Patents Issued in April 30, 2024
  • Patent number: 11971673
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a process unit, a heating unit, and a controller unit. The process unit is configured to transfer an image onto a sheet. The heating unit is configured to fix the image transferred at the process unit onto the sheet, and to transfer a transfer layer onto an image formed on a sheet overlaid on a multilayer film. The controller unit is capable of operating in a first printing mode in which processes of transferring an image at the process unit, fixing the image at the heating unit, and transferring the transfer layer at the heating unit are executed, and a second printing mode in which processes of transferring an image at the process unit and fixing the image at the heating unit are not executed, and a process of transferring the transfer layer at the heating unit is executed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomoya Ichikawa, Tomoya Yamamoto, Ryosuke Sakai, Kentaro Mori, Kyoko Sugiyama, Ayaka Ohira, Isami Fujisawa
  • Patent number: 11971674
    Abstract: A heating device includes a rotator, a heater, a heater holder, and a first high thermal conduction member. The heater includes a base and a plurality of heat generators being arranged on the base and including neighboring heat generators. The heater has a gap area between the neighboring heat generators. The first high thermal conduction member has a higher thermal conductivity than the base and faces the gap area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Shigeo Nanno, Yasunori Ishigaya, Takahiro Imada, Takumi Waida, Daisuke Hirano
  • Patent number: 11971675
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes image bearers, motors, a reference position detector, and processing circuitry. The circuitry senses a density of a toner image on each bearer; forms an image pattern and senses, based on a detection result of the detector and a sensing result of the density, density unevenness in a rotation cycle and a phase of the density unevenness with respect to a rotational position reference of each bearer; calculates a target phase based on the phase sensed; calculates a relative phase difference based on a rotational position and the target phase of each bearer; selects, as a reference image bearer, an image bearer having a minimum phase correction value, based on a calculation result of the difference; and controls the rotational position of each of the other image bearers with respect to the reference image bearer to the phase correction value, with the motors being driven.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masashi Kasamai, Koji Kiryu, Masahiro Ashikawa, Jumpei Yamaguchi, Kanji Ubukata, Nagisa Nakamura
  • Patent number: 11971676
    Abstract: A processor derives a plurality of unit density values which are each an average value of sensed densities for each of a plurality of unit areas sectioned for each unit length in a test toner image. The processor derives a weighted average of the plurality of unit density values to derive a test image density used for adjusting a control parameter in a printing portion. The unit length is a greatest common factor of two target lengths corresponding to perimeters of two types of target rotating members out of the plurality of rotating members. When a number of the plurality of unit areas is represented by n, n is a value obtained by subtracting 1 from an added value of a first constant and a second constant. The first constant and the second constant are values obtained by respectively dividing the two target lengths by the unit length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Masaru Watanabe, Yasuaki Sakamoto, Ayato Morikami, Kenichi Hayashi, Hideyuki Ogasawara, Yukiko Yoshimura
  • Patent number: 11971677
    Abstract: A sheet feeder includes: a sheet rack; a pair of side plates movable along a width of a sheet on the sheet rack and abuttable against both widthwise ends of the sheet; a widthwise drive device that moves the side plates along the width of the sheet; a pair of end detecting devices provided one for each of the side plates and capable of detecting both the ends of the sheet abutting the side plates, respectively; and a control device that includes a processor, controls the widthwise drive device through the processor executing a control program to allow the widthwise drive device to move, based on outputs of the end detecting devices, the side plates until abutment against both the ends of the sheet, acquires respective travel distances of the side plates moved by the widthwise drive device, and determines a size of the sheet based on the travel distances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Trung Manh Tran
  • Patent number: 11971678
    Abstract: To provide an image forming device that can prompt a user to check whether a waste toner container is completely attached. The image forming device includes a housing, an access cover attached in an openable/closable manner to the housing, a waste toner container attachable to the housing with the access cover open, and a lock lever that locks the waste toner container and the housing. The access cover includes a protruding portion protruding toward an interior of the housing. The lock lever transitions between a locked state and a pressed state of being pressed by the waste toner container, and, when in the pressed state, moves to a preventing position at which the lock lever blocks the protruding portion and prevents the access cover from closing, and, when in the locked state, moves to a retracted position at which the lock lever does not block the protruding portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takashi Hori
