Hitch assist system and method for autonomously steering a vehicle along a user-specified target direction of travel

Abstract

A hitch assist system and method are provided herein. A human-machine interface is configured to receive user input specifying a target direction of travel for a vehicle. A controller is configured to: generate a command for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle along the target direction of travel; identify a hitch coupler of a trailer based on input received from an object detection system; and request additional user input to update the target direction of travel when the hitch coupler cannot be identified.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates generally to hitch assist systems for vehicles, and more particularly to hitch assist systems capable of autonomously maneuvering a vehicle toward a trailer. Background Art

[0002] Backing up a vehicle toward a trailer in order to attach a towing hitch to a hitch coupler can be challenging for many drivers, especially those who are generally unfamiliar with trailers and the hitching process. Therefore, there is a need for a system that assists the driver in directing the vehicle toward the trailer so that a hitch connection can be made therebetween. The present disclosure is intended to meet this need. Summary of the invention

[0003] According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a hitch assist system. A human-machine interface is configured to receive user input specifying a target direction of travel for a vehicle. A controller is configured to: generate a command for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle along the target direction of travel; identify a hitch coupler of a trailer based on input received from an object detection system; and request further user input to update the target direction of travel if the hitch coupler cannot be identified.

[0004] Embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention may include any one or a combination of the following features:

[0005] The human-machine interface includes a touch screen display configured to display a rear view of the vehicle and to record thereon one or more touch events for specifying the target direction of travel of the vehicle;

[0006] When the target direction of travel is specified, the touch screen display generates an overlay, and the controller generates commands for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle along the target direction of travel based on touch events on the overlay;

[0007] The touch event includes touching the cover and maintaining contact with the cover;

[0008] The object detection system includes at least one of a vehicle rear camera and one or more proximity sensors, the one or more proximity sensors including at least one of an ultrasonic sensor, a radar sensor, a laser sensor, and a LIDAR sensor;

[0009] If a pause condition is met, the controller generates a command for stopping the vehicle;

[0010] If the vehicle reaches the endpoint position in the target traveling direction, the pause condition is satisfied;

[0011] If the vehicle has traveled a predetermined maximum distance along the target travel direction, the pause condition is satisfied;

[0012] The pause condition is met if the detection system detects an object located at a predetermined distance rearward from the vehicle;

[0013] upon identifying the hitch coupler, the controller updates the target direction of travel of the vehicle and generates a command for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle toward the hitch coupler so as to align a towing hitch of the vehicle with the hitch coupler;

[0014] the controller requests confirmation of user input of the identification of the hitch coupler before updating the target direction of travel for the vehicle; and

[0015] The further user input updating the target direction of travel comprises a user input specifying a new target direction of travel or a user input confirming a current target direction of travel.

[0016] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle hitch assist system. A touch screen display is configured to display a rear view of the vehicle and record thereon one or more touch events for specifying the target direction of travel of the vehicle. The one or more touch events include touching a point on the touch screen display. A controller is configured to convert the point into real-world coordinates and generate a command for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle along the target direction of travel toward the real-world coordinates of the contact point.

[0017] Embodiments of the second aspect of the present invention may include any one or a combination of the following features:

[0018] The touch screen display is configured to generate a touch area indicating an allowable area, in which a touch event for specifying the target travel direction is performed;

[0019] The touch zone is generated on a lower center area of ​​the touch screen display where the imaged trailer is predictably found;

[0020] the touch screen display generates an overlay including the touch points, and the controller generates commands for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle in the target direction of travel based on touch events on the overlay;

[0021] The touch event includes touching the cover and maintaining contact with the cover;

[0022] the controller continues to generate commands for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle in the target direction of travel as long as contact with the covering is maintained; and

[0023] The controller generates a command for stopping the vehicle if a pause condition is satisfied, and wherein the pause condition is satisfied if the vehicle reaches an endpoint position in the target direction of travel, the vehicle travels a predetermined maximum distance in the target direction of travel, or an object located a predetermined distance rearward from the vehicle is detected.

[0024] According to a third aspect of the invention, a method is provided, and the method includes the following steps: providing a human-machine interface for receiving user input specifying a target direction of travel for a vehicle; generating commands for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle along the target direction of travel; identifying a hitch coupler of a trailer based on input received from an object detection system; and requesting additional user input to update the target direction of travel when the hitch coupler cannot be identified.

