Abstract: A computing system includes one or more processors and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to perform operations. The operations include obtaining sensor data from a sensor of a vehicle, the sensor data including point cloud frames at different positions, orientations, and times, the sensor data used to generate a map, determining a position and an orientation of the sensor corresponding to a capture of each of the point cloud frames according to a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithm, and depicting, on an interface, a graphical illustration of the determined positions at which the point cloud frames were captured.

Abstract: Described herein are systems, methods, and computer readable media for dynamically determining a language variant to use for vehicle output to a vehicle occupant based on the vehicle's location. A geographic region may include multiple sub-regions, each of which may be associated with a respective one or more language variants. As an example, a geographic region may be a state or province, and each sub-region may have one or more dialects that are spoken by individuals in that sub-region. In some cases, a particular dialect may be predominant in a given sub-region. As a vehicle traverses a travel path, it may determine its current location, which geographic sub-region includes that location, and which language variant (e.g., dialect) is predominant there. That language variant may then be selected for in-vehicle communication with a vehicle occupant. The vehicle location determination may be made at or near where the occupant entered the vehicle.

Abstract: A method comprises obtaining smart seat sensor data, the smart seat sensor data being detected by a tactile-sensitive surface material of a seat of an autonomous vehicle in response to a user interacting with the tactile-sensitive surface material. Other sensor data is obtained from one or more other sensors disposed within the autonomous vehicle. The smart seat sensor data and the other sensor data are integrated. A behavior of the user is estimated based on the integrated data, and the autonomous vehicle is controlled based on the estimated behavior of the user.

Abstract: Provided herein is a system and method for determining whether a sensor is calibrated and error handling of an uncalibrated sensor. The system comprises a sensor system comprising a sensor and an analysis engine configured to determine whether the sensor is uncalibrated. The system further comprises an error handling system configured to perform an error handling in response to the sensor system determining that the sensor is uncalibrated. The method comprises determining, by a sensor system, whether the sensor is uncalibrated, and performing, by an error handling system, an error handling in response to the sensor system determining that the sensor is uncalibrated.

Abstract: Described herein are apparatuses and methods for selectively controlling the application of a fluid to a sensor enclosure such as a camera housing to protect the housing from overheating. An apparatus that includes a protective shield and a conduit such as tubing for supplying a fluid is described. The protective shield is provided so as to protect an exterior surface of the camera housing from heat caused by sun exposure. The tubing includes an inlet for supplying a fluid such as water or air, can extend through or around an exterior of the camera housing, and includes an outlet with one or more nozzles for ejecting the fluid into a space between the protective shield and the camera housing. Sensor data is received from various vehicle sensors to assess the temperature of the housing, the velocity of the vehicle, and so forth to determine when the fluid should be supplied.

Abstract: Described herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media for isolating commercial components from a harsh vehicle operating environment to increase the longevity of such components and to decrease their failure rate. Also described herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media for monitoring the operational health status of vehicle components for failure, and upon detecting failure of a component, initiating a processing task reassignment and fault recovery process. In this manner, processing load handled by the component prior to failure can be offloaded to one or more other vehicle components while a fault recovery process is initiated for the component. When the failed component is operational again, the vehicle may revert back to the task assignment in place prior to the component failure, may continue with the current task assignment, or may transition to another different task reassignment.

Abstract: Provided herein is a headlamp assembly comprising a housing that encloses: a sensor that acquires data associated with a surrounding environment; a light source that illuminates a field of view comprising a portion of the surrounding environment; and one or more processors that analyze the acquired data and determine a direction, field of view, power, or an intensity of the illumination of the portion based on the analyzed data.

Abstract: A set of sensor information may include first sensor information generated based on a first sensor of a first vehicle and second sensor information generated based on a second sensor of a second vehicle. Individual sensor information may characterize positions of objects in an environment of individual sensors. Relevant sensor information for a vehicle may be determined based on the set of sensor information and a position of the vehicle. The relevant sensor information may characterize positions of objects in a maneuver environment of the vehicle. A desired navigation of the vehicle in the maneuver environment of the vehicle may be determined based on the relevant sensor information. An instruction may be provided to the vehicle based on the desired navigation of the vehicle. The instruction may characterize one or more maneuvers to be performed by the vehicle to execute the desired navigation.

Abstract: Provided herein is a system and method implemented on a vehicle. The system comprises one or more sensors, one or more processors, and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the system to perform: obtaining data from the one or more sensors; comparing the obtained data from the one or more sensors with reference data; determining whether one or more characteristics of the obtained data deviate from corresponding characteristics of the reference data by more than a respective threshold; in response to determining that one or more characteristics of the data obtained deviate from corresponding characteristics of the reference data by more than a respective threshold, determining an action of the vehicle based on amounts of the one or more deviations; and performing the determined action.

Abstract: Provided herein is a system comprising: one or more processors; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the system to perform: identifying, in a map, one or more entities that change over time; predicting an amount of change of the identified one or more entities over time; and updating the map based on the predicted amount of change of the identified one or more entities over time.

