Self-loading autonomous vehicle

• US 10,363,817 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2017
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Buttolo, Pietro, Salter, Stuart C., Huebner, Annette Lynn, Dellock, Paul Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jha, Abdhesh K
• Application Number:
  US15/647,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20190016217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2031/0025 Detecting position of target vehicle, e.g. vehicle driving ahead from host vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2031/0033 Detecting longitudinal speed or acceleration of target vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/00 Vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator fittings acting on two or more sub-units B60W30/14; speedometers G01P; systems or devices for controlling speed in general G05D13/00 ; in traffic anti-collision system for road vehicles G08G1/16
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/507 specific to autonomous vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/508 specific to vehicles driving in fleets or convoys
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/165 Automatically following the path of a preceding lead vehicle, e.g. "electronic tow-bar"
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle computer includes a memory a processor programmed to execute instructions stored in the memory. The instructions include commanding a lighting system controller to flash tail lamps of a host vehicle toward a follow vehicle immediately behind the host vehicle, receiving a response from the follow vehicle, and commanding the host vehicle to autonomously proceed to a loading area upon receipt of the response from the follow vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle computer comprising:

a memory; and

a processor programmed to execute instructions stored in the memory, the instructions including;

commanding a lighting system controller to flash tail lamps of a host vehicle;

determining whether a response was received from a first follow vehicle located behind the host vehicle; and

commanding the host vehicle to autonomously proceed to a loading area as a result of receiving the response from the first follow vehicle.

2. The vehicle computer of claim 1, wherein the instructions further include detecting a sign with a code or symbol and determining that the host vehicle is a lead vehicle in a row of vehicles upon detecting the sign.

3. The vehicle computer of claim 2, wherein the instructions include commanding the lighting system controller to flash the tail lamps of the host vehicle toward the first follow vehicle after detecting the sign.

4. The vehicle computer of claim 1, wherein receiving the response from the first follow vehicle includes receiving an image captured by a camera of the host vehicle and processing the image.

5. The vehicle computer of claim 4, wherein the instructions further include determining, as a result of processing the image, that the first follow vehicle responded by flashing its front lamps in a predetermined pattern.

6. The vehicle computer of claim 1, wherein the instructions further include waiting a predetermined amount of time for the response from the first follow vehicle and determining whether the first follow vehicle did not respond within the predetermined amount of time.

7. The vehicle computer of claim 6, wherein the instructions further include transmitting a notification to a service center indicating that the follow vehicle is unable to proceed to a loading area as a result of determining that the first follow vehicle did not respond within the predetermined amount of time.

8. The vehicle computer of claim 7, wherein the instructions further include commanding the host vehicle to autonomously proceed to the loading area after transmitting the notification.

9. The vehicle computer of claim 1, wherein the instructions further include confirming whether the first follow vehicle is located behind the host vehicle.

10. The vehicle computer of claim 9, wherein confirming whether the first follow vehicle is located behind the host vehicle includes determining whether the first follow vehicle is located behind the host vehicle based on images captured by a camera of the host vehicle with a view of an area behind the host vehicle.

11. The vehicle computer of claim 9, wherein the instructions further include determining that the host vehicle is last in a row of vehicles if the first follow vehicle is not located behind the host vehicle.

12. The vehicle computer of claim 11, wherein the instructions further include detecting whether an adjacent row of vehicles is present next to the host vehicle if the first follow vehicle is not located behind the host vehicle.

13. The vehicle computer of claim 12, wherein the instructions further include commanding the host vehicle to autonomously navigate to a front of the adjacent row of vehicles after detecting the adjacent row of vehicles.

14. The vehicle computer of claim 13, wherein the instructions further include commanding the lighting system controller of the host vehicle to flash the tail lamps of the host vehicle toward a second follow vehicle in the adjacent row of vehicles after arriving at the front of the adjacent row of vehicles.

15. The vehicle computer of claim 14, wherein the instructions further including waiting for a response from the second follow vehicle in the adjacent row of vehicles.

16. The vehicle computer of claim 15, wherein the instructions further include detecting the response from the second follow vehicle within a predetermined amount of time.

17. The vehicle computer of claim 16, wherein the instructions further include commanding the host vehicle to autonomously proceed to a loading area upon receipt of the response from the second follow vehicle.