Abstract: Vehicles, methods, and computer readable storage media are provided for implementing a hybrid control for an autonomous vehicle. The vehicle can be controlled by receiving a request from an individual for transportation in the vehicle. The vehicle can then navigate with an autonomous control component to the location of an individual to commence the transportation. Then the vehicle can detect, by one or more sensors, that the individual has entered the vehicle. Then, responsive to detecting that the individual has entered the vehicle, the vehicle can change from an autonomous control component to a hybrid control component wherein the hybrid component control comprises allowing the individual to control one or more vehicle control features that were under autonomous control in autonomous component control.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for an unmanned aerial vehicle control point selection system. A first unmanned aerial vehicle can navigate about a geographic area while a second unmanned aerial vehicle can capture images of the first unmanned aerial vehicle. Location information of the first unmanned aerial vehicle can be recorded, and a system can identify the first unmanned aerial vehicle in the captured images. Utilizing the recorded location information, the system can identify landmarks proximate to the first unmanned aerial vehicle identified in the images, and determine location information of the landmarks. The landmarks can be assigned as ground control points for subsequent flight plans.

Abstract: Systems and methods for autonomous vehicle state management are provided. An offboard state service can obtain a vehicle command associated with changing an onboard-defined state of an autonomous vehicle. Data indicative of the command can be provided to a computing system onboard the autonomous vehicle. The onboard computing system can initiate a vehicle action in accordance with the command and provide a command response indicative of an updated vehicle status for the onboard-defined state to the state service. In response, the state service can update a current status for the onboard-defined state as represented by a vehicle profile corresponding to the autonomous vehicle. The state service can generate an update event indicative of the vehicle state and the updated current status and publish the update event to a distributed event stream such that a number of devices subscribed to the event stream can receive data indicative of the update event.

Abstract: A method can include sending, via a processing device, a signal to at least two of a plurality of location indicators from an autonomous vehicle in motion and transporting equipment or passengers. The method can further include receiving signals from the at least two location indicators. The method can further include determining a location of the autonomous vehicle within an indoor facility based on the received signals. The method can further include comparing the determined location to a corresponding pre-determined location. The method can further include, in response to the determined location being different than the pre-determined location, adjusting a direction of the autonomous vehicle along a predetermined path within the indoor facility.

Abstract: A lane departure prevention control apparatus includes a recognizer that recognizes environment ahead of a vehicle and detects left and right lane markers of a lane where the vehicle is traveling based on the environment, a first detector that detects vehicle behavior, a determiner that predicts whether the vehicle will depart from the lane markers based on the lane markers and the vehicle behavior, a setting unit that sets a range for permitting lane departure prevention control from the lane markers, a calculator that transmits a signal corresponding to steering torque for preventing the vehicle departure from the lane markers to a steering controller when the vehicle departs from the lane markers and the vehicle is within the control permission range, and a second detector that detects a shape change in the lane. The unit variably sets the control permission range based on the shape change.

Abstract: A plurality of fault conditions are detected on a communication network onboard a vehicle. The detected fault conditions, a fault condition importance, environment conditions, and a vehicle operation mode are input to a neural network that outputs rankings for respective detected fault conditions. The neural network is trained by determining a loss function based on a maximum likelihood principle that determines a probability distribution that ranks the detected fault conditions. The vehicle is operated based on the rankings of the fault conditions.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are provided for charging devices at a property using battery-charging drones. In some implementations, a monitoring system is configured to monitor a property and includes a battery-powered sensor configured to generate sensor data. The system includes a drone that is configured to navigate the property and charge the battery-powered sensor. A monitor control unit is configured to obtain a battery level from the battery-powered sensor and compare the battery level to a battery level threshold. Based on the comparison, the monitor control unit determines that the battery level does not satisfy the threshold. Based on the determination, the monitor control unit generates and transmits an instruction to a drone for the drone to navigate to the battery-powered sensor and charge a battery of the battery-powered sensor. The monitor control unit receives data from the drone that indicates whether the drone charged the battery of the sensor.

Abstract: Techniques for performing a sensor calibration using sequential data is disclosed. An example method includes receiving, from a first camera located on a vehicle, a first image comprising at least a portion of a road comprising lane markers, where the first image is obtained by the camera at a first time; obtaining a calculated value of a position of an inertial measurement (IM) device at the first time; obtaining an optimized first extrinsic matrix of the first camera by adjusting a function of a first actual pixel location of a location of a lane marker in the first image and an expected pixel location of the location of the lane marker; and performing autonomous operation of the vehicle using the optimized first extrinsic matrix of the first camera when the vehicle is operated on another road or at another time.

Abstract: A modular flat-packable drone kit includes a plurality of components that can be assembled into a drone. Components of the drone kit include elements that may be cut from a flat sheet of material, thereby enabling low cost manufacturing and compact packaging and may be assembled without specialized tools. A set of drones may operate in a standalone mode or may be coupled together and operated in a group configuration.

