Radar hitch
First Claim
1. A guidance system adapted to be attached to a towing vehicle wherein the guidance system provides visual and auditory signals to a driver of the vehicle that aids the driver in hitching a trailer to a rear of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle has a ball type hitch attached to the rear of the vehicle and the trailer has a tongue type hitch attached to a front of the trailer, the guidance system comprising:
- a sensor plate, the sensor plate having a shape of a semicircle, wherein a non-circular edge of the semicircle is designed to face toward the towing vehicle and, wherein a flat top surface of the semicircular sensor plate faces upward, the sensor plate also having a hole through a center portion of the plate, the hole being adapted for protrusion therethrough of a stem of the ball hitch, and plate being adapted to be secured to the rear of the towing vehicle by the stem, a bottom portion of the ball hitch and a nut capable of being screwed on to a bottom portion of the stem, wherein the sensor plate houses multiple sensors, the sensors being dispersed around a periphery of the sensor plate, wherein each sensor is capable of detecting when an object is above it, and wherein each sensor is electrically connected to a sensor plate cable that provides power to the sensors and receives detection signals from the sensors; and
,a display box, the display box having multiple lights and a speaker, the multiple lights including at least four lights for indicating that the driver should move forward, backwards, left and right, respectively, wherein the display box is adapted to be electrically connected to a power source in the vehicle, and the display box is electrically connected to the sensor plate cable;
wherein, during a hitching procedure, when the tongue passes over any sensor the sensor sends a detection signal to the display box and wherein, the display box receives all detection signals and causes one or more of the lights to illuminate wherein the illuminated lights provide guidance to the driver for properly aligning the ball and the tongue.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A two part guidance system that can be added to any vehicle with a traditional ball hitch that provides guidance to the driver during the hitching process. A sensor plate holds multiple sensors in an orientation that surrounds the ball and the sensors provide position information regarding the trailer'"'"'s tongue to the driver via a display box in the cab of the vehicle. The display box preferably includes selectively illuminated arrows that indicate to the driver which direction to go in order to align the ball directly underneath of the tongue. Detection signals are sent to the display box through a cable or wirelessly. The display box can receive electrical power from the vehicle'"'"'s electrical system or from batteries.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A guidance system adapted to be attached to a towing vehicle wherein the guidance system provides visual and auditory signals to a driver of the vehicle that aids the driver in hitching a trailer to a rear of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle has a ball type hitch attached to the rear of the vehicle and the trailer has a tongue type hitch attached to a front of the trailer, the guidance system comprising:
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a sensor plate, the sensor plate having a shape of a semicircle, wherein a non-circular edge of the semicircle is designed to face toward the towing vehicle and, wherein a flat top surface of the semicircular sensor plate faces upward, the sensor plate also having a hole through a center portion of the plate, the hole being adapted for protrusion therethrough of a stem of the ball hitch, and plate being adapted to be secured to the rear of the towing vehicle by the stem, a bottom portion of the ball hitch and a nut capable of being screwed on to a bottom portion of the stem, wherein the sensor plate houses multiple sensors, the sensors being dispersed around a periphery of the sensor plate, wherein each sensor is capable of detecting when an object is above it, and wherein each sensor is electrically connected to a sensor plate cable that provides power to the sensors and receives detection signals from the sensors; and
,a display box, the display box having multiple lights and a speaker, the multiple lights including at least four lights for indicating that the driver should move forward, backwards, left and right, respectively, wherein the display box is adapted to be electrically connected to a power source in the vehicle, and the display box is electrically connected to the sensor plate cable; wherein, during a hitching procedure, when the tongue passes over any sensor the sensor sends a detection signal to the display box and wherein, the display box receives all detection signals and causes one or more of the lights to illuminate wherein the illuminated lights provide guidance to the driver for properly aligning the ball and the tongue. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification