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: A system for minimizing iron infusion in a fuel cell includes a catalyst coated on proton exchange membrane (CCM) having a plurality of side edge portions. The CCM includes a membrane having a first planar side and a second planar side, an anode on the first planar side of the membrane, and a cathode on the second planar side of the membrane. The system further includes an anode gas diffusion layer (GDL) including a first micro-porous layer. The first micro-porous layer is in contact with the anode. The system further includes a cathode GDL including a second micro-porous layer. The second micro-porous layer is in contact with the cathode. The system further includes an adhesive in contact with the plurality of side edge portions of the CCM. The first micro-porous layer, the second micro-porous layer, and the adhesive collectively encapsulate the CCM and minimize iron infusing into the membrane.

Abstract: The concepts described herein relate to methods, systems, and analytical techniques to achieve a cloud-based electrified vehicle energy usage system that includes a cloud-based server that is operative to receive vehicle-specific electric energy-related data from a plurality of connected electrified vehicles, and correlate the vehicle-specific electric energy-related data to a road segment. A data analysis is executed for the vehicle-specific electric energy-related data for the plurality of connected electrified vehicles for the road segment, and a crowd-sourced electrified vehicle energy usage report is generated for the road segment based upon the data analysis.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides an electrochemical device that cycles lithium ions. The electrochemical device includes at least one first cell unit and at least one second cell unit. The at least one first cell unit includes a nickel-rich positive electroactive material. The nickel-rich positive electroactive material can be represented by: LiM1xM2yM3zM4(1-x-y-z)O2 where M1, M2, M3, and M4 are each a transition metal independently selected from the group consisting of: nickel, manganese, cobalt, aluminum, and combinations thereof, where 0?x?1, 0?y?1, and 0?z?1. The at least one second cell unit includes a phosphate-based positive electroactive material. The phosphate-based electroactive material can be selected from the group consisting of: lithium manganese iron phosphates (LiMnxFe1-xPO4, where 0?x?1) (LMFP), lithium vanadium oxygen phosphates (LixVOPO4, where 0?x?1), lithium vanadium phosphates, lithium vanadium fluorophosphates, and combinations thereof.

Abstract: A system for managing audio performance in a vehicle includes an audio unit having one or more speakers and one or more microphones respectively positioned in and/or around the vehicle. The speakers transmit an audio signal within the vehicle. A command unit is in communication with the audio unit. The command unit has a processor and tangible, non-transitory memory on which instructions are recorded. The command unit is adapted to receive the audio signal through the one or more microphones and determine whether at least one audio quality parameter of the audio signal meets a predefined threshold. The command unit may be adapted to take at least one remedial action when the audio quality parameter is below the predefined threshold.

Abstract: A vehicle including one or more interior image sensors, one or more exterior image sensors, and a controller configured to automatically detect occupant risky behavior is provided. The controller is configured to: detect whether a vehicle occupant exists who may pose a risk; determine whether a detected vehicle occupant in engaged in potentially risky behavior in an area of interest (AoI) based on image data from the one or more interior image sensors or the one or more exterior image sensors; determine whether the potentially risky behavior poses an actual risk; classify a level of risk when the potentially risky behavior poses an actual risk; and perform risk mitigation actions based on risk classification.

Abstract: Systems and method are provided for defining map data used in controlling a vehicle. In one embodiment, a method includes: receiving, by a processor, telemetry data; determining, by the processor, distribution data of a path based on the telemetry data; determining, by the processor, a plurality of sample data based on a trained machine learning model and the distribution data; generating, by the processor, at least one of lane line data and road edge data based on the sample data and a second machine learning model; and storing, by the processor, the map data including the lane line data and road edge data for use in controlling the vehicle.

Abstract: A method is provided for controlling a vehicle battery system that includes a voltage bus having positive and negative bus rails, at least one battery pack connected to the voltage bus and having positive and negative battery terminals, and a battery disconnect unit. The method includes disconnecting the at least one battery pack from the voltage bus via the battery disconnect unit by performing a first battery disconnect process upon detecting an event condition, by performing a second battery disconnect process upon detecting a high overcurrent condition, and by performing a third battery disconnect process upon detecting a low overcurrent condition. The first battery disconnect process utilizes opening a main pyro fuse, the second battery disconnect process utilizes one or more of thermal fuses, solid-state relays and/or current sensors, and the third battery disconnect process utilizes one or more contactors or solid-state relays.

Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling a vehicle. The systems and methods receive static object detection data from a perception system. The static object detection data includes a first representation of a static object at a current time and a second representation of the static object at an earlier time.

Abstract: An electric machine grounding system with low impedance includes a rotor that has a shaft assembly and that is configured to rotate about an axis. The shaft assembly has a surface. A housing supports the shaft assembly for rotation of the rotor. A holder extends from the housing. A ground assembly is held between the holder and the shaft assembly and includes a plurality of strands that extend to the surface to ground the shaft assembly to the housing.

