Vehicle trailer control
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsKeith Weston, Andrew Denis Lewandowski, Jordan Barrett, Brendan Francis Diamond, Michael Alan Mcnees
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A computer includes a processor and a memory, and the memory stores instructions executable by the processor to, in response to a vehicle towing a trailer being in reverse, determine a relative orientation of the trailer to the vehicle; while the vehicle is in reverse, in response to the relative orientation exceeding a threshold, brake the vehicle; and then, upon receiving an operator input, permit the vehicle to travel in reverse with the relative orientation exceeding the threshold.
Claims20
A computer comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to:
- in response to a vehicle towing a trailer being in a reverse gear, determine a relative orientation of the trailer to the vehicle;
- while the vehicle is in the reverse gear, in response to the relative orientation exceeding a threshold, brake the vehicle without a braking input from an operator of the vehicle;
- and
- while the vehicle is braked as a result of the relative orientation exceeding the threshold, upon receiving an operator input, permit the vehicle to continue to travel in reverse with the relative orientation exceeding the threshold.
A method comprising:
- in response to a vehicle towing a trailer being in a reverse gear, determining a relative orientation of the trailer to the vehicle;
- while the vehicle is in the reverse gear, in response to the relative orientation exceeding a threshold, braking the vehicle without a braking input from an operator of the vehicle;
- and
- while the vehicle is braked as a result of the relative orientation exceeding the threshold, upon receiving an operator input, permitting the vehicle to continue to travel in reverse with the relative orientation exceeding the threshold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.