  • Patent number: 11971679
    Abstract: A metal frame of an image forming apparatus includes a first support which includes a first metal plate and a second metal plate; a second support configured to support the image forming unit together with the first support; and a third support configured to connect the first support and the second support. The first metal plate includes a corner portion provided between a first portion and a second portion. The second metal plate includes a third portion, a fourth portion, and a fifth portion, wherein the fifth portion includes another corner portion located between a first stretched portion and a second stretched portion facing the corner portion of the first metal plate. A tip of the second stretched portion faces the fourth portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naruhiko Ito, Ryota Yasui, Takahiro Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11971680
    Abstract: An abutting portion that abuts on an operation lever for moving a pressure roller is provided on an inner side of an exterior cover provided so as to be openable and closable with respect to a housing that accommodates a fixing unit. The pressure roller is movable to a first pressing position where the pressure roller presses a heating roller with a first pressing force and to a second pressing position where the pressure roller presses the heating roller with a second pressing force smaller than the first pressing force. In addition, the operation lever is moved to a first position for positioning the pressure roller at the first pressing position and to a second position for positioning the pressure roller at the second pressing position. When the exterior cover is closed while the operation lever is located at the second position, the abutting portion abuts on the operation lever.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hisashi Otaka
  • Patent number: 11971681
    Abstract: A coupling structure is provided in an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording material and constituted to couple a first sheet metal and a second sheet metal having an insulative layer on a surface of a metal layer, respectively. The coupling structure includes a first conductive portion, a second conductive portion and a coupling portion. The metal layer of the first conductive portion is exposed by the insulative layer being exfoliated by laser working in the first sheet metal. The metal layer of the second conductive portion is exposed by the insulative layer being exfoliated by laser working in the second sheet metal. The coupling portion couples the first sheet metal and the second sheet metal in a state in which at least a part of the first conductive portion and at least a part of the second conductive portion are contacted with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Hara, Motoki Koshigaya, Manabu Hada
  • Patent number: 11971682
    Abstract: A cartridge includes a first unit including a photosensitive member, and a second unit including a developer bearing member and a force receiving portion, the second unit being configured to be rotatable about a first axis to move with respect to the first unit between a first position and a second position. In a state where the first unit is in a same posture as when an image forming operation is performed, the second unit is disposed at the second position by its own weight. The developer bearing member is configured to be rotatable about a second axis. When seen in the direction of the first axis, a first distance between the force receiving portion and the second axis is smaller than a second distance between the first axis and the second axis and a third distance between the first axis and the force receiving portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideki Kakuta, Toshiaki Takeuchi, Yu Akiba, Shuichi Gofuku, Tomofumi Kawamura, Yusuke Atsu, Joji Goto
  • Patent number: 11971683
    Abstract: Provided an electrophotographic electro-conductive member that can stably suppress an occurrence of fogging in an electrophotographic image. The member comprises a support having an electro-conductive outer surface, and an electro-conductive layer on the outer surface of the support, the electro-conductive layer having a matrix including a cross-linked product of a first rubber, and domains dispersed in the matrix, the domains each includes a cross-linked product of a second rubber and an electro-conductive particle, at least some of the domains is exposed to the outer surface of the electro-conductive member to constitute protrusions on an outer surface of the member, the outer surface of the electro-conductive member is constituted by the matrix and the domains exposed to the outer surface of the electrophotographic electro-conductive member, the electrophotographic electro-conductive member has an impedance of 1.0×103? or more and 1.0×108? or less, and some of the domains satisfy two specific requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoru Nishioka, Kazuhiro Yamauchi, Hiroaki Watanabe, Takumi Furukawa, Yasuhiro Fushimoto, Masahiro Kurachi, Kenji Takashima, Yuichi Kikuchi, Kana Sato
  • Patent number: 11971684
