Vehicle Control, Guidance, Operation, Or Indication Patents (Class 701/1)
  • Patent number: 11884302
    Abstract: Understanding the intent of human drivers and adapting to their driving styles is used to increased efficiency and safety of autonomous vehicles (AVs) by enabling them to behave in safe and predictable ways without requiring explicit inter-vehicle communication. A Social Value Orientation (SVO), which quantifies the degree of an agent's selfishness or altruism, is estimated by the AV for other vehicles to better predict how they will interact and cooperate with others. Interactions between agents are modeled as a best response game wherein each agent negotiates to maximize their own utility. A dynamic game solution uses the Nash equilibrium, yielding an online method of predicting multi-agent interactions given their SVOs. This approach allows autonomous vehicles to observe human drivers, estimate their SVOs, and generate an autonomous control policy in real time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Daniela Rus, Sertac Karaman, Javier Alonso Mora, Alyssa Pierson, Wilko Schwarting
  • Patent number: 11884280
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes: a speech acquiring section that acquires speech data related to a speech of a speaker; a state acquiring section that acquires information indicating whether or not a driver attempting to start driving a vehicle is in an intoxicated state based on the speech data; and a control section configured to limit a start operation of the vehicle in a case in which the information indicates that the driver is in the intoxicated state, the start operation being an operation performed by the driver with respect to the vehicle to start driving the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideki Kobayashi, Akihiro Muguruma, Yukiya Sugiyama, Shota Higashihara, Riho Matsuo, Naoki Yamamuro
  • Patent number: 11884324
    Abstract: A method includes identifying at least a portion of a surface that has a coefficient of friction that is less than a coefficient of friction threshold. The method also incudes determining whether a vehicle speed is greater than a vehicle speed threshold, and determining whether an operator of the vehicle is engaging a handwheel of the vehicle. The method also includes, generating a first alert signal, selectively adjusting at least one steering characteristic of a steering system of the vehicle from a first value to a second value, and, in response to at least one of a reduction in the vehicle speed and a distance between the vehicle and the portion of the surface having the coefficient of friction being less than a distance threshold, selectively adjusting the at least one steering characteristic from the second value to the first value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation
    Inventors: Farhad Bolourchi, Zaki Ryne, Juliette M. Rambourg, Lei Wang
  • Patent number: 11879767
    Abstract: The present disclosure is to a scale for measuring a weight of a mass inside of an intermodal freight container. The scale includes a first bottom side rail, a second bottom side rail, a first cross-member and a second cross-member, where the cross-members join the first bottom side rail and the second bottom side rail. The scale further includes a jointed member having a first elongate section joined to the first bottom side rail with a first hinge, a second elongate section joined to the second bottom side rail with a second hinge, and a third hinge that connects the first elongate section and the second elongate section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Inventor: George E. Kochanowski
  • Patent number: 11878698
    Abstract: A display control device includes processing circuitry to acquire traveling environment information; to estimate driving skill of the driver; to detect a direction of a line of sight of the driver; to accumulate information on movements of the sight line direction and driving action information; to calculate a visual field range and a visual recognition level indicating ease of recognition of each of a plurality of sections in the visual field range by the driver's vision based on the information on the movements of the sight line direction and the driving action information accumulated in the memory and at least one of the traveling environment information and the driving skill information; and to receive display information and to control at least one of a display position and a display method of an image on a basis of the display information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hayato Kikuta, Yoshitomo Nakamura, Satoru Kubota
  • Patent number: 11881735
    Abstract: A method of managing second use batteries incudes communicating an external load demand to battery management modules (BMMs) of first use batteries and second use batteries; communicating, by each of the BMMs, the state of health (SoH) of the respective first or second use battery to the other BMMs; by the BMMs of the first use batteries with highest SoH, engaging the first use batteries to meet the external load demand, wherein the highest SoH is determined by the BMMs by ranking the SoH of each battery relative to the other batteries; and by the BMMs of the second use batteries, setting a discharge limit for each of the second use batteries based on the SoH of the respective second use battery, and controlling the second use batteries to supply currents not to exceed the discharge limits of the respective second use batteries to load-share with the first use batteries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: CUMMINS INC.
