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US 12,668,257 B2Granted
Method to adjust adaptive cruise control with detection of aftermarket trailer brake controller
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsAndrew Denis Lewandowski, Brendan Diamond, Keith Weston, Jordan Barrett
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A motor vehicle includes an adaptive cruise control (“ACC”) that is configured to generate requests to actuate a speed reduction system of the vehicle and/or an active speed reduction system of a trailer. The actuation requests are based, at least in part, on sensor data from one or more sensors. The ACC may be configured to determine effects of an active speed reduction system of a trailer, and the ACC may adjust the speed reduction requests to the vehicle and/or the trailer based, at least in part, on measured effects of the speed reduction system of the trailer.
Claims20
A motor vehicle comprising:
- a vehicle control system;
- a speed control system that is configured to increase a speed of the vehicle and to provide negative vehicle wheel torque to reduce the speed of the vehicle when the speed control system receives a speed reduction command;
- the vehicle control system including an adaptive cruise control that is configured to determine that the vehicle is towing a trailer having an active speed reduction system whereby the trailer generates negative trailer wheel torque in addition to negative vehicle wheel torque, and to operate the speed control system to compensate for the negative trailer wheel torque and provide a desired vehicle rate of reduction in speed when the vehicle is towing a trailer having an active speed reduction system, wherein the adaptive cruise control is configured to generate speed reduction commands to the speed control system of the vehicle and/or to the active speed reduction system of the trailer to maintain:
- 1) a vehicle speed and/or 2) a target following distance between the vehicle and a target vehicle in front of the vehicle, wherein the speed reduction commands are associated with expected rates of reductions in speed of the vehicle;
- and wherein the adaptive cruise control is configured to determine an estimated combined mass of the vehicle and trailer;
- and wherein the adaptive cruise control is configured to determine the rate of reduction in speed of the vehicle due to the active trailer speed reduction system based, at least in part, on 1) the estimated combined mass of the vehicle and trailer and, 2) measured rate of reduction in speed of the vehicle in response to a speed reduction command;
- and wherein the adaptive cruise control is configured to continuously monitor and compare the measured rate of reduction in speed of the vehicle to an expected rate of reduction in speed of the vehicle corresponding to the speed reduction command while the vehicle is towing a trailer having an active speed reduction system, and to continuously adjust speed reduction commands to the vehicle speed control system and/or speed reduction commands to the active speed reduction system of the trailer while the vehicle is towing a trailer having an active speed reduction system if a vehicle rate of reduction in speed does not satisfy predefined criteria, whereby the vehicle control system determines the effects of the negative trailer wheel torque and compensates for negative trailer wheel torque.
4 more elements
A method of controlling a motor vehicle while the motor vehicle is towing a trailer having an active speed reduction system, the method comprising:
- actuating cruise control of the vehicle to control a speed control system of the vehicle;
- utilizing the vehicle cruise control to provide speed reduction commands to 1) an active speed reduction system of a trailer being towed by the vehicle, and 2) a vehicle speed control system, wherein the speed reduction command is provided while the vehicle is towing a trailer having an active speed reduction system whereby the trailer generates negative trailer wheel torque in addition to a negative vehicle wheel torque of the vehicle, and wherein the speed reduction command corresponds to an expected rate of reduction in speed that would occur if the vehicle was not towing a trailer having an active speed reduction system;
- measuring rate of reduction in speed of the vehicle in response to the speed reduction commands to the active speed reduction system of the trailer being towed by the vehicle and to the vehicle speed control system;
- determining a difference between measured rate of reduction in speed and the expected rate of reduction in speed corresponding to the speed reduction command;
- and
- utilizing the vehicle cruise control to provide an adjusted speed reduction command that reduces the difference between measured rate of reduction in speed and the expected rate of reduction in speed whereby the adjusted speed reduction command takes into account negative trailer wheel torque due to the active speed reduction system of the trailer.
3 more elements
A motor vehicle comprising:
- one or more sensors configured to provide sensor data concerning vehicle operating parameters;
- a speed control system including a motor that is configured to provide a positive torque that tends to increase a vehicle speed, and a vehicle speed reduction system that is configured to provide a negative vehicle wheel torque that tends to reduce vehicle speed;
- and
- a vehicle control system including an adaptive cruise control that is configured to determine that the vehicle is towing a trailer having an active speed reduction system whereby the trailer generates negative trailer wheel torque in addition to negative vehicle wheel torque, and to generate speed reduction actuation requests to actuate the vehicle speed reduction system and an active speed reduction system of a trailer, wherein the speed reduction actuation requests are based, at least in part, on sensor data from the one or more sensors, and wherein the adaptive cruise control is configured to determine speed reduction effects of the active speed reduction system of the trailer, and to adjust the speed reduction actuation requests to the vehicle speed reduction system and to the active speed reduction system of the trailer to compensate for the negative trailer wheel torque based, at least in part, on the rate of reduction in speed effects of the active speed reduction system of the trailer being towed by the vehicle to reduce variations in rates of reductions in speed caused by the active speed reduction system of the trailer, whereby the vehicle control system determines the effects of the negative trailer wheel torque and compensates for negative trailer wheel torque.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.