US 12,265,154 B2
Assisting reverse driving of a combination
Mohamed Radwan, Cairo (EG); and Ahmed Elagroudy, Cairo (EG)
Assigned to VALEO SCHALTER UND SENSOREN GMBH, Bietigheim-Bissingen (DE)
Filed by Valeo Schalter und Sensoren GmbH, Bietigheim-Bissingen (DE)
Filed on Jan. 11, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/572,966.
Prior Publication US 2022/0221580 A1, Jul. 14, 2022
Int. Cl. G01S 15/08 (2006.01); B60Q 9/00 (2006.01); B60T 7/22 (2006.01); G06T 7/60 (2017.01)
CPC G01S 15/08 (2013.01) [B60Q 9/008 (2013.01); B60T 7/22 (2013.01); G06T 7/60 (2013.01); B60T 2230/08 (2013.01); B60T 2250/00 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30252 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for assisting reverse driving of a combination, the combination comprising a motor vehicle with a hitch and a trailer with a drawbar rotatably attached to the hitch, the method comprising:
determining an actual value for a hitch angle of the combination by a computing unit of the combination depending on sensor data generated by a hitch angle sensor system of the combination;
determining a hitch length of the trailer, which is given by a distance between a trailer body of the trailer and the hitch, by the computing unit depending on environmental sensor data generated by an environmental sensor system of the combination;
determining a collision value for the hitch angle by the computing unit depending on the hitch length and a predefined distance between a collision point of the hitch and a collision point of the motor vehicle;
determining a jackknife value for the hitch angle by the computing unit; and
determining a first critical value and a second critical value by the computing unit depending on a minimum of the collision value and the jackknife value, wherein an absolute value of the second critical value is greater than an absolute value of the first critical value,
wherein the collision point of the motor vehicle corresponds to an outermost point on a body of the motor vehicle in a lateral direction of the motor vehicle; and
triggering safety measures by the computing unit depending on the actual value, the collision value and the jackknife value, wherein:
a first safety measure is triggered depending on a result of a comparison of the actual value to the first critical value by the computing unit; and
a second safety measure is triggered depending on a result of a comparison of the actual value to the second critical value by the computing,
wherein the safety measures include carrying out an automatic braking maneuver of the motor vehicle.