I have 12 issued and 19 pending patents in the realm of turn-by-turn navigation, charge planning and routing, adventure, and driver safety.
Over the past several years, software has become an increasingly important part of the experience of owning and operating an automobile. This transformation has created opportunities for innovation in various aspects of human-vehicle interaction.
Throughout my 10+ year career in the automotive industry, I have explored novel solutions to dozens of problems in the realm of vehicle user interfaces. I am a named inventor on 12 issued and 19 pending patents, and I am the lead inventor on the majority of them. A selection of my patents is captured below, grouped into the following sections:
The ideas below all aim to improve the user experience associated with searching for a destination or following turn-by-turn guidance to get there.
A color-coded user interface that provides persistent lane instructions to help the driver avoid making a wrong turn.
A navigation feature that identifies when a user has a turn coming up ahead and temporarily hides select user interface elements above the map to ensure that important landmarks (e.g. streets, buildings, etc.) remain unobscured, thereby reducing the chance of a wrong turn.
An algorithm that detects a user's intention to turn onto an upcoming street and intelligently adjusts the framing of the map to reveal traffic or incidents on the street ahead.
A navigation feature that enables complex point-of-interest search query refinements with one tap, such as "restaurant along the highway that's easy-off/easy-on."
A color-coded timeline-based in-vehicle user interface that minimizes driver distraction by presenting information about upcoming traffic, weather, restaurants, and other items at-a-glance and enabling the user to add waypoints with just a few taps.
An algorithm that analyzes the gaps in a user's schedule and helps them determine how much time they have to, say, eat at a given restaurant or spend in a retail store, without being late for their next commitment.
A continuation of the previous patent.
A seamless cross-platform navigation system that hands off from an in-vehicle infotainment system to a mobile device for last mile walking directions.
A graphical user interface that combines Doppler radar with turn-by-turn navigation, providing a driver with easy-to-digest weather forecasts that help them make informed on-the-fly routing decisions with minimal distraction.
The ideas below aim to relieve an electric vehicle owner of the burden of planning their routes and charging sessions.
A feature that helps an electric vehicle driver predict the vehicle's energy consumption over the course of a journey by superimposing color-coded line segments on top of the route line in the vehicle's Navigation app.
An algorithm that accepts a start point and a destination, calculates a route, and recommends electric vehicle charging stops along the way to ensure the driver can complete the trip without running out of charge. My colleagues and I developed the algorithm in-house, and it was included in the Rivian R1T software at the start of production.
An electric vehicle trip planning algorithm that intelligently adjusts the start time, duration and location of each charging stop to accommodate the driver's schedule and avoid bad weather.
A tool for planning trips that contain a mix of segments traversed by an electric vehicle and by an electric bicycle (e-bike).
A navigation feature that helps an electric vehicle driver understand how long they need to charge their vehicle to reach their frequently visited destinations (e.g. work, friend's house, etc.).
A method for classifying electric vehicle charging sites and presenting them on an in-vehicle map, thereby making it easy for the driver to find a suitable site nearby to recharge their battery.
A visualization that makes it easy for an electric vehicle owner to understand which areas of the world they can reach without stopping to charge, with 1 charging stop, with 2 charging stops, etc.
A system that provides a driver with smart recommendations for activities to do while their electric vehicle charges at a public charging site.
The ideas below all aim to keep the driver safe and informed while driving their vehicle off the beaten path.
A feature that helps a novice off-roader safely traverse trails with their vehicle.
An interactive navigation feature that enables the user to identify a nearby driving tour and guides the user along that tour using turn-by-turn directions, imagery, audio, and videos.
A feature that provides an off-road driver with a prediction for how much energy their vehicle will consume traversing a given trail, feedback on how much energy the vehicle consumed traversing previous trails, and coaching on how to improve energy efficiency when driving off-road.
A navigation feature that automatically detects when a vehicle leaves a mapped road and tracks various off-roading metrics, such as distance traveled, elevation gained, time elapsed, etc. At the end of the trek, the data is compiled into an easily digestible report.
A navigation feature that provides vehicle occupants with hazard warnings in off-road environments.
A vehicle-based system that recommends parking locations at a campsite that can accommodate vehicle accessories, such as a kitchen, awning, or tent, and assists the driver with maneuvering into a parking spot of their choice.
The ideas below all aim to keep the driver safe while on the road.
An algorithm that helps keep the driver of a vehicle safe by monitoring various risk factors for a collision, such as drowsiness, tire tread wear, and road surface friction, and triggering driver assistance alerts earlier in riskier scenarios.
An algorithm that helps keep the driver of a vehicle safe by monitoring various risk factors for a collision, such as drowsiness, tire tread wear, and road surface friction, and triggering road incident alerts (e.g. disabled vehicle, lane closure, pothole, etc.) earlier in riskier scenarios.
The ability to use a vehicle's power liftgate motor to notify bystanders via an audible warning that the liftgate is lowering.
A vehicle system that, after detecting a significant impact, requests video footage from nearby camera-equipped products, such as automobiles, home security systems, and smartphones. The owners of these products may opt to share video footage of the impact with the driver of the damaged vehicle to assist them with filing legal and/or insurance claims.
On February 19, 2025, I received the Scout Motors patent application of the year award for the following application:
US 18/614,261 System, Apparatus, and Method for Automatically Detected and Configured Vehicle Accessories (filed March 22, 2024
