in order to generate the semantic privacy index.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2019
    Publication date: June 17, 2021
    Applicant: HERE GLOBAL B.V.
    Inventors: Raghavendran BALU, Stefano BENNATI, Aleksandra KOVACEVIC, Arash OSTADZADEH, Kai PÖTHKOW, Elena MUMFORD, Elena VIDYAKINA, Zack ZHU
  • Publication number: 20210032078
    Abstract: A method and a device for monitoring characteristics of an elevator door motion procedure use a smart mobile device including multiple sensors. The method includes: (i) determining a time window, within which a door motion is assumed to occur, including a time interval enclosed by a start time limit and an end time limit and wherein at least one of the start time limit and the end time limit is determined based on first measurement values acquired by a first sensor in the smart mobile device; and (ii) detecting characteristics of the procedure based on second measurement values acquired during the time window by a second sensor in the smart mobile device. Using the method, door motion characteristics can be reliably monitored using a passenger's smart mobile phone while substantially limiting sensing and processing capacities required by the smart mobile phone as well as avoiding compromising passenger privacy requirements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2019
    Publication date: February 4, 2021
    Inventors: Alberto Chiappa, Martin Kusserow, Zack Zhu
  • Publication number: 20200402393
    Abstract: It is determined whether the number of second probe apparatuses in the vicinity of a first probe apparatus satisfies a volume threshold requirement. Responsive to determining that the volume threshold requirement is satisfied, an instance of individual probe data is generated and provided. Responsive to determining that the volume threshold requirement is not satisfied, it is determined if a first instance of collaborative probe data corresponds to a portion of a trajectory of the first probe apparatus. Responsive to determining that the first instance of collaborative probe data corresponds to the portion of the trajectory, a contribution is added to the first instance of collaborative probe data and the updated first instance of collaborative probe data is provided. Otherwise, a first instance of collaborative probe data is generated that comprises a partial representation of probe data corresponding to the portion of the trajectory of the first probe apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2019
    Publication date: December 24, 2020
    Inventors: David Jonietz, Tero Keski-Valkama, Elena Mumford, Zack Zhu
  • Publication number: 20200270101
    Abstract: The present application relates to a continuously conveying passenger transport system which can be walked on and is designed as an escalator or moving walkway and a mobile device charging device for wirelessly electrically charging at least one mobile device during a passenger transport.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2018
    Publication date: August 27, 2020
    Inventors: Martin Kusserow, Zack Zhu, Thomas Novacek
  • Publication number: 20200198933
    Abstract: An elevator door arrangement is monitored wherein the elevator door arrangement includes at least one door wing and an electric actuator for displacing the door wing in at least one of an opening direction and a closing direction during a door motion event. A method for performing the monitoring includes a learning phase and an application phase. During the learning phase, different types of door motion events are identified and for each type of event a reference motion event duration is determined. During the application phase, a door arrangement operation is observed such as to detect door motion events and the different types of door motion events are distinguished upon comparison of the reference motion event durations with actual motion event durations measured during the application phase. Using the method, door motion events in an elevator may be recognized and monitored in an automatic manner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2018
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Inventors: Martin Kusserow, Zack Zhu, Jose Alberto Mancera Andrade
  • Publication number: 20200109030
    Abstract: A holder structure fixed to an elevator car of an elevator is configured to hold a passenger's smart mobile device. The mobile device includes sensors, and the holder structure releasably mechanically couples the mobile device to the elevator car. A method for monitoring an operation of the elevator includes providing the mobile device with a specific application software controlling the mobile device to execute the following monitoring procedure: repeatedly supervising measurement values of at least one of the sensors; upon occurrence of a specific parameter pattern in the measurement values, starting a measurement acquisition procedure during which measurement values are sensed by at least one of the sensors and the sensed measurement values are transmitted to an evaluation unit for further evaluation. The specific parameter pattern specifically results upon the mobile device being held in at least one of a predefined position and a predefined orientation in the elevator car.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2018
    Publication date: April 9, 2020
    Inventors: Zack Zhu, Martin Kusserow, Andrew Paice, Heinz Widmer, Raphael Zimmermann
  • Publication number: 20190193992
    Abstract: A method for monitoring an elevator system utilizes a mobile terminal device having at least one sensor to collect measurement values in an elevator car. The mobile terminal device is carried by a passenger of the elevator system. The collected measurement values are transmitted by the mobile terminal device to a central evaluation unit where they are evaluated. The mobile terminal device activates a measurement mode when it detects that it is located in a region of a shaft door of the elevator system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2017
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Inventors: Christian Studer, Martin Kusserow, Reto Tschuppert, Zack Zhu
  • Publication number: 20190193986
    Abstract: A method for detecting an entry into an elevator car of an elevator system by a passenger uses a mobile device carried by the passenger. The mobile device has at least one, but in particular a plurality of sensors, with which the mobile device detects and evaluates measured values. An entry into the elevator car is then detected on the basis of comparing the measured values with at least one stored signal pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2017
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Inventors: Christian Studer, Martin Kusserow, Reto Tschuppert, Zack Zhu