Steering operation

• US 10,262,476 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2016
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Dudar, Aed M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Whittington, Jess
• Application Number:
  US15/367,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20180158260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/026 combined with automatic distance control, i.e. electronic tow bar
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/002 computing target steering angles for front or rear wheels B62D7/159 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0291 Fleet control monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction

Abstract

A reference vehicle is identified from data measuring changes in steering wheel angles of a plurality of vehicles. A target vehicle'"'"'s steering wheel angle deviations is compared to steering wheel angle deviations of the reference vehicle A target vehicle component is actuated upon determining that a difference of the target vehicle'"'"'s change of steering wheel angle and the reference vehicle'"'"'s change of steering wheel angle exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Claims

1. A system, comprising a computer including a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to:

identify, from a plurality of vehicles, a vehicle having a smallest average steering wheel angle deviation of each of the plurality of vehicles;

compare a target vehicle'"'"'s steering wheel angle deviations to the identified vehicle'"'"'s steering wheel angle deviations; and

actuate a target vehicle component upon determining that a difference of the target vehicle'"'"'s steering wheel angle deviation and the identified vehicle'"'"'s steering wheel angle deviation exceeds a predetermined threshold.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further include instructions to instruct the target vehicle to, upon determining that the difference exceeds the threshold, identify a repair location and actuate at least the component to move the target vehicle to the repair location.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further include instructions to identify whether the steering wheel angle data of the target vehicle indicate a periodic steering correction, the periodic steering correction being more than one steering wheel angle deviation above a steering threshold having a substantially same period of time between the steering wheel angle deviations.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the instructions further include instructions to message the target vehicle when the steering wheel angle data of the target vehicle indicate the periodic steering correction.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is further programmed to determine that the target vehicle has one or more misaligned wheels based at least in part on the steering wheel angle deviation of the target vehicle.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the computer is further programmed to instruct the target vehicle to message a repair location indicating a misaligned wheel of the target vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is further programmed to identify a portion of a predetermined route of the plurality of vehicles that is substantially straight and to collect the steering wheel angle data when the vehicles are moving along the identified portion.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the route portion is determined to be substantially straight when a specified steering wheel angle for the route portion remains below a straightness threshold along the route portion.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further include instructions to receive a message from the target vehicle indicating that the target vehicle has an adaptive steering apparatus and to determine the steering wheel angle deviation of the target vehicle based at least in part on the adaptive steering apparatus.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further include instructions to instruct the plurality of vehicles to form a platoon.

11. A method, comprising:

identifying, from a plurality of vehicles, a vehicle having a smallest average steering wheel angle deviation of each of the plurality of vehicles;

comparing a target vehicle'"'"'s steering wheel angle deviations to the identified vehicle'"'"'s steering wheel angle deviations; and

actuating a target vehicle component upon determining that a difference of the target vehicle'"'"'s steering wheel angle deviation and the identified vehicle'"'"'s steering wheel angle deviation exceeds a predetermined threshold.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising instructing the target vehicle to upon determining that the difference exceeds the threshold, identify a repair location and actuate at least the component to move the target vehicle to the repair location.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising identifying whether the steering wheel angle data of the target vehicle indicate a periodic steering correction, the periodic steering correction being more than one steering wheel angle deviation above a steering threshold having a substantially same period of time between the steering wheel angle deviations.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising messaging the target vehicle when the steering wheel angle data of the target vehicle indicate the periodic steering correction.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining that the target vehicle has one or more misaligned wheels based at least in part on the steering wheel angle deviation of the target vehicle.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising instructing the target vehicle to message repair location indicating a misaligned wheel of the target vehicle.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising identifying a portion along a predetermined route of the plurality of vehicles that is substantially straight and collecting the steering wheel angle data when the vehicles are moving along the identified portion.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the route portion is determined substantially straight when a specified steering wheel angle for the route portion remains below a straightness threshold along the route portion.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving a message from the target vehicle indicating that the target vehicle has an adaptive steering apparatus and determining the steering wheel angle deviation of the target vehicle based at least in part on the adaptive steering apparatus.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising instructing the plurality of vehicles to form a platoon.