Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Gloabl Technologies, LLC

Eric L Reed

Thomas Lee Miller

Brian Bennie

John Robert Van Wiemeersch

Adil Nizam Siddiqui

Jonathan Diedrich

Scott Alan Watkins

Robert Bruce Kleve

Manoharprasad K Rao

Mark Anthony Cuddihy

Don David Price

Roger Arnold Trombley

Cynthia M Neubecker

Brad Alan Ignaczak

Cameron Smyth

Randy Michael Freiburger

Jacob Lucero

Erick Michael Lavoie

Luke Niewiadomski

Steven Yellin Schondorf

Thomas Michael McQuade

Daniel M King

Lisa Therese Boran

Frank J Desjarlais

Michael L Gusta

Charles Richard Drake

Robert D Klosek

Stuart C Salter

Cornel Lewis Gardner

Chen Zhang

David Anthony Hatton

Aaron Lewis Mills

Dilip B Patel

John Shutko

Bruno Sielly Jales Costa

Scott Howard Gaboury

Doron M Elliott

Richard William Kautz

Anthony Gerald King

Karl Wojcik

Douglas J Rogan

James Weinfurther

Cheri Lyn Hansen

Mark Gehrke

Christopher Scott Nave

Bradley Warren Smith

John Moore

Greg Swadling

Markus Krekel

Mark Alan Shehan

James Edwin Blatchford

Maria Eugenia Protopapas

Martin Scheck

Christopher Henderson

Jon Holt

Sneha Bagga

Adithya Ramachandran

Stavros Dionyssopoulos

Gabriel Dascalu

Paul Braithwaite

William McRoy

Bridget Chechak

Dante K Crockett

Nimish H Patel

Edgardo O Abinoja

Karolina Skiba

Ghassan El-hosseiny

A system includes a plurality of wireless transmitters and a processor configured to: receive, from a mobile device, signal strengths of signals from the wireless transmitters as detected by the mobile device. The processor is also configured to determine a location of the mobile device in a vehicle, based on a distance from the mobile device to each of the wireless transmitters, as indicated by the received signal strengths and store the location of the mobile device as an occupant location.

Method and apparatus for vehicle occupant location detection

Systems and methods are described for a push-button switch assembly with the ability to diagnose faults. The push-button switch assembly comprises a first circuit comprising a first resistor arranged in series with a first switch, and a second resistor arranged in parallel with the first resistor and the first switch, and a second circuit comprising a third resistor arranged in series with a second switch, and a fourth resistor arranged in parallel with the third resistor and the second switch, wherein the first switch and the second switch are each closable by displacement of a push-button of the push-button switch assembly.

Push-button switch assembly and diagnosic methods thereof

Neighborhood monitoring is performed by configuring a cluster server within a public network to maintain a cluster directory identifying cluster members including a neighborhood of smart listening devices and user vehicles. The neighborhood includes a cluster of dwellings, and the user vehicles includes an autonomous vehicle. The surroundings of the smart listening devices and the user vehicles are monitored using sensors in the smart listening devices and the user vehicles. When an alerting event is detected with one of the sensors, a corresponding one of the smart listening devices and the user vehicles that detected the alerting event initiates a message to another cluster member based on the cluster directory. A responsive action is executed in response to the detected alerting event which includes commanding the at least one autonomous vehicle to autonomously relocate to a designated location.

Network of home smart listening devices linked to autonomous vehicle

Systems and methods for driver presence and position detection are disclosed herein. A method can include determining whether a vehicle is in an open area or an enclosed area, determining that a key of the vehicle is no longer present inside the vehicle and an ignition of the vehicle is on, suppressing or delaying a warning message that indicates that the key of the vehicle is no longer present inside the vehicle and the vehicle is in the open area, and providing the warning message when the vehicle is in the enclosed area.

Vehicle parking assistance systems and methods

A computing device can be programmed to, upon determining that a location of a vehicle is within a set of boundaries associated with a wireless network and that a user device is authenticated to the network, authorize the user device to control the vehicle. The computing device can be further programmed to, upon determining that the vehicle is not within the boundaries, authorize the user device to control the vehicle based on transmitting an authentication credential to a server and receiving an authorization certificate.

