Vehicle communication system for sharing real-time articulated vehicle positions

Abstract

A vehicle, hitch and articulated trailer includes a vehicle-to-vehicle and infrastructure communication and vehicle computing system having a controller coupled to and / or including one or more of a dynamics measurement unit, a transceiver and a position sensor and other components. The controller is configured to: in response to detecting the position of a trailer corner from the position sensor, generate vehicle and trailer relative orientation and navigation data including position, velocity and orientation using a vehicle electronic polyhedron and a trailer electronic polyhedron that are articulated around a hitch point and represent a predicted path and envelope of the combination vehicle and trailer. In response to detected trailer movement relative to the hitch point, use navigation data including position, velocity and orientation to generate a generated articulated polyhedron, and then transmit the generated articulated polyhedron to nearby vehicles and road infrastructure. Initial trailer vertices can be generated using a wireless device and a mobile device to generate the trailer polyhedron.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle-to-vehicle and infrastructure communication system that shares real-time articulated vehicle and trailer position and relative orientation information. Background Art

[0002] Vehicle manufacturers have developed various types of in-vehicle and / or on-board computer processing systems that include vehicle control, navigation, vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication systems and associated messaging capabilities, and various other vehicle-related applications. In addition, such systems are sometimes enabled to generate, transmit, and receive messages to and from nearby vehicles and road infrastructure that include vehicle position, velocity, and basic vehicle geometry data that enables the vehicle to navigate the road and travel in close proximity with such nearby vehicles for enhanced situational awareness. Opportunities exist to achieve enhanced situational awareness using additional vehicle information associated with multi-body vehicles, such as individual vehicles with trailers as well as larger tractor-trailer vehicle combinations. Summary of the invention

[0003] Many types of personal, commercial, and industrial vehicles, including internal combustion engine vehicles as well as hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and battery electric vehicles (collectively referred to below as "vehicles"), include several types of in-vehicle computing systems, controllers, interfaces, networks, communication capabilities, and applications that enable vehicle operation as well as on-board and in-vehicle navigation, vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications and related communication capabilities, and control and exchange of data between nearby vehicles and road or infrastructure systems.

[0004] The present disclosure is directed to a vehicle having a trailer hitch configured to pull an articulated trailer. The vehicle also incorporates at least one and / or one or more controllers coupled to a position sensor and a dynamic measurement unit (DMU), which responds to detecting the position of a vertex of a trailer connected to the vehicle and / or receiving the position from the position sensor. The DMU and the position sensor are configured to generate an electronic vehicle and trailer volume model formed as a polyhedron, the polyhedron including the trailer vertices as vertices of the polyhedron vertices. The vehicle and trailer polyhedrons are electronically articulated around the hitch point of the trailer hitch in response to detected trailer movement relative to the hitch point. The generated and articulated polyhedrons are periodically transmitted to one or more internal and / or external controllers and / or vehicle communication units, which translate the vehicle and trailer position information and transmit the vehicle and trailer position information to controllers of other vehicles and road infrastructure.

[0005] In a variation, the position sensor comprises a transceiver and the controller is further configured to detect the position of the trailer vertex in real time during operation of the vehicle and trailer from a corresponding wireless motion tracker mounted to and positioned at the trailer vertex and in communication with the transceiver. The position of the trailer vertex is detected relative to the hitch point. The controller and / or DMU also generates a vehicle and trailer polyhedron articulated about the hitch point and including the trailer vertex as a polyhedron vertex.

[0006] The present disclosure is also directed to modifying the position sensor to include a line-of-sight rangefinder configured to detect and detect the two-dimensional position of an initial trailer vertex as a rangefinder reflector positioned at a vertex relative to a hitch point and on the trailer, and to generate a trailer polyhedron. The rangefinder is further configured to be vertically adjustable relative to a ground surface, and to detect the three-dimensional position of the initial trailer vertex as a rangefinder reflector relative to the hitch point. In this arrangement, the controller is further configured to respond to detected trailer movement relative to the hitch point, and to adjust the initial trailer vertex based on the detected trailer movement to generate a trailer polyhedron articulated relative to the hitch point.

[0007] In additional arrangements, the position sensor incorporates at least one hitch yaw and pitch sensor, and the controller is further configured to respond to and be responsive to yaw and pitch signals from the respective sensors and to generate an articulated polyhedron adjusted by the yaw and pitch signals.Other exemplary modifications are directed to a controller coupled to a plurality of antennas and at least one transceiver configured to communicate with a mobile device.

[0008] In this modified version, the controller is further configured to: respond to a position of a trailer vertex detected from a mobile device by a signal strength at each of the plurality of antennas; generate initial trailer corner points and / or trailer vertices, the initial trailer corner points and / or trailer vertices being mapped by the controller to trailer polyhedron vertices based on the detected and / or received positions of the trailer vertices relative to the hitch point. In this modification, the controller is further configured to respond to the roll and pitch signals generated by the at least one roll and pitch sensor; and adjust the position of the initial trailer vertex based on the roll and pitch signals when the trailer is articulated relative to the vehicle. The controller also generates the articulated polyhedron based on the adjusted position of the trailer vertex.

[0009] The controller and mobile device are also configured to generate a trailer polyhedron by enabling input of trailer dimensions and vertex data and / or drawing and calibrating the polyhedron using one or more photos or images generated by the mobile device; and thereby generating initial trailer vertices of the trailer relative to the hitch point.

[0010] Once the polyhedron is generated, the controller is also configured to: respond to yaw and pitch signals when the trailer is articulated relative to the vehicle; adjust the position of the initial trailer vertex based on the yaw and pitch signals; and generate an articulated polyhedron based on the adjusted position of the trailer vertex.

[0011] This overview of implementations and configurations of the vehicle and described components and systems introduces a selection of exemplary implementations, configurations and arrangements in a simplified and less technically detailed arrangement, and these are further described in greater detail below in the detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying description and drawings, and in the claims that follow.

[0012] This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed technology, and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. The features, functions, capabilities, and advantages discussed herein may be implemented independently in various exemplary implementations, or may be combined in other exemplary implementations, as further described elsewhere herein, and may also be understood by those skilled in the relevant art with reference to the following description and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] A more complete understanding of exemplary implementations of the present disclosure may be obtained by referring to the detailed description and claims when considered in light of the following drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to similar or identical elements throughout the figures. The figures and the annotations thereon are provided to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the breadth, scope, scale, or applicability of the present disclosure. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0014] Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the vehicle and their systems, controls, components, sensors, actuators, and methods of operation;

[0015] Figure 2 illustrate Figure 1 Additional aspects of a schematically illustrated vehicle with certain components removed and other components added to supplement the illustration;

[0016] Figure 3 Depicted Figure 2 a top or plan view of the vehicle, and Figure 4 Depicted Figure 2 A side or front view of a vehicle having the additional capabilities and features of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 5 and Figure 6 Shows Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4A top or plan view and a side or front view of a vehicle of the type shown, for further illustration, showing certain additional features and capabilities of the vehicle;

[0018] FIG. 7 reflects a schematic illustration of the vehicle of the preceding FIG. in operation with respect to a substantially straight section of road as part of an Intelligent Transport System (ITS);

[0019] FIG8 illustrates a schematic depiction of the vehicle of the preceding FIGs. in operation with respect to a road intersection as part of an ITS; and

[0020] FIG. 9 depicts another schematic representation of the vehicle of the preceding FIG. 1 in operation with respect to another road intersection as part of an ITS. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it will be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention that may be embodied in various forms and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching those skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.

