Abstract: A battery electric vehicle (BEV) is provided that includes a vehicle frame and a power train carried by the vehicle frame and configured to provide motive force to the BEV in response to electrical power provided thereto. The BEV also includes a battery system that includes a battery controller and one or more batteries responsive to battery control signals provided by the battery controller in order to provide the electrical power to the power train. The BEV further includes an internal combustion engine (ICE) system to extend a range of the BEV. The ICE system includes a plurality of ICE components including an ICE and a generator driven by the ICE. The BEV additionally includes an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to receive on board diagnostic (OBD) signals from the ICE system and signals from the battery system for meeting OBD requirements.

Abstract: Provided herein is an apparatus, system, and method for automatically adjusting suspension height of a vehicle based on the status of at least one wheel. Methods can include: determining, with at least one sensor, a status of at least one wheel of a vehicle; identify a suspension height of at least one remaining wheel of the vehicle other than the at least one wheel; and adjusting the suspension height of the at least one remaining wheel using a suspension system including a plurality of height-adjustable springs, each of the plurality of height-adjustable springs associated with a respective wheel of the vehicle to change the status of the at least one wheel.

Abstract: Provided herein is an apparatus, system, and method for reducing a power drawn by a winch as it pulls a vehicle. Methods can include: receiving an indication to operate a vehicle in a winch mode; detecting movement of the vehicle caused by a force from a winch of the vehicle; determining of a speed of movement of the vehicle caused by the force from the winch pulling the vehicle; and providing for control of at least one driven wheel of the vehicle to rotate at a speed corresponding to the speed of movement of the vehicle within a predefined degree of similarity. According to some embodiments the speed of movement of the vehicle is determined based at least in part on a speed of rotation of at least one wheel not being driven by the powertrain of the vehicle.

Abstract: Provided herein is an apparatus and system including a fluid control system for suspension control that is also employed to circulate lubricating oil for an internal combustion engine. A vehicle may include a fluid pump that includes at least two distinct pump circuits, namely, a first distinct pump circuit and a second distinct pump circuit; a valve control block; and at least one fluid damped suspension damper. The first distinct pump circuit of the fluid pump is in fluid communication with at least one fluid damped suspension damper. The second distinct pump circuit of the fluid pump is in fluid communication via the valve control block with an oil circulation system of an internal combustion engine.

Abstract: The invention describes a generic framework for hand-eye calibration of camera-guided apparatuses, wherein the rigid 3D transformation between the apparatus and the camera must be determined. An example of such an apparatus is a camera-guided robot.

Abstract: A method for evaluating signals of a sensor unit including at least two sensors. The method includes reading in a first sensor value of a first of the sensors and a second sensor value of a second sensor, the first and second sensor value each representing one parameter of a substance to be measured by the sensors or a linking of the parameters. A threshold value range is read in, which maps a range of combinations of at least the first and second sensor values, which represents the presence or a value of the substance to be measured in surroundings of the first and second sensors. A combination of the read-in first and second sensor values is recognized as being outside the threshold value range. The threshold value range is changed into a changed threshold value range so that the combination is situated within the changed threshold value range.

Abstract: The invention describes a generic framework for hand-eye calibration of camera-guided apparatuses, wherein the rigid 3D transformation between the apparatus and the camera must be determined. An example of such an apparatus is a camera-guided robot.

Abstract: A method for evaluating signals of a sensor unit including at least two sensors. The method includes reading in a first sensor value of a first of the sensors and a second sensor value of a second sensor, the first and second sensor value each representing one parameter of a substance to be measured by the sensors or a linking of the parameters. A threshold value range is read in, which maps a range of combinations of at least the first and second sensor values, which represents the presence or a value of the substance to be measured in surroundings of the first and second sensors. A combination of the read-in first and second sensor values is recognized as being outside the threshold value range. The threshold value range is changed into a changed threshold value range so that the combination is situated within the changed threshold value range.

Abstract: In this invention, systems and methods are described that allow performing stereo reconstruction with line-scan cameras in general configurations. Consequently, the cumbersome exact alignment of the sensor lines becomes superfluous. The proposed method requires that telecentric lenses instead of perspective lenses are mounted on the line-scan cameras. In this case, the images can be accurately rectified with stereo rectification. The rectified images can be used to perform an efficient stereo matching. The method comprises a camera model and a calibration procedure that allow to precisely model the imaging process, also including the modelling of lens distortions even if the sensor lines are not exactly mounted behind the principal points. This ensures a high accuracy of the resulting 3D reconstruction.

Abstract: In this invention, systems and methods are described that allow performing stereo reconstruction with line-scan cameras in general configurations. Consequently, the cumbersome exact alignment of the sensor lines becomes superfluous. The proposed method requires that telecentric lenses instead of perspective lenses are mounted on the line-scan cameras. In this case, the images can be accurately rectified with stereo rectification. The rectified images can be used to perform an efficient stereo matching. The method comprises a camera model and a calibration procedure that allow to precisely model the imaging process, also including the modelling of lens distortions even if the sensor lines are not exactly mounted behind the principal points. This ensures a high accuracy of the resulting 3D reconstruction.

