Method and device for determining a trailer angle

Abstract

A method and apparatus for determining a trailer angle. A method of determining a trailer angle includes obtaining a bird's-eye view image of a commercial vehicle based on image data depicting at least one side of a trailer from at least one camera mounted to the commercial vehicle. The commercial vehicle comprises a tractor and a trailer. The method further includes determining which of the plurality of lines in the aerial view image intersects a predefined pivot region including and surrounding a pivot point between the trailer and the towing vehicle; determining a trailer angle of the trailer relative to the towing vehicle based at least on a first portion of the plurality of lines that intersects the predefined pivot area; and panning a video feed of images from the at least one camera based on the trailer angle. Determining the trailer angle includes: excluding a second portion of the plurality of lines that does not intersect the predefined pivot area from determining the trailer angle; or in determining the trailer angle, a first portion of the plurality of lines is weighted greater than a second portion of the plurality of lines. A system for a commercial vehicle is also disclosed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for determining a trailer angle between a trailer and a tractor. Background Art

[0002] In commercial vehicles, vehicle camera systems are utilized to replace mirrors or to supplement the field of view of mirrors to enhance the ability of a vehicle operator to see the surrounding environment. A camera monitoring system (CMS) utilizes one or more cameras to provide an enhanced field of view to a vehicle operator. In some examples, a mirror replacement system covers a larger field of view than a conventional mirror or includes views that cannot be fully obtained via a conventional mirror.

[0003] In a commercial vehicle setting, when an articulated commercial vehicle including a tractor and a trailer turns, the centerline of the trailer deviates from the centerline of the tractor at a continuously increasing angle. Accordingly, on the side of the vehicle corresponding to the direction of the turn, it is desirable for the driver to have a field of view at a relatively large "outward" angle relative to the centerline of the tractor in order to keep the rearmost wheels of the trailer visible in the display. This functionality in a CMS display has been described as "auto-panning" - a digital camera system simulates the axial rotation (panning motion) of a conventional camera to shift the displayed view left and right. However, detecting the angle of the trailer relative to the tractor for such image panning presents a technical challenge because the physical environment is not well-suited for mechanical or limit switch sensors.

[0004] When the vehicle is traveling in the forward direction, if known, a geometric "kinematic" model can be used to estimate the trailer angle based on the relevant dimensions (wheelbase, speed, steering angle) of the vehicle combination. However, when the vehicle is backing up, kinematics become unreliable because errors in such algorithms accumulate over time (e.g., based on very small differences in an initial trailer angle, a combination with a tractor traveling straight backward can result in various trailer angles over time). Summary of the Invention

[0005] A method for determining a trailer angle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes: obtaining an aerial view image of the commercial vehicle based on image data from at least one camera mounted on the commercial vehicle, the image data depicting at least one side of the trailer. The commercial vehicle includes a tractor and a trailer. The method includes: determining which line among a plurality of lines in the aerial view image intersects a predefined pivot region including and surrounding a pivot point between the trailer and the tractor; determining the trailer angle of the trailer relative to the tractor based on at least a first portion of the plurality of lines that intersects the predefined pivot region; and panning a video feed of an image from the at least one camera based on the trailer angle. Determining the trailer angle includes: excluding a second portion of the plurality of lines that does not intersect the predefined pivot region from the determination of the trailer angle; or assigning a greater weight to the first portion of the plurality of lines than to the second portion of the plurality of lines when determining the trailer angle.

[0006] In another embodiment of the foregoing embodiment, determining the trailer angle includes: performing excluding the second portion of the plurality of lines that does not intersect the predefined pivot region from the determination of the trailer angle.

[0007] In another embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, determining the trailer angle includes: performing assigning a greater weight to the first portion of the plurality of lines than to the second portion of the plurality of lines when determining the trailer angle.

[0008] In another embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the at least one camera includes: a first camera and a second camera on opposite sides of the commercial vehicle, both the first camera and the second camera being rearward cameras; and obtaining the aerial view image of the commercial vehicle based on the image data from the at least one camera includes: obtaining an image set including respective images from each of the first camera and the second camera; and using inverse perspective mapping to convert the image data of the respective images from the image set into the aerial view image.

