Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Kathryn Hamilton

Ray C Siciak

Michael Adel Awad Alla

Mahrdad Damsaz

Vivekananda Krishnamurthy

Raymond C Siciak

Tsung-Han Tsai

Ahmad Khalifeh

Barnabas Joseph Nemec

Rashmi Hegde

Beni Tang

Sandro Nuesch

Sagar Avaneendra Tatipamula

Raveen Fernando

Techniques and examples pertaining to baggage transportation in a vehicle-sharing environment are described. An automotive vehicle may have a plurality of baggage compartments each respectively having a size capacity and a weight capacity. The vehicle may also have a plurality of sensors capable of monitoring a loading situation of the plurality of baggage compartments. The vehicle may further have a memory element capable of storing capacity data representing the loading situation, as well as a processor capable of updating the capacity data in an event that the loading situation is changed due to a baggage having been loaded to, or unloaded from, a baggage compartment of the plurality of the baggage compartment. The automotive vehicle may be an autonomous ride-sharing vehicle.

Baggage transportation using autonomous vehicle

A system, comprising a computer that includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to receive authentication an operator of a service controller from a server computer, identify a vehicle by scanning a physical code with the service controller and pair the service controller with the vehicle. The vehicle can be operated with the service controller.

Vehicle service controller

Exemplary embodiments of systems and methods described in this disclosure generally pertain to a ride service that includes an autonomous vehicle configured to execute various functions autonomously for assisting customers. An exemplary autonomous vehicle of the ride service may be configured to autonomously execute one or more functions such as identifying a customer upon arriving at a pick-up location, finding a suitable parking spot close to the customer, guiding the customer (such as a visually impaired customer) to the autonomous vehicle, positioning a particular door of the autonomous vehicle to facilitate entry into the autonomous vehicle by the customer, and/or providing an assigned seat to the customer upon entry into the autonomous vehicle. In at least some cases, the customer may be a physically handicapped individual in need of certain types of assistance offered by the autonomous vehicle.

Autonomous vehicle ride service systems and methods

A first vehicle velocity target is determined based on a velocity of a proximate second vehicle and at least one of a curvature of a road, a gradient of the road, a bank angle of the road, visibility, and a coefficient of friction on a surface of the road.

Vehicle velocity control

A vehicle computer includes a memory and a processor programmed to execute instructions stored in the memory. The instructions include receiving a first minimum risk condition (MRC) event recommendation from a first platform controller and a second MRC event recommendation from a second platform controller, selecting one of the first and second MRC event recommendations as a selected MRC event, controlling an autonomous host vehicle according to the selected MRC event.

Decentralized minimum risk condition vehicle control

Exposure to ultrasound energy emitted by remote object detection systems on vehicles is reduced for vehicle occupants. An automotive vehicle has a passenger cabin and a remote sensing system including ultrasonic transceivers mounted for sensing external objects. An ultrasonic microphone is disposed to sense an ultrasonic wave entering the passenger cabin at greater than 30 kHz. An antinoise processor calculates an antinoise signal adapted to at least partially cancel the ultrasonic wave at a predetermined location in the cabin. An amplifier is coupled to the processor for amplifying the antinoise signal by a predetermined gain. An ultrasonic speaker is coupled to the amplifier to project the antinoise signal into the predetermined location to attenuate the ultrasonic wave at the predetermined location.

Ultrasonic noise cancellation in vehicular passenger compartment

Remote object detection in an automotive vehicle includes an ultrasonic sensor for emitting ultrasonic bursts from an ultrasonic transducer at a standard rate. At least one object is tracked which reflects the ultrasonic bursts to the sensor. The transducer is adaptively set to emit ultrasonic bursts at a reduced rate which is less than the standard rate based on a result of the object tracking. In one embodiment, the ultrasonic bursts are set at the reduced rate when the tracked object is maintaining a stable relative position. The stable relative position may be comprised of the tracked object having a relative velocity less than a threshold. In another embodiment, extrinsic ultrasonic bursts originating from the tracked object and subsequent echoes between the automotive vehicle and the tracked object can be used by the vehicle to monitor the tracked object while emission of bursts from the vehicle are switched off.

Growing community of inventors

West Bloomfield, MI, United States of America

Kathryn Hamilton