Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Oliver Lei

Allen R Murray

David Joseph Orris

Somak Datta Gupta

Vladyslav Slyusar

Jayanthi Rao

Perry Robinson Macneille

Brian Bennie

Cynthia M Neubecker

Tuan Anh Be

Noorulla Mohammed

John Robert Van Wiemeersch

Shiqi Qiu

Omar Makke

Ritesh Pandya

Ayush Shah

David Richard Tengler

Mahmoud Yousef Ghannam

Dehua Cui

Adil Nizam Siddiqui

Helen Elizabeth Kourous-Harrigan

Robert Parenti

Nicholas Colella

David Allen Kowalski

Perry Robinson MacNeille

Arpita Chand

Subharthi Banerjee

Leo James Lanctot

Joseph Charles Jira

James Dragescu

Andrea Bowers Chowanic

Frank Thomas Brown

Alan Hejl

Amy Robertson

Caroline Elizabeth Michaels

Alex Michael Heilala

A server may determine that two-way communication to a plurality of autonomous vehicles has been lost, during conditions suitable for using the autonomous vehicles for evacuation. The server may also determine evacuation points and determine a geographic perimeter around each evacuation point, the perimeter projected to encompass sufficient vehicles to service the evacuation point based on determined evacuation needs of a given evacuation point. Further, the server may formulate an evacuation instruction for each evacuation point, each instruction having one or more parameters, including at least the geographic perimeter corresponding to a given evacuation point, wherein a given evacuation instruction instructs vehicles executing the instruction to travel to the corresponding evacuation point. The server additionally may instruct broadcast of one or more of the evacuation instructions from an ATSC transmitter known to cover a geographic region including at least a portion of the geographic perimeter of each evacuation instruction transmitted.

Method and apparatus for autonomous fleet handling using broadcast guidance

The disclosure generally pertains to systems and methods for providing targeted content to users. In an example method, audio data can be received from a device. Sensor data associated with the device may also be received, and the sensor data may include location data. Upon receiving the audio data, an intent associated with the audio data can be determined. At least one of a product, service, or entity may be determined based on the intent. Content may then be determined based on the sensor data and at least one of the product, service, or entity. The content may be associated with a vehicle. An indication of the content can then be sent to the device.

Systems and methods for providing targeted content to users

Drone-based vehicle connectivity systems and methods are disclosed herein. A method can include determining a loss of network connectivity by any of a vehicle and/or a drone associated with the vehicle, receiving an emergency message from the vehicle, launching the drone to navigate to a location where network connectivity exists, and transmitting the emergency message to a service provider when a connection to a network is established.

Drone-based vehicle connectivity systems and methods

A system includes a processor configured to determine that a high-speed data transfer is desired for a vehicle. The processor is also configured to identify parking, within a predefined distance from a destination location, which overlaps with identified areas of high-speed coverage meeting a predefined speed and display visual indicators of the identified parking, when a vehicle is within a predefined distance from the identified parking.

Method and apparatus for identifying and recommending vehicle locations to facilitate data transfer

The disclosure generally pertains to systems and methods for providing off-road track drivability guidance. In an example scenario, a processor receives a sensor signal that is generated when a vehicle is driven on an off-road track. The processor evaluates the sensor signal to obtain information about a driving surface of the off-road track such as, a material composition, a gradient, and/or an amount of provided traction. The processor conveys the information to another processor (which may be a part of a server computer) that determines a drivability status of the off-road track based on the information about the driving surface and additional parameters, such as present and/or future weather conditions. The server computer may provide the drivability status in response to a query from a processor that is located in another vehicle (or in a personal communication device carried by a driver of the vehicle).

Systems and methods for providing off-track drivability guidance

A vehicle receives a first portion of content via ATSC broadcast, generates a random nonce, responsive to receiving the content, and sends the nonce and a request for content verification to a remote server. The vehicle receives a message from the remote server indicating whether the first portion of content is likely valid, the message including a second portion of content and a hash value when the content is likely valid. The vehicle then calculates a second hash value, using the random nonce and the first portion of content. The vehicle compares the second hash value to the first hash value, and responsive to the second hash value matching the first hash value, combines the second portion of content and the first portion of content to create combined content. The vehicle then uses a security strategy to convert the combined content into utilizable content, and utilizes the content.

