METHOD FOR DETERMINING POSITION AND ORIENTATION OF VEHICLE TRAILERS

• US 20110050903A1
• Filed: 04/08/2009
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Topcon Positioning Systems Incorporated (Topcon Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Topcon Positioning Systems Incorporated (Topcon Corporation)
• Inventors: Vorobiev, Michael Y.
• Application Number:
  US12/810,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20110050903A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 69/003 Steering or guiding of machines or implements pushed or pulled by or mounted on agricultural vehicles such as tractors, e.g. by lateral shifting of the towing connection
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/245 for facilitating push back or parking of trailers
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/30 for sway control , e.g. stabilising or anti-fishtail devices; Sway alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60D 1/58 Auxiliary devices

Abstract

A method and system for determining orientation and positioning of a vehicle trailer. A digital camera is placed on a vehicle. The camera is pointed to a trailer attached to the vehicle. The camera acquires images of the trailer. These images are processed and spatial positioning and orientation of the trailer is determined based on image processing. A special marker visible by the camera is set on the trailer. Relative positions of devices attached to the vehicle—global positioning receiver, spatial orientation measuring device and the digital camera are measured. When each digital frame is formed, coordinates and orientation data of the camera are measured. Pixels corresponding to the marker in the image are determined. A simplified copy of the image, containing only the data related to the marker pixels, is generated. The marker pixels are used for calculating position and azimuth orientation of the marker. The azimuth orientation of the trailer is calculated based on calculated azimuth orientation of the marker.

Claims

1. A method for determining position and orientation of a trailer attached to a vehicle, the method comprising:

(a) placing a video camera on the vehicle so that the camera is pointed at the trailer;

(b) attaching a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver to the vehicle;

(c) mounting, on the vehicle, a device for measuring spatial orientation;

(d) generating relative positions of the GNSS receiver, the measuring device and the camera;

(e) placing a marker on the trailer in a field of view of the camera;

(f) measuring a height of the camera'"'"'s location relative to the marker;

(g) storing global positioning coordinates and spatial orientation data when forming an image of the trailer by the camera;

(h) identifying, in the image, pixels corresponding to the marker;

(i) generating a simplified image frame containing only the pixels corresponding to the marker;

(j) calculating spatial position and orientation of the camera based on the height of the camera and the relative positions;

(k) correcting perspective distortion of the simplified image frame based on the spatial position and the orientation of the camera;

(l) calculating azimuth orientation of the marker based on positioning of the marker pixels on the simplified image frame and the position and the orientation of the camera; and

(m) determining azimuth orientation of the trailer based on the azimuth orientation of the marker.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the global positioning coordinates are measured using a differential mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the spatial orientation data is acquired from a gyroscope and an accelerometer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is formed by a digital camera with a color matrix of visible spectrum.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is formed by a digital camera with a black and white matrix of visible spectrum.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is formed by a digital camera with an infrared spectrum matrix.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the marker is illuminated by an illumination device and the image is formed by the camera with a matrix operable in a spectrum of the illumination device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a second camera is set on the vehicle and the images acquired by the second camera are processed using the steps of claim 1.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the images from the second camera are used to determine orientation of the trailer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the simplified image frame is generated by excluding from processing pixels, having color different from the one of the marker.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the marker pixels are determined by match of positioning and shape of a group of pixels to size and shape of the marker.

12. A method for determining position and orientation of a trailer attached to a vehicle, the method comprising:

(a) placing a video camera on the vehicle so that the camera is pointed at the trailer;

(b) attaching a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver to the vehicle;

(c) mounting, on the vehicle, a device for measuring spatial orientation;

(d) generating relative positions of the GNSS receiver, the measuring device and the camera;

(e) placing a marker on the trailer in a field of view of the camera;

(f) measuring a height of the camera'"'"'s location relative to the marker;

(g) storing global positioning coordinates and spatial orientation data when forming an image of the trailer by the camera;

(h) calculating spatial position and orientation of the camera based on the height of the camera and the relative positions;

(i) correcting perspective distortion of the image frame based on the spatial position and the orientation of the camera;

(j) identifying, in the image, pixels corresponding to the marker;

(k) generating a simplified image frame containing only the pixels corresponding to the marker;

(l) calculating azimuth orientation of the marker based on positioning of the marker pixels on the simplified image frame and the position and the orientation of the camera; and

(m) determining azimuth orientation of the trailer based on the azimuth orientation of the marker.

13. A system for determining position and orientation of a trailer attached to a vehicle, the system comprising:

a video camera placed on the vehicle for generating digital images of the trailer;

a processing unit connected to the camera via data channel;

a global coordinate positioning device connected to the processing unit via a data channel;

a device for measuring spatial orientation and connected to the processing unit via the data channel; and

a marker located on the trailer in a view field of the camera, wherein the processing unit processes image data from the camera and calculates position and azimuth orientation of the trailer based on the data from the global coordinate positioning receiver and data from the device for measuring spatial orientation.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the global coordinate positioning device uses a differential mode.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the device for measuring spatial orientation comprises accelerometers and gyroscopes.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the global coordinate positioning device and the device for measuring spatial orientation are combined into GNSS-receiver with three spatially separate antennas connected to the receiver via a hub.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the digital camera has a color matrix of visible spectrum.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the digital camera has a black and white matrix of visible spectrum.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the digital camera has an infrared matrix of visible spectrum.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the marker is illuminated by an illumination source.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein a second camera is placed on the vehicle and connected to the processing unit.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the marker is an object defined by any of known parameters:

an object size;

an object shape;

an object color; and

a composition of object'"'"'s parts.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein the marker comprises several objects with known parameters.

24. The system of claim 13, wherein the marker is covered by a reflective coating.

25. The system of claim 13, wherein the marker comprises at least one source of emission of a known spectrum.