Abstract: A cargo module swapping system for an electronic short take-off and landing aerial vehicle, including an autonomously driven robotic vehicle for transporting and swapping cargo modules on an autonomous electric aircraft. The robotic vehicle has two or more robotic arms for controlled material handling and manipulation, each configured to install, remove, and replace cargo bins directly onto the aft end of a forward portion of a central fuselage of an electric short take-off and landing (ESTOL) aircraft. The cargo bins are configured to function as the aft portion of the aircraft central fuselage.

Abstract: A vehicle system is provided for correcting in real-time a camera-based estimated position of a road object. The system includes a camera for generating an image input signal including image sensor data associated with the road object. The system further includes one or more input devices for generating a vehicle input signal including vehicle sensor data associated with a position, a speed, and a heading of the vehicle. The system further includes a computer, which includes one or more processors and a non-transitory computer readable medium (CRM) storing instructions. The processor is programmed to match the image sensor data and the vehicle sensor data to one another based on a common time of collection. The processor is further programmed to determine an error model and a deviation of a current camera-based position from a predicted position. The processor is further programmed to update the error model based on the deviation.

Abstract: Systems and methods related to operating a mobile platform are disclosed. In one embodiment, a logic circuit of a mobile platform may control a first gimbal system of the mobile platform to selectively direct a first variable navigation imaging system of the mobile platform to a first fixation point in an environment. The logic circuit may control a second gimbal system of the mobile platform to selectively direct a second variable navigation imaging system of the mobile platform to a second fixation point in the environment. The logic circuit may navigate the mobile platform about the environment, via a propulsion system of the mobile platform, based on image data associated with the first and second fixation points received from the first and second variable navigation imaging systems, respectively.

Abstract: A method may include determining time-variable risk profiles for plural separate vehicle systems that are remotely controlled by operators that are located off-board the separate vehicle systems. The time-variable risk profiles represent one or more risks to travel of the separate vehicle systems. The method may include assigning the operators to remotely monitor or control the separate vehicle systems during the trips based on the time-variable risk profiles. The operator assigned changes with respect to time while the one or more separate vehicle systems is moving along one or more routes during the trip. A system may include one or more processors that may determine time-variable risk profiles for plural separate vehicle systems that are remotely controlled and assign the operators to remotely monitor or control the separate vehicle systems during the trips based on the time-variable risk profiles.

Abstract: A system and method employing an autonomous aerial vehicle programmed to stimulate a pet to engage in playful activities exercising the pet. The system is capable of executing a variety of rapid movements and emitting specific sounds designed to elicit reactions from the pet, such as barks, whines, and human utterances. In a learning mode, the system analyzes pet reactions to various stimuli. In a normal mode, it prioritizes movements and sounds that generate the most intense responses. The system includes safety measures to maintain a safe distance between the vehicle and the pet, ensuring that the vehicle automatically retreats if the pet comes too close. The system autonomously returns to its launch position when the pet disengages or when battery levels are low.

Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for receiving, by a processor having addressable memory, data representing a geographical area for imaging by one or more sensors of an aerial vehicle; determining one or more straight-line segments covering the geographical area; determining one or more waypoints located at an end of each determined straight-line segment, where each waypoint comprises a geographical location, an altitude, and a direction of travel; determining one or more turnarounds connecting each of the straight-line segments, where each turnaround comprises one or more connecting segments; and generating, by the processor, a flight plan for the aerial vehicle comprising: the determined one or more straight-line segments and the determined one or more turnarounds connecting each straight-line segment.

Abstract: An area registration method including setting information about a work vehicle that autonomously travels in a travel area; setting a work area which is included in the travel area and in which the work vehicle performs work; setting a headland area that is included in the travel area and is located on the outer side of the work area; and, when an operation for inputting the set information of the headland area is received after the work area and the headland area have been set, changing the sizes of the work area and the headland area on the basis of the inputted set information.

Abstract: An autonomous vehicle configured for active sensing may also be configured to weigh expected information gains from active-sensing actions against risk costs associated with the active-sensing actions. An example method involves: (a) receiving information from one or more sensors of an autonomous vehicle, (b) determining a risk-cost framework that indicates risk costs across a range of degrees to which an active-sensing action can be performed, wherein the active-sensing action comprises an action that is performable by the autonomous vehicle to potentially improve the information upon which at least one of the control processes for the autonomous vehicle is based, (c) determining an information-improvement expectation framework across the range of degrees to which the active-sensing action can be performed, and (d) applying the risk-cost framework and the information-improvement expectation framework to determine a degree to which the active-sensing action should be performed.

Abstract: Autonomous vehicles may be terrestrial, aerial, nautical, or multi-mode and may be used to enable communications of other devices. For example, an autonomous vehicle may analyze information about a device outage and based on the information direct an autonomous vehicle to a location of the device to address the outage by adding a capability to the device.

Abstract: An operating device includes a first operating element with which a user can select one or numerous main functions of a vehicle and that can rotate about an axis of rotation and has at least one predefined fixed rotational position. A second operating element with which a user can adjust subfunctions of the main function can rotate about the axis of rotation and also comprises an actuator unit that comprises a magnetorheological medium configured to exert a retaining force on the second operating element based on a viscosity of the magnetorheological medium. The actuator unit is configured to set the viscosity on the basis of the main function selected with the first operating element, and on the basis of a rotational position of the second operating element.