[0009] In another embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the method includes: adjusting a first image in the image set from the first camera to account for distortion of the first camera; and adjusting a second image in the image set from the second camera to account for distortion of the second camera; wherein the aerial view image is obtained from the adjusted first image and the adjusted second image.

[0010] In another embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, determining the trailer angle of the trailer includes: determining a plurality of angles between a centerline of the tractor and each of the at least first portions of the plurality of lines; and determining the trailer angle based on the plurality of angles.

[0011] In another embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the pivot region is within the outer perimeter of the trailer in the bird's-eye view image.

[0012] In another embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the area of the pivot region is less than 20% of the area of the trailer in the bird's-eye view image.

[0013] In another embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the method further includes: repeating the obtaining step and the determining step for a plurality of image sets to determine a sequence of a plurality of trailer angles; determining a confidence score for each of the plurality of trailer angles; and adjusting the frequency of performing the utilization step, the obtaining step, and the determining step based on the confidence score.

[0014] In another embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the method further includes: repeating the obtaining step and the determining step for a plurality of image sets to determine a plurality of trailer angles; determining a total trailer angle based on the plurality of trailer angles; and performing the panning based on the total trailer angle.

[0015] A system for a commercial vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes: at least one camera mounted to the commercial vehicle. The commercial vehicle includes a tractor and a trailer, and a processing circuit operatively connected to a memory. The processing circuit is configured to: obtain a bird's-eye view image of the commercial vehicle based on image data from the at least one camera; determine which line among a plurality of lines in the bird's-eye view image intersects a predefined pivot region including and surrounding a pivot point between the trailer and the tractor; determine a trailer angle of the trailer relative to the tractor based on at least a first portion of the plurality of lines that intersects the predefined pivot region; and pan a video feed of an image from the at least one camera based on the trailer angle. To determine the trailer angle, the processing circuit is configured to: exclude a second portion of the plurality of lines that does not intersect the predefined pivot region from the determination of the trailer angle; or assign a greater weight to the first portion of the plurality of lines than the second portion of the plurality of lines when determining the trailer angle.

[0016] In another embodiment of the foregoing embodiments, to determine the trailer angle, the processing circuit is configured to: exclude the second portion of the plurality of lines that does not intersect the predefined pivot region from the determination of the trailer angle.

[0017] In another embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, to determine the trailer angle, the processing circuit is configured to: when determining the trailer angle, assign a greater weight to the first portion of the plurality of lines than to the second portion of the plurality of lines.

[0018] In another embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, at least one camera includes: a first camera and a second camera on opposite sides of the commercial vehicle, both the first camera and the second camera being rear-facing cameras. To obtain the bird's-eye view image of the commercial vehicle based on the image data from the at least one camera, the processing circuit is configured to: obtain an image set including respective images from each of the first camera and the second camera; and use inverse perspective mapping to convert the image data of the respective images from the image set into a bird's-eye view image.

[0019] In another embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the processing circuit is configured to: adjust a first image in the image set from the first camera to account for distortion of the first camera; and adjust a second image in the image set from the second camera to account for distortion of the second camera. The bird's-eye view image is obtained from the adjusted first image and the adjusted second image.

[0020] In another embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, to determine the trailer angle of the trailer relative to the tractor based on at least a first portion of the plurality of lines that intersects the predefined pivot region, the processing circuit is configured to: determine a plurality of angles between the centerline of the tractor and each of the at least first portion of the plurality of lines, and determine the trailer angle based on the plurality of angles.

[0021] In another embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the pivot region is within the outer perimeter of the trailer in the bird's-eye view image.

[0022] In another embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the area of the pivot region is less than 20% of the area of the trailer in the bird's-eye view image.

[0023] In another embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the processing circuit is configured to: determine a plurality of trailer angles; determine a confidence score for each of the plurality of trailer angles; and adjust the frequency of determining the trailer angle based on the confidence score.

[0024] In another embodiment of any of the foregoing embodiments, the processing circuit is configured to: determine a plurality of trailer angles; determine a total trailer angle based on the plurality of trailer angles; and perform the panning based on the total trailer angle.