    Inventors: V. Ramya Arvind, Alyssa Marlenee Jenkins
  • Patent number: 11878719
    Abstract: A road resource is identified, according to one or more maneuver sharing intent messages received to the vehicle via a transceiver of a vehicle, where the road resource is contested between the vehicle and one or more other vehicles and includes a portion of a roadway to be traversed by the vehicle and also the one or more other vehicles. A conflict resolution procedure is performed to determine whether the vehicle gains access to the road resource, wherein the conflict resolution procedure is independently performed by each of the vehicle and the one or more other vehicles. One of the vehicle or the one or more other vehicles is granted access to the road resource based on the conflict resolution procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Syed Amaar Ahmad, Azin Neishaboori, John Walpuck
  • Patent number: 11878707
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method displays a media file below a distraction threshold. The method includes identifying a driver of a vehicle, where the vehicle includes an augmented reality system, and the vehicle is at least partially automated. The method also includes determining, a driving mode for the vehicle and calculating a focus score. The method includes requesting, from a media repository, a media file, where the media repository contains a plurality of media files, and each media file has an associated distractions score. The method includes receiving from the media repository, a first media file to display, where a first distraction score of the first media file combined with the focus score is below a safety threshold. The method also includes displaying the first media file by the AR system. Further aspects of the present disclosure are directed to computer program products containing functionality consistent with the method described above.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Fang Lu, Jeremy R. Fox, Tushar Agrawal, Sarbajit K. Rakshit
  • Patent number: 11880466
    Abstract: A game cloud server, a method of operating a cloud server, and a method of playing a game on a game cloud server are disclosed. In one example, the game cloud server includes: (1) one or more processing units that virtually supports different gaming applications according to a gaming operating mode, and (2) an operating mode selector that is coupled to the one or more processing units and has (2A) a virtual fusing register that selects the gaming operating mode for executing the different virtually supported gaming applications, and (2B) a security processor that enables a secure virtual fusing based on documented security files authorizing selection of the gaming operating mode, separately from executing an operating system of the one or more processing units, wherein the gaming operating mode is a reconfigurable operating mode selectable from at least one signed license file of the documented security files.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: Apoorv Gupta, Ryan Speiser, Varun Kumar, Tony Cheng, Erik Zuroski
  • Patent number: 11879749
    Abstract: System and techniques for enhanced electronic navigation maps for a vehicle are described herein. A set of map tiles may be received at a vehicle component from a remote entity. Sensor derived data that has a locality corresponding to a map tile in the set of map tiles may be obtained. A field-programmable gate array of the vehicle may then be invoked to combine the sensor derived data and the map tile to create a modified map tile. The modified map tile may be communicated to a control system of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Hassnaa Moustafa, Subramanian Anandaraj, Ana Lucia Pinheiro, Patricia Robb, Jithin Sankar Sankaran Kutty
  • Patent number: 11874656
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for unmanned aerial vehicle modular command priority determination and filtering system. One of the methods includes enabling control of the UAV by a first control source that provides modular commands to the UAV, each modular command being a command associated with performance of one or more actions by the UAV. Modular commands from a second control source requesting control of the UAV are received. The second control source is determined to be in control of the UAV based on priority information associated with each control source. Control of the UAV is enabled by the second control source, and modular commands are implemented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Skydio, Inc.
    Inventors: Brett Michael Bethke, Bernard J. Michini, Jonathan Anders Lovegren, Patrick Michael Bouffard
  • Patent number: 11873002
    Abstract: A vehicle can execute an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode as a driving mode. An assistance device supports mode switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode. The assistance device includes an acquisition interface and a notification interface. The acquisition interface acquires data indicating a situation around the vehicle. The notification interface that communicates a candidate position derived based on the data acquired by the acquisition interface, the candidate position being a candidate of a position where the mode switching should be executed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Komikawa, Hiroyuki Tominaga, Kazuhiro Yamane, Kousuke Mitsunaga, Satoshi Tanaka, Naomi Ushioda, Toshiaki Ikematsu
  • Patent number: 11877211
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices are described for predicting a destination of a user and sharing the presumed destination with the other users via a geographically-based graphical user interface. Consistent with some embodiments, an electronic communication containing location information is received from a location sensor coupled to a first client device. A current trajectory of the first user is determined based on the location information. A presumed destination of the first user is determined, by correlating the current trajectory of the first user with historical location information of the first user. A map depicting an icon associated with the presumed destination of the first user is displayed, on a display screen of a second client device of a second user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Snap Inc.
