Inventor

David I. Ferguson

Inventor

San Francisco, CA, US

Overview

2006–2021

Patent span

Physics

Primary field (CPC G)

Patents· 187 as inventor

Public. Assignee & technology derived from the patent record. Each patent links to its LexDana page.

G05Dprimary

G05DSystems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables15%

B60WConjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function15%

G06VImage or video recognition or understanding9%

G01CMeasuring distances, levels or bearings7%

G06KGraphical data reading7%

G08GTraffic control systems5%

G01SRadio direction-finding4%

G06FElectric digital data processing4%

B60RVehicles, vehicle fittings, or vehicle parts, not otherwise provided for2%

B62DMotor vehicles2%

PatentTitleYear

11,036,227Modifying the behavior of an autonomous vehicle using context based parameter switching2021 11,014,557Modifying speed of an autonomous vehicle based on traffic conditions2021 11,008,008Modifying a vehicle state based on the presence of a special-purpose vehicle2021 11,011,061Determining changes in a driving environment based on vehicle behavior2021 11,009,868Fleet of autonomous vehicles with lane positioning and platooning behaviors2021 10,962,981Assisted perception for autonomous vehicles2021 10,955,846Stop sign detection and response2021 10,935,979Behavior and intent estimations of road users for autonomous vehicles2021 10,909,396Use of relationship between activities of different traffic signals in a network to improve traffic signal state estimation2021 10,906,548Robust method for detecting traffic signals and their associated states2021 10,899,345Predicting trajectories of objects based on contextual information2021 10,882,488Hardware and software mechanisms on autonomous vehicle for pedestrian safety2021 10,864,885Systems and methods for autonomously loading and unloading autonomous vehicles2020 10,860,015Systems and methods for unmanned positioning and delivery of rental vehicles2020 10,853,6683D position estimation of objects from a monocular camera using a set of known 3D points on an underlying surface2020 10,852,733Approach for consolidating observed vehicle trajectories into a single representative trajectory2020 RE048322Construction zone sign detection2020 10,782,695Positioning vehicles to improve quality of observations at intersections2020 10,740,630Plane estimation for contextual awareness2020 10,732,629Systems and methods for fulfilling peer-to-peer transactions by autonomous robot vehicles2020 10,719,805Autonomous robot vehicle with securable compartments2020 10,719,078Systems and methods for augmented capabilities for remote operation of robot vehicles2020 10,710,579Collision prediction system2020 10,678,259Use of a reference image to detect a road obstacle2020 10,678,258Vison-based object detection using a polar grid2020 10,627,816Change detection using curve alignment2020 10,599,156Advertising on autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle exterior2020 10,591,924Detecting sensor degradation by actively controlling an autonomous vehicle2020 10,583,803Systems and methods for remote operation of robot vehicles2020 10,564,639System and method for predicting behaviors of detected objects through environment representation2020 10,507,787System and mechanism for upselling products on autonomous vehicles2019 10,508,986Characterizing optically reflective features via hyper-spectral sensor2019 10,496,091Behavior and intent estimations of road users for autonomous vehicles2019 10,486,640Grocery delivery system having robot vehicles with temperature and humidity control compartments2019 10,474,159Assisted perception for autonomous vehicles2019 10,466,712Actively modifying a field of view of an autonomous vehicle in view of constraints2019 10,427,684Modifying a vehicle state based on the presence of a special-purpose vehicle2019 10,421,453Predicting trajectories of objects based on contextual information2019 10,401,859Stop sign detection and response2019 10,345,810Modifying the behavior of an autonomous vehicle using context based parameter switching2019 10,346,696Vision-based detection and classification of traffic lights2019 10,328,769Methods for interacting with autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle2019 10,331,124Autonomous vehicle repositioning2019 10,332,065Fleet of robot vehicles for food product preparation2019 10,317,906Mapping active and inactive construction zones for autonomous driving2019 10,310,509Detecting sensor degradation by actively controlling an autonomous vehicle2019 10,293,822Detecting and responding to parking behaviors in autonomous vehicles2019 10,210,408Use of relationship between activities of different traffic signals in a network to improve traffic signal state estimation2019 10,203,696Determining drivability of objects for autonomous vehicles2019 10,204,278Static obstacle detection2019 10,198,6413D position estimation of objects from a monocular camera using a set of known 3D points on an underlying surface2019 10,198,643Plane estimation for contextual awareness2019 10,192,442Determining changes in a driving environment based on vehicle behavior2019 10,181,084Combining multiple estimates of an environment into a consolidated estimate for an autonomous vehicle2019 10,173,673Distribution decision trees2019 10,168,712Vison-based object