Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

George Edmund Walley

Mathew Alan Boesch

Sangeetha Sangameswaran

Luke Niewiadomski

John Anthony Lockwood

Chen Zhang

Roger Arnold Trombley

Li Xu

J Anthony Lockwood

Hamid M Golgiri

Yanan Zhao

Wei Liang

Eric Hongtei Tseng

Kirk Pebley

Joseph F Stanek

Todd Mccullough

Kyle Simmons

Tuan Anh Be

Hank Kwong

Filip Tomik

Arnav Sharma

Mark Davison

Lihui Chen

David Farrell

Frederic Christen

A system for communicating a marshalling status of a vehicle to an observer located outside a vehicle. A memory storing instructions executable by a processor includes instructions to receive a marshalling command by the vehicle from a marshalling controller. The vehicle's marshalling state is changed in response to the marshalling command. The marshalling state is mapped to an optical output encoded for and understandable to the human observer. At least a first status light is illuminated according to the optical output.

Marshalling status communication to a vehicle observer

A system for assisting in aligning a vehicle for hitching with a trailer includes a vehicle steering system, a detection system outputting a signal including scene data of an area to a rear of the vehicle, and a controller that controls the vehicle steering system to maneuver the vehicle according to an initial alignment maneuver that positions the vehicle relative to the trailer, such that the trailer is within the area to the rear of the vehicle. The controller further receives the scene data and identifies the trailer within the area to the rear of the vehicle, derives a backing path to align a hitch ball mounted on the vehicle to a coupler of the trailer, and controls the vehicle steering system to maneuver the vehicle including reversing along the backing path.

Trailer GPS location storage and recall for hitch assist operation

A vehicle maneuvering apparatus includes an imaging device configured to capture image data and a controller in communication with a vehicle maneuvering system. The controller is configured to identify a coupler position of a trailer in the image data and compare a coupler height of the coupler position with a hitch height of a hitch ball. In response to the coupler height being insufficient to clear the hitch height, the controller is further configured to calculate a target position laterally offset from the coupler position and communicate the target position to the vehicle maneuvering system.

System and method for trailer alignment

Image data is obtained about an area that includes a plurality of sub-areas. One of the sub-areas is selected as a destination sub-area based on the destination sub-area being unoccupied. Then, upon detecting a candidate marker for the destination sub-area, the image data including the candidate marker is provided to a remote computer. A vehicle is operated to a stop in the destination sub-area. Then, upon receiving a message from the remote computer specifying an availability of the destination sub-area based at least on the image data, the vehicle is maintained in the destination sub-area or the vehicle is operated out of the destination sub-area.

Vehicle control system

A vehicle hitch assistance system includes a steering system and a controller. The controller acquires position data for a coupler of a trailer, derives a vehicle path to position a center of a hitch ball of the vehicle at an interference offset past a centerline of the coupler in a driving direction of the vehicle path, and outputs a steering control signal to the steering system to maintain the vehicle along the path.

Compensation for trailer coupler geometry in automatic hitch operation

A vehicle hitch assistance system includes a controller acquiring position data of a coupler of a trailer and deriving a vehicle path to align a hitch ball of the vehicle with the coupler including compensating for a determined change in the position of the coupler in a driving direction related to a difference between a vertical position of the coupler in the position data and a height of the hitch ball.

Compensation for trailer coupler height in automatic hitch operation

A computer is programmed to determine a target brake torque that is below a preset holding brake torque and at least high enough to hold a vehicle at standstill; and upon detecting that a brake of the vehicle is applied and a speed of the vehicle is below a threshold, monotonically reduce a brake torque of the brake so that the brake torque reaches the target brake torque when the speed reaches substantially zero.

Braking system

An engine of a stop/start vehicle, after the engine has been automatically stopped, may be commanded to automatically restart in response to detecting that the vehicle is in a turn lane based on traffic data in a vicinity of the vehicle such that the engine is automatically restarted before a brake pedal is released and a steering wheel is turned.

Stop/start control for stop/start vehicle in turn lane

A traction motor of a hybrid electric vehicle drives a primary pump to provide pressurized hydraulic fluid to engage a power flow path of a multi-ratio transmission. To reduce fuel consumption, the motor is maintained at zero speed until a shift lever is moved into a drive position. After a power flow path is established, the motor speed is again reduced to zero until a driver demands torque by pressing an accelerator pedal. While the traction motor is stationary, an auxiliary pump maintains the fluid pressure to keep the transmission power flow path engaged.

Method of engaging transmission system of a hybrid vehicle

A stop/start vehicle includes an engine and a stop/start system that prevents an auto stop of the engine when a speed of the vehicle is approximately zero in response to the vehicle being located within a specified distance from a body of water or in response to the vehicle being located in a user identified geographic region.

Auto-stop control for a stop/start vehicle near water

Vehicles equipped with an automatic start-stop system may include an interface for conveying inhibitors preventing an engine from auto-stopping in addition to the status of the automatic start-stop system. The system may identify one or more inhibitors actively preventing an auto-stop event from occurring and select at least one of the active inhibitors based on a priority scheme. The interface may communicate the at least one selected inhibitor to a driver using a display or a speaker, or both.

User interface for automatic start-stop system and method of controlling the same

A stop/start vehicle includes an engine and a stop/start system that selectively prevents an auto stop or auto start of the engine in response to a detected vehicle proximity and direction of travel relative to an emergency vehicle. The stop/start system may be programmed to prevent an auto stop of the engine in response to a detected proximity to an emergency vehicle where the emergency vehicle is traveling in the same direction as the stop/start vehicle, or in response to a detected proximity to an emergency vehicle where the stop/start vehicle is located within an intersection. The stop start system may also be programmed to prevent an auto start of the engine in response to the engine being stopped, and further in response to a detected proximity to an emergency vehicle where the emergency vehicle is traveling in cross traffic relative to the stop/start vehicle.

Vehicle auto-stop control in the vicinity of an emergency vehicle

A stop/start vehicle includes an engine and a stop/start system that prevents an auto stop of the engine when the speed of the vehicle is approximately zero in response to the vehicle being located at a service location or in response to the vehicle being located in a user identified geographic region.

Auto-stop control for a stop/start vehicle at a service location

A stop/start system of a vehicle autostops and autostarts an engine and, in response to an identification of a drive cycle destination indicating that the vehicle will remain parked for at least a predefined period of time, prevents autostopping of the engine during the drive cycle to increase a state of charge of the battery above a nominal target state of charge.

Stop/start control to increase microhybrid vehicle battery charge

A controller in a stop/start vehicle may anticipate a vehicle stop and engine shutdown event in response to detecting a vehicle approach to an intersection. The controller may disable a power steering system or otherwise prepare vehicle subsystems for shutdown prior to the anticipated shutdown event. The controller may also enable the power steering system in response to anticipating an automatic restart event.

Growing community of inventors

Novi, MI, United States of America

George Edmund Walley