Secure broadcast delivery and verification

A system comprises a processor configured to detect wireless device communication originating from a mobile device. The processor is also configured to determine that the mobile device is within a vehicle interior. The processor is further configured to instruct the mobile device to suppress communication designed to communicate device information to vehicles.

Method and apparatus for wireless communication suppression

Synchronized work zone traffic management systems and methods are disclosed herein. An example method includes synchronizing, by a first vehicle, communication with a second vehicle over a wireless link, and displaying alternatingly, by the first vehicle, one of two messages on a first external display according to an alternating schema. A first message indicates to drivers to drive slowly and a second message indicates to the drivers to stop. The first message being displayed on the first external display when the second vehicle is displaying the second message on a second external display. The first vehicle displaying the second message on the first external display when the second vehicle is displaying the first message on the second external display. The alternating displaying of the first and second messages being used to control flow of traffic on a one-way street.

Synchronized work zone traffic management systems and methods

Vehicles can be equipped to operate in both autonomous and occupant piloted mode. Refueling stations can be equipped to refuel autonomous vehicles without occupant assistance. Refueling stations can be equipped with a fueling control computer that communicates with vehicles via wireless networks to move vehicles between waiting zones, service zones and served zones. Refueling stations can include liquid fuel, compressed gas and electric charging.

Autonomous vehicle fueling with centralized scheduling

A method is disclosed for vehicular operation on a road comprising a road network configured to communicate with one or more vehicles on the road, the method comprising sending a signal from a first vehicle to the road network, the signal comprising an intended path of the first vehicle on the road; receiving the signal at the road network; and adjusting at least one of a speed and a path of a second vehicle with respect to the road in response to the signal.

Systems and methods of vehicular operation

A system includes a stationary infrastructure element including a camera mounted to the infrastructure element and an infrastructure server. The infrastructure server includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to receive a request from a movable vehicle, the request identifying a data anomaly including at least one of (1) a sensor of the vehicle collecting data below a confidence threshold or (2) a geographic location outside a geographic database of the vehicle, to actuate the camera to collect image data of one of the vehicle or the geographic location, to identify geo-coordinates of the vehicle or the geographic location based on identified pixels in the image data including the vehicle or the geographic location, and to provide the geo-coordinates to the vehicle to address the data anomaly.

Enhanced infrastructure

A system includes a processor configured to detect the presence of a wireless network access point usable for vehicular communication. The processor is also configured to connect to the wireless access point and report connection information relating to the connected wireless access point to an entity capable of establishing direct cellular connection with a vehicle, identifying the connected wireless access point as an alternative communication method if cellular communication is unavailable.

Method and apparatus for cellular network backup connectivity

This disclosure is generally directed to harvesting electrical energy from RF signals that may be present in a vehicle. The RF signals may include cellular signals and Wi-Fi signals, for example. In an example system, an RF signal strength evaluator may be used to evaluate the RF signals in order to identify a strongest RF signal or a strongest band of RF signals that can be harvested to obtain electrical energy. An RF-to-electrical energy converter converts the RF signals(s) to electrical energy, which can be stored in an energy storage element. The energy storage element can be coupled to a device charger for charging various types of devices in the vehicle. In some instances, the system can be used to generate an ambient RF energy map that may be used by one or more vehicles to identify an optimal spot to park for harvesting RF signals.

Harvesting electrical energy from an RF signal in a vehicle

A system includes a processor configured to determine a navigation instruction execution location within a predefined distance from a vehicle location. The processor is also configured to communicate with a wireless transceiver to receive information identifying an intervening turn-option location, between the execution location and vehicle location. The processor is further configured to determine a distance between the vehicle location and turn-option location and display the determined distance on a navigation display, until the vehicle passes the turn-option location.

Growing community of inventors

Windsor, CA, United States of America

Oliver Lei