Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting when a mobile device is left in a vehicle, and returning forgotten devices to owners. Additionally, systems and methods are provided for preventing mobile devices from being left in vehicles. In particular, sensors inside a vehicle as well as sensors on mobile devices can be used to identify when a mobile device remains in a vehicle after the owner has exited the vehicle and ended their trip. Systems and methods are provided for notifying the user of the forgotten device and intelligently returning the device to the user.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for evaluating digital map quality. A process includes steps for receiving change data indicating one or more feature discrepancies associated with one or more geographic regions of a digital map, analyzing the change data to determine which of the one or more feature discrepancies resulted in verified updates to the digital map, and generating a quality score for each of the geographic map regions based on the verified updates. Systems and machine-readable media are also provided.

Abstract: The disclosed technology provides solutions for protecting the health of ride-sharing passengers by detecting passenger illnesses, and taking precautions to safely address potentially exposed vehicles. A process of the disclosed technology can include steps for: collecting sensor-data corresponding with one or more AV passengers, determining a likelihood that at least one of the AV passengers is suffering from a physical illness, and transmitting a wellness notification to a fleet management system if the likelihood exceeds a predetermined threshold. Systems and machine-readable media are also provided.

Abstract: An audio notification system for an autonomous vehicle (AV) determines that the AV is within range of a user and emits a sound though a speaker of the AV to notify that the user that the vehicle has arrived. The audio notification system may include a sensor for sensing that the user has accessed the AV, and turns off the sound in response to the user accessing the AV. The audio notification may be generated according to one or more audio options, e.g., volume, pitch, or audio pattern.

Abstract: Various technologies described herein pertain to generating a bid for turn priority at an intersection. An autonomous vehicle determines that the autonomous vehicle and a second autonomous vehicle are proximate to an intersection. The autonomous vehicle generates a first bid that is indicative of a first importance that the autonomous vehicle traverses the intersection. The first bid is based upon characteristics of a trip of a passenger riding in the autonomous vehicle. The autonomous vehicle transmits the first bid to a networked computing system, wherein the networked computing system determines a turn order based upon the first bid and a second bid generated by the second autonomous vehicle. The networked computing system transmits the turn order to the autonomous vehicle, wherein the autonomous vehicle operates based upon the turn order.

Abstract: Systems and methods provide for enabling an autonomous vehicle to provide road assistance to a vehicle. The autonomous vehicle can analyze sensor data about the vehicle captured by one or more of its sensors as it navigates a route. Based on the analysis of the sensor data, the autonomous vehicle can determine that the vehicle needs maintenance. The autonomous vehicle can proactively send a request, based on the determination, to initiate a towing mechanism to tow the vehicle. Based on receiving an acceptance of the request from the vehicle, the autonomous vehicle can activate the towing mechanism.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method comprising identifying at least one of a characteristic and an identity of an item for delivery from an origin to a destination; identifying a plurality of possible routes between the origin and the destination using mapping information, the mapping information including for each of the plurality of possible routes, a characterization of each of a plurality of route segments comprising the possible route; evaluating the plurality of possible routes in view of the identified at least one of the item characteristic and the item identity to select one of the plurality of possible routes; and providing the selected one of the plurality of possible routes to a vehicle, wherein the vehicle delivers the item from the origin to the destination via the identified route.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are provided for detecting a pavement marking around an autonomous vehicle, comparing the detected pavement marking with a pavement marking present in a semantic data map, determining whether a change has occurred between the detected pavement marking and the pavement marking present in the semantic data map, and updating the semantic data map based on the determining of whether the change has occurred between the detected pavement marking and the pavement marking present in the semantic data map.

Abstract: An autonomous vehicle is configured to estimate a change in direction of a vehicle that is on a roadway and is proximate to the autonomous vehicle. The autonomous vehicle has a mechanical system, one or more sensors that generate one or more sensor signals, and a computing system in communication with the mechanical system and the one or more sensors. The autonomous vehicle is configured to detect an imminent lane change by another vehicle based on at least one of a computed angle between a wheel of the other vehicle and a longitudinal direction of travel of the other vehicle, a degree of misalignment between the wheel of the other vehicle and a body of the other vehicle, and/or an eccentricity of the wheel of the other vehicle. The mechanical system of the autonomous vehicle is controlled by the computing system based upon the detected imminent lane change.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for providing secure Ethernet transmissions. In some aspects, an autonomous vehicle system is provided and can include a first system-on-chip being configured to provide data to a second system-on-chip via an Ethernet harness, a first switch being configured to: receive the data from the first system-on-chip, and provide the data to a first transceiver for transmission to the second system-on-chip, the first switch being configured to provide first transmission data to the first transceiver and to prohibit receipt of retrieval data from the second system-on-chip, and the first transceiver configured to communicate with the second system-on-chip via the Ethernet harness.

