Search Patents
  • Systems and methods for providing navigation data to a vehicle
    Patent number: 10288442
    Abstract: In a method for exchanging navigation data between a portable device and a head unit of a vehicle, implemented in a portable device that includes one or more processors executing a navigation service application and a companion application, the navigation service application sends a destination to a navigation server, and receives first navigation data from the navigation server. The first navigation data describes at least one of a plurality of steps for navigating between a source and the destination. A companion application invokes a navigation application programming interface (API) of the navigation service application, at by using a syntax and a list of parameters specific to the navigation API to obtain, from the navigation service application, the first navigation data, and sends the first navigation data to the head unit to cause the head unit to display navigation information indicating at least the one of the plurality of navigation steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventors: Andrew Foster, Nicholas J. Pelly
  • Releasable zero backlash passive locking mechanism for a vehicle mounted rotary camera mast
    Patent number: 10377321
    Abstract: A rotary locking joint that has zero backlash is provided to secure a camera mast mounted on a vehicle in a deployed position. The joint is passive to lock while being easily releasable. The joint prevents rotation of the mast in one direction, with a hard stop element that prevents further rotation of the mast in the opposite direction. The locking joint includes a pawl member configured to rotate about a pawl rotation axis. The pawl member is maintained in place in the locked position via a torsion spring to ensure contact with a base portion of the mast. To release the joint, the pawl member is rotated in the opposite direction to remove a geometry interference condition. A sensor is arranged to detect whether the pawl member is in an unlocked position relative to the mast.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Mark Yerdon, Jordan Wakser
  • Methods and systems for determining altitudes for a vehicle to travel
    Patent number: 9651382
    Abstract: Methods and systems for determining altitudes for a vehicle to travel are provided. In one example, a method comprises receiving information indicating a desired location for a balloon and a time period for traveling to the desired location. A region may include the desired location, and the region can be divided into a plurality of cells. The method may include determining estimated cell locations that can be reached by the balloon over a time interval by following a wind at a given altitude. The method may also include assigning a cost value to each cell based on a proximity of the estimated cell locations to a cell including the desired location. The method may further include determining for each cell an altitude for the balloon to travel based on the assigned cost value, and storing information indicating the cost value and the altitude for the balloon to travel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Dan P. Piponi, Bradley Rhodes
  • Multi-part navigation process by an unmanned aerial vehicle for navigation
    Patent number: 9436181
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein may relate to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) navigating to a target in order to provide medical support. An illustrative method involves a UAV (a) determining an approximate target location associated with a target, (b) using a first navigation process to navigate the UAV to the approximate target location, where the first navigation process generates flight-control signals based on the approximate target location, (c) making a determination that the UAV is located at the approximate target location, and (d) in response to the determination that the UAV is located at the approximate target location, using a second navigation process to navigate the UAV to the target, wherein the second navigation process generates flight-control signals based on real-time localization of the target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Peeters, Eric Teller, William Graham Patrick
  • Correcting path errors for vehicle navigation
    Patent number: 8825373
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed for performing loop closing on one or more paths to be optimized. The paths may include poses associated with imagery obtained by a vehicle. The apparatus may identify candidate intersections from the paths based on their proximity, and may further determine relative poses from the poses of the paths using structure-from-motion techniques. The apparatus may then apply a partitioning schema to the paths to be optimized to obtain individual partition cells. The partition cells may then be sent to one or more client devices for optimizing the paths included in the partition cells. When the apparatus receives a set of optimized paths from the client devices, the apparatus may re-partition the paths to be optimized to ensure that non-optimized portions of paths are optimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: David R. Martin, Bryan M. Klingner
  • Unlocking mobile-device and/or unmanned aerial vehicle capability in an emergency situation
    Patent number: 8983682
    Abstract: An illustrative emergency-support system may include multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are configured to provide emergency support for a number of different emergency situations. Further, the emergency-support system may be configured to: (a) identify a request for assistance in a remote emergency situation, (b) identify a remote device associated with the request for assistance, (c) determine a target location corresponding to the emergency situation, (d) control a UAV to travel to the target location to provide emergency support, and (e) enable an otherwise restricted capability of one or more of the remote device or the UAV after controlling the UAV to travel to the target location, wherein the capability is enabled to help provide emergency support in the remote emergency situation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Peeters, Eric Teller, William Graham Patrick
  • Methods and systems for determining altitudes for a vehicle to travel
    Patent number: 8862403
    Abstract: Methods and systems for determining altitudes for a vehicle to travel are provided. In one example, a method comprises receiving information indicating a desired location for a balloon and a time period for traveling to the desired location. A region may include the desired location, and the region can be divided into a plurality of cells. The method may include determining estimated cell locations that can be reached by the balloon over a time interval by following a wind at a given altitude. The method may also include assigning a cost value to each cell based on a proximity of the estimated cell locations to a cell including the desired location. The method may further include determining for each cell an altitude for the balloon to travel based on the assigned cost value, and storing information indicating the cost value and the altitude for the balloon to travel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Daniele P. Piponi, Bradley Rhodes
  • Hybrid Power Systems for Vehicle with Hybrid Flight Modes
    Publication number: 20160221683
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein may relate to methods and systems for supplying auxiliary power to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with different flight modes. In particular, the system may determine that a UAV is operating in a first flight mode. Responsively, the system may cause the UAV to draw power from a first power source at a first power level while operating in the first flight mode. Subsequently, the system may determine that the UAV switched from operating in the first flight mode to operating in a second flight mode. Responsively, the system may cause the UAV, while operating in the second flight mode, to continue drawing power from the first power source at the first power level and draw power from a second power source at a second power level, where the UAV consumes power at a higher rate during the second flight mode than during the first flight mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2014
    Publication date: August 4, 2016
    Applicant: Google Inc.
