Abstract: The disclosure is directed at an apparatus, method and computer readable medium for a self-powered towed vehicle in a road train or tractor-trailer vehicle configuration to detect and respond to forward jack-knifing risk conditions. The apparatus may detect jack-knifing risk conditions based on sensors and information including sensors to detect an angle of misalignment between the towed vehicle and the vehicle directly in front of it in the road train. The apparatus may respond to the presence of a jack-knifing risk condition by reducing or eliminating the motive rotational force applied to the wheels of the towed vehicle.

Abstract: One or more information maps are obtained by an agricultural work machine. The one or more information maps map one or more agricultural characteristic values at different geographic locations of a field. An in-situ sensor on the agricultural work machine senses an agricultural characteristic as the agricultural work machine moves through the field. A predictive map generator generates a predictive map that predicts a predictive agricultural characteristic at different locations in the field based on a relationship between the values in the one or more information maps and the agricultural characteristic sensed by the in-situ sensor. The predictive map can be output and used in automated machine control.

Abstract: A device for decoupling and/or protecting against compensation currents when at least one electric actuator is used jointly by a plurality of independently voltage-supplied control unit devices in redundant systems for autonomous driving. The electric actuator has, in each case, a common connection, via which the electric actuator can be coupled and switched to a common connection of other electrical actuators, and has at least one dedicated connection via which the at least one electric actuator can be individually supplied with current. A number of switching devices corresponding to the common connection and the number of dedicated connections of all the electric actuators is arranged to apply or not apply a switched current in the at least one electric actuator. Provided is at least one current flow blocking device configured to prevent an unwanted current flow to a non-active electronic control unit of the first and second control unit devices.

Abstract: Systems and methods for increasing the efficiency of vehicle platooning systems are described. In one aspect, drivers are more likely to enjoy a system if it begins platooning as desired and does not accidently end platoons. When a certain amount of data packets sent between vehicles are dropped, systems typically will either not engage in a platoon or end a current platoon. When a platoon has a very small gap between vehicles, the platoon should end—or not start, when a certain amount of packets are dropped. However, if a gap is large enough to provide a driver with more time to react, a system may accept a greater amount of dropped packets before it refuses to start a platoon or causes the end of a platoon.

Abstract: An embodiment provides unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for infrastructure surveillance and monitoring. One example includes monitoring power grid components such as high voltage power lines. The UAVs may coordinate, for example using swarm behavior, and be controlled via a platform system. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for reducing the start-up time of a driver information system in a vehicle comprising providing a driver information system having an operating mode, a standby mode, and a hibernation mode. The driver information system is operated with operating power in the operating mode, is not supplied with operating power in the hibernation mode, and is operated with reduced operating power in the standby mode. A seat occupancy detection device is provided for detecting seat occupancy of at least one vehicle seat. An activation system is provided for activating and operating the driver information system in the operating mode at least when the activation system is active; and changing the driver information system from the operating mode to the standby mode when the activation system is switched off and when seat occupancy is detected at the same time.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for detecting objects of interest. A computing system can input sensor data to one or more first machine-learned models associated with detecting objects external to an autonomous vehicle. The computing system can obtain as an output of the first machine-learned models, data indicative of one or more detected objects. The computing system can determine data indicative of at least one uncertainty associated with the one or more detected objects and input the data indicative of the one or more detected objects and the data indicative of the at least one uncertainty to one or more second machine-learned models. The computing system can obtain as an output of the second machine-learned models, data indicative of at least one prediction associated with the one or more detected objects. The at least one prediction can be based at least in part on the detected objects and the uncertainty.

Abstract: A harvesting machine includes a header configured to gather harvested material into the harvesting machine during a harvesting operation, a conveyance subsystem configured to convey the harvested material from the harvesting machine to a receiving vehicle during the harvesting operation, an image capture system comprising at least one optical sensor, and a control system configured to determine a position of the receiving vehicle relative to the harvesting machine, determine an image magnification factor based on the determined position, and display, on a display device, an image of a portion of the receiving vehicle based on the image magnification factor.

Abstract: A robotic rover that is configured to monitor a property is disclosed. In one aspect, the rover includes a sensor that is configured to generate sensor data. The rover further includes a processor that is configured to analyze the sensor data. The processor is further configured to determine that an unwanted animal is located at the property. The processor is further configured to generate an instruction to navigate the drone towards the unwanted animal. The rover further includes a motor that is configured to navigate the drone towards the unwanted animal in response to the instruction to navigate the drone towards the unwanted animal. The processor is further configured to generate an instruction to activate a device that is configured to encourage the unwanted animal to leave the property.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for managing a fleet of ridesharing vehicles. In one implementation, the system may include a communications interface configured to receive requests for shared rides from a plurality of users; a memory configured to store indications of passenger-capacity for specific ridesharing vehicles in the fleet; and at least one processor configured to receive information from the communications interface and access the memory The at least one processor may be further configured to assign, to ridesharing vehicles already transporting users, additional users for simultaneous transportation in the ridesharing vehicles; track a current utilized capacity of each specific ridesharing vehicle; and implement a threshold block that prevents assignment of additional users to a ridesharing vehicle when the ridesharing vehicle's current utilized capacity is above a threshold being less than the ridesharing vehicle's passenger-capacity.

