Abstract: According to various embodiments, turn signals are automatically activated in response to signals received from a navigation system, based on the navigation instructions generated by the navigation system. The navigation system of a vehicle (either built into the vehicle or provided as a stand-alone unit) is communicatively coupled with or otherwise integrated with the turn signals of the vehicle. When the navigation system instructs the driver to perform a maneuver (such as making a turn), it can also cause the appropriate turn signal to be automatically activated at the appropriate time and/or distance in advance of the maneuver. When the navigation system detects that the maneuver has been made, or that the driver has ignored the system's instructions, the turn signal can be automatically deactivated.

Abstract: A dynamic route finding system for a follower vehicle comprises a display, for disposition inside the vehicle, a navigation system, employing satellite position sensing for the vehicle, a storage device, including map data of a given territory, and an input system for the navigation system to input the location of a potentially dynamic destination of a subject (vehicle), wherein the navigation system is arranged to permit dynamic updating of the destination through said input system whilst guiding the user towards the subject from its current position.

Abstract: An occupant classification system that includes a first sensing electrode located in a bottom of a vehicle seat and a second sensing electrode located in a back of the vehicle seat. The system includes a controller that is configured to control the supply of a first signal to the first electrode and a second signal to the second electrode. A measurement circuit is provided that is configured to measure a first property of the first signal and second property of the second signal. The controller is configured to classify an occupant using the first and second properties.

Abstract: A method for controlling a drone including performing operations on a processor configured to control location of the drone are described. The operations on the processor include receiving heart rate messages from a remote device carried by a user, where each heart rate message includes heart rate information of the user, and receiving location messages from the remote device carried by the user, where each location message includes location information of the user. The method includes predicting a future location of the user based on the heart rate messages and the location messages, generating a target location to which the drone is to be moved based on the future location of the user, and commanding the drone to move to the target location. Related devices are disclosed.

Abstract: A method for operating a motor vehicle includes providing route segments of a route ahead of the vehicle that is most likely to be traveled as well as route parameters associated with the route segments, dividing the route ahead of the vehicle that is most likely to be traveled into sub-segments, optimizing the setpoint speeds at the segment boundaries of the sub-segments with respect to a specified target function, interpolating the setpoint speeds obtained at the positions of the segment boundaries to obtain a characteristic curve of the setpoint speed, and operating the motor vehicle based on a specification of the characteristic curve of the setpoint speed.

Abstract: When a braking operation amount is reduced, a stiffness value representing a ratio of variation in actual pressing force of a friction member to a variation in actual position of an electric motor are sequentially computed. The actual position when the stiffness value changes from being higher than or equal to a predetermined value to being lower than the predetermined value is stored as a candidate position. When a duration during which the stiffness value is lower than the predetermined value is shorter than a clearance corresponding value corresponding to a transmission member clearance in a state where the candidate position is stored, the candidate position is deleted. When the duration during which the stiffness value is lower than the predetermined value exceeds the clearance corresponding value, the stored candidate position is determined as a reference position at which the friction member and the rotary member begin contacting each other.

Abstract: Provided are positioning apparatuses and methods. One positioning method includes receiving satellite signals transmitted from satellites and capturing an image of a skyline around a vehicle through an image sensor, processing the satellite signals to calculate a vehicle location and satellite locations, calculating locations and heights of buildings included in the image captured by the image sensor on the basis of the user or vehicle location, calculating visibility of the satellites by using the user or vehicle location, the satellite locations, and the locations and heights of the buildings, removing a poor satellite signal among the previously received satellite signals on the basis of the calculated visibility, and re-calculating the user or vehicle location by using the other remaining satellite signals excluding the poor satellite signal.

Abstract: A vehicle control system to prevent a vehicle stopped in the autonomous mode from being started undesirably is provided. The vehicle control system is configured to select an operating mode from an autonomous mode and a manual mode, and to select a drive range from a drivable range and a non-drivable range. A controller is configured to detect a fact that a door is opened, that a door lock is unlocked, or that a seatbelt is unfastened. If at least any of those facts is detected, the controller shifts the drive range to the non-drivable range or shifts the operating mode to the manual mode.

Abstract: An analyzer of the invention adequately analyzes a change in road network by using probe information generated with driving of a vehicle. This analyzer determines a traffic amount of vehicles passing through a specified section included in the road network from a plurality of the probe information accumulated over a predetermined period. The analyzer also determines a discontinuity rate, which is a rate of incidents that vehicle locations are discontinuous in the specified section, from the plurality of probe information accumulated over the predetermined period. The analyzer detects a change in the road network, based on a degree of change between traffic amounts in two different periods with respect to the specified section included in the road network and a degree of change between discontinuity rates in the two different periods. The detected change in the road network can be used for survey of the road network.

Abstract: Systems and methods for performing insurance damage inspection by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) are provided. A computing device may receive a request to inspect a vehicle, the request comprising a location of the vehicle. The computing device may identify a UAV from a plurality of UAVs that is located closest to the location of the vehicle from other UAVs in the plurality of UAVs. The computing device may instruct the UAV to travel to the location of the vehicle. The computing device may instruct the UAV to collect damage information on the vehicle using one or more onboard sensors of the UAV. The computing device may determine an amount of insurance payout to approve for repairs to the vehicle based on the damage information collected by the UAV.