Abstract: Software code is tested to determine relative performance of the software code. Successfully executing a test may be used to flag problems in a code repository to be corrected or criteria for accepting code for acceptance to the repository. To further evaluate test results, the test may be run several times on the same code version to determine a test result stability score describing how the test results may vary in different executions, such as a frequency that the code passes the test. Based on the score, additional tests may be run to further refine test result stability score. To evaluate time-variance of testing, when a code version fails a test, a previous version of the code may be run with the same test and the results compared to determine if a new regression was introduced.

Abstract: An autonomous vehicle including a vehicle propulsion system, a braking system, a steering system, and a computing system that is in communication with the vehicle propulsion system, the brake system, and the steering system. The computing system can receive an indication an account associated with a passenger of the autonomous vehicle for a trip of the autonomous vehicle includes a predefined parent-child link with a second account. The predefined parent-child link indicates the account associated with the passenger is subordinate to the second account and a parent-child relationship exists between the passenger and a person associated with the second account. Responsive to receiving the indication of the parent-child link and the passenger being the child in the parent-child relationship, the computing system can control the autonomous vehicle to enable a linked account feature that would otherwise be disabled.

Abstract: The subject disclosure relates to techniques for detecting proper use of a seatbelt in a vehicle. A process of the disclosed technology can include steps for receiving, from a sensor, image data of one or more portions of a seatbelt. The process can further include steps for determining a length of the seatbelt that is dispensed based on the image data and determining if the seatbelt is buckled in front of a passenger's body based on the length of the seatbelt that is dispensed. Systems and machine-readable media are also provided.

Abstract: The present technology is directed to presenting a 3-D representation of an object, which is captured in a 2-D image of the object in an environment in a 3-D simulation of the environment. The present technology can receive 3-D data representing the environment including image data of the object in the environment, and a label identifying the object. The present technology can further locate a position of the object in the 3-D simulation of the environment based on determining a depth and an orientation of the object in the environment based on a semantic database of attributes associated with the object, obtain a 3-D representation of the object from the semantic database of attributes associated with the object, and project the 3-D representation of the object into the 3-D simulation of the environment at the determined position for the object.

Abstract: Systems and methods for creation of custom behavior zones for autonomous vehicles, providing a more tailored experience for passengers as well as businesses. Custom behavior zones allow passengers to request or select a specific pick-up/drop-off location on private property. In some examples, custom behavior zones are created in private gated communities, on residential properties with long driveways, on government property, and at businesses that have multiple entrances and/or offer different services at various locations on the business property.

Abstract: For one embodiment of the present invention, a method of object detection and part segmentation is described. The method includes generating a three-dimensional (3D) point cloud including a plurality of points in a volume of a space of the point cloud based on receiving point cloud dat. The method further includes obtaining, with a global transformer, a set of global feature tokens and local feature points of the 3D point cloud, enforcing with an attention mechanism information flow across the set of global feature tokens and local feature point, and generating, with the global transformer, a set of new global feature tokens and new local feature points with modeled global context information.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method is provided for creating a velocity grid using a simulated environment for use by an autonomous vehicle. The method may include simulating a road scenario with simulated objects. The method may also include recording image data collected from a camera sensor, the image data comprising a first 2D image frame comprising the simulated objects made up of a plurality of pixels. The method may also include identifying a first 3D point on the first simulated object in a 3D view of the simulated road scenario, wherein the first 3D point corresponds to the first pixel in the first 2D image frame. The method may also include generating a velocity of the first point based upon a velocity of the first simulated object, and projecting the velocity back into the first 2D image frame.

Abstract: Various technologies described herein pertain to variable gain amplification for a sensor application. A multistage variable gain amplifier system provides variable gain amplification of an input signal. The multistage variable gain amplifier system includes a plurality of amplification stages. The multistage variable gain amplifier system further includes a power detector configured to detect a power level of an input signal received by the multistage variable gain amplifier system. The multistage variable gain amplifier system also includes a controller configured to control the amplification stages based on the power level of the input signal. The multistage variable gain amplifier system can output an output signal such that the amplification stages are controlled to adjust a gain applied to the input signal by the multistage variable gain amplifier system to output the output signal.

Abstract: A method for a video communication system for a rideshare system includes conducting at least a portion of a video communication session involving a passenger using at least one exterior audio/video component on an exterior surface of an AV dispatched to a designated location; and transferring the video communication session to at least one interior audio/video component on an interior of the AV.

Abstract: Aspects of the subject technology relate to systems, methods, and computer-readable media for diagnosing faults in a software stack by running a subset of processes of the software stack. An existence of a fault associated with running a software stack is determined. The software stack includes a plurality of dependent processes. An incrementing larger subset of the software stack is run according to one or more error thresholds associated with executing corresponding dependent processes in the incrementing larger subset. The incrementing larger subset includes an increasing number of processes of the plurality of dependent processes. One or more sources of the fault are diagnosed based on the running of the incrementing larger subset of the software stack.