Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Cyril Coerman

Georg Johann Maurer

Uwe Hoffmann

Lucian Lippok

Shi Yan

Robert Barend Ter Waarbeek

A method for determining a trajectory of a motor vehicle for a driver assistance function includes: determining an initial trajectory of the motor vehicle on a road; setting an upper threshold for the lateral acceleration of the motor vehicle; detecting data of the road surface in the direction of travel ahead of the motor vehicle with at least one sensor; determining the vertical profile of the road surface of a plurality of paths running parallel to each other in the direction of travel ahead of the motor vehicle by using the data; determining, when the vertical profile of at least one of the paths indicates a pothole, a lateral deviation from the initial trajectory for which a limit value does not exceed the set upper threshold for the lateral acceleration, wherein the road boundary is not exceeded; and outputting an adjusted trajectory by using the determined lateral deviation.

Determining a pothole-avoiding trajectory of a motor vehicle

A method for controlling a vertical vibration damping of a wheel of a vehicle, in which the wheel has a suspension including a vibration damper with a control element including an actuating element for adapting a damping characteristic of the vibration damper includes a series of steps. The vehicle includes a first sensor for detecting roadway anomalies, a second sensor for detecting a vertical displacement of the wheel, and a control unit connected to the first and second sensors and the control element. The method steps include detecting roadway anomalies with the first sensor, detecting the vertical displacement with the second sensor and switching the vibration damper with the control element at a first point in time from a first state with a first damping characteristic into a second state with a second damping characteristic when a first sensor signal generated by the first sensor indicates a roadway anomaly with a minimum height.

Method for controlling a vertical vibration damping of at least one wheel of a vehicle and vehicle vertical vibration damping of at least one wheel

A vehicle lighting-based roadway obstacle notification for a motor vehicle has a vehicle headlamp system with a controllable light distribution. A camera is aligned parallel to a forward driving direction records a part of the roadway surface lying in front of the motor vehicle which includes a multiplicity of roadway detection paths. Camera data are individually evaluated in relation to ranges and at least one quantity from among a magnitude of a vertical dimension hof the roadway, a magnitude of a gradient gradof the roadway, and an instantaneous speed vof the motor vehicle, with respect to the roadway detection paths. When at least one predetermined condition in respect of at least one of these quantities is complied with, the vehicle headlamp system is controlled in order to illuminate a part of the width of the roadway in which a roadway anomaly has been detected.

System and method for vehicle lighting-based roadway obstacle notification

A method is provided for diminishing the effect of roadway anomalies on a vehicle by dynamically adjusting an actuating element for regulating damper forces of a vibration damper of a vehicle wheel when passing over a roadway anomaly, in particular a pothole, wherein, when the falling edge of the roadway anomaly is reached, the actuating element is switched into its hardest setting and, when the rising edge of the roadway anomaly is reached, the force request is set equal to 0 and, thereafter, a force request is calculated based on the parameters of the vehicle and the suspension and is transmitted to the damping.

Situation-dependent damping of the vertical wheel oscillation

A method for checking status of a vibration damper of a motor vehicle includes selecting a suitable section of a roadway, via processing circuitry at a server, based on section selection criteria comprising a number of passing vehicles, a data input sufficient for correlation analyses of the vibration damper, and homogeneity of the roadway. The method further includes acquiring data from a plurality of other vehicles while the other vehicles are driving through the section, grouping data items from the acquired data that are specifically associated with vibration damper status, classifying the status of the vibration damper based on the data items, and informing the driver about the status of the vibration damper. The data on the number of the other vehicles may include data indicative of other vehicle vibration dampers in new condition defining reference values for a degree of wear of the vibration damper.

System and method for dynamic monitoring of vibration dampers

A vehicle includes a powerplant, a front axle having first and second wheels and a differential operably coupled to the powerplant. A power-takeoff unit (PTU) is connected to the differential. A rear axle has third and fourth wheels and a gearbox connected to the PTU without a center differential. The gearbox has a first clutch configured to selectively couple the third wheel to the PTU and a second clutch configured to selectively couple the fourth wheel to the PTU. A controller is programmed to determine, during a turn, which of the third and fourth wheels is an outer rear wheel, determine whether there is a positive or negative torque on the outer rear wheel, and disengage, or keep disengaged, the one of the first and second clutches that is associated with the outer rear wheel in response to a negative torque on the outer rear wheel.

Method for operating a motor vehicle with on-demand all-wheel drive

A method is described for controlling the automatic starting of a motor vehicle comprising an electronically controllable locking differential, uphill in a split mu situation. The method comprises the following steps: determining the positive gradient of the underlying surface; defining an initial locking torque on the basis of the determined positive gradient and on the basis of a component of the torque which the vehicle requires to travel uphill with only the first driven wheel powered; calculating the slip ratio SRfor the first driven wheel xx according to SR=(V&#x2212;V)/Vif the reference velocity Vis between 0 and a critical velocity V, and according to SR=(V&#x2212;V)/Vif the reference velocity Vis higher than the critical velocity V; and defining the locking torque of the electronically controllable locking differential on the basis of the slip ratio of the first driven wheel.

Controlling the automatic starting of a motor vehicle uphill in a &#x3bc; split situation

The invention concerns a method for operating a motor vehicle with selectable all-wheel drive. The all-wheel drive is implemented with no central differential and the rear axle is implemented with no axle differential. The motor vehicle includes first and second partial clutches for independently decoupling left and right rear wheels from the drive train of the motor vehicle motor vehicle. The method includes determining a value that is representative of a ratio of the speeds of the front wheels to each other, comparing the value with a reference value, and disengaging the partial clutch that is associated with an outer rear wheel when the motor vehicle is turning, when the value is greater than the reference value, in order to prevent negative torques on the outer rear wheel.

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Leverkusen, Germany

Cyril Coerman