Abstract: A method for calculating a fuel consumption differential corresponding to an aircraft changing from an original trajectory (which incorporates the cost model of the airline through speed and altitude parameters within the flight plan) to a revised trajectory, the method including (1) calculating a first total excess energy associated with flying the aircraft at the original trajectory beginning at an execution time, the first total excess energy including excess energy due to climb and excess energy due to deviation of the original trajectory from an efficiency curve of the aircraft; (2) calculating a second total excess energy associated with flying the aircraft at the revised trajectory beginning at the execution time, the second total excess energy including excess energy due to climb and excess energy due to deviation of the revised trajectory from the efficiency curve; (3) comparing the first and second total excess energies to obtain a total excess energy differential; and (4) calculating the fuel consu

Abstract: A driving environment risk determination apparatus includes a driver status acquisition module that acquires a status of a driver who drives another vehicle running in the vicinity of a subject vehicle that is equipped with the driving environment risk determination apparatus, an other-vehicle status acquisition module that acquires a driving status of the another vehicle, a driving environment acquisition module that acquires a driving environment in the vicinity of the subject vehicle, a risk determination module that calculates a degree of risk from information acquired through the driver status acquisition module, the other-vehicle status acquisition module, and the driving environment acquisition module and thereby determines whether the degree of risk is minor or major.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and apparatus for controlling autonomous vehicles utilizing maps that include visibility information. A map is stored at a computing device associated with a vehicle. The vehicle is configured to operate in an autonomous mode that supports a plurality of driving behaviors. The map includes information about a plurality of roads, a plurality of features, and visibility information for at least a first feature in the plurality of features. The computing device queries the map for visibility information for the first feature at a first position. The computing device, in response to querying the map, receives the visibility information for the first feature at the first position. The computing device selects a driving behavior for the vehicle based on the visibility information. The computing device controls the vehicle in accordance with the selected driving behavior.

Abstract: A method for operating a hybrid drive system which includes ascertaining an overall cost function that takes into account the cost function, which is a function of the operating point, for minimizing an energy usage of the hybrid drive system, and that takes into account one or more partial cost functions, which are a function of the operating point, which are each assigned to a requested special function; determining an optimized operating point of the hybrid drive system corresponding to an optimization according to the ascertained overall cost function; operating of the hybrid drive system at the operating point; and executing of those of the requested special functions for which the determined operating point is within an operating range assigned to the respective special function.

Abstract: A method for computing a setpoint trajectory of an aircraft comprising at least two subsets comprises the formulation and the solving of an optimization problem for the trajectory, and the formulation of the problem comprises at least the formulation of a constraint related to a transition of legs on at least one first subset of the trajectory, and the formulation of a constraint related to a transition of vertical flight phases on at least one second subset of the trajectory. The invention also relates to a system and a computer program for the computation of a trajectory.

Abstract: A communication system and method receive, at an energy management system disposed onboard a vehicle system formed from a lead vehicle and one or more remote vehicles, trip data that represents one or more characteristics of an upcoming trip of the vehicle system along a route. A selected portion of the trip data is communicated from the energy management system to a distributed power system also disposed onboard the vehicle system. The selected portion includes identifying information and one or more orientations of the one or more remote vehicles. Using the distributed power system, communication links between the lead vehicle and the one or more remote vehicles are established using the identifying information and the one or more orientations.

Abstract: A method for operating a vehicle includes: ascertaining a danger measure of a possible stop position for a safe parking of the vehicle; comparing the ascertained danger measure to a predetermined danger measure threshold value; and guiding the vehicle to the possible stop position in order to safely park the vehicle in the possible stop position only if the ascertained danger measure is less than or equal to the predetermined danger measure threshold value.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a camera sensor and a processor. The camera sensor may be configured to generate a video signal based on a targeted view in a vehicle. The processor may be configured to receive one or more status signals from one or more sensors. The processor may be configured to detect a type of obstruction of a window of the vehicle visible in the video signal based on (i) a classification of information in the video signal and (ii) one or more of the status signals.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for a network of relay drones utilized as a set of relays or linkages between a base station and a working drone controlled by the base station. The relay drones in the network may augment a communication link or communication signal between the base station and working drone. Relay drones may augment the communication link by acting as nodes that relay communication between the base station and the working drone by boosting the communication signal at each node to compensate for loss of signal power over a traveled distance and/or providing a path with a direct line of sight between the base station and working drone. Directional antennas may be utilized when a direct line of sight is established, which may improve communication signal efficacy when compared with omnidirectional antennas.