    Inventors: John Roberts, Abe Bachrach, James Ryan Burgess
  • Method for correcting alignment of vehicle mounted laser scans with an elevation map for obstacle detection
    Patent number: 9052721
    Abstract: Methods and systems for alignment of light detection and ranging (LIDAR) data are described. In some examples, a computing device of a vehicle may be configured to compare a three-dimensional (3D) point cloud to a reference 3D point cloud to detect obstacles on a road. However, in examples, the 3D point cloud and the reference 3D point cloud may be misaligned. To align the 3D point cloud with the reference 3D point cloud, the computing device may be configured to determine a planar feature in the 3D point cloud of the road and a corresponding planar feature in the reference 3D point cloud. Further, the computing device may be configured to determine, based on comparison of the planar feature to the corresponding planar feature, a transform. The computing device may be configured to apply the transform to align the 3D point cloud with the reference 3D point cloud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan Baldwin Dowdall, Dmitri Dolgov, David Ian Ferguson, Jiajun Zhu
  • Method and system for segmenting and transmiting data between computing devices and vehicle head units
    Patent number: 11477626
    Abstract: An example method includes receiving, by a first application executing on a primary device and from a second application executing on the primary device, an indication of data to be transferred, wherein the primary device and the vehicle head unit are communicatively coupled via a wireless network connection operating in accordance with a wireless networking protocol; determining, by the first application and based on the indication of the data, an amount of data to be transferred; determining, by the first application, whether the amount of data satisfies a maximum packet size for the wireless networking protocol; responsive to determining that the amount of data does not satisfy the maximum packet size: segmenting the data into a plurality of packets, wherein each packet from the plurality of packets includes an amount of data that satisfies the maximum packet size; and sending the plurality of packets using the wireless network connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Jennifer Yee Tsau, Ramasadagopan Periathiruvadi, Anthony Jesse Chen, Daniel Harms, Yuxing Yao, Wenting Zhai, Yiran Yan, Thomas Anthony Pelaia, II
  • Bystander interaction during delivery from aerial vehicle
    Patent number: 9321531
    Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is disclosed that includes a retractable payload delivery system. The payload delivery system can lower a payload to the ground using an assembly that secures the payload during descent and releases the payload upon reaching the ground. The assembly can also include a bystander communication module for generating cues for bystander perception. While the assembly securing the payload is being lowered from the UAV, the bystander communication module can generate an avoidance cue indicating that bystanders should avoid interference with the assembly. The assembly also includes sensors that generate data used, at least in part, to determine when the descending assembly is at or near the ground, at which point the assembly releases the payload. The bystander communication module can then cease the avoidance cue and the UAV can retract the assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Leila Takayama, Matthew Ball, Joanna Cohen, Roger William Graves, Mathias Samuel Fleck, Andrew Lambert, James Ryan Burgess, Paul Richard Komarek, Trevor Shannon
  • Method and system for segmenting and transmitting data between computing devices and vehicle head units
    Patent number: 12200589
    Abstract: An example method includes receiving, by a first application executing on a primary device and from a second application executing on the primary device, an indication of data to be transferred, wherein the primary device and the vehicle head unit are communicatively coupled via a wireless network connection operating in accordance with a wireless networking protocol; determining, by the first application and based on the indication of the data, an amount of data to be transferred; determining, by the first application, whether the amount of data satisfies a maximum packet size for the wireless networking protocol; responsive to determining that the amount of data does not satisfy the maximum packet size: segmenting the data into a plurality of packets, wherein each packet from the plurality of packets includes an amount of data that satisfies the maximum packet size; and sending the plurality of packets using the wireless network connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Jennifer Yee Tsau, Ramasadagopan Periathiruvadi, Anthony Jesse Chen, Daniel Harms, Yuxing Yao, Wenting Zhai, Yiran Yan, Thomas Anthony Pelaia, II
  • Detecting and responding to tailgaters
    Patent number: 9050977
    Abstract: An autonomous vehicle detects a tailgating vehicle and uses various response mechanisms. For example, a vehicle is identified as a tailgater based on whether its characteristics meet a variable threshold. When the autonomous vehicle is traveling at slower speeds, the threshold is defined in distance. When the autonomous vehicle is traveling at faster speeds, the threshold is defined in time. The autonomous vehicle may respond to the tailgater by modifying its driving behavior. In one example, the autonomous vehicle adjusts a headway buffer (defined in time) from another vehicle in front of the autonomous vehicle. For example, if the tailgater is T seconds too close to the autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle increases the headway buffer to the vehicle in front of it by some amount relative to T.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Dmitri A. Dolgov, Philip Nemec, Anne Aula
  • Detecting and responding to tailgaters
    Patent number: 9290181
