An in-vehicle backup control apparatus includes a discharge circuit that discharges a power storage unit and a control unit that controls the discharge circuit. The control unit sets either one of a superimposable voltage or a supply completion voltage as an interruption threshold value, the superimposable voltage being set as a voltage condition of the power storage unit when electric power is supplied simultaneously to a plurality of target loads during an abnormal state, and the supply completion voltage being set in association with one of the plurality of target loads. The control unit interrupts or delays the supply of electric power to the one of the plurality of target loads to prohibit the plurality of target loads from simultaneously operating if a charge voltage of the power storage unit reaches a value less than or equal to the interruption threshold value during the abnormal state.

In some examples, a first electronic control unit (ECU) receives zone sensor data of a plurality of zones associated with a vehicle. For instance, a respective second ECU and a respective set of zone sensors is associated with each respective zone of the plurality of zones. Based on an indicated driving mode of the vehicle, the first ECU may perform recognition on the zone sensor data from a first zone of the plurality of zones to determine first recognition information. The first ECU receives second recognition information from the respective second ECUs of the respective zones. For instance, the respective second ECUs are configured to perform recognition processing on respective zone sensor data from the set of zone sensors of the respective zones. Based on the first recognition information and the second recognition information, the first ECU sends at least one control signal to at least one vehicle actuator.

An electronic control device includes: a logic circuit for reconfiguring a plurality of arithmetic circuits including a first circuit and a second circuit; a reconfiguration controller that reconfigures the arithmetic circuits and checks the reconfigured arithmetic circuits based on reconfiguration commands; and a process controller that transmits the reconfiguration commands to the reconfiguration controller and instructs the arithmetic unit to execute operations, in which when a first reconfiguration command is received, the reconfiguration controller reconfigures and checks the first circuit, when the check of the first circuit by the reconfiguration controller is completed, the process controller instructs the first circuit to execute an operation, the process controller transmits a second reconfiguration command to the reconfiguration controller and instructs the reconfiguration controller to start to reconfigure the second circuit until the execution of a predetermined process of the first circuit is completed after completion of the reconfiguration of the first circuit.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an autonomous vehicle and a system for the autonomous vehicle. The system may include a master computing unit configured to control operations of the autonomous vehicle; a slave computing unit communicatively coupled to the master computing unit and configured to control the operations of the autonomous vehicle in response to detecting a failure of the master computing unit; at least one lidar configured to acquire environmental information around the autonomous vehicle; and a switch communicatively coupled to the at least one lidar, the master computing unit and the slave computing unit, and configured to provide the environmental information to the master computing unit and the slave computing unit for controlling the autonomous vehicle.

Technologies and techniques for the at least the partially automated driving of a motor vehicle. A first application and at least one redundant second application provide output data depending on motor vehicle operating data and/or environmental data. Vehicle driving data for the at least partially automated driving of the motor vehicle are determined depending on the output data. Vehicle operating data from another vehicle are received, and, depending on the vehicle operating data, the at least one redundant second application switches from an active state to a standby state in which a computer instance of a computer unit used by the at least one redundant second application is at least executed at a lower frequency than in the active state.

A method for operating an automated vehicle. The method includes: detecting surroundings of the vehicle; providing surroundings data of the detected surroundings; supplying the surroundings data to a situation detection unit including a defined number greater than one of situation detection elements; computationally modeling the surroundings of the vehicle with the aid of the situation detection elements; activating driver assistance systems using output data of the models of the situation detection elements; deciding, with the aid of a decision-making unit, which output data of the models of the situation detection elements are used for activating an actuator unit of the vehicle; and activating the actuator unit of the vehicle using the decided-upon output data.

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.

A system for controlling at least partially autonomous operation of a motor-vehicle, including: a sensor-device with which environment-data characterizing the environment of the motor vehicle is generated; an electronic-main-control-unit, which receives the environment-data from the sensor-device, and, depending on the data, inputs adjusting-commands into at least one device/actuator, which device/actuator is used in the at least partially autonomous operation of the motor-vehicle; a first electronic-backup-control-unit, which, for a fault/failure of the electronic-main-control-unit, receives the data from the sensor-device, and, depending on the data, inputs adjusting-commands into the at least one device/actuator, which device/actuator is used in the at least partially autonomous operation of the motor-vehicle; and a second electronic-backup-control-unit, which, for a fault/failure of the electronic-main-control-unit and the first electronic-backup-control-unit, receives the data from the sensor-device, and, depending on the data, inputs adjusting-commands into the at least one device/actuator, which device/actuator is used in the operation of the motor-vehicle.

A vehicle electronic control device includes a detection device configured to detect a state of an occupant, a first control device, and a second control device. The second control device is configured to refer to a database defining a relationship between the state of the occupant and a first time and to autonomously drive the vehicle at speeds equal to or lower than the maximum allowable speed from a switching time that is the time at which the first control device becomes unable to control the vehicle. The database is set in such a manner that the maximum allowable speed corresponding to a second state of the occupant is lower than the maximum allowable speed corresponding to a first state of the occupant when the first time corresponding to the second state is longer than the first time corresponding to the first state.

A travel control apparatus includes a state detection unit that detects whether each of at least three power sources of the autonomous driving system including one or more electricity storage devices and one or more power generators is in a normal state or in a malfunctioning state; and a mode setting unit that sets a fail operation mode corresponding to a type of at least one of the power sources upon determination that the at least one of the power sources is in the malfunctioning state.