[0025] Any of the foregoing paragraphs, claims, or examples, illustrations, and alternatives of the following description and drawings, including any of their respective aspects or respective features, may be employed independently or in any combination. Features described in connection with one embodiment apply to all embodiments unless the features are incompatible. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The present disclosure can be further understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0027] Figure 1A is a schematic front view of a commercial truck having a camera mirror system (CMS) for providing at least Class II and Class IV views.

[0028] Figure 1B is Figure 1A a schematic bird's-eye view of a commercial truck, in which the CMS provides Class II, Class IV, Class V, and Class VI views.

[0029] Figure 1C is of a commercial truck with a trailer angle of zero Figure 1A schematic bird's-eye view.

[0030] Figure 1D is of a commercial truck with a non-zero trailer angle Figure 1A schematic bird's-eye view.

[0031] Figure 2 is a schematic top perspective view of a vehicle cab including a display and an interior camera.

[0032] Figure 3A Schematically shows an example bird's-eye view image of a commercial vehicle.

[0033] Figure 3B is Figure 3A an enlarged view of the bird's-eye view image.

[0034] Figure 4 is a flowchart of an example method for determining a trailer angle.

[0035] Figure 5 is Figure 4 a flowchart of an example implementation of the steps of the flowchart. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Schematic diagrams of a commercial vehicle 10 are shown in Figure 1A , Figure 1B , Figure 1C and Figure 1Dis shown. Vehicle 10 includes a vehicle cab or "tractor 12" for pulling a trailer 14, where the trailer 14 pivots relative to the tractor 12 during turning. Although vehicle 10 is depicted in the present disclosure as a commercial truck with a single trailer, it should be understood that other commercial vehicle configurations (e.g., different types or numbers of trailers, articulated buses, etc.) may be used.

[0037] A pair of camera arms 16A, 16B include respective bases fixed to, for example, the cab 12. The pivoting arms are supported by the bases and can be articulated relative to the bases. At least one rearward facing camera 20A, 20B (generally camera 20) is respectively disposed within the camera arms 16A, 16A. The external cameras 20A, 20B respectively provide an external field of view FOV EX1 , FOV EX2 , each field of view including at least one of Class II and Class IV views ( Figure 1B ), which are legally required views in the commercial trucking industry. The Class II view of a given side of vehicle 10 is a subset of the Class IV view of the same side of vehicle 10. If desired, multiple cameras may also be used in each camera arm 16A, 16B to provide these views. For example, Class II (narrow) and Class IV (wide angle) views are defined in European R46 legislation, and the United States and other countries have similar driving visibility requirements for commercial trucks. Any reference to "Class" views is not intended to be restrictive, but rather to serve as an example of the type of view provided by a particular camera to a display. Each arm 16A - 16B may also provide a housing enclosing electronics (e.g., controllers) for providing various features of the CMS 15. For example, the camera arms 16A - 16B may be mounted in a roof-mounted position above the cab door (as shown), or on a door-mounted bracket or stand.

[0038] If video of Class V and Class VI views is also desired, camera housing 16C and camera 20C may be disposed at or near the front of vehicle 10 to provide those views ( Figure 1B ).

[0039] A rear trailer camera 20D may be provided, which provides a field of view FOV EX3 . For example, the rear trailer camera 20D may be mounted at the top / centerline of the trailer, at the bumper / cargo bed level of the trailer, or at the top corner of the rear of the trailer. Alternatively or in addition to the rear trailer camera, a "fifth wheel camera" 20E may be provided, which is mounted to the rear of the tractor and provides a field of view FOV EX4 . For example, the fifth wheel camera 20E may be mounted at any position between the lateral plane of the fifth wheel fixture and the top / roof edge of the tractor.

[0040] As Figures 1C - 1D shown, the "kingpin" 11 is the pivot point between the tractor 12 and the trailer 14 and allows the trailer 14 to pivot relative to the tractor 12 during a turn. The tractor 12 has a central longitudinal axis L1, and the trailer 14 has a central longitudinal axis L2. As Figure 1B shown, when the tractor 12 is not turning, the axes L1, L2 are parallel or coaxial and there is no angle between the axes L1, L2. As Figure 1C shown, when the tractor 12 is turning, an angle θ is formed between the axes L1, L2 T . The angle between the axes L1, L2 (which is approximately 20° in Figure 1C ) will be referred to herein as the "trailer angle".

