Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Darren Palmer

Stuart C Salter

Katherine Howard-Cone

Pietro Buttolo

Ryan J O'Gorman

Peter Phung

James Robert Chascsa, Ii

A vehicle is provided that includes a sensor arrangement configured to sense one or more regions proximate to an exterior of the vehicle, and a controller configured to process signals generated by the sensor arrangement and to detect and generate a geometric profile of a trailer in the one or more regions proximate to the exterior of the vehicle, the controller further determining an air resistance of the trailer based on the geometric profile and calculating an expected driving range of the vehicle based on the detected air resistance.

Vehicle and method of profiling a trailer and determining vehicle driving range

A vehicle steering wheel is provided that includes a rim having a core structure, a plurality of heating zones surrounding at least a portion of the core structure, each heating zone having conductive circuitry to define a heater and a capacitive sensor for sensing location of a user's hand on the steering wheel, and a controller controlling the conductive circuitry in each heating zone to operate as the capacitive sensor to sense a presence of the user's hand in at least one heating zone and to switch to operate as the heater to heat the at least one heating zone when the hand is sensed in the at least one heating zone.

Heated vehicle steering wheel having multiple heaters with integrated sensors

Growing community of inventors

Bloomfield Hills, MI, United States of America

Darren Palmer