Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Christopher Scott Nave

Roger Arnold Trombley

Thomas Edward Pilutti

John Shutko

Erick Michael Lavoie

Kenneth Michael Mayer

Shane Elwart

Douglas Scott Rhode

Levasseur Tellis

Matt Y Rupp

David Dean Smit

Stephen Varghese Samuel

W Trent Yopp

Martin Fitzpatrick Frey

Jianbo Lu

Eric L Reed

Stephen Kenneth Helwig

Bradley George Hochrein

Timothy D Zwicky

Udayakumar Ramasami

Chad Clement

Daniel Domek Eisele

Michael Hand

Reid James Steiger

Andy Chuan Hsia

Nate Rolfes

Shubham Sharma

Bradley G Hockrein

Don Jacob Mattern

Sleiman N Adelnour

Rich Lanoue

Johnathon Gagnon

Jeffrey Daniel Rupp

An autonomous vehicle comprising an integrated on-vehicle system having a queue management system configured to manage a queue of passenger waypoints, wherein the integrated on-vehicle system is configured to assign the passenger waypoints to a virtual driver system (VDS) of the autonomous vehicle.

Systems and methods for queue management of passenger waypoints for autonomous vehicles

A vehicle may be steered without a driver's hands being on a vehicle steering control mechanism. A presence of an object within a predetermined distance of the vehicle may be detected using data from at least one object detection sensor that provides data to at least one of a passive safety system, a lane control system, a speed control system, and a brake control system. A steering control mechanism hands-on mode can then be enabled based at least in part on the presence of the object.

Hands-off steering wheel governed by pedestrian detection

A system and method for calculating a horizontal camera to target distance is provided. A camera on board a vehicle is configured to image a target on a trailer that is aligned with the vehicle. A controller is in communication with the camera and is supplied a user-obtained measurement. The controller is configured to calculate a first horizontal distance and a second horizontal distance, and to sum the first and second horizontal distances to calculate a horizontal camera to target distance.

System and method for calculating a horizontal camera to target distance

A supplemental vehicle lighting system that is responsive to a trailer backup assist system is provided. The system includes a rear vehicle fixture defining a keylock hole customarily used in conjunction with a corresponding keylock cylinder. A light assembly is provided in the place of a keylock cylinder and operably coupled to the keylock hole. The light assembly includes a housing having a barrel that is concentrically aligned with the keylock hole and includes a distal end and a proximal end. A lighting device is disposed inside the housing and operable to emit light through the barrel beginning from the proximal end. A lens is coupled to the distal end of the barrel and is disposed to at least partially coincide with the keylock hole, wherein the lens is configured to disperse light emitted from the lighting device to illuminate a rear vehicle area.

Supplemental vehicle lighting system for vision based target detection

The trailer backup assist system has a human machine interface coupled to a controller having a setup module, a calibration module, an activation module and a control module configured to receive trailer measurements, apply trailer measurements, activate and control vehicle systems to calibrate and implement a curvature control algorithm that controls the reverse movement of the vehicle-trailer combination in a manner consistent with a driver request. When incorrect trailer measurements have been entered, the trailer backup assist system recognizes the error, initiates a warning and requests corrective action to correct the trailer measurements. Default values for a maximum controllable curvature limit and a maximum controllable angle replace the limits calculated and applied by the calibration model that used incorrect trailer measurements, until corrected trailer measurements may be entered by the driver.

Maximum trailer angle determination and control for a trailer backup assist system

A vehicle trailer backup assist system and method includes a hitch angle detection apparatus and a target monitor controller. The target monitor controller processes images acquired of the trailer towed by a towing vehicle to assist with placement of a target on the trailer. The target monitor controller also monitors the target and provides feedback to the user as to proper positioning of the target on the trailer. A target move detection routine detects movement of a target by processing the pixels of the image to determine if a new trailer has been connected. Further, a trailer connection monitoring routine monitors for a changed trailer based on loss of the hitch angle or target for a predetermined time period.

Method and system for monitoring placement of a target on a trailer

The trailer backup assist system has a human machine interface coupled to a controller having a setup module, a calibration module, an activation module and a control module configured to receive trailer measurements, apply trailer measurements, activate and control vehicle systems to calibrate and implement a curvature control algorithm that controls the reverse movement of the vehicle-trailer combination in a manner consistent with a driver request.

Trailer backup assist system

Trailer target monitoring system and method

A system includes a processor configured to receive a trailer image. The processor is also configured to identify an axle in the trailer image and identify a tongue-end in the trailer image. Further, the processor is configured to receive a tire image, including a wheel diameter provided on a tire. The processor is additionally configured to retrieve the wheel diameter from the tire image. The processor is also configured to identify a wheel, having an indentified diameter corresponding to the wheel diameter, in the first image. Additionally, the processor is configured to calculate a distance from the axle to the tongue-end using the identified diameter.

Method and apparatus for estimating the distance from trailer axle to tongue

A system and method for configuring a trailer backup assist system. The system and method communicates predetermined trailer parameters, which are embedded on a tag attached to the trailer, to a controller in the trailer backup assist system. A trailer backup assist system is configured using the predetermined trailer parameters and the configured trailer backup assist system is activated to operate using the trailer parameters.

Trailer identification system for trailer backup assist

Trailer target placement assist system and method

A vehicle control system includes one or more driver intent detection devices to detect at least a curve-negotiating intention of a driver. The system also includes one or more curvature detection devices, to detect or otherwise determine a road curvature. The system further includes one or more overspeed control devices, to, based at least in part on data received from the one or more curvature detection devices and data received from the one or more driver intent detection devices, cause braking to one or more vehicle tires and/or reducing engine torque to keep a vehicle accurately negotiating the curved road for the current driving condition.

Curve-related accident mitigation

A system and method are provided to determine the collision status of a nearby vehicle or vehicles. If a nearby vehicle has been in a collision, responsive systems may be triggered automatically. Responses may include warning the driver of the host vehicle and/or warning drivers of other vehicles or centralized networks by, among other methods, V2V or V2I communications. Responses may also include automatically triggering countermeasures in the host vehicle.

System and method for determining a collision status of a nearby vehicle

A system and method are provided to determine the side-impact collision status of a nearby vehicle or vehicles. If a nearby vehicle has been in a collision, responsive systems may be triggered automatically. Responses may include warning the driver of the host vehicle and/or warning drivers of other vehicles or centralized networks by, among other methods, V2V or V2I communications. Responses may also include automatically triggering countermeasures in the host vehicle.

System and method for determining a side-impact collision status of a nearby vehicle

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Ypsilanti, MI, United States of America

Christopher Scott Nave