Abstract: A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) controller is disclosed. The LIDAR controller may determine, based on a position of an implement, a scan area of the LIDAR sensor, wherein the scan area has an increased point density relative to another area of a field of view, of the LIDAR sensor, that includes the implement. The LIDAR controller may cause the LIDAR sensor to capture, with the increased point density, LIDAR data associated with the scan area. The LIDAR controller may process the LIDAR data to determine whether an object of interest is in an environment of the machine that is associated with the scan area. The LIDAR controller may perform an action based on the environment of the machine.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for vehicle navigation. In one implementation, at least one processor may be programmed to receive, from a camera, a captured image representative of features in an environment of the vehicle. The processor may generate a warped image based on the received captured image, which may simulate a view of the features in the environment of the vehicle from a simulated viewpoint elevated relative to an actual position of the camera. The processor may further identify a road feature represented in the warped image, which may be transformed in one or more respects relative to a representation of the road feature in the captured image. The processor may then determine a navigational action for the vehicle based on the identified feature represented in the warped image and cause at least one actuator system of the vehicle to implement the determined navigational action.

Abstract: Provided is a control apparatus for a vehicle configured to perform driving support control when a driving support operation state is an on state, the control apparatus being further configured to, in a case where the driving support operation state is the on state and a driving operation switching request for changing the driving support operation state to an off state is issued, calculate a target speed at a driving operation switching time point at which the driving support operation state is changed from the on state to the off state, and perform deceleration control for decelerating the vehicle such that a speed of the vehicle matches the target speed at the driving operation switching time point.

Abstract: An autonomous vehicle having a lidar sensor system is described. A computing system is configured to determine that the lidar sensor system is to update a code that is included in light signals emitted by the lidar sensor system. The computing system transmits a command signal to the lidar sensor system, wherein the command signal causes the lidar sensor system to transition from emitting light signals with a first code therein to emitting light signals with a second code therein, wherein the first code is different from the second code.

Abstract: A rotorcraft including a pilot control having a sensor that generates pilot control position data, a flight control that controls a flight characteristic of the rotorcraft, a trim system connected to the pilot control and configured to move the pilot control, and a flight control computer (FCC) configured to receive the pilot control position data from the sensor. The FCC executes a first flight control process and generates, according to the first flight control commands, a trim signal indicating a target position for the pilot control and to send the trim signal to the trim system to cause the trim system to attempt to move the pilot control to the target position to reflect a position of the flight control, and to monitor a working state of the trim system and execute a retrim process in response to determining that the trim system has failed.

Abstract: Disclosed are an autonomous driving apparatus and method for an ego vehicle that autonomously travels. The autonomous driving apparatus includes a first sensor to detect a nearby vehicle nearby an ego vehicle, a memory to store map information, and a processor including a driving trajectory generator to generate a first driving trajectory of the ego vehicle and a second driving trajectory of the nearby vehicle based on the map information stored in the memory and a control processor configured to control autonomous driving of the ego vehicle based on the first and second driving trajectories generated by the driving trajectory generator.

Abstract: Biometric data are collected about a user in a vehicle. A user is prompted to provide an input on a wearable device to identify an object based on the biometric data.

Abstract: Systems and methods described in this disclosure provide methods and systems for automatic deployment of a vehicle covering apparatus to protect the vehicle from environmental conditions such as severe weather.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling an MDPS system including: an autonomous driving cancellation determination unit configured to determine whether to cancel autonomous driving, using column torque passed through a band stop filter, under an autonomous driving condition; and a signal processing unit configured to calculate command steering angle acceleration information using command steering angle information outputted from an autonomous driving system. When the steering angle acceleration information is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value, the autonomous driving cancellation determination unit may determine that urgent steering is performed by the autonomous driving system, and forbid cancellation of the autonomous driving.

Abstract: Systems, methods and apparatus to collect sensor data generated in an autonomous vehicle. Sensors of the vehicle generate a sensor data stream that is buffered, in parallel and in a cyclic way, in a first cyclic buffer and a larger second cyclic buffer respectively. An advanced driver assistance system of the vehicle generates an accident signal when detecting or predicting an accident and provides a training signal when detecting a fault in object detection, recognition, identification or classification. The accident signal causes a sensor data stream segment to be copied from the first cyclic buffer into a slot of a non-volatile memory, selected from a plurality of slots in a round robin way. The training signal causes a sensor data stream segment to be copied from the second cyclic buffer into an area of the non-volatile memory outside of the slots reserved for the first cyclic buffer.

Abstract: While operating a vehicle, a candidate marker is detected via first image data from a first image sensor. Upon failing to identify the candidate marker, vehicle exterior lighting is actuated to illuminate the candidate marker. Then the candidate marker is determined to be one of a real marker or a projected marker based on determining whether the candidate marker is detected via second image data from the first image sensor. Upon determining the candidate marker is the real marker, the vehicle is operated based on the real marker.