Abstract: A method of adjusting a navigation route based on detected passenger sleep data includes generating a predetermined route with a device installed in a vehicle, providing navigational assistance for guiding a driver to follow the predetermined route, receiving sleep indicators for a passenger traveling in the vehicle, the sleep indicators indicating whether the passenger is sleeping, calculating a sleep session duration for the passenger according to the sleep indicators, generating with the device an alternate route in response to the sleep session duration exceeding a first time threshold, wherein the alternate route provides a longer route that requires more travel time than the predetermined route, providing navigational assistance to the driver for guiding the driver to follow the alternate route, and providing navigational assistance to the driver for guiding the driver to return to the predetermined route after the vehicle has followed the alternate route.

Abstract: A vehicle includes: an electric storage device; a first temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the electric storage device; a second temperature sensor configured to detect an environmental temperature; a heater configured to warm the electric storage device; and a controller configured to control the heater. The controller is configured to: when end time of the external charging is set, calculate a remaining time period from current time to the end time; identify a temperature increasing time period that corresponds to the calculated remaining time period, the temperature of the electric storage device, and the environmental temperature by using a corresponding relationship among the remaining time period, the temperature of the electric storage device, the environmental temperature, and the temperature increasing time period; and start driving the heater such that the temperature of the electric storage device at the end time reaches the target temperature.

Abstract: A joint movement detection device and system is presented which is responsive to elbow or wrist movements during use of a manually-propelled wheelchair to enable coordination of assistive motor energization with a user's efforts at self-motivating the manually-propelled wheelchair during driving, steering, and braking of the wheelchair. Several embodiments are provided which help to ensure user-intended assistive motor output that is responsive to movement of the joint over which the device is worn.

Abstract: A movement support apparatus that supports movement of a vehicle having an internal combustion engine and a motor as drive sources from a current location to a destination includes: a setup unit that sets up any driving mode of an EV mode and an HV mode for each section, into which a driving route from the current location to the destination is partitioned, when a running load for running in each section is set; and a change unit that changes the driving mode in a part of each section of the driving route to a driving mode other than the driving mode set up by the setup unit on: the basis of at least one of a running environment including a running state of the vehicle and a road environment and the miming load as consumption of the battery necessary for running in the EV mode.

Abstract: A required time calculator calculates a virtual required time period when a first movable body is assumed to travel a second route different from a first route the first movable body actually travels and arrive at a second point. The required time calculator preferentially acquires position information from a second movable body having information indicating a movement characteristic similar to information indicating the movement characteristic of the first movable body from among one or more of second movable bodies. The required time calculator calculates the virtual required time period using the acquired position information.

Abstract: Disclosed are a space object disposal device and a space object disposal method using a rotation motion. The device for disposing a space object includes: a disposal orbit calculation unit configured to calculate a disposal orbit of a space object; an escape velocity calculation unit configured to calculate an escape velocity at which the space object moves along the disposal orbit; and a rotation driving unit configured to be connected the space object, rotate the space object on a predetermined rotation orbit so as to reach the escape velocity, and separate the space object at a point of contact of the predetermined rotation orbit and the disposal orbit when the space object rotates at the escape velocity.

Abstract: A light pattern is projected onto the front glass in a position where the light pattern appears to be projected onto or in close proximity to a corresponding specific real-world object when viewed by an operator in the operating position and/or a graphic pattern is superposed on a graphic or video image of the real-world objects in front of the vehicle in a position where the graphical pattern appears to be on or in close proximity to the image of the corresponding specific real-world object on a screen, wherein the light pattern and/or graphic pattern has a light wavelength that changes in accordance with the distance between the vehicle and the specific real-world object.

Abstract: Operation of a marine vessel is disclosed. A marine vessel may be operated so as to determine that an end of a first sail line is approaching. Once determined, a turn path from the end of the first sail line to the beginning of a second sail line may be determined. The turn path may be determined based on at least one of current direction and current magnitude.

Abstract: A pushcart includes a main body, a pair of main wheels, a supporter, an auxiliary wheel, a blocking unit, a switching lever, a slope angle sensor, a gyrosensor, a driver unit, and a supporter rotary encoder. The supporter rotary encoder detects an intersecting angle which is an angle formed by the main body and the supporter, and outputs the detected result to a controller. The gyrosensor detects an angular velocity of the main body in a pitch direction and outputs the detected result to the controller. The controller performs inverted pendulum control in a first control mode based on the detected results of the gyrosensor and the supporter rotary encoder. The controller performs inverted pendulum control in a second control mode based on the detected result of the gyrosensor.

Abstract: A control system for a vehicle operable to implement a speed control function, the control system being operable to: receive an input of a target speed at which the vehicle is intended to travel; determine an instantaneous value of a primary target speed torque parameter corresponding to an amount of torque that should be developed at a given position in a powertrain in order to control the vehicle to travel at the target speed; and filter by means of filter means a value of a torque parameter input thereto to generate a filtered torque parameter value, the system being operable to command the powertrain to develop at said position an amount of torque corresponding to the filtered torque parameter value, wherein the system is operable to input to the filter means a secondary target speed torque parameter value determined in dependence on the primary target speed torque parameter value and a current value of filtered torque parameter generated by the filter means.