Abstract: A vehicle includes a sensor configured to obtain driving information of a driver; a controller configured to confirm a driving pattern of the driver based on the obtained driving information, and generate an output signal which outputs a recommended driving method corresponding to the confirmed driving pattern; and a communicator configured to directly transmit the generated output signal to adjacent vehicles.

Abstract: According to an autonomous mobile body of the present invention, a self-position recognizing section (42a) of a cleaning robot (1) includes a clustering section (42ab) for (i) grouping distance measurement points of each of a plurality of obstacles into clusters, the distance measurement points having been measured by use of a beam emitted from the sensor section (41) and (ii) recognizing the each of the plurality of obstacles.

Abstract: A method for determining location data for a vehicle, a control apparatus for performing the method, and to a vehicle having the control apparatus. The method includes measuring the driving dynamics data for the vehicle, measuring at least one distance of the vehicle from a stationary object and recording a distance, and filtering the driving dynamics data on the basis of the recorded distance.

Abstract: A method is provided for communicating at least one item of information between a first control unit on-board a first vehicle and a public transport network. The information is sent as a command from the first control unit to a first communication unit on board the first vehicle. The first communication unit establishes a transmission link outside the vehicle with a second communication unit connected to a module for executing the command. The second communication unit and the execution module are located on the ground. The first control unit controls the execution module on the ground in a governed slave mode for the command by a master mode of the first control unit.

Abstract: There is provided a solar battery control apparatus comprising: a solar battery in a vehicle; a vehicle speed detecting unit; a load circuit capable of be controlled to vary a generated current; and a control unit configured to perform MPPT control while controlling the load circuit to vary the generated current, wherein the control unit varies the generated current within a range having a certain upper limit value upon the speed of the vehicle being detected to be greater than a predetermined speed. The predetermined speed is set to be less than a speed at which the generated current becomes unable to be varied to correspond to a change in an i-V output characteristic of the solar battery, and the certain upper limit value is set to be less than a value of short-circuiting current having been reduced according to the change.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for diagnosing degradation of an evaporative emissions system in a vehicle. One example method comprises following a vehicle-off event, waking an electronic controller to indicate an absence of a leak in the evaporative emissions system responsive to vacuum in the evaporative emissions system attaining a vacuum threshold, the vacuum threshold based on ambient conditions and fuel conditions at the vehicle-off event. The vacuum threshold may vary based on existing conditions and may enable a more reliable diagnosis of a status of the evaporative emissions system.

Abstract: Provided are an automatic driving control system and an automatic driving control method that are capable of clearing away suspicion of a foul by exchanging a “hand” for determining priority of passage by a fair method that allows no foul when automatically driven vehicles face each other on a road. When the automatically driven vehicles face each other on the road, the “hand” for determining the priority of passage is exchanged by performing transmission/reception two times by use of a composite number of prime numbers each having a large number of digits.

Abstract: In order to configure a control unit for a vehicle, a method is provided which involves: transmission of a functional cluster assignment by a data source to the control unit, the functional cluster assignment assigning the control unit to a selection of functional clusters; reception of the functional cluster assignment by the control unit; preparation of the control unit for the use of the functional cluster assignment; activating the validity of the functional cluster assignment in the control unit, and use of the functional cluster assignment in the control unit. The functional cluster assignment is transmitted via a data network, preferably formed using a CAN bus, LIN bus, MOST bus or FlexRay bus system. The downloading of the functional cluster assignment to the control unit makes software releases that are specific to vehicle type and the time spent on their associated program maintenance superfluous.

Abstract: A method for primarily sensor-based navigation includes: in a first time period, collecting geophysical position data using a GPS receiver of a navigation device; in the first time period, collecting a first set of accelerometer data using an accelerometer of the navigation device; analyzing the first set of accelerometer data to produce a first set of vertical vehicular motion data; generating a mapping association between the first set of vertical vehicular motion data and the geophysical position data; in a second time period after the first time period, collecting a second set of accelerometer data using the accelerometer; analyzing the second set of accelerometer data to produce a second set of vertical vehicular motion data; and calculating an estimated location of the vehicle by analyzing the second set of vertical vehicular motion data in light of the mapping association.

Abstract: An excavation system is disclosed for use with a mobile machine having a work tool. The excavation system may have a first sensor configured to generate a first signal indicative of a distance to an inclined face of the pile of material, and a controller in communication with the first sensor. The controller may be configured to determine a repose angle of the pile of material based on a known edge location of the pile of material and the distance.

Abstract: A method including receiving a first location for a mobile device at a first time; receiving a second location for the mobile device at a second time; determining a most likely route for the mobile device based on the first location, the second location, and a time interval between the first time and the second time; and generating a synthetic location for the mobile device based on the most likely route at a corresponding synthetic time between the first time and the second time.