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US 10,946,897 B2Granted
System and methods for steering control in assisted vehicle operation
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsLuke Niewiadomski, Chen Zhang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vehicle system comprises a hitch ball mounted on a vehicle and a steering system configured to steer the vehicle. The system further comprises a controller configured to identify a coupler position of a trailer and control a motion of the vehicle at a rate aligning the hitch ball with the coupler position. In response to the rate below a speed threshold, the controller activates a standstill mode suspending a steering control of the steering system.
Claims18
A vehicle control system, comprising:
- a hitch ball mounted on a vehicle;
- a steering apparatus comprising a steering device configured to steer the vehicle by applying a steering control, wherein the steering control comprises an adjustment of a steering angle of the vehicle;
- and
- a controller that:
- identifies a coupler position of a coupler of a trailer;
- controls a rate of motion of the vehicle along an alignment path with the steering apparatus, wherein the alignment path aligns a hitch position of the hitch ball with the coupler position;
- in response to the rate decreasing to less than a speed threshold, activates a standstill mode suspending the steering control of the steering apparatus;
- identifies changes in the coupler position while the steering control is suspended;
- and
- suppresses updates to the coupler position identified in response to the changes in the coupler position being less than a minimum position threshold.
7 more elements
A method for controlling a vehicle comprising:
- identifying a coupler of a trailer in sensor data;
- controlling motion of the vehicle via a steering system aligning a hitch position of a hitch ball with a coupler position of the coupler;
- and
- activating a standstill mode in response to a speed of the motion decreasing to less than a speed threshold, the standstill mode comprising:
- suspending a steering control of the steering system preventing an adjustment of a steering direction of the vehicle;
- and
- suppressing an identification of a position change of the coupler position in response to the position change being less than a change threshold.
4 more elements
A vehicle control system, comprising:
- a hitch ball mounted on a vehicle;
- a steering system comprising a steering device that detects a steering angle received as an input to control the vehicle;
- a sensor system that detects a coupler position of a trailer;
- and
- a controller that:
- controls the steering system and controls the maneuvering of the vehicle at a rate of speed;
- and
- in response to the rate decreasing below a speed threshold, activates a standstill mode, wherein the standstill mode comprises:
- suspending a steering control of the steering system, wherein the suspending the steering control prevents an adjustment of a steering direction of the vehicle;
- suppressing an identification of a position change of the coupler position in response to the position change being less than a change threshold;
- and
- suppressing an update to the input of the steering device in response to the input to the steering device being less than a steering threshold.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.