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Trailer hitching and backing precision guidance system method and apparatus

  • US 8,038,166 B1
  • Filed: 08/08/2009
  • Issued: 10/18/2011
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2008
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A method for providing guidance to a vehicle when hitching up to a trailer, said method comprising:

  • placing a known target object on one of said vehicle and said trailer and an optical sensor on the other of said vehicle and said trailer;

    projecting said known target object through an optical center to produce a real image on an image plane of said optical sensor located behind said optical center, wherein an image plane optical axis is normal to said image plane at an image plane origin;

    determining a distance between said vehicle and said trailer in response to a size of said real image on said image plane;

    determining a vehicle offset from said optical axis in response to said real image offset from said image plane origin; and

    providing said guidance to said vehicle in response to said distance and said vehicle offset.

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