Abstract: In one embodiment, a static wireless power transfer (WPT) system (with charging spots and non-charging parking spots) receives a request to charge a vehicle. The device schedules a period of time during which the vehicle is allocated access to a particular charging spot based on scheduling characteristics and one or more other vehicles also requesting charging. The device may then send instructions to control the vehicle to autonomously move from a current parking spot to the particular charging spot for the scheduled period of time, the instructions precisely aligning the vehicle in the particular charging spot for optimum power transfer based on a charging coil of the vehicle and a respective ground-based charging coil of the particular charging spot. After the scheduled period of time, the device may send additional instructions to control the vehicle to autonomously move out of the particular charging spot.

Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided that provide for creating and monitoring predefined mission routes along air rails and non-overlapping buffer zones surrounding unmanned vehicles during travel of the unmanned vehicles along the predefined mission routes. The buffer zone may be thought of as a projected movement variation area being associated by the system to the UAV and containing four dimensions, the three positional dimensions, X, Y, and Z, along with a temporal one, time. Generally, the buffer zone will change as ambient conditions, location, and orientation of an unmanned vehicle change during travel of the unmanned vehicle along its predefined mission route.

Abstract: The disclosure generally pertains to a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft comprising a fuselage and at least one fixed wing. The aircraft may include at least two powered rotors located generally along a longitudinal axis of the fuselage. The rotor units may be coupled to the fuselage via a rotating chassis, which allows the rotors to provide directed thrust by movement of the rotor units about at least one axis. The VTOL aircraft may include instructions to perform a degraded rotor landing protocol. The degraded rotor landing protocol may include adjusting a power to an operable rotor unit to control a rate of descent and/or slow a rate of acceleration toward a landing surface. The VTOL aircraft may be configured to impact the landing surface from a substantially vertical configuration, and adjust a thrust vector to cause the aircraft to come to rest in a generally upright configuration.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for diagnosing a vehicle fuel system for a presence or absence of undesired evaporative emissions. In one example, a method comprises evacuating the fuel system of a vehicle to a variable vacuum target as a function of a volatility of fuel in a fuel tank positioned in the fuel system and a loading state of a fuel vapor storage canister configured for capturing and storing fuel vapors from the fuel tank. In this way, analysis of a pressure-bleedup portion of the diagnostic may be more reliable and completion rates of the diagnostic may be improved, while conducting the test in an environmentally fashion.

Abstract: [Problem] An object of the present invention is to provide a high-performance electric power steering apparatus that can smoothly switch a steering control mode with a simple structure and does not make a driver uncomfortable when the driver steers a handle in an automatic steering control.

Abstract: A vehicle includes a plurality of wheels; a motor configured to apply a driving force to the plurality of wheels; a rain detector configured to detect a precipitation; a temperature detector configured to detect outside temperature; and a controller configured to control a torque of the motor based on the precipitation detected by the rain detector and the outside temperature detected by the temperature detector.

Abstract: One or more tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable media including instructions that cause a processor to receive a signal indicative of a residue coverage on a surface of an agricultural field from a sensor, and the sensor is positioned behind a harvester system relative to a direction of travel. The instructions also cause the processor to determine the residue coverage on the surface of the agricultural field based on the signal, and the residue coverage includes a percentage of the agricultural field that is covered by residue. Further, the instructions cause the processor to control a residue control system based on the residue coverage.

Abstract: An electric power steering apparatus that suppresses occurrence of an abnormal noise at end hitting without providing uncomfortable feeling of steering for a driver, attenuates impact force, and enables suppression of the abnormal noise without making a turning radius worse. The apparatus includes a viscoelastic model following control section that sets a viscoelastic model as a reference model within a predetermined range in front of a rack end, and outputs a control output to correct a current command value; and a rack end approach judging section that performs judgment of being in the predetermined range in front of the rack end based on steering position information; adjusts the control output based on at least the steering position information, a steering velocity and a steering state, and corrects the current command value by the adjusted control output.

Abstract: An authentication system to validate the authenticity of call center agents by using a reverse authentication procedure. The authentication system includes a verification module that verifies the authenticity of agents calling from the call center. The verification module retrieves reference answers in response to the user-provided query questions from a media server. The media server may be located inside the enterprise network. These reference questions and their corresponding reference answers are provided by users when registering with the enterprise network.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a method for testing a highly-automated driving (HAD) vehicle includes simulating a testing environment. The testing environment includes objects, terrain(s), roadways, or conditions. The method further converts the objects to either a converted hardware object signal having synthetic analog signals, or a converted software object signal having synthetic digital signals, the synthetic signals emulating the objects of the testing environment. The method further either directs the converted hardware object signals to sensor hardware of the HAD vehicle, causing sensor hardware to perceive the objects of the testing environment emulated by the converted hardware object signals, or directs the converted software object signals to a signal processing unit of the HAD vehicle.

