Honda Research Institute Europe Gmbh

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Nokia Research Institute Europe Gmbh

Nils Einecke

Mathias Franzius

Sven Rebhan

Julian Eggert

Jörg Deigmöller

Joerg Deigmoeller

Bernhard Sendhoff

Morimichi Nishigaki

Heiko Wersing

Keiji Muro

Stefan Menzel

Herbert Janssen

Aniket Murarka

Andreas Richter

Benedict Flade

Ronny Borsdorf

Oliver Fuchs

Christiane Knorz

Roman Dirnberger

Martin Weigel

Niels Staar

Stefan Fuchs

Fischer Lydia

Roman Dimberger

Jörg Klaus Deigmöller

A vehicle transmits vehicle data to an observer entity when the vehicle and the observer entity are in proximity. The vehicle data includes unique vehicle identification information; proximity is defined by an upper threshold for a distance between the vehicle and the observer entity. The observer entity adds data to the vehicle data, the added data including an indication of a position of the observer entity and a time stamp indicating a time of reception of the vehicle data to generate joint data. The joint data is transmitted to an external database and the aforementioned steps are repeated. From the added data a usage estimation value is calculated which is a measure for usage of the vehicle and which is compared with the vehicle usage data retrieved from the vehicle. Information on validity of the vehicle usage data based on the comparison result is generated and output.

Method and system for verifying vehicle usage data

An autonomous working device comprises at least one sensor configured to generate a sensor signal based on a physical interaction of the autonomous working device with a physical entity, at least one actuator configured to perform a working task, and a controller configured to generate a control signal for controlling the actuator. The controller is configured to evaluate the sensor signal, to determine a pattern of a physical interaction of the autonomous working device with a person and to generate the control signal based on the determined pattern of a physical interaction.

Controlling an autonomous working device based on physical interaction

A method and a system for controlling at least one of a traffic infrastructure device, an actuator of a traffic participant based on enhanced traffic data is provided. The method comprises steps of monitoring, by a trigger processor, an area; generating, by the trigger processor, trigger data in case a trigger event is determined in the monitored area and providing the generated trigger data indicating an area-of-interest to an image data source; obtaining image data on the area-of-interest based on the transmitted trigger data and transmitting the obtained image data to a traffic evaluation processor; evaluating, by the traffic evaluation processor, the obtained image data to generate enhanced traffic data on the area-of-interest; and outputting, by the traffic evaluation processor, the generated enhanced traffic data in a control signal, wherein the control signal is configured to control the traffic infrastructure device and/or the actuator of the traffic participant.

Method and system for enhancing traffic estimation using top view sensor data

A system comprising an autonomous mobile device and a base station connected to a boundary wire is configured to transmit information from the base station to the autonomous mobile device. The base station is configured to generate a radio signal to be emitted by the boundary wire, wherein the autonomous mobile device is configured to autonomously drive within a working area based on the signal emitted by the boundary wire. The base station on the other hand is configured to encode data and/or commands into the radio signal which is then emitted by the boundary wire. The autonomous mobile device receive the emitted radio signal and is configured to decode the encoded data and/or commands in order to retrieve the original information.

System comprising an autonomous mobile device and a base station communicating via a boundary wire

The invention regards a method and system for recording observation data without violating privacy. Environment is sensed and observation data including information on the sensed environment is generated. The observation data is processed for determining presence of one or more persons in the sensed environment. Those person(s) amongst the present person(s) that did not agree to store their private data are identified and privacy compliant observation data is generated by obfuscating the private data of these persons. The privacy compliant observation data is store for later use.

Method and system for privacy compliant data recording

The invention regards a robotic gardening device comprising driving means for propelling the robotic gardening device, a working tool for performing dedicated gardening work and a controlling unit for controlling said driving means and the working tool and a method for controlling the same. The robotic gardening device further comprises at least one environment sensor generating a signal indicative of objects in the environment of the robotic gardening device, a computing unit for classifying these objects, wherein the classes comprise at least two different classes for objects being determined to be humans. The computing unit is configured to control the driving means and/or the working device according to a predetermined behavior associated with the respective objects class.

Robotic gardening device and method for controlling the same

A method and a system can generate a representation of a working area of an autonomous lawn mower. The system can include an autonomous lawn mower and a base station, and a boundary wire forming a closed loop which can be connected with the base station. The lawn mower and the base station interact such that the lawn mower can determine whether it is in its home position, a predetermined position that is taken when the mower returns to the base station. The lawn mower further includes a memory, for storing values from a movement sensor. A trajectory is generated based on the values, wherein a processor is configured to calculate an error between the position and orientation according to the trajectory and the home position. This total position error and total orientation error is then used to correct the position and corresponding orientations of the trajectory.

