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  • COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS FOR SELF-DRIVING VEHICLES, AND METHODS OF PROVIDING THEREOF
    Publication number: 20220214698
    Abstract: Systems and methods for providing inter-vehicle communication are disclosed. The method includes receiving, at a fleet management system, operating data from one or more self-driving vehicles via a communication network, and operating the fleet management system to determine a characteristic of a set of vehicles of one or more self-driving vehicles satisfies at least one communication condition. In response to determining the set of vehicles satisfies the at least one communication condition, the fleet management system can operate to select a stored data portion from a manager storage unit based at least on the characteristic of the set of vehicles; and transmit the data portion to the set of vehicles via the communication network. A method of providing inter-vehicle communication between one or more self-driving vehicles is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2022
    Publication date: July 7, 2022
    Applicant: Clearpath Robotics Inc.
    Inventors: Smriti Chopra, Ryan Christopher Gariepy, Shahab Kaynama, Pavel Bovbel, Andrei Petru Ionescu, Jason Mercer
  • Systems and methods for updating an electronic map
    Patent number: 11898849
    Abstract: Systems and methods for updating an electronic map of a facility are disclosed. The electronic map includes a set of map nodes. Each map node has a stored image data associated with a position within the facility. The method includes collecting image data at a current position of a self-driving material-transport vehicle; searching the electronic map for at least one of a map node associated with the current position and one or more neighboring map nodes within a neighbor threshold to the current position; comparing the collected image data with the stored image data of the at least one of the map node and the one or more neighboring map nodes to determine a dissimilarity level. The electronic map may be updated based at least on the collected image data and the dissimilarity level. The image data represents one or more features observable from the current position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: CLEARPATH ROBOTICS INC.
    Inventors: James Dustin Servos, Ryan Christopher Gariepy
  • Systems and methods for communicating between a fleet of robots and a fleet manager
    Patent number: 10880412
    Abstract: A sender device implements an auxiliary transport protocol by: storing routing records containing respective content type indicators, message source identifiers and message destination identifiers. A first record contains an initial content type indicator and a destination identifier corresponding to a sender device relay. A second record contains an extended content type indicator and a destination identifier corresponding to a sender device bridge. The sender device generates and routes an initial message having a payload and the initial content type indicator to the relay via a primary transport protocol according to the first record; at the relay, generates an extended message having the payload and the extended content type indicator, and routes the message to the bridge via the primary protocol according to the second record; at the bridge, generates a converted extended message; and transmits the converted extended message to a receiver device via the auxiliary protocol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: CLEARPATH ROBOTICS INC.
    Inventors: Denise Elaine Eng, Michael Purvis, Guillaume Autran
  • Systems and methods for updating an electronic map
    Patent number: 11555704
    Abstract: Systems and methods for updating an electronic map of a facility are disclosed. The electronic map includes a set of map nodes. Each map node has a stored image data associated with a position within the facility. The method includes collecting image data at a current position of a self-driving material-transport vehicle; searching the electronic map for at least one of a map node associated with the current position and one or more neighboring map nodes within a neighbor threshold to the current position; comparing the collected image data with the stored image data of the at least one of the map node and the one or more neighboring map nodes to determine a dissimilarity level. The electronic map may be updated based at least on the collected image data and the dissimilarity level. The image data represents one or more features observable from the current position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Clearpath Robotics Inc.
    Inventors: James Dustin Servos, Ryan Christopher Gariepy
  • Autonomous material transport vehicles, and systems and methods of operating thereof
    Patent number: 11975955
    Abstract: The various embodiments described herein generally relate to an autonomous material transport vehicle, and systems and methods for operating an autonomous material transport vehicle. The autonomous material transport vehicle comprises: a sensing system operable to monitor an environment of the vehicle; a drive system for operating the vehicle; a processor operable to: receive a location of a load; initiate the drive system to navigate the vehicle to the location; following initiation of the drive system, operate the sensing system to monitor for one or more objects within a detection range; and in response to the sensing system detecting the one or more objects within the detection range, determine whether the load is within the detection range; and when the load is within the detection range, operate the drive system to position the vehicle for transporting the load, otherwise, determine a collision avoidance operation to avoid the one or more objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: CLEARPATH ROBOTICS INC.
