Settings adjustments of off-road vehicles
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsDavid Jeffeory Berels, Douglas B. Thornburg
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Method and apparatus are disclosed for settings adjustments of off-road vehicles. An example vehicle includes a locking differential, a suspension, a communication module to collect a map of an off-road trail, and a GPS receiver to determine a vehicle location. The example vehicle also includes an obstacle identifier to detect, via a processor, an upcoming obstacle based upon the vehicle location on the map, and a mode adjuster to set the locking differential in a first setting and the suspension in a second setting based upon the upcoming obstacle.
Claims20
A vehicle comprising:
- a locking differential;
- a suspension;
- a communication module to collect a map of an off-road trail;
- a GPS receiver to determine a vehicle location;
- an obstacle identifier to detect, via a processor, an upcoming obstacle based upon the vehicle location on the map;
- and
- a mode adjuster to set the locking differential in a first setting and the suspension in a second setting based upon the upcoming obstacle.
A method for adjusting vehicle settings of off-road vehicles, the method comprising:
- collecting a map of an off-road trail via a communication module of a vehicle;
- determining a vehicle location via a GPS receiver;
- detecting, via a processor, an upcoming obstacle based upon the vehicle location on the map;
- and
- setting, via the processor, a locking differential in a first setting and a suspension in a second setting based upon the upcoming obstacle.
A system comprising:
- a vehicle including a locking differential, a suspension, a communication module, and a processor;
- and
- a trail server to:
- determine a vehicle location on a map of an off-road trail;
- detect an upcoming obstacle based upon the vehicle location;
- and
- send, based upon the upcoming obstacle, a signal to the communication module to cause the processor to set the locking differential in a first setting and the suspension in a second setting.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.