Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Li Xu

Luke Niewiadomski

Kyle Simmons

Eric Hongtei Tseng

Hongtei Eric Tseng

Roger Arnold Trombley

Joseph Carr Meyers

Jianbo Lu

Todd Allen Brown

Thomas Edward Pilutti

Arnav Sharma

Douglas Blue

Davor Hrovat

Donald Jacob Mattern

Seyed Armin Raeis Hosseiny

Bo Bao

Davorin David Hrovat

Shannon Brooks-Lehnert

Katherine Rouen

Hamid M Golgiri

John Patrick Joyce

Chen Zhang

Albert Chenouda Salib

Douglas J Rogan

George Edmund Walley

Lihui Chen

Yu Ling

Daniel Domek Eisele

Alexander Lee Hunton

Erick Michael Lavoie

Dimitar Petrov Filev

Yanan Zhao

Steven Yellin Schondorf

Darrel Alan Recker

Michael Hafner

Ahmed Benmimoun

Nikhil Nagraj Rao

Vladimir V Kokotovic

Kenneth Michael Mayer

Zheng Hu

Mark Davison

Nadja Wysietzki

Markus Krekel

Mohit Srinivasan

Thomas Gerlitz

Josko Deur

Bengt Johan Henrik Jacobson

Peter Ling

Mikael Thor

Bengt Jacobson

John Michael Celli

Jens Kotte

Andrew E Ochmanski

Cinderella Matuk

Paul Theodosis

Mohamed El-sawah

Martin Miller

Frederic Christen

Craig Schmatz

Mirko Coric

Phillip Curtiss Couture

Craig Philip Angold-Stephens

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 hitching assistance system includes a controller acquiring image data from the vehicle and deriving a vehicle path to align a center of a hitch ball of the vehicle with a centerline of a trailer coupler within the image data. The controller also outputs a video image including a representation of a simplified path from the hitch ball to the coupler and outputs a steering signal to cause the vehicle to steer along the vehicle path.

Hitch assistance system with interface presenting simplified path image

For a vehicle at a first location, a blind zone is defined that is outside fields of view of available vehicle sensors. A path is determined that avoids the blind zone and moves the vehicle away from the first location. The path includes a straight portion having a first end at the first location, and a turning portion starting at a second end of the straight portion. The straight portion is defined such that, at the second end of the straight portion, the fields of view encompass the blind zone. The vehicle is determined to operate along the turning portion based on obtaining sensor data from the blind zone upon reaching the end of the straight portion.

Vehicle operation along planned path

A computer includes a processor and a memory, and the memory stores instructions executable by the processor to represent a vehicle as a vehicle boundary; represent an object as an object polygon including object vertices and object sides; determine a turning center of a turning radius of the vehicle; select the object vertices projected to intersect the vehicle boundary; for the selected object vertices, determine respective object central angles with respect to the turning center between the respective object vertex and an object intersection with the vehicle boundary; select a smallest central angle from a set including the object central angles; and actuate a component of the vehicle based on the smallest central angle.

Vehicle object avoidance

A computer includes a processor and a memory, and the memory stores instructions executable by the processor to receive sensor data indicating an obstacle, formulate a first control barrier function for a vehicle based on the sensor data, formulate a second control barrier function for a trailer hitched to the vehicle based on the sensor data, determine a control input based on the first and second control barrier functions, and actuate a component of the vehicle according to the control input.

Obstacle avoidance for vehicle with trailer

While operating a host vehicle in an area, a target vehicle is identified in a sub-area based on detecting a visual cue from the target vehicle. A future location of the target vehicle is predicted to intersect a path of the host vehicle. A stop position of the host vehicle is determined based on the future location of the target vehicle. At least one of the target vehicle is determined to have moved or the path of the host vehicle is updated. Then, the host vehicle is operated to the stop position or along the updated path.

