# US 10,371,068 B2 · Systems and methods for calibrating vehicle sensing devices > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,371,068 B2 - Document ID: US10371068B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/588,216 - Filed: 2017-05-05 - Published: 2018-11-08 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2017-05-05 - Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Inventors: Michael McQuillen; Daniel A. Makled; Gopichandra Surnilla - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10371068B2 ## CPC - F02D 37/02: one of the functions being ignition - F01N 3/2066: {Selective catalytic reduction [SCR]} - F01N 11/00: Monitoring or diagnostic devices for exhaust-gas treatment apparatus - F01N 13/008: {Mounting or arrangement of exhaust sensors in or on exhaust apparatus (sensor arrangements for engine control F02D41/1439)} - F02D 41/0002: {Controlling intake air} - F02D 41/0047: {Controlling exhaust gas recirculation [EGR] (temperature control with cooler in recirculation circuit F02M26/33)} - F02D 41/021: {Introducing corrections for particular conditions exterior to the engine (conjoint control of vehicle sub-units for propelling the vehicle B60W30/18)} - F02D 41/1454: {the characteristics being an oxygen content or concentration or the air-fuel ratio} - F02D 41/2432: {Methods of calibration} - F02D 41/2474: {Characteristics of sensors} - F02P 5/145: using electrical means - G01W 1/02: Instruments for indicating weather conditions by measuring two or more variables, e.g. humidity, pressure, temperature, cloud cover or wind speed (G01W1/10 takes precedence) - G01W 1/18: Testing or calibrating meteorological apparatus - G07C 5/008: {communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C)} - F01N 2560/025: for measuring or detecting O2, e.g. lambda sensors - F01N 2560/06: the means being a temperature sensor - F01N 2610/02: the substance being ammonia or urea - F02D 2200/0414: Air temperature - F02D 2200/0418: Air humidity - F02D 2200/703: Atmospheric pressure - F02P 5/15: Digital data processing - Y02A 50/20: Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters - Y02T 10/12: Improving ICE efficiencies - Y02T 10/40: Engine management systems - F02D: CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES (vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed B60K31/00; conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function, road vehicle drive control systems for purposes other than the control of a single sub-unit B60W) - F01N: GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES (arrangements in connection with gas exhaust of propulsion units in vehicles B60K13/00; combustion-air intake silencers specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines F02M35/00; protecting against, or damping, noise in general G10K11/16) - F02P: IGNITION, OTHER THAN COMPRESSION IGNITION, FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES; TESTING OF IGNITION TIMING IN COMPRESSION-IGNITION ENGINES ({anti-pollution means for internal-combustion engines F02B17/00}; specially adapted for rotary-piston or oscillating-piston engines F02B53/12; {ignition of gas turbine plants F02C7/26; ignition of jet propulsion plants F02K9/95; starting of combustion engines F02N9/00}; ignition of combustion apparatus in general, glowing plugs F23Q; measuring of physical variables in general G01; controlling in general G05; data processing in general G06; electrical components in general see Section H; {ignition coils H01F38/12}; sparking plugs H01T13/00) - G01W: METEOROLOGY (radar, sonar, lidar or analogous systems, designed for meteorological use G01S13/95, G01S15/88, G01S17/95) - G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE - Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract Methods and systems are provided for calibrating one or more vehicle sensors. In one example, a method comprises calibrating a sensor coupled to a vehicle and updating an operating parameter of an engine configured to propel the vehicle, based on a source of one or more weather devices removed from the vehicle, where said source includes a confidence level in data provided via said source. In this way, one or more vehicle sensors may be calibrated as a function of a confidence level in the data provided via said source, which may improve vehicle systems that rely on said sensors, and which may in some examples increase fuel economy. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for a vehicle, comprising: one or more sensors configured to provide one or more measurements of environmental parameters; and a controller storing instructions in non-transitory memory that, when executed, cause the controller to: send a wireless request for environmental data to one or more weather devices positioned external to, and removed from, the vehicle; receive a wireless response from the one or more weather devices; indicate a source of the one or more weather devices; indicate a high confidence level, medium confidence level, or low confidence level in the environmental data received from the one or more weather devices, where the confidence level is based on the source of the one or more weather devices; indicate a difference in value between the one or more measurements of the environmental parameters and the environmental data corresponding to the one or more measurements from the one or more weather devices; and calibrate the one or more sensors based on the confidence level and the difference in value between the one or more measurements of the environmental parameters and the environmental data corresponding to the one or more measurements from the one or more weather devices. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the controller stores further instructions that, when executed, cause the controller to: indicate whether the difference in value is greater a first threshold difference, a second threshold difference, or a third threshold difference, wherein the first threshold difference is less than the second threshold difference, which is smaller than the third threshold difference; calibrate the one or more sensors responsive to the source comprising the high confidence level and the difference in value greater than the first threshold difference; calibrate the one or more sensors responsive to the source comprising the medium confidence level and the difference in value greater than the second threshold difference; calibrate the one or more sensors responsive to the source comprising the low confidence level and difference in value greater than the third threshold. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors include one or more of at least an outdoor air temperature sensor, an exterior humidity sensor, or a barometric pressure sensor. ### Claim 4 A method comprising: calibrating a sensor coupled to a vehicle, and configured to monitor an environmental parameter, and updating an operating parameter of an engine configured to propel the vehicle based on a source of one or more weather devices positioned external to, and removed from, the vehicle, where the source of the one or more weather devices includes a high, medium, or low confidence level in the source. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the source comprising the high confidence level includes an end of a vehicle assembly line where the vehicle is being assembled, or a dealership of the same make as the vehicle; where the source comprising the medium confidence level includes a personal home of an operator of the vehicle; where the source comprising the low confidence level source includes a facility or location equipped with the one or more weather devices not including the end of the vehicle assembly line, the dealership of the same make as the vehicle, or the personal home of the operator of the vehicle; and wherein crowd-sourced data from a plurality of the weather devices comprises either the high confidence level, the medium confidence level, or the low confidence level. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising: calibrating the sensor responsive to an indication that the source of the one or more weather devices comprises the high confidence level and further responsive to an indication that a sensor value of the environmental parameter is beyond a first threshold difference from a weather device value corresponding to the environmental parameter; calibrating the sensor responsive to an indication that the source of the one or more weather devices comprises the medium confidence level and further responsive to an indication that the sensor value of the environmental parameter is beyond a second threshold difference from the weather device value corresponding to the environmental parameter; calibrating the sensor responsive to an indication that the source of the one or more weather devices comprises the low confidence level and further responsive to an indication that the sensor value of the environmental parameter is beyond a third threshold difference from the weather device value corresponding to the same environmental parameter; and wherein the first threshold difference is smaller than the second threshold difference, which is smaller than the third threshold difference. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the sensor includes one or more of an outside air temperature sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, or an external humidity sensor positioned external to a cabin of the vehicle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising: calibrating the sensor responsive to an indication that the source of the one or more weather devices comprises the high confidence level; calibrating the sensor responsive to an indication that the source of the one or more weather devices comprises the medium confidence level and further responsive to an indication that a first threshold duration has not elapsed since a prior calibration of the sensor via the high confidence level weather device; and not calibrating the sensor responsive to an indication that the source of the one or more weather devices comprise the low confidence level. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the sensor includes one of an ultrasonic sensor and/or an oxygen sensor positioned in an exhaust manifold of the engine. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein updating the operating parameter of the engine further comprises: updating the operating parameter responsive to an indication that the source of the one or more weather devices comprises the high confidence level; updating the operating parameter responsive to an indication that the source of the one or more weather devices comprises the medium confidence level and further responsive to an indication that a second threshold duration has not elapsed since updating the operating parameter via the source comprising the high confidence level; and not updating the operating parameter responsive to an indication that the source of the one or more weather devices comprises the low confidence level. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein updating the operating parameter includes one of at least updating a barometric pressure model that the engine utilizes as input to control the engine, adjusting an amount of air intake into the engine, adjusting a timing of spark provided to one or more cylinders of the engine, and/or adjusting an amount of engine exhaust gas recirculation. ### Claim 12 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more weather devices are communicatively coupled to at least an internet. ### Claim 13 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein calibrating the sensor and updating a vehicle operating parameter further comprises: sending a wireless signal from a controller of the vehicle to the one or more weather devices; and receiving one or more measurements of environmental data communicated from the one or more weather devices to the controller of the vehicle. ### Claim 14 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the source of the one or more weather devices is determined at least in part, via a vehicle onboard navigation system. ### Claim 15 A method comprising: sending a wireless signal from a controller of a vehicle to one or more weather devices positioned external to, and removed from, the vehicle; receiving a wireless response from the one or more weather devices; indicating a confidence level in the one or more weather devices based on an indicated source of the one or more weather devices; and in a first condition, calibrating one or more sensors coupled to the vehicle based on data retrieved from the one or more weather devices responsive to the confidence level comprising a high confidence level; in a second condition, calibrating the one or more sensors based on data retrieved from the one or more weather devices responsive to the confidence level comprising a medium confidence level and further responsive to an indication that a predetermined time duration has not elapsed since the one or more sensors were last calibrated via the source comprising the high confidence level; and in a third condition, not calibrating the one or more sensors based on data retrieved from the one or more weather devices responsive to the confidence level comprising a low confidence level. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more of an ultrasonic sensor coupled to the vehicle at a position exterior to a cabin of the vehicle, and an exhaust gas oxygen sensor positioned in an exhaust manifold of an engine configured to propel the vehicle. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein calibrating the one or more sensors further comprises compensating for attenuation changes in the ultrasonic sensor. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein calibrating the one or more sensors further comprises applying a gain correction to an output of the exhaust gas oxygen sensor. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the source comprising the high confidence level includes an end of a vehicle assembly line where the vehicle is being assembled, or a dealership of the same make as the vehicle; where the source comprising the medium confidence level includes a personal home of an operator of the vehicle; where the source comprising the low confidence level source includes a facility or location equipped with the one or more weather devices, and where the source does not include the end of the vehicle assembly line, the dealership of the same make as the vehicle, or the personal home of the operator of the vehicle; and wherein crowd-sourced data from a plurality of the weather devices includes either the high confidence level, the medium confidence level, or the low confidence level. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more weather devices are communicatively coupled to at least and internet.