[0025] These and other aspects, objects and features of the present invention will be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art upon studying the following specification, claims and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In the figure:

[0027] Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a vehicle and a trailer, the vehicle being equipped with a hitch assist system according to one embodiment;

[0028] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a hitch assist system;

[0029] Figure 3 showing a vehicle rear view of the vehicle displayed on a touch screen display, the touch screen display being configured to register one or more touch events thereon for specifying a target direction of travel for the vehicle;

[0030] Figure 4 showing an overlay generated on the touch screen display, wherein a touch event on the overlay prompts a controller to autonomously steer the vehicle in a target direction of travel;

[0031] Figure 5 is a flow chart of a method for autonomously maneuvering a vehicle toward a trailer;

[0032] Figure 6 illustrating an exemplary maneuver of the vehicle toward the trailer; and

[0033] Figure 7 An overlay generated on the touch screen display and consistent with the identified hitch coupler of the trailer is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples of the present invention that may be embodied in various forms and alternative forms. The accompanying drawings are not necessarily detailed designs, and some schematic diagrams may be enlarged or minimized to show functional overviews. Therefore, the specific structural details and functional details disclosed herein should not be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching those skilled in the art to apply the present invention in different ways.

[0035] As used herein, the term "and / or" when used with respect to a list of two or more items means that any one of the listed items may be taken alone or two or more of the listed items may be taken in any combination. For example, if a composition is described as containing components A, B, and / or C, the composition may contain only A; only B; only C; a combination of A and B; a combination of A and C; a combination of B and C; or a combination of A, B, and C.

[0036] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 , reference numeral 10 generally designates a hitch assist system for hitching a vehicle 12 to a trailer 14. Figure 1 As shown, the vehicle 12 is illustratively embodied as a pickup truck having a truck bed 16 that is accessible through a folding tailgate 18. The vehicle 12 also includes a towing hitch in the form of a hitch ball 22 that extends from a drawbar 24 that is coupled to the rear of the vehicle 12. The hitch ball 22 is configured to be received by a hitch coupler in the form of a coupler ball socket 26 that is disposed at a terminal end of a trailer tongue 28. The trailer 14 is illustratively embodied as a single-axle trailer having a box frame 30 with an enclosed cargo area 32, and the tongue 28 extends longitudinally from the box frame 30.

[0037] The system 10 includes a controller 38 in communication with an imaging device 40 (e.g., a camera) located at the rear of the vehicle 12. The imaging device 40 may be centrally located at an upper region of the tailgate 18 such that the imaging device 40 is elevated relative to the tie rod 24 and the hitch ball 22. The imaging device 40 has a field of view 42 that is positioned and oriented to capture one or more images of the scene behind the vehicle, which generally includes the hitch ball 22, among other things. The images captured by the imaging device 40 may be processed by the controller 38 to identify a hitch coupler, such as the coupler ball socket 26. It is contemplated that any known imaging technique may be used to identify the coupler ball socket 26.

[0038] In addition to communicating with the imaging device 40, the controller 38 may communicate with a plurality of proximity sensors 44 spaced apart on a lower region of the vehicle tailgate 18 and configured to detect objects located behind the vehicle 12. The proximity sensors 44 may include ultrasonic sensors, radar sensors, laser sensors, and / or LIDAR sensors. Figure 2 The illustrated embodiment of the system 10 may provide additional vehicle-related information to the controller 38 via a positioning device 46, such as a global positioning system (GPS) located on the vehicle 12 and / or trailer 14. Additionally, the controller 38 may communicate with an inertial system 47, which may include one or more gyroscopes 48 and one or more accelerometers 49, for measuring the position, orientation, direction, and / or velocity of the vehicle 12.

[0039] To achieve autonomous or semi-autonomous control of the vehicle 12, the controller 38 of the system 10 may be further configured to communicate with a variety of vehicle devices. According to one embodiment, the controller 38 of the system 10 may control the power-assisted steering system 52 of the vehicle 12 to operate the steering wheels 53 of the vehicle 12 when the vehicle 12 is reversed along the vehicle reverse path toward the trailer 14. The power-assisted steering system 52 may be an electric power-assisted steering (EPAS) system including an electric steering motor 54 for turning the steering wheels 53 to a steering angle based on a steering command generated by the controller 38, whereby the steering angle may be sensed by a steering angle sensor 56 of the power-assisted steering system 52 and provided to the controller 38. As described herein, the steering command may be provided for autonomously steering the vehicle 12 during a reverse maneuver, and may alternatively be provided manually through the rotational position of the steering wheel 58 (e.g., steering wheel angle) or a steering input device 60, which may be provided to enable the driver to control or otherwise modify the desired curvature of the reverse path of the trailer 12. The steering input device 60 may be communicatively coupled to the controller 38 in a wired or wireless manner and provides information to the controller 38 defining the desired curvature of the reverse path of the vehicle 12. In response, the controller 38 processes the information and generates corresponding steering commands, which are supplied to the power steering system 52 of the vehicle 12. In one embodiment, the steering input device 60 includes a rotatable knob 62 operable between a plurality of rotational positions, each rotational position providing an incremental change in the desired curvature of the reverse path to the vehicle 12.

