Controlling side-view mirrors in autonomous vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10124731-B2
Application number	US-201615260564-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2016
Priority date	Sep 9, 2016
Publication date	Nov 13, 2018
Grant date	Nov 13, 2018

Abstract

Side-view mirror deployment in autonomous vehicles can be diagnosed by determining one or more first rates of fuel consumption and deploying one or more side-view mirrors. One or more second rates of fuel consumption can then be determined and one or more deployment states of the side-view mirror can be controlled based on the first rates of fuel consumption and the second rates of fuel consumption.

First claim

I claim:

1. A method, comprising:
determining one or more first rates of vehicle fuel consumption in a vehicle computer;
deploying, by the computer, a side-view mirror;
then determining in the computer one or more second rates of vehicle fuel consumption; and
controlling, by the computer, one or more deployment states of the side-view mirror based on the first rates of vehicle fuel consumption and the second rates of vehicle fuel consumption.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the deployment states include one or more of deployed, not deployed and incorrectly deployed.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first rates of vehicle fuel consumption and the second rates of vehicle fuel consumption are determined at respective predetermined vehicle speeds.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first rates of vehicle fuel consumption and the second rates of vehicle fuel consumption are determined under respective predetermined vehicle operating conditions.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more first rates of vehicle fuel consumption are combined to form one or more filtered first rates of vehicle fuel consumption.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more second rates of vehicle fuel consumption are combined to form one or more filtered second rates of vehicle fuel consumption.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first rates of vehicle fuel consumption and the second rates of vehicle fuel consumption are compared to determine one or more of deployed, not deployed and incorrectly deployed deployment states of the side-view mirror.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
upon at least determining that a difference between the first rates of vehicle fuel consumption and the second rates of vehicle fuel consumption exceeds a threshold, and that a current deployment state is an incorrectly deployed deployment state, initiating a deicing action.

9. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
controlling deployment angles of the side-view mirror based on the first rates of vehicle fuel consumption and the second rates of vehicle fuel consumption when the deployment states are incorrectly deployed.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
determining one or more current-based deployment states for the side-view mirror; and
controlling deployment states of the side-view mirror based on the first rates of vehicle fuel consumption, the second rates of vehicle fuel consumption and the current-based deployment states.

11. An apparatus, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to:
determine one or more first rates of vehicle fuel consumption;
deploy a side-view mirror;
then determine one or more second rates of vehicle fuel consumption; and
control one or more deployment states of the side-view mirror based on the first rates of vehicle fuel consumption and the second rates of vehicle fuel consumption.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the deployment states include one or more of deployed, not deployed, and incorrectly deployed.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising instructions to:
determine the first rates of vehicle fuel consumption and the second rates of vehicle fuel consumption at respective predetermined vehicle speeds.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the first rates of vehicle fuel consumption and the second rates of vehicle fuel consumption are determined under respective predetermined vehicle operating conditions.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising instructions to:
combine the one or more first rates of vehicle fuel consumption to form one or more filtered first rates of fuel consumption.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising instructions to:
combine the one or more second rates of vehicle fuel consumption to form one or more filtered second rates of vehicle fuel consumption.

17. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising instructions to:
compare the first rates of vehicle fuel consumption and the second rates of vehicle fuel consumption to determine one or more of deployed, not deployed and incorrectly deployed deployment states of the side-view mirror.

18. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising instructions to:
upon at least determining that a difference between the first rates of vehicle fuel consumption and the second rates of vehicle fuel consumption exceeds a threshold, and that a current deployment state is an incorrectly deployed deployment state, initiating deicing action.

19. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising instructions to:
control deployment angles of the side-view mirror based on the first rates of vehicle fuel consumption and the second rates of vehicle fuel consumption when the deployment states are incorrectly deployed.

20. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising instructions to:
determine one or more current-based deployment states for the side-view mirror; and
control deployment states of the side-view mirror based on the first rates of vehicle fuel consumption, the second rates of vehicle fuel consumption and the current-based deployment states.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Dudar Aed M

Classifications

• B60S1/56

  specially adapted for cleaning other parts or devices than front windows or windscreens {(rear-view mirror arrangements mounted on vehicle exterior including cleaning devices B60R1/0602)} · CPC title

• G01F9/023 Primary

  with electric, electro-mechanic or electronic means · CPC title

• B60R1/006 Primary

  Side-view mirrors, e.g. V-shaped mirrors located at the front or rear part of the vehicle (combined with rear-view mirrors B60R1/08; side-view periscopes B60R1/10) · CPC title

• B60Y2300/52

  Engine fuel consumption · CPC title

• G05D3/10

  without using feedback · CPC title