Trailer Length Estimation Using Camera Corner Detection

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Autonomous vehicles towing trailers face inconvenience and safety risks due to the need for manual input of trailer length, which can lead to errors in movement paths and potential accidents like lane encroachments and collisions.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle control apparatus and method that uses cameras to obtain surrounding images, allowing a controller to estimate the position of trailer corner points and calculate the trailer length based on these positions, thereby eliminating the need for manual input.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the driver manually inputs the trailer length, then the system can obtain trailer specification information, but the driver experiences inconvenience and may input incorrect data leading to safety risks

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetrailer length accuracyVSAvoiddriver operation convenience

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs self-measurement of trailer length using cameras and corner point detection algorithms. The autonomous vehicle automatically captures images of the trailer, detects corner points, calculates distances, and determines trailer length without requiring driver intervention or manual input, thereby eliminating operational inconvenience while ensuring measurement accuracy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The manual mechanical process of driver input is replaced with an optical measurement system using cameras, image processing, and geometric calculations. The system substitutes human operation with automated visual detection and computational geometry to measure trailer length, improving both reliability and ease of operation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Reliability

If the driver inputs trailer length, then the system can determine movement paths, but errors in input lead to lane encroachments and collisions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemovement path accuracyVSAvoidtrailer length measurement accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces manual driver input with an automated optical measurement system using cameras and image processing. By detecting corner points in images and calculating distances through geometric relationships, the system obtains precise trailer length measurements that directly inform accurate movement path determination, eliminating errors associated with manual input

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates a visual copy of the trailer through camera imaging and uses this optical representation to measure dimensions. By working with the image copy and detecting corner points within it, the system accurately determines trailer length without physical contact or manual measurement, ensuring precision for movement path calculation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Productivity

If manual input method is used, then the system is simple to operate, but it requires frequent driver intervention when trailers are changed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetrailer change processing efficiencyVSAvoidtime for driver input

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system maintains continuous automated measurement capability that operates whenever a trailer is attached to the autonomous vehicle. Unlike manual input that requires intermittent driver intervention, the camera-based system continuously captures images and processes trailer length data automatically, eliminating time loss during trailer changes and improving overall productivity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Solution Approach 2:

The autonomous vehicle performs self-measurement of trailer length automatically upon attachment. The system uses its onboard cameras to detect the newly attached trailer, identify corner points, calculate length, and update its operational parameters without requiring driver intervention, thereby eliminating time loss and improving efficiency during trailer changes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS12330662B2Apparatus and method for controlling vehicle

Publication Date: 2025.06.17 HYUNDAI MOTOR CO LTD

AI summary

A vehicle control apparatus includes a camera that obtains a surrounding image of a vehicle, and a controller that estimates a position of a first corner point and a position of a second corner point of a trailer connected to the vehicle based on the surrounding image, estimates a position of a third corner point of the trailer using a position of the camera, the position of the first corner point, and the position of the second corner point, and estimates a length of the trailer based on the position of the first corner point and the position of the third corner point. The vehicle control apparatus improves the stability of autonomous driving by reducing the risk of lane encroachments and vehicle collisions, by allowing an autonomous vehicle towing a trailer to actively estimate the length of the trailer.