A self-driving motor vehicle including numerous control units and numerous program codes for controlling the functions of the autonomous driving and other functions of the self-driving vehicle. Numerous program codes used for an autonomous driving mode are applied redundantly to at least two different control units. The self-driving motor vehicle may then be operated in an at least a partially autonomous driving mode. In this mode, the functions directly needed for satisfying a passenger's desire are determined, and weighted with regard to their importance in fulfilling the passenger's desires. At least one function of a lower order is then shut off, if the available resources in functioning control units and/or the power level in the self-driving motor vehicle are insufficient to execute program code for executing this function of the lower order.

A method includes an initial trailer health assessment and real-time trailer health monitoring. The initial trailer health assessment includes autonomous pre-trip maneuvers of the autonomous vehicle during a first time period, and detecting a pre-trip vehicle health condition. A vehicle health score is calculated based on the pre-trip vehicle health condition. If the vehicle health score is at least a threshold value, real-time trailer health monitoring is performed during a trip of the autonomous vehicle during a second time period, by actively monitoring vehicle dynamics data and/or image data associated with the autonomous vehicle, to determine a fault condition of the autonomous vehicle. If the fault condition meets a first criteria, a control parameter and/or a travel plan of the autonomous vehicle is adjusted. If the fault condition meets a second criteria different from the first criteria, a signal is sent to cause the autonomous vehicle to cease movement.

A system unit for an at least semi-automated mobile platform. The system unit includes at least one first actuator system and one second actuator system, which each include at least one auxiliary operating mode and one emergency operating mode. The first actuator system and the second actuator system are each configured and coupled: to switch into an inactive operating mode when a critical error is identified in the respective actuator system; and to switch into an auxiliary operating mode when one of the actuator systems switches into the inactive operating mode to additionally carry out at least portions of a functionality of the respective actuator system, which is in the inactive operating mode; and to switch into an emergency operating mode when a critical error is identified in the respective actuator system in the auxiliary operating mode.

Among other things, techniques are described for notifying and explaining the action performed by an autonomous vehicle, including but not limited to: receiving a planned path of a vehicle, a state of the vehicle and environment data of an environment in which the vehicle is operating, receiving a deviation signal, determining whether the deviation signal was reported by a first system or a second system of the vehicle, in response selecting a first set of simulators or a second set of simulators for simulating the vehicle in the environment, simulating the vehicle in the environment using the selected first or second set of simulators, based on results of the simulating, generating a message and presenting the message to at least one occupant of the vehicle.

A vehicle includes: an in-vehicle sensor that detects an environment around the vehicle; an autonomous driving unit that executes automated valet parking based on the detection result from the in-vehicle sensor; a detection unit that detects dirt or a raindrop attached to the in-vehicle sensor before the automated valet parking is started by the autonomous driving unit; and an informing unit that outputs information that suggests removing the dirt or the raindrop on the in-vehicle sensor in response to the detection unit detecting the dirt or the raindrop attached to the in-vehicle sensor.

A system for executing functionally equivalent applications. The system includes a cloud system including a plurality of cloud instances, the plurality of cloud instances being set up in each case to execute a functionally equivalent application in each case based on the same input data, the respective execution including a processing of the input data by the respective application in order to output an application result in each case, and a comparison device, which is set up to compare the respective application results in order to ascertain a comparison result and to output the comparison result that has been ascertained. A method for executing functionally equivalent applications, a computer program, and a machine-readable storage medium, are also described.

Devices, systems, and methods for a vehicular safety system in autonomous vehicles are described. An example method for safely controlling a vehicle includes selecting, based on a first control command from a first vehicle control unit, an operating mode of the vehicle, and transmitting, based on the selecting, the operating mode to an autonomous driving system, wherein the first control command is generated based on input from a first plurality of sensors, and wherein the operating mode corresponds to one of (a) a default operating mode, (b) a minimal risk condition mode of a first type that configures the vehicle to pull over to a nearest pre-designated safety location, (c) a minimal risk condition mode of a second type that configures the vehicle to immediately stop in a current lane, or (d) a minimal risk condition mode of a third type that configures the vehicle to come to a gentle stop.

Devices, systems, and methods for a vehicular safety system in autonomous vehicles are described. An example of controlling operation of an autonomous vehicle includes monitoring, by a processor of a vehicle controller system, an operation of an autonomous vehicle controller onboard the autonomous vehicle, determining, during the monitoring, that a fault condition has occurred in the operation of the autonomous vehicle controller, and taking control of navigation of the autonomous vehicle based on the determining that the fault condition has occurred, wherein the taking control of navigation includes navigating the autonomous vehicle using a dedicated set of sensors for the navigation, and wherein the dedicated set of sensors is different from a main set of sensors used by the autonomous vehicle controller.

A vehicular control system includes a plurality of electronic control units (ECUs), each providing a respective quantity of computational units representative of an amount of processing power of the respective ECU. The ECUs operate a vehicle in a nominal autonomous operational mode when a sum of the quantity of computational units exceeds a threshold. The system, while the ECUs operate the vehicle in the nominal autonomous operational mode, and responsive to detecting a failure of one of the ECUs, determines whether a sum of the quantity of computational units of the remaining ECUs that do not have a failure exceeds the threshold. The ECUs, responsive to the system determining that the sum of the quantity of computational units of the remaining ECUs fails to exceed the threshold, switches from operating the vehicle in the nominal autonomous operational mode to operating the vehicle in a degraded autonomous operational mode.

The present disclosure provides example autonomous driving apparatuses and computer program products. One example apparatus includes receiving vehicle attribute information and traveling information of a target vehicle from the target vehicle. Layer information of a first road section on which the target vehicle travels is obtained from an autonomous-driving-policy-layer based on the traveling information. A first autonomous driving policy for the target vehicle is obtained based on the layer information of the first road section and the vehicle attribute information of the target vehicle. The first driving policy is sent to the target vehicle.