VEHICLE SENSOR CALIBRATION USING WIRELESS NETWORKCONNECTED SENSORS

• US 20180141567A1
• Filed: 11/18/2016
• Published: 05/24/2018
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 10,173,691 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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:

a communication controller to communicatively couple to a network associated with a facility; and

a sensor manager to;

determine when the vehicle is proximate the facility; and

based on measurement data from sensors installed at the facility that are communicatively coupled to the network, calibrate sensors of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the measurement data includes a sensor reading and an estimate of a first accuracy of the corresponding sensor installed at the facility.

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

4. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the sensor manager is to calibrate one of the sensors of the vehicle when a difference of sensor readings between the one of the sensors of the vehicle and the corresponding sensor installed at the facility is greater than the estimate of the first accuracy of the corresponding sensor installed at the facility.

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

6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the plurality of calibration strategies available to the sensor manager 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 sensors installed at the facility are installed together in a sensor package that is designed for the particular vehicle.

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

in response to the vehicle being proximate to facility with which it has a relationship, connecting, with a wireless controller, to a wireless local area network of the facility;

requesting measurement data from second sensors installed at the facility, the second sensors being communicatively coupled to the wireless local area network of the facility; and

based on the measurement data, calibrating, via a processor, the first sensors.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the measurement data includes a sensor reading and an estimate of a first accuracy of the corresponding second sensor installed at the facility.

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

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 or 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 particular vehicle.

15. A tangible computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed cause a vehicle to:

in response to the vehicle being proximate to facility with which it has a relationship, connect to a wireless local area network of the facility;

request measurement data from second sensors installed at the facility, the second sensors being communicatively coupled to the wireless local area network of the facility; and

recalibrate first sensors of the vehicle based on the measurement data.