An apparatus for safety collaboration in computer-assisted or autonomous driving (CA/AD) vehicles includes an input interface to obtain sensor data from one or more sensors of a CA/AD vehicle, an output interface, and an analyzer coupled to the input and output interfaces to process the sensor data to identify an emergency condition of the CA/AD vehicle, and in response to the identified emergency condition, cause a communication interface of the CA/AD vehicle, via the output interface, to broadcast a request for assistance to be received by one or more nearby CA/AD vehicles. The apparatus may be disposed in the CA/AD vehicle.

Systems and methods for navigating a host vehicle. The system may perform operations including receiving, from an image capture device, at least one image representative of an environment of the host vehicle; analyzing the at least one image to identify an object in the environment of the host vehicle; determining a location of the host vehicle; receiving map information associated with the determined location of the host vehicle, wherein the map information includes elevation information associated with the environment of the host vehicle; determining a distance from the host vehicle to the object based on at least the elevation information; and determining a navigational action for the host vehicle based on the determined distance.

A vehicle control apparatus comprises a first detection unit configured to have a first detection range, a second detection unit configured to have a second detection range which at least partially overlaps the first detection range, and a vehicle control unit configured to be capable of performing vehicle control based on a first control state and vehicle control based on a second control state which has a high vehicle control automation rate or a reduced degree of vehicle operation participation requested to a driver compared to the first control state. The vehicle control unit performs control to shift from the first control state to the second control state based on a condition that a match degree between pieces of preceding object information of a vehicle detected by the first detection unit and the second detection unit.

Systems and methods to authenticate a vehicle operator for an autonomous vehicle on a vehicle service platform are provided. In one example embodiment, a computer-implemented method includes obtaining authentication request data indicative of an authentication request, the authentication request data including at least an operator identifier associated with the vehicle operator and a vehicle identifier associated with the autonomous vehicle. The method includes providing a service code associated with the authentication request to the autonomous vehicle. The method includes obtaining from a user device in response to providing the service code to the autonomous vehicle, operator data associated with the authentication request, the operator data including the service code. The method includes determining an authentication result associated with the authentication request based at least in part on the service code and the operator data. The method includes providing the authentication result to the user device.

An autonomous driving apparatus for accompanied driving in an environment that includes a companion and an obstacle includes a sensor, processing circuitry, and a driver. The sensor may generate sensor data. The processing circuitry may define a current state of the autonomous driving apparatus based on processing the sensor data to determine respective positions of the companion and the obstacle in the environment and select a first tracking point of a plurality of tracking points at least partially surrounding the position of the companion in the environment based on the current state, a position of each tracking point of the plurality of tracking points in the environment defined by the position of the companion in the environment. The driving apparatus drive mechanism may move the autonomous driving apparatus to the first tracking point to cause the autonomous driving apparatus to accompany the companion in the environment.

A mobile robot is configured to navigate on a sidewalk and deliver a delivery to a predetermined location. The robot has a body and an enclosed space within the body for storing the delivery during transit. At least two cameras are mounted on the robot body and are adapted to take visual images of an operating area. A processing component is adapted to extract straight lines from the visual images taken by the cameras and generate map data based at least partially on the images. A communication component is adapted to send and receive image and/or map data. A mapping system includes at least two such mobile robots, with the communication component of each robot adapted to send and receive image data and/or map data to the other robot. A method involves operating such a mobile robot in an area of interest in which deliveries are to be made.

A control apparatus is provided, including: an other-vehicle emotion acquiring unit configured to acquire an other-vehicle emotion indicating an emotion of an occupant of a second vehicle different from a first vehicle; a determination unit configured to determine whether to perform notification to an occupant of the first vehicle based on the other-vehicle emotion; and a notification control unit configured to perform control to notify the occupant of the first vehicle of notification information based on the other-vehicle emotion when the determination unit determines to perform the notification.

A method for localizing a vehicle comprises transmitting first position data related to a first position of the vehicle at a first point in time from the vehicle to a server. The server computes second position data related to the first position of the vehicle at the first point in time based on the received first position data. The server transmits the second position data from the server to the vehicle. The vehicle computes third position data related to a second position of the vehicle at a second point in time based on the received second position data. The second point in time is later than the first point in time.

An autonomous driving control apparatus installable in a vehicle includes a path determining section, an obstacle determining section that determines whether an obstacle on the planned driving path is a passage acceptable obstacle or a passage unacceptable obstacle, the passage acceptable obstacle being previously set as an obstacle that the vehicle is allowed to come into contact with while passing, the passage unacceptable obstacle being previously set as an obstacle that the vehicle is not allowed to come into contact with while passing, and a control instructing section that gives an instruction of control to a maneuver controller to perform at least one of controlling a speed of the vehicle and controlling a steering of the vehicle to control a maneuver of the vehicle. If the obstacle is determined to be the passage acceptable obstacle, the control instructing section gives an instruction of the control to pass over the obstacle.

A method for coordinating vehicles of a vehicle group, including implementing a setpoint acceleration in each vehicle of a vehicle group by electric control of a drive system or of a braking system of the respective vehicle, observing actual driving dynamics of the vehicles of the vehicle group during the implementation of the setpoint acceleration, assessing the observed actual driving dynamics of the vehicles on the basis of the requested setpoint acceleration for the respective vehicle, and outputting a vehicle-specific assessment result, and determining and outputting an acceleration limit value or a jerk limit value as a function of the vehicle-specific assessment result and adapting the vehicle-specific acceleration parameters in at least one of the vehicles of the vehicle group as a function of the determined acceleration limit value or jerk limit value in order to implement the setpoint acceleration.