Having Controlling Means Adapted To Interact With Stationary Means Which Describes Course Of Vehicle's Travel Patents (Class 180/168)
  • Patent number: 10414338
    Abstract: A system for enhancing driver situation awareness and environment perception around a transportation vehicle. The system incorporates a plurality of object detecting sensors. The sensors are arranged for monitoring at least one critical zone around the vehicle. A plurality of addressable light-emitting diodes are operatively associated with the object detecting sensors. The addressable light-emitting diodes are located on the vehicle for visual display to the driver. When a given sensor detects an object in the critical zone, a detection signal is transmitted to a LED controller. Upon receiving the detection signal, the LED controller transmits a control signal to selectively activate only those addressable light-emitting diodes which are associated with the given sensor, such that the activated light-emitting diodes visually communicate to the driver a location of the detected object in the critical zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: Spirited Eagle Enterprises, LLC
    Inventors: Jerry K. Hubbell, Alan C. Lesesky, Steven Allen Osborne
  • Patent number: 10416304
    Abstract: A system for reducing accidents caused by distracted drivers. The system may form an invisible track using material-impregnated grooves and a radar beam, preventing a vehicle from veering away from a road lane. The material-impregnated grooves (MIGs) within one or more road lanes may include scrap metal. The radar beam may be emitted from a transceiver mounted underneath the vehicle such that backscatter from the MIGs is returned to the transceiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: The Aerospace Corporation
    Inventor: Henry Helvajian
  • Patent number: 10416676
    Abstract: An obstacle monitoring device includes a first object detecting section which detects a relative position of a first object located ahead in a moving direction of a vehicle, based on output data of a first moving-direction monitoring sensor, a second object detecting section which detects a relative position and profile of a second object, based on output data of a second moving-direction monitoring sensor which has a higher spatial resolution than the first moving-direction monitoring sensor, an interference determination section that determines whether the vehicle will interfere with the first object and also determines identity between the first object and the second object, and a profile determination section that, if the interference determination section has determined that the first object and the second object are identical to each other, determines whether the profile of the second object will allow the vehicle to pass over the second object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuya Naka, Takayuki Sato, Yukihiko Ono
  • Patent number: 10408945
    Abstract: A system for determining a location of a vehicle in an environment provided with at least two landmarks whose location is known. The system includes at least one scanning distance sensor installed in the vehicle and configured to measure distance and direction from the vehicle to the at least two landmarks, as well as a data processing device configured to store in its memory the location of the at least two landmarks; and determine the location of the vehicle on the basis of at least the location of the at least two landmarks as well as the distance and direction from the vehicle to the at least two landmarks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: KONECRANES GLOBAL CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kari Rintanen
  • Patent number: 10410520
    Abstract: A communication system comprises a pointable range finder to calculate a distance between the vehicle and an object, a recorder for recording a status of the vehicle and a control device. The range finder sends a signal to the control device corresponding to the vehicle's distance from the object and the control device operates the recorder in a manner dependent upon the signal from the range finder. The recorder is able to record the event if the vehicle is an unsafe distance from the object. The unsafe distance is able to be a programmed distance. In some embodiments, the unsafe distance increases with an increase in speed of the vehicle. In some embodiments, the unsafe distance is determined by a programmable constant. In these embodiments, the unsafe distance is determined according to a speed of the vehicle, the vehicle's distance from an object and a pre-defined safe zone threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Vision Works IP Corporation
    Inventors: Fritz Braunberger, Beau M. Braunberger
  • Patent number: 10401939
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus and a control method are provided that are capable of reducing power consumption. The electronic apparatus having a normal mode in which first electric power is consumed and a power-saving mode in which second electric power lower than the first electric power is consumed includes a first sensor and a second sensor whose power consumption is lower than that of the first sensor. In the power-saving mode, supply of power to the first sensor is restricted, the second sensor is set to the power-saving mode, a trigger for restoring the power-saving mode to the normal mode is detected by using the second sensor set to the power-saving mode, and the power-saving mode is restored to the normal mode based on the detected trigger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hidetoshi Kabasawa, Kenji Hachisu, Kazuyuki Yamamato, Takashi Masuda
  • Patent number: 10401870
    Abstract: A method for handling items using a plurality of movable-bots includes defining a conveyance path to be followed by the plurality of movable-bots, where the conveyance path is configured as a closed loop. The method further includes defining, for each of the plurality of movable-bots, a plurality of path attributes associated with the conveyance path. The method further includes instructing each of the plurality of movable-bots to synchronize a movement with respect to at least one other movable-bot based on the plurality of path attributes when moving along the conveyance path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: GREY ORANGE PTE. LTD.
