Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Peter Phung

Stuart C Salter

Paul Kenneth Dellock

David Brian Glickman

Ryan J O'Gorman

Katherine Howard-Cone

John Robert Van Wiemeersch

Timothy Harris

Pietro Buttolo

Annette Lynn Huebner

Zeljko Deljevic

Johnathan Andrew Line

Kevin Wayne Preuss

Sean Bayle West

Aaron Bradley Johnson

Hussein H Berry

Kristin Ann Hellman

Pankaj Kumar

Mark Eifert

Stephen Neal Jacobsen

Timothy Panagis

Clayton Benjamin Ford

David Michael Diamond

Benjamin Solomon Richer

Adam Carlson

Kenneth Patrick McHugh

Darren Palmer

A power system includes a bidirectional power transfer inverter that receives grid power and can be electrically connected with electric vehicle supply equipment, and an auxiliary battery electrically connected with the bidirectional power transfer inverter and that supplies power to the bidirectional power transfer inverter and electric vehicle supply equipment while the grid power is unavailable.

Temperature and state of charge based control of dark start auxiliary battery for bidirectional power transfer inverter

A vehicle is provided that includes a sensor arrangement configured to sense one or more regions proximate to an exterior of the vehicle, and a controller configured to process signals generated by the sensor arrangement and to detect and generate a geometric profile of a trailer in the one or more regions proximate to the exterior of the vehicle, the controller further determining an air resistance of the trailer based on the geometric profile and calculating an expected driving range of the vehicle based on the detected air resistance.

Vehicle and method of profiling a trailer and determining vehicle driving range

A vehicle includes a body, an aperture defined by the body, a closure panel, and a load sensor. The closure panel is movable between an open position and a closed position. The closure panel covers at least a portion of the aperture when the closure panel is in the closed position. The load sensor is coupled to the closure panel. The load sensor senses a load that is applied to the closure panel.

Load-sensing closure panel

A vehicle includes a storage compartment having a door panel movable between closed and open positions allowing access to the storage compartment, a user input device located within the storage compartment, and a latch assembly for latching the door panel in the closed position. The latch assembly includes a first release stage in the closed position allowing the door panel to move to an intermediate position between the open and closed positions and a second release stage allowing the door panel to move to the open position. The vehicle also includes a vehicle speed sensor sensing vehicle speed and a controller monitoring the sensed vehicle speed and detecting a user input to the user input device and controlling the latch assembly to selectively allow the door panel to move to one of the intermediate and open positions based on the sensed vehicle speed and the detected user input.

Vehicle compartment having speed-based latch control

A vehicle includes a cabin interior, a floor, and a tailgate at the rear end of the cabin interior, wherein at least a portion of the tailgate pivots between a vertical closed position and a horizontal open position. The vehicle has a first seat track assembly is supported on the floor in the cabin interior, a second seat track assembly supported on the tailgate, and a seat assembly. The seat assembly including a first seat panel, a second seat panel, a bracket that allows the first seat panel and the second seat panel to pivot between a forward facing position and a rearward facing position, and a guide supporting the bracket on one of the first and second seat track assemblies, wherein the seat assembly may slide rearward along the first seat track assembly onto the second seat track assembly when the tailgate is in the open position.

Vehicle having transformable rear seat

Systems and methods may coordinate and execute bidirectional energy transfer events between electrified vehicles and other devices or structures. Weather related data and/or grid related data may be leveraged for predicting the likelihood of power outage conditions of a grid power source. When power outage conditions are likely, a charging storage limit of a traction battery pack of the electrified vehicle may be automatically increased. The increased charging storage limit temporarily increases the energy storage capacity of the traction battery pack in anticipation of expected power outage conditions, thereby better preparing the traction battery pack for use as a backup power source during the power outage conditions.

Bidirectional charging events based on predicted and actual power outages

A bidirectional energy transfer system includes a supply device having a vehicle port, an inverter port, a converter, and an isolation transformer. The vehicle port is configured to electrically couple the supply device to an electrified vehicle. The inverter port is configured to electrically couple the supply device to an inverter that is separate from the supply device.