[0040] In some embodiments, the steering wheel 58 of the vehicle 12 may be mechanically coupled to the steering wheel 53 of the vehicle 12 such that the steering wheel 58 moves in unison with the steering wheel 53 through internal torque, thereby preventing manual intervention through the steering wheel 58 during autonomous steering of the vehicle 12. In such cases, the power-assisted steering system 52 may include a torque sensor 64 that senses torque (e.g., clamping and / or turning) on ​​the steering wheel 58 that is not expected to come from autonomous control of the steering wheel 58 and is therefore indicative of manual intervention by the driver. In some embodiments, the external torque applied to the steering wheel 58 may be used as a signal to the controller 38 (i.e., the driver has assumed manual control) and used to cause the system 10 to stop the autonomous steering function.

[0041] The controller 38 of the system 10 may also communicate with the vehicle brake control system 66 of the vehicle 12 to receive vehicle speed information, such as individual wheel speeds of the vehicle 12. Additionally or alternatively, the vehicle speed information may be provided to the controller 38 via the powertrain control system 68 and / or the vehicle speed sensor 70, as well as other conceivable devices. In some embodiments, the controller 38 may provide a braking command to the vehicle brake control system 66, thereby allowing the system 10 to adjust the speed of the vehicle 12 during a reverse maneuver of the vehicle 12. It should be appreciated that the controller 38 may additionally or alternatively adjust the speed of the vehicle 12 through interaction with the powertrain control system 68.

[0042] When the vehicle 12 is backing up toward the trailer 14, the likelihood of an unacceptable backing condition can be reduced by interacting with the power steering system 52, the vehicle brake control system 66, and / or the powertrain control system 68 of the vehicle 12. Examples of unacceptable backing conditions include, but are not limited to, vehicle overspeed conditions, sensor failures, etc. In such cases, the driver may not be aware of the failure until the unacceptable backing condition is about to occur or has occurred. Therefore, it is disclosed herein that the controller 38 of the system 10 can generate an alarm signal corresponding to a notification of an actual, impending, and / or anticipated unacceptable backing condition, and can generate countermeasure measures before the driver intervenes to prevent such an unacceptable backing condition from occurring.

[0043] According to one embodiment, the controller 38 may communicate with one or more devices including a vehicle alarm system 72 that may provide visual, audible, and tactile warnings. For example, the vehicle brake lights 74 and the vehicle emergency flashers may provide visual warnings, and the vehicle horn 76 and / or the speaker 78 may provide audible warnings. In addition, the controller 38 and / or the vehicle alarm system 72 may communicate with a human machine interface (HMI) 80 of the vehicle 12. The HMI 80 may include a touch screen display 84 ( Figure 1 ), such as a center-stack mounted navigation or entertainment display capable of displaying an image indicative of the alert. Such an embodiment may be expected to notify the driver of the vehicle 12 that an unacceptable back-up condition exists. The touch screen display 84 may also display one or more views based on the images captured by the imaging device 40.

[0044] The controller 38 is configured with a microprocessor 85 and / or other analog and / or digital circuitry for processing one or more logic programs stored in a memory 86. The logic programs may include one or more operating programs 88. Information from the imaging device 40 or other components of the system 10 may be supplied to the controller 38 via the communication network of the vehicle 12, which may include a controller area network (CAN), a local interconnect network (LIN), or other known protocols used in the automotive industry. It should be appreciated that the controller 38 may be a stand-alone dedicated controller or may be a shared controller integrated with the imaging device 40 or other components of the system 10, in addition to any other conceivable on-board or off-board vehicle control systems.