Abstract: A method for adapting a matching model of an object comprising the step of providing an electronic image of the object; providing a matching model of the object, the matching model consisting of a plurality of points; determining a pose of the object in said electronic image by using a matching approach that uses said matching model; transforming the matching model according to said pose, yielding a transformed model; determining for at least one point of said transformed model a corresponding point in said electronic image; and adapting the matching model according to the at least one determined corresponding point.

Abstract: A method for adapting a matching model of an object comprising the step of providing an electronic image of the object; providing a matching model of the object, the matching model consisting of a plurality of points; determining a pose of the object in said electronic image by using a matching approach that uses said matching model; transforming the matching model according to said pose, yielding a transformed model; determining for at least one point of said transformed model a corresponding point in said electronic image; and adapting the matching model according to the at least one determined corresponding point.

Abstract: The invention relates to a pumping device (20) for supplying an exhaust gas aftertreament system (10) of an internal combustion engine with a reductant (14), in particular with a urea-water solution, in order to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the exhaust gas flow of the internal combustion engine, comprising a motor (32) for driving two pumps (22, 24). According to the invention, the first pump (22) is connected to the motor (32) by means of a first coupling, and the second pump (24) is connected to the motor by means of a second coupling. In a preferred embodiment, the couplings are designed as freewheel couplings (26, 28) acting in opposite directions, so that a switch between a “pumping state” and a “suck-back state” can be made by simply reversing the direction of rotation of the motor (32).

Abstract: The invention provides a method for recognizing instances of a 3D object in 3D scene data and scene intensity data and for determining the 3D poses of said instances comprising the following steps: (a) providing 3D object data and obtaining object intensity data; (b) providing 3D scene data and scene intensity data; (c) extracting scene feature points from the intensity data; (d) selecting at least one reference point from the 3D scene data; (e) computing, for each selected reference point, pose candidates for the 3D object under the assumption that said reference point is part of the 3D object by maximizing the number of extracted scene feature points that are consistent with the 3D object under the given pose candidate; (f) computing a set of filtered poses from the pose candidates.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for recognizing instances of a 3D object in 3D scene data and for determining the 3D poses of said instances comprising the following steps: (a) providing 3D scene data; (b) selecting at least one reference point from the 3D scene data; (c) computing, for each selected reference point, pose candidates for the 3D object under the assumption that said reference point is part of the 3D object; and (d) computing a set of filtered poses from the pose candidates.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for recognizing instances of a 3D object in 3D scene data and scene intensity data and for determining the 3D poses of said instances comprising the following steps: (a) providing 3D object data and obtaining object intensity data; (b) providing 3D scene data and scene intensity data; (c) extracting scene feature points from the intensity data; (d) selecting at least one reference point from the 3D scene data; (e) computing, for each selected reference point, pose candidates for the 3D object under the assumption that said reference point is part of the 3D object by maximizing the number of extracted scene feature points that are consistent with the 3D object under the given pose candidate; (f) computing a set of filtered poses from the pose candidates.

Abstract: The invention relates to a sensor arrangement for determining a tank fill level of a liquid, especially a reducing agent for removing nitrogen from the exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine, which liquid is contained in a tank, at least two electrically conductive measuring electrodes being at least partially embedded in a carrier that is produced of an electrically non-conductive material. The sensor arrangement includes a temperature sensor, especially a resistor with negative temperature coefficient being used as a temperature sensor, which is integrated into the carrier.

Abstract: The invention relates to a pumping device (20) for supplying an exhaust gas aftertreament system (10) of an internal combustion engine with a reductant (14), in particular with a urea-water solution, in order to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the exhaust gas flow of the internal combustion engine, comprising a motor (32) for driving two pumps (22, 24). According to the invention, the first pump (22) is connected to the motor (32) by means of a first coupling, and the second pump (24) is connected to the motor by means of a second coupling. In a preferred embodiment, the couplings are designed as freewheel couplings (26, 28) acting in opposite directions, so that a switch between a “pumping state” and a “suck-back state” can be made by simply reversing the direction of rotation of the motor (32).

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for recognizing a 3D object in a single camera image and for determining the 3D pose of the object with respect to the camera coordinate system. In one typical application, the 3D pose is used to make a robot pick up the object. A view-based approach is presented that does not show the drawbacks of previous methods because it is robust to image noise, object occlusions, clutter, and contrast changes. Furthermore, the 3D pose is determined with a high accuracy. Finally, the presented method allows the recognition of the 3D object as well as the determination of its 3D pose in a very short computation time, making it also suitable for real-time applications. These improvements are achieved by the methods disclosed herein.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for recognizing instances of a 3D object in 3D scene data and for determining the 3D poses of said instances comprising the following steps: (a) providing 3D scene data; (b) selecting at least one reference point from the 3D scene data; (c) computing, for each selected reference point, pose candidates for the 3D object under the assumption that said reference point is part of the 3D object; and (d) computing a set of filtered poses from the pose candidates.