MULTI-MODE TRAILER BACKUP ASSIST INTERFACE KNOB

• US 20170029024A1
• Filed: 07/30/2015
• Published: 02/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lavoie, Erick Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,023,229 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 13/06 for backing a normally drawn trailer

Abstract

A steering input apparatus for a trailer backup assist system includes a control element operable in a first movement mode into an instantaneous one of a plurality of curvature commanding positions and in a second movement mode to an input position of a plurality of menu command positions. The steering input further includes a control module generating a vehicle steering command based on the instantaneous one of the curvature commanding positions.

Claims

1. A steering input apparatus for a trailer backup assist system, comprising:

a control element operable;

in a first movement mode into an instantaneous one of a plurality of trailer control commanding positions; and

in a second movement mode to an input position of a plurality of menu command positions; and

a control module generating a vehicle steering command based on the instantaneous one of the trailer control commanding positions.

2. The steering input apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of trailer control commanding positions includes a zero curvature position and two directional curvature positions opposed about the zero curvature position.

3. The steering input apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vehicle steering command is further based on a trailer curvature path corresponding to the instantaneous one of the plurality of trailer control commanding positions of the control element.

4. The steering input apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second movement mode is tilting of the control element that includes tilting of a body of the input apparatus with which the control element is operably coupled.

5. The steering input apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first movement mode is rotation of at least a portion of the control element about against a biasing torque toward an at-rest position.

6. The steering input apparatus of claim 5, wherein the second movement mode is free rotation of at least the portion of the control element.

7. The steering input apparatus of claim 6, wherein at least the portion of the control element is moveable between a first vertical position and a second vertical position, the portion of the control element being restricted to movement within the first movement mode when in the first vertical position and within the second movement mode when in the second position.

8. The steering input apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first movement mode and the second movement mode are implemented by an electromechanical element coupled with the control element.

9. A backup assist system for a vehicle reversing a trailer, comprising:

an input device having a control element translatable along an axis between first and second operating positions, wherein the control element is rotatable about the axis;

when in the first operating position, in a first movement mode to an instantaneous one of a plurality of curvature commanding positions; and

when in the second operating position, in a second movement mode to an input position of a plurality of menu command positions; and

a control module generating a vehicle steering command based on the instantaneous one of the curvature commanding positions.

10. The backup assist system of claim 9, wherein the control element is an annular element operably coupled around a body of the input device.

11. The backup assist system of claim 9, wherein the first movement mode is rotation of at least a portion of the control element about against a biasing torque toward an at-rest position.

12. The backup assist system of claim 11, wherein the input device further includes an electromechanical element coupled with the control element, the electromechanical element implementing the biasing torque when the control element is in the first operating position.

13. The backup assist system of claim 9, wherein the second movement mode is free rotation of at least a portion of the control element.

14. The backup assist system of claim 13, wherein the second movement mode further includes free rotation through a plurality of radially-spaced detents corresponding to the plurality of menu command positions.

15. The backup assist system of claim 14, wherein the input device further includes an electromechanical element coupled with the control element, the electromechanical element providing a torque to define the plurality of detents when the control element is in the first operating position.

16. A method for assisting a vehicle in reversing a trailer, comprising:

receiving a first command from a steering input apparatus including a control element operable in first and second movement modes;

determining the first command to be a curvature command provided by the steering input apparatus according to the first movement mode; and

generating a steering command for the vehicle based on a degree of curvature corresponding to the curvature command.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the control element is moveable in the first movement mode into an instantaneous one of a plurality of curvature commanding positions and in the second movement mode to an input position of a plurality of menu command positions.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a second command from the steering input apparatus;

determining the second command to be a vehicle system command provided by the steering input apparatus according to the second movement mode; and

implementing an action corresponding to the vehicle system command.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining a hitch angle between a vehicle and a trailer, wherein;

the steering command is further generated based on the hitch angle and the degree of curvature corresponds to reversing path for the trailer implemented by the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 16, further including restricting a movement of the control element to within one of the first movement mode and the second movement mode using an electromechanical element coupled with the control element.