detection using a polar grid2019 10,156,851Determining the stationary state of detected vehicles2018 10,108,868Vision-based detection and classification of traffic lights2018 RE047058Controlling a vehicle having inadequate map data2018 10,059,334Automated system and method for modeling the behavior of vehicles and other agents2018 RE047002Controlling a vehicle having inadequate map data2018 RE046982Controlling a vehicle having inadequate map data2018 RE046972Controlling a vehicle having inadequate map data2018 RE046966Controlling a vehicle having inadequate map data2018 10,012,991Approach for consolidating observed vehicle trajectories into a single representative trajectory2018 9,958,379Characterizing optically reflective features via hyper-spectral sensor2018 9,937,924Modifying a vehicle state based on the presence of a special-purpose vehicle2018 9,939,815Stop sign detection and response2018 9,932,035Modifying speed of an autonomous vehicle based on traffic conditions2018 9,927,813'Detecting sensor degradation by actively controlling an autonomous vehicle'2018 9,914,452'Predicting trajectories of objects based on contextual information'2018 9,910,439'Positioning vehicles to improve quality of observations at intersections'2018 9,892,332'Vision-based detection and classification of traffic lights'2018 9,875,417Use of relationship between activities of different traffic signals in a network to improve traffic signal state estimation2018 9,864,378'Assisted perception for autonomous vehicles'2018 9,836,052Change detection using curve alignment2017 9,796,386'Robust method for detecting traffic signals and their associated states'2017 9,779,314'Vision-based detection and classification of traffic lights'2017 9,766,626'System and method for predicting behaviors of detected objects through environment representation'2017 9,766,628'Vision-based object detection using a polar grid'2017 9,767,370'Construction object detection'2017 9,760,092'Actively modifying a field of view of an autonomous vehicle in view of constraints'2017 9,734,417'Use of relationship between activities of different traffic signals in a network to improve traffic signal state estimation'2017 9,727,795'Real-time road flare detection using templates and appropriate color spaces'2017 9,720,412'Modifying the behavior of an autonomous vehicle using context based parameter switching'2017 9,709,985'Stop sign detection and response'2017 9,694,818'Modifying a vehicle state based on the presence of a special-purpose vehicle'2017 9,690,297'Classifier hierarchies for traffic light and traffic indicator detection'2017 9,682,707'Detecting and responding to parking behaviors in autonomous vehicles'2017 9,684,836'Combining multiple estimates of an environment into a consolidated estimate for an autonomous vehicle'2017 9,679,206'Assisted perception for autonomous vehicles'2017 9,669,827'Predicting trajectories of objects based on contextual information'2017 9,654,738'Using multiple exposures to improve image processing for autonomous vehicles'2017 9,633,564'Determining changes in a driving environment based on vehicle behavior'2017 9,600,768'Using behavior of objects to infer changes in a driving environment'2017 9,594,379'Detecting sensor degradation by actively controlling an autonomous vehicle'2017 9,575,490'Mapping active and inactive construction zones for autonomous driving'2017 9,563,199'Assisted perception for autonomous vehicles'2017 9,558,411'Plane estimation for contextual awareness'2017 9,558,413'Bus detection for an autonomous vehicle'2017 9,557,737'Distribution decision trees'2017 9,558,584'3D position estimation of objects from a monocular camera using a set of known 3D points on an underlying surface'2017 9,558,659'Determining the stationary state of detected vehicles'2017 9,507,347'Vision-based indicator signal detection using spatiotemporal filtering'2016 9,495,874'Automated system and method for modeling the behavior of vehicles and other agents'2016 9,489,601'Construction zone sign detection'2016 9,463,794'Stop sign detection and response'2016 9,459,625'Approach for consolidating observed vehicle trajectories into a single representative trajectory'2016 9,460,622'Approach for estimating the geometry of roads and lanes by using vehicle trajectories'2016 9,440,652'Filtering noisy/high-intensity regions in laser-based lane marker detection'2016 9,442,487'Classifier hierarchies for traffic light and traffic indicator detection'2016 9,424,475'Construction object detection'2016 9,417,631'Use of prior maps for estimation of lane boundaries'2016 9,395,192'Methods and systems for road and lane boundary tracing'2016 9,387,854'Use of environmental information to aid image processing for autonomous vehicles'2016 9,381,916'System and method for predicting behaviors of detected objects through environment representation'2016 9,381,918'Modifying speed of an autonomous vehicle based on traffic conditions'2016 9,373,045'Bus detection for an autonomous vehicle'2016 9,355,562'Using other vehicle trajectories to aid autonomous vehicles driving through partially known areas'2016 9,335,766'Static obstacle detection'2016 9,330,571'Modifying behavior of autonomous vehicle based on predicted behavior of other vehicles'2016 9,321,461'Change detection using curve alignment'2016 9,315,178'Model checking for autonomous vehicles'2016 