Hands Free driver assist Coming to Ford Vehicles, including Ranger

[pa-fatboy]

I am not sure how I feel about all this high tech stuff. There are a lot of people who can't drive now. With all this stuff they will depend on it too much. When the chips are down they will have been depending on their vehicle to save their ass and the will be pooched.

I hear what you say. There are a lot of people who can’t drive right now. Eventually, with this tech, they will be able to get out of their houses and into a vehicle that can take them to a doctor appt, or food or clothing shopping. I see this as a great thing. People are complaining it is not perfect yet. No, it’s not. It will take many more years as well. I am thrilled we get to see the start of this.

While I like to pretend I am Mario Andretti in my Mustang with its manual shift, I can still see how this can help many people. Those that live in wheel chairs and those simply challenged with focus issues. I think the tech my save a few lives of those teens that think they are invincible and must answer that text they just got... this I a great thing.

Sponsored

 

[pa-fatboy]

Hi Matt,

One of the things my Friend was working at the Ford Proving Ground was to have the vehicle activate turn signal and change lanes if the vehicle comes up on a slower moving vehicle, thus maintaining the cruise control set speed instead of just slowing down like ACC does currently. All this lane changing would be done hands free of the driver.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

I should have been a Ford software engineer rather than a distribution software engineer. That is such cool stuff! I would literally never go home, just give me a place to power nap!

 

[DavidR]

what i found was it would hold a nice line, albeit closer to the left, and not waver much at all, then it would tell me to put my damn hands back on the wheel.

I dont think it could handle a windy country road at all. so the tail of the dragon is safe for now.

i lowered all the settings after, as I prefer the least amount of assistance.

I honestly would have alot of anxiety if i was in a fully autonomous vehicle./plane/train/automobile.

Yeah, if you let it do too much of the work, it will put up those warnings. Even if your hands are on the wheel it will tell you to stop for coffee, LOL. I think you can turn some of that off, at least the coffee warnings, but I'm not 100% sure.

 

[Motorpsychology]

That sounds like an awefully short green light cycle

The person in front was "slow to react" to the green light, meaning they were distracted and didn't see that the light had changed.

 

[Motorpsychology]

Visible lane markings is the key. The tesla uses camera vision to see the lines. I have no problem on the 2 lane roads where I live as long as the lines aren't completely worn off. When I leave the nice paved roads for 1.5 car wide gravel roads, the car won't allow you to turn on the autopilot as it is unsure where the road is.

Recently took the car on a 1000 mile trip across a main interstate. There was quite alot of construction with miles of road being between concrete barriers and cones, the autopilot was flawless. It perfectly stayed in the lines and shifted over with traffic on it's own

Don't most new fancy john deere tractors have some autopilot system? probably more gps based and not truly that accurate? I've heard ppl say you get in, tell the tractor what field and crop then sit back and take a nap while it plows/plants

Yup, Farm implements are gps based, no "furrow-keeping system."

 

[Deleted member 1634]

Yup, Farm implements are gps based, no "furrow-keeping system."

I knew a Cheesehead would know! hahaha

 

[jtop]

Staying centered in the lane will make a big difference. We ordered the driver assist package on the Ranger primarily to get ACC, but it also came with lane assist so I tried it out a few times. My biggest disappointment with the lane assist is that while it does help keep you from crossing out of a lane on well-marked highways, it does not help keep the vehicle centered in the lane even when the markings are very clear. Because of this, I only find it useful in a small handful of circumstances

I'm not sure why Ford chose not to do lane centering even though all the required hardware is probably there (the system already knows where the lane markings are and can already actuate the steering wheel, but it waits until you've almost left the lane). For one, lane centering would relieve a lot more driving stress than just preventing lane departure at the last second. In addition, if the system helped keep the vehicle centered, it would have to make smaller continuous adjustments rather than large last-minute adjustments and it would work far more of the time compared to waiting until the vehicle is about to cross the lane marking, especially if it's about to cross at a high angle.

EDIT: Lane centering doesn't necessarily need to be hands-free, it can be similar to the current system except that it doesn't wait until the last minute to make adjustments. That shouldn't require "Blue Roads", I would think.

My 2021 ranger does not stay in lane. It touches one line, goes to the other then goes out of the lane and heads for the ditch.

 

[dtech]

I've seen GM commercials advertising hands free driving - some months back. So is what Ford is doing much different - I'm sure they will claim it's better, safer, or whatever.

 

[DavidR]

My 2021 ranger does not stay in lane. It touches one line, goes to the other then goes out of the lane and heads for the ditch.

It's frustrating since better lane following probably could just be added in software.

