US 12,240,480 B2
Methods and systems for providing trailer guidance
Steffen P. Lindenthal, Oshawa (CA); Michael D. Alarcon, Markham (CA); Akram M. Abdel-Rahman, Ajax (CA); and Norman J. Weigert, Whitby (CA)
Assigned to GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC, Detroit, MI (US)
Filed by GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC, Detroit, MI (US)
Filed on Jun. 21, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/338,699.
Prior Publication US 2024/0425071 A1, Dec. 26, 2024
Int. Cl. B60W 50/14 (2020.01); B60K 35/00 (2024.01); B60K 35/28 (2024.01); G06T 7/10 (2017.01); G06V 20/56 (2022.01)
CPC B60W 50/14 (2013.01) [B60K 35/00 (2013.01); G06T 7/10 (2017.01); G06V 20/56 (2022.01); B60K 35/28 (2024.01); B60K 2360/173 (2024.01); B60K 2360/176 (2024.01); B60W 2050/146 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30252 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for providing guidance when reversing a vehicle towing a trailer, comprising:
receiving, from a camera of the trailer, image data associated with an environment of the vehicle, wherein the image data comprises a plurality of pixels and a location of each of the plurality of pixels is defined by x, y, coordinates;
determining, by a processor, a computed travel distance (Dtravel) of the camera;
determining, by the processor, an actual travel distance of the camera;
comparing, by the processor, the computed travel distance to the actual travel distance; and
determining, by the processor, that the camera of the trailer is at least one of partially and fully underwater based on the comparison;
in response to the determining,
determining, by the processor, underwater pixels of the plurality of pixels of the image data associated with an underwater portion of the image data;
generating, by the processor, underwater image data comprising a plurality of corrected x, y coordinates for each of the underwater pixels using a first equation and a second equation,
wherein the first equation is:
xdistorted=x(1+(k1,air+k1,water)*r2+(k2,air+k2,water)*r4+k3,air*r6),
the second equation is:
ydistorted=y(1+(k1,air+k1,water)*r2+(k2,air+k2,water)*r4+k3,air*r6),
wherein:
xdistorted and ydistorted are the corrected x, y coordinates of each of the underwater pixels,
r2=x2+y2, where the x, y coordinates are undistorted pixel locations in normalized image coordinates,
k1,air, k2,air, k3,air are radial lens distortion coefficients associated with outside air, and
k1,water, k2,water are radial distortion coefficients correcting for effects of water;
determining, by the processor, initial guidelines data based on a yaw rate of the vehicle and a hitch angle;
applying a correction factor to the initial guidelines data to generate underwater guidelines data; and
generating, by the processor, display data based on the at least one of the underwater image data and the underwater guidelines data.