Overshoot protection in hitch assist operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11479297-B2
Application number	US-201916565682-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 10, 2019
Priority date	Sep 10, 2019
Publication date	Oct 25, 2022
Grant date	Oct 25, 2022

Abstract

A vehicle system configured to control a trailer alignment routine includes a hitch mounted on a vehicle and a controller. The controller is configured to identify a coupler position of a trailer and control motion of the vehicle to toward an aligned position. The controller is further configured to control a braking procedure of the vehicle including a plurality of concurrent deceleration control procedures in response to a portion of the vehicle passing a gradual stopping distance. The concurrent deceleration procedures include monitoring an elapsed time following the portion of the vehicle passing the gradual stopping distance and monitoring a remaining distance to the aligned position based on a velocity of the vehicle and comparing the remaining distance to a rapid stopping distance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle system configured to control a trailer alignment routine, comprising:
a hitch mounted on a vehicle; and
a controller configured to:
identify a coupler position of a trailer;
control motion of the vehicle toward an aligned position;
calculate a first stopping distance based on a velocity of the vehicle; and
control a deceleration procedure comprising a plurality of concurrent deceleration control procedures in response to a portion of the vehicle passing the first stopping distance, wherein the concurrent deceleration procedures comprise:
controlling a first deceleration request by controlling the deceleration procedure of the vehicle based on a first deceleration profile;
monitoring an elapsed time in response to the portion of the vehicle passing the first stopping distance;
monitoring a remaining distance based on the velocity of the vehicle and comparing the remaining distance to a second stopping distance, wherein the first stopping distance is greater than the second stopping distance; and
controlling a second deceleration request by controlling the deceleration procedure of the vehicle based on a second deceleration profile in response to the portion of the vehicle passing the second stopping distance at the velocity greater than a controlled velocity associated with the first deceleration profile.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the concurrent deceleration procedures further comprise:
processing a first deceleration request based on the remaining distance to the coupler position and the velocity of the vehicle at the first stopping distance.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
calculate the first stopping distance based on the first deceleration profile.

4. The system according to claim 3 , wherein the first stopping distance is calculated based on the velocity and a rate of deceleration of the first deceleration profile.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to apply the second deceleration profile in response to the elapsed time reaching a calculated time duration.

6. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the first deceleration profile comprises a lower average rate of deceleration relative to the second deceleration profile.

7. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
control the vehicle to stop over the second deceleration profile in response to the elapsed time reaching the calculated time duration.

8. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
control the vehicle to stop over the second deceleration profile in response to the hitch passing the second stopping distance at a velocity exceeding a second stopping distance.

9. A method for controlling a vehicle comprising:
identifying a coupler position of a trailer in sensor data;
controlling motion of the vehicle to an aligned position aligning a hitch ball of the vehicle with the coupler position;
calculating a first stopping distance based on a velocity of the vehicle;
controlling a deceleration procedure comprising a plurality of concurrent deceleration control procedures in response to a portion of the vehicle passing the first stopping distance, wherein the concurrent deceleration procedures comprise:
monitoring an elapsed time in response to the portion of the vehicle passing the first stopping distance; and
monitoring a remaining distance based on the velocity of the vehicle and comparing the remaining distance to a second stopping distance, wherein the first stopping distance is greater than the second stopping distance;
controlling the deceleration procedure based on a first deceleration profile in response to the portion of the vehicle passing the first stopping distance; and
controlling the deceleration procedure of the vehicle based on a second deceleration profile in response to the elapsed time reaching a calculated time duration, wherein the calculated time is determined based on the first stopping distance, the velocity of the vehicle, and the first deceleration profile.

10. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising:
controlling the deceleration procedure of the vehicle based on the second deceleration profile in response to:
the portion of the vehicle passing the rapid stopping distance at the velocity greater than a controlled velocity associated with the first deceleration profile.

11. A vehicle control system configured to control a vehicle alignment routine with a trailer, comprising:
a controller configured to:
identify a coupler position of the trailer;
control motion of the vehicle toward an aligned position;
calculate a first stopping distance based on a velocity of the vehicle; and
control a deceleration procedure comprising a plurality of concurrent deceleration control procedures in response to a portion of the vehicle passing the first stopping distance, wherein the concurrent deceleration procedures comprise:
monitoring an elapsed time in response to the portion of the vehicle passing the first stopping distance;
monitoring a remaining distance based on the velocity of the vehicle and comparing the remaining distance to a second stopping distance, wherein the first stopping distance is greater than the second stopping distance; and
controlling the deceleration procedure in response to at least one of:
the elapsed time of the portion of the vehicle passing the first stopping distance; and
the remaining distance based on the velocity of the vehicle compared to the second stopping distance.

12. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
calculate the first stopping distance based on a first deceleration profile;
controlling the deceleration procedure based on the first deceleration profile in response to the portion of the vehicle passing the first stopping distance; and
calculate the second stopping distance based on a second deceleration profile.

13. The system according to claim 12 , wherein the first stopping distance is calculated based on the velocity and a rate of deceleration of the first deceleration profile.

14. The system according to claim 12 , wherein the first deceleration profile comprises a lower average rate of deceleration relative to the second deceleration profile.

15. The system according to claim 14 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
control the vehicle to decelerate over the second deceleration profile in response to a hitch passing the second stopping distance at a velocity exceeding the second stopping distance.

16. The system according to claim 12 , wherein at least one of the first deceleration profile and the second deceleration profile decelerates the vehicle by controlling a brake system of the vehicle.

17. The system according to claim 12 , wherein at least one of the first deceleration profile and the second deceleration profile decelerates the vehicle by controlling a drive gear selection of the vehicle.

18. The system according to claim 12 , wherein at least one of the first deceleration profile and the second deceleration profile decelerates the vehicle by controlling a steering system of the vehicle.

19. The system according to claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to control the deceleration procedure of the vehicle based on the second deceleration profile in response to cessation of the vehicle alignment routine with the trailer.

20. The system

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Niewiadomski Luke
• Xu Li
• Mattern Donald Jacob
• El-Sawah Mohamed
• Trombley Roger Arnold
• Rogan Douglas
• Nagraj Rao Nikhil
• Sharma Arnav

Classifications

• B60W10/18

  including control of braking systems · CPC title

• B62D15/0285 Primary

  Parking performed automatically · CPC title

• B62D15/025 Primary

  Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation (B62D1/28 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60D1/62

  involving supply lines, electric circuits or the like · CPC title

• B60W10/20

  including control of steering systems · CPC title