[0045] According to one embodiment, the HMI 80 is configured to receive user input specifying a target direction of travel for the vehicle 12. In response, the controller 38 is configured to generate a command for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle 12 in the target direction of travel. Typically, the target direction of travel is behind the vehicle 12 and toward the trailer 14. However, it should be understood that the target direction of travel is not necessarily limited to this and can be toward another object or a point in space. During the autonomous maneuvering of the vehicle 12, the controller 38 is configured to identify the hitch coupler (e.g., the coupler ball socket 26) of the trailer 14 based on input received from the object detection system, which may include an imaging device 40 and / or a proximity sensor 44 in addition to other suitable devices capable of detecting an object. If the hitch coupler cannot be identified, the controller 38 may request additional user input to update the target direction of travel. When the hitch coupler is identified, the controller 38 is configured to update the target direction of travel and autonomously maneuver the vehicle 12 toward the trailer 14 so that the towing hitch of the vehicle 12 is aligned with the hitch coupler of the trailer 14.

[0046] See also Figure 3 The touch screen display 84 is configured to display a vehicle rear view and record thereon one or more touch events for specifying a target direction of travel for the vehicle 12. The vehicle rear view may be generated based on images captured by the imaging device 40. To specify a target direction of travel for the vehicle 12, the user simply touches a point on the touch screen display 84. The contact point T is exemplarily shown. p The point T may correspond to a point on the imaged trailer 14, a point on another imaged object, or a point in imaged space. p The coupler ball socket 26 corresponding to the imaged trailer 14. In some embodiments, the touch screen display 84 is configured to generate a touch area 90 indicating an allowable area in which a touch event for specifying a target direction of travel is performed. The touch area 90 is generated on the lower center area of ​​the touch screen display 84 where the imaged trailer 14 is predictably found.

[0047] When a touch event is displayed that specifies the target direction of travel for the vehicle 12, the touch screen display 84 generates a Figure 4 The exemplary embodiment includes a contact point T p The controller 38 may generate commands for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle 12 in the target direction of travel as long as the user maintains contact with the overlay 92. To this end, the controller 38 may move the contact point T pTransformed into real-world coordinates so that the coordinates along the contact point T p Autonomous manipulation of the vehicle 12 is achieved by determining the target travel direction of the real-world coordinates of the vehicle 12 .

[0048] See also Figure 5 , shows an exemplary method of autonomously maneuvering the vehicle 12 toward the trailer 14, which is embodied as an operating procedure 88 of the controller 38. For the purpose of understanding, the maneuver is described herein in relation to a number of phases, which are described in Figure 6 8 is shown as stage A to stage D. At step A, the user specifies the target direction of travel using the touch screen display 84 as described herein. Figure 6 As shown, step A may be performed at stage A, and the target direction of travel is generally indicated by arrow 94. In the depicted embodiment, the target direction of travel is generally straight and behind the vehicle 12. At step B, the controller 38 generates commands for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle 12 in the target direction of travel.

[0049] As the vehicle 12 is maneuvered in the target direction of travel, the controller 38 routinely checks in step C whether a pause condition is satisfied. In the depicted embodiment, the pause condition is satisfied if the vehicle 12 reaches an endpoint position in the target direction of travel, the vehicle 12 has traveled a predetermined maximum distance in the target direction of travel, or the detection system detects an object located a predetermined distance rearward from the vehicle 12. As described herein, the endpoint position may correspond to a point of contact provided by a user (such as a Figure 3 and Figure 4 The contact point T shown p ) converted to real-world coordinates.

[0050] For example, Figure 6 As shown, a pause condition is met at stage B, where the detection system detects an object 96 behind the vehicle 12. As described herein, the object 96 can be detected by the proximity sensor 44 and / or the imaging device 40. In the depicted embodiment, the object 96 corresponds to a non-trailer object and can be fixed or moving. When the pause condition is met, the controller 38 pauses the autonomous manipulation of the vehicle 12 at step D, or in other words, generates a command to stop the vehicle 12. If the controller 38 cannot identify the hitch coupler at step E, the controller 38 requests additional user input to update the target direction of travel of the vehicle 12 at step F. For example, the controller 38 may request the user to specify a new target direction of travel or confirm the current target direction of travel. In order to update the target direction of travel, the user may perform one or more touch events as described herein.