Bidirectional energy transfer system and method that utilize a supply device

Ridehail seat reservation enforcement and user direction systems and methods are disclosed herein. An example method can include receiving a ridehail request that includes a seat selection of a first seat of a ridehail vehicle, the first seat being access through a first door of the ridehail vehicle, activating an external notification feature of the vehicle prior to a user entering the ridehail vehicle when the user attempts to enter the ridehail vehicle on a side of the vehicle associated with the first seat, and activating an internal notification feature of the ridehail vehicle when the user attempts to sit in a second seat that is not the first seat.

Ridehail seat reservation enforcement systems and methods

Responsive to indication that a predicted amount of solar or wind power from a power generating event will exceed a power storage capability of one or more power storage devices configured to receive the solar or wind power, controllers may command the one or more power storage devices to discharge energy to a power grid before the power generating event such that the power storage capability of the one or more power storage devices increases.

Control of vehicle and home energy storage systems

Systems and methods may coordinate and execute bidirectional energy transfer events between electrified vehicles and one or more participating electrified recreational vehicles. The proposed systems and methods may be configured to provide charging alert notifications from the electrified vehicle to the one or more electrified recreational vehicles during group off-roading events. The charging alert notifications indicate the need for the one or more electrified recreational vehicles to return to the electrified vehicle for charging during the off-roading event in order to avoid a no start/stranded condition.

Charging notification strategies for vehicle-to-recreational vehicle energy transfer systems

A computer is programmed to allocate a plurality of electric vehicles with associated electric machines to locations to perform tasks based on the charges of the electric vehicles and electric machines and expected energy consumptions of the electric vehicles traveling to the locations and of the electric machines performing the tasks at the locations; and in response to a sum of the charges of a first electric vehicle and the electric machines associated with the first electric vehicle being less than a sum of the expected energy consumptions of the first electric vehicle traveling to a first location and of the electric machines associated with the first electric vehicle performing the tasks at the first location, instruct a second electric vehicle to travel to a second location at which the first electric vehicle will be located.

Collective vehicle power management

A method for controlling a vehicle active chassis power system includes determining, via a processor, a minimum output voltage/current threshold for an aggregated power supply associated with an active chassis operation, and generating an aggregate State of Function (SoF) indicative of a maximum voltage/current budget for an output of the vehicle active chassis power system. The aggregate SoF is based on a primary power source voltage/current output and a power storage voltage/current output. The method further includes causing to control an active chassis power system actuator based on a minimum voltage/current value associated with the aggregate SoF. Causing to control the active chassis power system actuator can include publishing the aggregate SoF to a braking actuator, a steering actuator, or to a domain controller that actively distributes an aggregated power supply capability SoF to a braking actuator and a steering actuator based on one or more present vehicle states.

State of function adaptive power management

A vehicle includes a cabin interior, a floor, and a deployable seat assembly. The deployable seat assembly includes a pair of deployable seat support assemblies, each having first and second pivot bars pivotally supported on the floor, a first rail coupled to the first and second pivot bars, wherein the first rail is raised and lowered as the first and second pivot bars rotate between first and second bar positions, and a second rail slidingly extendable from the first rail. The seat assembly has a seat supported by the second rail, wherein the seat faces rearward and extends rearward on the second rail as the second rail slides away from the first rail.

Vehicle having rear facing tailgate seating assembly

Leading and trailing electrified vehicles are coupled together in a towing arrangement for in-flight transfer of an electrical charge between their battery systems. With the vehicles connected by a towing device, a parking maneuver is initiated in which the trailing vehicle leads the leading vehicle. For the parking maneuver, one of the vehicles is designated (e.g., automatically or by driver agreement) to be an active steering vehicle and the other vehicle to be a passive steering vehicle. At least the passive steering vehicle comprises an electrically-controlled steering actuator. During movement, a turning (e.g., steering angle) of the active steering vehicle is monitored. Based on the turning of the active steering vehicle, an assistive steering angle is determined for the passive steering vehicle. The electrically-controlled steering actuator is commanded according to the assistive steering angle. The parking maneuver may be reverse or forward.

Assisted parking maneuvers for vehicles coupled in a towed recharging arrangement

A vehicle including a refrigerated compartment having a chamber and a cooling system for cooling the chamber and methods of controlling the cooling system is provided. The vehicle includes a controller that controls a supply of power from a battery of the vehicle to the cooling system based on at least one output signal received from a vehicle component.

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Windsor, CA, United States of America

Peter Phung