US 11,702,017 B2
Vehicular trailering assist system with hitch ball detection
Jyothi P. Gali, Rochester Hills, MI (US); Harold E. Joseph, Brampton (CA); Prasanna Ananthakrishnan, Tamilnadu (IN); and Alexander Velichko, Toronto (CA)
Assigned to Magna Electronics Inc., Auburn Hills, MI (US)
Filed by Magna Electronics Inc., Auburn Hills, MI (US)
Filed on Jul. 23, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/443,257.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/705,967, filed on Jul. 24, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0024391 A1, Jan. 27, 2022
Int. Cl. B60R 11/04 (2006.01); B60R 1/00 (2022.01)
CPC B60R 11/04 (2013.01) [B60R 1/003 (2013.01); B60R 2300/808 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicular trailering assist system, the vehicular trailering assist system comprising:
a camera disposed at a rear portion of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular trailering assist system, the camera viewing at least rearward of the vehicle, wherein, with a trailer hitched to a hitch of the vehicle via a pivoting joint hitch connection of the trailer to the hitch of the vehicle, the camera views at least a portion of the trailer hitched to the hitch of the vehicle;
wherein the camera captures frames of image data that include image data representative of at least a portion of the trailer hitched to the hitch of the vehicle;
an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising electronic circuitry and associated software;
wherein the electronic circuitry comprises an image processor operable to process frames of image data captured by the camera;
wherein, with the trailer hitched to the hitch of the vehicle, the ECU, responsive to processing of frames of image data captured by the camera during a calibration maneuver by the vehicle, determines an initial trailer template for the trailer hitched to the hitch of the vehicle;
wherein the ECU, during a turning portion of the calibration maneuver, and at least in part via processing of frames of image data captured by the camera during the turning portion of the calibration maneuver, determines a hitch ball location of the hitch of the vehicle based on the determined initial trailer template;
wherein the ECU, after completion of the calibration maneuver, and via processing of frames of image data captured by the camera as the vehicle is driven along a road, and based on the determined hitch ball location, determines a current trailer angle of the trailer relative to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle as the vehicle is driven along the road; and
wherein the calibration maneuver comprises a first portion where the vehicle drives in a straight line, a second portion where the vehicle turns 180 degrees and a third portion where the vehicle drives straight.