Trailer Coupler Detection for Stable Hitch Alignment Display
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing driving assistance systems for towing vehicles face challenges in accurately determining the distance to a coupler and stabilizing the timing for displaying a bird's-eye view image, leading to user difficulty in aligning the hitch ball and coupler during backward movement.
Innovation Solution
A driving assistance device equipped with a captured image acquisition unit, bird's-eye view image generation unit, image recognition unit, and distance acquisition unit, which displays a bird's-eye view image only when the distance to the coupler is less than a threshold, ensuring accurate distance measurement and timely display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the timing for displaying the bird's-eye view image is determined based on a predetermined distance threshold, then the display timing can be simplified, but the accuracy of distance measurement and appropriateness of display timing deteriorates due to inaccurate distance calculation from touch operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual touch operation-based distance estimation with an image recognition-based automatic detection system. The image recognition unit automatically identifies the coupler in the captured image and calculates the actual distance from the towing vehicle to the coupler, substituting the mechanical touch interaction with an automated visual detection system that provides accurate distance measurements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an image recognition unit as an intermediary between the camera system and the display control system. This intermediary processes the captured image to detect the coupler position and calculate accurate distance, serving as a mediator that translates visual information into precise distance data for controlling the bird's-eye view image display timing.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the backward movement path is allowed to vary based on relative position and angle, then the flexibility and adaptability of the towing operation is improved, but the stability and predictability of the bird's-eye view image display timing deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic display control system that continuously monitors the actual distance to the coupler during backward movement and adjusts the display timing accordingly. Instead of relying on fixed predetermined timing, the system dynamically determines when to display the bird's-eye view image based on real-time distance measurements, allowing it to adapt to varying movement paths while maintaining stable and appropriate display timing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback control by continuously measuring the actual distance to the coupler using image recognition and using this feedback information to control the display timing of the bird's-eye view image. The system receives feedback about the current state (distance to coupler) and adjusts the display timing based on this feedback, ensuring stable and appropriate timing regardless of variations in the backward movement path.
3Illumination intensity
If a rear image display is used to show the backward movement path, then the visibility of the path is improved, but the accuracy of distance measurement to the coupler deteriorates when positions are specified by user touch operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the image recognition unit to automatically detect and measure the coupler position directly from the captured rear image without requiring user touch operations. The system uses the same image data that provides good path visibility to automatically identify the coupler and calculate accurate distance, making the system self-sufficient in obtaining both visibility information and measurement data from the same source.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention is configured to: detect a coupler provided for connecting a towed vehicle that is a target to be towed by the towing vehicle to the towing vehicle through image recognition on the captured image; furthermore, acquire a distance from the towing vehicle to a tip of the coupler which has been detected; display an assistance image in a first display mode in which the bird's-eye view image is not included in a display target when the distance from the towing vehicle to the tip of the coupler is equal to or larger than a threshold, and display the assistance image in a second display mode in which the bird's-eye view image is included in the display target when the distance from the towing vehicle to the tip of the coupler is less than the threshold.