Methods and systems for assessing, detecting, and responding to malfunctions involving components of autonomous vehicles 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 robustness of autonomous systems, including the use of virtual assessment of software components within a simulated environment. To this end, a server may retrieve one or more routines associated with autonomous operation. The server may also generate a set of test data associated with test conditions. The server may also execute an emulator that virtually simulates autonomous environment. The test data may be presented to the routines executing in the emulator to generate output data. The server may then analyze the output data to determine a quality metric.

Methods and systems for autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicle control relating to malfunctions are disclosed. Malfunctioning sensors or software of autonomous vehicles may be identified from operating data of the vehicle, and a component maintenance requirement status associated with such malfunctioning component may be generated. Based upon such status, usage restrictions may be enacted to limit operation of the vehicle while the component is malfunctioning. This may include disabling or restricting use of certain autonomous or semi-autonomous features of the vehicle until the component is repaired or replaced. Repair may be accomplished by automatically scheduling repair of the vehicle or installing an updated or uncorrupted version of a software program, in various embodiments.

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 control relating to malfunctions are disclosed. Malfunctioning sensors or software of autonomous vehicles may be identified from operating data of the vehicle, and a component maintenance requirement status associated with such malfunctioning component may be generated. Based upon such status, usage restrictions may be enacted to limit operation of the vehicle while the component is malfunctioning. This may include disabling or restricting use of certain autonomous or semi-autonomous features of the vehicle until the component is repaired or replaced. Repair may be accomplished by automatically scheduling repair of the vehicle or installing an updated or uncorrupted version of a software program, in various embodiments.

A vehicle security system may be automatically activated when a vehicle (e.g., car or truck) is temporarily stopped. Specifically, if a car is stopped at a gas station or other type of temporary stop (e.g., where a car would not be fully closed and locked) the vehicle security system may engage (e.g., based on opening of a gas cap cover). The vehicle security system monitors for theft of contents from inside a vehicle in a temporary stopped state. The vehicle security system may lock different doors based on different conditions. In some cases, only some doors (and not all doors) will be locked. In a temporary stop condition, a vehicle may not be fully locked to engage a standard anti-theft security system. If a driver's attention is diverted during the temporary stopped condition a quick and quiet theft scenario (e.g., a reach and grab) may be attempted.

A wireless charging device and a warning signal generating method are provided in this disclosure. The warning signal generating method includes: determining whether the smart key of the vehicle is in an operating mode according to a wireless unlock signal when a vehicle is turned off; determining whether a door of the vehicle is opened when the smart key is not in the operating mode; determining whether a portable electronic device is on a wireless charging base of the wireless charging device when the door is opened; and generating a warning signal when the portable electronic device is on the wireless charging base.

A vehicle including powered door locks, a motor for positioning the powered door locks between a locked position and an unlocked position, one or more sensors for detecting an unauthorized event around the vehicle, and a controller configured to operate the motor to repeatedly move the powered door locks in a predetermined pattern based on speed in response to the one or more sensors detecting an unauthorized event around the vehicle.

A driving authentication system is presented for a vehicle. The system includes: a dongle interfaced with a battery of the vehicle and an authenticator configured to receive a discharge current from the battery. The dongle operates to modulate discharge current from the battery with an input code; and the authenticator demodulate the input code from the discharge current, compares the input code to the one or more known authentication codes and, in response to the input code matching one of the one or more known authentication codes, controls power capacity of the battery.

An information processing device includes: an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating a state of a vehicle from the vehicle; and a notification unit that performs a first notification regarding the state when the information processing device is outside a predetermined range including the vehicle, and that performs a second notification including more information on the state than the first notification when the information processing device is in the predetermined range.

A vehicle includes a notification unit that notifies an information processing device of a state of the vehicle; a reception unit that receives a first signal commanding the state to be maintained, from the information processing device; and a control unit that performs control such that maintains the state after lapse of a predetermined time as well when the reception unit receives the first signal within the predetermined time, and that performs control such that the state becomes a state different from the state after lapse of the predetermined time when the reception unit does not receive the first signal from the information processing device within the predetermined time.