    Abstract: Provided is toner which has good low-temperature fixability, shelf stability and hot offset resistance, and which suppresses a decrease in glossiness of an image. The toner comprising colored resin particles containing a binder resin, a colorant, a softening agent and a charge control agent, and an external additive, wherein a glass transition temperature (Tg) specified from a temperature dependence curve of a loss tangent (tan ?) obtained by dynamic viscoelastic measurement of the toner, is 50° C. or more and less than 90° C.; the loss tangent (tan ?) at the glass transition temperature (Tg) is 1.70 or less; in a temperature range of 90° C. or more and 160° C. or less, a lowest temperature (Ta) with a loss tangent of 1.50 is more than 95° C. and less than 145° C.; and a storage elastic modulus (G?) at the lowest temperature (Ta) is less than 56000 Pa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: ZEON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kojiro Akazaki
  • Patent number: 11971686
    Abstract: A dial, and timepiece including the dial, including a mother-of-pearl wafer partially covering a support member, and a decorative element arranged on a reverse of the wafer, the decorative element being visible on an obverse of the wafer when subjected to a stimulus and invisible on the obverse of the wafer in the absence of the stimulus. The decorative element has a first empty area on a reverse of the wafer, and a second empty area on the obverse of the wafer, facing the first empty area. A colour compensation layer is deposited on the first empty area or the second empty area, the colour being selected such that the difference in colour ?E in the CIE Lab colour space between the colour compensation layer and the decorative element in the absence of said stimulus, perceived by a user observing the obverse of the wafer, is less than 3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
    Inventors: Agnès Marlot Doerr, Nicolas François, Alexandros Mouskeftaras, Michel Willemin, Jean-Claude Martin, Carole Govaerts
  • Patent number: 11971687
    Abstract: A mechanical horological movement (1) including at least one barrel system (2) for driving a set of wheels and power reserve detector. The detector (10) includes a control wheel (3) disposed opposite the cage of the barrel system (2) and is rotated by a complementary wheel (8) at the differential output to determine a power reserve level. An aperture (13) has a first end (21) to define a complete charge of the barrel system and a second end (22) to define a complete discharge. A lever (4) is rotatably mounted about a lever axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the control wheel. A contact element (5) disposed in the aperture contacts the second end during a zero power reserve indication. A portion of the lever contacts a component of the movement to stop its operation when power reserve indication is at zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: ETA SA MANUFACTURE HORLOGÈRE SUISSE
    Inventors: Stephane Bachmann, Julien Saglini, Laurent Klinger, Baptist Wyssbrod
  • Patent number: 11971688
    Abstract: An electronic timepiece includes: a first indicator and a second indicator that are configured to rotate in combination with each other; an operation receiver; and at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to set a set position that is to be indicated by the second indicator in response to an input operation received by the operation receiver. The at least one processor is configured to cause the first indicator and the second indicator to temporarily stop rotating in combination with each other at a timing when the second indicator indicates the set position, and cause the first indicator and the second indicator to resume rotating in combination with each other after a set time passes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Atsushi Kato
  • Patent number: 11971689
    Abstract: Examples of methods for object manufacturing visualization by an electronic device are described herein. In some examples, a predicted thermal image of additive manufacturing is determined using a machine learning model. In some examples, a captured thermal image is obtained. In some examples, a graphical overlay of the predicted thermal image with the captured thermal image is presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignees: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P., INSTITUTO ATLANTICO
    Inventors: Marcelo Aita Riss, Alyne Gomes Soares Cantal, He Luan, Jun Zeng, Scott Alan White, Sebastia Cortes i Herms, Nailson Boaz Costa Leite, Brian Schmitz Tani
  • Patent number: 11971690
    Abstract: A model predictive controller for a performing stateless prediction. Using dosed form algebraic expressions for the step test in a dynamic matrix eliminates the requirement for individual calculation on each element. With both the dynamic matrix and the vector of predicted errors written in terms of discrete algebraic equations, the control law is written as a function of the current state of the system. The control law is then be reduced to its minimal form, which leaves the next control action to be a function of the system parameters, the past errors, and the past control actions. Since the system parameters are constant, this controller is then be reduced into a single discrete equation. This greatly reduces the computations required in each control loop iteration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: University of New Brunswick
