ELECTRONIC TOWING BALL VIEWER

• US 20090091436A1
• Filed: 10/06/2008
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Leroy E. Anderson
• Original Assignee: Leroy E. Anderson
• Inventors: ANDERSON, LEROY E.
• Application Number:
  US12/245,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20090091436A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/435
• 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 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/28 with an adjustable field of view
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/103 using camera systems provided with artificial illumination device, e.g. IR light source
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/306 using a re-scaling of images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/406 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/808 for facilitating docking to a trailer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

An electronic towing ball viewer for placement near a towing ball on the exterior of a vehicle, so that a person backing a towing vehicle toward a trailer hitch may see the ball as it approaches the trailer hitch. The unit includes a zoom function which zooms to the lower center, to the right, left, lower left, or lower right of the screen in order to give the user a view of those regions in order to better see a tow ball and trailer hitch.

Claims

1. An electronic towing ball viewer, for viewing a towing ball mounted to a vehicle, comprising:

a digital camera lens unit for mounting in a position adjacent to a towing ball mounted on a vehicle;

a digital viewing screen unit with a view screen, for mounting in said vehicle, with said digital viewing screen unit operationally connected to said digital camera lens, for convenient viewing of said towing ball of said vehicle;

an off center zoom feature in which a selected region shown in said view screen is magnified, in which the region magnified is a region other than the center of the image of said region to be viewed;

an off center zoom activation button;

wherein

said viewing screen is configured to enlarge an off center portion of an image viewed in the view screen when said off center zoom activation button is depressed, with said image magnified to show greater detail of a part of the image which is not the center of the image displayed.

2. The electronic towing ball viewer of claim 1 in which said zoom feature is configured to magnify a region of said image located in the lower center of said image.

3. The electronic towing ball viewer of claim 1 in which said zoom feature is based on software magnification of said image.

4. The electronic towing ball viewer of claim 1 in which said zoom feature is configured to magnify a region of said image located in the lower right of said image.

5. The electronic towing ball viewer of claim 1 in which said zoom feature is configured to magnify a region of said image located in the lower left of said image.

6. The electronic towing ball viewer of claim 1 in which said zoom feature is configured to magnify one of a plurality of regions of said image, in which the region to be magnified is not the center of the image.

7. The electronic towing ball viewer of claim 6 in which said electronic viewer further comprises a zone selection button, for selecting a region of said image to magnify.

8. The electronic towing ball viewer of claim 6 in which said electronic viewer further comprises a zone selection button in the form of a touch screen, for selecting a region of said image to magnify.

9. The electronic towing ball viewer of claim 1 in which digital camera lens'"'"' said zoom feature is configured to magnify one of a plurality of regions of said image, in which the region to be magnified is not the center of the image.

10. The electronic towing ball viewer of claim 7 which further comprises a magnification button to change magnification to different levels of magnification.

11. The electronic towing ball viewer of claim 7 which further comprises a brightness button to change brightness of said image to different levels of brightness.

12. The electronic towing ball viewer of claim 1 in which said digital camera lens unit is configured for mounting on a rear of a vehicle, with said digital viewing screen unit configured for placement on a dashboard of said vehicle.

13. The electronic towing ball viewer of claim 1 which further includes a voice transmittal unit in both said digital camera lens unit and said digital viewing screen unit, for voice communication between said units.

14. The electronic towing ball viewer of claim 12 in which said electronic viewer is configured for mounting in a license plate holder attached to said vehicle.

15. The electronic towing ball viewer of claim 12 which further includes a light source in said digital camera lens unit for illuminating said towing ball.

16. The electronic towing ball viewer of claim 12 which further includes a plurality of cameras placed at various locations around a vehicle, with said view screen further comprising a camera selection button to select which camera to display an image from on said view screen.

17. The electronic towing ball viewer of claim 16 which further comprises a selection means to select a region on each image of each camera for viewing, and a magnification means for magnification of the selected region of the selected image.

18. The electronic towing ball viewer of claim 17 which further comprises a magnification selection means for selecting different levels of magnification for the image selected from the various cameras.

19. The electronic towing ball viewer of claim 18, which further includes a proximity sensor for triggering an alarm when an object behind the vehicle is within a specified distance of the digital camera lens unit.