    Inventors: Benoit Baylin, Nicolas Dancie, Antoine Martin, Julien Martin, Antoine Sinton, Steven Uzan
  • Patent number: 11872992
    Abstract: In a vehicle user-assistance system, a user's voice is acquired before the user enters a vehicle, and the mental state of the user is inferred based on the acquired voice. Then, it is determined whether the inferred mental state is an irritated state compared with a criterial value. When the mental state is an irritated state, navigation that relieves irritation is proposed to the user having entered the vehicle. Thus, the user starts to travel with his or her irritation reduced or relieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takashi Nishimoto, Kenji Sato, Kei Yamamoto, Ryuta Yamasaki
  • Patent number: 11871317
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for controlling a data interchange between a control device of a motor vehicle and an external device. The motor vehicle has multiple vehicle functions each having at least one associated subservice. Based on the subservice, the respective vehicle function is performed and the data interchange with the external device takes place independently of the activity of the vehicle function. If the control device receives a deactivation signal for one of the vehicle functions, it deactivates this at least one vehicle function and checks whether one of the subservices is associated with at least one other vehicle function that is currently activated. If a subservice is not associated with a currently activated vehicle function, this subservice is deactivated, as a result of which the data interchange between the control device and the external device is terminated by this subservice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: AUDI AG
    Inventor: Konstantin Willmann
  • Patent number: 11869091
    Abstract: A system and method for monitoring a vehicle uses a wireless mobile device. The wireless mobile device, such as a cell phone, smart phone, PDA, etc., includes some of the hardware that could be utilized to monitor and analyze data and transmit the data (or summaries, statistics or analyses of the data) to a central server. This can greatly reduce the overall cost of the system. The data can be used to determine an insurance rate or as a speed probe for creating traffic maps, for example.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Appy Risk Technologies Limited
    Inventor: Otman A. Basir
  • Patent number: 11868126
    Abstract: A transportation system includes an artificial intelligence system for processing a sensory input from a wearable device in a self-driving vehicle to determine an emotional state of a rider and optimizing a vehicle operating parameter to improve the rider emotional state. The artificial intelligence system detects the rider emotional state in the self-driving vehicle by recognition of patterns of emotional state indicative data from a set of wearable sensors worn by the rider. The patterns are indicative of at least one of a favorable emotional state and an unfavorable emotional state of the rider. The artificial intelligence system is to optimize, for achieving at least one of maintaining a detected favorable emotional state of the rider and achieving a favorable emotional state of a rider subsequent to a detection of an unfavorable emotional state, the operating parameter of the vehicle in response to the detected emotional state of the rider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Strong Force TP Portfolio 2022, LLC
    Inventor: Charles Howard Cella
  • Patent number: 11869089
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for analyzing a vehicle trip is presented. The method may include obtaining a wireless communication address of a vehicle of an insured driver. One or more processors may determine whether the wireless communication address corresponds to one of one or more known vehicles associated with an insured driver. Responsive to determining that the wireless communication address corresponds to one of the one or more known vehicles associated with the insured driver, the one or more processors may collect a plurality of vehicle telematics data during the vehicle trip. The one or more processors may also analyze the plurality of vehicle telematics data to determine at least one driving behavior of the insured driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company
    Inventors: Zebediah Robert Black, Sivarama Krishna Panguluri, Krishna Nemmani, Maliha Haque, John Steven Kirtzic, Sonia Torres, Teena Jagan, Fariha Islam
  • Patent number: 11868127
    Abstract: A transportation system includes an artificial intelligence (AI) system for processing a sensory input from a wearable device in a self-driving vehicle to determine an emotional state of a rider and optimizing a vehicle operating parameter to improve the rider emotional state. The AI system includes a recurrent neural network to indicate a change in the emotional state of the rider by a recognition of patterns of emotional state indicative wearable sensor data from a set of wearable sensors worn by the rider. The patterns are indicative of a first degree of a favorable emotional state of the rider and/or a second degree of an unfavorable emotional state of the rider. The AI system further includes a radial basis function neural network to optimize, for achieving a target emotional state of the rider, the vehicle operating parameter in response to the indication of the change in the rider emotional state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Strong Force TP Portfolio 2022, LLC
    Inventor: Charles Howard Cella
  • Patent number: 11870868