[0022] As will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, the various features, components, and processes illustrated and described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings may be combined with the features, components, and processes illustrated in one or more other drawings to implement embodiments that should be apparent to those skilled in the art but may not be explicitly illustrated or described. The illustrated combinations of features are representative embodiments of typical applications. However, various combinations and modifications of features consistent with the teachings of the present disclosure may be desired for specific applications or implementations and should be readily within the knowledge, skills, and capabilities of those working in the relevant technical field.

[0023] Referring now to the various drawings and descriptions and Figure 1 and Figure 2 , and specifically refer to Figure 1 , shows a schematic diagram of a conventional petrochemical powered and / or hybrid electric vehicle 100, which in other examples may also include a battery electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, and combinations and modifications thereof, which are collectively referred to herein as "vehicles". Figure 1Representative relationships between components of vehicle 100 are shown. The physical layout and orientation of the components within vehicle 100 and the functional and logical connections and relationships thereto may vary. Vehicle 100 includes a drivetrain 105 having a powertrain 110 including an internal combustion engine (CE) 115 and one or more of an electric motor or electric motor / generator / starter (EM) 120 that generate power and torque to propel vehicle 100.

[0024] The engine or CE 115 is a gasoline, diesel, biofuel, natural gas or alternative fuel powered internal combustion engine that generates output torque through front engine accessory devices in addition to other forms of electricity, cooling, heating, vacuum, pressure and hydraulic power. The EM 120 can be any of a variety of types of electric machines, and can be, for example, a permanent magnet synchronous motor, an electric generator, and an engine starter 120. The CE 115 and EM 120 are configured to propel the vehicle 100 via a drive shaft 125 and in cooperation with various related components, which may further include a transmission, clutch, differential, braking system, wheels, etc.

[0025] The powertrain 110 and / or drive train 105 further includes one or more batteries 130. One or more of such batteries may be one or more higher voltage DC batteries 130 with an operating range between about 48 volts and 600 volts, and sometimes between about 140 volts and 300 volts, or higher or lower, used to store power and supply power to the EM 120, as well as to capture and store energy during regenerative braking, and to supply power to and store energy from other vehicle components and accessories. Other batteries may be one or more low voltage DC batteries 130 with an operating range between about 6 volts and 24 volts, or higher or lower, used to store power and supply power to other vehicle components and accessories.

[0026] like Figure 1 As depicted, one or more batteries 130 are coupled to the engine 115, the EM 120, and the vehicle 100, respectively, through various mechanical and electrical interfaces and vehicle controllers, as described elsewhere herein. The high voltage EM battery 130 is also coupled to the EM 120 through one or more of the following: a powertrain control module (PCM), a motor control module (MCM), a battery control module (BCM), and / or power electronics 135 configured to convert and regulate direct current (DC) power provided by the high voltage (HV) battery 130 to the EM 120.

[0027] The PCM / MCM / BCM / power electronics 135 is also configured to condition, invert, and transform the DC battery power into three-phase alternating current (AC), which is typically required to power the electric machine or EM 120. The PCM / MCM / BCM 135 / power electronics is also configured to charge the one or more batteries 130 with energy generated by the EM 120 and / or front end accessory drive components, as well as receive, store, and supply power to other vehicle components as needed.

[0028] Continue to refer Figure 1 , in addition to the PCM / MCM / BCM / power electronics 135, the vehicle 100 also includes one or more controllers and computing modules and systems that implement various vehicle capabilities. For example, the vehicle 100 may incorporate a body control module (BCM), which is a stand-alone unit and / or may be incorporated as part of a vehicle system controller (VSC) 140 and a vehicle computing system (VCS) and controller 145 (which communicates with the PCM / MCM / BCM 135) and other controllers. For example, in some configurations, for purposes of example and not limitation, the VSC 140 and / or VCS 145 are and / or incorporate SYNC.TM., APPLINK.TM., MyFord Touch.TM. and / or open source SmartDeviceLink and / or OpenXC onboard and off-board vehicle computing systems, in-vehicle connectivity, infotainment and communication systems, and application programming interfaces (APIs) for communicating with and / or controlling off-board and / or external devices.

[0029] By way of further example and not for purposes of limitation, at least one and / or one or more of the controllers (such as the VSC 140 and the VCS 145) may incorporate and further be and / or include one or more accessory protocol interface modules (APIMs) and / or an integral or separate head unit that may be, include and / or incorporate an information and entertainment system (also referred to as an infotainment system and / or an audio / visual control module or ACM / AVCM). Such modules include and / or may include a media player (MP3, Blu-Ray.TM., DVD, CD, cassette, etc.), a stereo system, an FM / AM / satellite radio receiver, etc., as well as a human machine interface (HMI) and / or display unit as described elsewhere herein.

[0030] Such contemplated components and systems may be available from a variety of sources and, for purposes of example, are manufactured by and / or available from the SmartDeviceLink Consortium, the OpenXC project, Ford Motor Company, and other sources (e.g., see SmartDeviceLink.com, openXCplatform.com, www.ford.com, U.S. Patent Nos. 9,080,668, 9,042,824, 9,092,309, 9,141,583, 9,141,583, 9,680,934, and others).

[0031] In other examples, SmartLinkDevice (SDL), OpenXC, and SYNC.TM.AppLink.TM. are each examples of enabling at least one and / or one or more of the controllers, such as the VSC 140 and the VCS 145, to utilize an application programming interface (API) to transmit remote procedure calls (RPCs) to enable command and control of external or off-vehicle mobile devices and applications by utilizing an in-vehicle or on-vehicle HMI, such as a graphical user interface (GUI) and other input and output devices, the in-vehicle or on-vehicle HMI also including hardware and software controls, buttons and / or switches, and steering wheel controls and buttons (SWC), instrument cluster and panel hardware and software buttons and switches, and other controls. Exemplary systems, such as SDL, OpenXC, and / or AppLink.TM., utilize the HMI of the vehicle 100, such as SWC and GUI, to enable the functionality of the mobile device to be available and enabled, and may also include automatic recognition and processing of in-vehicle or in-vehicle voice commands.

[0032] The controllers of the vehicle 100, such as the VSC 140 and the VCS 145, include and are coupled to one or more high-speed, medium-speed, and low-speed vehicle networks, including, among other things, a multiplexed broadcast controller area network (CAN) 150, and a larger vehicle control system and other vehicle networks that may and / or may not require a host processor, controller, and / or server, and for additional examples, may also include other microprocessor-based controllers, as described elsewhere herein. The CAN 150 may also include network controllers and routers in addition to communication links between controllers, sensors, actuators, routers, in-vehicle systems and components, and off-vehicle systems and components external to the vehicle 100.

[0033] Such CAN 150 is well known to those skilled in the art and is described in more detail in various industry standards, including, for example, the Society of Automotive Engineers TM (SAE) J1939 entitled “Serial Control and Communications Heavy Duty Vehicle Network” and available from standards.sae.org, and the automotive informatics standard entitled “Road vehicles - Controller area network (CAN)” available from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 11898, and ISO 11519 entitled “Road vehicles - Low-speed serial data communication” available from www.iso.org / ics / 43.040.15 / x / .

[0034] The CAN 150 contemplates that the vehicle 100 has one, two, three, or more such networks operating at various low, medium, and high speeds (which may range, for example, from about 50 kilobits per second (Kbps) to about 500 Kbps or more). The CAN 150 may also include, incorporate, and / or be coupled to and communicate with internal, onboard, and external wired and wireless personal area networks (PANs), local area networks (LANs), vehicle area networks (VANs), wide area networks (WANs), peer-to-peer (P2P), vehicle-to-vehicle networks (V2V), and vehicle-to-infrastructure and infrastructure-to-vehicle (V2I, I2V) networks, among others, and as described and contemplated elsewhere herein.

