Assisting method and docking assistant for coupling a motor vehicle to a trailer

• US 10,214,062 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2017
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Huger, Philipp, Brosig, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Kan, Yuri
• Application Number:
  US15/629,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20180001721A1
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/36 for facilitating connection, e.g. hitch catchers , visual guide means, signalling aids B60D1/465 takes precedence; vehicle signalling in general B60Q; optical arrangements specially adapted for viewing trailer-hitches B60R1/003
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/62 involving supply lines, electric circuits, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/003 for viewing trailer hitches
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/306 using a re-scaling of images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/808 for facilitating docking to a trailer
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle

Abstract

An assist method for coupling a motor vehicle to a trailer, wherein the motor vehicle includes a trailer coupling, at least one camera, a display, and an electronic unit, and wherein the trailer includes a tow bar for the trailer coupling. The assist method captures a first image of at least one tow bar of a trailer by the camera, displays the first image on the display, selects a first region in the first image in which the tow bar is located, enlarges the selected first region to produce a second image, displays the second image on the display, selects a second region in the second image in which the tow bar is located, and determines a trajectory of the motor vehicle for coupling the trailer assuming that the tow bar is located in the second region.

Claims

1. An assist method for coupling a motor vehicle to a trailer, wherein the motor vehicle is embodied with a trailer coupling, at least one camera, a display and an electronic unit, and wherein the trailer is embodied with a tow bar for the trailer coupling, the method comprising:

a) capturing a first image of at least one tow bar of a trailer by the camera;

b) displaying the first image on the display;

c) selecting a first region in the first image in which the tow bar is located according to a user touch input, wherein a coordinate-dependent locating accuracy for the tow bar is allocated to the first region, wherein the coordinate-dependent locating accuracy includes consideration of coordinates corresponding to the user input and a distance between the camera and the tow bar, and wherein the first region is determined in relation to the size of the user touch input;

d) enlarging the selected first region to produce a second image;

e) displaying the second image on the display;

f) in response to selecting the first region, automatically selecting a second region in the second image in which the tow bar is located, wherein an increased coordinate-dependent locating accuracy for the tow bar with respect to the locating accuracy allocated to the first region is allocated to the second region; and

g) determining a trajectory of the motor vehicle for coupling the trailer assuming that the tow bar is located in the second region.

2. The assist method of claim 1, wherein, in operation c) and/or in operation f), a user marks the tow bar in the first image and/or in the second image using a finger to select the first region and/or the second region.

3. The assist method of claim 1, wherein, in operation c) and/or in operation f), the tow bar is determined in the first image and/or in the second image by an image recognition unit to select the first region and/or the second region.

4. The assist method of claim 1, wherein, in operation g) when determining the trajectory of the motor vehicle for coupling the trailer, the coordinate-dependent locating accuracy for the tow bar in the second region is taken into account.

5. The assist method of claim 1, wherein, in operation c) and/or in operation f), a user is prompted to confirm that the tow bar is located within the first region and/or within the second region.

6. The assist method of claim 1, further comprising an operation h) displaying the trajectory that is determined in operation g) on the display.

7. The assist method of claim 1, further comprising an operation h) automatically navigating the motor vehicle to couple the trailer in accordance with the trajectory that is determined in operation g).

11. The assist method of claim 1, wherein automatically selecting includes prompting for user confirmation of the selection.

8. A coupling assist device for a motor vehicle having a trailer coupling, the coupling assist device comprising:

at least one camera;

a display; and

an electronic unit,

wherein the electronic unit is embodied for the purpose of determining a trajectory of the motor vehicle for coupling a trailer, wherein when determining the trajectory a coordinate-dependent locating accuracy for a tow bar of the trailer is taken into account in at least one region in which the tow bar of the trailer is located, said region being recorded by the camera and displayed on the display, wherein the region is an automatically selected portion of a second image in which the tow bar of the trailer is located, and the second image is an enlarged portion of a first image in which the tow bar of the trailer is located that is selected according to a user touch input,

wherein the coordinate-dependent locating accuracy includes consideration of coordinates corresponding to a user input and a distance between the at least one camera and the tow bar, and wherein the second image has a coordinate-dependent locating accuracy greater than the first image.

9. The coupling assist device of claim 8, wherein the display is a touch display that is used as an interface between a user and the coupling assist device, and/or in that the camera is a rear-view camera.

10. The coupling assist device of claim 8, wherein the electronic unit comprises an image recognition unit to automatically find the tow bar in at least one region that is recorded by the camera and displayed on the display and/or in that the coupling assist device is integrated into a parking assist device of the motor vehicle.

12. The coupling assist device of claim 8, wherein the automatically selected portion of the second image is confirmed by the user.