AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE PRECIPITATION DETECTION

• US 20150203107A1
• Filed: 01/17/2014
• Published: 07/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lippman, Mark Allan
• Application Number:
  US14/157,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20150203107A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/40 Coefficient of friction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/00182 in response to weather conditions

Abstract

A presence of precipitation is determined. At least one attribute of the precipitation is identified. At least one autonomous control action for a vehicle is determined based at least in part on the precipitation.

Claims

1. A system, comprising a computer in a vehicle, the computer comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the computer is configured to:

determine a presence of precipitation;

identify at least one attribute of the precipitation;

based on the at least one attribute of precipitation and a measured outside temperature, determine a coefficient of friction of a roadway; and

cause the vehicle to take at least one autonomous control action based at least in part on the determined coefficient of friction.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one attribute includes at least one of a precipitation type, a precipitation rate, and the precipitation amount.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is further configured to determine the presence of precipitation and the at least one attribute at least in part based on data collected by data collectors included in or on the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is further configured to determine the presence of precipitation and the at least one attribute at least in part based on data received from a remote server.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one autonomous control action includes at least one of establishing a speed for the vehicle, establishing a stopping distance for the vehicle, braking, and establishing a permissible rate of acceleration for the vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is configured to determine the at least one autonomous control action based at least in part on a type of roadway being traversed by the vehicle and a topography of the roadway.

5. (canceled)

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium tangibly embodying instructions executable by a computer processor, the instructions including instructions to:

determine a presence of precipitation on a vehicle;

identify at least one attribute of the precipitation;

based on the at least one attribute of precipitation and a measured outside temperature, determine a coefficient of friction of a roadway; and

cause the vehicle to take at least one autonomous control action based at least in part on the determined coefficient of friction.

9. The medium of claim 8, wherein the at least one attribute includes at least one of a precipitation type, a precipitation rate, and the precipitation amount.

10. The medium of claim 8, the instructions further including instructions to determine the presence of precipitation and the at least one attribute at least in part based on one of data collected by data collectors included in or on the vehicle and data received from a remote server.

12. The medium of claim 8, wherein the at least one autonomous control action includes at least one of establishing a speed for the vehicle, establishing a stopping distance for the vehicle, braking, and establishing a permissible rate of acceleration for the vehicle.

13. The medium of claim 8, the instructions further including instructions to determine at least one autonomous control action based at least in part on a type of roadway being traversed by the vehicle and a topography of the roadway.

11. (canceled)

14. A method, comprising:

determining a presence of precipitation on a vehicle;

identifying at least one attribute of the precipitation;

based on the at least one attribute of precipitation and a measured outside temperature, determine a coefficient of friction of a roadway; and

taking at least one autonomous control action in the vehicle based at least in part on the determined coefficient of friction.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one attribute includes at least one of a precipitation type, a precipitation rate, and the precipitation amount.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining the presence of precipitation and the at least one attribute at least in part based on data collected by data collectors included in or on the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining the presence of precipitation and the at least one attribute at least in part based on data received from a remote server.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one autonomous control action includes at least one of establishing a speed for the vehicle, establishing a stopping distance for the vehicle, braking, and establishing a permissible rate of acceleration for the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining the at least one autonomous control action based at least in part on a type of roadway being traversed by the vehicle and a topography of the roadway.

18. (canceled)