    Abstract: A common storage management device for a system including a common storage and at least one computer includes at least one processor, the at least one computer storing a plurality of applications configured to write and read data in the common storage. The at least one processor is configured to manage a reservation of a storage space of the common storage in response to a request from the plurality of applications to reserve the storage space for storing the data. The at least one processor is configured to notify one application of the plurality of applications of a request to reduce data size of the data for which the storage space is required to be reserved per one request, when the one application requests to reserve the storage space for the data and free storage space is insufficient for reserving the storage space for the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yusuke Tanaka, Yuka Ito, Hajime Nomura, Daishi Miyata
  • Patent number: 11866062
    Abstract: A vehicle display device includes: an acquisition unit that acquires a travel environment; a prediction unit that predicts a behavior of another vehicle traveling ahead of a vehicle of a driver, based on the travel environment; and a display unit that, when the behavior of the other vehicle is predicted to become unstable, displays the predicted behavior of the other vehicle to the driver of the vehicle. The vehicle display device may include: a prediction unit that predicts a behavior of a vehicle, based on the travel environment; and a display unit that, when the behavior of the vehicle is predicted to become unstable, displays the predicted behavior of the vehicle to a driver of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: YAZAKI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akihiro Yoshida, Shinichi Okamoto, Yoshiharu Matsuo, Sosuke Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11866070
    Abstract: Disclosed are a vehicle control method, a vehicle control apparatus, and a storage medium. The method includes acquiring real-time road condition information about an ego vehicle. The real-time road condition information can be used to indicate whether the ego vehicle arrives at an intersection. Vehicle state information can be acquired when the ego vehicle arrives at the intersection. Once a prediction result is obtained based on the vehicle state information, the ego vehicle can be controlled according to the prediction result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: GUANGZHOU AUTOMOBILE GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Xiao Lin, Jiucai Zhang, Jin Shang, Yi Wang
  • Patent number: 11859996
    Abstract: An apparatus for suggesting stopping by facilities includes a processor to suggest, as a stop, facilities, which are suitable for a user tendency or a user situation, of facilities positioned on a driving path of an autonomous vehicle, and a storage to store data and an algorithm executed by the processor. The processor provides, to a user, a list of the facilities suitable for the user tendency or the user situation, and adds facilities, which are selected by the user, to the stop on the driving path to guide to the driving path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yeon Hee Choi
  • Patent number: 11858521
    Abstract: A vehicle motion control system includes one or more input devices for generating one or more input signals associated with data indicative of a motion of the vehicle. The system further includes a computer, which has one or more processors. The computer further includes a non-transitory computer readable storage medium for storing instructions, such that the processor is programmed to compare a current tire state and a current tire prediction model to the data indicative of the motion of the vehicle. The processor is further programmed to calculate in real-time an adjusted tire state and an adjusted tire prediction model. The processor is further programmed to generate in real-time one or more actuation signals based on the adjusted tire state and the adjusted tire prediction model. The actuators in real-time adjust the motion of the vehicle in response to the actuator receiving the actuation signal from the processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Reza Hajiloo, Shamim Mashrouteh, Arash Hashemi, Ehsan Asadi, Seyedeh Asal Nahidi, Seyedalireza Kasaiezadeh Mahabadi
  • Patent number: 11858118
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a human-machine interaction method, including: detecting and collecting, by a robot, sensing information of a companion object of a target object and emotion information of the target object that is obtained when the target object interacts with the companion object; extracting, by the robot, an emotion feature quantity based on the emotion information, determining, based on the emotion feature quantity, an emotional pattern used by the target object to interact with the companion object, determining, based on the emotional pattern, a degree of interest of the target object in the companion object, extracting behavioral data of the companion object from the sensing information based on the degree of interest, and screening the behavioral data to obtain simulated object data; and simulating, by the robot, the companion object based on the simulated object data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Wenhua Sun, Jiali Fu, Heng Liao, Huimin Zhang
  • Patent number: 11859977