My hunch is that the current behavior is probably mandated either by the NHTSA or by Ford's legal department -- if it can't be fully hands-off, then it has to be brain-dead and nearly non-functional. I've done some testing with it and, like you noticed, it can actually create a hazard, because it waits so long before correcting, that it often can't correct and you end up overrunning the lane, when if it worked to keep you centered in the first place, it would have been fine. End result is that I only use it in very limited cases, which is probably the intent of crippling it so badly. The current system on the existing Rangers is just a marketing ploy.

 

[Grumpaw]

GM commercials are promoting the "clap clap knee knee" while the truck is running down the road....look at the road, not another vehicle in sight for 20 miles.
And the Ford system is supposed to be better ???
Just do away with the back cab wall, put a hatch, and let everyone use the bed floor to have a dance, or maybe a picnic.
No hands on a steering wheel, while underway, is NUTS !

 

[RangerRick15]

My 2021 ranger does not stay in lane. It touches one line, goes to the other then goes out of the lane and heads for the ditch.

I'm with you - it nudges once, maybe corrects the second time, but then it lets you go for a ditch - straight over the line. Settings adjustments haven't changed it. You get 1 save, that's it.

Now, since my truck has been in for service for 5 days (still waiting to be diagnosed... I don't think anyone really wants to try and tackle my keyless entry & other sensor problems...) I have been driving around in a loaner Escape Titanium with heads up display and adaptive cruise control and lane assist. That lane keeping assist system is awesome comparably.

Engage the cruise control, activate the lane assist, and keep your hand lightly on the wheel adding some feedback, so it doesn't yell at you every 10 seconds, but that completely changed my perspective on how capable Ford's lane assist can be.

The Escape is on rails, locked between both lines, with an appropriate frequency and amplitude of corrections to adjust to well-marked curving highway and around town roads. Only a few spots where branches overhanging the road in a wide curve where the lines got quite wide, where it freaked out and thought the car ahead was braking on me.

I am VERY impressed. It's not a self-driving car, but compared to the Ranger's rudimentary, check the block, we offered it (unrefined) system, the Escape clearly got the proper development to keep the soccer moms (and dads and whatevers) happy.

Still, the past few days confirmed I will not buy an Escape for our families' needs. I miss my Ranger. Love the ride height. Wouldn't mind trying out a 2020/1 Explorer, with the 2.3 & 10speed - it'd be like a highway queen Ranger with a topper.

(Dare I say, I wish it was as reliable and refined as my Toyota's and BMW's... it's approaching 4 weeks total in the shop in the first 15 months, with nagging issues unresolved - what will go wrong with it by 60k miles??? I have to wonder.... never had problems with a new vehicle like this before...)

 

[Marpater]

It's frustrating since better lane following probably could just be added in software.

My hunch is that the current behavior is probably mandated either by the NHTSA or by Ford's legal department -- if it can't be fully hands-off, then it has to be brain-dead and nearly non-functional. I've done some testing with it and, like you noticed, it can actually create a hazard, because it waits so long before correcting, that it often can't correct and you end up overrunning the lane, when if it worked to keep you centered in the first place, it would have been fine. End result is that I only use it in very limited cases, which is probably the intent of crippling it so badly. The current system on the existing Rangers is just a marketing ploy.

The tech in the Ranger is Lane Keeping, the tech in the Lincoln is lane centering the Lincoln steers better than most people. There will come a time in the not so distant future where the insurance companies will cause you not to drive your vehicle, sure you will be able to drive yourself, but, it will cost you dearly to do so.
If you have an hour on this cold morning watch this, if you don't think that self driving cars are ever going to take over, watch this.

 

[Big Blue]

Just what we need something that will be of use to 1% of the people on 1% of their driving. " 100,000 miles in 50 states" and "Certain sections of premapped four lane highways". Yeah the sure covers the majority of MY driving! And, we'll all be paying for it.

As for the current Lane Keeping system, it only work reasonably well on well marked divided highways. Even then it has trouble when the edge lines disappear for on and off ramps. Foget about it on two lane roads with worn lines or no center stripe.

I'll be dead and gone before they come up with a self driving car I'd trust. Maybe all electics will come first.

 

[dtech]

Did anyone see GMs plans to hire 8,000 engineers this year - for stuff like self driving cars, ev development, fuel cell, etc but a good number will be SW engineers.

Like it or not things such as more driveless type features are coming - probably will make the roadways safer on the whole as right now you have so many people that are behind the wheel distracted, high on one thing or another or just flat out poor/incompetent drivers.

 

[Grumpaw]

Maybe not such a bad idea...
Put it on self drive, hop into the back seat, fire up the pizza oven and have a beer while the pizza bakes. Hop thru the rear window slider into the bed, sit down and enjoy !!!

Sponsored