Trailer Coupling Camera Layout With Unified Rear View
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing camera systems require drivers to mentally switch between multiple screen motifs during the coupling process of a trailer vehicle to a tractor vehicle, leading to potential vehicle damage and safety risks due to imprecise alignment.
Innovation Solution
A camera system with two cameras, one capturing safety-relevant regions behind the tractor and another capturing coupling-relevant regions, merges their images seamlessly onto a single display, allowing the driver to view both areas simultaneously without switching.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If multiple cameras are used to capture different regions, then the coverage of visible areas is improved, but the driver's cognitive load increases due to the need to switch between multiple screen motifs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple camera views into a single composite screen motif that displays both the safety-relevant region and coupling-relevant region simultaneously. This allows the driver to view both areas on one screen without switching between multiple displays, maintaining comprehensive coverage while reducing cognitive load.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses offset mounting of the second camera relative to the first camera along vehicle axes to capture additional spatial information. This dimensional offset enables the system to capture both safety-relevant and coupling-relevant regions from different perspectives, which are then integrated into a single composite view.
2Measurement precision
If cameras are mounted at different positions to capture specific regions, then the precision of capturing specific areas is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent assigns different functional qualities to different camera regions: the first camera captures the safety-relevant region (SD) while the second camera, mounted offset, captures the coupling-relevant region (SR). Each camera is optimized for its specific capture zone, with the second camera positioned to see areas obscured by the tractor body from the first camera's perspective.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the monitoring task into two segmented camera functions: one dedicated to safety monitoring and another to coupling alignment. This segmentation allows each camera to be optimized for its specific purpose while the composite screen motif integrates both views, managing system complexity through functional division.
3Device complexity
If a single camera is used to capture both regions, then the system complexity is reduced, but the precision of capturing both regions simultaneously is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the outputs of two offset-mounted cameras into a single composite screen motif that presents both safety-relevant and coupling-relevant regions simultaneously. This merging approach maintains the precision benefits of multiple cameras while presenting a unified view that simplifies the driver's task.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite screen motif acts as an intermediary that translates multiple camera perspectives into a single integrated display. This intermediary processing layer combines the precise regional captures from offset cameras into a unified view, maintaining precision while reducing the complexity of multiple separate displays.
Data Source
AI summary
A camera system for the accurate coupling of a trailer vehicle to a tractor vehicle, having a first camera that is attachable to the tractor vehicle and provides first image data, and a second camera that provides second image data and is attached in an offset manner on one of the vehicle axes (x, y, z) of the tractor vehicle with respect to the first camera, wherein the first and second image data are displayed as a common screen motif on a display device installed in the driver's cab. The first and second cameras are oriented such that a safety-relevant region (SD) behind the tractor vehicle is recorded by the first camera and a coupling-relevant region (SR), in which a coupling element, to be controlled, of the trailer vehicle is discernible, is recorded by the second camera.