VEHICLE TRAILER CONNECT SYSTEM
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle trailer connect system and automated parking system for use with a motor vehicle. Apparatus of the system has an input for obtaining information from a vehicle communication bus; an output for sending information to a vehicle communications bus; a control circuit for controlling the position and movement of a motor vehicle; an image gathering system to obtain visual or spatial data between a motor vehicle hitch and a hitch receiver attached to the trailer. A system controller guides vehicle steering as the vehicle is backed through a field of view of the image gathering system.
107 Citations
66 Claims
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1-33. -33. (canceled)
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34. Apparatus for positioning a motor vehicle with respect to a trailer hitch receiver comprising:
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a data gathering device for obtaining separation data in a region of a trailer hitch attached to the motor vehicle between the trailer hitch and a trailer receiver positioned within the region of the trailer hitch; a controller for monitoring separation data from the region of the trailer hitch and determining a target path of travel for the vehicle to achieve a predetermined relation between the trailer hitch and a trailer receiver connected to the trailer; and an interface for communicating vehicle information to the controller including an actuation signal for initiating hitch/receiver alignment and conveying command signals to a vehicle steering system based on the target path of travel. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. Method of aligning a motor vehicle with a trailer comprising:
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analyzing a region occupied by a trailer hitch attached to a vehicle and a trailer receiver attached to a trailer to determine an initial distance between a specified portion of the trailer hitch and a specified portion of the receiver; based on the vehicle turning characteristics and the initial distance determining a target path of the travel to bring the trailer hitch and the trailer receiver into a predetermined relation with each other to facilitate engagement between the hitch and receiver; and communicating command signals to a vehicle steering system based on the target path for moving the vehicle toward the trailer to at least approximately achieve the predetermined relation. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61)
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62. Method of backing a motor vehicle with a trailer comprising:
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analyzing a region occupied by a trailer attached to a vehicle to determine the relationship of the trailer to the vehicle; reversing the normal steering wheel to vehicle wheel turning relationship so that rotation of the steering wheel in one sense causes the vehicle wheels to rotate in an opposite sense when backing a trailer; and monitoring a relationship between the trailer and the vehicle control while backing the vehicle and the attached trailer. - View Dependent Claims (63, 64)
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65. Apparatus for controlled backing of a motor vehicle comprising:
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an imaging device for gathering images of a region behind a motor vehicle; a controller programmed to i) monitor images gathered from the imaging device ii) monitoring separation data gathered from the image device from the region of a trailer hitch and determining a first path of travel for the vehicle to achieve a predetermined relation between the trailer hitch and a trailer receiver connected to a trailer and iii) using data from the imaging device to determine a second path of travel for the motor vehicle to maneuver the motor vehicle to a parking position in proximity to one or more additional motor vehicles within a field of view of the imaging device; and an interface for communicating vehicle information to the controller including an actuation signal for initiating movement along one of the first and second paths and conveying command signals to a vehicle steering system based on the first and second paths of travel. - View Dependent Claims (66)
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Specification