Abstract: A vehicle-to-vehicle distance control device includes a delay distance calculation unit and a delay distance compensation unit. In a running scene in which the velocity of a leading vehicle changes, a delay distance generated owing to a delay in a vehicle velocity control unit is calculated, and, while a delay distance compensation vehicle velocity command to compensate for the delay distance is considered for a vehicle velocity command, an actual vehicle-to-vehicle distance is controlled to be matched with a target track from an initial value of the vehicle-to-vehicle distance until arrival at a target vehicle-to-vehicle distance obtained after the leading vehicle accelerates/decelerates.

Abstract: A system for determining a pose of a vehicle and building maps from vehicle priors processes received ground intensity LIDAR data including intensity data for points believed to be on the ground and height information to form ground intensity LIDAR (GIL) images including pixels in 2D coordinates where each pixel contains an intensity value, a height value, and x- and y-gradients of intensity and height. The GIL images are formed by filtering aggregated ground intensity LIDAR data falling into a same spatial bin on the ground and using a registration algorithm to align two GIL images relative to one another by estimating a 6-degree-of-freedom pose with associated uncertainty that minimizes error between the two GIL images. The aligned GIL images are provided as a pose estimate to a localizer. The system may provide online localization and pose estimation, prior building, and prior to prior alignment pose estimation using image-based techniques.

Abstract: The aircraft seatbelt buckle fasten indication system comprises a monitoring circuit, a plurality of tracking structures, a plurality of lap belts, and a plurality of vehicle seats. Each of the plurality of tracking structures attaches to a lap belt selected from the plurality of lap belts. Each individual tracking structure selected from the plurality of tracking structures attaches to a lap belt selected from the plurality of lap belts such that the selected individual tracking structure monitors the status of the lap belt. The status of the lap belt is selected from the group consisting of: a) the lap belt is properly fastened; and, b) the lap belt is not properly fastened. The monitoring circuit monitors each of the plurality of tracking structures to individually determine the status of each individual lap belt. The monitoring circuit provides a visual display of the status of each individual lap belt.

Abstract: An indicator for a hybrid electric powerplant for an aircraft can be configured to indicate at least an amount or percentage of a total power and/or total torque, and an amount or percentage of an electric motor power and/or electric motor torque. For example, the indicator can be a graphical user interface (GUI) of an aircraft cockpit display.

Abstract: Techniques for determining a degraded state associated with a sensor are discussed herein. For example, a sensor associated with vehicle may captured data of an environment. A portion of the data may represent a portion of the vehicle. Data associated with a region of interest can be determined based on a calibration associated with the sensor. For example, in the context of image data, image coordinates may be used to determine a region of interest, while in the context of lidar data, a beam and/or azimuth can be used to determine a region of interest. A data metric can be determined for data in the region of interest, and an action can be determined based on the data metric. For example, the action can include cleaning a sensor, scheduling maintenance, reducing a confidence associated with the data, or slowing or stopping the vehicle.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a vehicle for maneuvering a passenger to a destination autonomously. The vehicle includes one or more computing devices that receive a request for a vehicle from a client computing device. The request identifies a first location. The one or more computing devices also determine whether the first location is within a threshold outside of a service area of the vehicle. When the location is within the threshold distance outside of the service area of the vehicle, the one or more computing devices identify a second location within the service area of the vehicle where the vehicle is able to stop for a passenger and based on the first location. The one or more computing devices then provide a map and a marker identifying the position of the second location on the map for display on the client computing device.

Abstract: Operating an autonomous grounds maintenance machine includes determining a travel path for the machine to reach a destination waypoint in a zone of a work region. The travel path is analyzed for problem areas based on a predetermined terrain map. Rotations of the machine may be planned even before the machine begins to travel down the path to proactively prevent the machine from becoming trapped.

Abstract: A system for neutralization of a target aerial vehicle comprises a plurality of counter-attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and an aerial vehicle detection system comprising at least one detection sensor operable to detect the target aerial vehicle in flight. The system also comprises an aerial vehicle capture countermeasure in the form of a net tethering the plurality of counter-attack UAVs to one another. The counter-attack UAV(s) are operable to capture and neutralize the target aerial vehicle with the net. The system can comprise at least one net storage device associated with a structure and configured to store at least a portion of the net when in a stowed position, and to facilitate deployment of the net when moved to a deployed position via coordinated flight of the plurality of counter-attack UAVs based on the detected target aerial vehicle.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus are provided for a displaying a route in a first electronic device. A message is received from a second electronic device. Based on analyzing the received message, first location information including address information inputted from a user of the second electronic device is identified in the received message. The first location information is obtained from the received message. Second location information of the first electronic device is obtained. A start location is set to the obtained second location information and the destination location is set to the selected address information. Based on obtaining route information between the start location and the destination location, a route representing the obtained route information between the start location and the destination location is displayed on a display of the first electronic device.

Abstract: A vehicle remote control system includes a server including a transceiver and a controller. The transceiver is configured to receive location data from a vehicle and location data from a remote device. The controller is configured to receive an operating instruction signal from the remote device, the operating instruction signal including instructions to operate one or more components of the vehicle. A distance between the vehicle and the remote device is determined based on the location data from the vehicle and the location data from the remote device. The operating instruction signal is transmitted to the vehicle in response to a determination that the distance between the vehicle and the remote device is equal to or less than a corresponding threshold distance.