Abstract: A vehicle generates a city-scale map. The vehicle includes one or more Lidar sensors configured to obtain point clouds at different positions, orientations, and times, one or more processors, and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to perform registering, in pairs, a subset of the point clouds based on respective surface normals of each of the point clouds; determining loop closures based on the registered subset of point clouds; determining a position and an orientation of each of the subset of the point clouds based on constraints associated with the determined loop closures; and generating a map based on the determined position and the orientation of each of the subset of the point clouds.

Abstract: Provided herein is a system on a vehicle, the system comprising one or more sensors configured to monitor concentrations of each of one or more chemicals in an interior of a vehicle, one or more processors, and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the system to perform: one or both of ventilating the interior of the vehicle and applying heat in the interior of the vehicle in response to one or more of the concentrations being higher than respective thresholds; in response to the performing one or both of ventilating and applying the heat in the interior of the vehicle, cleaning the interior of the vehicle in response to determining that any of the one or more of the concentrations remain higher than the respective thresholds.

Abstract: A system comprises a sensor system comprising a sensor and an analysis engine configured to determine whether the sensor is uncalibrated. The system further comprises an error handling system configured to determine whether to perform a recalibration in response to the sensor system determining that the sensor is uncalibrated. The error handling system further comprises a recalibration engine configured to perform a recalibration.

Abstract: Provided herein is a system and method for providing a vehicle navigation in response to broken or uncalibrated vehicle sensors. The system comprises a sensor to capture data, one or more processors, and a memory storing instructions that cause the system to determine whether the sensor is broken or uncalibrated based on the data, and to limit a range of motion of the vehicle when the sensor is determined to be broken or uncalibrated. The limiting a range of motion of the vehicle includes limiting a number of driving options for the vehicle when the sensor is broken.

Abstract: Described herein is a sensor assembly and a method of operating the sensor assembly. In various embodiments, the sensor assembly can comprise a base component, a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor, a transparent cylinder, a motor component, and a controller. The LiDAR sensor can be mounted on a support platform disposed centrally on the base component. The transparent cylinder can be disposed peripherally to the LiDAR sensor and can provide a field of view (FOV) for the LiDAR sensor. The transparent cylinder can be rotated independently of the base component. The motor component can be disposed on the base component, adjacent to the support platform. The motor component can be coupled to the transparent cylinder through a gearset and configured to rotate the transparent cylinder. The controller can be configured to obtain sensor data from on-board vehicle sensors. The controller can determine a level of obscurement on the transparent cylinder based on the sensor data.

Abstract: A computing system includes one or more processors and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to perform operations. The operations include determining that a portion of an existing map is to be updated; obtaining a point cloud acquired by one or more Lidar sensors corresponding to a location of the portion; converting the portion into an equivalent point cloud; performing a point cloud registration based on the equivalent point cloud and the point cloud; and updating the existing map based on the point cloud registration.

Abstract: Described herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media for implementing automated vehicle safety response measures to ensure continued safe automated vehicle operation for a limited period of time after a vehicle component or vehicle system that supports an automated vehicle driving function fails. When a critical vehicle component/system such as a vehicle computing platform fails, the vehicle is likely no longer capable of performing calculations required to safely operate and navigate the vehicle in an autonomous manner, or at a minimum, is no longer able to ensure the accuracy of such calculations. In such a scenario, the automated vehicle safety response measures disclosed herein can ensure—despite failure of the vehicle component/system—continued safe automated operation of the vehicle for a limited period of time in order to bring the vehicle to a safe stop.

Abstract: Described herein is a sensor device. The sensor device comprises a housing and a printed circuit board encased by the housing. The printed circuit board comprises an image sensor that captures image data, an image sensor processor that processes the image data, a serializer that converts one or more data channels associated with the image data into a single data channel, and one or more exposed surfaces. The one or more exposed surfaces dissipate heat generated by the image sensor, the image sensor processor, and the serializer from the printed circuit board to the housing.

Abstract: Described herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media for constructing and utilizing vehicle field-of-view (FOV) information. The FOV information can be utilized in connection with vehicle localization such as localization of an autonomous vehicle (AV), sensor data fusion, or the like. A customized computing machine can be provided that is configured to construct and utilize the FOV information. The customized computing machine can utilize the FOV information, and more specifically, FOV semantics data included therein to manage various data and execution patterns relating to processing performed in connection with operation of an AV such as, for example, data prefetch operations, reordering of sensor data input streams, and allocation of data processing among multiple processing cores.

Abstract: Described herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media for memory address encoding of multi-dimensional data in a manner that optimizes the storage and access of such data in linear data storage. The multi-dimensional data may be spatial-temporal data that includes two or more spatial dimensions and a time dimension. An improved memory architecture is provided that includes an address encoder that takes a multi-dimensional coordinate as input and produces a linear physical memory address. The address encoder encodes the multi-dimensional data such that two multi-dimensional coordinates close to one another in multi-dimensional space are likely to be stored in close proximity to one another in linear data storage. In this manner, the number of main memory accesses, and thus, overall memory access latency is reduced, particularly in connection with real-world applications in which the respective probabilities of moving along any given dimension are very close.