Vehicle rear object proximity system using multiple cameras

• US 10,384,609 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2017
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Zhang, Yi, Lavoie, Erick Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Dionne
• Application Number:
  US15/628,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20180361929A1
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/26 for remote control, e.g. for releasing
• 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 1/366 comprising braking means
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/481 adapted for being mounted to the front and back of trailers, carts, trolleys, or the like to form a train
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/58 Auxiliary devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/62 involving supply lines, electric circuits, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/143 Touch sensitive instrument input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/003 for viewing trailer hitches
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/31 providing stereoscopic vision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/303 using joined images, e.g. multiple camera images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/605 the adjustment being automatic
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/607 from a bird's eye viewpoint
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/808 for facilitating docking to a trailer
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0275 by overlaying a vehicle path based on present steering angle over an image without processing that image
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0295 by overlaying a vehicle path based on present steering angle over an image without processing that image
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 : with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 : for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 : for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A vehicle hitch assistance system includes first and second cameras on an exterior of the vehicle and an image processor. The image processor is programmed to identify an object in image data received from the first and second cameras and determine a height and a position of the object using the image data. The system further includes a controller outputting a steering command to a vehicle steering system to selectively guide the vehicle away from or into alignment with the object.

Claims

1. A vehicle hitch assistance system, comprising:

first and second cameras on an exterior of the vehicle; and

an image processor programmed to;

identify a first object in image data received from the first and second cameras as a hitch of a trailer and a second object in the image data as an obstacle; and

combine the data received from the first and second cameras into stereoscopic image data;

determine a height and a position of the hitch of the trailer and of the obstacle, respectively, using the image data by reconstructing a three-dimensional scene of a portion of an area surrounding the vehicle using the stereoscopic image data; and

a controller outputting a steering command to a vehicle steering system to guide the vehicle into alignment with the hitch of the trailer and to guide the vehicle away from the obstacle, including by processing two dimensional image data from one of the first or second vehicle cameras to track the position of the hitch of the trailer relative to the vehicle within the three-dimensional scene only when the trailer hitch is not present within image data from the other of the first and second cameras.

2. The hitch assistance system of claim 1, wherein the controller outputs the steering command to maintain the vehicle along a path derived by the controller to guide a hitch ball of the vehicle into alignment with the hitch of the trailer from an initial set of data received from the first and second cameras.

3. The hitch assistance system of claim 2, wherein the path is further derived by the controller to guide the vehicle away from the obstacle.

4. The hitch assistance system of claim 1, wherein:

the image processor is further programmed to track the position of the hitch using the stereoscopic image data during movement of the vehicle and output a tracked position of the hitch when the hitch is within the image data from both of the first and second cameras; and

the controller outputs the steering command according to a predetermined steering sequence, the controller progressing through the sequence based on the tracked position of the hitch to guide a hitch ball of the vehicle into alignment with the hitch.

5. The hitch assistance system of claim 4, wherein:

the image processor is further programmed to track the position of the obstacle using the stereoscopic image data during movement of the vehicle and output a tracked position of the obstacle when the obstacle is within the image data from both of the first and second cameras; and

the controller further progresses through the sequence based on the tracked position of the obstacle to guide the vehicle away from the obstacle.

6. A vehicle, comprising:

a steering system;

a hitch ball mounted on an exterior of the vehicle;

first and second cameras on the exterior; and

a hitch assistance system, including;

an image processor programmed to;

combine the data received from the first and second cameras into stereoscopic image data;

identify a first object in image data received from the first and second cameras as a hitch of a trailer and a second object in the image data as an obstacle; and

determine a height and a position of the hitch of the trailer and of the obstacle, respectively, using the image data by reconstructing a three-dimensional scene of a portion of an area surrounding the vehicle using the stereoscopic image data; and

a controller outputting a steering command to the steering system to guide the hitch ball into alignment with the hitch of the trailer and to guide the vehicle away from the obstacle, including by processing two dimensional image data from one of the first or second vehicle cameras to track the position of the hitch of the trailer relative to the vehicle within the three-dimensional scene only when the trailer hitch is not present within image data from the other of the first and second cameras.

7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the controller outputs the steering command to maintain the vehicle along a path derived by the controller to guide the hitch ball into alignment with the hitch of the trailer from an initial set of data received from the first and second cameras.

8. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein:

the image processor is further programmed to track the position of the hitch using the stereoscopic image data during movement of the vehicle and output a tracked position of the hitch when the obstacle is within the image data from both of the first and second cameras; and

the controller outputs the steering command according to a predetermined steering sequence, the controller progressing through the sequence based on the tracked position of the hitch to guide the hitch ball into alignment with hitch.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein:

the image processor is further programmed to track the position of the obstacle using the stereoscopic image data during movement of the vehicle and output a tracked position of the obstacle when the obstacle is within the image data from both of the first and second cameras; and

the controller further progresses through the sequence based on the tracked position of the obstacle to guide the vehicle away from the obstacle.

10. The vehicle of claim 6, further including one of an actuator coupled with the hitch ball or an adjustable suspension system, wherein:

the controller further determines a distance for a lowering command output to the actuator or the suspension system to lower the hitch ball to a position lower than the height of the hitch of the trailer.

11. A method for assisting a vehicle in hitching with a trailer, comprising:

processing image data received from first and second vehicle cameras to;

identify a hitch of the trailer and an obstacle in the image data received from the first and second cameras;

combine the data received from the first and second cameras into stereoscopic image data; and

determine a height and a position of the hitch of the trailer and of the obstacle, respectively, using the image data by reconstructing a three-dimensional scene of a portion of an area surrounding the vehicle using the stereoscopic image data; and

controlling a vehicle steering system to guide the vehicle into alignment of a vehicle hitch ball with the hitch of the trailer and to guide the vehicle away from the obstacle, including by processing two dimensional image data from one of the first or second vehicle cameras to track the position of the hitch of the trailer relative to the vehicle within the three-dimensional scene only when the trailer hitch is not present within image data from the other of the first and second cameras.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein

the first camera is a rear camera mounted on one of a trunk lid or a liftgate of the vehicle.