Off-road autonomous driving

• US 9,849,883 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2016
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lu, Jianbo, Hrovat, Davor David, Tseng, Hongtei Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): GREENE, DANIEL LAWSON
• Application Number:
  US15/145,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20170320495A1
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/12 including control of differentials
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/22 including control of suspension systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0064 using a remote, e.g. cordless, transmitter or receiver unit, e.g. remote keypad or mobile phone
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2300/185 Off-road vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/125 Lateral acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/28 Wheel speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/20 Tyre data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/215 Selection or confirmation of options
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/20 : Static objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/60 : Traversable objects, e.g. speed bumps or curbs
• 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 2556/50 : of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 : Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2756/10 : Involving external transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/02 : Control of vehicle driving stability
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18 : Propelling the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18172 : Preventing, or responsive to skidding of wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/10 : Interpretation of driver requests or demands
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 : Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention

Abstract

A vehicle system includes a processor with access to a memory storing instructions executable by the processor. The instructions include determining whether an autonomous host vehicle can traverse an environmental obstacle, and if the autonomous host vehicle can traverse the environmental obstacle, controlling an active suspension system in accordance with the environmental obstacle and controlling the autonomous host vehicle to traverse the environmental obstacle.

Claims

1. A vehicle system comprising:

a processor with access to a memory storing instructions executable by the processor, the instructions including;

determining whether an autonomous host vehicle can traverse an environmental obstacle; and

if the autonomous host vehicle can traverse the environmental obstacle;

controlling an active suspension system in accordance with the environmental obstacle, and

controlling the autonomous host vehicle to traverse the environmental obstacle;

determining whether passengers should exit the autonomous host vehicle prior to the autonomous host vehicle traversing the environmental obstacle; and

generating an alert if the passengers should exit the autonomous host vehicle prior to the autonomous host vehicle traversing the environmental obstacle.

2. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the instructions include presenting the alert to the passengers prior to the autonomous host vehicle traversing the environmental obstacle.

3. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the instructions include receiving a user input authorizing the autonomous host vehicle to traverse the environmental obstacle.

4. The vehicle system of claim 3, wherein controlling the autonomous host vehicle to traverse the environmental obstacle occurs in response to the user input authorizing the autonomous host vehicle to traverse the environmental obstacle.

5. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the instructions include determining whether all passengers have exited the autonomous host vehicle.

6. The vehicle system of claim 5, wherein controlling the autonomous host vehicle to traverse the environmental obstacle occurs after all passengers have exited the autonomous host vehicle.

8. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to generate an alert if the passengers should exit the autonomous host vehicle prior to the autonomous host vehicle traversing the environmental obstacle.

9. The vehicle system of claim 8, further comprising a user interface that presents the alert to the passengers prior to the autonomous host vehicle traversing the environmental obstacle.

7. A vehicle system comprising:

a sensor that detects an environmental obstacle and outputs an obstacle detection signal representing a presence of the environmental obstacle; and

a processor programmed to receive the environmental obstacle detection signal, determining whether an autonomous host vehicle can traverse the environmental obstacle, and

if the autonomous host vehicle can traverse the environmental obstacle;

control an active suspension system in accordance with the environmental obstacle, and

control the autonomous host vehicle to traverse the environmental obstacle;

wherein the processor is further programmed to determine whether passengers should exit the autonomous host vehicle prior to the autonomous host vehicle traversing the environmental obstacle.

10. The vehicle system of claim 7, wherein the processor is programmed to receive a user input authorizing the autonomous host vehicle to traverse the environmental obstacle.

11. The vehicle system of claim 10, wherein the processor is programmed to control the autonomous host vehicle to traverse the environmental obstacle in response to receiving the user input authorizing the autonomous host vehicle to traverse the environmental obstacle.

12. The vehicle system of claim 11, further comprising a user interface that receives the user input and provides the user input to the processor.

13. The vehicle system of claim 11, wherein the user input is received wirelessly from a remote device.

14. The vehicle system of claim 7, wherein the processor is programmed to determine whether all passengers have exited the autonomous host vehicle.

15. The vehicle system of claim 14, wherein the processor is programmed to control the autonomous host vehicle to traverse the environmental obstacle after all passengers have exited the autonomous host vehicle.

16. A method comprising:

receiving a sensor signal representing a presence of an environmental obstacle;

determining that an autonomous host vehicle can traverse an environmental obstacle;

controlling an active suspension system in accordance with the environmental obstacle, and

controlling the autonomous host vehicle to traverse the environmental obstacle;

determining whether passengers should exit the autonomous host vehicle prior to the autonomous host vehicle traversing the environmental obstacle; and

generating an alert if the passengers should exit the autonomous host vehicle prior to the autonomous host vehicle traversing the environmental obstacle.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

presenting the alert to the passengers prior to the autonomous host vehicle traversing the environmental obstacle; and

determining whether all passengers have exited the autonomous host vehicle,

wherein controlling the autonomous host vehicle to traverse the environmental obstacle occurs after all passengers have exited the autonomous host vehicle.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein controlling the active suspension system includes simultaneously actuating a braking system, a throttle system, a steering system, and raising at least one vehicle wheel to traverse the environmental obstacle.