Direction determination for active park assist

• US 8,290,657 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2011
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2011
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Murshed, Nagi
• Application Number:
  US13/080,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20110184603A1
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/081 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/06 Direction of travel
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/28 Wheel speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/06 Automatic manoeuvring for parking
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility

Abstract

A vehicle has a hybrid electric system and a parking assist system. The hybrid electric system includes at least one motor outputting a direction-indicating speed signal. The parking assist system configured for affecting steering and speed control of the vehicle for maneuvering the vehicle into a target parking location. Affecting the steering and speed control of the vehicle dependent upon parking assist control information derived using the direction-indicating speed signal.

Claims

1. A vehicle, comprising:

an electric powertrain system including a first motor coupled to a first wheel of the vehicle and a second motor coupled to a second wheel of the vehicle, each one of said motors outputting a respective direction-indicating speed signal information that corresponds to a present direction in which the vehicle is moving and a present speed at which the vehicle is moving;

said direction-indicating speed signal information includes a forward movement direction indicator for designating when the vehicle is traveling in a forward direction and a reverse movement direction indicator for designating when the vehicle is traveling in a reverse direction;

a parking assist system configured for affecting steering and speed control of the vehicle for maneuvering the vehicle into a target parking location, wherein affecting the steering and speed control of the vehicle dependent upon parking assist control information derived using said forward and reverse direction-indicating speed signal information from at least one of said motors.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein said direction-indicating speed signal information provides real-time indication of whether the vehicle is moving in a forward direction or a reverse direction.

3. A parking assist system for a vehicle, comprising:

a signal interface for receiving respective direction-indicating speed signal information from a singular component that is part of a hybrid electric system of the vehicle, the singular component being one of a plurality of wheel-driving motors of the hybrid electric system;

said direction-indicating speed signal information includes a forward movement direction indicator for designating when the vehicle is traveling in a forward direction and a reverse movement direction indicator for designating when the vehicle is traveling in a reverse direction; and

an information processing module for deriving parking assist control information for forward and reverse movement using said direction-indicating speed signal information of at least one of said motors.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said direction-indicating speed signal information provides real-time indication of whether the vehicle is moving in a forward direction or a reverse direction.

5. A processor-readable medium having tangibly embodied thereon and accessible therefrom a set of instructions interpretable by at least one data processing device, said processor-readable medium being non-transient, said set of instructions configured for causing said at least one data processing device to carry out operations for:

receiving direction-indicating speed signal information from a singular component that is part of a hybrid electric system of a vehicle, the singular component being one of a plurality of wheel-driving motors of the hybrid electric system;

said direction-indicating speed signal information includes a forward movement direction indicator for designating when the vehicle is traveling in a forward direction and a reverse movement direction indicator for designating when the vehicle is traveling in a reverse direction;

deriving a parking assist control information using said forward and reverse direction-indicating speed signal information from at least one of said motors.

6. The processor-readable medium of claim 5 wherein said direction-indicating speed signal information provides real-time indication of whether the vehicle is moving in a forward direction or a reverse direction.