Method for generating a representation of a working area of an autonomous lawn mower and autonomous lawn mower system

The invention regards a method for reproducing visual and/or audio data synchronously by a group of devices, as well as a system for realizing such method. According to the invention first, a spatial location of each of the devices of the group is determined. Then, the visual and/or audio content is partitioned into content parts, each part dedicated to be reproduced by one device of the group respectively, based on the spatial location of the device. The dedicated portions are transmitted to their associated devices together with a time stamp, and the group of devices reproduces commonly and synchronously the transmitted portions.

Method and system for reproducing visual and/or audio content synchronously by a group of devices

The invention regards an autonomous working machine comprising drive means, current position estimation means, control means including a driving control unit and a camera. With aid of the current position estimation means the current position of the autonomous working machine is estimated. Furthermore, the driving control unit generates driving commands for the driving means on the basis of an intended movement of the autonomous working machine and the estimated current position. The camera is configured to capture images of the environment of the working machine. For estimating the current position, the current position estimation means is formed by the control means, which is configured to apply visual odometry on the captured images for estimating the current position of the working machine.

Autonomous working machine such as autonomous lawn mower

An autonomous vehicle comprises an environment sensing means for sensing an environment of the autonomous vehicle, and a computing unit configured to perform a mapping function and a localization function. The mapping function is based upon signals supplied from the environment sensing means to build a map. The localization function localizes the autonomous vehicle within the map and generates localization information. The autonomous vehicle further comprises boundary distance sensing means configured to generate a distance signal correlated to a distance between the autonomous vehicle and boundary indication means. The computing unit is configured to receive the distance signal and to perform the mapping function or the localization function based upon a signal from the environment sensing means and the distance signal from the boundary distance sensing means. The system also comprises a boundary wire indicating a border of an area in which autonomous driving of the vehicle can be performed.

Autonomous vehicle with improved simultaneous localization and mapping function

In one aspect, an image processing method for processing images is provided, comprising the steps of: obtaining, from an optical sensor, at least two images, determining an image warping function at least partially compensating the distortion, applying the determined image warping function to the image including the distortion, and calculating by a processing unit, and outputting, a depth and/or disparity image from the at least two images.

Depth sensing method and system for autonomous vehicles

Embodiments of the invention address the area of predictive suspension control system for a vehicle, particularly a two-wheel vehicle such as a motor cycle or a scooter. The system includes a stereo sensor unit which for generating image data, a computing unit which extracts a relevant image portion from the image data based on future vehicle path data, and calculates road unevenness on a future vehicle path of the vehicle based on the generated image data. A suspension control unit generates an adaptation signal for adapting the suspension based on the calculated road unevenness. The computing unit adapts a search direction of a stereo algorithm or a correlation area of the stereo algorithm based on a lean angle of the vehicle to generate the three-dimensional partial image data from the relevant image portion, and fits a road model to the three-dimensional partial image data to calculate the road unevenness.

Predictive suspension control for a vehicle using a stereo camera sensor

The invention relates to a control system for an autonomous garden tool that is equipped with at least one camera and one motor. The control system comprises a camera control module and an image generation module. With the camera control module the camera settings are controlled that are used for capturing images. With the image generation module two consecutive images in a sequence of images that is captured by the camera is determined whereby theses two consecutive images are captured on the basis of different camera settings. The two determined pictures are used as a basis for generating an HDR image in an HDR mode of the control system.

Control system for an autonomous garden tool, method and apparatus

The invention relates to a control system for an autonomous vehicle, a method and an autonomous vehicle. The system comprises an image capturing means capable of capturing at least a first image of the environment of the vehicle and a second image of the environment, wherein the images are captured in a close time relationship but with different image capturing parameters. A processing means configured to obtain and process the images captured with different image capturing parameters separately and taking into consideration a first intensity threshold when processing the first image and a second, different intensity threshold when processing the second image. A control means for generating and outputting a control signal on the basis of a result of the at least one of the processed images.

Control system for an autonomous vehicle and a method for generating a control signal and autonomous vehicle equipped with such control system

The invention relates to an autonomous lawn mower comprising a control unit in electrical connection with electrical connection means, and at least one replaceable part. The electrical connection means is located such that connection and disconnection of the electrical connection means and its counterpart of the replaceable part can be performed when replacing the replaceable part. The module for such autonomous lawn mower can replace the replaceable part of the lawn mower and comprises a signal generation unit and a counterpart for the electrical connection means of the lawn mower for transmitting electrical signals to a control unit of the autonomous lawn mower. The autonomous lawn mower forms an autonomous lawn mower system together with the module.

Growing community of inventors

Offenbach, Germany

Nils Einecke