    Abstract: A technique that enables easily determining an attitude of a laser scanning apparatus is provided. A surveying device includes a sunlight incident direction measurement unit, a Sun direction acquisition unit, and an attitude calculator. The sunlight incident direction measurement unit measures an incident direction of sunlight that enters a laser scanning apparatus, based on a detected waveform of incident light entering the laser scanning apparatus. The Sun direction acquisition unit acquires a direction of the Sun as seen from the laser scanning apparatus, from astronomical data, based on a position of the laser scanning apparatus. The attitude calculator calculates an attitude of the laser scanning apparatus in an absolute coordinate system, based on the incident direction of sunlight and the direction of the Sun as seen from the laser scanning apparatus, which is acquired from the astronomical data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: TOPCON CORPORATION
    Inventor: You Sasaki
  • Patent number: 11863468
    Abstract: An Ethernet Physical layer (PHY) device includes a PHY interface and PHY circuitry. The PHY interface is configured to connect to a physical link. The PHY circuitry is configured to generate layer-1 frames that carry data for transmission to a peer Ethernet PHY device, to insert among the layer-1 frames one or more management frames that are separate from the layer-1 frames and that are configured to control a General-Purpose Input-Output (GPIO) port associated with the peer Ethernet PHY device, to transmit the layer-1 frames and the inserted management frames, via the PHY interface, to the peer Ethernet PHY device over the physical link, for controlling one or more operations of the GPIO port associated with the peer Ethernet PHY device, and to receive, via the PHY interface, one or more verifications acknowledging that the one or more management frames were received successfully at the peer Ethernet PHY device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: MARVELL ASIA PTE LTD
    Inventors: Jessica Lauren Mann, Christopher Mash, Timothy See-Hung Lau, Hon Wai Fung, Liang Zhu, Dance Wu
  • Patent number: 11861353
    Abstract: Provided is a system update procedure planning apparatus capable of preventing an explosive increase in the amount of computation when solving an automatic planning problem in system update. The state element model simplification section 101 outputs a simplified state element model by applying a simplification transformation based on the unit affiliation information to the state element model. The automatic planning section 102 outputs an executable route, for the simplified state element model, from an initial state thereof to a target state. The internal transition completion section 103 converts the executable route from the initial state to the target state on the simplified state element model into the executable route from an initial state to a target state on the state element model before simplification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takuya Kuwahara
  • Patent number: 11853035
    Abstract: A method for operating a commercial shipping asset includes entering one of a docking and an undocking mode of operations using a vehicle controller of a commercial shipping asset, identifying at least one trusted video source remote from the commercial shipping asset, determining a distance between the commercial shipping asset and at least one object based at least in part on an image analysis of a video feed from the trusted video source, and responding to the determined distance by providing at least one of a warning to an operator of the commercial shipping asset and adjusting an automated or semi-automated operation of the commercial shipping asset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Stoneridge Electronics AB
    Inventors: Brad Corrodi, Milan Gavrilovic
  • Patent number: 11854538
    Abstract: Described herein is a system for sentiment detection in audio data. The system processes audio frame level features of input audio data using a machine learning algorithm to classify the input audio data into a particular sentiment category. The machine learning algorithm may be a neural network trained using an encoder-decoder method. The training of the machine learning algorithm may include normalization techniques to avoid potential bias in the training data that may occur when the training data is annotated for a perceived sentiment of the speaker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Viktor Rozgic, Chao Wang, Ming Sun, Srinivas Parthasarathy
  • Patent number: 11853058
    Abstract: A system may include one or more sensors configured to acquire data associated with a driver of a vehicle and a processor. The processor may receive the data and determine whether the data is within a baseline data associated with expected behavior of the driver. The processor may then control one or more operations of the vehicle in response to the data being outside the baseline data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: United Services Automobile Association (USAA)
    Inventors: Kade L. Scott, Benjamin D. Ethington, Richard Daniel Graham, Matthew T. Flachsbart
  • Patent number: 11850951
    Abstract: An electric propulsion system is provided which includes a prime mover; an electric generator which is arranged to be driven by the prime mover to generate electric power; an electric propulsion motor; and an integrated generator-motor controller arranged to control the supply of said electric power to the electric propulsion motor in response to a control signal. The integrated generator-motor controller is also arranged to feed-forward to the generator a power demand parameter associated with the control signal so as to control the power output of the generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tadashi Sawata, Michael C. Harke