    Inventors: Tejit Mithal, Gaurav Kejriwal, Ankit Mittal
  • Patent number: 10390483
    Abstract: A robot lawnmower includes a robot body, a drive system, a localizing system, a teach monitor, and a controller in communication with one another. The drive system is configured to maneuver the robot lawnmower over a lawn. The teach monitor determines whether the robot lawnmower is in a teachable state. The controller includes a data processing device and non-transitory memory in communication with the data processing device. The data processing device executes a teach routine when the controller is in a teach mode for tracing a confinement perimeter around the lawn as a human operator pilots the robot lawn mower, when the robot lawnmower is in the teachable state, the teach routine stores global positions determined by the localizing system in the non-transitory memory, and when the robot lawnmower is in the unteachable state, the teach routine issues an indication of the unteachable state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Paul C. Balutis, Alec Likhite, Brian Doughty, Jeff Karlson, Tyler Nikitas
  • Patent number: 10395531
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to a control device for coupling an antenna assembly of a motor vehicle to at least one vehicle component of the motor vehicle for an exchange of messages with vehicle-external objects. The control device comprises a first radio module for providing a first radio link to at least one of the objects on the basis of a first radio standard, a second radio module for providing a second radio link to at least one other of the objects on the basis of a second radio standard, and a processor device for receiving some of the messages via the first radio link and some other of the messages via the second radio link. The processor device includes a synchronization unit configured to forward the received messages in a sequence determined by the time data to the at least one vehicle component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Audi AG
    Inventors: Christoph Voigt, Stefan Volnhals, Gerald Stöckl, Herbert Ehrentraut, Ralf Riplinger, Aurel Papp, Jürgen Spehl
  • Patent number: 10377417
    Abstract: A method for detecting a control situation of a vehicle comprising an automatic control system. A steering torque curve applied to the steering of the vehicle is subdivided into sections in which the steering torque curve steadily rises or falls, and an angular acceleration caused by a driver and detected by a first steering angle sensor at the beginning of the respective section by a first part of the steering rod as a first angular acceleration is compared to a second angular acceleration detected by a second steering angle sensor at the beginning of a respective section caused by an automatic control system with a toothed rack connected to the steering rod or a second part of the steering rod. Depending on a result of the comparison, a corresponding steering torque curve of the respective section is assigned to the driver or to the automatic control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: AUDI AG
    Inventor: Klaus Schmiedhofer
  • Patent number: 10379538
    Abstract: In autonomous driving, it is often useful to plan trajectories in a curvilinear coordinate frame with respect to some reference trajectory, like a path produced by a hi-level route planner. This disclosure includes techniques for developing efficient approximate path coordinate motion primitives appropriate for fast planning in autonomous driving scenarios. These primitives are approximate in that particular quantities, like the path length, acceleration, and track offset trajectory, are known with some degree of certainty, and values that depend on the curvature of the reference path can be bound. Such approximate motion primitives can be used to control the autonomous vehicle to follow the trajectory in an environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: Zoox, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Sheckells, Timothy Caldwell, Marin Kobilarov
  • Patent number: 10372123
    Abstract: Platoon management control systems and methods rearrange three of more vehicles cooperatively travelling seriatim as a platoon along an associated roadway into a platoon arrangement other than the linear or single file formation. Multi roadway lane platoon management control systems and methods control the three or more vehicles cooperatively travelling as a multi-lane platoon along an associated multi-lane roadway into a platoon arrangement other than the linear or single file formation. Larger platoon sizes are provided thereby enabling more vehicles to participate in the larger multi-lane platoon. A platoon management control uses a combination of the GPS position of the lead vehicle representative of the position of the vehicle relative to the associated geographical area, and braking performance data representative of the braking capabilities of following vehicles to rearrange the vehicles into the non-columnar formation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: BENDIX COMMERCIAL VEHICLE SYSTEMS LLC
    Inventors: Michael D Cremona, Thomas J Hayes, Phillip J Kasper
  • Patent number: 10369997
    Abstract: A vehicle traveling control apparatus for controlling following travel in which a host vehicle travels to follow a preceding vehicle traveling ahead, includes: a preceding vehicle biased travel determination unit calculating a lateral position inside a lane of the preceding vehicle, and determining whether the preceding vehicle biasedly travels while deviating from a setting range at a lane center; and a control target point setting unit setting, as a control target point of the following travel, a setting position in a vehicle width direction of the preceding vehicle in a case where it is determined that the preceding vehicle does not biasedly travel, and a position shifted as much as a predetermined shift amount from the setting position in a direction opposite to a direction in which the preceding vehicle deviates from the setting range in a case where it is determined that the preceding vehicle biasedly travels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinichi Igarashi, Hajime Oyama
  • Patent number: 10353400
    Abstract: A navigation system adapted to an electronic device is provided. The navigation system comprises: a processor configured to control a movement direction of the electronic device according to a navigation path, obtain spatial information, and set a waypoint according to the spatial information; and a plurality of distance measuring modules for measuring a waypoint distance between the electronic device and the waypoint. When the processor determines the waypoint distance is less than a waypoint threshold value, the processor is configured to calculate a first distance and a second distance according to the obstacle distances measured by the distance measuring modules. The processor is configured to control the electronic device to have a first movement, a second movement and a third movement according to the first distance and the second distance. A navigation method is further provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.
