Tusimple, Inc.

Beijing Tusen Zhitu Technology Co., Ltd.

Xiaoling Han

Zehua Huang

Charles A Price

Yu-Ju Hsu

Kaixin Zheng

Ruiliang Zhang

Todd B Skinner

Kun Zhang

Liu Liu

Yi Wang

Lindong Sun

Xue Mei

Xiaodi Hou

Mohamed Hassan Ahmed Hassan Wahba

Zhujia Shi

Jeffrey J Renn

Yue Pan

Frederic Rocha

Jay Day

Shuhan Yang

Yi Luo

Esayas Naizghi

Junjun Xin

Bret Vanatta

Panqu Wang

Lingting Ge

Arda Kurt

Juexiao Ning

Lei Nie

Changyi Zhao

Zhaohan Jia

Zhiqi Gong

Qiong Xu

Yicai Jiang

Yu Zhang

Pengfei Chen

Zijie Xuan

Chenzhe Qian

Yishi Liu

Charles Seunghwan Han

Junbo Jing

Yujia Wu

Pingyuan Ji

Jade E Day

Xiangchen Zhao

Haimo Bi

Weina Mao

Yijing Li

Joshua Miguel Rodriguez

Chiyu Zhang

Jianqiu Cao

Zongzheng Li

Jiaqi Liu

A redundant hardware and software architecture can be designed to enable vehicles to be operated in an autonomous mode while improving the reliability and/or safety of such vehicles. A system for redundant architecture can include a set of at least two redundant sensors coupled to a vehicle and configured to provide timestamped sensor data to each of a plurality of computing unit (CU) computers. The CU computers can process the sensor data simultaneously based on at least a time value indicative of an absolute time or a relative time and based on the timestamped sensor data. The CU computers provide to a vehicle control unit (VCU) computer at least two sets of outputs configured to instruct a plurality of devices in a vehicle and cause the vehicle to be driven.

Redundant hardware and software architecture for autonomous vehicles

Devices, systems and methods for operating a rear-facing perception system for vehicles are described. An exemplary rear-facing perception system contains two corner units and a center unit, with each of the two corner units and the center unit including a camera module and a dual-band transceiver. A method for operating the rear-facing perception system includes pairing with a control unit by communicating, using the dual-band transceiver, over at least a first frequency band, transmitting a first trigger signal to the two corner units over a second frequency band non-overlapping with the first frequency band, and switching to an active mode. In an example, the first trigger signal causes the two corner units to switch to the active mode, which includes orienting the camera modules on the center unit and the two corner units to provide an unobstructed view of an area around a rear of the vehicle.

Rear-facing perception system for vehicles

Systems and methods for detecting trailer angle are provided. In one aspect, an in-vehicle control system includes an optical sensor configured to be mounted on a tractor so as to face a trailer coupled to the tractor, the optical sensor further configured to generate optical data indicative of an angle formed between the trailer and the tractor. The system further includes a processor and a computer-readable memory in communication with the processor and having stored thereon computer-executable instructions to cause the processor to receive the optical data from the optical sensor, determine at least one candidate plane representative of a surface of the trailer visible in the optical data based on the optical data, and determine an angle between the trailer and the tractor based on the at least one candidate plane.

Systems and methods for detecting trailer angle

A system for granting access to an autonomous vehicle comprises the autonomous vehicle, a control device, and a communication device associated with the autonomous vehicle. The communication device receives a signal from a device associated with a user that indicates the user requests the autonomous vehicle to pull over. The control device pulls the autonomous vehicle over to a side of road traveled by the autonomous vehicle. The control device receives a credential associated with the user. The control device determines whether the credential is verified. In response to determining that the credential is verified, the control device grants the user to access the autonomous vehicle.

System and method for granting access to an autonomous vehicle

Disclosed are devices, systems and methods related to direct and indirect methods for detecting wind speed and direction during driving. An example method may include estimating, by a processor of a vehicle controller, a speed and a direction of wind movement near the vehicle based on a first sensor output from a wind sensor, or a second sensor output from a non-wind sensor, or a combination of the first sensor output and the second sensor output, wherein a primary purpose of the wind sensor is wind detection, and a primary purpose of the non-wind sensor is different from wind detection, and generating a control output indicative of a vehicle disturbance force resulting from the wind based on the estimated speed and direction of the wind movement.

Methods and systems for detecting wind speed and direction during driving

Embodiments are disclosed for improving safety with parking brake actuation. In particular, embodiments inhibit or allow parking brake commands based on an operation state of a vehicle. Further, embodiments act on parking brake commands based on a health or condition of the parking brakes themselves. An example method for autonomous operation of a vehicle includes receiving a command to apply a parking brake of the vehicle; determining a vehicle operation state based on comparing a speed of the vehicle to a range of pre-determined values; configuring an instruction for engagement of the parking brake according to the vehicle operation state; determining a brake health of the parking brake; and transmitting the instruction to the parking brake to cause the parking brake to be engaged based on the brake health satisfying one or more thresholds.

