IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,912,235
Granted Patent B2
US 11,912,235 · App. 17/199,954 · Granted Feb 27, 2024

Vehicle object detection

Inventors: Stuart C. Salter (White Lake, MI); John Robert Van Wiemeersch (Novi, MI); Sam Harris (Billericay, GB); Tarik Safir (Chesterfield, GB); Donald Paul Bilger (Livonia, MI); Thomas Joseph Hermann (Troy, MI); Todd Ansbacher (Westland, MI)
Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
B60R25/31B60R25/102B60R25/1018B60R25/403G05D1/0214B60R2025/1013
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,912,235
App. No.
17/199,954
Granted
Feb 27, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

While a vehicle is in a minimal power state, a first sensor is activated based on a location of the vehicle within a monitored area. The vehicle is transitioned to an on state based on detecting an object via data from the first sensor. Then the vehicle is operated to block an exit from the monitored area based on identifying the object as an unauthorized object.

Claims (31)

1. A system, comprising:

a first sensor;

a second sensor having a higher power draw than the first sensor; and

a computer communicatively coupled to the first sensor and the second sensor;

wherein the computer includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to:

while a vehicle is in a minimal power state, activate the first sensor based on a location of the vehicle within a monitored area;

transition the vehicle to an on state based on detecting an object via data from the first sensor;

upon transitioning to the on state, activate a second sensor; and

then operate the vehicle to block an exit from the monitored area based on identifying the object, via data from the second sensor, as an unauthorized object.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor is a radar, and the second sensor is a camera.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a housing containing the first sensor and the second sensor.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the location is adjacent to a boundary of the monitored area.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the location is adjacent to a blind zone within the monitored area.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor is arranged so that a field of view of the first sensor encompasses the blind zone, and the second sensor is arranged so that a field of view of the second sensor encompasses the blind zone.

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

while a vehicle is in a minimal power state, activate a first sensor based on a location of the vehicle within a monitored area;

transition the vehicle to an on state based on detecting an object via data from the first sensor; and

then operate the vehicle to block an exit from the monitored area based on identifying the object as an unauthorized object.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to, upon transitioning the vehicle to the on state, activate a second sensor, wherein the second sensor has a higher power draw than the first sensor.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to provide data from the second sensor to a remote computer.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to identify the object based on data from the second sensor.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to, upon identifying the object as an unauthorized person, actuate an alarm in the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 7 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to, upon identifying the object as an animal, transition the vehicle to the minimal power state.

13. The system of claim 7 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to, upon transitioning the vehicle to the on state, activate exterior lights of the vehicle.

14. The system of claim 7 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to transition the vehicle to the minimal power state based on a time of day.

15. The system of claim 7 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to, upon determining that the object has departed the monitored area, operate the vehicle to follow the object.

16. The system of claim 7 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to transition the vehicle to the on state additionally based on receiving a first message from a remote computer.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to operate the vehicle to block the exit from the monitored area additionally based on receiving a second message from the remote computer.

18. The system of claim 7 , wherein the location is adjacent to a blind zone within the monitored area.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to determine the blind zone based on a field of view of an infrastructure sensor within the monitored area.

20. The system of claim 7 , wherein the location is adjacent to a boundary of the monitored area.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 12, 2021
From: SALTER, STUART C.; VAN WIEMEERSCH, JOHN ROBERT; HARRIS, SAM; SAFIR, TARIK; BILGER, DONALD PAUL; HERMANN, THOMAS JOSEPH; ANSBACHER, TODD
To: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 055576/0119 →
Continuity (1)
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