Abstract: The regenerative energy produced during the braking of a vehicle is used for powering a secondary battery, that is independent from the main battery, and, in the event of a complete failure of said main battery, allows the continued operation of the basic services such as power steering, lights, the brake servo unit, and electronics, as a result of the combined action of said autonomous system that includes a capacitor bank which powers said services either directly or via the secondary battery. The system comprises an interface of the electronic power and control unit, an electronic power and control unit, applied to the steering and pedals, and an ECU power controller and port.

Abstract: The present invention provides a vehicle control system (110) and method operable to control at least one vehicle subsystem (120, 130, 140, 150, 160) to operate in a selected one of a plurality of subsystem configuration modes. The control system is operable in a plurality of driving modes in each of which it is arranged to select the subsystem configuration mode of the at least one vehicle subsystem in a manner suitable for a respective type of driving surface. The control system uses the output of an imaging device (115) capturing the driving surface on which the vehicle is driving or will likely be driving.

Abstract: This disclosure is directed to monitoring a noise signature of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and varying the speed of the motors of the UAV to reduce unwanted sound (i.e., noise) of the UAV based on the noise signature. The noise signature of the UAV may be measured by an audio sensor of a vibration sensor, and feedback may be provided to the UAV. The UAV may generate noise during flight, which may include a number of noise components such as tonal noise (e.g., a whining noise such as a whistle of a kettle at full boil) and broadband noise (e.g., a complex mixture of sounds of different frequencies, such as the sound of ocean surf). By measuring the noise signature of the UAV, and varying the motor revolutions per minute (RPM) during flight operations, the UAV may reduce tonal components of the UAV noise signature.

Abstract: A control device in a hybrid vehicle includes a controller capable of switching, between an operating state and a non-operating state, a fuel-cut recovery control in which engine rotation speed is kept at or above a predetermined rotation speed by starting supply of fuel upon the engine rotation speed falling to the predetermined rotation speed from a state in which the engine rotation speed is higher than the predetermined rotation speed and the supply of fuel is stopped.

Abstract: A method for monitoring a door contact switch of a driver's door of a motor vehicle locked in an idle state includes detecting an unlocking of the driver's door of the motor vehicle, and detecting whether a change in a door contact signal of the door contact switch takes place after the unlocking of the driver's door. If a change in the door contact signal has been detected, a plausibility counter is initialized, otherwise the method includes detecting whether a drive unit of the motor vehicle is activated. A “door contact implausible” state is established and the plausibility counter (P) is incremented if the activation of the drive unit has been detected in step d).

Abstract: A lane assist system for a motor vehicle can be activated and deactivated and allows steering intervention on an axle by use of a superimposed steering system. The lane assist system, when activated, is designed to reduce the translation ratio of the superimposed steering system by a factor between 5 and 15.

Abstract: An entry point card displayed within a mapping application viewport may display context and other data based on a calendar appointment and other data that the user might, predictably, want to search for upon opening the mapping application. Using appointment information from a calendar application, an entry point card might display a time the user must leave his current location in order to make the appointment on time. Or, using a history of the user's routine errands or trips, the entry point card may display predicted information. For example, the card may display an amount of time to get to work or other information.

Abstract: A drive assist system includes: a movable body (20) in which drive assist is performed by an assist device (40, 50, 60) and which includes a movable body holding unit (23); an external holding unit (14) located outside the movable body (20); and a controller (22) configured to determine whether or not an operation position where the assist device (40, 50, 60) operates is related to the operation of the assist device (40, 50, 60), select the external holding unit (14) as a unit in which the operation result of the assist device (40, 50, 60) is to be held when it is determined that the operation position is not related to the operation of the assist device (40, 50, 60), and select the movable body holding unit (23) as the unit in which the operation result of the assist device (40, 50, 60) is to be held when it is determined that the operation position is related to the operation of the assist device (40, 50, 60).

Abstract: A system, and related methods and devices, is disclosed for documenting a location of installed equipment. The system includes a mobile reader and a memory. The mobile reader is configured to read a unique identification of an equipment unit and to determine a location of the equipment unit while proximate the equipment unit. The location and the unique identification of the equipment unit is associated and stored in the memory. The memory may be located in the mobile reader or in a remotely located database. The mobile reader may be an optical reader configured to read the unique identification from an optical barcode associated with the equipment unit, or the mobile reader may be an RFID reader configured to read the unique identification from an RFID tag associated with the equipment unit.

Abstract: A device that can house a remote control for activating or controlling one or more features or functions of a vehicle. The device securely holds the remote control and upon reception of a command, operates to control a boom, actuator and pin such that the pin is moved over a particular button of the remote control, and then pressed for a requested period of time. A serious of commands or complex commands can result in causing multiple pressing patterns of the various buttons of the remote control. Thus, the features or functions of the vehicle can be activated remotely.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting location information using a navigation algorithm are provided. The method includes searching for neighboring Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites, receiving, if at least one GPS satellite is detected, pseudo-range information from at least one of the detected GPS satellites and storing the received pseudo-range information, calculating a displacement of a pedestrian terminal based on step detection of a pedestrian, correcting the calculated displacement of the pedestrian terminal using the received pseudo-range information, and measuring the location of the pedestrian terminal is measured using the corrected displacement.

