Zoox, Inc.

Range Energy Inc.

Collin MacGregor

Andreas Christian Reschka

Matthew Daniel Lopez

Sy Kelly Olson

Jefferson Bradfield Packer

Ali Javidan

Udayan Pushparaj Karmarkar

Kyle Foley

Ryan Flatland

Joseph Funke

Moritz Boecker

Chang Gi Samuel Hong

David Sands

Lilith Rogue Automata

Bryan S Booth

Derek Redfern

Aaron Rosekind

Radhika Jitendra Patel

Darrin Sammons Willis

Kristofer Sven Smeds

Ravi Verma Gogna

Janek Hudecek

Guillermo Duenas Arana

David Martins Belo

Nehemia Girma Terefe

Austin Hendrix

Michael Isaac Mizrahi

He Yi

Thomas Bernard Gacka

Sandra Ruiz

Kyle Pollard

Matthew Nathaniel Dickerson

Nathaniel John Villaume

Bryan Booth

Gonzalo Javier Rey

Arturo Bautista

Jason Chua

Ganapathy Sankararaman

Matthew Ambrose Romlewski

Joshua Paul Munic

Janakan Chandrakumar

Timothy Henry Jung

Oliver Fielding Douglas

Robert Alan Ng

Adam Smith

Aravind Sarma Vadali

Eric Yu-Chieh Shyu

Clement Ching-Fai Lee

Bobby Ng

Techniques for controlling a vehicle to safely perform a maneuver are discussed herein. For example, techniques can include determining, based on diagnostic data associated with the vehicle, a first constraint to be applied by a vehicle system of the vehicle. At a first instance, the first constraint may be transmitted to the vehicle system. The systems and/or methods may determine an absence of an action by the vehicle that is associated with first constraint and determine a second constraint to be applied by the vehicle system. At a second instance, the second constraint may be transmitted to the vehicle system. The second constraint may be associated with an emergency stop to ensure the safety of passengers within the vehicle and persons and objects in a surrounding environment.

Fault detection and monitor for issuing vehicle constraints

One variation of a system for power distribution of a trailer includes: a trailer chassis; a driven axle suspended from the trailer chassis; and a motor coupled to the driven axle. The system further includes a battery assembly coupled to the trailer chassis and configured to supply electrical energy to the motor to drive the driven axle and source electrical energy from the motor to slow motion of the driven axle. The system also includes a charging panel coupled to the trailer chassis and configured to couple to an external charging element. The system further includes a panel actuator configured to advance the charging panel from the trailer chassis to an open position to form a target gap between the external charging element and the charging panel and to retract the charging panel to a closed position to decouple the charging panel from the external charging element.

System for power supply, power generation, and power distribution of a trailer

Techniques for providing remote guidance to a vehicle operating in an environment, by an operator located in the environment, are described herein. The operator can include a safety observer configured to observe one or more vehicles operating in the environment and may identify a scenario that requires a modification to a vehicle operation (e.g., stop forward movement, change direction of travel, modify a maximum speed, etc.). The operator may access a graphical user interface (GUI) via an operator computing device, and may input a constraint to modify the vehicle operation. The vehicle computing system may receive a control signal including the constraint, and may modify a vehicle trajectory based on the constraint. The vehicle computing system may later determine that a condition associated with the constraint is satisfied, and may continue vehicular operation in absence of the constraint.

Remote vehicle guidance

Techniques are discussed herein for detecting and managing faults occurring within various vehicle systems, to enable the vehicle to respond safely and appropriately to the faults. In examples, a constraint generator may receive sensor data associated with the operation of a vehicle in an environment. The constraint generator may perturb the sensor data to mimic particular sensor faults, and execute simulations to determine performance degradations of the vehicle systems associated with the particular sensor faults. Based on the performance degradations associated with sensor faults, the constraint generator may determine the appropriate constraints with limitations on the operation of the vehicle, and communicate the constraint parameters to the appropriate vehicle systems accordingly.

Vehicle constraint generation

One variation of a system includes a bogie including: a chassis; a first set of latches configured to transiently engage a first subset of engagement features, in a first array of engagement features on a left rail and in a second array of engagement features on a right rail of the trailer, to retain the bogie below a floor of the trailer; a driven axle suspended from the chassis; and a motor coupled to the driven axle and configured to output torque to the driven axle and regeneratively brake the driven axle. The system further includes a battery assembly: including a second set of latches configured to transiently engage a second subset of engagement features, in the first array of engagement features and in the second array of engagement features, to retain the battery assembly adjacent the bogie; and configured to receive electrical energy from the motor.

Modular system for dynamic tow and regenerative braking of a trailer

Techniques for enabling operation of a vehicle after detecting a fault associated with a component of the vehicle are described herein. A vehicle computing system can monitor components of the vehicle and identify a fault associated with a component. Based on the fault, the vehicle computing system can cause the vehicle to cease (e.g., stop) or limit operation in an environment. The vehicle computing system can receive a request to override the fault and continue operation of the vehicle in a recovery mode with limited parameters (e.g., limited speed, acceleration, etc.). Based on a determination that the request to override the fault is valid, the vehicle computing system can cause the vehicle to be controlled, by an operator or an autonomous controller, according to parameters of the recovery mode.