[0035] In other examples, without limitation, the VSC 140, VCS 145 and / or other controllers, devices and processors may include, be coupled to, be configured with, and / or cooperate with one or more integrally included, embedded and / or independently arranged two-way communication, navigation and other systems, controllers and / or sensors (such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems (V2V) 155, and vehicle-to-road infrastructure-to-vehicle communication systems (V2I) 160, lidar / sonar (light and / or sound detection and ranging) and / or camera road proximity imaging and obstacle sensor systems 165, GPS or global positioning system 170, and navigation and moving map display and sensor systems 175). As used herein, GPS is generally referred to as the United States GPS system, but in this disclosure also means Figure 1Other positioning systems are also generally referred to and included, including for example the Russian GLONASS, Globalnaya Navigazionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), as well as the European Galileo and the Chinese BeiDou GNSS, among others.

[0036] The VCS 145 can cooperate with the VSC 140 and such steering wheel controls and buttons, and other controllers, subsystems, and internal and external systems in parallel, serial, and distributed manner to manage and control the vehicle 100, external devices, and such other controllers and / or actuators in response to sensor and communication signals, data, parameters, and other information identified, established, transmitted to, and received from these vehicle systems, controllers, and components, and other off-board systems that are external and / or remote to the vehicle 100.

[0037] Such bidirectional V2V 155 and V2I 160 (also sometimes collectively referred to herein as V2X) communication controllers and systems utilize various industry protocols, standards, and / or messaging formats available in the United States and other countries to enable peer-to-peer, vehicle-to-vehicle, and vehicle-to-infrastructure ad hoc and similar types of networks and communications. Such protocols, standards, and / or messaging formats are used to implement various aspects of the present disclosure and are well known to those having relevant technical knowledge.

[0038] These include, by way of example and not limitation, the United States (US) Department of Transportation Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) standards, available at www.standards.its.dot.gov and www.its.dot.gov, and the Connected Vehicle Reference Implementation Architecture (CVRIA), local.iteris.com / cvria / .

[0039] The National Highway and Transportation Systems Administration (NHTSA) www.nhtsa.gov has made additional refinements, including basic safety message protocols and formats, which are described in various resources available at www.nhtsa.gov / technology-innovation / vehicle-vehicle-communications and include various NHTSA reports, such as, for example, report number DOT HS 812 014 entitled “NHTSA: Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications: Readiness of V2V Technology for Application” www.nhtsa.gov / staticfiles / rulemaking / pdf / V2V / Readiness-of-V2V-Technology-for-Application-812014.pdf, report number DOT HS 812 014 entitled “Vehicle Safety Communications-Applications (VSC-A)” available at www.nhtsa.gov / DOT / NHTSA / NVS / Crash Avoidance / Technical Pu blications / 2011 / 811492B.pdf and DOT HS 081 514 entitled “Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards: Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) Communications, Docket No. NHTSA–2014–0022,” available from www.nhtsa.gov / staticfiles / rulemaking / pdf / V2V / V2V-ANPRM_081514.pdf. A number of related documents and reports are also available from the U.S. Government Printing Office at www.gpo.gov.

[0040] Such protocols, standards, and / or messaging formats are also enabled by various other organizations and resources, including, for example, a number of European reports, such as the report entitled “Directive 2010 / 40 / EU on the framework for the deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems in the field of road transport and for interfaces with other modes of transport” available at eur-lex.europa.eu / legal-content / EN / ALL / ?uri=CELEX%3A32010L0040, and another report entitled “C-ITS Deployment Platform—Final Report, January 2016” available at ec.europa.eu / transport / themes / its / doc / c-its-platform-final-report-january-2016.pdf.

[0041] There are also many international standards organizations involved in this technical field, and they have produced various V2X resources, such as the Society of Automotive Engineers™ (SAE) telematics and related standards J2945 and J2735: “On-Board System Requirements for V2V Safety Communications Standard,” SAE J2945 / 1_201603, standards.sae.org / j2945 / 1_201603 / and “Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) Message Set Dictionary Standard,” SAE J2735_201603, standards.sae.org / j2735_201603, and other standards available from topics.sae.org / telematics / standards / automotive.

[0042] Messages for V2V applications are defined, inter alia, in SAE J2735 as Basic Safety Messages (BSM, BSM-II) Parts 1 and 2. The present disclosure refers interchangeably to BSM and BSM-II messaging capabilities, and it is contemplated that in each instance in which BSM is described herein, reference is made to the extended data and information capabilities enabled by the BSM-II standard. The SAE 2735 BSM capabilities support and enable wireless communications between vehicles and / or between vehicles and fixed or roaming devices, including roadways, intersections, and other infrastructure devices and systems (V2I). The SAE J2735 standard describes, defines, and specifies messages and data elements that constitute messages / dialogs specifically for use by vehicles, infrastructure, and other non-vehicle applications utilizing the 5.9 Gigahertz (GHz) DSRC of the Wireless Access in Vehicular Environment (WAVE) communication system.

[0043] The current J2735 standard describes the requirements for using BSM for V2V safety applications. The SAE J2945 standard describes the communication performance requirements for the DSRC message set and BSM data elements to support V2V and V2I safety applications. Such WAVE communications and related systems are described in more detail in various reports established by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and available from the IEEE as described below. See, for example, standards.ieee.org, and more specifically, IEEE Standard 1609 entitled "Guide for Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE) Architecture," available from standards.ieee.org / develop / wg / 1609_WG.html.

[0044] The IEEE 1609WAVE standard enables and defines an architecture and a standardized set of communication services and interfaces for achieving secure V2V and V2I wireless communications. These standards enable a range of transportation and navigation applications, including vehicle safety, automatic toll collection, enhanced navigation, and traffic management, among others. The IEEE 1609Wave capabilities are used in conjunction with other capabilities for various aspects of network and communication standards and architectures, including those managed by the IEEE 802 Local Area Network and Metropolitan Area Network (LAN / MAN) Standards Committee, which can be found at www.ieee802.org and standards.ieee.org.

[0045] IEEE Standard 802.11 supports the software and firmware communication services of IEEE 1609 and implements data link media access control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) capabilities, such as wireless local area network (WLAN) data communications in various frequency bands. The 802.11 standard is entitled "IEEE Standard for Information technology--Telecommunications and information exchange between systems-Local and metropolitan area networks-Specific requirements Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications" and can be obtained at ieeexplore.ieee.org / document / 7792308.

[0046] These technology enabling standards have many variations that enable additional capabilities for specific applications, including (for example) automotive network communications to support Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) applications, including data communications between vehicles and between vehicles and transportation infrastructure within the ITS frequency band (5.85GHz-5.925GHz) around 5.9GHz.

[0047] IEEE Standard 802.11p is an amendment to 802.11 that enables and defines wireless communications in support of IEEE 1609, which further enables automotive and transportation and road infrastructure system applications (V2I), including LAN, WAN, PAN, and peer-to-peer or V2V networks and data communications (also referred to as "V2x" or vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-everything). The portion of IEEE 802.11p is entitled "Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications: Amendment: Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE)" and is available at ieeexplore.ieee.org / document / 5514475 / .

[0048] The VSC 140, VCS 145 and / or other controllers, devices and processors according to the present disclosure are enabled and incorporated with such V2x, V2V and V2I technologies and capabilities, and also utilize various additional technologies to determine and establish absolute and relative positioning and navigation of the vehicle 100 and towed elements, such as a trailer TR articulated around a vehicle hitch point (HP), and V2V and V2I share and transmit such positioning and navigation data and information. For other examples, the various absolute and relative positioning technologies contemplated for utilization in the present disclosure include the aforementioned GPS systems and GNSS systems, and also include Wide Area Augmentation Systems (WAAS) and Real-Time Kinematics (RTK) systems.