[0041] Now referring to Figure 2 and continuing to refer to Figures 1A - 1B , the camera mirror system (CMS) 15 includes a driver-side camera arm 16A and a passenger-side camera arm 16B mounted external to the vehicle cab 12 ( Figure 1A ). If desired, the camera arms 16A, 16B may also include conventional mirrors integrated therewith, but the CMS 15 can be used to completely replace the mirrors. In additional examples, each side may include multiple camera arms, each arm housing one or more cameras and / or mirrors. As Figure 2 shown, the CMS 15 includes a CMS controller 13, the CMS controller 13 including processing circuitry that supports the operation of the CMS 15 and is operably connected to a memory (which may include any one or combination of volatile memory elements (e.g., random access memory (RAM, such as DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, VRAM, etc.)) and / or non-volatile memory elements (e.g., ROM, hard disk drive, magnetic tape, CD-ROM, etc.)). The processing circuitry may include one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.

[0042] A first electronic display 18A and a second electronic display 18B (which may be video displays) are disposed on each of the driver side and the passenger side within the vehicle cab 12 on or near the A-pillars 19A, 19B to display Class II and Class IV views on each side of the vehicle 10, which provide rearward side views of the vehicle 10 captured by the external cameras 20A, 20B.

[0043] As described above, if video of Class V and Class VI views is also desired, the camera housing 16C and the camera 20C may be disposed at or near the front of the vehicle 10 to provide those views ( Figure 1B). A third display 18C disposed near the center of the top of the windshield within the cab 12 can be used to display Class V and Class VI views facing forward of the vehicle 10 to the driver.

[0044] If video of Class VIII views is desired, the camera housing can be disposed on the sides and rear of the vehicle 10 to provide a view including some or all of the Class VIII regions of the vehicle 10. In such an example, the third display 18C can include one or more frames displaying Class VIII views. Alternatively, additional displays can be added near the first, second, and third displays 18A, 18B, 18C, and a display dedicated to providing Class VIII views can be provided. The displays 18A, 18B, 18C face the driver area 34 within the cab 32 where the operator sits on the driver's seat 36.

[0045] Figure 3A A schematic example of an overhead view image 40 of a commercial vehicle 10 during a right turn is shown, which is based on image data from cameras 20A, 20B, and 20D. The overhead view image 40 includes a first section 42A corresponding to the image data from camera 20A, a second section 42B corresponding to the image data from camera 20B, and a third section 42C corresponding to the image data from camera 20D. The overhead view image 40 includes an expected trailer area 44A where the commercial vehicle 10 is expected to reside when the commercial vehicle 10 is not turning. However, in the image 40, the commercial vehicle turns in a manner similar to Figure 1C that depicted in, where the centerline / central longitudinal axis L1 of the tractor 12 pivots about the kingpin 11 and is angled relative to the centerline / central longitudinal axis L2 of the trailer 14. As a result, the right side of the trailer is depicted in the image area 44B.

[0046] In the image area 44B of the trailer 14, Department of Transportation (“DOT”) reflector strip sections 48A - 48B are shown. The DOT strip includes alternating colors (red and white) and is typically placed horizontally along the lowest side of the trailer.

[0047] Figure 3B Schematically shown is Figure 3AAn enlarged portion of the bird's-eye view image 40 of the trailer. As shown, the trailer image area 44B includes multiple lines 50A-50G that have been extended to see if they extend through the pivot area 52, which includes and surrounds the pivot point (kingpin 11) between the tractor 12 and the trailer 14. Lines 50A-50B (corresponding to the edges of the DOT tape section 48A) and lines 50C-50D (corresponding to the edges of the DOT tape section 48B) both extend through the pivot area 52. Lines 50E-50G corresponding to different edges of the DOT tape do not extend through the pivot area. In addition to the DOT reflective tape, a so-called "rubrail" that extends along a portion of the length of the trailer and protects the trailer 14 from friction with external objects or other items on the side of the trailer can provide useful lines that intersect the pivot area 52. It should be understood that the use of the DOT tape is a non-limiting example of a line that can be provided on the trailer and can extend through the pivot area 52, and other lines that do not correspond to the DOT tape and extend through the pivot area 52 can be used as a basis for determining the angle of the trailer.