9,310,804'Use of prior maps for estimation of lane boundaries'2016 9,305,223'Vision-based indicator signal detection using spatiotemporal filtering'2016 9,285,230'Methods and systems for detecting road curbs'2016 9,286,520'Real-time road flare detection using templates and appropriate color spaces'2016 9,280,156'Positioning vehicles to improve quality of observations at intersections'2016 9,280,710'Bus detection for an autonomous vehicle'2016 9,274,525'Detecting sensor degradation by actively controlling an autonomous vehicle'2016 9,261,879'Use of uncertainty regarding observations of traffic intersections to modify behavior of a vehicle'2016 9,261,881'Filtering noisy/high-intensity regions in laser-based lane marker detection'2016 9,255,805'Pose estimation using long range features'2016 9,248,834'Predicting trajectories of objects based on contextual information'2016 9,234,618'Characterizing optically reflective features via hyper-spectral sensor'2016 9,224,053'Combining multiple estimates of an environment into a consolidated estimate for an autonomous vehicle'2015 9,221,461'Construction zone detection using a plurality of information sources'2015 9,216,737'System and method for automatically detecting key behaviors by vehicles'2015 9,213,337'Detecting lane closures and lane shifts by an autonomous vehicle'2015 9,213,338'Modifying a vehicle state based on the presence of a special-purpose vehicle'2015 9,199,641'Construction zone object detection using light detection and ranging'2015 9,193,355'Construction zone sign detection using light detection and ranging'2015 9,195,914'Construction zone sign detection'2015 9,195,236'Road flare detection'2015 9,187,088'Distribution decision trees'2015 9,158,980'Use of relationship between activities of different traffic signals in a network to improve traffic signal state estimation'2015 9,145,140'Robust method for detecting traffic signals and their associated states'2015 9,145,139'Use of environmental information to aid image processing for autonomous vehicles'2015 9,141,107'Mapping active and inactive construction zones for autonomous driving'2015 9,120,484'Modeling behavior based on observations of objects observed in a driving environment'2015 9,097,804'Object and ground segmentation from a sparse one-dimensional range data'2015 9,081,385'Lane boundary detection using images'2015 9,062,979'Pose estimation using long range features'2015 9,063,548'Use of previous detections for lane marker detection'2015 9,056,395'Construction zone sign detection using light detection and ranging'2015 9,052,721'Method for correcting alignment of vehicle mounted laser scans with an elevation map for obstacle detection'2015 9,043,069'Methods and systems for scan matching approaches for vehicle heading estimation'2015 9,026,300'Methods and systems to aid autonomous vehicles driving through a lane merge'2015 9,026,303'Object detection based on known structures of an environment of an autonomous vehicle'2015 8,996,228'Construction zone object detection using light detection and ranging'2015 8,977,007'Detecting a vehicle signal through image differencing and filtering'2015 8,948,954'Modifying vehicle behavior based on confidence in lane estimation'2015 8,949,016'Systems and methods for determining whether a driving environment has changed'2015 8,948,955'System and method for predicting behaviors of detected objects'2015 8,948,958'Estimating road lane geometry using lane marker observations'2015 8,935,034'System and method for automatically detecting key behaviors by vehicles'2015 8,903,591'Controlling a vehicle having inadequate map data'2014 8,880,272'Approach for estimating the geometry of roads and lanes by using vehicle trajectories'2014 8,855,849'Object detection based on known structures of an environment of an autonomous vehicle'2014 8,838,322'System to automatically measure perception sensor latency in an autonomous vehicle'2014 8,838,321'Modifying a vehicle state based on the presence of a special-purpose vehicle'2014 8,831,813'Modifying speed of an autonomous vehicle based on traffic conditions'2014 8,825,260'Object and ground segmentation from a sparse one-dimensional range data'2014 8,825,265'Approach for consolidating observed vehicle trajectories into a single representative trajectory'2014 8,825,259'Detecting lane closures and lane shifts by an autonomous vehicle'2014 8,761,991'Use of uncertainty regarding observations of traffic intersections to modify behavior of a vehicle'2014 8,755,967'Estimating road lane geometry using lane marker observations'2014 8,725,342'Safely navigating on roads through maintaining safe distance from other vehicles'2014 8,700,251'System and method for automatically detecting key behaviors by vehicles'2014 8,676,430'Controlling a vehicle having inadequate map data'2014 8,676,427'Controlling autonomous vehicle using audio data'2014 8,660,734'System and method for predicting behaviors of detected objects'2014 8,655,537'Modifying behavior of autonomous vehicle based on predicted behavior of other vehicles'2014 8,521,352'Controlling a vehicle having inadequate map data'2013 8,504,233'Safely navigating on roads through maintaining safe distance from other vehicles'2013 8,457,827'Modifying behavior of autonomous vehicle based on predicted behavior of other vehicles'2013 7,069,124'Robotic modeling of voids'2006

