Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Andrew Brown

Keith Weston

Joshua Sharpe

Stuart C Salter

John Robert Van Wiemeersch

Brendan F Diamond

Brian Gabel

Access to a vehicle is controlled by detecting gestures pointing to a virtual keypad. A setup mode preconfigures a sequence of touchpoints as a security key, wherein an administrant performs a timed series of distinct gestures according to a chosen number and location of touchpoints which are detected by the vehicle using captured real-time images. Touchpoints during a plurality of repetition trials provide respective sets of datapoints for each one of the distinct gestures in the series. A respective deviation contour is determined for each respective set and then expanded to represent regions of validity for respective touchpoints corresponding to the sequence of touchpoints. The expanded deviation contours are accepted as defining the sequence of touchpoints for the security key if there is no overlap between any expanded deviation contours to complete the setup mode.

Gesture-based vehicle entry system with virtual keypad

A system receives confirmation that a vehicle has accepted automatic control imposition for a drive within a geo-fenced boundary. The system tracks travel of a plurality of vehicles, including the vehicle, within the geo-fenced boundary. The system may determine that the vehicle has a threshold likelihood of encountering at least one of another vehicle or a boundary of the geo-fence at a threshold speed or above and responsive to the determination, impose automatic control on the vehicle, including at least one of controlled braking or speed limiting.

Vehicle-to-x communication and handling for vehicle coordination and management

A load-monitoring system includes a vehicle processor and a camera mounted in a trailer. The vehicle, via the processor, displays a first image of a trailer load, received from a trailer-mounted camera and receives selection of a monitoring point on the image, via a touch-sensitive user interface displaying the image or other selection mechanism. The vehicle also receives selection of a fixed point on the image, via the user interface. If the monitoring point moves more than a threshold amount, relative to the fixed point, for example, in subsequent images captured by the camera, the vehicle alerts the driver.

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Farmington Hills, MI, United States of America

Andrew Brown