SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING A TRAILER BEING TOWED BY A VEHICLE
First Claim
1. A system for operating a vehicle towing a trailer comprising:
- a camera mounted on the vehicle or the trailer that captures an image of a frontal surface of the trailer;
a surface estimate component that receives an image from the camera and generates an estimated area of the frontal surface of the trailer;
a cross reference component that retrieves correlated information related to the trailer based on the estimated area; and
a vehicle control interface component that transmits the correlated information to an on-board vehicle control unit, to modify the operation of the vehicle according to the correlated information.
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Abstract
A system and method are disclosed for operating a vehicle towing a trailer including a camera that captures an image of a frontal surface of the trailer. A surface estimate component may be used to receive an image from the camera and generate an estimated area and shape of the frontal surface of the trailer. A type recognition component may be used to generate a trailer identification based on the estimated area and shape. A cross reference component may be used to retrieve correlated information related to the trailer based on the trailer identification. A vehicle control interface may be used to transmit the correlated information to an on-board vehicle control unit, to modify the operation of the vehicle according to the correlated information.
149 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for operating a vehicle towing a trailer comprising:
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a camera mounted on the vehicle or the trailer that captures an image of a frontal surface of the trailer; a surface estimate component that receives an image from the camera and generates an estimated area of the frontal surface of the trailer; a cross reference component that retrieves correlated information related to the trailer based on the estimated area; and a vehicle control interface component that transmits the correlated information to an on-board vehicle control unit, to modify the operation of the vehicle according to the correlated information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of operating a vehicle towing a trailer comprising the steps of:
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(A) capturing an image of a frontal surface of the trailer; (B) estimating an area and shape of the frontal surface of the trailer from the captured image; (C) identifying a type of trailer from the estimated area and shape of the frontal surface of the trailer; (D) retrieving correlated information related to the trailer based on the type of trailer identified; (E) transmitting the correlated information to an on-board vehicle control unit; and (F) modifying the operation of the vehicle according to the correlated information. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A system of operating a vehicle towing a trailer comprising:
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means for capturing an image of a frontal surface of the trailer; means for estimating an area and shape of the frontal surface of the trailer from the captured image; means for identifying a type of trailer from the estimated area and shape of the frontal surface of the trailer; means for retrieving correlated information related to the trailer based on the type of trailer identified; means for transmitting the correlated information to an on-board vehicle control unit; and means for modifying the operation of the vehicle according to the correlated information.
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Specification