    Inventors: Nolan Lunscher, Enrique Fernandez Perdomo, James Servos, Ryan Christopher Gariepy
  • DISTRIBUTED HARDWARE ARCHITECTURE FOR UNMANNED VEHICLES
    Publication number: 20130245857
    Abstract: A distributed hardware system for unmanned vehicles is provided, comprising a plurality of electronic hardware modules in communication via a vehicle control network. Each module is enabled to: communicate with one another, issue requests for information from a central control module, and transmit data over the network in a common format to perform respective tasks; and at least one of: independently sense one or more of: a respective status of the distributed hardware system and at least one respective environmental parameter; and independently control the respective function of a vehicle. A portion of the modules can enabled to: be removed and inserted from the distributed hardware system as plug and play modules; and determine when at least one of the modules is removed/inserted from the distributed hardware system and transition to a corresponding state. The system also includes a power management system which includes capacity monitoring and hot-swap capabilities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2011
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: CLEARPATH ROBOTICS, INC.
    Inventors: Ryan GARIEPY, Bryan Nicholas WEBB, Patrick William Martinson, Matthew Allen RENDALL, Rajan Joshua GILL
  • Distributed hardware architecture for unmanned vehicles
    Patent number: 8548646
    Abstract: A distributed hardware system for unmanned vehicles is provided, comprising a plurality of electronic hardware modules in communication via a vehicle control network. Each module is enabled to: communicate with one another, issue requests for information from a central control module, and transmit data over the network in a common format to perform respective tasks; and at least one of: independently sense one or more of: a respective status of the distributed hardware system and at least one respective environmental parameter; and independently control the respective function of a vehicle. A portion of the modules can enabled to: be removed and inserted from the distributed hardware system as plug and play modules; and determine when at least one of the modules is removed/inserted from the distributed hardware system and transition to a corresponding state. The system also includes a power management system which includes capacity monitoring and hot-swap capabilities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Clearpath Robotics Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan Gariepy, Rajan Joshua Gill, Patrick William Martinson, Matthew Allen Rendall, Bryan Nicholas Webb
  • Apparatus, systems, and methods for payload pick-up and drop-off with a self-driving material-transport vehicle
    Patent number: 11001446
    Abstract: Apparatus, systems and methods for providing smart pick-up and drop-off are presented. The apparatus comprises at least one vertical support member and at least one storage shelf supported by the at least one vertical support member. A payload transfer surface, supported by the vertical support members, is located below the lowest storage shelf. The payload transfer surface has an access channel so that a self-driving material-transport vehicle equipped with a lift appliance can pick up or drop off a payload on the payload transfer surface. A sensor associated with the payload transfer surface senses the presence or absence of a payload on the payload transfer surface, and sends a signal to a fleet-management system in communication with the self-driving material-transport vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: Clearpath Robotics Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Cantor, David William Bergsma, Kenneth James Sherk, Matthew Kingston Bedard, Matthew Allen Rendall, Ryan Christopher Gariepy
  • Systems and methods for utilizing fleets of robots
    Patent number: 10845822
    Abstract: Systems and methods for utilizing fleets of robots are disclosed. The method comprises receiving a task with a computing device, and retrieving, from a memory, battery-charge attributes associated, respectively, with at least three robots. A determination is made that the first battery-charge attribute is greater than the second battery-charge attribute, which is greater than the third battery-charge attribute. The battery-charge attributes are evaluated against a criterion. After determining that the first and second battery-charge attributes satisfy the criterion, the first and second robots are added to a selection set. After determining that the third battery-charge attribute does not satisfy the criterion, the third robot is omitted from the selection set. The selection is then optimized based on the first and second battery-charge attributes, and then one of the first and second robots is selected from the selection set to perform an action associated with the task request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Clearpath Robotics Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan Christopher Gariepy, Alex Bencz
  • Apparatus, systems, and methods for operating and maintaining electrically-powered material-transport vehicles
    Patent number: 11287831
    Abstract: There is provided an electrically-powered material-transport vehicle having a vehicle-charging contact on one side of the vehicle, and a second vehicle-charging contact on the opposite side of the vehicle. The vehicle has a load-bearing cap that covers the top of the vehicle, and a cap elevator for raising and lowering the cap. The cap can be raised and lowered to a transit position, a payload-engagement position, a charging position, and a maintenance position. In the transit position and payload-engagement position, the cap covers the vehicle-charging contacts so that they are not exposed. In the charging position, the cap is raised so that the vehicle-charging contacts are exposed. The vehicle can enter a charging-dock with the cap in the charging position in order to recharge the vehicle's battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: Clearpath Robotics Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan Christopher Gariepy, Matthew Allen Rendall, John Duncan Edwards, Aaron Wilson, Simon Drexler, Scott Waters, Aaron Gerlach, Mark Podbevsek, Michael Irvine, Vaibhav Kumar Mehta, Peiyi Chen, Amritpal Saini, Robert Dam, Michael O'Driscoll, Arsalan Alim
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