Multimode vehicle proximity security

A system includes a plurality of vehicle-deployed wireless transmitters and a processor. The processor is configured to receive, from a mobile device, signal strengths of signals from the wireless transmitters as detected by the mobile device. The processor is further configured to determine a location of the mobile device in a vehicle, based on the distance from the mobile device to each of the respective transmitters, as indicated by the received signal strengths and store the location of the mobile device as an occupant location.

Crowd-sourcing of vehicles and smart listening devices is used for neighborhood monitoring. A cluster server is configured within a public network to maintain a cluster directory identifying cluster members including a neighborhood of smart listening devices and user vehicles, wherein the neighborhood is associated with a cluster of dwellings. The surroundings of the smart listening devices and the user vehicles are monitored using sensors in the smart listening devices and the user vehicles. Upon detecting an alerting event with one of the sensors, a corresponding one of the smart listening devices and the user vehicles that detected the alerting event initiates a message to another cluster member based on the cluster directory. The cluster member receiving the message initiates its own responsive action to the alerting event.

Home smart listening devices linking to multiple transport vehicles

A vehicle control system comprises a sensor configured to capture sensor data and a controller configured to identify a coupler position of a trailer in the sensor data. The controller is further configured to control a vehicle alignment routine aligning the hitch with the coupler position and control an emergency braking operation in response to detecting an obstruction in the sensor data. The controller is configured to suppress the emergency braking operation in response to the obstruction corresponding to the coupler in the sensor data.

System and methods for vehicle alignment control

Method and apparatus are disclosed for communication of infrastructure information to a vehicle via ground penetrating radar. A vehicle comprising an antenna positioned to broadcast radio waves below the vehicle, a ground penetrating radar system, and an active safety module. The ground penetrating radar system determines types of reflectors and a spatial relationship between the reflectors based on radar cross-sections detected by the antenna, and generates a signature based on the shapes and the spatial relationship. The active safety module determines environmental data based on the signature, and autonomously control the vehicle based on the environmental data.

Communication of infrastructure information to a vehicle via ground penetrating radar

A vehicle system comprises a hitch ball mounted on a vehicle. The system further comprises a plurality of sensor devices comprising an ultrasonic sensor and an image sensor. A controller is configured to process image data from the image sensor identifying a coupler position of a trailer. The controller is further configured to process ultrasonic data from the ultrasonic sensor identifying a proximity of the trailer. Based on the proximity of the trailer, the system is configured to identify the trailer in a detection range of the image sensor.

System and methods for reverse braking during automated hitch alignment

Method and apparatus are disclosed for adjustment of vehicle rearview mirror displays. An example vehicle includes a rearview camera for capturing an image, a rearview mirror display positioned at a fixed orientation that is to present a portion of the image, a housing to rotate behind the rearview mirror display, and a sensor to detect a orientation of the housing. The example vehicle also includes a controller to adjust, based upon the orientation of the housing, the portion of the image presented via the rearview mirror display.

Adjustment of vehicle rearview mirror displays

A smart listening device comprises an audio detector responsive to speech and ambient sounds to provide digital audio signals. A distributed controller is coupled to the audio detector to execute responsive actions in response to the digital audio signals. A communications circuit establishes a first communication link with a backend. A vehicle database identifies at least one user transport vehicle and at least one responsive action corresponding to the user vehicle. The distributed controller has a monitoring mode for detecting preconfigured alerting events and has an alert/response mode for executing responsive actions associated with the detected alerting events. The communications circuit establishes a second communication link with the user vehicle when an executed responsive action is associated with a detected alerting event corresponding to the user vehicle in order to initiate the responsive action.

Home smart listening device linking to transport vehicle

Methods and apparatus are disclosed to facilitate environmental visibility determination. An example vehicle comprises a sensor and a processor and memory. The sensor is to generate road image information. The processor and memory are in communication with the sensor and are configured to: detect vanishing points of lane markings in the road image information, convert an average pixel row value of the vanishing points to a distance value, and if the distance value is below a threshold, stop execution of at least one road condition monitoring feature.

Methods and apparatus to facilitate environmental visibility determination

A computer is programmed to receive, in a vehicle, an instruction, via an ultra-short-range transceiver that is mounted underneath a vehicle exterior surface, and actuate a vehicle component based on the received instruction.

Attachable vehicle control

Growing community of inventors

Livonia, MI, United States of America

Eric L Reed