The disclosure relates to a method for operating a hybrid electric vehicle. According to the method, a route information is received in the form of a plurality of parameter sets, each parameter set relating to a segment of a route (S1). Subsequently, a power demand is estimated for each segment (S3) and a portion of an amount of energy being stored in the electric storage device is allocated to at least one of the segments. Alternatively or additionally, an amount of energy to be transferred into the electric storage device is allocated to at least one of the segments (S4). Additionally, at least one reference trajectory describing a state-of-energy of the electric storage device over the route resulting from the energy allocation is derived (S5). The operation of the hybrid electric vehicle is controlled as a function of a slope between a current state-of-energy and an upcoming control point on the reference trajectory (S7). Moreover, a data processing device comprising means for carrying out the method is presented.

A system and method of augmenting a delivery route. Exemplary methods include first location information from a first position device and receiving second location information from a second position device, storing first and second location information, and determining, based on at least one of the first and second information, a time and a location for each of a plurality of stops. Exemplary methods also include reconciling determined time and locations of each of the plurality of stops with a stored route, the stops having a stored location and a stored time associated therewith and estimating a plurality of transition times between pairs of the plurality of stops. Exemplary methods include constructing an updated timeline based on the plurality of stored stops, the plurality of determined stops, and the plurality of transition times and updating the delivery route based on the constructed timeline.

Methods and systems for monitoring use, determining risk, and pricing insurance policies for a vehicle having one or more autonomous or semi-autonomous operation features are provided. According to certain aspects, the operating status of the features, the identity of a vehicle operator, risk levels for operation of the vehicle by the vehicle operator, or damage to the vehicle may be determined based upon sensor or other data. According to further aspects, decisions regarding transferring control between the features and the vehicle operator may be made based upon sensor data and information regarding the vehicle operator. Additional aspects may recommend or install updates to the autonomous operation features based upon determined risk levels. Some aspects may include monitoring transportation infrastructure and communicating information about the infrastructure to vehicles.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide geolocation based operation of a vehicle by generating a configuration profile for one or more geolocations along a particular route. For each of a plurality of trips a vehicle takes along a route, a set of sensors may be polled at regular intervals as the vehicle travels along the route to obtain vehicle trip data at each interval. The vehicle trip data obtained at each interval may be associated with a geolocation of the vehicle at the interval. For each of the one or more geolocations of the vehicle along the route, a corresponding configuration profile may be generated based on the vehicle trip data associated with the geolocation across the plurality of trips to generate a set of configuration profiles, wherein each of the set of configuration profiles comprises instructions to modify a configuration setting of one or more components of the vehicle.

Method for operating a motor vehicle (1), comprising a navigation device (2) having at least one stored item of route information describing a route section and a cruise control system (3) that adjusts an actual speed of the motor vehicle (1) to a stored target speed determined as a function of the stored item of route information by controlling a drive (5) or a braking device (6) of the motor vehicle (1), wherein the navigation device (2) is supplied with at least one changed item of route information relating to the changed route section, and the cruise control system (3) adjusts the actual speed of the motor vehicle (1) as a function of at least one evaluation parameter, on the basis of which a traversal of the changed route section (15) earlier in time is qualified, either to the stored target speed determined as a function of the stored item of route information or to a changed target speed determined as a function of the changed item of route information.

A computer system for verifying vehicle software configuration may be provided. The computer system may include a processor and a non-transitory, tangible, computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to: (1) transmit, to a vehicle computing system, an authentication request including a hash algorithm specification; (2) receive, from the vehicle computing system, a current configuration hash value and a vehicle identifier; (3) retrieve a trusted data block from a memory based upon the vehicle identifier, the trusted data block including a stored configuration hash value and a smart contract code segment; (4) execute the smart contract code segment, the smart contract code segment including a failsafe code segment; and/or (5) transmit the authentication response to the vehicle computing system, and cause the vehicle computing system to execute the failsafe code segment.

A computer-implemented method for controlling a host vehicle having a vehicle control system that controls motion of the host vehicle relative to a preceding vehicle that is immediately ahead of the host vehicle. The method includes determining a relative headway distance and a relative velocity between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, and an acceleration rate of the preceding vehicle. The method includes receiving message packets transmitted from a leading vehicle and the message packets contain parameters of the leading vehicle including an acceleration rate of the leading vehicle. Further, the method includes calculating an acceleration control rate for the host vehicle to maintain the headway reference distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, based on the relative headway distance, the relative velocity, the acceleration rate of the preceding vehicle, and the acceleration rate of the leading vehicle. The acceleration rate is output to a vehicle controller to control motion of the host vehicle.

Methods and systems are provided for improving vehicle torque control accuracy. Data points of an engine torque data set are adjusted en masse by an on-board vehicle controller while also being adjusted individually by an off-board controller. By adjusting engine operation based on a torque data set that is updated by each of the on-board and off-board controllers, engine torque errors can be reliably determined and compensated for.

Methods and systems for monitoring use, determining risk, and pricing insurance policies for a vehicle having one or more autonomous or semi-autonomous operation features are provided. According to certain aspects, a computer-implemented method for real-time determination of the status of autonomous operation features of an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle may be provided. With the customer's permission, the operation of the autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle may be monitored to obtain operating data from one or more autonomous operation features. An operating status of the autonomous features may be determined based upon the operating data. After which, a change in the operating status of the autonomous features may be identified, and a report containing information regarding the change in the operating status of the autonomous features may be generated. Insurance discounts may be provided to risk averse customers that maintain their autonomous vehicles, and associated accident avoidance functionality, in good working condition.

A system and method of sensor validation utilizing a sensor-fusion network. The sensor-fusion network may comprise a number of sensors associated with one or more vehicles having autonomous or partially autonomous driving functions.