[0051] In some scenarios, if object 96 impedes maneuvering vehicle 12 along the current target direction of travel, a user may be required to specify a new target direction of travel. In other scenarios, a new target direction of travel may be required if vehicle 12 has reached an endpoint location in the target direction of travel or vehicle 12 has traveled a maximum distance in the target direction of travel. In any case, when the target direction of travel is updated, controller 38 returns to step B to generate commands for autonomously maneuvering vehicle 12 along the target direction of travel. As in Figure 6 , controller 38 autonomously steers vehicle 12 along an updated target direction of travel generally indicated by arrow 98. In the depicted embodiment, the updated target direction of travel is substantially the same as the target direction of travel specified at stage A, but may be different as desired.

[0052] At stage C, the controller 38 pauses the autonomous maneuvering of the vehicle 12 after detecting the trailer 14 at a predetermined distance d behind the vehicle 12. When the hitch coupler is identified at step E, the controller 38 updates the target direction of travel for the vehicle 12 at step G. To identify the hitch coupler, the controller 38 may process the image captured by the imaging device 40. For example, the controller 38 may employ edge detection or match the hitch coupler to a template stored in the memory 86. It is contemplated that one or more templates may be stored to the memory 86 and one or more templates may be called for a particular trailer 14. The updated target direction of travel is generally indicated by arrow 100, and may differ slightly from the target direction of travel indicated by arrow 98 as a result of the controller 38 fine-tuning the target direction of travel when identifying the hitch coupler.

[0053] After the hitch coupler has been identified, the controller 38 generates a command for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle 12 toward the hitch coupler (e.g., the coupler ball socket 26) at step H so as to align the towing hitch (e.g., the hitch ball 22) with the hitch coupler. In some embodiments, the controller 38 requests user input confirming the identification of the hitch coupler before performing steps G or H. For example, if Figure 7 As shown, the touch screen display 84 can generate a cover 102 that is consistent with the identified hitch coupler, and the user can confirm its identification by simply touching the cover 102 and maintaining contact with it, thereby prompting the controller 38 to generate a command for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle 12 toward the hitch coupler. As long as the user maintains contact with the cover 102, autonomous maneuvering of the vehicle 12 can continue toward the hitch coupler. Figure 6 As shown in stage D in FIG. 1 , the hitch ball 22 of the vehicle 12 is aligned with the coupler ball socket 26 of the trailer 14 . In this scenario, the controller 38 ends the autonomous maneuvering of the vehicle 12 , and the user is able to hitch the trailer 14 to the vehicle 12 .

[0054] It should be understood that changes and modifications may be made to the foregoing constructions without departing from the concepts of the present invention, and further it should be understood that such concepts are intended to be covered by the following claims unless such claims expressly indicate otherwise in their language.

[0055] According to the present invention, a hitch assist system is provided, the hitch assist system having: a human-machine interface configured to receive user input specifying a target direction of travel for a vehicle; and a controller configured to: generate commands for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle along the target direction of travel; identify a hitch coupler of a trailer based on input received from an object detection system; and request additional user input to update the target direction of travel when the hitch coupler cannot be identified.

[0056] According to one embodiment, the human-machine interface comprises a touch screen display configured to display a vehicle rear view and to register thereon one or more touch events for specifying the target direction of travel of the vehicle.

[0057] According to one embodiment, the touch screen display generates an overlay when the target direction of travel is specified, and wherein the controller generates commands for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle along the target direction of travel based on touch events on the overlay.

[0058] According to one embodiment, the touch event comprises touching and maintaining contact with the cover.

[0059] According to one embodiment, the object detection system includes at least one of a vehicle rear camera and one or more proximity sensors, the one or more proximity sensors including at least one of an ultrasonic sensor, a radar sensor, a laser sensor, and a LIDAR sensor.

[0060] According to one embodiment, the controller generates a command for stopping the vehicle if a pause condition is met.

[0061] According to one embodiment, if the vehicle reaches an endpoint position in the target traveling direction, the pause condition is satisfied.

[0062] According to one embodiment, the pause condition is met if the vehicle has travelled a predetermined maximum distance in the target direction of travel.

[0063] According to one embodiment, the pause condition is met if the detection system detects an object located at a predetermined distance rearward from the vehicle.

[0064] According to one embodiment, upon identifying the hitch coupler, the controller updates the target direction of travel for the vehicle and generates commands for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle toward the hitch coupler to align the vehicle's towing hitch with the hitch coupler.

[0065] According to one embodiment, the controller requests user input confirming the identification of the hitch coupler prior to updating the target direction of travel for the vehicle.

[0066] According to one embodiment, the further user input updating the target direction of travel comprises a user input specifying a new target direction of travel or a user input confirming a current target direction of travel.

