Lyft, Inc.

Kitty Hawk Corporation

Woven Planet North America, Inc.

Woven by Toyota, U.s., Inc.

George James Hansel

James Allen-White Hoffacker

Yi Lu

Helen Ruth Lurie

Forrest Samuel Briggs

Gerard Joyce

Dhruv Lamba

Phillip Sawbridge

Corey Frederick Bangs

Palak Talwar

Chi Hoon Lee

Brian Thomas McGinn

Osama M Salem

Damon Vander Lind

A battery ejection system is disclosed. The battery ejection system comprises a pressure vessel, a battery submodule positioned at least partway in the pressure vessel and configured to release gas into the pressure vessel, and a seal of the pressure vessel configured to release in the event a pressure level in the pressure vessel exceeds a threshold pressure level. The battery submodule is configured to be ejected from an electrical connection in the event the seal is released.

Pressure-based battery ejection system

In particular embodiments, a computing system may receive, by a processor in communication with an actuator of a vehicle, an instruction associated with an environment external to the vehicle and configured for controlling the actuator of the vehicle. The system may receive, by the processor, sensor data associated with the environment and generated by one or more sensors associated with the vehicle. The system may determine, by the processor, a state associated with an operation mode of the vehicle based on the received sensor data. The system may evaluate, by the processor, whether the instruction is invalid based on the state associated with the operating mode of the vehicle. The system may, subsequent to determining that the instruction is invalid, based on the evaluation, prevent transmission of the instruction to the actuator of the vehicle.

Secure communication between vehicle components via bus guardians

In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a volatile memory module configured to store vehicle data, and a refrigeration module coupled to the volatile memory module. The refrigeration module includes one or more chambers containing one or more coolant materials. When the one or more chambers are exposed by an exigent situation associated with a vehicle, the one or more chambers are configured to release the one or more coolant materials to lower a temperature of the volatile memory module.

Black box with volatile memory caching

In one embodiment, a method includes, by a computing device of a first sensor receiving synchronization information from a controller. The synchronization information being generated based on a clock of the controller. The method also includes determining, based on the synchronization information, a first offset between a first clock of the first sensor and the clock of the controller; storing the first offset; and synchronizing, based on the stored first offset and the first clock of the first sensor, a first data capture by the first sensor with a second data capture by a second sensor. The first data capture and the second data capture being requested by the controller.

Systems and methods for synchronizing sensor capture

In one embodiment, a computing system receives sensor data from one or more sensors of a vehicle. The computing system determines a metric associated with the vehicle based on the received sensor data. The computing system determines, based on the metric, a length of a transmission cycle of a communication network of the vehicle. The transmission cycle comprises one or more scheduled time periods dedicated for transmitting data from respective first nodes in the communication network. The computing system configures the communication network of the vehicle based at least in part on the length of the transmission cycle to adjust respective occurrence frequencies of the scheduled time periods over multiple instances of the transmission cycle.

Transmission schedule segmentation and prioritization

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving data from one or more sensors associated with a vehicle; and receiving a message from a first processor. The message from the first processor includes a first control command for an actuator of the vehicle and a first certificate function. The method also includes receiving a message from the second processor. The message from the second processor includes a second control command for the actuator of the vehicle and a second certificate function. The method also includes computing a first certificate based on the first certificate function and the data; computing a second certificate based on the second certificate function and the data; determining a valid control signal based on an accuracy of the first second control command and second control command relative the first certificate and second certificate; and transmitting the valid control signal to the actuator of the vehicle.

Control redundancy

In one embodiment, a computing system of an autonomous vehicle may receive a first set of data packets on one or more networks. The computing system may analyze the data packets to determine, for each packet, one or more of an authenticity, a validity, or a correctness of the data packet. The computing system may perform a first action for the first set of data packets based on the analysis. The first action may include signaling a safety driver of the autonomous vehicle to take over manual control of the vehicle in response to the data packets failing to satisfy the one or more of the authenticity, the validity, or the correctness criteria.

In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a volatile memory module configured to store vehicle data; a non-volatile memory module coupled to the volatile memory module; and an energy-storage module configured to provide power to the volatile memory module and the non-volatile memory module during a data transfer between the volatile memory module and the non-volatile memory module. The energy is provided to the non-volatile memory module for writing the vehicle data to non-volatile memory. The apparatus further includes a collision-detector module configured to identify a collision event of the vehicle; and a controller coupled to the energy-storage module and the collision-detector module. The controller is configured to initiate a transfer of the vehicle data stored in the volatile memory module to the non-volatile memory module in response to receiving an indication from the collision-detector module that a collision has occurred.

An electrically-powered vehicle comprising a hybrid battery system is disclosed. The vehicle comprises a motor and a hybrid battery system coupled to the motor. The hybrid battery system comprises a first battery of a first energy density and a first power density and a second battery in parallel with the first battery. The second battery has a second energy density lower than the first energy density and a second power density greater than the first power density. The vehicle is configured to draw power disproportionally from the first battery in a first mode and disproportionally from the second battery in a second mode.

Growing community of inventors

Redwood City, CA, United States of America

George James Hansel