Trailer Angle Detection for Assisted Trailer Reversing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rear vision systems for vehicles lack effective means to detect the angle of a trailer being pulled, which can lead to instability and difficulty in reversing maneuvers, as they do not provide real-time feedback on trailer alignment or sway during towing and backing up.
Innovation Solution
A rear vision system equipped with a camera and image processor that detects the angle of a trailer by recognizing patterns or targets on the trailer, using algorithms such as histogram analysis and edge detection to calculate the trailer's angle relative to the vehicle, and can generate alerts or control vehicle systems to adjust for trailer sway or alignment during towing and reversing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a rear vision system displays images from a rearward facing camera, then the driver can see behind the vehicle, but the system cannot detect trailer angle or sway without additional detection capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a target object placed on the trailer as an intermediary element. The rearward facing camera captures images of this target, and image processing algorithms analyze the target's position and orientation to determine trailer angle and sway. This intermediary target enables angle detection without requiring complex sensors on the trailer itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical angle sensing devices with an optical-based image processing system. Instead of using mechanical gyroscopes or angle sensors on the trailer, the system uses a camera to capture visual information and computational algorithms to extract trailer orientation data, thereby reducing mechanical complexity.
2Reliability
If the system processes images in real-time to detect trailer angle, then trailer sway can be detected and corrected, but processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs pre-computed lookup tables that store the relationship between target position in the image and corresponding trailer angle. During real-time operation, the system only needs to locate the target and query the pre-computed table, rather than performing complex angle calculations from scratch. This preliminary preparation significantly reduces processing time while maintaining detection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The image processing is segmented into distinct stages: target detection, target position extraction, and angle calculation using pre-computed relationships. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized independently, with the most computationally intensive calculations being performed offline rather than in real-time.
3Area of stationary object
If the camera is mounted at the rear end of the vehicle with wide angle field of view, then the entire trailer can be captured, but the precision of angle measurement decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a high-contrast target with distinctive geometric features as an intermediary reference object. This target serves as a measurable reference that maintains precision even when captured by a wide-angle camera, as the target's known geometry and high contrast make it easily detectable and measurable in the distorted wide-angle image.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter being measured from direct physical distance to angular position in the image plane. By using the known position of the target and calculating its angular displacement from the center of the image, the system can determine trailer angle with precision that is independent of the camera's field of view width.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for backing up a trailer hitched to a vehicle includes mounting a rear backup camera at a vehicle and hitching a trailer at the hitch of the vehicle. Responsive to processing captured image data by a processor of the control, at least a portion of the trailer tongue of the trailer is detected using an edge detection algorithm. Responsive to processing at the control of image data captured by the rear backup camera during a backing up maneuver of the trailer hitched to the vehicle, trailer angle of the trailer relative to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle is determined. The control, based at least in part on trailer angle of the trailer, controls a steering system of the vehicle during the backing up maneuver of the trailer hitched to the vehicle to back up the trailer hitched to the vehicle along a rearward trajectory.