Abstract: Many different types of systems are utilized or tasks are performed in a marine environment. The present invention provides various configurations of unmanned vehicles, or drones, that can be operated and/or controlled for such systems or tasks. One or more unmanned vehicles can be integrated with a dedicated marine electronic device of a marine vessel for autonomous control and operation. Additionally or alternatively, the unmanned vehicle can be manually remote operated during use in the marine environment. Such unmanned vehicles can be utilized in many different marine environment systems or tasks, including, for example, navigation, sonar, radar, search and rescue, video streaming, alert functionality, among many others. However, as contemplated by the present invention, the marine environment provides many unique challenges that may be accounted for with operation and control of an unmanned vehicle.

Abstract: A system for limiting use of an electronic mobile device by a driver of a vehicle. The system includes a mobile device controller for removable connection with a vehicle and for wireless communicating with one or more electronic mobile devices and an electronic mobile device for wireless communicating with the mobile device controller. The mobile device controller comprises a radio frequency receiver or transmitter. The electronic mobile device includes a radio frequency transceiver in wireless communication with the radio frequency receiver or transmitter of the mobile device controller, an application installed thereon and an electronic mobile device processor programmed to execute one or more instructions of the application stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium of the electronic mobile device.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for determining transit routes through crowd-sourcing, for determining an estimated time of arrival (ETA) of a vehicle of the transit route at a given location, and for providing predictive reminders to a user for catching a vehicle of the transit route. A server receives signal source information about wireless signal sources detected by user devices, including information about a first wireless signal source detected by some devices. The server determines that the first wireless signal source is moving. The server determines that the first wireless signal source is associated with a public transit route upon determining that the signal source information satisfies one or more selection criteria. The server stores information associating the first wireless signal source with the public transit route as transit movement data corresponding to the public transit route.

Abstract: A distributed control system includes a remote control system configured to be communicatively coupled with plural separate vehicle systems. The remote control system is configured to remotely control operation of the vehicle systems and/or communicate with the local vehicle control system or operator. The remote control system also is configured to one or more of change how many of the vehicle systems are concurrently controlled by the remote control system or change how many remote operators of the remote control system concurrently control the same vehicle system of the vehicle systems.

Abstract: A management domain unit is connected, via an independent virtual network (95) using a hypervisor unit, to a separate management domain unit (B) (10B) of a separate electronic control unit ECU (B) (1) having the separate management domain unit (B) (10B) and a separate basic domain unit (A) (50B) which substitutes for a basic domain unit. When an abnormality of the basic domain unit is detected, the management domain unit halts operation of the basic domain unit, and causes the separate management domain unit (B) (10B) possessed by the separate electronic control unit ECU (B) (1) to start operation of the separate basic domain unit (A) (50B).

Abstract: The present application is to provide a system for sensing and responding to a lateral blind spot of a mobile carrier and method thereof, which is applied for a mobile carrier during moving to a parking place. Firstly, a light scan unit and a depth image capture unit are used to scan a plurality of surrounding objects and capture a plurality of object depth images of the surrounding objects, and then a plurality of screened images are obtained according to a moving route of the mobile carrier for further obtaining correspondingly a plurality of forecasted lines to generate corresponded notice message for noting driver or ADAS. Due to the objects corresponding to the screened images and located on a blind position which is at one side of the mobile carrier, the notice message provides the driver preventing from the ignored danger by ignoring the blind position.

Abstract: A safety device according to the present disclosure includes a sensor that is attached to a self-propellable travel device or a robot provided to the travel device, is set with a given detection area on the basis of a position of the sensor, and detects an object existing within the given detection area. The safety device further includes a motion suppressing device that suppresses motions of the travel device and the robot, when the existence of the object within the given detection area is detected by the sensor, and an area changing device that changes the given detection area according to operating states of the travel device and the robot.

Abstract: A radio controlled (RC) vehicle includes a receiver that is coupled to receive an RF signal from a remote control device, the RF signal containing command data in accordance with a first coordinate system, wherein the first coordinate system is from a perspective of the remote control device. A motion sensing module generates motion data based on the motion of the RC vehicle. A processing module transforms the command data into control data in accordance with a second coordinate system, wherein the second coordinate system is from a perspective of the RC vehicle. A plurality of control devices control the motion of the RC vehicle based on the control data.

Abstract: An automatic parking management apparatus is applied to a parking lot that allows an automatic parking control of automatically parking a vehicle, which is stopped at a start position, into a parking space. The automatic parking management apparatus is provided with: a determinator configured to determine whether or not the vehicle is stopped in a predetermined range for defining the start position, when the automatic parking control is intended to be started; and an instructor configured to output an instruction to move into the predetermined range, to the vehicle, if it is determined that the vehicle is not stopped in the predetermined range.

Abstract: A rear view mirror having one motor rotating the viewing angle of the mirror about the vertical axis and one motor rotating the viewing angle of the mirror about the horizontal axis, both motors working in unison to provide a multitude of viewing angles for the user, the motors controlled by user requests by way of manually adjusting a trackball or joystick type controller, creating a safer driving experience by removing the need to have one's hand between the users eyes and the mirror while driving.