[0049] WAAS is an enhanced GPS and GNSS that uses supplemental ground reference stations to measure deviations from GPS positions and GNSS positions and enables corrections in the continental United States. RTK systems use the phase difference of GPS signals and GNSS signals from two fixed or mobile reference stations to achieve improved position accuracy. Such accuracy improvement capabilities can achieve position accuracy with a resolution of several centimeters. These and related capabilities can be understood through many of the aforementioned references and the U.S. NHTSA report entitled "Vehicle Safety Communications-Applications (VSC-A) Final Report: Appendix Volume 2 Communications and Positioning" by the VSC 2 Alliance, with a report number of DOT HS 811 492C, 9 / 2011, which can be obtained from www.nhtsa.gov / Research / Crash+Avoidance / Office+of+Crash+Avoidance+Research+Technical+Publications, and these and related capabilities are obtained in the references and reports.

[0050] Although illustrated herein as discrete individual controllers for purposes of example, the PCM / MCM / BCM 135, VSC 140, and VCS 145, as well as other contemplated controllers, subsystems, and systems, may control, be controlled by, transmit signals to, and transmit signals from, and exchange data with other controllers and other sensors, actuators, signals, and components as part of larger vehicle and control systems, external control systems, and internal and external networks, components, subsystems, and systems.

[0051] The capabilities and configurations described in connection with any particular microprocessor-based controller contemplated herein may also be embodied in one or more other controllers and distributed across more than one controller, such that multiple controllers may individually, cooperatively, in combination, and collaboratively implement any such capabilities and configurations. Thus, recitations of "controller" or "one or more controllers" are intended to refer to such controllers, components, subsystems, and systems in both the singular and plural senses and individually, collectively, and in various suitable cooperative and distributed combinations.

[0052] Additionally, communications over CAN 150 and other internal and external PANs, LANs, and / or WANs are intended to include responding to, sharing, transmitting, and receiving commands, signals, data, embedding data into signals, control logic, and information between controllers and sensors, actuators, controls, and vehicle systems and components. The controller communicates with one or more controller-based input / output (I / O) interfaces, which may be implemented as a single integrated interface that enables transmission of raw data and signals, and / or signal conditioning, processing, and / or conversion, short circuit protection, circuit isolation, and similar capabilities. Alternatively, one or more dedicated hardware or firmware devices, controllers, and systems-on-chip may be used to pre-condition and pre-process specific signals during communication and before and after transmission of the specific signals.

[0053] In further illustration, the PCM / MCM / BCM 135, VSC 140, VCS 145, CAN 150, and other controllers may include one or more microprocessors or central processing units (CPUs) in communication with various types of computer-readable storage devices or media. Computer-readable storage devices or media may include volatile and non-volatile storage devices in read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), and non-volatile or keep-alive memory (NVRAM or KAM). NVRAM or KAM is persistent or non-volatile memory that can be used to store various commands, executable control logic and instructions, and code, data, constants, parameters, and variables required to operate the vehicle and systems when the vehicle and systems and the controllers and CPU are not powered or are powered off.

[0054] Computer readable storage devices or media may be implemented using any of a number of known persistent and non-persistent memory devices, such as PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory), EPROM (Electrical PROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable PROM), hard disk drive (HDD), solid state drive (SSD), flash memory, or any other electrical, magnetic, optical, or combined memory device capable of storing and transmitting data. Each of such devices, components, processors, microprocessors, controllers, microcontrollers, memories, storage devices, and / or media may also further include, include, and / or be embedded with one or more basic input and output systems (BIOS), operating systems, application programming interfaces (APIs) having, enabling, and / or implementing remote procedure calls (RPCs), and related firmware, microcode, software, logic instructions, commands, etc., which implement programming, customization, coding, and configuration and other capabilities, and which may be embedded and / or contained in at least one of one or more such devices and / or distributed on one or more such devices.

[0055] In this arrangement, the VSC 140 and VCS 145 cooperatively manage and control vehicle components and other controllers, sensors and actuators, including, for example and without limitation, the PCM / MCM / BCM 135 and / or various other components. For example, the controller can establish two-way communications with such internal and external sources and transmit control commands, logic and instructions, and codes, data, information and signals to and / or from the engine 115, EM 120, battery 130 and PCM / MCM / BCM / power electronics 135 and other internal and external components, devices, subsystems and systems. The controller can also control and communicate with other vehicle components known to those skilled in the art but not shown in the figures.

[0056] Figure 1 The embodiment of the vehicle 100 in FIG. 1 also depicts exemplary sensors and actuators in communication with a wired and / or wireless vehicle network and CAN 150 (PAN, LAN), which can bidirectionally send and receive data, commands, and / or signals to and from the VSC 140, VCS 145, and other controllers. Such control commands, logic and instructions, as well as code, data, information, signals, settings, and parameters (including driver preferred settings and preferences) can be captured and stored in and transferred from the repository of driver controls, preferences, and profiles 180 and other controllers' memory and data storage devices.

[0057] As shown in each figure (including Figure 1 and Figure 2), signals and data (including, for example, commands, information, settings, parameters, control logic and executable instructions, and other signals and data) may also include other signals (OS) 185 and control or command signals (CS) 190 received from, sent to, and between controllers and vehicle components and systems via wired and / or wireless data and signaling connections. The OS 185 and CS 190 and other signals, related control logic and executable instructions, parameters, and data are capable of and / or may be predicted, generated, established, received, and transmitted to, from, and between vehicle controllers, sensors, actuators, components, and any of internal, external, and remote systems.

[0058] Any and / or all of these signals may be raw analog or digital signals and data, or pre-conditioned, pre-processed, combined and / or derived data and signals generated in response to other signals, and may encode, embed, represent voltages, currents, capacitances, inductances, impedances, and digital data representations thereof, and digital information that encodes, embeds and / or otherwise represents such signals, data, and analog, digital and multimedia information, and may be represented by them.

[0059] The communication and operation of the described signals, commands, control instructions and logic, as well as data and information, by the various contemplated controllers, sensors, actuators and other vehicle components may be as described. Figure 1 and other figures, and are represented schematically, and by schematically represented data communication lines and signals, and wireless signals and data connections. Such figures illustrate exemplary command and control processes, control logic and instructions, and operating strategies that may be implemented using one or more computing technologies, communication technologies, and processing technologies, which may include real-time technologies, event-driven technologies, interrupt-driven technologies, multi-tasking technologies, multi-threading technologies, and combinations thereof.

[0060] The steps and functions shown may be performed, communicated and performed in the sequence depicted, as well as in parallel, repeatedly, in a modified order, and in some cases may be combined with other processes and / or omitted. The commands, control logic and instructions may be executed in one or more of the described microprocessor-based controllers, in external controllers and systems, and may be primarily embodied in hardware, software, virtualized hardware, firmware, virtualized hardware / software / firmware, and combinations thereof.

[0061] For the purpose of further explanation and not for the purpose of limitation, Figure 1Also schematically depicted is an exemplary configuration and block topology of a VCS 145 and its intended controllers, devices, components, subsystems and / or systems for the vehicle 100. The present disclosure is directed to an HMI including hardware and software switches and controls (HSC) 195, which also relates to, incorporates and includes buttons and / or switches, as well as steering wheel controls and buttons (SWC), instrument cluster and panel hardware and software buttons and switches, and GUI display software switches and controls and other controls.

[0062] In additional exemplary arrangements, various controllers, such as, for example, the VCS 145, include and / or in some arrangements may include at least one and / or one or more human machine interfaces (HMI) / graphical user interfaces and visual displays (GUI, HMI) 200 that may be located in the cabin of the vehicle 100. The HMI / GUI 200 may also be coupled and cooperate with automatic speech recognition and speech synthesis subsystems and additional hardware and software controls, buttons and / or switches that are incorporated into, included and / or displayed on, around and / or as part of the HMI / GUI 200 and instrument clusters and panels of the vehicle 100.