Abstract: A method for preparing a press-hardened steel component is provided. The method includes forming a heated blank by heating a steel alloy blank to a first temperature in a first zone of a furnace having two or more zones, and after the heating of the steel alloy blank to the first temperature, heating the steel alloy blank to a second temperature in a second zone of the furnace. The second temperature is greater than the first temperature. The first zone has a first flow rate for a protective gas, and the second zone has a second flow rate for the protective gas that is greater than the first flow rate. The method further includes stamping and quenching the heated blank at a constant rate to a temperature between a martensite finish temperature of the steel alloy defining the steel alloy blank and room temperature to form the press-hardened steel component.

Abstract: An autonomous vehicle is described herein. The autonomous vehicle comprises a first sensor and a second sensor having limited fields of view, an articulation system, and a computing system. The computing system determines a first region and a second region external to the autonomous vehicle based on a sensor prioritization scheme comprising a ranking of regions surrounding the autonomous vehicle. The computing system then causes the articulation system to orient the first sensor towards the first region and the second region towards the second region. Responsive to receiving a sensor signal from the first sensor indicating that an object has entered a field of view of the first sensor, the computing system determines a third region having a higher ranking than the second region within the sensor prioritization scheme. The computing system then causes the articulation system to orient the second sensor towards the third region.

Abstract: An autonomous vehicle (AV) implements a health protocol that may reduce pathogen transmission between users of the AV. The AV is equipped with a thermal sensor that captures a body temperature of a user. The AV compares the user's temperature to a threshold temperature, and if the user's temperature exceeds the threshold temperature, the AV performs checks to ensure that the user's planned trip follows current regulations or recommendations. For example, the AV confirms that the user is traveling between the user's home and a healthcare facility. If the trip is permitted, the AV enables the user to enter the AV. The AV may include a disinfectant system for disinfecting the passenger compartment or surfaces after the user exits the AV.

Abstract: A method of controlling an electric motor of a vehicle includes monitoring torque command signals from a vehicle system to the electric motor, each torque command signal configured to cause the electric motor to output a commanded torque, and monitoring a speed of the vehicle and an output torque of the electric motor, the output torque responsive to a drive signal generated based on the torque command signals. The method also includes, based on the output torque and the vehicle speed indicating a low motor efficiency condition, modulating the drive signal between a first torque value and a second torque value that is less than the first torque value, the first torque value greater than the commanded torque and selected to increase an efficiency of the electric motor.

Abstract: The present technology is effective to cause at least one processor to receive attributes of a sidewalk section within a threshold distance from a location selected by a passenger, determine a potential location for pick-up or drop-off of the passenger by the autonomous vehicle, receive an authorization from the passenger, and navigate the autonomous vehicle to the potential location for pick-up or drop-off. The attributes may include a respective curb height of the sidewalk section within the threshold distance. The potential location may be determined based upon a height of a portion of an autonomous vehicle and the respective curb height of the sidewalk section within the threshold distance. The authorization may confirm the potential location for pick-up or drop-off.

Abstract: The disclosed technology provides solutions for improving passenger drop-off functions implemented by an autonomous vehicle (AV). In some implementations, a process of the disclosed technology can include steps for collecting environmental data about an environment around an autonomous vehicle, wherein the environmental data comprises data pertaining to a roadway navigated by the autonomous vehicle, processing the environmental data to generate an area grid comprising a plurality of grid sections, and associating, based on the environmental data, one or more features with each of the plurality of grid sections. Systems and machine-readable media are also provided.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for managing private digital authentication information, known as secrets, for autonomous vehicles. In particular, systems and methods are provided for automating the acquisition of secrets by autonomous vehicles upon start-up, such that secrets are not stored on autonomous vehicles that are powered down. A secrets manager is installed on each autonomous vehicle that can request sets of secrets at start-up and provide the secrets to various modules in the vehicle. Secrets can be updated centrally and autonomous vehicles can easily access updated secrets.

Abstract: An occlusion detection system for an autonomous vehicle is described herein, where a signal conversion system receives a three-dimensional sensor signal from a sensor system and projects the three-dimensional sensor signal into a two-dimensional range image having a plurality of pixel values that include distance information to objects captured in the range image. A localization system detects a first object in the range image, such as a traffic light, having first distance information and a second object in the range image, such as a foreground object, having second distance information. An occlusion polygon is defined around the second object and the range image is provided to an object perception system that excludes information within the occlusion polygon to determine a configuration of the first object. A directive is output by the object perception system to control the autonomous vehicle based upon occlusion detection.

Abstract: The subject disclosure relates to techniques for adjusting an exposure setting. A process of the disclosed technology can include steps for determining a localization parameter of an autonomous vehicle, the localization parameter including a geographic position of the autonomous vehicle, determining a region of interest based on the localization parameter of the autonomous vehicle, receiving a first image including the region of interest based on the localization parameter of the autonomous vehicle, determining an exposure setting for the region of interest in the first image, and adjusting an exposure setting of the first image to the exposure setting for the region of interest in the first image. Systems and machine-readable media are also provided.

Abstract: The subject disclosure relates to ways to improve route duration calculations e.g., estimated time of arrival (ETA) approximations, by taking consideration of reroute probabilities along a given vehicle path. In some aspects, the disclosed technology encompasses a process including steps for identifying a route between a first destination to a second destination, determining a reroute likelihood associated with at least one AV maneuver along the route, and calculating an estimated time of arrival (ETA) based on the reroute likelihood associated with at least one AV maneuver. Systems and machine-readable media are also provided.