[0048] Although Figures 3A - 3B each includes the trailer area 44A, in one or more embodiments, the bird's-eye view image may reduce or omit this area, for example, such that the pivot area is a line segment extending along the axis L2.

[0049] In one or more embodiments (e.g., as Figure 3B shown), the pivot area 52 is within the outer perimeter of the trailer in the bird's-eye view image 40. In one or more embodiments, the area of the pivot area 52 is less than 20% of the area of the trailer in the bird's-eye view image.

[0050] Figure 4 is a flowchart of an example method 100 for determining the angle of the trailer. Now refer to Figure 4 and continue to refer to Figures 3A to 3B , based on image data depicting at least one side of the trailer 14 from at least one camera 20 mounted to the commercial vehicle 10 (e.g., based on image data corresponding to sections 42A-42B or sections 42A-42C), obtain a bird's-eye view image 40 of the trailer of the commercial vehicle 10 (step 102). Detect multiple lines in the bird's-eye view image using conventional image processing techniques (step 104).

[0051] Determine which of the multiple lines 50A-50G in the bird's-eye view image 40 intersect a predefined pivot area 52 (step 106). In this example, the lines 50A-50G include lines (50A-50D) with a first portion that intersects the pivot area 52, and lines (50E-50G) with a second portion that does not intersect the pivot area 52.

[0052] Determine a trailer angle of the trailer 14 relative to the tractor 12 based at least on a first portion of multiple lines (i.e., lines 50A - 50D) that intersect a predefined pivot region (step 108), and pan a video feed of an image from at least one camera from step 102 based on a camera angle (step 110) (e.g., to keep an area around one or more sides of the trailer 14 in the field of view of a vehicle occupant on a display 18A and / or 18B).

[0053] The determination of step 108 includes excluding a second portion (50E - 50G) of multiple lines that do not intersect the predefined pivot region from the determination of the trailer angle, or assigning a greater weight to the first portion of the multiple lines than to the second portion of the multiple lines in the determination of the trailer angle. Either option serves as a kind of filtering, whereby lines outside the pivot region are de - emphasized.

[0054] Figure 5 Yes Figure 4 is a flowchart of an example implementation of steps of a flowchart. Obtain an image set (step 120), the image set including respective non - bird's - eye - view images from each of a first camera (e.g., camera 20A) and a second camera (e.g., camera 20B) on opposite sides of a commercial vehicle 10, the first camera and the second camera both being rear - facing cameras. As used herein, "rear - facing" refers to a camera oriented towards the rear of the vehicle.

[0055] Pre - process the images (step 122) to account for camera intrinsic characteristics (e.g., device - specific distortion, including the positioning of the camera lens relative to the video sensor) and / or camera extrinsic characteristics (i.e., the physical positioning of the camera on the vehicle aligned with a common real - world coordinate system, which will vary somewhat between vehicles). In one or more embodiments, this includes adjusting a first image in the image set from the first camera to account for distortion of the first camera, and adjusting a second image in the image set from the second camera to account for distortion of the second camera, and obtaining a bird's - eye - view image of step 102 from the adjusted first image and / or the adjusted second image.

[0056] Convert the image data of respective images from the image set into a bird's - eye - view image using "inverse perspective mapping" (step 124). The OpenCV "warpPerspective" function can be used as part of this conversion. The "warpPerspective" function selects four reference points on the camera image and gives their pixel coordinates and respective world coordinates in the tractor coordinate system as its input parameters for the perspective mapping transformation.

[0057] The inverse perspective mapping of step 124 converts non - bird's - eye - view images from the images in the image set of step 120 and maps them onto a bird's - eye - view of the commercial vehicle 10.

[0058] Referring again to Figure 4 , step 106 (determining which of the multiple lines in the bird's-eye view image intersects the pivot region) can involve one or more methods such as the Hough transform, elliptical filters / detectors, range finding, and / or other CV (computer vision) methods for detecting linear and near-linear features. These same techniques can be used to determine the boundaries of the trailer 14 in the image from camera 20.

[0059] The pivot point (i.e., the "kingpin") where the trailer 14 is attached to the towing vehicle 12 remains at the same coordinates in the correctly transformed bird's-eye view image regardless of the trailer angle, and thus provides a useful anchoring reference point for determining which lines within the bird's-eye view image correspond to the trailer angle while filtering out other lines and other image data that might otherwise confound conventional trailer angle detection techniques.