[0063] Such controls, buttons and / or switches may be integrated with the HMI / GUI 200 and other vehicle devices and systems, which may include, for further example and illustration, a steering wheel and related components, a vehicle dashboard and instrument cluster, etc. For further example and non-limiting purposes, the VCS 145 may include and / or incorporate persistent memory and / or storage devices HDD, SSD, ROM 205 and non-persistent or persistent RAM / NVRAM / EPROM 210 and / or similarly configured persistent and non-persistent memory and storage components.

[0064] In an illustrative, non-limiting example, the VCS 145 and / or other controllers also include, incorporate, and / or are coupled to one or more vehicle-based, bi-directional data inputs, outputs, and / or communications and related devices and components that enable communication with the user, driver, and occupants of the vehicle 100, as well as external adjacent and remote devices, networks (CAN 150, PAN, LAN, WAN), and / or systems. The phrases "vehicle-based" and "onboard" refer to devices, subsystems, systems, and components that are integrated into, incorporated around, coupled to, and / or carried within the vehicle 100 and its various controllers, subsystems, systems, devices, and / or components. In contrast, the phrase "off-board" is directed to and contemplates that such controllers, subsystems, systems, devices, and / or components are located external to and / or remote from the vehicle 100.

[0065] For additional examples, the VCS 145, GUI 200, and other controllers of the vehicle 100 may include, incorporate vehicle-based multimedia devices 215, auxiliary inputs 220 and analog / digital (A / D) circuits 225, universal serial bus ports (USB) 230, near field communication transceivers (NFC) 235, wireless routers and / or transceivers (WRT) 240 (such as "Bluetooth.TM." devices) (enabling wireless personal area networks and wireless local area networks (WPAN, WLAN) or "WiFi" IEEE 802.11a). 802.11 and 803.11 communication standards), and / or analog and digital cellular network modems and transceivers (CMT) 245 that utilize voice / audio and data coding and techniques, including, for example, those managed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) standards, often referred to as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), Code Division Multiple Access, Space Division Multiple Access, Frequency Division Multiple Access, Polar Division Multiple Access and / or Time Division Multiple Access coding (CDMA, SDMA, FDMA, PDMA, TDMA), and similar and related protocols, coding, techniques, networks and services.

[0066] Such expected on-board and off-board devices and components are particularly configured to implement bidirectional wired and wireless communications between components and systems of the vehicle 100, CAN 150 and other external devices and systems, and PAN, LAN and WAN. The A / D circuit 225 is configured to implement analog-to-digital signal conversion and digital-to-analog signal conversion. Among other devices and components, the auxiliary input terminal 220 and the USB 230 can also implement wired and wireless Ethernet, on-board diagnostics (OBD, OBDII), free space optical communications (such as infrared (IR) data association (IrDA) and non-standardized consumer IR data communication protocols), IEEE 1394 (FireWire.TM. (Apple), LINK.TM. (Sony), Lynx.TM. (Texas Instruments)), EIA (Electronic Industries Association) serial protocol, IEEE 1284 (parallel port protocol), S / PDIF (Sony / Philips Digital Interconnect Format) and USB-IF (USB Implementers Forum), and similar data protocols, signaling and communication capabilities in some configurations.

[0067] The auxiliary input terminal 220 and the A / D circuit 225, USB 230, NFC 235, WRT 240 and / or CMT 245 are coupled to, integrated with and / or may incorporate an integrating amplifier, a signal conversion circuit and / or a signal modulation circuit, which are configured to attenuate, convert, amplify and / or transmit signals, and are further configured to receive various analog and / or digital input signals, data and / or information that are processed and conditioned and transmitted to various wired networks and wireless networks and controllers, and transmitted between various wired networks and wireless networks and controllers.

[0068] Such contemplated wired and wireless networks and controllers include, by way of example and not limitation, CAN 150, VCS 145, and other controllers and networks of vehicle 100. Auxiliary input 220, A / D circuit 225, USB 230, NFC 235, WRT 240, and / or CMT 245 and associated hardware, software, and / or circuitry are compatible and configured to receive, transmit, and / or communicate at least one and / or one or more of a variety of wired and wireless signals, signaling, data communications, and / or data streams (WS), and data such as navigation, audio and / or visual and / or multimedia signals, commands, control logic, instructions, information, software, programming, and similar and related data and information forms.

[0069] In addition, it is contemplated that one or more input and output data communication, audio and / or visual devices are integrated, coupled and / or connectable to the auxiliary input 220, A / D circuit 225, USB 230, NFC 235, WRT 240 and / or CMT 245 and other contemplated controllers and wired and wireless networks within the vehicle 100 and in some cases external to the vehicle 100. For example, the one or more input devices and output devices include, among others, a microphone 250, a voice processing and recognition device and subsystem 255, a speaker 260, an additional display 265, a camera 270, a nomadic and mobile device (NMD) 275, each of which includes at least one and / or one or more integrated signaling and communication antennas and / or transceivers (ATs).

[0070] Such input devices and output devices are and / or may be selected using, connected to, synchronized with, paired with, and / or actuated using an input selector, which may be any of the HSC 195, and may also include, incorporate, and / or be integrated with and / or be a part of the GUI 200 and the intended hardware and software SWCs, controls, buttons, and / or switches 195. As already mentioned, such HSC 195 may be hardware or software or a combination thereof, and may be configurable using one or more predetermined, default, and adjustable factory and / or driver controls, profiles, and / or preferences of the repository 180.

[0071] Contemplated microphones 250, voice processing and recognition devices and subsystems 255, speakers 260, additional displays 265, cameras 270, NMD 275 and / or other portable auxiliary devices may also include, by way of example and not limitation, cell phones, mobile phones, smart phones, satellite phones and modems and communication devices, tablet computers, personal digital assistants, personal media players, key fob security and data storage devices, personal health devices, laptop computers, portable wireless cameras, headphones and headsets that may include microphones, wired and wireless microphones, portable NFC speakers and stereo devices and players, portable GPS and GNSS devices, and similar devices and components, each of which may include an integrated transceiver and antenna AT, wired and plug-in connectors DC, and associated components for wired and wireless multimedia and data communication signals WS.

[0072] Such intended input, output and / or communication devices, components, subsystems and systems on the vehicle 100 are configured and / or can be configured to communicate bi-directionally over wired and wireless data connections (DC) and wired and wireless signals and signaling and data communications and flows WS with external near and far roaming, portable and / or mobile devices 275, networks and systems (V2X), which may include, for example, other vehicles (OV, V2V), road and infrastructure communication systems (V2I) such as hotspots and wireless access points (HS / WAP), femto and micro and conventional cellular access points and towers (CT), external routers (XR), and associated and accessible external, remote networks, systems and servers.

[0073] Continue to refer to the various figures, including Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 67, 8 and 9, it can be understood by those skilled in the relevant art that the present disclosure contemplates that the vehicle 100 includes at least one and / or one or more controllers, such as VSC 140, VCS 145 and other controllers coupled to an in-vehicle or on-board transceiver AT, such as those described in conjunction with USB 230, NFC 235, WRT 240 and / or CMT 245. The controllers 140, 145 and the transceiver AT are configured to detect WS and connect to nearby or proximate or distant wired and wireless network devices with WS within range, as well as third-party, off-board, external devices, such as nomadic devices, portable devices and / or mobile devices or roaming mobile devices 275.

