Sarah L Thornton

US Patent:

20220243426, Aug 4, 2022

Filed:

Apr 22, 2022

Appl. No.:

17/727559

Inventors:

- San Francisco CA, US
Gaurav Jitendra Kikani - San Francisco CA, US
Andrew Liang - San Francisco CA, US
Pradeesh Suganthan - Mountain View CA, US
James Alan Emerick - Berkeley CA, US
Sarah Marie Thornton - Newark CA, US
Ammar Idris Kothari - San Francisco CA, US
Edward Joseph Garza - San Francisco CA, US

International Classification:

E02F 9/20
E02F 9/26

Abstract:

This description provides an autonomous or semi-autonomous excavation vehicle that is capable of navigating through a dig site and carrying an excavation routine using a system of sensors physically mounted to the excavation vehicle. The sensors collect one or more of spatial, imaging, measurement, and location data representing the status of the excavation vehicle and its surrounding environment. Based on the collected data, the excavation vehicle executes instructions to perform an excavation routine by excavating earth from a hole using an excavation tool positioned at a single location within the site. The excavation vehicle is also able to carry out numerous other tasks, such as checking the volume of excavated earth in an excavation tool, navigating the excavation vehicle over a distance while continuously excavating earth from a below surface depth, and preparing a digital terrain model of the site as part of a process for creating the excavation routine.

US Patent:

20230031524, Feb 2, 2023

Filed:

Oct 12, 2022

Appl. No.:

17/964038

Inventors:

- San Franciso CA, US
Gaurav Jitendra Kikani - San Franciso CA, US
Andrew Liang - San Franciso CA, US
Pradeesh Suganthan - Mountain View CA, US
James Alan Emerick - Berkeley CA, US
Sarah Marie Thornton - Newark CA, US
Ammar Idris Kothari - San Francisco CA, US
Edward Joseph Garza - San Francisco CA, US

International Classification:

E02F 9/20
E02F 9/26

Abstract:

This description provides an autonomous or semi-autonomous excavation vehicle that is capable of navigating through a dig site and carrying an excavation routine using a system of sensors physically mounted to the excavation vehicle. The sensors collect one or more of spatial, imaging, measurement, and location data representing the status of the excavation vehicle and its surrounding environment. Based on the collected data, the excavation vehicle executes instructions to perform an excavation routine by excavating earth from a hole using an excavation tool positioned at a single location within the site. The excavation vehicle is also able to carry out numerous other tasks, such as checking the volume of excavated earth in an excavation tool, navigating the excavation vehicle over a distance while continuously excavating earth from a below surface depth, and preparing a digital terrain model of the site as part of a process for creating the excavation routine.

US Patent:

20210148086, May 20, 2021

Filed:

Nov 15, 2019

Appl. No.:

16/686086

Inventors:

- San Francisco CA, US
ANDREW LIANG - Fremont CA, US
EVAN WEST - San Mateo CA, US
LUCAS BRUDER - San Francisco CA, US
GAURAV JITENDRA KIKANI - San Francisco CA, US
PRADEESH SUGANTHAN - San Francisco CA, US
JAMES EMERICK - Berkeley CA, US
AMMAR KOTHARI - San Francisco CA, US
ALAN ARGONDIZZA - San Francisco CA, US
SARAH THORNTON - Pacifica CA, US
HEE GU YEA - San Francisco CA, US
THOMAS PECH - San Francisco CA, US

International Classification:

E02F 9/20
G05D 1/00

Abstract:

This description provides an autonomous or semi-autonomous earth shaping vehicle that is capable of cooperatively filling earth into a fill location in a dig site. A first earth shaping vehicle configured with a hauling tool carrying a volume of earth navigates to the fill location. At the fill location, the first earth shaping vehicle navigates over a target tool path to fill earth from the hauling tool into the fill location. As the first earth shaping vehicle fills earth into the fill location, a measurement sensor coupled to the first earth shaping vehicle measures a compaction level of earth filled into the fill location. If the measured compaction level is determined to be below a threshold compaction level, the first earth shaping vehicle communicates a request for a second earth shaping vehicle configured with a compaction tool to compact earth in the fill location.