  • Patent number: 11852723
    Abstract: Provided is a system for controlling a detecting distance of an ultrasonic sensor based on ground recognition. The system includes: an ultrasonic sensor provided in a vehicle and configured to, when driven, recognize an object in front of or behind the vehicle; an image capturing unit configured to capture an image of a detection area of the ultrasonic sensor; a ground type recognizer configured to recognize a ground type corresponding to the detecting area of the ultrasonic sensor using the image acquired through the image capturing unit; and a sensing threshold changer configured to, when a travelling speed of the vehicle satisfies a preset condition, change a sensing threshold of the ultrasonic sensor according to the recognized ground type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Jae Young Lee
  • Patent number: 11851089
    Abstract: Systems and methods for mitigating damage caused by hail storms to self-driving motor-vehicles. When a self-driving motor vehicle determines or learns that a hail storm or other severe weather event may be approaching, it may seek cover under a protective structure or some other location where it might not be as exposed to the severe weather event. Depending upon the availability of suitable shelters, the self-driving motor vehicle might, for example, obtain a list of such possible shelters and apply certain factors to develop a priority list as to which shelters to seek. The self-driving motor vehicle may then drive itself to the location and remain there at least for the duration of the hail storm or other event. In some cases, the self-driving motor vehicle may evaluate the adequacy of the protective structure or other location, and may decide to seek a better protective structure or location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: United Services Automobile Association (USAA)
    Inventors: Cynthia Ann Hinojosa, Andrew Jacob Contreras, Lemont Williamson, Igor Alexandre Gregorio, Stephen Anthony Young, Jonathan Edward Seaton, Chris Aaron Bodden, Shirley Elizabeth Bunton, Shayna Dickson, Ric M. Pena
  • Patent number: 11852553
    Abstract: A method for remotely measuring pressure of a fluid in a container includes determining a spatial location of first and second resonant radiofrequency antenna elements located on a radiofrequency identification (RFID) tag located in the container. The first antenna element is positioned in a fixed position on the RFID tag and the second antenna element is positioned on a deformable element configured to be deformed in at least one dimension based on pressure from the fluid. The spatial location is determined from a radar image generated based on reflected radiofrequency beams from a scan area and re-radiated radiofrequency beams from the first and second antenna elements located within the scan area. A pressure value is determined for the fluid based on the spatial location of the first and second antenna elements. Systems and methods of remotely measuring pressure using passive RFID tags are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Inventor: Yuri P. Garbuzov
  • Patent number: 11845453
    Abstract: An actuator system includes an actuator, a first actuator controller that is operable to control operation of the actuator and is operable to determine a first value for a parameter that relates to operation of the actuator, a second actuator controller that is operable to control operation of the actuator and is operable to determine a second value for the parameter, and at least one additional component that is operable to determine a third value for the parameter. A fault is identified in response to determining that the first value does not agree with at least one of the second value or the third value. In response to identification of the fault, the first actuator controller changes from an activated state to a deactivated state and the second actuator controller changes from a deactivated state an activated state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Diomidis Katzourakis, Huibert Mees, Robert M. Cammarata, Bo Guo
  • Patent number: 11845314
    Abstract: This application relates to a suspension control method and system, a vehicle, and a storage medium. The suspension control method includes: acquiring a pavement image in a traveling direction; identifying a variation type corresponding to a pavement smoothness variation according to the pavement image; generating a control signal according to the identified variation type, to adjust a suspension parameter; detecting, by using a sensor coupled to a suspension, pavement characteristic information corresponding to the variation type; and generating a correction signal based on the pavement characteristic information, to correct the control signal. The suspension control method can identify the pavement smoothness variation more accurately and set the suspension damping parameter according to an identification result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: NIO TECHNOLOGY (ANHUI) CO., LTD
    Inventors: Qiang Wei, Shengwei Deng, Baotian Wang, Da Yuan, Chao Xu, Bohong Xiao
  • Patent number: 11845448
    Abstract: A system comprises a sensor system comprising a sensor and an analysis engine configured to determine whether the sensor is uncalibrated. The system further comprises an error handling system configured to determine whether to perform a recalibration in response to the sensor system determining that the sensor is uncalibrated. The error handling system further comprises a recalibration engine configured to perform a recalibration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: Pony AI Inc.