    Inventors: Hung-Chyun Chou, Ting-Ying Wu
  • Patent number: 10350754
    Abstract: A control device controlling a robot including a driving unit, a moving unit that is slidable along a predetermined track and a predetermined shaft that is slidably supported by the moving unit includes an instruction value calculating unit calculating an instruction value that drives the driving unit such that the moving unit is moved to a target position, an accelerating-speed calculating unit calculating an angular accelerating speed of when the instruction value changes, a gravity-center distance calculating unit calculating a gravity center distance, a correction instruction-value calculating unit calculating a correction instruction value by correcting the instruction value such that a position of the gravity center which is projected on the predetermined track approaches the target position, and a driving control unit controlling the driving unit based on the correction instruction value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Kenji Nagamatsu
  • Patent number: 10351059
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for use in traversing a vehicle transportation network may include receiving, from a remote vehicle, via a wireless electronic communication link, a remote vehicle message, the remote vehicle message including remote vehicle information, determining a relative position code indicating geospatial location of the remote vehicle relative to the host vehicle based the remote vehicle information, determining a remote vehicle dynamic state code based on the remote vehicle information, determining a host vehicle dynamic state code; identifying a vehicle control action based on the relative position code, the remote vehicle dynamic state code, and the host vehicle dynamic state code, and traversing a portion of the vehicle transportation network in accordance with the vehicle control action, such that traversing the portion of the vehicle transportation network includes performing passing lane collision avoidance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: Nissan North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Roy Goudy, Neal Probert, Jeremy Chambers, Andrew Christensen, Heather Konet
  • Patent number: 10342186
    Abstract: The present invention is a wind adjustment device that takes into account the wind pushing against the surface of the water pipe mainline segments and elongated truss spans located between the mobile support towers. Although there are currently mechanisms to take into account alignment issues with the mobile support towers there are currently no mechanisms to take into account the curvature of the water pipe mainline segments and elongated truss spans located between the mobile support towers as a result of the wind pushing on the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Inventor: Nathan Betzen
  • Patent number: 10343696
    Abstract: Travel control of vehicle is performed in a state where the axis deviation of radar device has occurred, is avoided. A travel control restriction-use ECU is for restricting or prohibiting execution of travel control of vehicle based on detection result obtained by radar device, travel control restriction-use ECU includes a determining unit configured to determine whether an axis deviation has occurred in the radar device based on detection result obtained by radar device, when detection device, which is configured to detect switch on operation and switch off operation with respect to activation switch of vehicle, detects switch on operation with respect to activation switch of vehicle; and restricting unit configured to restrict or prohibit execution of travel control, during period from when switch on operation is performed with respect to activation switch of vehicle to when determination of whether axis deviation has occurred is completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Nishida, Takeshi Nanami, Youhei Masui, Mitsuhiro Tokimasa, Toyoharu Katsukura
  • Patent number: 10328576
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods for social behavior of a telepresence robot are disclosed herein. A telepresence robot may include a drive system, a control system, an object detection system, and a social behaviors component. The drive system is configured to move the telepresence robot. The control system is configured to control the drive system to drive the telepresence robot around a work area. The object detection system is configured to detect a human in proximity to the telepresence robot. The social behaviors component is configured to provide instructions to the control system to cause the telepresence robot to operate according to a first set of rules when a presence of one or more humans is not detected and operate according to a second set of rules when the presence of one or more humans is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: InTouch Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Marco Pinter, Fuji Lai, Daniel Steven Sanchez, James Ballantyne, David Bjorn Roe, Yulun Wang, Charles S. Jordan, Orjeta Taka, Cheuk Wah Wong
  • Patent number: 10322507
    Abstract: Robots have the capacity to perform a broad range of useful tasks, such as factory automation, cleaning, delivery, assistive care, environmental monitoring and entertainment. Enabling a robot to perform a new task in a new environment typically requires a large amount of new software to be written, often by a team of experts. It would be valuable if future technology could empower people, who may have limited or no understanding of software coding, to train robots to perform custom tasks. Some implementations of the present invention provide methods and systems that respond to users' corrective commands to generate and refine a policy for determining appropriate actions based on sensor-data input. Upon completion of learning, the system can generate control commands by deriving them from the sensory data. Using the learned control policy, the robot can behave autonomously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: Brain Corporation
