Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Other

Lars Niklas Pettersson

Brendan F Diamond

Keith Weston

Andrew Denis Lewandowski

Jordan Barrett

Patrick Gordon Collins

Michael Alan Mcnees

Venkatesh Krishnan

Andrew D Niedert

Michael Robertson, Jr

Lorne Forsythe

Matthew Johnson

Marin Assaliyski

Stephen Thomas Powell

Anthony Boyko

Samuel Johnson

Matthew L West

Kevin Groot

A vehicle determines a current state of charge of the vehicle and a current battery temperature of a battery of the vehicle. The vehicle, based on at least the state of charge and battery temperature, determines a charge acceptance rate for the battery and determines if the acceptance rate meets at least one predefined parameter for charging. The vehicle finds at least one charging station within a predefined proximity for which one or more known charge provision characteristics allow the at least one predefined parameter to be met, responsive to the acceptance rate meeting the at least one predefined parameter, and displays a location of the at least one charging station.

True electric vehicle charging price evalution and optimization

A vehicle includes a front axle having left and right front wheels and a rear axle having left and right rear wheels. A steering-wheel assembly is used to control at least the front wheels. Left and right driver-actuatable inputs are supported by the steering wheel assembly. A vehicle controller is programmed to, responsive to actuation of the driver-actuatable inputs, place the vehicle in one or more operating modes such as tank turn, trail turn assist, or diagonal driving mode.

Limited use driving operations for vehicles

A vehicle includes a traction battery having a plurality of cells arranged in arrays and grouped into a plurality of cooling zones. A thermal management system includes a plurality of distinct circuits each associated with one of the zones. The thermal management system is configured to provide individual heating or cooling to each of the circuits to independently control temperatures of the zones. A controller is programmed to, in response to one of the zones exceeding a first threshold temperature and another of the zones being less a second threshold temperature, command the thermal management system to provide cooling to the circuit associated with the one of the zones and command the thermal management system to provide heating to the circuit associated with the another of the zones.

Traction battery thermal management

A sensor-cleaning system includes a sensor of a vehicle, an electrode, and a computer communicatively coupled to the electrode. The sensor includes a lens. The electrode is positioned to draw dust from the lens when the electrode is energized. The computer is programmed to energize the electrode in response to the vehicle moving and deenergize the electrode in response to the vehicle being stationary.

Electrostatic sensor cleaning

Methods and apparatus to prevent trailer sway are disclosed. An example apparatus to prevent trailer sway of a trailer coupled to a vehicle includes prediction circuitry to predict, based on sensor data from one or more sensors of the vehicle, whether a trailer sway condition associated with the vehicle is likely to occur, and control activation circuitry to, in response to the prediction that the trailer sway is likely to occur, activate at least one vehicle control of the vehicle to prevent the trailer sway condition from occurring, the at least one vehicle control to include applying torque to at least one of one or more trailer wheels of the trailer or one or more vehicle wheels of the vehicle.

Methods and apparatus to monitor and prevent trailer sway of a vehicle and trailer

A braking control system includes a regenerative brake controller, a friction brake controller, and a master controller. The regenerative brake controller, in response to absence of expected communication between the master controller and regenerative brake controller, decreases regenerative braking. The master controller, in response to detecting the decrease in regenerative braking, commands the friction brake controller to increase friction braking.

Regenerative braking during communication interruptions

Systems and methods may be configured for providing preemptive reenergizing alerts designed to alert vehicle users to reenergize their vehicles in anticipation of power disruption conditions. Weather related data and/or grid related data may be leveraged for predicting the likelihood of power disruption conditions of a grid power source. When power disruption conditions are likely to increase the cost of energy by greater than a predefined threshold, one or more reenergizing alerts may be automatically communicated for alerting the users of the need to reenergize (e.g., refuel, recharge, etc.) their vehicles. Preemptively alerting users to reenergize their vehicles in this manner may ensure that the vehicle will be available for use as a backup power source during actual power disruption conditions.

Systems and methods for providing preemptive vehicle reenergizing alerts

Methods and systems are provided for adjusting a power output strategy at a track. In one example, a method may include customizing the power output strategy in response to user inputs. The power output strategy may be associated with a user profile stored in an application, the user profile further comprising items desired by the user for a track day along with post-track day debriefs including data with regard to previous track days.

Methods and systems for power level adjustment

Informed towing is provided. Towing information is identified, by a towing vehicle, with respect to a towed vehicle to be towed by the towing vehicle. A towed configuration of the towed vehicle is monitored. Responsive to the towed configuration of the towed vehicle being incorrect according to the towing information, a warning is displayed in the HMI indicating the incorrect towing configuration.

Vehicle-to-vehicle towing communication link

A vehicle includes driven wheels, an actuator operably coupled to the driven wheels by a drivetrain, and a braking system having friction brakes associated with the driven wheels. A controller is programmed to, in response to the vehicle being in a drift mode, decouple the driven wheels from the actuator, engage the friction brakes to lockup the driven wheels, and place the actuator in speed control and command a torque to the actuator based on a difference between a measured speed of the actuator and a target speed of the actuator.

Vehicle with drift mode

A vehicle and control method include a traction battery having a first nominal voltage, an auxiliary battery having a second nominal voltage, a bi-directional voltage converter configured to convert voltage between the first nominal voltage and the second nominal voltage, an electric machine powered by the traction battery and configured to provide propulsive power to the vehicle, an internal combustion engine, a plurality of electric accessories, and a controller programmed to control the DC/DC converter and the electric machine to supply power from the auxiliary battery through the DC/DC converter to the electric machine for a specified period of time in response to electric machine power demand being between a first threshold and a second threshold, and to reduce power supplied to at least one of the plurality of electric accessories in response to the electric machine power demand exceeding the second threshold.

Electrified vehicle control of bi-directional DC/DC converter for high voltage power assist from low voltage system

A control system for a vehicle may include a brake assembly having a brake actuator that operates brakes to apply braking forces to wheels of the vehicle when actuated, a propulsion system having a propulsion actuator operable to apply propulsive forces to at least some of the wheels when actuated, a hand-operated actuator, and processing circuitry operably coupled to the hand-operated actuator, the propulsion system, and the brake assembly to apply a balancing brake force to balance the propulsive forces generated based on actuation of the propulsion actuator while the vehicle is below a threshold speed and both the hand-operated actuator is actuated and the brake actuator is not actuated, and release the braking forces when the hand-operated actuator is released.

System and method for actuator initiated launch or line lock control

Methods and systems are provided for inducing vehicle side slip. In one example, a method includes opening a sole driveline disconnect clutch positioned between an engine and an electric machine upstream of a transmission, and closing the sole driveline disconnect clutch within a predetermined amount of time after opening the sole driveline disconnect without shifting gears of the transmission. In this way, vehicle drift may be reliable initiated in a hybrid electric vehicle with an automatic transmission, without shifting gears of the transmission.

Methods and system for providing vehicle drift for vehicles with automatic transmissions

Systems and methods for operating a vehicle that includes an engine and an integrated starter/generator are described. In one example, a torque output of an electric machine is increased via a rotation ratio changing device to reduce engine noise and vibration during engine starting. After the engine is started, the rotation ratio changing device is adjusted so that the engine and the electric machine rotate at a same speed.

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Novi, MI, United States of America

Lars Niklas Pettersson