    Inventors: Jacob Mark Wilson, Rickey Dubay
  • Patent number: 11971691
    Abstract: A processor may receive instructional information. The instructional information may be associated with an instructional media. A processor may analyze the instructional information for one or more instructions. A processor may identify a target device from the one or more smart devices in the smart environment that are associated with the one or more instructions. A processor may perform the one or more instructions with the target device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Venkata Vara Prasad Karri, Saraswathi Sailaja Perumalla, Sarbajit K. Rakshit, Sekhar Reddy Dandu Reddy
  • Patent number: 11971692
    Abstract: A system for virtual commissioning of a building management system includes one or more memory devices configured to store instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: receive, at a virtual server, product installation data from a building management system controller installed at a building site via a first connection, the product installation data corresponding to a product installation at the building site; receive, commissioning data from the remote commissioning system via a second connection; configure one or more products installed at the building site to be controlled by the virtual building management system on the virtual server; and selectively transfer control of the one or more products installed at the building site from the virtual building management system hosted at on the virtual server to the building management system controller installed at the building site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP
    Inventors: Xin Zhang, Bryan A. Register, Matthew P. Kaiser, Gregory T. Reichl
  • Patent number: 11971694
    Abstract: An abnormal-sound detection device has an imaging unit, an operation range identification unit, a sound collection unit, an abnormal-sound detection unit, an abnormal-sound generation position identification unit, and an abnormal-sound source determination unit. The operation range identification unit identifies and stores the operation range of a diagnosis object on the basis of the image captured by an imaging unit. The abnormal-sound detection unit detects abnormalities in sounds included in the sounds collected by the sound collection unit, the sounds arriving from the diagnosis object. When an abnormality in a sound is detected by the abnormal-sound detection unit, the abnormal-sound generation position identification unit identifies the position at which the abnormality of the sound was generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Mitsuru Sendoda
  • Patent number: 11971696
    Abstract: To provide a PLC having a data collection function and a data display screen generation function. The PLC includes: a collection section that collects a symbol value stored in a symbol, which is a device or a variable serving as a collection target, according to the application program; a determination section that determines whether or not the symbol value collected by the collection section according to the application program satisfies a normal condition set for the application program to detect a status different from usual regarding the symbol value; and a generation section that generates a display screen including a determination result of the determination section and information indicating the symbol value collected by the collection section according to the application program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: KEYENCE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Daisuke Maruyama
  • Patent number: 11971698
    Abstract: Methods and systems for ascertaining factors contributing to the temperature of a device. A method includes monitoring a plurality of parameters that are contributing to a temperature of the device. The method also includes estimating a degree of contribution of internal factors to the temperature of the device based on the monitored plurality of parameters and a battery temperature of a battery of the device. The method further includes estimating a degree of contribution of external factors to the temperature of the device, based on the monitored plurality of parameters and a battery temperature of a battery of the device. A neural network can be used for estimating the temperature of the ambience of the device and the impacts of internal and external factors on temperature of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Aditya Jhawar, Aditi Jaiswal, Jaitirth Anthony Jacob, Nikhil Sahni, Hakryoul Kim, Jongwoo Kim, Sungyong Bang, Sunghun Jung, Suraj Jha, Vaisakh Punnekkattu Chirayil Sudheesh Babu, Renju Chirakarotu Nair
  • Patent number: 11971699
    Abstract: Examples of methods for thermal mapping by an electronic device are described herein. In some examples, a map is obtained. In some examples, a first thermal image at a first resolution is obtained. In some examples, a neural network is used to determine a second thermal image at a second resolution based on the map and the first thermal image. The second resolution is greater than the first resolution in some examples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: He Luan, Jun Zeng
  • Patent number: 11971700
