Vehicle sensor calibration using wireless network-connected sensors

• US 10,173,691 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2016
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Surnilla, Gopichandra, Swaminathan, Radhakrishnan, Makled, Daniel A., Mcquillen, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Application Number:
  US15/356,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20180141567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0225 Failure correction strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Method and apparatus are disclosed for vehicle sensor calibration using wireless network-connected sensors. An example disclosed vehicle includes a communication controller and a sensor manager. The example communication controller communicatively couples to a network associated with a facility. The example sensor manager determines when the vehicle is proximate the facility. Additionally, the sensor manager calibrates sensors of the vehicle based on a measurement data of sensors installed at the facility that are communicatively coupled to the network.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

first sensors; and

processors to;

responsive to the vehicle being proximate to a facility including second sensors installed therein;

communicatively couple to a network associated with the facility;

calibrate the first sensors based on measurement data from the second sensors; and

receive, from the facility, a list of sensors available in the facility for a comparison with at least one of the first sensors.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the measurement data includes a sensor reading of one of the second sensors and an estimate of a first accuracy of the one of the second sensors.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein a sensor manager is to calibrate one of the first sensors when the estimate of the first accuracy is greater than an estimate of a second accuracy of the one of the first sensors.

4. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the processors are to calibrate one of the first sensors when a difference of sensor readings between the one of the first sensors and the one of the second sensors is greater than the estimate of the first accuracy of the one of the second sensors.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein to calibrate the first sensors, the processors are to perform one of a plurality of calibration strategies based on particular ones of the first sensors to be calibrated.

6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the plurality of calibration strategies available to the processors include an offset application, a gain application, a value substitution, transfer function shift, and a sweep calibration.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the second sensors are installed together in a sensor package that is designed for the vehicle.

8. A method to calibrate first sensors of a vehicle comprising:

responsive to the vehicle being proximate to a facility including second sensors installed therein;

communicatively coupling, via processors, to a wireless local area network associated with the facility;

requesting, via the processors, measurement data from the second sensors;

based on the measurement data, calibrating, via the processors, the first sensors; and

receiving, from the facility, a list of sensors available in the facility for a comparison with at least one of the first sensors.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the measurement data includes a sensor reading of one of the second sensors and an estimate of a first accuracy of the one of the second sensors.

10. The method of claim 9, including determining to calibrate one of the first sensors when the estimate of the first accuracy is greater than an estimate of a second accuracy of the one of the first sensors.

11. The method of claim 9, including determining to calibrate one of the first sensors when a difference of sensor readings between the one of the first sensors and the one of the second sensors is greater than the estimate of the first accuracy of the one of the second sensors.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein calibrating the first sensors includes performing one of a plurality of calibration strategies based on particular ones of the first sensors of the vehicle to be calibrated.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of calibration strategies include an offset application, a gain application, a value substitution, transfer function shift, and a sweep calibration.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the second sensors are installed together in a sensor package that is designed for the vehicle.

15. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed via processors, cause a vehicle including first sensors to:

responsive to the vehicle being proximate to a facility including second sensors installed therein;

connect to a wireless local area network of the facility;

request measurement data from the second sensors;

calibrate the first sensors based on the measurement data; and

receive, from the facility, a list of sensors available in the facility for a comparison with at least one of the first sensors.