[0060] As described above, the determination in step 108 includes a second part (50E - 50G) of excluding multiple lines that do not intersect the predefined pivot region from the determination of the trailer angle, or assigning a greater weight to a first part of the multiple lines than to a second part of the multiple lines in the determination of the trailer angle. In either option, "radial filtering" is used.

[0061] In the "weighting" option, "radial filtering" causes linear features that intersect the pivot region of the image to be given a greater significance / weight than those that do not intersect the pivot region. The radial filtering method of selecting the most relevant lines within the transformed image can achieve a high degree of computational efficiency relative to other line detection and filtering techniques.

[0062] In one or more embodiments, method 100 includes determining a plurality of angles between the centerline of the towing vehicle 12 (e.g., axis L1) and each of the lines 50A - 50D that intersect the pivot region, and determining the trailer angle based on the plurality of angles (e.g., the average of the plurality of angles).

[0063] In one or more embodiments, method 100 includes repeating steps 102, 104, 106, and 108 to determine a plurality of trailer angles, determining an aggregate trailer angle based on the plurality of trailer angles, and providing a notification and / or panning of step 110 based on the aggregate trailer angle. The aggregate can be an average or a weighted average (e.g., the average or weighted average of the most favorably weighted lines).

[0064] In one or more embodiments, the method includes repeating steps 102, 104, 106, and 108 for a plurality of image sets to determine a sequence of a plurality of trailer angles, determining a confidence score for each of the plurality of trailer angles, and adjusting the frequency of repeating method 100 based on the confidence scores. Accordingly, a time series filter (e.g., a Kalman filter) calculation or other calculations can be used to combine a series of trailer angle estimates over time in order to reduce noise and improve the accuracy and usability of the overall camera-mirror system implementation.

[0065] Such calibration calculations (which can be continuous) can involve comparing the trailer angle estimates derived from method 100 with the trailer angles derived from other known techniques (e.g., kinematic model estimates of trailer angles) in order to improve overall accuracy and reliability. The calibration calculations can involve introducing a correction value to the trailer angle estimates derived from the bird's-eye view such that the correction value results in a "zero" angle when the tractor-trailer combination is moving forward at high speed (i.e., > 80 kph).

[0066] Method 100 provides a novel and innovative method for determining the trailer angle based on a "bird's-eye" mapping (which helps to incorporate information from multiple cameras into the logic of the algorithm). The radial filtering feature extraction technique discussed above (e.g., where lines outside the pivot region are no longer emphasized) results in a breakthrough level of performance over a range of angles and conditions, where the trailer angle can be accurately and computationally efficiently calculated.

[0067] Although example embodiments have been disclosed, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that certain modifications will fall within the scope of the claims. To that end, the following claims should be studied to determine their true scope and content.

Claims

1. A method for determining a trailer angle, the method comprising: Obtaining an aerial view image of the commercial vehicle based on image data from at least one camera mounted to the commercial vehicle, the image data depicting at least one side of the trailer, the commercial vehicle including a tractor and a trailer; Determining which line among a plurality of lines in the aerial view image intersects a predefined pivot region that includes and surrounds a pivot point between the trailer and the tractor; Determining a trailer angle of the trailer relative to the tractor based on at least a first portion of the plurality of lines that intersects the predefined pivot region; And Panning a video feed of an image from the at least one camera based on the trailer angle; Wherein, determining the trailer angle includes: Excluding a second portion of the plurality of lines that does not intersect the predefined pivot region from the determination of the trailer angle; or Assigning a greater weight to the first portion of the plurality of lines than the second portion of the plurality of lines when determining the trailer angle.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein Determining the trailer angle includes: performing an exclusion of the second portion of the plurality of lines that does not intersect the predefined pivot region from the determination of the trailer angle.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Determining the trailer angle includes: performing an assignment of a greater weight to the first portion of the plurality of lines than the second portion of the plurality of lines when determining the trailer angle.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one camera includes: a first camera and a second camera on opposite sides of the commercial vehicle, both the first camera and the second camera being rearward cameras; and Obtaining an aerial view image of the commercial vehicle based on image data from the at least one camera includes: Obtaining an image set including respective images from each of the first camera and the second camera; and Converting the image data of the respective images from the image set into the aerial view image using inverse perspective mapping.