    Abstract: A method for preparing the automated production of an electronic component by 3D printing, in which at least one of an SMD component and a conductor track are arranged on a substrate. Structural information describing the structure of the electronic component is used to determine first production information including a first machine-readable control command set for a production device for 3D printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: NEOTECH AMT GMBH
    Inventors: Martin Hedges, Johannes Hörber
  • Patent number: 11971701
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus (20) includes a model generating unit (210) and a feature value computation unit (220). The model generating unit (210) generates an Auto-Regressive with eXogenous input (ARX) model of a smell sensor by use of input data controlling an input operation of gas including a smell component being a measurement target, and output data acquired by inputting the gas to the smell sensor, based on the input data. The feature value computation unit (220) computes a transfer function of the smell sensor relating to the smell component by subjecting the ARX model to Z-Transform, and further computes a first-order lag transfer function feature value of the smell sensor relating to the smell component by subjecting the transfer function to partial fraction decomposition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Riki Eto
  • Patent number: 11971702
    Abstract: A production line for manufacturing a building block, which includes at least one component, the production line including: a central conveyor line; at least one feeding line for feeding the at least one component to the central conveyor line; a manufacturing tool set for processing the at least one component; and a control unit for controlling the central conveyor line, the feeding line, and/or the manufacturing tool set. The controlling at least one of the central conveyor line, the feeding line, and/or the manufacturing tool set includes: retrieving an asset-information about the at least one component and/or the manufacturing tool set, conveying the at least one component according to the asset-information by the feeding line to the central conveyor line, retrieving a processing-information and/or a manufacturing tool set information about processing the at least one component, and processing the at least one component by the manufacturing tool set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Somayeh Malakuti, Prerna Juhlin, Sten Gruener, Johannes Schmitt
  • Patent number: 11971703
    Abstract: An automated system includes transducers, at least one computing device, and at least one automated apparatus. The transducer(s) is/are driven and sensed using drive-sense circuit(s). A drives and senses drive and sense a transducer via a single line, generates a digital signal representative of a sensed analog feature to which the transducer is exposed, and transmits the digital signal to the computing device. The computing device receives digital signals from at least some of drive-sense circuits and process them in accordance with the automation process to produce an automated process command. The automated apparatus executes a portion of an automated process based on the automated process command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: SIGMASENSE, LLC.
    Inventors: Patrick Troy Gray, Gerald Dale Morrison, Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Richard Stuart Seger, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11971704
    Abstract: An automated system includes transducers, at least one computing device, and at least one automated apparatus. The transducer(s) is/are driven and sensed using drive-sense circuit(s). A drives and senses drive and sense a transducer via a single line, generates a digital signal representative of a sensed analog feature to which the transducer is exposed, and transmits the digital signal to the computing device. The computing device receives digital signals from at least some of drive-sense circuits and process them in accordance with the automation process to produce an automated process command. The automated apparatus executes a portion of an automated process based on the automated process command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Inventors: Patrick Troy Gray, Gerald Dale Morrison, Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Richard Stuart Seger, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11971705
    Abstract: Systems and methods for allocating computing environments for completing an RPA (robotic process automation) workload are provided. A request for completing an RPA workload is received. A number of computing environments to allocate for completing the RPA workload is calculated based on a selected one of a plurality of RPA autoscaling strategies. The calculated number of computing environments is allocated for allocating one or more RPA robots to complete the RPA workload. The computing environments may be virtual machines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: UiPath, Inc.
    Inventors: Tao Ma, Bogdan Constantin Ripa, Andrei Robert Oros, Cristian Pufu, Clement B. Fauchere, Tarek Madkour
  • Patent number: 11971706