Career & activity timeline

Assembled from patent assignee/location history and declaration credentials.

2006Based in Pittsburgh, PA, US· patent location history

2013–2017Patents assigned to GOOGLE INC (98)· patent assignee history

2013–2017Patents assigned to FERGUSON DAVID I (18)· patent assignee history

2013–2021Based in San Francisco, CA, US· patent location history

2014–2017Patents assigned to ZHU JIAJUN (10)· patent assignee history

2014–2020Based in Mountain View, CA, US· patent location history

2017–2021Patents assigned to WAYMO LLC (79)· patent assignee history

2019–2021Patents assigned to NURO INC (14)· patent assignee history

2020Based in El Dorado Hills, CA, US· patent location history

2021Based in San Bernardino, CA, US· patent location history

Inventor activity

Assignee and location history derived from the patent record.

Assignees

Assignee	Patents	Span
GOOGLE INC	98	2013–2017
WAYMO LLC	79	2017–2021
FERGUSON DAVID Iself	18	2013–2017
NURO INC	14	2019–2021
ZHU JIAJUN	10	2014–2017

Locations

Location	Patents	Span
San Francisco, California, US	164	2013–2021
Mountain View, California, US	20	2014–2020
San Bernardino, California, US	1	2021
El Dorado Hills, California, US	1	2020
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US	1	2006