Abstract: There is disclosed by way of example a computing apparatus, having a packaged circuit with an exterior surface, a heat sink having a pedestal disposed to nearly contact the packaged circuit with a nominal clearance when the packaged circuit is assembled to the heat sink, and a first thermal interface material (TIM) and a second TIM disposed in layers between the packaged circuit and the pedestal, wherein the first TIM is non-flowable at operating temperatures of the packaged circuit, and the second TIM is flowable at the operating temperatures.

Abstract: A method is described and includes detecting by a vehicle an ambiguous situation involving the vehicle; classifying the detected ambiguous situation; and submitting in substantially real-time a request for remote assistance by a remote advisor to resolve the detected ambiguous situation, wherein contents of the request are based at least in part on the classifying.

Abstract: A sensor calibration system periodically receives scene data from a detector in a calibration scene. The calibration scene includes calibration targets. The sensor calibration system generates a calibration map based on the scene data. The calibration map is a virtual representation of the calibration scene and includes features of the calibration targets that can be used as ground truth features for calibrating AV sensors. The sensor calibration system can periodically update the calibration map. For instance, the sensor calibration system receives the scene data at a predetermined frequency and updates the calibration map every time it receives new scene data. The predetermined frequency may be a frequency of the detector completing a full scan of the calibration scene. The sensor calibration system provides a latest version of the calibration map for being used by an AV to calibrate a sensor on the AV 110.

Abstract: An apparatus is described and includes a printed circuit board (PCB) including at least one connector on a first surface thereof; a cold plate connected to the first surface of the PCB. The cold plate includes at least one tube disposed in a first portion of the cold plate and at least one opening for receiving the at least one connector therethrough, the at least one opening disposed in a second portion of the cold plate. The apparatus further includes a housing including a lower housing portion for supporting the PCB and the cold plate such that the PCB is between the lower housing portion and the cold plate and an upper housing portion over the first portion of the cold plate. The second portion of the cold plate is exposed outside the upper housing portion when the upper and lower housing portions are fastened together.

Abstract: An AV sensor can be cleaned by charging a conductive layer over a sensor surface. The conductive layer may be positively or negatively charged and can repel contaminants having the same polarity away from the sensor. The charging of the conductive layer can be triggered by a determination that the sensor needs cleaning, which can be based on sensor data captured by the sensor or a different sensor. The charging of the conductive layer may include one or more charging cycles, each of which includes charging the conductive layer with two opposing polarities. Another conductive layer may be over the conductive layer. The other conductive layer can be charged with an opposite polarity from the conductive layer so that an electric field is present between the two conductive layers. A piezoelectric layer between the two conductive layers can vibrate under the electric field. The vibration can enhance the cleaning.

Abstract: Liquid cleaning systems for cleaning AV sensors are disclosed herein. An example liquid cleaning system includes a reservoir storing a liquid. The liquid can flow from the reservoir to a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger can transfer heat generated by a part of the AV to the liquid, thereby improving cleaning efficacy. The part may be battery, motor, engine, sensor (e.g., the sensor to be cleaned with the liquid or another sensor), etc. The heat may be an unintended product of an operation of the part. The heat exchanger can use the heat to warm up the liquid and cool down the part. Additionally or alternatively, the liquid can be heated by another heat exchanger or a heater. The heater can generate heat intended for heating the liquid. The heater may be local to the sensor to be cleaned, e.g., the heater is closer to the sensor than the reservoir.

Abstract: A map database stores data describing a set of connected roadways, each having one or more lanes. A coverage system selects lanes from the map database along which AVs can stop, such as parking lanes. The coverage system generates buffer regions for each of the stopping lanes, where each buffer region includes an area within a given distance of the respective lane. The coverage system combines the buffer regions to generate a coverage area, and provides a display of the coverage area overlayed over a map of roads corresponding to the coverage area.

Abstract: A ride evaluation platform can evaluate ride services provided by AVs to users, e.g., to determine whether the users are satisfied with the rider services so that the users will request more ride services. The ride evaluation platform may identify and classify operational behaviors of an AV based on a record of the AV's operation for providing a ride service. The ride evaluation platforms can further detect defects in the ride service based on the classifications of operational behaviors of AVs, user expressions that indicate one or more user sentiments towards the ride service, one or more conditions of an environment in which the AV operated for providing the ride service, or some combination thereof. The ride evaluation platform may determine a score for the ride service based on the defects. The score may indicate a likelihood of the user would request another ride service provided by an AV.

Abstract: There is disclosed herein a method of providing customer service, including receiving a customer service request from an autonomous vehicle (AV), the customer service request comprising sensor data collected by the AV; selecting a standard operating procedure (SOP) for responding to the customer service request, the SOP selected from a data store comprising a plurality of SOPs, wherein selecting the SOP is based at least in part on the sensor data from the AV, and wherein the SOP includes a human-usable resolution script; and handling the customer service request, including displaying the human-usable resolution script to a human customer service agent to assist the human customer service agent in handling the customer service request.