    Inventors: Pingfan Meng, Zhenhao Pan
  • Patent number: 11844310
    Abstract: A system and a method for controlling a reel of a combine harvester, wherein, the system comprises a satellite positioning receiver, a driving device, a controller and a rotating speed sensor; the rotating speed sensor collects and transmits an actual rotating speed of the reel to the controller, and the controller provides the driving device with a speed regulation signal according to the actual rotating speed and the operation running speed. The rotating speed of the reel can be automatically, accurately and quickly adjusted according to the operation running speed of the combine harvester during the operation of the combine harvester, and improve the operation efficiency and quality while ensuring the crop feed quantity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: SHANDONG UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Juan Du, Xiang Yin, Jiahao An, Chengqian Jin, Duanyang Geng, Junke Zhu
  • Patent number: 11841379
    Abstract: A sensor assembly includes a sensor element and at least two control units, each having an evaluation and control unit and an energy source. In a first control unit, a first evaluation and control unit is connected to a first energy source, and in a second control unit, a second evaluation and control unit is connected to a second energy source. The at least two control units and the sensor element are interconnected by at least one separate interconnection unit. Each interconnection unit connects a first connection of an associated sensor element to the first energy source and/or to the second energy source. A second connection of the sensor element is earthed. A sensor current flowing through the sensor element is modulated at least with information about a detected measured variable. The first evaluation and control unit and/or the second evaluation and control unit evaluate(s) the detected sensor current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Jens Wirth, Martin Koegel
  • Patent number: 11840266
    Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling an autonomous vehicle in response to vehicle instructions from a remote computing system are provided. In one example embodiment, a computer-implemented method includes controlling a first autonomous vehicle to provide a vehicle service, the first autonomous vehicle being associated with a first convoy that includes one or more second autonomous vehicles. The method includes receiving one or more communications from a remote computing system associated with a third-party entity, the one or more communications including one or more vehicle instructions. The method includes coordinating with the one or more second autonomous vehicles to determine one or more vehicle actions to perform in response to receiving the one or more vehicle instructions from the third-party entity. The method includes controlling the first autonomous vehicle to implement the one or more vehicle actions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: UATC, LLC
    Inventors: Alden James Woodrow, Eyal Cohen, Robert Evan Miller
  • Patent number: 11840147
    Abstract: Operation and motion control, by a vehicle's ADAS or AD features, is improved in ways suitable to EVs having higher driving and handling performance. The vehicle dynamic model for high rates of lateral acceleration (e.g., sharp cornering or taking curves having a small radius of curvature as faster speeds) is improved by one or more of optimizing time cornering stiffness with a sigmoid function and/or altering front/rear steering angle to account for roll steer and compliance steer, based on vehicle testing. Indicators for lane departure warning or collision warning, evasive steering, or emergency braking are therefore reliably extended to allow higher performance maneuvers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Canoo Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Kilsoo Kim, Aviral Singh, David R. Arft
  • Patent number: 11841081
    Abstract: A park lock for an output drive gear includes a pawl, a rotational cam, and a rotational spring. The pawl has an engagement protrusion that extends outward from a body disposed on a pawl rotational shaft, such that rotation moves the engagement protrusion toward the output drive gear. The rotational cam rotates such that a circumferential side engages with a portion of the pawl opposite the engagement protrusion, causing rotation of the pawl about the rotational pawl shaft to move the engagement protrusion towards the output drive gear. The rotational spring maintains tension on the pawl and cam such that the engagement protrusion maintains an engagement with the output drive gear based on rotation of the cam and a speed of the output drive gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Canoo Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Jackson George Diebel, John Mason, Charles Garmel, Phillip John Weicker
  • Patent number: 11834070
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for determining the likelihood that a particular event would occur during a navigation interaction using simulations generated by sampling from agent data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Johan Engstrom, Emmanuel Christophe, Joseph Lee, Isaac Supeene, Razvan Mathias
  • Patent number: 11834054
    Abstract: A system includes inertial sensors and a GPS. The system generates a first estimated vehicle velocity based on motion data and positioning data, generates a second estimated vehicle velocity based on the processed motion data and the first estimated vehicle velocity, and generates fused datasets indicative of position, velocity and attitude of a vehicle based on the processed motion data, the positioning data and the second estimated vehicle velocity. The generating the second estimated vehicle velocity includes: filtering the motion data, transforming the filtered motion data in a frequency domain based on the first estimated vehicle velocity, generating spectral power density signals, generating an estimated wheel angular frequency and an estimated wheel size based on the spectral power density signals, and generating the second estimated vehicle velocity as a function of the estimated wheel angular frequency and the estimated wheel size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignees: STMICROELECTRONICS S.r.l., STMICROELECTRONICS, INC., STMicroelectronics (Grand Ouest) SAS
    Inventors: Nicola Matteo Palella, Leonardo Colombo, Andrea Donadel, Roberto Mura, Mahaveer Jain, Joƫlle Philippe
  • Patent number: 11836857
    Abstract: Systems, methods and instructions for creating building models of physical structures is disclosed. The building model may be a collection of floors defined by outlines containing regions that may be offset relative to a main region, and a collection of connectors. Connectors may have connection points for tracking, routing and sizing. Connectors may indicate elevation changes through georeferenced structural features. Signal elements may also be features that provide corrections when tracking. Feature descriptors are data that describes the structural configuration and signal elements enabling them to be matched to previously collected data in a database. User interface elements assist a user of a tracking device in collecting floor information, structural features and signal features and validating certain collected information based on previously known information. The height of floors may also be inferred based on sensor data from the tracking device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: TRX Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Travis Young, Daniel Hakim, Daniel Franchy, Jared Napora, John Karvounis, Jonathan Fetter Degges, Tim Wang, Benjamin Funk, Carole Teolis, Carol Politi, Stuart Woodbury
  • Patent number: 11833907
    Abstract: A powertrain system may determine a power distribution for one or more power sources of a vehicle. The powertrain system may be coupled to a perception system that may provide perception data indicating a scenario, situation, or environment that has been encountered by the vehicle. The powertrain system may include machine learning model that may generate the power distribution based on one or more of the perception data and a power request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: VOLKSWAGEN AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Mohak Prafulkumar Bhimani, Elnaz Vahedforough, Mikhail Tetelman
  • Patent number: 11835646
    Abstract: A system and method for aligning a target to an equipped vehicle for calibration of a sensor on the equipped vehicle includes a vehicle support stand upon which an equipped vehicle is disposed in an established known position for calibration of the sensor, and a target adjustment stand configured to moveably hold a target. The target adjustment stand is configured to position the target into a calibration position relative to the sensor on the equipped vehicle based on the established known position of the equipped vehicle on the vehicle support stand whereby the sensor is able to be calibrated using the target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: BPG Sales and Technology Investments, LLC
    Inventors: Ryan M. Jefferies, David M. DeBoer, Jon D. Lawrence
  • Patent number: 11835561
    Abstract: Methods, systems and apparatus, for an unmanned aerial vehicle electromagnetic avoidance and utilization system. One of the methods includes obtaining a flight package indicating a flight pattern associated with inspecting a structure, the flight pattern causing the UAV to remain at a standoff distance from the structure, wherein the standoff distance is based on an electromagnetic field associated with the structure, and wherein the flight pattern is laterally constrained according to a property geofence associated with a right of way of the structure. The UAV is navigated according to the flight pattern, and the UAV captures images of the structure. For an initial portion of the flight pattern, the UAV navigates at an altitude based on the standoff distance and the property geofence towards the structure. The UAV determines a location at which to capture images of the structure, and the UAV provides the captured images to a user device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Skydio, Inc.
    Inventors: Fabien Blanc-Paques, Bernard J. Michini, Mark Patrick Bauer
  • Patent number: 11836562
    Abstract: The present invention provides for a RFID tag assembly that is suitable for operation with at least one RFID reader assembly. The RFID tag assembly comprises, inter alia, an antenna member for transmitting and/or receiving an RFID signal, and at least one integrated circuit (IC) for processing the RFID signal and which is configured to communicate, alternatingly and sequentially in time, a first signal transmission and at least one second signal transmission, each defined by a plurality of predetermined signal transmission parameters, to the at least one RFI D reader assembly, utilising time-division multiplexing, wherein the at least one first signal transmission differs from the at least one second signal transmission in at least one of said plurality of predetermined signal transmission parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: PRAGMATIC PRINTING LTD.
    Inventors: Brian Hardy Cobb, Scott White