    Inventors: Philip Meier, Jean-Baptiste Passot, Borja Ibarz Gabardos, Patryk Laurent, Oleg Sinyavskiy, Peter O'Connor, Eugene Izhikevich
  • Patent number: 10309796
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for representing road lanes as data in a database that can be used by a system in a vehicle to provide a safety-related function. Each data representation of a physical road lane includes data indicating start and end points of the represented lane and other data attributes pertaining to the represented lane, including data indicating what physical features are adjacent to the represented lane on right and left sides thereof and data indicating a geometry of the represented lane. The database is compatible with navigation-related applications that use a different data model to provide navigation-related functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: HERE Global B.V.
    Inventors: Michael Weiland, Gregory Nyczak, William McDonough, Michael Tsengouras, David Shuman, Paul Ford
  • Patent number: 10311657
    Abstract: A system is disclosed for monitoring work cycles on a worksite including a truck and a loading machine. The system includes a communications interface, memory storing instructions, and a processing unit configured to execute the instructions. The processing unit receives, via the communications interface, location information and acceleration information for the truck and location information for the loading machine. The processing unit determines a distance between the truck and the loading machine based on the location information. The processing unit determines a phase of a work cycle of the truck based on the determined distance between the truck and the loading machine and on the acceleration information for the truck.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventor: Darryl V. Collins
  • Patent number: 10303171
    Abstract: Autonomous ground vehicles (“AGVs”) containing ordered items travel (e.g., from materials handling facilities, etc.) to pickup areas (e.g., on a street, in a parking lot, inside a store, etc.) where users may retrieve the ordered items from the AGVs. In various configurations, an AGV may have a single storage compartment or may have multiple storage compartments, and multiple AGVs may congregate at a pickup area which may include various facilities/services for the AGVs (e.g., a charging station, a common control station for the AGVs, etc.). Multiple AGVs at a pickup area may be arranged in a particular configuration (e.g., according to a particular order, stacked, etc.), and the configuration may be changed (e.g., when a new AGV arrives and/or when an AGV departs, such as after an ordered item is retrieved from an AGV which then leaves the pickup area to return to a materials handling facility, etc.).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Tye Michael Brady, Darren Ernest Canavor, Ethan Zane Evans, Pragyana K. Mishra, Hilliard Bruce Siegel
  • Patent number: 10303175
    Abstract: A work vehicle management system includes a memory, first circuitry, second circuitry, third circuitry, and fourth circuitry. The memory is to store at least one halt record with respect to a halt status at a timing when a work vehicle is halted while traveling along a travel route in a work field. The first circuitry is configured to record the at least one halt record in the memory. The second circuitry is configured to extract the at least one halt record from the memory to display in a display the at least one halt record from which a resuming basis record is to be selected. The third circuitry is configured to generate resuming information based on the resuming basis record. The fourth circuitry is configured to control the work vehicle based on the resuming information to resume from the halt status.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: KUBOTA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuo Sakaguchi, Izuru Shimamoto, Kenji Tamatani, Megumi Suzukawa, Atsushi Shinkai
  • Patent number: 10295364
    Abstract: An obstacle data providing system includes a data processing apparatus that includes an electronic data providing unit that refers to an obstacle data storage unit that stores obstacle data generated by synthesizing a plurality of obstacle factors each of which becomes an obstacle in travelling of a low-speed vehicle, and sends, upon receiving a request for an electronic map from a terminal device, the obstacle data to the terminal device with an electronic map via a network; and the terminal device that includes a receiving unit that receives the electronic map and the obstacle data, and a display unit that displays the obstacle data with the electronic map, received by the receiving unit, on a display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: ALPINE ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventor: Hideki Okamoto
  • Patent number: 10289110
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a number of steering rate candidates are determined for a steering control command of operating an autonomous vehicle. For each of the steering rate candidates, a steering rate cost is calculated for the steering rate candidate by applying a predetermined cost function, including calculating a first cost for the steering rate candidate based on a difference between a target steering position and a current steering position of the autonomous vehicle using a first predetermined cost function. One of the steering rate candidates having a lowest steering rate cost is selected as a target steering rate. A steering control command is generated based on the selected steering rate candidate to control a steering wheel of the autonomous vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: BAIDU USA LLC
