Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to delivering merchandise using autonomous ground vehicles (AGVs) in cooperation with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In some embodiments, the system includes: an AGV having a motorized locomotion system, a storage area to hold merchandise, a sensor to detect obstacles, a transceiver, and a control circuit to operate the AGV; a UAV having a motorized flight system, a gripper mechanism to grab merchandise, a transceiver, an optical sensor to capture images; and a control circuit to operate the UAV. The system also includes a control circuit that instructs movement of the AGV along a delivery route; determines if the AGV has stopped due to an obstacle; and in certain circumstances, instructs the UAV to retrieve merchandise from the AGV, calculate a delivery route for the UAV to the delivery location, and instructs the UAV to deliver the merchandise.

Abstract: Techniques for generating simulations for evaluating a performance of a controller of an autonomous vehicle are described. A computing system may evaluate the performance of the controller to navigate the simulation and respond to actions of one or more objects (e.g., other vehicles, bicyclists, pedestrians, etc.) in a simulation. Actions of the objects in the simulation may be controlled by the computing system (e.g., by an artificial intelligence) and/or one or more users inputting object controls, such as via a user interface. The computing system may calculate performance metrics associated with the actions performed by the vehicle in the simulation as directed by the autonomous controller. The computing system may utilize the performance metrics to verify parameters of the autonomous controller (e.g., validate the autonomous controller) and/or to train the autonomous controller utilizing machine learning techniques to bias toward preferred actions.

Abstract: A data logging device tracks the operation of a vehicle or driver actions. The device includes a storage device, which may be removable or portable, having a first memory portion that may be read from and may be written to in a vehicle and a second memory portion that may be read from and may be written to in the vehicle. The second memory portion may retain data attributes associated with the data stored in the first removable storage device. A processor reads data from an automotive bus that transfers data from vehicle sensors to other automotive components. The processor writes data to the first memory portion and the second memory portion that reflect a level of risk or safety. A communication device links the storage device to a network of computers. The communication device may be accessible through software that allows a user to access files related to a level of risk or safety and other software that may be related to those files.

Abstract: Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a method for determining a flight plan for an aircraft, including: determining one or more regions that intersect an initial flight path and comprise at least one terrain feature having an elevation greater than an elevation threshold; for each respective region: determining a flight area based on the initial flight path and an elevation threshold line; determining one or more segments of the initial flight path that comprise one or more terrain features having an elevation greater than the elevation threshold; and determining a modified flight path for each respective segment by: determining a plurality of descent gradients along the respective segment; and moving the respective segment of the initial flight path in the safe descent direction if any of the plurality of descent gradients would collide with any of the one or more terrain features.

Abstract: A vehicle can have a user profile securely deployed in it according to a security protocol. The vehicle can include a body, a powertrain, vehicle electronics, and a computing system. The computing system of the vehicle can be configured to: retrieve information from a user profile according to a security protocol. The computing system of the vehicle can also be configured to receive a request for at least a part of the retrieved information from the vehicle electronics and send a portion of the retrieved information to the vehicle electronics according to the request. The computing system of the vehicle can also be configured to propagate information sent from the vehicle electronics back into the user profile according to the security protocol. And, the computing system of the vehicle can also be configured to store in its memory, according to the security protocol, information sent from the vehicle electronics.

Abstract: A method for determining an optimized trajectory to be followed by an aircraft, the method being implemented by a determining system of the aircraft and comprising: a first step for acquiring at least one constraint relative to at least one parameter of the trajectory to be followed, the constraint being determined by a control system of a remote station as a function of the air traffic and/or the aircraft mission; a step for calculating a desired trajectory as a function of the constraint; a step for transmitting the desired trajectory to the remote station; a second step for acquiring an instruction comprising an authorization to follow the desired trajectory or a refusal of the desired trajectory.

Abstract: User alert systems, apparatus, and related methods for use with vehicles are disclosed. A disclosed alert system for a vehicle includes an intrusion detection system (IDS) operatively coupled to the vehicle. The alert system also includes a network access device (NAD) operatively coupled to the vehicle and control circuitry configured to detect, via the IDS, a malicious message transmitted through a controller area network (CAN) bus of the vehicle. The control circuitry is also configured to generate a primary alert indicative of the malicious message and transmit, via the NAD, the primary alert to a primary user device corresponding to a driver of the vehicle. The control circuitry is also configured to generate a secondary alert indicative of the malicious message and transmit, via the NAD, the secondary alert to one or more secondary user devices different from the primary user device.

Abstract: A device 10 for controlling a vehicle 1 includes: a sensor 20 configured to detect a rudder angle; a calculation part 40a configured to calculate a target braking force for making a pitch angle equal to a target pitch angle, the target braking force increasing as the rudder angle increases; a determination part 40b configured to determine whether a steering action is in a steady state; a correction part 40c configured to correct the target braking force to be reduced by an offset amount when it is determined that the steering action is in a steady state; and an actuator 30 configured to apply the corrected target braking force to the vehicle.

Abstract: A method of restoring navigational performance for a navigational system, the method comprising receiving by a first navigational system and a second navigational system a collection of data points to establish a real-time navigational route for the aircraft, comparing navigational performance values and/or drift ranges and establishing a new navigational route based on the collection of data points.

Abstract: According to various embodiments, systems and methods described in the disclosure combine mapped features with point cloud features to improve object detection precision of an autonomous driving vehicle (ADV). The map features and the point cloud features can be extracted from a perception area of the ADV within a particular angle view at each driving cycle based on a position of the ADV. The map features and the point cloud features can be concatenated and provided to a neutral network for object detections.