Abstract: An information update system is provided with a vehicle (10), a plurality of charger (20), and a server apparatus (30). The vehicle applies a first signature to position information associated with the vehicle, and transmits to a charger when a battery is charged. The charger applies a second signature to the position information with the first signature applied thereto. The charger further transmits, to the vehicle, identification information associated with the charger with a third signature applied thereto. The vehicle further applies a fourth signature to the identification information. The vehicle or the charger transmits to the server apparatus the position information with the first signature and the second signature applied thereto, and the identification information with the third signature and the fourth signature applied thereto. The server apparatus updates stored position information on the basis of the transmitted position information and the transmitted identification information.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a control system for a hybrid electric vehicle having an engine (121) and first (123C) and second (123B) electric machines operable as propulsion motors. The second electric machine is arranged to be drivably coupled to the engine, the engine being arranged to be drivably coupled to a driveline of the vehicle by clutch means (122).

Abstract: A method for operating a motor vehicle using a control unit during operation of a fully-automatic driver assistance system is designed to guide the vehicle independently of the driver. The control unit actuates a drive unit and/or a brake unit during operation of said driver assistance system such that the motor vehicle maintains a predefined distance to a vehicle in front which is detected as a target object, the control unit also actuating the actuation unit of a steering system such that the motor vehicle is kept within its own detected lane. If the vehicle in front, detected as the target object, leaves the detected lane and if there is no new preceding vehicle, a braking action is performed.

Abstract: Systems and methods for assisting in coupling a vehicle and a trailer include at least one sensing device disposed on the vehicle. A first coupling is coupled the vehicle and a second coupling is coupled to the trailer. A controller in communication with the at least one sensing device is configured to identify a spatial location of the first coupling. The controller is also configured to determine a spatial location of the second coupling using data from the at least one sensing device. The controller may also calculate a path between the spatial location of the first coupling and the spatial location of the second coupling and convey the path for facilitating movement of the first coupling toward the second coupling.

Abstract: A traveling controller of a delivery vehicle includes a command generator and an acceptable value calculator. The acceptable value calculator calculates a command acceptable value based on a current position of the delivery vehicle. An acceptable value determiner of the command generator determines whether a command position generated by a command position generator exceeds the command acceptable value. When the command position is determined to exceed the command acceptable value, a command position changer of the command generator changes the command position to the command acceptable value.

Abstract: A method for controlling a recuperation power of a recuperation-capable drive of a motor vehicle includes first determining a future temperature-control effort that represents the energy required to cool or heat the motor vehicle, and then conducting to a temperature-control device a temperature-control proportion of a recuperation power that has been extracted from the kinetic energy of the motor vehicle. The temperature-control device uses the temperature-control proportion of the converted recuperation power to heat or cool a motor vehicle interior of the motor vehicle. The magnitude of the temperature-control proportion is controlled based on the future temperature-control effort. An increasing temperature-control proportion is conducted to the temperature-control device in response to an increasing temperature-control effort.

Abstract: A system and method for mapping parameter data acquired by a robot mapping system is disclosed. Parameter data characterizing the environment is collected while the robot localizes itself within the environment using landmarks. Parameter data is recorded in a plurality of local grids, i.e., sub-maps associated with the robot position and orientation when the data was collected. The robot is configured to generate new grids or reuse existing grids depending on the robot's current pose, the pose associated with other grids, and the uncertainty of these relative pose estimates. The pose estimates associated with the grids are updated over time as the robot refines its estimates of the locations of landmarks from which determines its pose in the environment. Occupancy maps or other global parameter maps may be generated by rendering local grids into a comprehensive map indicating the parameter data in a global reference frame extending the dimensions of the environment.

Abstract: Provided are a system and method for complex navigation using dead reckoning and a global positioning system capable of enhancing robustness of positioning by compensating for discontinuity of GPS reception data. The system for complex navigation using dead reckoning (DR) and a global positioning system (GPS) includes a GPS receiving unit configured to receive GPS data, a DR unit configured to generate DR information by using a wheel speed, a steering angle, and a yaw rate, a buffer unit configured to store the DR information, and a filter unit configured to generate positioning information of a moving object by using at least one of output information from the GPS receiving unit and the DR information stored in the buffer unit.

Abstract: A departure/destination location extraction apparatus includes a travel history accumulation unit configured to store a travel history of a vehicle, including a plurality of parking positions of the vehicle; and a position extraction unit configured to extract, among the parking positions stored in the travel history accumulation unit, one or more pairs of the parking positions where a distance between the parking positions in each of the pairs of the parking positions is less than or equal to a predetermined first threshold, each of the pairs being treated as a set of candidate points, and to extract an area including the candidate points that would be connected as a whole if the parking positions in each of the sets were connected with each other, as at least one of a departure location and a destination location.