A method for operating ultrasonic sensors of a vehicle. In the method, front ultrasonic sensors of the vehicle are used to detect wind noise at the vehicle, rear ultrasonic sensors of the vehicle are used to detect a road condition in the area of the vehicle, and lateral ultrasonic sensors of the vehicle are used to detect objects in the area of the vehicle.

A method for measuring precipitation. The method includes a read-in step, a detection step and a determination step. In the read-in step, data packets of at least one ultrasonic sensor are read in. Excitations detected by the ultrasonic sensor within a measuring time window are mapped in a data packet. The excitations are mapped as time values and intensity values. The time value represents a detection point in time of an excitation. The intensity value represents an amplitude of the excitation. In the detection step, excitations are detected as drop events. An excitation is detected as a drop event induced by a pulse of an impacting drop if the time value and/or the intensity value of the excitation satisfies at least one characteristic of a drop event. In the determination step, a precipitation intensity is determined, using a number of drop events detected per time unit.

The technology relates to determining general weather conditions affecting the roadway around a vehicle, and how such conditions may impact driving and route planning for the vehicle when operating in an autonomous mode. For instance, the on-board sensor system may detect whether the road is generally icy as opposed to a small ice patch on a specific portion of the road surface. The system may also evaluate specific driving actions taken by the vehicle and/or other nearby vehicles. Based on such information, the vehicle's control system is able to use the resultant information to select an appropriate braking level or braking strategy. As a result, the system can detect and respond to different levels of adverse weather conditions. The on-board computer system may share road condition information with nearby vehicles and with remote assistance, so that it may be employed with broader fleet planning operations.

[Object] To appropriately evaluate reliability of a reception signal.

[Solving Means] A signal processing unit 20 includes a first integration unit 21, a Doppler detection unit 22, and a comparator circuit 28 as a reliability index calculation unit. The first integration unit 21 intermittently integrates a pulse train corresponding to a reception signal by using two systems and obtains two pieces of integrated data. The Doppler detection unit 22 divides each of the two pieces of integrated data into a plurality of range bins in time series, obtains a relationship between a frequency and intensity in each range bin for each of the two pieces of integrated data, and detects a Doppler shift amount from the relationship. The comparator circuit 28 calculates a reliability index of the reception signal by comparing the Doppler shift amounts (wind velocity values) of the two pieces of integrated data.

In order to obtain information about a salt-state of a road independently of drivers, a method that generates information about the salt-state of a road is specified that includes a determination of salt-state-dependent measurement values, processing of the measurement values into information about the salt-state of the road and outputting of the information about the salt-state of the road. A corresponding device that generates information about the salt-state of a road comprises sensors that determine of salt-state-dependent measurement values, a processing unit that is configured to process determined measurement values into information about the salt-state of the road, and output the information about the salt-state of the road.

The technology relates to determining general weather conditions affecting the roadway around a vehicle, and how such conditions may impact driving and route planning for the vehicle when operating in an autonomous mode. For instance, the on-board sensor system may detect whether the road is generally icy as opposed to a small ice patch on a specific portion of the road surface. The system may also evaluate specific driving actions taken by the vehicle and/or other nearby vehicles. Based on such information, the vehicle's control system is able to use the resultant information to select an appropriate braking level or braking strategy. As a result, the system can detect and respond to different levels of adverse weather conditions. The on-board computer system may share road condition information with nearby vehicles and with remote assistance, so that it may be employed with broader fleet planning operations.

An ultrasonic sensor transmits an ultrasonic wave, and receives the ultrasonic wave reflected by an obstacle. An electrical characteristic measuring means measures the electrical characteristic of the ultrasonic sensor, and outputs electrical characteristic information. An environmental state determining means receives the electrical characteristic information from the electrical characteristic measuring means, and outputs environmental information on at least one of the temperature and humidity of the ultrasonic sensor.

A method for detecting a shadow condition from a wind turbine and a system for detecting a shadow condition are provided. An atmospheric condition detected from an atmospheric condition detector is compared to a threshold. From the comparison a determination is made that the atmospheric condition is shadow producing. The shadow condition is detected using the determination.

A method is disclosed for detecting atmospheric turbulence including aircraft induced wake turbulence and/or wind shear within an aperture associated with an aircraft approach or departure corridor around an airport. The method comprises transmitting into the aperture acoustic signals having a waveform suitable for pulse compression and receiving backscattered acoustic echoes of the acoustic signals from the atmospheric turbulence and/or wind shear. The method further includes processing the acoustic echoes in a matched filter receiver to provide a measure of the atmospheric turbulence and discriminating the aircraft induced demise time, being a time taken for the aircraft induced wake turbulence and/or wind shear to fall below a set threshold at least in the aperture. A system for detecting atmospheric turbulence including aircraft induced wake turbulence and/or wind shear associated with an aircraft approach or departure corridor around an airport is also disclosed.

A vehicular spoiler system that adjusts airflow based on environmental factors, may include a spoiler device disposed to a vehicle to vertically pivotably rotate to be deployed or retracted, the spoiler device controlling an airflow when the spoiler device is deployed under predetermined operation conditions; and a controller configured to receive environmental information regarding a surrounding environment and to pre-store information regarding control of the spoiler device based on the environmental information, the controller performing control to deploy or retract the spoiler device based on local information when the local information, among the environmental information, is input.