[0067] According to the present invention, a vehicle hitch assist system is provided, the hitch assist system comprising: a touch screen display configured to display a rear view of the vehicle and record thereon one or more touch events for specifying the target travel direction of the vehicle, the one or more touch events comprising touching a point on the touch screen display; and a controller configured to convert the point into real-world coordinates and generate a command for autonomously manipulating the vehicle along the target travel direction of the real-world coordinates toward the contact point.

[0068] According to one embodiment, the touch screen display is configured to generate a touch area indicating an allowable region, in which a touch event for specifying the target traveling direction is performed.

[0069] According to one embodiment, the touch zone is generated on a lower central area of ​​the touch screen display, where the imaged trailer is foreseeably found.

[0070] According to one embodiment, the touch screen display generates an overlay including the touch points, and the controller generates commands for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle in the target direction of travel based on touch events on the overlay.

[0071] According to one embodiment, the touch event comprises touching and maintaining contact with the cover.

[0072] According to one embodiment, the controller continues to generate commands for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle in the target direction of travel as long as contact with the covering is maintained.

[0073] According to one embodiment, if a pause condition is met, the controller generates a command for stopping the vehicle, and wherein the pause condition is met if the vehicle reaches an endpoint position in the target direction of travel, the vehicle travels a predetermined maximum distance along the target direction of travel, or an object is detected at a predetermined distance rearward from the vehicle.

[0074] According to the present invention, a method includes: providing a human-machine interface for receiving user input specifying a target direction of travel for a vehicle; generating commands for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle along the target direction of travel; identifying a hitch coupler of a trailer based on input received from an object detection system; and requesting additional user input to update the target direction of travel when the hitch coupler cannot be identified.

Claims

1. A hook assist system, comprising: a human-machine interface configured to receive user input specifying a target direction of travel for the vehicle; as well as A controller, the controller being configured to: receiving a first input from a user specifying a target travel direction; generating, based on the first input, a command for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle in the target direction of travel; identifying a hitch coupler of the trailer based on input received from the object detection system; as well as An additional second user input is requested to update the target direction of travel when the hitch coupler cannot be identified.

2. The hitch assist system of claim 1 , wherein the human-machine interface comprises a touch screen display configured to display a rear view of the vehicle and to record thereon one or more touch events for specifying the target direction of travel of the vehicle.

3. The hitch assist system of claim 2, wherein the touch screen display generates an overlay when the target direction of travel is specified, and wherein the controller generates commands for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle along the target direction of travel based on touch events on the overlay. 4 . The hitch assist system of claim 3 , wherein the touch event comprises touching and maintaining contact with the cover.

5. The hitch assist system of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the object detection system comprises at least one of a vehicle rear camera and one or more proximity sensors, the one or more proximity sensors comprising at least one of an ultrasonic sensor, a radar sensor, a laser sensor, and a LIDAR sensor.

6. The hitch assist system of any one of claims 1-5, wherein the controller generates a command for stopping the vehicle if a pause condition is met.

7. The hitch assist system of claim 6, wherein the pause condition is satisfied if the vehicle reaches an end position in the target traveling direction.

8. The hitch assist system of claim 6, wherein the pause condition is satisfied if the vehicle has traveled a predetermined maximum distance in the target direction of travel.

9. The hitch assist system of claim 6, wherein the pause condition is satisfied if a detection system detects an object located a predetermined distance rearward from the vehicle.

10. The hitch assist system of any one of claims 1-9, wherein upon identifying the hitch coupler, the controller updates the target direction of travel of the vehicle and generates a command for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle toward the hitch coupler so as to align the vehicle's towing hitch with the hitch coupler.

11. The hitch assist system of claim 10, wherein the controller requests confirmation of user input of the identification of the hitch coupler prior to updating the target direction of travel of the vehicle.

12. The hitch assist system of any one of claims 1-11, wherein the further second user input to update the target direction of travel comprises a user input to specify a new target direction of travel or a user input to confirm a current target direction of travel.

13. A method for assisting a hitch of an autonomously operated vehicle, comprising the following steps: providing a human-machine interface for receiving user input specifying a target direction of travel for the vehicle; receiving a first input from a user specifying a target travel direction; generating, based on the first input, a command for autonomously maneuvering the vehicle in the target direction of travel; identifying a hitch coupler of the trailer based on input received from the object detection system; as well as An additional second user input is requested to update the target direction of travel when the hitch coupler cannot be identified.

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