    Abstract: The present teachings relate to a method comprising a plurality of sensors, and one or more functionally connected processing units, the method comprising: providing, at any of the one or more processing units, time-series residual data of a sensor object; the sensor object being a group of at least some of the sensors from the plurality of sensors, and wherein the residual data comprises, for each of the sensors of the sensor object, a residue signal which is a difference between the sensor's measured output and the sensor's expected output, monitoring, via any of the one or more processing units, a level signal; wherein the level signal is indicative of a collective time-based variation of the time-series residual data, monitoring, via any of the one or more processing units, an association signal; wherein the association signal is indicative of the variation and/or association structure of the time-series residual data, generating, via any of the one or more processing units, an anomaly event signal when a
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: BASF SE
    Inventors: Nikolaos Fanidakis, Claus-Juergen Neumann, Benjamin Priese, Frank Strohmaier, Norman Volkert, Thomas Christ, Torsten Norbert Kneitz, Alexander Kubisch
  • Patent number: 11971708
    Abstract: A method for providing context based artefact access to tenants of a cloud computing system includes receiving a request to access an artefact deployed on the cloud computing system. The request includes a tenant identifier and an artefact identifier. Context data associated with the artefact is determined based on the tenant identifier. Context data associated with the artefact is retrieved from an artefact repository stored in a database of the cloud computing system. Access to the artefact is provided based on the retrieved context data associated with the artefact on a device associated with the tenant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Maik Boche, Stefan Burger, Ankit Singh
  • Patent number: 11971709
    Abstract: The disclosure is to constitute, while reducing a cost for collecting training data used in machine learning that makes a control module acquire an ability to control a robot device, the control module operatable in an actual environment by the machine learning. A learning device according to one aspect of the present invention executes machine learning of an extractor by using a first learning data set constituted by a combination of simulation data and first environmental information and a second learning data set constituted by a combination of actual data and second environmental information. Further, a learning device according to one aspect of the present invention executes machine learning of a controller by using a third learning data set constituted by a combination of third environmental information, state information, and a control command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Yuki Yamaguchi, Kennosuke Hayashi, Kin Chung Denny Fu, Yohei Okawa, Chisato Saito, Yoshiya Shibata
  • Patent number: 11971710
    Abstract: A digital twin model based plant operation and optimization is provided. Systems and methods of the solution can receive data on assets of a plant, the assets' topology, connectivity and flow and deployed physical instruments along with the measurements of the physical instruments. The solution generate a model having a plurality of layers based on the received data and provide one or more virtual instruments in the model. The solution can determine, based on a set of relationships for interactions between assets and the received measurements input into the model, one or more virtual measurement for the one or more virtual instruments and generate, responsive to a comparison with a threshold, a notification to service at least one of the assets at the plant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Pani Energy Inc
    Inventors: Ben Wolfe, Devesh Bharadwaj
  • Patent number: 11971711
    Abstract: A warehousing system includes a control terminal and a robot. The control terminal is configured to send a first control instruction including running path information to the robot. The robot is configured to carry a first material, move in a running path according to the running path information, and transport the first material to a conveyor line. The conveyor line includes at least one conveyor line inlet and at least one conveyor line outlet. The robot is configured to dock with the conveyor line and place the first material on the conveyor line at the at least one conveyor line inlet. The running path includes a first path section passes through the at least one conveyor line inlet, a second path section passes through the at least one conveyor line outlet and a third path section connected between the first path section and the second path section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: HAI ROBOTICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hongxia Zhou, Xiaolong Li, Xin Ai
  • Patent number: 11971712
    Abstract: An agent for navigating a mobile automated system is disclosed herein. The navigation agent receives a navigation instruction and visual information for one or more observed images. The navigation agent is provided or equipped with self-awareness, which provides or supports the following abilities: identifying which direction to go or proceed by determining the part of the instruction that corresponds to the observed images (visual grounding), and identifying which part of the instruction has been completed or ongoing and which part is potentially needed for the next action selection (textual grounding). In some embodiments, the navigation agent applies regularization to ensures that the grounded instruction can correctly be used to estimate the progress made towards the navigation goal (progress monitoring).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Salesforce, Inc.
