Methods and systems for communicating between autonomous vehicles are described herein. Such communication may be performed for signaling, collision avoidance, path coordination, and/or autonomous control. An autonomous vehicle may determine an upcoming maneuver for the autonomous vehicle and identify a vehicle signal which is indicative of the upcoming maneuver. Then the autonomous vehicle may present the vehicle signal. After presenting the vehicle signal, the autonomous vehicle may perform the maneuver.

A method includes receiving raw data and generating a manufacturing data packet (MDP) that includes at least a portion of the raw data. Generating the MDP includes associating metadata with the raw data and associating a timestamp with the raw data. The timestamp is synchronized to a common reference time. A data model associated with the MDP is obtained. The data model includes one or more predefined data types and one or more predefined data fields. A first data type from the one or more predefined data types is determined based at least in part on characteristics of the raw data. An algorithm is determined based at least in part on the first data type. The MDP is processed according to the algorithm to produce an output. The first data type is associated with the raw data. The output is associated with a data field of the first data type.

Methods and systems for autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicle routing are disclosed. Roadway suitability for autonomous operation is scored to facilitate use in route determination. Maps of roadways suitable for various levels of autonomous operation may be generated. Such map data may be used by autonomous vehicles or other computer devices in determining routes based upon criteria for vehicle trips. Such routes may be automatically updated based upon changes in road conditions, vehicle conditions, operator conditions, or environmental conditions. Emergency routing using such map data is described, such as automatic routing and travel when a passenger is experiencing a medical emergency.

Methods and systems for autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicle routing are disclosed. Roadway suitability for autonomous operation is scored to facilitate use in route determination. Maps of roadways suitable for various levels of autonomous operation may be generated. Such map data may be used by autonomous vehicles or other computer devices in determining routes based upon criteria for vehicle trips. Such routes may be automatically updated based upon changes in road conditions, vehicle conditions, operator conditions, or environmental conditions. Emergency routing using such map data is described, such as automatic routing and travel when a passenger is experiencing a medical emergency.

Methods and systems for repairing a malfunctioning autonomous vehicle (AV) or semi-autonomous vehicle (SAV) are described herein. The AV or SAV may determine that an autonomous feature or sensor is malfunctioning and the extent of the damage to the autonomous feature or sensor. Then the AV or SAV may compare the extent of the damage to a predetermined threshold to determine whether the AV or SAV remains serviceable or otherwise road worthy. If the AV or SAV remains serviceable, the AV or SAV may locate the nearest repair facility having the necessary electronic components in stock and technical expertise for repairing the AV or SAV. Then the AV or SAV may request the nearest repair facility to send an autonomous repair vehicle to the current location of the AV or SAV to facilitate repair.

Methods and systems of predicting the growth rate of hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC) in a physical asset (e.g., a pipeline, storage tank, etc.) are provided. The methodology receives a plurality of inputs regarding physical characteristics of the asset and performs parametric simulations to generate a simulated database of observations of the asset. The database is then used to train, test, and validate one or more expert systems that can then predict the growth rate and other characteristics of the asset over time. The systems herein can also generate alerts as to predicted dangerous conditions and modify inspection schedules based on such growth rate predictions.

A method and apparatus are for abnormality detection. The method includes: acquiring an estimated value of a movement parameter of a mobile platform of a parallel robot. The estimated value is calculated based on sensing information about a sensor mounted on the mobile platform. Based on the estimated value and a designated value of the movement parameter, the method includes determining whether an abnormality occurs in the parallel robot. By way of the method and apparatus, abnormality of a parallel robot can be detected reliably.

An agricultural system including an agricultural baler and a control unit. The baler includes a driveline including at least one heat generating component; a rotatable flywheel; a rotary input shaft connectable by the driveline to the rotatable flywheel; and at least one pump for supplying cooling fluid at a cooling fluid pressure to the at least one heat generating component. The control unit is configured to: receive baler-data indicative of one or more operating conditions of the agricultural baler; receive cooling-pressure-data indicative of a flow of the cooling fluid supplied by the at least one pump; set a threshold-condition based on the baler-data; and provide a control-signal to the agricultural baler based on a comparison between the cooling-pressure-data and the threshold-condition.

Methods and systems for assessing, detecting, and responding to malfunctions involving components of autonomous vehicle and/or smart homes are described herein. Autonomous operation features and related components can be assessed using direct or indirect data regarding operation. Such assessment may be performed to determine the condition of components for salvage following a collision or other loss-event. To this end, the information regarding a plurality of components may be received. A component of the plurality of components may be identified for assessment. Assessment may including causing test signals to be sent to the identified component. In response to the test signal, one or more responses may be received. The received response may be compared to an expected response to determine whether the identified component is salvageable.

Methods and systems for autonomous vehicle recharging or refueling are disclosed. Autonomous electric vehicles may be automatically recharged by routing the vehicles to available charging stations when not in operation, according to methods described herein. A charge level of the battery of an autonomous electric vehicle may be monitored until it reaches a recharging threshold, at which point an on-board computer may generate a predicted use profile for the vehicle. Based upon the predicted use profile, a time and location for the vehicle to recharge may be determined. In some embodiments, the vehicle may be controlled to automatically travel to a charging station, recharge the battery, and return to its starting location in order to recharge when not in use.