Abstract: A protective action system and method includes detecting the impending weather conditions for a geographic region, and in response to detecting the impending weather conditions, determining that an initial location of the autonomous vehicle is located in the geographic region affected by the impending weather conditions, calculating a current risk of damage to the autonomous vehicle based on the impending weather conditions in the geographic region and a current state of the autonomous vehicle, comparing the current risk of damage to a threshold of acceptable risk of damage, wherein, the current risk of damage exceeds a threshold of acceptable risk, assessing a user calendar to determine that taking a protective action by the autonomous vehicle is acceptable, and instructing the autonomous vehicle to take the protective action so that the current state of the autonomous vehicle is changed to a safe state to avoid damage from the impending weather conditions.

Abstract: Methods of assessing driver behavior include monitoring vehicle systems and driver monitoring systems to accommodate for a slow reaction time, attention lapse and/or alertness of a driver. When it is determined that a driver is drowsy, for example, the response system may modify the operation of one or more vehicle systems. The response system can modify the control of two or more systems simultaneously in response to driver behavior.

Abstract: A system and method for automatically computing desirable palm grasp configurations of an object by a robotic hand is disclosed. A description of the object's surface is obtained. A grasp configuration of a robotic hand comprising a palm and one or more fingers is selected, which specifies a hand configuration and joint variables of the hand, and a plurality of contact points on the object's surface for the palm and fingers. The coefficient of friction at each of the contact points is determined, and a description of one or more external wrenches to which may apply to the object is acquired. The ability of the robotic hand to hold the object against the external wrenches in the selected configuration is then computed. In some embodiments, a plurality of grasp configurations may be compared to determine which are the most desirable. In other embodiments, the space of hand configurations, or the smaller space of palm contact configurations, may be searched to find the most desirable grasp configurations.

Abstract: A system and method for optimizing traveled routes of a fleet. The method comprises reconstructing routes traveled by vehicles of the fleet based on historical GPS traces of the fleet; determining stops made by the vehicles along the traveled routes; and classifying the stops into work stops and non-work stops; and optimizing routes for the work stops.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the efficient use of both local and remote computational resources and communication bandwidth to provide distributed environment mapping using a plurality of mobile sensor-equipped devices. According to a first aspect, there is provided a method of determining a global position of one or more landmarks on a global map, the method comprising the steps of determining one or more differences between sequential sensor data captured by one or more moving devices; determining one or more relative localisation landmark positions with respect to the one or more moving devices; determining relative device poses based one or more differences between sequential sensor data relative to the one or more relative localisation landmark positions; and determining a correlation between each device pose and the one or more relative localisation landmarks positions.

Abstract: An emergency alert system for a vehicle includes a drone system including a warning sign disposed within a body defining cavity of the vehicle and a controller. The controller is configured to, in response to a user request during a stop, launch the drone system from the cavity and specify drone position relative to the vehicle based on traffic flow around the vehicle to alert other vehicles in a vicinity of the vehicle via the warning sign regarding occurrence of the stop.

Abstract: Methods and systems for monitoring use, determining risk, and pricing insurance policies for a vehicle having one or more autonomous or semi-autonomous operation features are provided. According to certain aspects, the operating status of the features, the identity of a vehicle operator, risk levels for operation of the vehicle by the vehicle operator, or damage to the vehicle may be determined based upon sensor or other data. According to further aspects, decisions regarding transferring control between the features and the vehicle operator may be made based upon sensor data and information regarding the vehicle operator. Additional aspects may recommend or install updates to the autonomous operation features based upon determined risk levels. Some aspects may include monitoring transportation infrastructure and communicating information about the infrastructure to vehicles.

Abstract: A system uses machine models to estimate trip durations or distance. The system trains a historical model to estimate trip duration using characteristics of past trips. The system trains a real-time model to estimate trip duration using characteristics of recently completed trips. The historical and real-time models may use different time windows of training data to predict estimates, and may be trained to predict an adjustment to an initial trip estimate. A selector model is trained to predict whether the historical model, the real-time model, or a combination of the historical and real-time models will more accurately estimate a trip duration, given features associated with a trip duration request, and the system accordingly uses the models to estimate a trip duration. In some embodiments, the real-time model and the selector may be trained using batch machine learning techniques which allow the models to incorporate new trip data as trips complete.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for controlling a creep torque in an environmentally-friendly vehicle. The apparatus includes detectors that detect driving-related information of the vehicle and a controller that calculates rolling resistance based on the driving-related information and variably controls the creep torque in consideration of the calculated rolling resistance depending on whether the vehicle satisfies a creep cruise control operating condition.

Abstract: Values of at least one energy utilization characteristic, which represents a first energy utilization process in a first vehicle, are determined. Furthermore, values of at least one parameter, which represents at least one boundary condition of the energy utilization in the first vehicle during the first energy utilization process, are also determined. A mathematical relationship between at least one or more values provided for the at least one energy utilization characteristic and the corresponding values of the parameters is determined and a profile record comprising a record and/or learning data is provided on the basis of at least one mathematical relationship determined. Depending on the profile record, at least one operating parameter of the drive system of the first vehicle and/or of a second vehicle is adapted in a second energy utilization process.