    Inventors: Fan Zhu, Qi Kong, Guang Yang, Jingao Wang
  • Patent number: 10281921
    Abstract: Method and apparatus are disclosed for autonomous parking of vehicles in perpendicular parking spots. An example vehicle includes a front corner, a sensor, and a parking controller. The parking controller is to detect, via the sensor, a perpendicular parking spot and determine a linear parking path located within the perpendicular parking spot along which the front corner is to travel. The parking controller also is to determine an approaching turn path to the linear parking path and autonomously turn along the approaching turn path and the linear parking path into the perpendicular parking spot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Kyle Simmons, Li Xu, Douglas Blue, Hongtei Eric Tseng
  • Patent number: 10282984
    Abstract: Example inductive loop detection systems and methods are described. In one implementation, a method receives image data from a camera of a vehicle and determines a geographic position of the vehicle. Based on the image data and the geographic position of the vehicle, the method determines a location of an inductive loop in a roadway proximate the vehicle. The data associated with the location of the inductive loop is stored in a storage device within the vehicle. For a vehicle, a detectable zone may be determined based on actual or simulated outputs an inductive loop system at various locations relative to the vehicle. While driving, the vehicle is controlled to cause the detectable zone to pass over or stop over a known location of the inductive loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Scott Vincent Myers, Alexandru Mihai Gurghian
  • Patent number: 10268202
    Abstract: Construction design layout devices and systems are provided herein. An example device includes a chassis configured to translate along a floor, an optical prism mounted to the chassis that reflects signals from a base station, a marking assembly mounted to the chassis, the marking assembly having at least a marking device that physically marks the floor, and a controller configured to receive construction instructions comprising floor markings defined by floor coordinates, translate the chassis along the floor in alignment with the floor coordinates, and transfer the floor markings to the floor during translation using the marking assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: DPR Construction
    Inventors: Daniel Lawrence Casale, Jeremy Bartle
  • Patent number: 10258215
    Abstract: A driving mechanism for an autonomous planar surface cleaning robot is disclosed. The driving mechanism includes a first transmission component and a second transmission component spaced apart in parallel relationship relative to the first transmission component. Each of the first and second transmission components defines first and second ends and first and second sides, wherein the first sides face each other and the second sides face away from each other in a direction transverse from the direction of motion and the first and second ends are oppositely spaced along the direction of motion. Each of the first and second transmission components are independently controllable by a control unit of the autonomous planar surface cleaning robot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: ECOVACS ROBOTICS, INC
    Inventor: Dongqi Qian
  • Patent number: 10254741
    Abstract: A robot apparatus includes a robot mechanism; a sensor provided in a portion whose position is to be controlled, of the robot mechanism, for detecting a physical quantity to obtain positional information of the portion; and a robot controller having an operation control unit for controlling the operation of the robot mechanism. The robot controller includes a learning control unit for calculating a learning correction value to improve a specific operation of the robot mechanism based on the physical quantity detected, while the operation control unit makes the robot mechanism perform the specific operation, with the sensor; and a learning extension unit for obtaining the relationship between the learning correction value calculated by the learning control unit and information about the learned specific operation, and calculates another learning correction value to improve a new operation by applying the obtained relationship to information about the new operation without sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kaimeng Wang, Wenjie Chen
  • Patent number: 10232508
    Abstract: A humanoid robot with a body joined to an omnidirectional mobile ground base, equipped with: a body position sensor, a base position sensor and an angular velocity sensor to provide measures, actuators comprising at least 3 wheels located in the omnidirectional mobile base, extractors for converting sensored measures into useful data, a supervisor to calculate position, velocity and acceleration commands from the useful data, means for converting commands into instructions for the actuators, wherein the supervisor comprises: a no-tilt state controller, a tilt state controller and a landing state controller, each controller comprising means for calculating, position, velocity and acceleration commands based on a double point-mass robot model with tilt motion and on a linear model predictive control law, expressed as a quadratic optimization formulation with a weighted sum of objectives, and a set of predefined linear constraints.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignees: SOFTBANK ROBOTICS EUROPE, INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE EN INFORMATIQUE ET EN AUTOMATIQUE