US Patent:

20210149391, May 20, 2021

Filed:

Nov 15, 2019

Appl. No.:

16/686085

Inventors:

- San Francisco CA, US
ANDREW LIANG - Fremont CA, US
EVAN WEST - San Mateo CA, US
LUCAS BRUDER - San Francisco CA, US
GAURAV JITENDRA KIKANI - San Francisco CA, US
PRADEESH SUGANTHAN - San Francisco CA, US
JAMES EMERICK - Berkeley CA, US
AMMAR KOTHARI - San Francisco CA, US
ALAN ARGONDIZZA - San Francisco CA, US
SARAH THORNTON - Pacifica CA, US
HEE GU YEA - San Francisco CA, US
THOMAS PECH - San Francisco CA, US

International Classification:

G05D 1/00
G05D 1/02
E02F 9/26

Abstract:

This description provides an autonomous or semi-autonomous earth shaping vehicle that is capable of cooperatively hauling earth from a first location to a second location in a dig site with other earth shaping vehicles. A first earth shaping vehicle navigates through a set of coordinates within the coordinate space that represent a path from the start location to the end location. As the first earth shaping vehicle navigates towards the end location, the set of coordinates are dynamically updated to avoid collisions with neighboring earth shaping vehicles in the dig site. The updates to the set of coordinates are determines based on a position of the first earth shaping vehicle relative to a position of the second earth shaping vehicle. The velocity of the first earth shaping vehicle may be adjusted to maintain a threshold distance between the first earth shaping vehicle and each neighboring earth shaping vehicle.

US Patent:

20210149403, May 20, 2021

Filed:

Nov 15, 2019

Appl. No.:

16/686084

Inventors:

- San Francisco CA, US
ANDREW LIANG - Fremont CA, US
EVAN WEST - San Mateo CA, US
LUCAS BRUDER - San Francisco CA, US
GAURAV JITENDRA KIKANI - San Francisco CA, US
PRADEESH SUGANTHAN - San Francisco CA, US
JAMES EMERICK - Berkeley CA, US
AMMAR KOTHARI - San Francisco CA, US
ALAN ARGONDIZZA - San Francisco CA, US
SARAH THORNTON - Pacifica CA, US
HEE GU YEA - San Francisco CA, US
THOMAS PECH - San Francisco CA, US

International Classification:

G05D 1/02
G05D 1/00
G06K 9/00
A01B 79/00

Abstract:

This description provides an autonomous or semi-autonomous earth shaping vehicle that is capable of cooperatively executing an earth shaping routine in a dig site with other earth shaping vehicles. A first earth shaping vehicle configured with a tool for excavating earth navigates to a dig location containing earth to be excavated. The first earth shaping vehicle identifies a loading location where the first vehicle may transfer earth to a second earth shaping vehicle configured with a tool for hauling earth between locations. Upon navigating to the loading location and detecting the second earth shaping vehicle at the loading location, the first earth shaping vehicle transfers earth from its excavation tool to the hauling tool of the second earth shaping vehicle.

US Patent:

20200032483, Jan 30, 2020

Filed:

Jun 21, 2019

Appl. No.:

16/447971

Inventors:

- San Francisco CA, US
Gaurav Jitendra Kikani - San Francisco CA, US
Andrew Liang - San Francisco CA, US
Pradeesh Suganthan - Mountain View CA, US
James Alan Emerick - Berkeley CA, US
Sarah Marie Thornton - Newark CA, US
Ammar Idris Kothari - San Francisco CA, US
Edward Joseph Garza - San Francisco CA, US

International Classification:

E02F 9/20
E02F 9/26

Abstract:

This description provides an autonomous or semi-autonomous excavation vehicle that is capable of navigating through a dig site and carrying an excavation routine using a system of sensors physically mounted to the excavation vehicle. The sensors collect one or more of spatial, imaging, measurement, and location data representing the status of the excavation vehicle and its surrounding environment. Based on the collected data, the excavation vehicle executes instructions to perform an excavation routine by excavating earth from a hole using an excavation tool positioned at a single location within the site. The excavation vehicle is also able to carry out numerous other tasks, such as checking the volume of excavated earth in an excavation tool, navigating the excavation vehicle over a distance while continuously excavating earth from a below surface depth, and preparing a digital terrain model of the site as part of a process for creating the excavation routine.