[0074] The vehicle 100 also includes various controllers to include a dynamic measurement unit (DMU) 280 and one or more position sensors 285, which are coupled to the various controllers already described, embedded as part of the various controllers, incorporated by the various controllers, and / or embodied by the various controllers. The DMU 280 is configured to enable additional measurement and conversion of the position and navigation data points (DP) of the vehicle 100 and / or trailer TR, and to transmit such measured and converted data points DP to other on-board and off-board controllers using various networks, and to enable V2X, V2V, and / or V2I data sharing. Each of such controllers (such as the DMU 280) and position sensors 285 includes and may include an integrated transceiver with an antenna AT, and may also transmit and utilize the transceivers and antennas AT of other coupled controllers and communication devices.

[0075] Such controllers and sensors of the vehicle 100, including the DMU 280 and position sensors 285, are configured to detect, measure, convert and communicate the size and position of points located on the vehicle 100 and trailer TR as the vehicle 100 and trailer TR move during operation and as they articulate about the hitch point HP during such movement. This capability enables static and dynamic position and volume envelope (ENV, 300) of the vehicle 100 and articulated trailer TR, the trailer hitch and hitch point (HP) of the vehicle 100, and other vehicles OV and road infrastructure (ITS) in a particular area and roadway, both in absolute position and in relative position relative to the vehicle 100 and trailer TR. Figure 2 ) or polyhedron and electronic representation of V2V and V2I BSM enabled communication. It can also be understood with specific reference to Figures 7, 8 and 9 that such other vehicles OV and infrastructure ITS are configured with V2V and V2I BSM enabled communication capabilities including transceivers and antennas AT.

[0076] This in turn further enables path prediction (PP) and associated predicted path envelope (PPE, FIGS. 7, 8, 9) of the vehicle 100 and articulated trailer TR, taking into account and sensing other nearby vehicles and trailers, to facilitate improved situational awareness and navigation capabilities of such vehicles (including the vehicle 100) in larger scale V2X, V2V, V2I and ITS systems described elsewhere and contemplated herein. The present disclosure also contemplates a DMU 280 configured to: utilize straight or Cartesian (x, y, z) and / or International Standard System (ISO) spherical (r or ρ–rho, θ–theta, ) coordinate, position and distance measurement systems and methods to receive, measure, translate, convert and transmit such positions and locations DP in real time and upon request during operation of the vehicle 100 and trailer TR. For further explanation, Figure 2 7 and 9 include representative X, Y and Z Cartesian coordinate axes shown in both two and three dimensions.

[0077] For example, the position sensor 285 can receive and transmit DPs such as navigation position data and / or corner point (CP) positions on the vehicle 100 and / or trailer TR via wireless signals WS, which CPs can be absolute or relative to other points on the vehicle 100 and trailer TR, such as hitch points (HP) located on the vehicle 100 about which the vehicle 100 and trailer TR are articulated relative to each other during operation. Such DPs can include information defining points on the vehicle 100 and trailer TR in Cartesian and / or spherical coordinates, as well as electronically represented polyhedra or envelopes that substantially represent and implement electronic representations of the vehicle 100 and trailer TR.

[0078] For example, one such vehicle polyhedron VPH may substantially or approximately define and / or represent the physical volume envelope (ENV) of the vehicle 100, and another polyhedron TPH may substantially define, depict and / or represent the trailer TR. To further illustrate, Figure 2 Basically, a two-dimensional perspective view or schematic diagram or block diagram of a three-dimensional vehicle 100 and a trailer TR represented as an envelope ENV is depicted. The vehicle 100 and the trailer TR are schematically connected by a trailer hitch mechanism HM to achieve a Y axis (in the direction shown as the entry) around a lateral or left-right Y axis. Figure 2 plane) and about the bottom-to-top or vertical Z axis (around the Figure 2 Relative articulation about the attachment point HP in the yaw rotation direction of the vertically oriented (vertically).

[0079] Depending on the specific applications and requirements of such vehicle and trailer polyhedral representations of VPH, TPH with a specific resolution and fidelity, and now specifically referenced Figure 2 and Figure 3 A top view of Figure 4 A side view of the vehicle 100 and trailer TR can be represented by the hitch point HP and all and / or most of the corner points CP of the trailer TR, which can correspond to the vertices VP of the polyhedron VPH, TPH relative to the hitch point HP, about which the polyhedron is articulated. In another variation of a lower resolution arrangement, the vehicle 100 and trailer TR can be represented by the intended polyhedron VPH, the hitch point HP at one end of the TPH and at least two or three CPs at the respective opposite ends of the trailer TR.

[0080] Other equally valid representations can also achieve the definition of the polyhedrons VPH, TPH relative to the hitch point HP. Once the vehicle 100 and trailer TR are statically defined when they are at rest or stationary, as can be seen from Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 It is understood and / or inferred that the DMU 280 and other controllers can then utilize such representations VPH, TPH to translate TPH and articulate TPH relative to VPH about the hitch point HP based on and in response to the corresponding point CP on the trailer TR and / or the real-time movement of the vehicle 100. Although the various figures depict CP only in conjunction with the trailer TR, such CP can also be detected and used for the vehicle 100. However, the present disclosure is directed to more effectively utilizing the relative position of the CP of the trailer TR with respect to the trailer TR, such that only the trailer polyhedron TPH needs to be detected, translated, and articulated about the hitch point HP and relative to the vehicle 100. Reference Figure 5 The hinged top view and Figure 6 The side view of the TR can understand the position of this articulated trailer.

[0081] In other examples, the controller, such as the DMU 280, is configured to receive and / or generate an initial electronic model of the vehicle 100 and the trailer TR, which may be defined as a corresponding electronically represented cuboid model or polyhedron VPH and TPH ( Figure 3 and Figure 4 The vehicle and trailer polyhedrons VPH and TPH have initial vertices VP or vertices VP, which substantially correspond to the actual static vehicle 100 and trailer TR ( Figure 2 ) and mapped from the plurality of points or corners or corner points CP by the DMU 280 or other controller. Such CP and mapped VP are relative to and / or can be relative to the actual attachment point HP ( Figure 2 )and Figures 3 to 6The polyhedrons VPH, TPH each comprise a hitch point HP around which they and / or the trailer TR TPH are articulated, and all, most or fewer of these corners or points of the vehicle 100 and trailer TR may also be represented by polyhedron vertices VP, the representation depending on the desired resolution of such electronically represented polyhedrons VPH, TPH.

[0082] During operation of the vehicle 100 and the articulated trailer TR, a controller such as the DMU 280 responds to detecting and / or receiving from the position sensor 285 the position and / or distance and offset position of a corner CP or vertex of the trailer TR (e.g., Figure 5 and Figure 6 ) are different from the initially determined CP (such as in Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 The newly detected CP corresponds to a vertex VP of the polyhedron VPH, TPH and / or is mapped by the controller to said vertex VP as an absolute position and / or a position relative to the hitch point HP. In response to and based on the actual movement of the trailer TR and the corresponding CP relative to the hitch point HP and the vehicle 100, the newly mapped VP, such as in Figure 5 and Figure 6 Those detected and represented in the articulation description of Figure 3 and Figure 4 The initial VP depicted in FIG.

[0083] After detecting the corner position CP and / or receiving the corner position CP from the position sensor 285, the DMU 280 generates the CP and maps the CP to the VP to generate TPH and VPH polyhedrons articulated relative to and around the hitch point HP, and responds to and according to the position change of the CP and the VP from the initial position and / or the previous position to the newly detected position. In combination with the absolute position information from the GPS 170, the controller then realizes the precise position of the vehicle 100 and trailer TR combination, and the relative articulated orientation of the trailer TR relative to the hitch point HP and the vehicle 100.