Automatic parking brake actuation and failure detection

A system installed in a vehicle includes a first group of sensing devices configured to allow a first level of autonomous operation of the vehicle; a second group of sensing devices configured to allow a second level of autonomous operation of the vehicle, the second group of sensing devices including primary sensing devices and backup sensing devices; a third group of sensing devices configured to allow the vehicle to perform a safe stop maneuver; and a control element communicatively coupled to the first group of sensing devices, the second group of sensing devices, and the third group of sensing devices. The control element is configured to: receive data from at least one of the first group, the second group, or the third group of sensing devices, and provide a control signal to a sensing device based on categorization information indicating a group to which the sensing device belongs.

Sensor layout techniques

A power management system is disclosed for managing power in a vehicle. The system may include a power distribution unit (PDU) communicably coupled to a power controller unit located in the vehicle. The power controller unit comprises a microcontroller configured to: receive, from the PDU, a temperature value that indicates a temperature of the PDU, one or more voltage values from the one or more voltage sensors, or one or more current values from the one or more current sensors, perform a determination that the temperature value, the one or more voltage values, or the one or more current values are below one or more of their respective pre-determined threshold values, and send, after the determination, a health status message to a computer located in the vehicle, where the health status message indicates that the PDU is operating in a safe operating condition.

Power management system for autonomous vehicles

Devices, systems and methods for using system-level malfunction indicators to monitor the operation and resiliency of the autonomous driving system components are described. One example of a method for diagnosing a fault in a component of an autonomous vehicle includes receiving, from an electrical sub-component of the component, an electrical signal, receiving, from an electronic sub-component of the component, a message, and determining, based on the electrical signal and the message, an operational status of the component.

System-level malfunction indicator in autonomous vehicles

The angle of a trailer with respect to a tow vehicle is an important parameter to the stability of the vehicle and trailer. A tow vehicle pulling a trailer in a straight line is generally more stable than when the vehicle is turning. While turning, the angle between the tow vehicle and the trailer is not a straight line but is another angle depending on how sharply the tow vehicle is turning. To safely operate a vehicle towing a trailer, for a given steering input and speed, there is a maximum angle between the tow vehicle and trailer whereby exceeding the angle causes instability and may cause the trailer or tow vehicle to roll over or jackknife. Accordingly, the angle between the trailer and tow vehicle must be determined to ensure the vehicle and trailer will continue to be in control.

Determining an angle between a tow vehicle and a trailer

Described are devices, systems and methods for managing power generation, storage and/or distribution in autonomous vehicles. In some aspects, a system for power management in an autonomous vehicle having a main power source and one or more alternators includes a vehicle control unit, a secondary power source, and a power management unit. In some embodiments, the power management unit is configured on an autonomous vehicle having a single alternator-charging system for battery charging and battery power control with different battery packs. In some embodiments, the power management unit is configured on an autonomous vehicle having multiple alternator-charging systems for battery charging and battery power control for different battery packs.

Battery power control in autonomous vehicles having alternator-charging systems

Devices, systems and methods for remote safe driving of an autonomous vehicle are described. One exemplary method includes selecting, based on a classification of driver behavior, at least one of a set of driving actions and transmitting, to a vehicle over a secure communication channel, the at least one of the set of driving actions.

Remote safe driving methods and systems

Described are devices, systems and methods for managing a supplemental brake control system in autonomous vehicles. In some aspects, a supplemental brake management system includes brake control hardware and software that operates with a sensing mechanism for determining the brake operational status and a control mechanism for activating the supplemental brake control in an autonomous vehicle, which can be implemented in addition to the vehicle's primary brake control system.

Supplemental braking control system in autonomous vehicles

Disclosed are distributed computing systems and methods for controlling multiple autonomous control modules and subsystems in an autonomous vehicle. In some aspects of the disclosed technology, a computing architecture for an autonomous vehicle includes distributing the complexity of autonomous vehicle operation, thereby avoiding the use of a single high-performance computing system and enabling off-the-shelf components to be use more readily and reducing system failure rates.

Distributed computing systems for autonomous vehicle operations

Techniques are described for transitioning control of a steering system from an autonomous mode in a vehicle to a driver-controlled mode where the driver can control the steering wheel of the steering system. A method includes receiving values that describe an amount of torque and a direction of torque in response to a torque applied to a steering wheel of a steering system operated in an autonomous mode, determining that the values are either greater than or equal to a threshold value or are less than or equal to a negative of the threshold value, determining that the values are measured over a period of time greater than or equal to a pre-determined amount of time, and transitioning the steering system from being operated in the autonomous mode to being operated in a driver-controlled mode in which the steering system is under manual control.

Transitioning steering control from an autonomous vehicle to a driver

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Xiaoling Han