    Inventors: Jory Lafaye, Cyrille Collette, Pierre-Brice Wieber
  • Patent number: 10227223
    Abstract: A pedestrian truck (50) steered with a tiller (56) is operable in a first mode where a controllable front wheel (64) is aligned generally parallel with a front-rear center line of the truck, or a second mode where the wheel is generally perpendicular to the front-rear center line. A steering controller can operate in either a normal steering mode to steer the rear steerable wheel (52) in the same sense (clockwise or anticlockwise) as the tiller is rotated and in an alternate steering mode to steer the rear steerable wheel in the opposite sense to the rotation of the tiller. A steering mode selector is provided which automatically engages the alternate steering mode when the truck is in the second mode of operation and either (i) the tiller is positioned on the same side of the center line as the controllable front wheel and the drive direction is such that the tiller leads the truck (FIGS.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Inventors: Martin McVicar, Robert Moffett, Mark Whyte
  • Patent number: 10227072
    Abstract: A travel control device includes an acquisition section configured to acquire, as surroundings in formation while a vehicle itself is traveling, at least information regarding a first other vehicle ahead in a traveling direction and information regarding lane markings of a first lane in which the vehicle itself is traveling. The travel control unit further includes a travel control section ECU configured to compute from the information acquired by the acquisition section a separation between the first other vehicle and the lane markings, and to control travel of the vehicle itself based on the separation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Daisuke Kubota, Haruhiko Nishiguchi, Satoshi Fujii, Ryohsaku Arakawa, Kei Oshida
  • Patent number: 10223666
    Abstract: A system for managing inventory items includes a portable inventory holder and an unmanned drive unit configured to move the inventory holder between locations in an inventory facility. The inventory facility includes a plurality of uniquely identifiable fiducial markers having a small set of values distributed in a pattern. The drive unit captures at least one image of a subset of the plurality of the fiducial markers. The at least one captured image is processed to determine a location of the drive unit within the facility. A path is determined along which the drive unit moves to an inventory holder and moves the inventory holder to another location. The pattern of fiducial markers can include one or more repeated instances of uniquely identifiable fiducial markers. A fiducial marker can encode information using a readable code and at least one attribute of the fiducial marker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Andriy Palamarchuk, Jeremiah David Brazeau
  • Patent number: 10220849
    Abstract: A control apparatus of a vehicle that calculates a feedback requested acceleration for maintaining an inter-vehicle distance to a target distance and a feedforward requested acceleration for causing the own vehicle to travel following a communicating preceding vehicle and calculates a requested acceleration of the own vehicle on the basis of the feedback and feedforward requested accelerations. The apparatus executes a control that causes the own vehicle to travel following the preceding vehicle by controlling the acceleration of the own vehicle such that the acceleration of the own vehicle corresponds to the requested acceleration of the own vehicle. The apparatus sets the feedforward requested acceleration to zero when a shift lever of the preceding vehicle is positioned at a shift position other than a shift position that causes the preceding vehicle to travel forward and the feedforward requested acceleration is larger than zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yusuke Nemoto
  • Patent number: 10196787
    Abstract: A self-driven device to resurface an ice rink. The device includes a rotating brush to sweep the ice anterior to a blade used to the scrape the ice. Collected snow is moved into a hot water tank where it is melted and moved to a warm water tank for redeposit onto the skating surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Inventors: Paul J van Eijl, Dave van Eijl
  • Patent number: 10179723
    Abstract: A materials handling vehicle includes an operator platform from which an operator can drive the vehicle; a traction control system for advancing the vehicle across a floor surface; at least one sensor configured to detect the presence of an object located at a position proximate to the vehicle; and a controller communicably coupled to the at least one sensor and the traction control system. The controller is responsive to the output of the at least one sensor to stop or slow down the vehicle if an object is detected proximate to the vehicle and the vehicle is traveling in response to a remote travel request. However, the controller does not slow down or stop the vehicle if an object is proximate to the vehicle while the operator is driving the vehicle on the operator platform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: Crown Equipment Corporation
    Inventors: James V. Kraimer, Jay G. Pollack, Timothy A. Wellman, Lewis H. Manci, Vernon W. Siefring, Mark E. Schumacher, Matthew M. Green, Anthony T. Castaneda