    Inventors: Chih-Yao Ma, Caiming Xiong
  • Patent number: 11971713
    Abstract: An architecture to provision one-stop parking, charging, storage, and/or maintenance facilities and/or functionalities for drone equipment. A method can comprise identifying a drone entering a defined airspace monitored by the network equipment; in response to establishing a communication channel with the drone, receiving data representing a physical dimension associated with the drone; based on the physical dimension associated with the drone, allocating a space within a defined area to which the drone is to navigate and then cease moving; and sending, to the drone via the communication channel, notification data that notifies the drone to navigate to the space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Jackie Chen, Kevin Ackerman, Clayton Cotton, Roque Rios, III
  • Patent number: 11971714
    Abstract: An autonomous vehicle configured to facilitate its use and/or enhance what it and/or occupants can do with it, such as, for example, by: autonomously acting based on events within the autonomous vehicle, including by autonomously rerouting itself, altering a cabin of the autonomous vehicle, notifying a third party external to the autonomous vehicle, stopping (e.g., parking) the autonomous vehicle, altering how the autonomous vehicle drives itself, and/or performing other actions based on what and/or how an occupant is doing, an emergency, or another event occurring in the cabin of the autonomous vehicle; autonomously acting based on interactions with (e.g., gestures of) humans (e.g., police officers, school-crossing guards, traffic guards at roadwork or other temporary traffic control sites, drivers of other vehicles, etc.) external to the autonomous vehicle; autonomously acting based on indicators placed at particular locations (e.g., drive-through establishments, potholes, parking spots, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Inventor: Martin Tremblay
  • Patent number: 11971715
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a storage device, for using a drone to test monitoring system sensors. In one aspect, the drone perform operations that include navigating from a first location of a property towards a second location of the property, detecting a sensor that is installed at the property, interrupting, by the drone, navigation through the property from the first location of the property towards the second location of the property to initiate a test of the detected sensor and (ii) determining a sensor test type for the detected sensor, administering a sensor test to the detected sensor, wherein the sensor test is based on the determined sensor test type, evaluating results of the administered test, storing data describing the results of the administered test, and continuing navigation through the property towards the second location of the property or towards another location of the property.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Alarm.com Incorporated
    Inventors: Gary Franklin Bart, Dean Constantine
  • Patent number: 11971716
    Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to controlling a vehicle in an autonomous driving mode. For instance, a first location corresponding to a location where the vehicle is to pick up or drop off a passenger is received. A first cost for the vehicle to reach the first location is determined. A second location based on the first location is identified, and a second cost is determined based on a cost for the vehicle to reach the second location and a cost for the passenger to reach the second location. The first cost is compared to the second cost, and a notification is sent based on the notification. In response to sending the notification, instructions to proceed to the second location are received, and in response to receiving the instructions, the vehicle is controlled in the autonomous driving mode to the second location to pick up or drop off the passenger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Joshua Seth Herbach, Michael Epstein, Mishika Vora, Guillaume Dupre, Kevin Rawlings
  • Patent number: 11971717
    Abstract: An aircraft including a wing system, a plurality of control surfaces, a camera mounted on a camera pod, and a control system. The camera pod is configured to vary the orientation of the camera field of view only in yaw, relative to the aircraft, between a directly forward-looking orientation and a side-looking orientation. The control system controls the control surfaces such that they induce a significant aircraft yaw causing an identified target to be within the field of view of the camera with the camera in the directly forward-looking orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: AeroVironment, Inc.
    Inventors: William J. Nicoloff, Eric M. Sornborger, Lars B. Cremean
  • Patent number: 11971718
    Abstract: A control system, a control method, and a program capable of lowering difficulty of a user's work on an autonomous mobile robot having a placement part are provided. A control system for controlling an autonomous mobile robot including a placement part on which a load is placed includes a user recognition unit configured to recognize a user of the placement part, a feature information acquisition unit configured to acquire feature information of the recognized user, and an operation control unit configured to control a height of the placement part based on the feature information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kunihiro Iwamoto, Yuta Itozawa, Hirotaka Komura
  • Patent number: 11971719
    Abstract: Low profile object detection can be performed on mowers or other vehicles that may be autonomous. An autonomy controller can be employed on a mower to receive and process sensor data for a detection area to determine whether an object may be present in a region of interest within the detection area. When the autonomy controller determines that an object may be present, it can cause the ground speed of the mower to be slowed and can commence buffering region of interest sensor data over a period of time. The autonomy controller can process the buffered region of interest sensor data to determine whether an object is present in the region of interest, and if so, can alter the path of the mower appropriately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: FireFly Automatix, Inc.