5. The method according to claim 4, the method comprising: Adjusting a first image in the image set from the first camera to account for distortion of the first camera; And Adjusting a second image in the image set from the second camera to account for distortion of the second camera; Wherein, the aerial view image is obtained from the adjusted first image and the adjusted second image.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Determining the trailer angle of the trailer includes: Determining a plurality of angles between a centerline of the tractor and each of the at least first portions of the plurality of lines; and Determining the trailer angle based on the plurality of angles.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein The pivot region is within the outer perimeter of the trailer in the aerial view image.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein The area of the pivot region is less than 20% of the area of the trailer in the aerial view image.

9. The method according to claim 4, the method comprising: Repeating the obtaining step and the determining step for a plurality of image sets to determine a sequence of a plurality of trailer angles; Determining a confidence score for each of the plurality of trailer angles; And Adjusting the frequency of performing the utilization step, the obtaining step, and the determining step based on the confidence score.

10. The method according to claim 1, the method comprising: Repeating the obtaining step and the determining step for a plurality of image sets to determine a plurality of trailer angles; Determining a total trailer angle based on the plurality of trailer angles; And Performing the panning based on the total trailer angle.

11. A system for a commercial vehicle, the system comprising: At least one camera mounted to the commercial vehicle, the commercial vehicle comprising a tractor and a trailer; And A processing circuit operably connected to a memory and configured to: Obtain an overhead view image of the commercial vehicle based on image data from the at least one camera; Determine which one of a plurality of lines in the overhead view image intersects a predefined pivot region including and surrounding a pivot point between the trailer and the tractor; Determine a trailer angle of the trailer relative to the tractor based on at least a first portion of the plurality of lines that intersects the predefined pivot region; And Pan a video feed of an image from the at least one camera based on the trailer angle; Wherein, to determine the trailer angle, the processing circuit is configured to: Exclude a second portion of the plurality of lines that does not intersect the predefined pivot region from the determination of the trailer angle; or Assign a greater weight to the first portion of the plurality of lines than to the second portion of the plurality of lines when determining the trailer angle.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein, To determine the trailer angle, the processing circuit is configured to: Exclude the second portion of the plurality of lines that does not intersect the predefined pivot region from the determination of the trailer angle.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein To determine the trailer angle, the processing circuit is configured to: Assign a greater weight to the first portion of the plurality of lines than to the second portion of the plurality of lines when determining the trailer angle.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein: The at least one camera comprises: a first camera and a second camera on opposite sides of the commercial vehicle, both the first camera and the second camera being rearward cameras; and To obtain the overhead view image of the commercial vehicle based on image data from the at least one camera, the processing circuit is configured to: Obtain an image set including respective images from each of the first camera and the second camera; and Convert image data of the respective images from the image set into an overhead view image using inverse perspective mapping.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein, The processing circuit is configured to: Adjust a first image in the image set from the first camera to account for distortion of the first camera; and Adjust a second image in the image set from the second camera to account for distortion of the second camera; Wherein, the overhead view image is obtained from the adjusted first image and the adjusted second image.

16. The system according to claim 11, wherein, To determine the trailer angle of the trailer relative to the tractor based on at least a first portion of the plurality of lines that intersects the predefined pivot region, the processing circuit is configured to: Determine a plurality of angles between a centerline of the tractor and each of the at least first portion of the plurality of lines; Determine the trailer angle based on the plurality of angles.

17. The system according to claim 11, wherein The pivot area is within the outer perimeter of the trailer in the bird's-eye view image.

18. The system according to claim 11, wherein, The area of the pivot area is less than 20% of the area of the trailer in the bird's-eye view image.

19. The system according to claim 11, wherein, The processing circuit is configured to: Determine a plurality of trailer angles; Determine a confidence score for each of the plurality of trailer angles; and Adjust the frequency of determining the trailer angle based on the confidence score.

20. The system according to claim 11, the system comprising: Determine a plurality of trailer angles; Determine a total trailer angle based on the plurality of trailer angles; and And Perform the pan based on the total trailer angle.

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