Limited vehicular operation with a faulted component

A lighting system of a vehicle may include light units and controllers for operating the light units. Each light unit is multifunctional in that the light unit may operate in various modes, which may be invoked at different times under varying circumstances. A light unit on the first end of a vehicle may operate as a headlight if the first end is the front end of the vehicle. On the other hand, the light unit may operate as a tail light if the first end is the rear end of the vehicle. Furthermore, the light unit may operate as a turn signal in either direction or brake light while the first end is the rear end of the vehicle. The light unit includes a lens array positioned to receive light from various light sources. The lighting system may operate in a fashion that allows for lighting redundancy on each end of the vehicle in the event of a lighting controller failure.

Vehicle lighting with redundant control

One variation of a method includes, during a first time period: detecting a direction of motion of a trailer; detecting a first force applied to a kingpin; detecting an incline angle of the trailer; calculating a first target preload force opposite the direction of motion and inversely proportional to the incline angle; and in response to the first force falling below the first target preload force, triggering a motor to increase torque output opposite the direction of motion. The method further includes, during a second time period: detecting a second force applied to the kingpin; detecting a decline angle of the trailer; calculating a second target preload force opposite the direction of motion and inversely proportional to the decline angle; and in response to the second force falling below the second target preload force, triggering the motor to increase torque output opposite the direction of motion.

System and method for dynamic tow of a trailer

The present disclosure is directed to performing one or more validity checks on potential trajectories for a device, such as an autonomous vehicle, to navigate. In some examples, a potential trajectory may be validated based on whether it is consistent with a current trajectory the vehicle is navigating such that the potential and current trajectories are not too different, whether the vehicle can feasibly or kinematically navigate to the potential trajectory from a current state, whether the potential trajectory was punctual or received within a time period of a prior trajectory, and/or whether the potential trajectory passes a staleness check, such that it was created within a certain time period. In some examples, determining whether a potential trajectory is feasibly may include updating a set of feasibility limits based on one or more operational characteristics of statuses of subsystems of the vehicle.

Modifying limits on vehicle dynamics for trajectories

Techniques for determining whether to limit an operation of a vehicle while operating in a manually assisted mode of operation are described herein. A vehicle computing system can monitor components of the vehicle and identify a fault associated with a component. The vehicle computing system can determine whether the fault is associated with a manual operation of the vehicle. Based on a determination that the fault is not associated with the manual operation of the vehicle (e.g., fault associated with an autonomous control component), the vehicle computing system can override the fault and enable continued operation of the vehicle in the manually assisted mode of operation. Based on a determination that the fault is associated with the manual operation of the vehicle, the vehicle computing system can cause the vehicle to cease operating.

Manual operation vehicle constraints

Techniques for identifying a constraint to apply to an operation of a vehicle are described herein. A vehicle computing system receives diagnostics and constraints associated with components of the vehicle. The vehicle computing system identifies constraints to apply to vehicular operation based on the received diagnostics and constraints. The vehicle computing system may determine whether a received constraint is valid, based on associated diagnostics. Based on a determination that the constraint is valid, the vehicle computing system may include the constraint in vehicle control considerations. Based on a determination that the constraint is invalid, the vehicle computing system may withhold the constraint from vehicle control considerations.

Vehicle operating constraints

Testing autonomous vehicle control systems in the real world can be difficult, because creating and re-creating physical scenarios for repeated testing may be impractical. In some implementations, detailed map data and data acquired through driving in a region can be used to identify similar segments of a drivable surface. Simulation scenarios used to test one of the similar segments may be used to test other of the similar segments. The driving data may also be used to generate and/or validate the simulation scenarios, e.g., by re-creating scenarios encountered while driving in a first segment in a simulation scenario for use in the second segment and comparing simulated driving behavior with the driving data.

Simulating autonomous driving using map data and driving data

Performance anomalies in autonomous vehicle can be difficult to identify, and the impact of such anomalies on systems within the autonomous vehicle may be difficult to understand. In examples, systems of the autonomous vehicle are modeled as nodes in a probabilistic graphical network. Probabilities of data generated at each of the nodes is determined. The probabilities are used to determine capabilities associated with higher level functions of the autonomous vehicle.

Methods and systems to assess vehicle capabilities

A vehicle may include a primary system for generating data to control the vehicle and a secondary system that validates the data and/or other data to avoid collisions. For example, the primary system may localize the vehicle, detect an object around the vehicle, predict an object trajectory, and generate a trajectory for the vehicle. The secondary system may localize the vehicle, detect an object around the vehicle, predict an object trajectory, and determine a likelihood of a collision of the vehicle with the object. A simulation system may generate simulation scenarios that test aspects of the primary system and the secondary system. Simulation scenarios may include simulated vehicle control data that causes the primary system to generate a driving trajectory and simulated object data that causes the secondary system to determine a collision.

Systems and methods for testing collision avoidance systems

The described techniques relate to coordinating and managing faults of systems of a vehicle, such as an autonomous vehicle, to enable the vehicle to respond safely and appropriately to the faults. In examples, a centralized fault monitor system receives faults from different vehicle systems, maps the received faults to associated fault constraints, prioritizes different and shared parameters between the fault constraints, and communicates the constraint parameters to appropriate vehicle systems accordingly.

Fault coordination and management

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Foster City, CA, United States of America

Collin MacGregor