  • Patent number: 10181084
    Abstract: A vehicle is provided that may combine multiple estimates of an environment into a consolidated estimate. The vehicle may receive first data indicative of the region of interest in an environment from a sensor of the vehicle. The first data may include a first accuracy value and a first estimate of the region of interest. The vehicle may also receive second data indicative of the region of interest in the environment, and the second data may include a second accuracy value and a second estimate of the region of interest. Based on the first data and the second data, the vehicle may combine the first estimate of the region of interest and the second estimate of the region of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: David Ian Franklin Ferguson, David Harrison Silver
  • Patent number: 10176634
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus pertaining to generating training data. The method may include executing a simulation process. The simulation process may include traversing one or more virtual sensors over a virtual driving environment defining a plurality of lane markings or virtual objects that are each sensible by the one or more virtual sensors. During the traversing, each of the one or more virtual sensors may be moved with respect to the virtual driving environment as dictated by a vehicle-dynamic model modeling motion of a vehicle driving on a virtual road surface of the virtual driving environment while carrying the one or more virtual sensors. Virtual sensor data characterizing the virtual driving environment may be recorded. The virtual sensor data may correspond to what an actual sensor would produce in a real-world environment that is similar or substantially matching the virtual driving environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Ashley Elizabeth Micks, Venkatapathi Raju Nallapa, Brielle Reiff, Vidya Nariyambut Murali, Sneha Kadetotad
  • Patent number: 10173541
    Abstract: A method of detecting a correct position and/or orientation of a secondary winding structure of a secondary unit relative to a primary winding structure of a primary unit of a system for inductive power transfer to a vehicle, wherein the vehicle includes the secondary unit for receiving an alternating electromagnetic field which is generated by the primary unit, wherein the vehicle includes at least a first transmitter for transmitting a first signal and a second transmitter for transmitting a second signal, wherein a wayside control unit includes at least one receiving means for receiving the first and the second signal, and wherein the correct position and/or orientation of the secondary winding structure of the secondary unit relative to the primary winding structure of the primary unit is detected depending on the first and the second signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: Bombardier Primove GmbH
    Inventors: Ralf Wierse, Tobias Quintern, Thoralf Schnarr
  • Patent number: 10168714
    Abstract: A global navigation satellite sensor system (GNSS) and gyroscope control system for vehicle steering control comprising a GNSS receiver and antennas at a fixed spacing to determine a vehicle position, velocity and at least one of a heading angle, a pitch angle and a roll angle based on carrier phase position differences. The system also includes a control system configured to receive the vehicle position, heading, and at least one of roll and pitch, and configured to generate a steering command to a vehicle steering system. The system includes gyroscopes for determining system attitude change with respect to multiple axes for integrating with GNSS-derived positioning information to determine vehicle position, velocity, rate-of-turn, attitude and other operating characteristics. Relative orientations and attitudes between motive and working components can be determined using optical sensors and cameras. The system can also be used to guide multiple vehicles in relation to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: AGJUNCTION LLC
    Inventors: Mark R. Webber, Keith R. Jones, John A. McClure, Andre C. Roberge, Walter J. Feller, Michael L. Whitehead
  • Patent number: 10167013
    Abstract: A driving support device may be configured to calculate a target steering angle for allowing a vehicle to travel along a target course; set, as a reference steering angle, a steering angle when a difference between the steering angle and the target steering angle is small; calculate an indication value indicating intention of a driver's steering operation as a sum of a first product of a corrected steering angle and a steering torque, a second product of a derivative of the corrected steering angle and the steering torque, and a third product of the corrected steering angle and a derivative of the steering torque; and correct the target steering angle based on the indication value so that a target driving support torque is corrected in accordance with the intention of the driver's steering operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoji Kunihiro, Yoshio Kudo, Takahiro Kojo, Yoshiaki Suzuki, Masao Ueyama, Takeshi Goto, Yukihide Kimura
  • Patent number: 10159180
    Abstract: A method of mowing multiple areas includes training a robotic mower to mow at least two areas separated by a space, including moving the robotic mower about the areas while storing data indicative of location of boundaries of each area relative to boundary markers, training the robotic mower to move across the space separating the areas, and initiating a mowing operation. Training the robotic mower to move across the space separating the areas includes moving the robotic mower to a traversal launch point of a first of the areas and moving the robotic mower to a traversal landing point of a second of the areas. The mowing operation causes the robotic mower to move to the traversal launch point, move from the traversal launch point across the space to the traversal landing point, and then mow the second of the areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Paul C. Balutis, Andrew Beaulieu, Brian Yamauchi