Abstract: A flight control method, device and system are provided. The method includes: sending a first message to a base station, wherein the first message is a message for requesting a radio resource control (RRC) connection, and the first message carries an aircraft identifier; receiving a second message sent by the base station, wherein the second message is a message for notifying the aircraft that the RRC connection is successful, and the second message carries a no-fly zone range; and performing a stop-flight operation when the position of the aircraft is within the no-fly zone range.

Abstract: A system and method for conducting preflight planning for autonomous flight missions of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The system includes use of a controller to conduct quantitative risk assessments of available digital data to predict low risk flight routes based on estimated flight risk profiles. The flight risk profiles may be based upon flight safety-critical information, including real time regulatory, airspace, obstacle, and infrastructure data sets. Among other data sets, the flight risk profiles may also account for current weather, current population and traffic data, and aircraft operational data specific to the UAV involved. Each risk assessment can generate a flight risk profile dependent on proposed times of travel, from which a low risk route may be predicted for any impending autonomous aircraft flight. Such risk assessments may enhance chances of expeditious regulatory acceptance of flight plans for such predetermined flight routes.

Abstract: A controller and a control method are capable of improving safety by automatic emergency deceleration action while suppressing a motorcycle from falling over. One arrangement also obtains a brake system that includes such a controller. In the controller, the control method, and the brake system, a control mode that causes the motorcycle to take the automatic emergency deceleration action is initiated in response to trigger information generated in accordance with peripheral environment of the motorcycle. In the control mode, automatic emergency deceleration that is deceleration of the motorcycle generated by the automatic emergency deceleration action is controlled in accordance with a lean angle of the motorcycle.

Abstract: An unmanned vehicle including a vehicle body, a propulsion system, a maneuvering system, a vehicle control system, a buoyancy control system, a sensor system, and at least one power supply is disclosed. The propulsion system, maneuvering system, vehicle control system, buoyancy control system, sensor system, and power supply are carried by the vehicle body. The sensor system includes a sensor adapted to detect an item of interest and provide an item of interest signal to the vehicle control system. The vehicle control system is adapted to receive the item of interest signal, identify an item of interest classification and provide a classification signal. The classification signal is determined by the item of interest classification and is utilized by the propulsion system, maneuvering system, vehicle control system, or buoyancy control system to avoid physical, electrical, acoustic, or thermal detection of the unmanned vehicle by the item of interest.

Abstract: An apparatus may receive first data, in a first data format, from one or more unmanned aircraft system service suppliers comprising first positions of one or more unmanned aircraft systems, receive second data, in a second data format, from one or more communications systems comprising second positions of one or more manned aircraft, transmit third data, in a third data format, comprising the first positions of the one or more unmanned aircraft systems and the second positions of the one or more manned aircraft, receive a first control signal comprising a control command associated with one or more of the unmanned aircraft systems or one or more of the manned aircraft, and transmit a second control signal comprising the control command to one or more of the unmanned aircraft system service suppliers or to one or more of the communications systems.

Abstract: A bicycle braking system includes a server, a portable device such as a smartphone, a display unit, a control unit, a power supply unit, a rotating electrical machine, and a bicycle. The portable device includes an image display unit, a braking condition transmitting unit, and a braking condition setting unit. The control unit regeneratively brakes the bicycle using the rotating electrical machine in accordance with the braking condition set by the braking condition setting unit. The braking system enables a non-user to set braking conditions for the bicycle and to perform braking based on the conditions set by the non-user.

Abstract: A failure cause analyzing system utilizes numerical data of vehicle equipment during vehicle operation and analyzes the equipment numerical data included in running data of the vehicle to select a failure inducible factor, thereby extracting the numerical data of each equipment from the running data of the vehicle even if a failure symptom does not persist and occurs intermittently, and analyzes the equipment numerical data to select the failure inducible factor, so as to reduce the time and the cost necessary for inspecting and repairing the vehicle equipment upon the occurrence of the failure symptom, and to avoid improper or excessive maintenance.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method, system, and/or computer program product controls self-driving vehicles (SDVs). An emergency message is transmitted to a receiver within a self-driving vehicle (SDV). The emergency message describes an emergency state of an emergency vehicle and an identified future route of the emergency vehicle, where the identified future route is a planned route to an emergency destination for the emergency vehicle that includes a first pathway. In response to the SDV receiving the emergency message, the SDV is redirected, via an auto-control hardware system on the SDV, to drive to a second pathway that does not conflict with the identified future route of the emergency vehicle.

Abstract: A self-propelled device is disclosed that includes a center of mass drive system. The self-propelled device includes a substantially cylindrical body and wheels, with each wheel having a diameter substantially equivalent to the body. The self-propelled device may further include an internal drive system with a center of mass below a rotational axis of the wheels. Operation and maneuvering of the self-propelled device may be performed via active displacement of the center of mass.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a learning method, comprises receiving a first signal including a previous auxiliary variable value, previous action information regarding a previous action, or a set of previous scores, receiving current sensor data, selecting a current action of the control target based on the first signal, the current sensor data, and a parameter for obtaining a score from sensor data, causing the control target to execute the current action, receiving next sensor data and a reward, and updating the parameter based on the current sensor data, current action information regarding the current action, the next sensor data, and the reward. A degree of selecting a previous action as the current action is increased.