[0084] The controller (such as DMU 280) and position sensor 285 detect and / or receive the position of the trailer corner CP and detect the actual movement of the trailer TR relative to the hitch point HP. In response, the controller transmits the generated articulated vehicle and trailer polyhedrons VPH, TPH to at least one and / or one or more vehicle communication units, such as, for example, V2V and V2I communication units 155, 160. Such vehicle and trailer orientation information and GPS identified position data are then transmitted as part of V2V and / or V2I message communications, which may utilize (for example) BSM, BSM-II V2V and V2I, OBD, OpenXC, and other messaging technologies described elsewhere herein. Such transmitted BSM may also include predicted path PP information and predicted path envelope PPE information, which may again be understood with reference to Figures 7, 8, and 9. V2V and V2I outside the vehicle 100 and the receiving OV vehicle controller and ITS system may also obtain such PP and PPE information from BSM and / or BSM-II message information.

[0085] The sharing and transmission of information of the articulated polyhedron VPH, TPH is via the V2X, V2V and V2I communication systems 155, 160, 240, 245 and other communication systems already described, and / or can be shared as DP via the communication systems. More specifically, the information can be shared, transmitted and transferred as part of an extended messaging technology implemented as basic safety messages, parts I and II (BSM, BSM-II) specified by SAE J2735, and many related standards and architectures described elsewhere in this document, and those skilled in the relevant art should know and understand this.

[0086] In other variations, the position sensor 285 also includes one or more transceivers and antennas AT configured to communicate with a wireless motion tracker 290 mounted or positioned at and / or near a corner or vertex CP of the trailer TR, which may be referred to as Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 Many such wireless motion trackers are commercially available that implement wireless six degrees of freedom motion detection via position sensor 285 over the motion distance and range contemplated by the present disclosure. A controller, such as DMU 280 ( Figure 1 ), and is also configured to detect in real time the absolute and / or relative position of the trailer vertex or corner point CP, initially for the static position of the vehicle 100 and the trailer TR ( Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 ) to detect and / or can detect the absolute and / or relative position, and then when the vehicle 100 and trailer TR are articulated about HP during movement ( Figure 5 , Figure 6 , FIG. 7, FIG. 8 and FIG. 9) to detect the absolute and / or relative position at a new, moved or translated position. The DMU 280 and other controllers are also configured to: generate vehicle and trailer polyhedrons VPH, TPH, which are articulated around the hitch point HP according to the movement (such as (for example) Figure 4 and Figure 5 ); and includes trailer vertices or corner points CP mapped to the polyhedron VP.

[0087] The present disclosure also contemplates a position sensor 285 that includes a line-of-sight rangefinder, such as an acoustic, ultrasonic, infrared, and / or laser rangefinder, configured to detect and locate an initial and / or moving trailer vertex or corner point CP. In one variation, such a line-of-sight rangefinder position sensor 285 is adapted to detect CP in two dimensions (e.g., a front-to-back or longitudinal X direction from the front to the rear of the trailer TR, and a side-to-side lateral Y direction) and in another three dimensions that also includes a vertical z direction from bottom to top. See, for example, Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 And other pictures.

[0088] Such a rangefinder position sensor 285 may be used in conjunction with a rangefinder reflector mounted or positioned at the CP and selected to reflect a corresponding line-of-sight rangefinder energy source, whether it be an acoustic energy source, an ultrasonic energy source, an infrared energy source, or a laser energy source. In a two-dimensional configuration of the line-of-sight rangefinder position sensor 285, such a sensor 285 may be oriented relative to a ground surface (not shown) and in a vertical and / or top-to-bottom Z direction ( Figure 2 and Figure 4 )Adjusted vertically.

[0089] In a modified adaptation, one or more position sensors 285 are incorporated with, include and / or modified to at least one hitch yaw and pitch sensor 285, which is and / or can be mounted to or integrated with the hitch point HP. In this variation, the position and yaw and pitch sensors 285 are configured to: detect relative motion between the vehicle 100 and the trailer TR about the hitch point HP when the vehicle 100 and the trailer TR are articulated relative to each other during movement or translation of the vehicle 100 and the trailer TR; and generate a yaw and pitch signal (YPS). In this modification, a controller, such as a DMU 280 and / or other controller, is also configured to respond to the YPS from the corresponding sensor 285, and in response to generate an articulated polyhedron VPH, TPH and associated VP adjusted by the yaw and pitch signals relative to the hitch point HP.

[0090] In other variations, the controller is also coupled to at least one and / or more transceivers and antennas AT, including in some configurations such as those incorporated with WRT 240, CMT 245, and others, which are also configured to communicate with at least one mobile device and / or one or more mobile devices and / or multiple mobile devices such as NMD 275. This variation also contemplates a controller and position sensors or yaw and pitch sensors 285 configured to detect one or more positions or multiple positions of trailer apexes or corners, receive the one or more positions or multiple positions from a mobile device, and respond to detecting and / or receiving the one or more positions or multiple positions.

[0091] When the mobile device or NMD 275 is positioned close to the CP of the trailer TR and is actuated or controlled to generate and transmit a signal, the controller and / or position sensor 285 is configured to detect the position by detecting the signal strength of the mobile device or NMD 275 at each of the multiple antennas AT, and the controller and / or sensor 285 detects the signal strength between the multiple antennas in response to the signal and interferometrically detects the position of the CP. The position of the CP is mapped to the polyhedron VP by the controller and / or sensor 285, and the polyhedron VP enables the generation of the initial static polyhedrons VPH, TPH and the subsequent polyhedrons VPH, TPH after translation and articulation around the hitch point HP.

[0092] In other variations of the present disclosure, the controller (such as DMU 280) and the position sensor and / or the yaw and pitch sensor 285 are further configured to receive the position of the CP, and in response to detecting and / or receiving the position of the CP, one or more mobile devices (such as NMD 275 ( Figure 1 and Figure 2In this variation, the NMD 275 is enabled to generate such CP positions of the trailer TR by enabling the user to: manually specify and mark one or more CPs; and / or draw a representative polyhedron with respect to an image captured by a camera of the NMD 275 using the trailer TR; and mark the CP of the trailer TR using the position data of each CP, which may be an absolute position and / or a position relative to the hitch point HP, and which may include two or three points of the CP of the trailer TR, and the height of the trailer.

[0093] The DMU 280 and / or other controller then utilizes these CP positions generated and transmitted by the NMD 275 to generate initial positions of the corners or vertices CP of the trailer TR, which in turn are mapped to corresponding VPs to be positioned in an initial static orientation and / or relative to the hitch point HP ( Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 ) generates polyhedrons VPH, TPH. Subsequently, during operation, movement and translation of the vehicle 100 and trailer TR, the DMU 280 and / or other controller utilizes the expected position sensors and the pitch and yaw sensors 285 to translate and adjust the CP mapped to the VP to articulate and adjust the relative orientation and articulation of the representative polyhedrons VPH, TPH ( Figure 4 , Figure 5 ). The adjusted articulated position information is then shared and / or transmitted using the V2V and V2I capabilities already described ( FIGS. 7 , 8 , and 9 ).

[0094] In FIG. 7 , a vehicle 100 and a trailer TR are schematically depicted at a starting position for travel on an ITS-enabled road. As the combined vehicle 100 and trailer TR advances and passes another vehicle OV, the DMU 280 and / or other controller continuously and / or periodically detects the CP of the trailer TR using a position sensor and / or a pitch and yaw sensor 285, and generates and transmits polyhedrons VPH, TPH. When the vehicle 100 and trailer TR pass the OV and the starting lane changes to travel into the lane in front of the OV, the generated polyhedrons VPH, TPH are generated in an articulated orientation, and the generated polyhedrons VPH, TPH are transmitted to the OV and the ITS. The controller of the vehicle 100 and / or the controller of the OV and / or the ITS also generates and transmits a predicted path PP and a predicted path envelope PPE.