Vehicle control system

A computer includes a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to actuate movement of a vehicle at a first speed, identify a potentially available parking space in a vehicle direction of travel based on data received from at least one camera, then reduce a speed of the vehicle to a second speed that is less than the first speed while receiving data from at least one proximity sensor about the parking space, and actuate movement of the vehicle to a parking position in the parking space upon determining that the parking space is available based on the data from the at least one proximity sensor.

Vehicle parking control

A system for assisting in aligning a vehicle for hitching with a trailer includes an imaging system, a vehicle control system including at least one vehicle sensor, and a controller. The controller controls the vehicle using the vehicle control system to move the vehicle into an aligned position, where a hitch ball on the vehicle is aligned with the coupler, including monitoring a signal from the vehicle sensor and tracking a position of the coupler relative to the hitch ball in image data. When the signal indicates an unintended stopped vehicle state, the controller determines a distance from the hitch ball to the coupler. If the distance is above a predetermined threshold, the controller controls the vehicle control system to cause the vehicle to move. If the distance is below the predetermined threshold, the controller indicates the unintended stopped vehicle state to a driver of the vehicle.

Unintended standstill response in an assisted hitching operation

A future location of a movable object is predicted to intersect a planned path of a host vehicle. A host vehicle component is actuated to output a signal indicating to move the movable object. Then, at least one of the movable object is determined to have moved or the planned path of the host vehicle is updated. Then, the host vehicle is operated along the planned path or the updated planned path.

Vehicle planned path signal

A trailer flank object contact avoidance system for a vehicle towing a trailer includes a sensor system configured to detect objects in an operating environment of the vehicle and a controller. The controller processes information received from the sensor system to monitor a relative position of at least one object with respect to the vehicle during driving and determines an instantaneous path of the trailer based on a vehicle steering angle and whether the instantaneous path of the trailer would bring the trailer into contact with the at least one object. The controller issues a coaching notification to the driver that reverse driving is required to prevent contact between the trailer and the vehicle when a corrective steering angle cannot prevent contact of the trailer with the at least one object during forward driving.

Active HMI coaching to assist in the retreat from a pending trailer flank contact

A system, comprising a computer having a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to identify a height of a curb that is at least one of within or bordering a parking area having a specified length and width. The instructions include instructions to identify a location of the curb. The instructions include instructions to determine a parking position within the parking area based on the height of the curb and the location of the curb. The instructions include instructions to park a vehicle at the parking position within the parking area.

Vehicle parking system

A computer is programmed to identify a turning center defined by a turning radius of the vehicle and a heading angle of the vehicle, identify a boundary circle having a center defined by the turning center and a radius extending to a location of a detected object, identify coordinates for each of a plurality of vertices of an external contour of the vehicle, the external contour defining a plurality of line segments, each line segment connecting two of the vertices, upon identifying at least one line segment that intersects the boundary circle, identify at least one of an object distance or an intersection time between the object and the vehicle, and actuate at least one of a steering or a brake to avoid the object when the object distance is below a distance threshold or the intersection time is below a time threshold.

Enhanced object detection and response

A vehicle system configured to control a trailer alignment routine comprises a hitch mounted on a vehicle and a controller. The controller is configured to identify a coupler position of a trailer and control motion of the vehicle toward an aligned position. The controller is further configured to calculate a stopping threshold relative to the coupler position. The stopping threshold comprises a semicircle concentric to the coupler position. The controller is further configured to control a braking procedure in response to the hitch passing the stopping threshold.

System and methods for vehicle alignment control

A vehicle system configured to control a trailer alignment routine includes a hitch mounted on a vehicle and a controller. The controller is configured to identify a coupler position of a trailer and control motion of the vehicle to toward an aligned position. The controller is further configured to control a braking procedure of the vehicle including a plurality of concurrent deceleration control procedures in response to a portion of the vehicle passing a gradual stopping distance. The concurrent deceleration procedures include monitoring an elapsed time following the portion of the vehicle passing the gradual stopping distance and monitoring a remaining distance to the aligned position based on a velocity of the vehicle and comparing the remaining distance to a rapid stopping distance.

Overshoot protection in hitch assist operation

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Northville, MI, United States of America

Li Xu