SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO ASSIST IN COUPLING A VEHICLE TO A TRAILER

• US 20150321666A1
• Filed: 05/07/2015
• Published: 11/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: TALTY, TIMOTHY J., ZHANG, WENDE, SHIELDS, MARK E., WUERGLER, MICHAEL A., HOLE, VERNON
• Granted Patent: US 9,403,413 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/24 characterised by arrangements for particular functions
• 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 1/363 Hitch guiding or catching elements, e.g. V-shaped plates partially surrounding a coupling member for guiding the other coupling member
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/62 involving supply lines, electric circuits, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• 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 1/0251 extracting 3D information from a plurality of images taken from different locations, e.g. stereo vision stereoscopic image analysis H04N13/00; depth recovery from images G06T7/593
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0259 using magnetic or electromagnetic means

Abstract

Systems and methods for assisting in coupling a vehicle and a trailer include at least one sensing device disposed on the vehicle. A first coupling is coupled the vehicle and a second coupling is coupled to the trailer. A controller in communication with the at least one sensing device is configured to identify a spatial location of the first coupling. The controller is also configured to determine a spatial location of the second coupling using data from the at least one sensing device. The controller may also calculate a path between the spatial location of the first coupling and the spatial location of the second coupling and convey the path for facilitating movement of the first coupling toward the second coupling.

Claims

1. A method of assisting in coupling a vehicle and a trailer, said method comprising:

providing a first transceiver at a first predetermined position;

providing a second transceiver at a second predetermined position;

identifying a spatial location of a first coupling operatively connected to the vehicle with a controller;

disposing a third transceiver adjacent a second coupling operatively connected to the trailer;

sending wireless signals between each of the transceivers;

determining a spatial location of the second coupling using triangulation based on the timing of the wireless signals with the controller;

calculating a path between the spatial location of the first coupling and the spatial location of the second coupling with the controller; and

conveying the path for facilitating movement of the first coupling toward the second coupling.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein identifying the spatial location of the first coupling comprises

disposing the third transceiver adjacent the first coupling, and

sending wireless signals between each of said transceivers.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein conveying the path comprises displaying the path to a user.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein conveying the path comprises transmitting the path to a steering control unit.

3. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein identifying the spatial location of the first coupling includes determining the spatial location of the first coupling using triangulation based on the timing of the wireless signals.

4. The method as set forth in claim 4, further comprising moving the third transceiver adjacent the second coupling in response to the spatial location of the first coupling being determined.

7. A method of assisting in coupling a vehicle and a trailer, said method comprising:

providing a camera positioned such that an image produced by the camera includes a region to a rear of the vehicle;

identifying a spatial location of a first coupling operatively connected to the vehicle;

determining a position of a second coupling operatively connected to the trailer in the image;

calculating a spatial location of the second coupling from the determined position of the second coupling in the image;

calculating a path between the spatial location of the first coupling and the spatial location of the second coupling; and

conveying the path for facilitating movement of the first coupling toward the second coupling.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein identifying the spatial location of the first coupling includes:

determining a position of the first coupling in the image; and

calculating the spatial location of the first coupling from the determined position of the first coupling in the image.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein determining the position of the first coupling includes disposing a light source adjacent the first coupling.

10. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein the first coupling includes a hitch ball and calculating the spatial location of the first coupling includes applying a Hough Transform to the image.

11. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein the first coupling includes a hitch ball and calculating the spatial location of the first coupling further comprises receiving the size of the hitch ball.

12. The method as set forth in claim 11, wherein receiving the size of the hitch ball includes applying a Hough Transform to the image to calculate the size of the hitch ball.

13. The method as set forth in claim 11 wherein receiving the size of the hitch ball includes receiving the size of the hitch ball from a user via a human-machine interface (“

HMI”

).

14. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein conveying the path comprises displaying the path on an HMI.

15. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein conveying the path comprises transmitting the path to a steering control unit.

16. A system for assisting in coupling a vehicle and a trailer, comprising:

a first coupling operatively connected to the vehicle;

a second coupling operatively connected to the trailer and connectable to the first coupling;

at least one sensing device disposed on the vehicle;

a controller in communication with said at least one sensing device and configured to identify a spatial location of the first coupling;

determine a spatial location of the second coupling using data from said at least one sensing device;

calculate a path between the spatial location of the first coupling and the spatial location of the second coupling; and

conveying the path for facilitating movement of the first coupling toward the second coupling.

17. The system as set forth in claim 16, wherein said at least one sensing device comprises:

a first transceiver disposed at a first predetermined position of the vehicle;

a second transceiver disposed at a second predetermined position of the vehicle; and

a third transceiver disposed adjacent the second coupling;

each of said first transceiver, said second transceiver, and said third transceivers are configured to send wireless signals to said other transceivers and receive wireless signals to each other and receiver wireless signal from each other.

18. The system as set forth in claim 16, wherein said at least one sensing device comprises a camera positioned such that an image produced by the camera includes a region to a rear of the vehicle and wherein said controller is in communication with said camera and is configured to

identify a spatial location of the first coupling,

determine a position of the second coupling in the image, and

calculate a spatial location of the second coupling from the determined position of the second coupling in the image.

19. The system as set forth in claim 16 further comprising a steering control unit in communication with said controller for controlling operation of the steering of the vehicle and wherein said controller transmits the path to said steering control unit.

20. The system as set forth in claim 16, wherein the controller is configured to output the path to a human-machine interface.