Abstract: A method of caching large data objects of greater than 1 GB, comprising: populating a sharded cache with large data objects backfilled from a data store; servicing large data object requests from a plurality of worker nodes via the sharded cache, comprising deterministically addressing objects within the sharded cache; and if a number of requests for an object within a time exceeds a threshold: after receiving a request from a worker node for the object, sending the worker node a redirect message directed to a hot cache, wherein the hot cache is to backfill from a hot cache backfill, and wherein the hot cache backfill is to backfill from the sharded cache.

Abstract: A designated location preview method includes obtaining an image of a portion of an environment of a vehicle dispatched to a designated location in response to a service request from a user, wherein the obtaining is performed using at least one onboard sensor of the vehicle; and displaying the image of the environment portion on a user interface (UI) of a user device substantially in real-time.

Abstract: Particular embodiments described herein provide for a system and method to help enable a towing vehicle. In an example, the system can identify a location of the disabled vehicle, deploy the towing vehicle to the location of the disabled vehicle, where the towing vehicle uses sensor data from a sensor suite and a perception module to navigate to the location of the disabled vehicle, and use the towing vehicle to tow the disabled vehicle to a new location.

Abstract: There is disclosed herein a method of providing customer service, including receiving a customer service request from an autonomous vehicle (AV), the customer service request comprising sensor data collected by the AV; selecting a standard operating procedure (SOP) for responding to the customer service request, the SOP selected from a data store comprising a plurality of SOPs, wherein selecting the SOP is based at least in part on the sensor data from the AV, and wherein the SOP includes a human-usable resolution script; and handling the customer service request, including displaying the human-usable resolution script to a human customer service agent to assist the human customer service agent in handling the customer service request.

Abstract: The subject disclosure relates to techniques for application-based controls of a wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle. A process of the disclosed technology can include steps for receiving a request for a wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle (WAV) to execute an ingress function, wherein the ingress function includes a deployment of a wheelchair ramp by the WAV, sending an ingress command to the WAV in response to the request, wherein the ingress command comprises instructions cause the WAV to execute the ingress function at a specified pick-up location, and receiving feedback from the WAV, the feedback includes sensor data associated with a wheelchair ramp and status information associated with the ingress function. Machine-readable media and systems are also provided.

Abstract: Particular embodiments described herein provide for a vehicle assist drone. The vehicle assist drone can be operated in different modes. For example, the vehicle assist drone can be deployed in a user of an AV service assist mode, a clear occlusion mode, refined routing mode, a security mode, a search and rescue mode (e.g., search for missing child mode), or some other mode. In addition, the vehicle assist drone can be used to supplement a vehicle's sensors. For example, supplementary sensor data from the vehicle assist drone can be used in place of the vehicle's sensors or combined with sensor data from the onboard sensors of the vehicle to supplement the vehicle's sensors.

Abstract: Examples of the present disclosure provide an apparatus for hybrid heat spreading and heating, comprising: a heating element and a heat exchanger proximate to the heating element, wherein the apparatus is configured to be thermally coupled to an IC device that is configured to operate above a minimum operating temperature. The heating element is configured to: power on when the ambient temperature is below the minimum operating temperature and the IC device is not powered on and power off after the IC device is powered on. The heat exchanger is configured to conduct heat from the heating element to the IC device when the heater is powered on, such that the IC device is heated to a temperature above the minimum operating temperature and conduct heat away from the IC device when the IC device is powered on.

Abstract: A system and method for generating shard data based on semantic sharding is proposed. Shard data is generated by a map sharder that is configured to generate the shard data based on semantic objects in a geographical area and a definition of sections. The sections cover parts of the geographical area. The map sharder searches, for each of the sections, for semantic objects that are located at least partly in a section and stores found objects in a shard data entry of the shard data.

Abstract: Various technologies described herein pertain to a heat spreader for an autonomous vehicle computing device. The heat spreader includes a top surface, a bottom surface, and a side surface. The top surface of the heat spreader is thermally conductive. The top surface of the heat spreader includes a section that is sized and shaped to align with a heat generating component (e.g., on a printed circuit board assembly). The top surface of the heat spreader is configured to receive heat from the heat generating component. The bottom surface of the heat spreader includes externally integrated fins. The heat spreader is configured to dissipate the heat from the heat generating component such that the heat from the heat generating component flows from the top surface to the externally integrated fins on the bottom surface.

Abstract: A non-transitory computer readable-medium comprising instructions that when executed causes at least one processor to determine a portion of a map for user identification, send a request to a user, and receive from a user a response to the request. The portion of the map may correspond to a location. The request may be to identify features existing at the location. The communication may direct the user to the location. The response to the request may include identification of a labeled feature with a location coded picture of the labeled feature.

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.