In a marker system (1) which includes a plurality of magnetic markers (10) disposed on a road surface for driving assist control of a vehicle (5) including automatic traveling control and in which a wireless tag is affixed to a partial magnetic marker (10A) of the plurality of magnetic markers (10), a sign (1M) for distinguishing between a partial magnetic marker (10A) with a wireless tag affixed thereto and another magnetic marker (10B) without a wireless tag affixed thereto is provided. Thus, it is possible to associate the detected magnetic marker (10) and the wireless tag as a transmission source of tag waves with each other with high reliability.

A power takeoff control system and method sense proximity of an operator to a power takeoff and control operation of the power takeoff based upon the sensed proximity.

In a magnetic marker system for achieving assists for vehicle driving operation by a driver or vehicle control for automatic driving independent from driver's operation, magnetic markers are laid so that orientations of magnetic poles are alternately reversed along a road and arranged so that magnetic fields of magnetic markers adjacent to each other as being spaced with a gap along the road interfere with each other, thereby improving reliability of detecting a magnetic marker on a vehicle side while reducing magnetic force of the magnetic marker itself.

A method, system and robot, wherein the robot includes two or more sensing devices, sensor A and sensor B, mounted thereon and moves forward along an axis parallel to the rows of plants, being autonomously steered by exerting angular corrections to place the robot as close as possible to the centerline between the rows of plants, wherein the method and system includes the following: (ii) dividing a two-dimensional grid of square cells into groups of cells; (iii) obtaining data points using sensor A and sensor B; (vii) moving the robot: (a) by turning right; or (b) by turning left; or (c) forward without turning,
depending on whether each group of cells is calculated as low-activated, high-activated or not activated using the data points.

An autonomous vehicle is disclosed. The autonomous vehicle may include a sensor array; an engine output control system; a braking control system; and a controller. The controller may be communicatively coupled with the sensor array, the engine output control system, and the braking control system. The controller may be configured to: sense an environment with the sensor array to produce sensor data; receiving autonomous vehicle state data; determining whether the autonomous vehicle state data is above a threshold state value; in the event the autonomous vehicle state data is above a threshold state value, not using the sensor data to operate the autonomous vehicle; and in the event the autonomous vehicle state data is not above a threshold state value, using the sensor data to operate the autonomous vehicle.

An autonomous vehicle configured for active sensing may also be configured to weigh expected information gains from active-sensing actions against risk costs associated with the active-sensing actions. An example method involves: (a) receiving information from one or more sensors of an autonomous vehicle, (b) determining a risk-cost framework that indicates risk costs across a range of degrees to which an active-sensing action can be performed, wherein the active-sensing action comprises an action that is performable by the autonomous vehicle to potentially improve the information upon which at least one of the control processes for the autonomous vehicle is based, (c) determining an information-improvement expectation framework across the range of degrees to which the active-sensing action can be performed, and (d) applying the risk-cost framework and the information-improvement expectation framework to determine a degree to which the active-sensing action should be performed.

A rotary shifter having a cylindrical shaped knob with an inner circumferential surface defining an open interior and exhibiting a detent profile. A stationary inner housing is positioned within an open interior of the knob and supports outwardly biased pawls establishing an interface with the detent profile in a selected rotational position. The inner housing supports a rotating spur gear having an end secured magnet positioned above a sensor incorporated into a printed circuit board (PCB), rotation of the knob resulting in the sensor to communicate to a processor component of the PCB a given rotational position designating a given shift or mode selection. The knob includes an illuminating surface for presenting menu options of the shift or mode selection.

A sheet-shaped magnetic marker to be laid on a road surface so as to be able to be detected by a magnetic sensor attached to a vehicle to achieve assist for driving operation of the vehicle by a driver or control on a vehicle side to achieve automatic driving independently from operation of the driver has a magnet sheet (11) as a magnetism generation source and a wireless tag (2) which outputs information via wireless communication to the vehicle side. In the magnetic marker, the wireless tag (2) is interposed between a sheet (11A) and a sheet (11B) configuring the magnet sheet (11), and the entire wireless tag (2) is accommodated inside the magnet sheet (11).

Techniques are presented to improve the security of operation for autonomously driving automobiles and other transportation or robotic equipment with varying degrees of autonomous operation. This can include an end-to-end closed-system support of control sensors' own signal emission and self-controlled frequency or polarization, which can be hard to decipher by external attackers. The control systems can employ majority voting by multiple perception results from both time (e.g., samples from same polarization in time series of an epoch, given the fact of oversampling) and space (e.g., different polarizations or sensor types) domains for enhanced security.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for implementing a road condition reporter are disclosed. In one aspect, a method includes the actions of receiving, from a computing device, data that reflects characteristics of a vehicle. The actions further include, based on the data that reflects the characteristics of the vehicle, determining a characteristic of a road traveled by the vehicle. The actions further include, based on the characteristic of the road traveled by the vehicle, generating an instruction to perform an action. The actions further include providing, for output, the instruction to perform the action.