Torc Robotics, Inc.

John Hutchinson

Embodiments described herein include a system of fluid-delivery hardware, including tubes, valves, and pumps that deliver samples of fluid gathered from various exposed locations of a vehicle to commonly located gas analysis sensors. A durable sensor housing contains the gas sensors and is situated in a confined location of the vehicle, which is environmentally isolated and physically partitioned from the sample locations exposed to potentially deleterious environments. For a given sample location, a tube and valves gather and channel fluid samples from the sample location towards the sensor housing at the confined location. A pump forces air outwards to purge debris in the tube or tube inlet, and draws air inward through the tube towards the sensor housing for delivery to the sensors.

Whole vehicle fault detection using centrally located gas analysis

Embodiments described herein include an automated vehicle having a pitot tube mounted to a side-view mirror of the automated vehicle. The pitot gathers samples of wind speed information for calculating three-dimensional wind measurements using the information gathered by the pitot tube. The pitot tube is installed at an area that offers the pitot tube access to outside 'clean air,' undisturbed by the vehicle's movement. A controller and/or driving software ingest the three-dimensional wind measurements and generate driving tasks of the automated vehicle based upon the three-dimensional wind measurements.

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Blacksburg, VA, United States of America

John Hutchinson