Trailer Backup Assist Gesture Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Reversing a vehicle while towing a trailer is challenging due to the need for opposite steering inputs and amplified steering errors, with existing systems requiring complex human-machine interfaces and assumptions of straight paths, failing to account for curved paths and jackknife conditions effectively.
Innovation Solution
A trailer backup assist system that uses video images to detect user gestures and control the tow vehicle to back the trailer based on these commands, allowing for intuitive path curvature control and prevention of jackknife conditions through kinematic calculations and power-assisted steering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a trailer backup assist system assumes a zero curvature path for the vehicle-trailer combination, then the system can be simpler to implement, but the system significantly limits usefulness for real-world curved path scenarios
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts the desired path curvature based on detected driver gestures. The curvature parameter is not fixed but changes in real-time according to the driver's hand movements, allowing the system to transition from simple straight-line backup to complex curved path following without requiring pre-programmed paths or complex map data.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the driver's natural gestures to automatically determine path curvature requirements. Instead of requiring the driver to explicitly specify path parameters through complex interfaces, the system interprets the driver's intuitive hand movements to self-determine the desired curvature, simplifying the interaction while maintaining versatility.
2Measurement precision
If complex human machine interface devices are used to specify path, obstacles and goal, then path specification accuracy is improved, but the interface complexity and system cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces complex mechanical or electronic interface devices (knobs, buttons, touchscreens) with a gesture-based control system. The driver's hand movements in the air are captured by sensors and translated into path curvature commands, eliminating the need for physical interface components while maintaining precise control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary gesture recognition layer between the driver and the vehicle control systems. Instead of directly manipulating vehicle parameters through complex interfaces, the driver makes simple gestures that the system interprets and translates into appropriate steering and path curvature adjustments.
3Measurement precision
If high precision GPS and inertial navigation are used to determine desired path and stopping point, then positioning accuracy is improved, but system cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and uses only the essential positioning information needed for trailer backup (relative position and curvature) rather than implementing a complete high-precision navigation system with GPS and inertial sensors. The gesture-based control provides sufficient accuracy for the specific task without the overhead of complex navigation infrastructure.
4Measurement precision
If the system requires known path from map or path planner before backing commences, then path planning accuracy is improved, but the system setup time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary path planning on-the-fly during the backup maneuver itself rather than requiring pre-computation before backing commences. As the driver gestures to indicate desired curvature, the system continuously updates the path plan in real-time, eliminating the need for time-consuming pre-planning while maintaining accuracy through continuous gesture-based adjustments.
Data Source
AI summary
A trailer target detection system includes a camera located on a vehicle and arranged to capture video images of a trailer towed by the vehicle. The system includes an image processor processing the video images to detect a gesture by a user indicative of position of target on the trailer and identifying location of the target based on the detected gesture. A vehicle trailer backup assist system includes a camera and an image processor for processing images to detect a gesture and determine a command based on the gesture. The processor controls backing of the trailer based on the command.