Abstract: A vehicle for traversing an area with a minimal environmental impact is described. The vehicle includes a first component that creates a first environmental impact when the vehicle is traversing in the area. The vehicle further includes a second component configured to reduce the first environmental impact.

Abstract: A seating system include a seat assembly including a first seat, a track assembly, and/or an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to control movement of the first seat along the track assembly. The first seat may be configured to move along the track assembly in at least one direction. The ECU may be configured to communicate with an external network. The ECU may be configured to move the first seat proximate a door of a vehicle in response to information received from the external network. The first seat may include an actuator. The ECU may be configured to control movement of the first seat via the actuator, such as in response to the information received from the external network. The ECU may include a first seat profile including information corresponding to the first seat. The ECU may communicate with the external network regarding the first seat profile.

Abstract: Various methods are provided for facilitating map update to an environment map using gradient thresholding. One example method may include detecting an observed feature associated with a first feature decay and generating an interpolated feature that approximates the observed feature associated with a second decay. The method also includes determining a gradient difference between the interpolated feature and a stored map feature. The stored map feature represents an encoding of the observed feature associated with a third decay associated with an environment map. The method also includes determining a relationship between the gradient difference and a feature gradient update threshold, and, based upon the relationship, updating the environment map by at least replacing the map feature representation associated with the environment map with the approximated feature representation.

Abstract: A flight vehicle control and stabilization process detects and measures an orientation of a non-fixed portion relative to a fixed frame or portion of a flight vehicle, following a perturbation in the non-fixed portion from one or both of tilt and rotation thereof. A pilot or rider tilts or rotates the non-fixed portion, or both, to intentionally adjust the orientation and effect a change in the flight vehicle's direction. The flight vehicle control and stabilization process calculates a directional adjustment of the rest of the flight vehicle from this perturbation and induces the fixed portion to re-orient itself with the non-fixed portion to effect control and stability of the flight vehicle. The flight vehicle control and stabilization process also detects changes in speed and altitude, and includes stabilization components to adjust flight vehicle operation from unintentional payload movement on the non-fixed portion.

Abstract: A control method for hybrid electromagnetic suspension. The method provides four modes for hybrid electromagnetic suspension: a comfort mode, a sport mode, a combined mode, and an energy feedback mode. A driver can switch between the four modes as desired. For the comfort, sport, and combined modes, hybrid control is adopted, and two sub-modes are provided: an active control mode and a semi-active control mode. A switching condition between the two sub-modes is determined by using a novel parameter Cact and comparing the same against a maximum equivalent electromagnetic damping coefficient Ceqmax of a linear motor. The present invention solves the problem of achieving a balance between suspension comfort and tire traction, and meets the demands of different operating conditions and users by enabling manual mode switching.

Abstract: Navigation beacons may be trained to receive signals of opportunity from one or more vehicles, to recognize their own position based on such signals, and to transmit information regarding their own position to one or more other vehicles accordingly. The navigation beacons may be of small size and feature a basic construction including one or more transceivers, power sources and the like, and may communicate via a Bluetooth® Low Energy, Ultra Wideband or long-range low-power wireless standard, or any other standard. The navigation beacons may be installed in any location, preferably being mounted to one or more existing fixed structures or facilities (e.g., transportation structures or facilities), and may operate in active and/or passive modes when learning their positions or servicing position information to one or more remote devices.

Abstract: The present disclosure pertains to a multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Aspects of the present disclosure provide a UAV that includes at least four arms, each configured with a co-axial pair of contra rotating propellers, wherein each propeller has capability of rotating reversibly with associated reversal of direction of thrust, and an autopilot control system that controls rotational direction and speed of the at least four co-axial pairs of propellers to maintain yaw stability, roll stability and pitch stability of the UAV, wherein in an event of failure of any one co-axial pair out of the at least four co-axial pairs of propellers, the autopilot control system reverses direction of rotation and thereby direction of thrust of at least one propeller of any functional pair.

Abstract: A load-based tire inflation system for a heavy-duty vehicle comprises at least one source of fluid pressure, suspension structure of the heavy-duty vehicle, a tire and wheel assembly and a system to control fluid pressure in the tire and wheel assembly. The suspension structure is located between a frame member and an axle and has a condition indicative of a weight of the heavy-duty vehicle. The tire and wheel assembly is operatively mounted to the axle and is in fluid communication with the source of fluid pressure. The control system controls fluid pressure in the tire and wheel assembly in response to the condition of the suspension structure.

Abstract: A system comprising, a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles and a single controller for controlling said plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, wherein the single controller is configured such that it can broadcast a command to all of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles so that each of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles receive the same command; and wherein each of the unmanned aerial vehicles comprise a memory which stores a plurality of predefined flight paths each of which is assigned to a respective command; and wherein each of the unmanned aerial vehicles comprise a processor which can, (i) receive a command which has been broadcasted by the single controller to said plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles, (ii) retrieve from the memory of that aerial vehicle the flight path which is assigned in the memory to that command, and (iii) operate the aerial vehicle to follow the retrieved flight path.

Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for determining, by a processor, an unmanned aerial system (UAS) position relative to at least one flight boundary; and effecting, by the processor, at least one flight limitation of a UAS if the determined UAS position crosses the at least one flight boundary.

Abstract: A defibrillation system may include a cardiac arrest detector detecting whether cardiac arrest of a passenger has occurred in a state of taking a seat of a self-driving vehicle and fastening a seatbelt of the vehicle; a passenger posture detection device detecting a posture of the passenger; a seat driving device changing the posture of the passenger into another posture in which the passenger lies down based on a detection signal of the passenger posture detection device when the cardiac arrest of the passenger occurs; a heart position detector configured to search for a position of a heart of the passenger; a defibrillation robot to perform a CPR method or a method using an AED on the heart of the passenger; and a controller controlling operation of the seat driving device, the heart position detector, and the defibrillation robot based on detection signals of the cardiac arrest detector and the passenger posture detection device.

Abstract: A hologram switch system of a seat for vehicles generates hologram switch images for adjusting movement of the seat and air-conditioning of the seat in front of a passenger sitting on the seat, and allows the passenger to perform selection and operation in the generated hologram switch images through the position and motion of a passenger's hand, so that the passenger may more intuitively approach and easily operate the switch images and thereby easily operate various seat moving apparatuses and seat air-conditioning apparatuses.

Abstract: In a driving assistance device for a vehicle provided with an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode, a standby member is provided to allow a driver seated at a seat to rest an arm. A sensor senses that a hand of a driver is placed at a position where the driver can reach the sensor while the driver rests the arm on the standby member. The sensor senses that a finger of the driver is in contact with the sensor. The sensor is provided in an arm rest.

Abstract: A detection system includes a first-sensor, a second-sensor, and a controller. The first-sensor is mounted on a host-vehicle. The first-sensor detects objects in a first-field-of-view. The second-sensor is positioned at a second-location different than the first-location. The second-sensor detects objects in a second-field-of-view that at least partially overlaps the first-field of view. The controller is in communication with the first-sensor and the second-sensor. The controller selects the second-sensor to detect an object-of-interest in accordance with a determination that an obstruction blocks a first-line-of-sight between the first-sensor and the object-of-interest.

Abstract: A layer pick system optimizes usage of a layer picker gantry or robotic arm by arranging and/or displacing the gantry or arm in optimal locations with respect to one or more groups of pallets, and/or by grouping pallets by their attributes and arranging the same group of pallets close to each other. In some implementations, a plurality of pallets is categorized into multiple groups by different velocities.

Abstract: A method for ascertaining the instantaneous roadway roughness in a vehicle. In the method, the frequency-dependent amplitude response is determined from the wheel speed, and a roughness characteristic variable is ascertained as a measure of the roadway roughness.

Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus is mounted in a vehicle and includes: an object detecting unit that detects an object in a travelling direction of the vehicle; and a suppressing unit that suppresses driving force of the vehicle when the object detecting unit detects the object. The suppressing unit performs a first process to gradually increase the driving force when a command to move in the travelling direction is issued and the vehicle is stopped in a state in which the driving force of the vehicle is suppressed, and after the vehicle starts to move from the stopped state, performs a second process to gradually increase the driving force with an amount of increase per time in the driving force that is less than that in the first process.

Abstract: In one example, a system for automatic control of the propulsive speed of a harvesting machine is provided. The system comprises a throughput sensor for determining an expected rate of crop harvested by the harvesting machine in dependence on a position of the harvesting machine and a conversion device configured to calculate a sequence of expected positions of the harvesting machine and, with the expected rate of crop harvested at a position of the harvesting machine, determine a predicted rate of crop harvested by the harvesting machine at the sequence of expected positions of the harvesting machine for use in an optimization problem.

Abstract: A vehicle control system according to this embodiment includes: a storage battery that stores a electric power generated by a power generating unit or electric power supplied by a charging spot; a use status acquiring unit that acquires a use status of a charging spot present in an area identified by a route from a place of departure to a destination of the vehicle; and a control unit that sets a charging target value of the storage battery at the time of arrival of the vehicle at a destination to be higher in a case in which a status is determined in which the charging spot is unusable than a case in which a status is determined in which the charging spot is usable on the basis of the use status of the charging spot acquired by the use status acquiring unit.

Abstract: A system for estimating or predicting energy consumption for a trip of a personal vehicle includes a user facing portion and a back-end portion. The user facing portion includes a display and a user interface hosting a real-time application configured to receive travel information and present a received energy distribution via the display. The back-end portion includes a back-end database and an energy processor configured to access the back-end database. The energy processor includes a demand model module configured to produce a set of possible velocity histories and a set of possible ambient temperatures. A vehicle model module is configured to receive the velocity histories and ambient temperatures to provide the energy distribution or a probabilistic prediction of future energy consumption to the user facing portion.