Abstract: Systems and methods for latency-tolerant assistance of autonomous vehicles (AVs) are described herein. In one aspect, a computer-implemented method for receiving latency-tolerant assistance of an AV can include receiving sensory data from the AV; detecting from the sensory data a trigger for assistance; generating a request for assistance including at least a portion of the sensory data of the AV; receiving, in response to the request for assistance, an operator command for responding to the trigger for assistance; and initiating one or more actuation commands via an actuation subsystem of the AV in response to the received operator command.

Abstract: Systems and methods for testing, training, and instructing autonomous vehicles (AVs) are described herein. In one aspect, a computer-implemented method for live testing an AV including generating one or more test objects from a stored set of test objects, test object attributes, or a combination thereof; superimposing the one or more test objects on sensory data received from one or more sensors of the AV and corresponding to an external environment of the AV; and testing one or more software subsystems of the AV, in a manual mode, a partially autonomous mode or a fully autonomous mode, with the sensory data after superimposition.

Abstract: A vehicle and a system and method of operating the vehicle based on a gesture made by a traffic director. The system includes a camera and at least one neural network. The camera obtains an image of a flag operator. The at least one neural network is to generates an encoded hand vector based on a configuration of a hand of the traffic director from the image, combines a skeleton of the traffic director generated from the image and the encoded hand vector to generate a representation vector, and predicts a gesture of the traffic director from the representation vector.

Abstract: A control system of a vehicle includes: a target speed module configured to, using a parametric driver model and based on first driver parameters, second driver parameters, and vehicle parameters, determine a target vehicle speed trajectory for a future predetermined period; a driver parameters module configured to determine the first driver parameters based on conditions within a predetermined distance in front of the vehicle; and a control module configured to adjust at least one actuator of the vehicle based on the target vehicle speed trajectory and a present vehicle speed.

Abstract: A vehicle and a system and method of operating the vehicle based on a gesture made by a traffic director. The system includes a camera and at least one neural network. The camera obtains an image of a flag operator. The at least one neural network is to generates an encoded hand vector based on a configuration of a hand of the traffic director from the image, combines a skeleton of the traffic director generated from the image and the encoded hand vector to generate a representation vector, and predicts a gesture of the traffic director from the representation vector.

Abstract: A method for controlling automated driving operations of a vehicle includes determining vehicle origin and destination data, and generating a graphical representation of a road network with multiple candidate routes between the vehicle's origin and destination. Road-level data, including speed, turn angle, and/or gradient data, is received for each candidate route, and respective total energy uses are estimated for the vehicle to traverse across the candidate routes. Multiple candidate driving strategies, each having respective speed and acceleration profiles, are determined for the candidate route with the lowest estimated total energy use. An optimal candidate driving strategy is selected through a cost evaluation of the associated speed and acceleration profiles and forward movement simulations of the vehicle over a prediction horizon.

Abstract: A control system of a vehicle includes: a target speed module configured to, using a parametric driver model and based on first driver parameters, second driver parameters, and vehicle parameters, determine a target vehicle speed trajectory for a future predetermined period; a driver parameters module configured to determine the first driver parameters based on conditions within a predetermined distance in front of the vehicle; and a control module configured to adjust at least one actuator of the vehicle based on the target vehicle speed trajectory and a present vehicle speed.

Abstract: A method for controlling automated driving operations of a vehicle includes determining vehicle origin and destination data, and generating a graphical representation of a road network with multiple candidate routes between the vehicle's origin and destination. Road-level data, including speed, turn angle, and/or gradient data, is received for each candidate route, and respective total energy uses are estimated for the vehicle to traverse across the candidate routes. Multiple candidate driving strategies, each having respective speed and acceleration profiles, are determined for the candidate route with the lowest estimated total energy use. An optimal candidate driving strategy is selected through a cost evaluation of the associated speed and acceleration profiles and forward movement simulations of the vehicle over a prediction horizon.

Abstract: An energy efficient task scheduler for use with a processor that provides multiple reduced energy use modes. In one embodiment, a system for executing tasks includes a processor and a task scheduler. The processor provides a plurality of different reduced energy use modes. The task scheduler is executable by the processor to schedule execution a plurality of sleep tasks. Each of the sleep tasks corresponds to a different one of the reduced energy use modes. The task scheduler is executable by the processor to execute each of the sleep tasks, and as part of the execution of the sleep task to: place the processor in the reduced energy use mode corresponding to the sleep task, and exit the corresponding reduced energy use mode at suspension of the sleep task.

Abstract: Managing task execution in a multi-core processor may be achieved by employing a spinlock and a multi-processor priority ceiling protocol. The spinlock may be employed to effect a dynamically enforceable mutual exclusion constraint. The multi-processor priority ceiling protocol may be employed to effect the dynamically enforceable mutual exclusion constraint to synchronize a plurality of tasks executing in the first and second processing cores of the multi-core processor.

Abstract: A system and method for efficiently and continuously allowing vehicles to travel through an intersection. The method includes broadcasting a synchronization signal to all vehicles that will be entering the intersection and broadcasting an intersection flow time to all of the vehicles that will be entering the intersection that identifies which travel lanes travel in what direction. The method also includes identifying an arrival synchronization pattern for all of the vehicles that will be entering the intersection and controlling a speed of the vehicles traveling through the intersection and a time for the vehicles entering the intersection so that vehicles traveling in perpendicular or cross directions to the intersection will simultaneously travel through the intersection without colliding with each other.

Abstract: A method for managing task execution in a multi-core processor includes employing a spinlock to effect a dynamically enforceable mutual exclusion constraint and employing a multi-processor priority ceiling protocol to effect the dynamically enforceable mutual exclusion constraint to synchronize a plurality of tasks executing in the first and second processing cores of the multi-core processor.

Abstract: A system and method for efficiently and continuously allowing vehicles to travel through an intersection. The method includes broadcasting a synchronization signal to all vehicles that will be entering the intersection and broadcasting an intersection flow time to all of the vehicles that will be entering the intersection that identifies which travel lanes travel in what direction. The method also includes identifying an arrival synchronization pattern for all of the vehicles that will be entering the intersection and controlling a speed of the vehicles traveling through the intersection and a time for the vehicles entering the intersection so that vehicles traveling in perpendicular or cross directions to the intersection will simultaneously travel through the intersection without colliding with each other.

Abstract: A method for resource management in a real-time data processing system. Multiple tasks having potentially different resource data processing resource requirements are scheduled to run concurrently. A first subset of tasks are defined as reservation activities, each having specified parameters for determining priority among other reservation activities. Specified reservation activity parameters may include a resource consumption amount, execution time period, deadline, start time and/or reservation lifetime. The system also supports resource allocation among fixed-priority activities, such as may be legacy interrupt-driven or operating system tasks. The fixed-priority activities may themselves have fixed priorities with respect to other fixed priority activities. The fixed priority activities may themselves execute importantly at collective priority which is less than those allocated for at least one of the reservation activities.

Abstract: This invention is an arbitration scheme for a token-based communications medium which is intended for use when there are timing deadlines for transactions on the medium. Initially knowledge of the expected workload is used to determine for each module its priority as well as the limit on the duration of time lower priority modules can be permitted to use the medium between request and completion of a transaction for this module. A count is maintained for each module of the number of data units that has been transferred on the medium by lower priority modules since the time this module last requested the medium. A module can transmit a selected number of data units if it has the token and the count of none of its higher priority modules has reached a corresponding limit.