Abstract: Systems and method are provided for carwash detection and entry assistance of a vehicle. A system includes a controller that operates to identify the presence of the vehicle at a wash facility, and to determine whether an operator of the vehicle has accepted entry assistance. When the operator has accepted entry assistance, the controller prepares the vehicle for entering the wash facility, determines a path into the wash facility, and assists the operator in entering the vehicle into the wash facility via the path.

Abstract: Vehicles and systems and methods for health monitoring drive unit bearings in vehicles are provided. A system for health monitoring a drive unit bearing in a vehicle includes a sensor mounted to a drive unit of the vehicle and configured to provide a vibration signal; and a processor configured to: pre-process the vibration signal from the sensor to enhance a fault signature and form a frequency domain signal; and process the frequency domain signal to estimate a health stage of the drive unit bearing.

Abstract: A system for managing a vehicle set includes a controller having a processor and tangible, non-transitory memory on which instructions are recorded. The vehicle set includes a plurality of autonomous vehicles each having a respective telematics unit adapted to communicate with the controller. The controller is adapted to receive notification of an event in real-time and identify at least one center of the event. The controller is adapted to determine a respective status of the vehicle set in real-time, including a respective availability and a respective proximity to the event. The controller is adapted to dispatch selected ones of the vehicle set to the event based in part on the respective status and assign event duties to the selected ones of the vehicle set. The event duties including forming a boundary around the at least one center of the event by being physically stationed around the at least one center.

Abstract: A system for creating vehicle lighting atmosphere of a vehicle is provided. The system includes ambient lighting including a plurality of lights configured for illuminating an interior of the vehicle or an exterior of the vehicle with a selectable light color. The system further includes a computerized vehicle lighting controller, including programming to monitor an input useful to select an ambient lighting theme, select an ambient lighting theme based upon the input, and generate a command to control the ambient lighting based upon the ambient lighting theme.

Abstract: A system includes a vehicle external to a back office portal. The back office portal is operational to generate a signed update mode record. The vehicle has multiple devices and a component. The component is in communication with the devices, and operational to receive the signed update mode record, verify that the signed update mode record is from the back office portal and was created for the component, erase credentials within the component that establish the component as valid to the plurality of devices in response to the verification of the signed update mode record, perform an irreversible action within the component, enter a software update mode, exit the software update mode, and reject each request from the plurality of devices to the component that relies on the credentials that were erased from the component.

Abstract: Autonomous vehicles utilize perception and understanding of vehicles to predict behaviors of the vehicles, and to plan a trajectory. Understanding of attributes of vehicles may be improved through sensor fusion. Sensor fusion can be computationally expensive and may be difficult to implement in a real-time vehicle understanding system. To limit computational complexity while benefiting from machine learning across modalities, sensor fusion may be selectively implemented for a subset of task groups of a multi-task machine learning model. In some cases, part-based understanding may be implemented before fusion to limit the features being fused together to part features that are most salient for the task group. In addition, sensor data and features that may be fused together can be limited to sensor data and features within a desired field of view. A model that implements sensor fusion may be disabled for objects that are beyond a threshold distance.

Abstract: Disclosed are embodiments for facilitating a routing recommendation system based on user activities. In some aspects, an embodiment includes receiving input data comprising a list of activities requested by a user of an autonomous vehicle (AV) ride-hailing service and a point of destination requested by the user; mapping locations of interest corresponding to the list of activities; generating an ordered list of the locations of interest based on a user profile and historical data of the user; supplementing the ordered list of the locations of interest based on other historical data of other users of the AV ride-hailing service to generate a recommended list of places; applying a K-means clustering technique to the recommended list of places to identify one or more sets of recommendations and a centroid location for each set of recommendations; and providing a routing recommendation corresponding to a selected set of the sets of recommendations.

Abstract: Methods of detecting that a vehicle tracking device is tracking humans includes determining whether the vehicle tracking device has been removed from its linked vehicle; determining whether the vehicle tracking device is being used to track a human; and alerting when determined that the vehicle tracking device is tracking humans. Methods may determine if a weighted score is greater than a threshold and alerting: an owner of the vehicle tracking device; setting off an audio alert on the vehicle tracking device; or notifying authorities. Methods may detect human movement by detecting steep elevation changes; detecting acceleration data consistent human movement; or detecting movement that is not a road. Methods may determine if the vehicle tracking device is with a different vehicle or building by: detecting the different vehicle's hotspot; detecting the building's Wi-Fi; or detecting GPS movement that matches the different vehicle's GPS movement.