[0095] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the PPE is the tracked volume envelope of the predicted path PP, which is continuously updated and transmitted over the anticipated V2V and V2I communication systems described using BMS-enabled technology, so as to enhance the situational awareness of the vehicle 100 and trailer TR, as well as the situational awareness of the OV and ITS. In this way, the OV and ITS can maintain continuous awareness of the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 and trailer TR as they traverse an ITS-enabled road.

[0096] In FIG8 , the combination vehicle 100 and trailer TR perform a left turn across an ITS-enabled intersection that includes an OV. As before, the controller of the vehicle 100 detects and generates polyhedrons VPH, TPH to represent position and relative orientation. This information is shared and transmitted through the V2V and V2I systems to enable the OV and ITS to have enhanced situational awareness of the movement of the vehicle 100 and trailer 100. In FIG9 , as before, the vehicle 100 and trailer TR pass through an ITS-enabled intersection while sharing position and orientation information, which enables the ITS road and OV to maintain awareness of the movement of the vehicle 100 and trailer TR, which continues to enhance situational awareness of the OV and ITS.

[0097] Although exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the present invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it should be understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In addition, the features of the various embodiments of implementation may be combined to form other embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vehicle, comprising: a controller coupled to the position sensor and the dynamics measurement unit and configured to: generating a vehicle polyhedron and a trailer polyhedron articulated around a hitch point in response to detecting positions of trailer vertices from the position sensor, the vehicle polyhedron and the trailer polyhedron including the trailer vertices mapped as polyhedron vertices by the controller; and In response to the dynamics measurement unit detecting a trailer movement relative to the hitch point, The generated articulated polyhedron is periodically transmitted to the vehicle communication unit.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The position sensor includes a transceiver, and the controller is further configured to: detecting the trailer apex in real time from a corresponding wireless motion tracker in communication with the transceiver and positioned at an apex on the trailer relative to the hitch point; as well as The vehicle polyhedron and the trailer polyhedron are generated, which are articulated around the hitch point and include vertices of the trailer.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The position sensor includes a line-of-sight rangefinder configured to: Probing and detecting an initial trailer vertex as a two-dimensional position of a rangefinder reflector positioned at the vertex on the trailer relative to the hitch point; and The trailer polyhedron is generated.

4. The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein: The line-of-sight rangefinder is configured to: capable of being adjusted vertically relative to the ground surface; and The initial trailer vertex is detected as the three-dimensional position of the rangefinder reflector relative to the hitch point.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein: The controller is also configured to: In response to detected trailer movement relative to the hitch point, The initial trailer vertices are adjusted according to the detected trailer movement to generate the trailer polyhedron articulated relative to the hitch point.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The position sensor incorporates at least one hitch yaw and pitch sensor, and the controller is further configured to: In response to the yaw and pitch signals from the corresponding sensors, The articulated polyhedron adjusted by the yaw and pitch signals is generated.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The position sensor includes at least one hitch yaw and pitch sensor, and the controller is coupled to a plurality of antennas and at least one transceiver configured to communicate with the mobile device, and the controller is further configured to: In response to the mobile device detecting a location of a trailer apex detected by the signal strength at each of the plurality of antennas, Initial trailer vertices of the trailer mapped to vertices of the trailer polyhedron relative to the hitch point are generated according to the detected positions of the trailer vertices.

8. The vehicle according to claim 7, wherein: The controller is also configured to: responsive to yaw and pitch signals generated by the at least one hitch yaw and pitch sensor, adjusting the position of the initial trailer vertex based on the yaw and pitch signals; and The articulated polyhedron is generated based on the adjusted positions of the trailer vertices.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein: The position sensor includes at least one hitch yaw and pitch sensor, the controller is coupled to a transceiver configured to communicate with a mobile device, and is further configured to: In response to a trailer polyhedron generated by and received from the mobile device, An initial trailer vertex of the trailer is generated relative to the hitch point.

10. The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein: The controller is also configured to: In response to the yaw and pitch signals, adjusting the position of the initial trailer vertex based on the yaw and pitch signals; and The articulated polyhedron is generated based on the adjusted positions of the trailer vertices.

11. A vehicle, comprising: a controller coupled to the yaw and pitch sensors and the dynamics measurement unit and configured to: In response to the dynamics measurement unit detecting a movement of the trailer relative to the hitch point, adjusting the position of the trailer apex based on the yaw and pitch signals generated by the yaw and pitch sensors; Generate a vehicle polyhedron and a trailer polyhedron articulated around the attachment point according to the trailer vertices; as well as The generated articulated polyhedron is periodically transmitted to the vehicle communication unit.

12. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein: The controller is coupled to a plurality of antennas and at least one transceiver configured to communicate with a mobile device, and the controller is further configured to: In response to the mobile device detecting a location of a trailer apex detected by the signal strength at each of the plurality of antennas, Initial trailer vertices of the trailer mapped to vertices of the trailer polyhedron relative to the hitch point are generated according to the detected positions of the trailer vertices.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein: The controller is also configured to: In response to the roll and pitch signals generated by the roll and pitch sensors, adjusting the trailer apex from the position of the initial trailer apex based on the yaw and pitch signals; and The articulated polyhedron is generated based on the adjusted trailer vertices.

14. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein: The controller is coupled to a transceiver configured to communicate with a mobile device, and the controller is further configured to: In response to a trailer polyhedron generated by and received from the mobile device, An initial trailer vertex of the trailer is generated relative to the hitch point.

15. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein: The controller is also configured to: In response to the roll and pitch signals generated by the roll and pitch sensors, adjusting the position of the initial trailer vertex based on the yaw and pitch signals; and The articulated polyhedron is generated based on the adjusted positions of the trailer vertices.

16. A method of controlling a vehicle, the method comprising: Composed of a controller coupled to a position sensor and a dynamic measurement unit: In response to the position sensor detecting the position of the top of the trailer, generating a vehicle polyhedron and a trailer polyhedron articulated about a hitch point, the vehicle polyhedron and the trailer polyhedron comprising detected trailer vertices mapped to polyhedron vertices; as well as The generated articulated polyhedron is periodically transmitted to a vehicle communication unit in response to the dynamics measurement unit detecting trailer movement relative to the hitch point.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein: The position sensor includes a transceiver, which is controlled by the controller: detecting in real time the position of the apex of the trailer from a corresponding wireless motion tracker in communication with the transceiver and positioned at the apex on the trailer relative to the hitch point; as well as The vehicle polyhedron and the trailer polyhedron are generated, which are articulated around the hitch point and include vertices of the trailer.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein: The position sensor includes a plurality of antennas and at least one transceiver configured to communicate with a mobile device, and the controller: In response to the mobile device detecting a location of a trailer apex detected by the signal strength at each of the plurality of antennas, Initial trailer vertices of the trailer mapped to vertices of the trailer polyhedron relative to the hitch point are generated according to the detected positions of the trailer vertices.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein: By the controller: responsive to yaw and pitch signals generated by a yaw and pitch sensor incorporated with the position sensor, adjusting the position of the initial trailer vertex based on the yaw and pitch signals; and The articulated polyhedron is generated based on the adjusted positions of the trailer vertices.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein: The position sensor includes a hitch yaw and pitch sensor and a transceiver configured to communicate with the mobile device and is controlled by the controller: In response to a trailer polyhedron generated by and received from the mobile device, generating an initial trailer vertex of the trailer relative to the hitch point; In response to the roll and pitch signals generated by the roll and pitch sensors, adjusting the position of the initial trailer vertex based on the yaw and pitch signals; and The articulated polyhedron is generated based on the adjusted positions of the trailer vertices.

Images