Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Aric David Shaffer

Ronald Hugh Miller

Vern Stempnik

Michael David Kane

Brian Choi

Perry Robinson Macneille

Gary Steven Strumolo

David Michael DiMeo

Mark Crawford

Andrew E Ochmanski

Anya Lynn Getman

Hanaan Elmessiri

Timothy Jay Potter

Wilford Trent Yopp

Willes H Weber

Wangdong Luo

Stephen Varghese Samuel

Gurpreet Aulakh

Dumitru Raceu

Jeffrey Lawrence Laya

Joseph Patterson

Vinit Singh

Prashanth Shankar

Vernon Richard Stempnik

James Michael Funke

Anya Getman

A vehicle park assist system may include a sensor, a signal device, and a controller configured to locate via the sensors an available parking place and activate the signal device in response to locating the available parking place and recognizing a park trigger indicative of a desire to park in the available parking place upon passing the available parking place.

Enhanced park assist system

A method of assessing an area for parking a vehicle includes ultrasonically scanning the area to obtain ultrasonic data, radar scanning the area to obtain radar data, and determining whether to park the vehicle in the area based on both the ultrasonic data and the radar data.

Active park assist object detection

Parking assistance for a vehicle includes various elements directed to assessing whether a motion or position of a vehicle is conducive to detecting an available parking slot. In one instance, a signal is received, and the signal is used to calculate a movement parameter. For example, the movement parameter might include a distance between the driven vehicle and one or more objects or a passing angle of the driven vehicle relative to the one or more objects. The movement parameter is then compared to a movement parameter threshold, and a notification is transmitted when the movement parameter is violated.

Parking assistance for a vehicle

A method of determining an object distance from a vehicle includes sending a first transmission signal during a first burst period from a first transmitter, listening for a first reflection signal during a first listen period in a receiver, and sending a second transmission signal during a second burst period from a second transmitter. The second transmission signal is sent based on a time when the first transmission signal is sent.

Park assist object distance measurement clock control

A method of parking a vehicle includes calibrating a wheel speed count of the vehicle based on a measured length that is external to the vehicle, and parking the vehicle based on the calibrated wheel speed count.

Enhanced park assist wheel speed compensation technique

A vehicular body panel energy generator system is disclosed. An illustrative embodiment of the system includes a vehicle body and a plurality of body panels forming the vehicle body. At least one of the body panels comprises a vehicular solar panel. A method of generating and utilizing electrical power in a vehicle is also disclosed.

Vehicular body panel energy generator system

A method of parking a running vehicle includes measuring a length of a parked vehicle that is proximate to a desired parking location, and estimating the width of the parked vehicle based on a regression equation. The running vehicle is parked based on the estimated width.

Enhanced alignment method for park assist

Temperature compensation for ultrasonic sensors can have a significant error that is highly undesirable because temperature of ultrasonic sensors and the temperature of the medium through which they sense objects affect signal strength calibrations (e.g., echo thresholds) applied when detecting an object. In order to increase the detection capabilities and reported distance of an object, ultrasonic sensors need to adjust their detection criteria and distance calculations as the temperature of air surrounding a vehicle (i.e., outside air temperature) changes and also as the temperature of the sensor changes. Embodiments of the inventive subject matter provide for a simple, effective and consistent approach for determining a temperature upon which such detection criteria and distance calculation adjustments can be based.

Method and system for implementing ultrasonic sensor signal strength calibrations

A vehicle audio system includes an interior trim panel having an opening with a speaker module removably secured therein and having a speaker electrically connected to the vehicle audio system when the speaker module is positioned within the opening. The speaker module includes an interface for receiving an audio signal from a linked portable electronic device for playing the audio signal through the speaker when the speaker module is removed from the interior trim panel opening and electrically disconnected from the vehicle audio system, and for playing the audio signal through the vehicle audio system when the speaker module is positioned within the interior trim panel. The speaker module may include an energy storage device and/or generator, such as a dynamo or solar cell, to power the speaker and play audio from a linked digital media player and/or recharge an electronic device, such as a media player or cell phone.

Vehicle audio system having portable powered speaker for connecting a portable entertainment device

A method of alerting the driver of a vehicle to a lane departure condition. The method includes operating a lane detection system to detect that the vehicle is experiencing a lane departure condition, operating a sensor to detect background vibration experienced by the vehicle, determining a characteristic making a haptic signal likely to be distinguishable from the background vibration, and operating a haptic signal generator in response to the lane departure condition to deliver to a driver the haptic signal having the characteristic.

Lane departure haptic warning with compensation for road-caused vibration

A wireless seatbelt monitoring system and method is provided for informing a driver that a seatbelt that should be latched is unlatched. The system includes a wireless seatbelt assembly having a buckle equipped with a piezoelectric element and a transmitter. The transmitter sends a wireless seatbelt status signal when the seatbelt assembly is buckled by harvesting energy during the insertion process. The wireless seatbelt status signal is transmitted to a dedicated repeater module, which retransmits the wireless seatbelt status signal to a receiver. Based upon the wireless seatbelt status signal, the system informs the driver of the status of the seatbelt assemblies audibly, visually, or both.

Wireless seatbelt monitoring system

A vehicle including a center high mount stop lamp (CHMSL). The vehicle includes a vehicle body panel formed of a light emitting material of a predetermined color, including a first surface area, and coated with a paint of a predetermined color. A CHMSL housing may be mounted on one side of the vehicle body panel, and one or more light sources may be disposable adjacent or within the CHMSL housing for emitting light through a second surface area of the vehicle body panel when the light source is turned on, with the second surface area being smaller than the first surface area.

Concealed illuminated center high mount stop lamp (CHMSL)

A system and method of controlling a vehicle with a trailer comprises determining the presence of a trailer, generating an oscillation signal indicative of trailer swaying relative to the vehicle, generating an initial weighted dynamic control signal for a vehicle dynamic control system in response to the oscillation signal, operating at least one vehicle dynamic system according to the dynamic control signal, and thereafter, iteratively generating a penalty function for the weighted dynamic control signal as a function of the oscillation signal response. A neural network with an associated trainer modifies the dynamic control signal as a function of trailer sway response.

Trailer oscillation detection and compensation method for a vehicle and trailer combination

An active light source operating system () for a vehicle () includes a light source () that generates an initial illumination beam (). A selective attenuation filter () forms an emitted illumination beam (), with an associated light attenuation matrix (), in response to the initial illumination beam (). A sensor () detects an object and generates an object detection signal. A controller () is coupled to the selective attenuation filter () and said sensor (). The controller () attenuates a pixel () in the light attenuation matrix () in response to the object detection signal.

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Ypsilanti, MI, United States of America

Aric David Shaffer