Abstract: Autonomous vehicles utilize perception and understanding of road users and road objects to predict behaviors of the road users and road objects, and to plan a trajectory for the vehicle. Improved perception and understanding of the AV's surroundings can improve the AV's behavior around drivable objects, non-drivable road objects, construction zones, and temporary road closures. Improved perception and understanding of the AV's surroundings can also reduce the chances of the AV getting stuck and the need to be retrieved physically. To offer additional understanding capabilities, an additional understanding model is added to the perception and understanding pipeline to improve classification of road objects and extraction of attributes of the road objects. The implementation of the understanding model itself and placement of the model within the pipeline balance recall and precision performance metrics and computational complexity.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for controlling deceleration of a vehicle towing a trailer. In an embodiment, a method includes: generating, by a processor, trailer brake command data to pulsate brakes of the trailer; in response to the generating the trailer brake command data, storing, in a data storage device of the vehicle, a first set of deceleration data; generating, by the processor, vehicle brake command data to pulsate brakes of the vehicle; in response to the generating the vehicle brake command data, storing, in the data storage device, a second set of deceleration data; determining, by the processor, a maximum vehicle brake torque threshold where a maximum trailer brake output occurs based on the first set of deceleration data and the second set of deceleration data; and controlling, by the processor, the brakes of the trailer based on the maximum vehicle brake torque threshold.

Abstract: A system and method for vehicle accessibility parking including creating an accessibility profile associated with a vehicle and also creating a profile of the vehicle. Based on the profile of the vehicle and the accessibility profile, one or more parking locations are identified. The method includes a ranking, based on the profile of the vehicle and the accessibility profile, the identified one or more parking locations. The vehicle is then routed to a highest ranking identified one or more parking locations. Once routed, a sensor in the vehicle determines if a biasing of the vehicle in a parking space in the highest ranking identified one or more parking locations is required. Based on the biasing, an adjusting of a target parking position for the vehicle in the parking space is performed.

Abstract: A system for disassembling a energy cell having a case includes a energy cell securement device arranged on a moveable table; and a cutting tool. The energy cell securement device is configured to fixedly secure the energy cell with a portion of the case exposed proximal to the cutting tool. The moveable table is configured to convey the energy cell securement device such that the cutting tool cleaves the portion of the case of the energy cell.

Abstract: A method and system for tracking attached objects for controlling a vehicle. The method includes receiving, by a processor, sensor data of an environment associated with the vehicle that includes an object. The method includes determining, based on the sensor data, whether the object corresponds to an attached object type, and determining whether the sensor data includes a second vehicle. The method includes determining an attached object region associated with the second vehicle based on a distance between the second vehicle and the vehicle, and determining whether a position of the object is within the attached object region. The method includes determining whether a difference between a velocity of the object and a vehicle velocity of the vehicle is within a velocity threshold based on the distance. The method includes determining that the object is an attached object and controlling the vehicle based on the determining.

Abstract: A method for operating a mobile telecommunications device connected to a first mobile telecommunications network having a country code identifying a first country includes determining whether the mobile telecommunications device crosses from the first country into a second country. The method also includes, if the mobile telecommunications device crosses from the first country into the second country, scanning, through the mobile telecommunications device, for mobile telecommunications networks discoverable to the mobile communications device, where each discoverable mobile telecommunications network has a country code identifying a service country of that mobile telecommunications network.

Abstract: One or more messages may be sent to a user who is to receive an item delivered by an AV. A message may include information of an attribute of the item that triggers the generation of the one or more messages. The attribute may indicate an extent of ease of the user carrying the item from a predetermined location, e.g., the drop-off location for the delivery. The attribute may be size, weight, temperature requirement, packaging, shape, etc. The item may be classified into a category requiring communication based on the attribute of the item and information of the user. A message may include a recommendation for using a tool or seeking help for carrying the item. A message may include an option to modify a setting (e.g., drop-off location) of the delivery. The classification of the item or generation of a message may be done by a machine learning model.

Abstract: A battery cell includes a cathode element, an anode element, and an electrolyte disposed in contact with each of the cathode and anode elements. The battery cell also includes a battery cell case constructed from a rigid material and defining an internal chamber configured to house each of the cathode element, the anode element, and the electrolyte. The battery cell case defines at least one aperture configured to provide a gas path between the internal chamber and an external environment. The battery cell additionally includes a reversible, multiple-use valve assembly mounted to the battery cell case and configured to selectively open a fluid flow through the at least one aperture to relieve a gas pressure within the internal chamber exceeding a predetermined pressure threshold.