MONITORING AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE BRAKING

• US 20150100190A1
• Filed: 10/09/2013
• Published: 04/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yopp, Wilford Trent
• Granted Patent: US 9,096,199 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/022 Collision avoidance systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/03 Brake assistants
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/12 for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/18 operated by wayside apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/172 Determining control parameters used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters B60T8/17551 takes precedence

Abstract

Instructions are provided to a vehicle braking mechanism for autonomous operation of the braking mechanism. At least one first parameter is retrieved for governing control of the braking mechanism. The first parameter is applied to operation of the braking mechanism. Data is collected relating to operation of the vehicle. At least one second parameter is determined for governing control of the braking mechanism.

Claims

1. A system, comprising a computer in a vehicle, the computer comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the computer is configured to:

provide instructions to a vehicle braking mechanism for autonomous operation of the braking mechanism;

retrieve at least one first parameter for governing control of the braking mechanism;

apply the first parameter to operation of the braking mechanism;

collect data relating to operation of the vehicle; and

determine at least one second parameter for governing control of the braking mechanism.

2. The system of claim 1, the computer being further configured to:

compare the first parameter to the second parameter, and

apply the second parameter to operation of the braking mechanism according to the comparison.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the parameters is a braking assist force to be applied to a braking mechanism.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the second parameter is determined at least in part according to at least one of a speed of the vehicle and distance threshold.

5. The system of claim 1, the computer being further configured to:

receive information from a remote server relating to an environmental condition; and

use the information from the remote server relating to the environmental condition at least in part in determining the at least one second parameter.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the collected data includes at least one of a stopping distance of the vehicle and a measurement of moisture on the braking mechanism.

7. The system of claim 6, the computer being further configured to determine, based on the collected data, whether to perform a drying operation on the braking mechanism.

8. A computer-readable medium tangibly embodying instructions executable by a computer processor, the instructions including instructions to:

provide instructions to a vehicle braking mechanism for autonomous operation of the braking mechanism;

retrieve at least one first parameter for governing control of the braking mechanism;

apply the first parameter to operation of the braking mechanism;

collect data relating to operation of the vehicle; and

determine at least one second parameter for governing control of the braking mechanism.

9. The medium of claim 8, further comprising instructions to:

compare the first parameter to the second parameter, and

apply the second parameter to operation of the braking mechanism according to the comparison.

10. The medium of claim 8, wherein at least one of the parameters is a braking assist force to be applied to a braking mechanism.

11. The medium of claim 8, further comprising instructions to:

receive information from a remote server relating to an environmental condition; and

use the information from the remote server relating to the environmental condition at least in part in determining the at least one second parameter.

12. The medium of claim 8, wherein the second parameter is determined at least in part according to at least one of a speed of the vehicle and distance threshold.

13. The medium of claim 8, wherein the collected data includes one of a stopping distance of the vehicle and a measurement of moisture on the braking mechanism.

14. The medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions to determine, based on the collected data, whether to perform a drying operation on the braking mechanism.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving information from a remote server relating to an environmental condition; and

using the information from the remote server relating to the environmental condition at least in part in determining the at least one second parameter.

15. A method, comprising:

providing instructions to a vehicle braking mechanism for autonomous operation of the braking mechanism;

retrieving at least one first parameter for governing control of the braking mechanism;

applying the first parameter to operation of the braking mechanism;

collecting data relating to operation of the vehicle; and

determining at least one second parameter for governing control of the braking mechanism.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

comparing the first parameter to the second parameter, and

applying the second parameter to operation of the braking mechanism according to the comparison.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein at least one of the parameters is a braking assist force to be applied to a braking mechanism.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the second parameter is determined at least in part according to at least one of a speed of the vehicle and distance threshold.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the collected data includes at least one of a stopping distance of the vehicle and a measurement of moisture on the braking mechanism.

21. The method of claim 20, the computer being further configured to determine, based on the collected data, whether to perform a drying operation on the braking mechanism.