This paper presents a data-driven multiple model framework for estimating the intention of a target from observations. Multiple model (MM) state estimation methods have been extensively used for intention estimation by mapping one intention to one dynamic model assuming one-to-one relations. However, intentions are subjective to humans and it is difficult to establish the one-to-one relations explicitly. The proposed framework infers the multiple-to-multiple relations between intentions and models directly from observations that are labeled with intentions. For intention estimation, both the relations and model probabilities of an Interacting Multiple Model (IMM) state estimation approach are integrated into a recursive Bayesian framework. Taking advantage of the inferred multiple-to-multiple relations, the framework incorpo-rates more accurate relations and avoids following the strict one-to-one relations. Numerical and real experiments were performed to investigate the framework through the intention estimation of a maneuvered quadrotor. Results show higher estimation accuracy and superior flexibility in designing mod-els over the conventional approach that assumes one-to-one relations.

Autonomous vehicles (AV) depend on the sensors like RADAR and camera for the perception of the environment, path planning, and control. With the increasing autonomy and interactions with the complex environment, there have been growing concerns regarding the safety and reliability of AVs. This paper presents a Systems-Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) based fault injection framework to assess the resilience of an open-source driving agent, called openpilot, under different environmental conditions and faults affecting sensor data. To increase the coverage of unsafe scenarios during testing, we use a strategic software fault-injection approach where the triggers for injecting the faults are derived from the unsafe scenarios identified during the high-level hazard analysis of the system. The experimental results show that the proposed strategic fault injection approach increases the hazard coverage compared to random fault injection and, thus, can help with more effective simulation of safety-critical faults and testing of AVs. In addition, the paper provides insights on the performance of openpilot safety mechanisms and its ability in timely detection and recovery from faulty inputs.