Trailer curvature control with adaptive trailer length estimation

• US 9,623,904 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2015
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lavoie, Erick Michael, Kyrtsos, Christos
• Primary Examiner(s): Hilgendorf, Dale W
• Application Number:
  US14/594,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20150344067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/245 for facilitating push back or parking of trailers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2300/14 Tractor-trailers, i.e. combinations of a towing vehicle and one or more towed vehicles, e.g. caravans; Road trains
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/22 Articulation angle, e.g. between tractor and trailer
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• 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: B60W 40/10 related to vehicle motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/12 related to parameters of the vehicle itself , e.g. tyre models
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2300/28 related to towing or towed situations
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 13/06 for backing a normally drawn trailer
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/021 Determination of steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/027 Parking aids, e.g. instruction means
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/002 computing target steering angles for front or rear wheels B62D7/159 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/22 for measuring angles or tapers; for testing the alignment of axes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

An apparatus for determining a jackknife condition of a vehicle and trailer is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a processor operable to set an operating range of a hitch angle to a minimum range. The processor monitors the hitch angle while the vehicle is operated in a forward direction and increases the operating range based on the hitch angle observed during the monitoring. The processor is further operable to utilize the increased operating range to prevent a jackknife condition during a guided reverse operation of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining jackknife conditions of a vehicle comprising:

a hitch sensor configured to identify a hitch angle;

a processor operable to;

set an operating range of the hitch angle to a minimum range;

monitor the hitch angle while the vehicle is operated in a forward direction;

increase the operating range to an increased range according to the hitch angle detected during the monitoring;

set a maximum hitch angle to the increased range; and

output a control signal indicating a jackknife condition in response to the hitch angle exceeding the maximum hitch angle during a guided reverse operation of the vehicle.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operating range corresponds to the hitch angle of a trailer relative to the vehicle such that the hitch angle does not reach the jackknife condition.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operating range is increased to a maximum hitch angle observed during the monitoring.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises a trailer backup assist apparatus operable to maneuver the vehicle and the trailer in reverse and control the hitch angle.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the minimum range corresponds to a minimum expected trailer length.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a trailer length is calculated based on a maximum hitch angle observed and a maximum steering angle for the vehicle.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the maximum hitch angle is utilized to calculate the trailer length.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is in communication with a steering angle detection apparatus operable to measure a steering angle of the vehicle.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is in communication with a hitch angle detection apparatus operable to measure the hitch angle of the trailer relative to the vehicle.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the minimum range corresponds to minimum input trailer length for determining the jackknife condition.

11. A method for controlling an operating range of a hitch angle comprising:

receiving an input identifying a selected trailer length;

comparing the selected trailer length to a minimum trailer length, wherein the minimum trailer length corresponds to a predetermined value;

setting the operating range to a minimum range for a trailer in response to the selected trailer length being less than the minimum trailer length;

detecting the hitch angle with a hitch sensor; and

limiting the hitch angle to the minimum range thereby controlling a reverse operation of the vehicle.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising monitoring the hitch angle while the vehicle is operated in a forward direction.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising increasing the operating range based on the hitch angle observed during the monitoring.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein increasing the operating range comprises identifying a maximum hitch angle achieved while the vehicle is operated in the forward direction.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the operating range of the hitch angle is set to the maximum hitch angle achieved in the forward direction.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising utilizing the operating range of the hitch angle to prevent a jackknife condition during the guided reverse operation of the vehicle.

17. An apparatus for determining jackknife conditions of a vehicle and trailer comprising:

a processor in communication with;

a steering angle detection apparatus operable to measure a steering angle of the vehicle; and

a hitch angle detection apparatus operable to measure a hitch angle of the trailer relative to the vehicle, wherein, the processor is operable to;

set an operating range of the hitch angle to a minimum range for a trailer;

monitor the hitch angle;

increase the operating range to an increased range based on the hitch angle observed during the monitoring;

set a maximum hitch angle to the increased range, and

output a control signal indicating the hitch angle exceeding the increased range to prevent a jackknife condition during a guided reverse operation of the vehicle.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the operating range of the hitch angle is set to the maximum hitch angle achieved in a forward direction.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the processor is further operable to:

calculate a trailer length based on the maximum hitch angle and a maximum steering angle for the vehicle.

20. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the processor is in communication with a trailer backup assist apparatus operable to maneuver the vehicle and the trailer in reverse and control the hitch angle.