    Abstract: An autonomous vehicle detects a tailgating vehicle and uses various response mechanisms. A vehicle is identified as a tailgater based on whether its characteristics meet a variable threshold. When the autonomous vehicle is traveling at slower speeds, the threshold is defined in distance. When the autonomous vehicle is traveling at faster speeds, the threshold is defined in time. The autonomous vehicle responds to the tailgater by modifying its driving behavior. In one example, the autonomous vehicle adjusts a headway buffer (defined in time) from another vehicle in front of the autonomous vehicle. In this regard, if the tailgater is T seconds too close to the autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle increases the headway buffer to the vehicle in front of it by some amount relative to T.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Dmitri A. Dolgov, Philip Nemec, Anne Kristiina Aula
  • System and method for predicting behaviors of detected objects through environment representation
    Patent number: 9381916
    Abstract: Aspects of the invention relate generally to autonomous vehicles. The features described improve the safety, use, driver experience, and performance of these vehicles by performing a behavior analysis on mobile objects in the vicinity of an autonomous vehicle. Specifically, the autonomous vehicle is capable of detecting nearby objects, such as vehicles and pedestrians, and is able to determine how the detected vehicles and pedestrians perceive their surroundings. The autonomous vehicle may then use this information to safely maneuver around all nearby objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Jiajun Zhu, David I. Ferguson
  • Parked car location
    Patent number: 9194710
    Abstract: A user may be provided with a representation of their vehicle on the user's mobile device. The vehicle's location may be determined based on one or more signals received from the mobile device and/or the motor vehicle. The device may generate a notification or otherwise store an indication of the motor vehicle's position. A representation of the motor vehicle's location may be provided to the user on the mobile device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventor: Rakesh Narayan Iyer
  • Detecting and responding to tailgaters
    Patent number: 8818682
    Abstract: An autonomous vehicle detects a tailgating vehicle and uses various response mechanisms. For example, a vehicle is identified as a tailgater based on whether its characteristics meet a variable threshold. When the autonomous vehicle is traveling at slower speeds, the threshold is defined in distance. When the autonomous vehicle is traveling at faster speeds, the threshold is defined in time. The autonomous vehicle may respond to the tailgater by modifying its driving behavior. In one example, the autonomous vehicle adjusts a headway buffer (defined in time) from another vehicle in front of the autonomous vehicle. For example, if the tailgater is T seconds too close to the autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle increases the headway buffer to the vehicle in front of it by some amount relative to T.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Dmitri A. Dolgov, Philip Nemec, Anne Aula
  • Using structured audio output to detect playback and/or to adapt to misaligned playback in wireless speakers
    Patent number: 11741958
    Abstract: Implementations are directed to causing a computing device to transmit an audio data stream, via a communication channel, to a vehicle computing device of a vehicle. Various implementations include one or more vehicle speakers driven by the vehicle computing device to render audible output. Additionally or alternatively, various implementations include determining whether the audible output is captured by at least one microphone of a vehicle interface device within the vehicle. In many implementations, the vehicle interface device is communicatively coupled to the computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventors: Nathaniel Nesiba, Xiang Cao
  • Phantom traffic jam detection and avoidance
    Patent number: 11928961
    Abstract: To reduce the effects of traffic jams, a traffic reduction system identifies road segments having more a threshold amount of traffic. The traffic reduction system also receives an indication of a current location of a client device operating in a vehicle and compares the current location to the locations of the identified road segments to determine whether the vehicle is on or approaching the road segment. If the vehicle is on or approaching the road segment, the traffic reduction system determines a target speed for the vehicle to maintain an equal distance between the vehicle and the vehicle in front of the vehicle and the vehicle and the vehicle behind the vehicle. The traffic reduction system then provides the target speed to the client device for display on a user interface. By maintaining equal distances between vehicles in front of and behind each other, the amount of traffic dissipates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventors: Neil Dhillon, Tanmay Wadhwa
  • Steering-based scrub braking
    Patent number: 9043071
    Abstract: Methods and systems for implementing steering-based scrub braking are described. A computing device or system assisting in the control of a vehicle may be configured to make a determination to reduce a speed of the vehicle or enhance the stability of a vehicle that is traveling in a given direction. The computing device may provide instructions to turn a pair of wheels or any combination of wheels of the vehicle in a direction away from parallel to the given direction in which the vehicle is traveling and in opposite directions to each other so as to reduce the speed of the vehicle. In an example, the computing device may estimate a range to execute speed reduction of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventor: Peter Lombrozo
Narrow Results

Filter by US Classification