    Inventors: Eli D. Wilson, Steven R. Aposhian, Eric E. Aston, William M. Decker
  • Patent number: 11971720
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for preventing a collision between an autonomous vehicle (A) and a user (B) in a movement range of the autonomous vehicle comprising the steps: receiving a time-dependent, planned path (P1) of the autonomous vehicle (A) and a time-dependent, planned path (P2) of the user (B), determining a time-dependent path network by means of a path network unit (8), wherein the time-dependent path network describes the planned paths (P1, P2), determining collision information which describes an overlap of the planned paths (P1, P2) in the time-dependent path network, determining a safe zone (23) for the user on the basis of the collision information, wherein the safe zone (23) describes an area in the movement range which is safe for the user (B) in respect of a collision with the autonomous vehicle (A), and making available a display (20) for the user (B) by means of a display device (19), wherein the display (20) describes the safe zone (23).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Arne Bröring, Thomas Jell, Andreas Ziller
  • Patent number: 11971721
    Abstract: To effectively enhance the operation efficiency of an autonomous mobile robot, an autonomous mobile robot control system includes a processor and a plurality of environmental cameras. The processor estimates a moving route of each of a plurality of moving bodies on the basis of characteristics of each of the plurality of moving bodies and sets a subset of the plurality of moving bodies whose moving routes overlap among the detected moving bodies as avoidance processing target moving bodies. The processor generates an avoidance procedure for the avoidance processing target moving bodies so the motion of the avoidance processing target moving bodies does not interfere with the motion of other avoidance target moving bodies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohisa Takai, Yuhei Yamaguchi, Satoshi Toyoshima, Yuta Watanabe, Tetsuya Taira, Mikio Honda, Shiro Oda, Nobuhisa Otsuki
  • Patent number: 11971722
    Abstract: A deep learning-based autonomous vehicle control system includes: a processor determining an autonomous driving control based on deep learning, correcting an error in determination of the deep learning-based autonomous driving control based on determination of an autonomous driving control based on a predetermined expert rule, and controlling an autonomous vehicle; and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing data for the determination of the deep learning-based autonomous driving control, data for the determination of the expert rule-based autonomous driving control, and information about the error in the determination of the deep learning-based autonomous driving control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Byung Yong You
  • Patent number: 11971723
    Abstract: This disclosure provides a method, apparatus, and storage medium for processing a driving simulation scenario. The method includes: acquiring a plurality of route points in a road network model for driving simulation; determining one or more departure points and one or more destination points from the plurality of route points; generating a background vehicle at the one or more departure points; and controlling the background vehicle to travel in the road network model from the one or more departure points to a corresponding destination point of the one or more destination points, where the background vehicle is removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Company Limited
    Inventor: Haining Du
  • Patent number: 11971724
    Abstract: An unmanned vehicle control system includes: a determination unit that determines whether or not to output a heating request for a hydraulic oil based on hydraulic oil data supplied to a hydraulic actuator disposed in an unmanned vehicle and operated by the hydraulic oil; a vehicle receiver that receives a heating command for the hydraulic oil generated based on the heating request; and a heating processor that executes a heating process of the hydraulic oil based on the heating command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Masanori Ogihara, Misato Maeda, Katsuki Awamori
  • Patent number: 11971725
    Abstract: A system for an agricultural operation includes a first vehicle equipped with an imaging sensor configured to capture image data associated within a field. A computing system is communicatively coupled with the imaging sensor. The computing system is configured to receive the image data associated with the field, identify one or more objects within the image data as a target, identify one or more objects within the image data as a landmark, determine a location of the target relative to the landmark, and generate a control command for a second vehicle. The control command includes the location of the target relative to the landmark within the field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventors: Scott Allen Long, Trevor Stanhope, Roy A. Bittner
  • Patent number: 11971726
    Abstract: A method of constructing an indoor wall corner two-dimensional semantic map based on a robot platform includes controlling, by the master control computer, the robot platform to move indoors, collecting, by the lidar sensor, a distance between an indoor object and the robot platform and a direction angle between the indoor object and the robot platform in real time and transmitting the distance and the direction angle to the master control computer, and obtaining, by the master control computer, an environment grid map and a real-time pose of the robot platform by processing the distance between the indoor object and the robot platform and the direction angle between the indoor object and the robot platform based on Gmapping algorithm; constructing a semantic segmentation data set as a training set on the master control computer and obtaining a predicted non-wall corner semantic label.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Wuhan University of Science and Technology
    Inventors: Lin Jiang, Dongjun Fang, Wenkang Nie, Chao Xiang, Shengxi Jin, Jianpeng Zuo
  • Patent number: 11971727
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus to determine the position of an image sensor relative to a predetermined continuous pattern of colors and/or objects based on the images said patterns of colors and/or objects produces within the image sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Innovation First, Inc.
    Inventors: Mitch Randall, Robert H. Mimlitch