  • Patent number: 10160485
    Abstract: A steering control method and device for autonomous vehicles is provided. The steering control method includes sensing traffic lanes on a road on which a vehicle is being driven and deriving a vanishing point positioned on lines extending from the traffic lanes. A sensitivity of a steering angle that corresponds to a vertical coordinate of the vanishing point in a matrix and an initial steering angle that corresponds to a horizontal coordinate are then determined. Further, a steering control value that corresponds to the initial steering angle and the sensitivity of the steering angle are determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventors: Byung Yong You, Myung Seon Heo, Young Chul Oh
  • Patent number: 10156850
    Abstract: Systems and methods for determining object motion and controlling autonomous vehicles are provided. In one example embodiment, a computing system can be configured to perform operations. The operations can include obtaining data indicative of state(s) of a first object and a second object within a surrounding environment of an autonomous vehicle. The operations can include determining a first predicted motion trajectory of the first object based at least in part on the state data. The operations can include determining a second predicted motion trajectory of the second object based at least in part on the state data and the first predicted motion trajectory of the first object. The operations can include determining a motion plan for the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the second predicted motion trajectory of the second object and initiating a motion control in accordance with at least a portion of the motion plan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander Rashid Ansari, Alexander David Styler
  • Patent number: 10149430
    Abstract: Robotic work tool (100) configured for improved turning in a slope (S), said robotic work tool comprising a slope detector (190), at least one magnetic field sensor (170), a controller (110), and at least two driving wheels (130?), the robotic work tool (100) being configured to detect a boundary wire (250) and in response thereto determine if the robotic work tool (100) is in a slope (S), and if so, perform a turn by rotating each wheel (130?) at a different speed thereby reducing a risk of the robotic work tool (100) getting stuck.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: HUSQVARNA AB
    Inventors: Jonas Bergström, Fredrik Klackensjö, Olle Markusson
  • Patent number: 10144416
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling a vehicle includes a vehicle additional yaw moment calculator that calculates, based on a yaw rate of a vehicle, a vehicle additional yaw moment to be applied to the vehicle independently of a steering system, a slipping condition determiner that makes a determination as to a slipping condition of the vehicle, and an adjustment gain calculator that calculates an adjustment gain to adjust the vehicle additional yaw moment so as to reduce the vehicle additional yaw moment additional yaw moment when the vehicle is determined to be in the slipping condition, and increases the adjustment gain in accordance with a degree of a slip of the vehicle when the vehicle is determined to recover from the slipping condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yutaka Sato
  • Patent number: 10139821
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling operation of an autonomously navigating utility vehicle equipped with a prime mover to travel about a working area delineated by a boundary wire laid thereat and divided into a first area and a second area connected by a third area that is narrower than the first and second areas, there are provided with a first travel controlling unit that controls operation of the prime mover to make the vehicle travel along the boundary wire based on a detected magnetic field, a third area identifying unit that identifies a location of the third area in the working area based on a detected position of the vehicle when the vehicle is controlled to travel by the first travel controlling unit, and a second travel controlling unit that controls operation of the prime mover to make the vehicle travel forward toward an entrance of the third area whose location is identified by the third area identifying unit based on the position of the vehicle detected from the output of the position sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Yamamura, Toshiaki Kawakami
  • Patent number: 10139816
    Abstract: A device for maneuvering ground support equipment on an airport stand. Included in the device are a moving apparatus having a system for coupling with the ground support equipment, configured for maneuvering the ground support equipment according to a predetermined trajectory; and a remote control configured for remotely controlling the movements of the moving apparatus according to the predetermined trajectory. The device also relates to an item of ground support equipment on an airport stand which includes a connecting plate configured for being coupled to a moving apparatus of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: AIRBUS SAS
    Inventors: Diego Alonso Tabares, Nicolaas Peter Esteie, Alexandre Fouillot