US 12,286,156 B2
Trailer GPS location storage and recall for hitch assist operation
Luke Niewiadomski, Dearborn, MI (US); George Edmund Walley, Novi, MI (US); Arnav Sharma, Canton, MI (US); Roger Arnold Trombley, Ann Arbor, MI (US); Frederic Christen, Walhorn (BE); Kyle Simmons, New Boston, MI (US); Li Xu, Northville, MI (US); and Eric Hongtei Tseng, Canton, MI (US)
Assigned to FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed by Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed on May 8, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/870,079.
Prior Publication US 2021/0347410 A1, Nov. 11, 2021
Int. Cl. B62D 15/02 (2006.01); B60R 1/26 (2022.01); B60R 11/04 (2006.01); B62D 13/06 (2006.01); G01S 19/39 (2010.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01); B60R 1/31 (2022.01)
CPC B62D 15/028 (2013.01) [B60R 1/26 (2022.01); B60R 11/04 (2013.01); B62D 13/06 (2013.01); B62D 15/021 (2013.01); G01S 19/393 (2019.08); G05D 1/0212 (2013.01); B60R 1/31 (2022.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for assisting in aligning a vehicle for hitching with a trailer, comprising:
a vehicle steering system;
a detection system positioned within the vehicle and including a camera mounted on the vehicle and outputting a signal including visual scene data of a vehicle camera field of view extending from the camera to a rear of the vehicle; and
a controller:
positioned within the vehicle;
receiving the visual scene data and attempting to identify the trailer within the vehicle camera field of view;
deriving an initial alignment path to move the vehicle relative to the trailer from an initial position wherein the trailer is outside of the vehicle camera field of view to a subsequent position wherein the trailer is within the vehicle camera field of view, wherein:
the initial alignment maneuver is based on a predetermined maneuver stored in memory associated with the controller, during an alignment maneuver recording process wherein the controller tracks a user-controlled backing maneuver of the vehicle; and
the controller recognizes a user-controlled retry maneuver during the alignment maneuver and removes the retry maneuver from the predetermined maneuver before storing the predetermined maneuver in the internal memory;
controlling the vehicle steering system from within the vehicle to maneuver the vehicle according to an initial alignment maneuver that moves the vehicle along the initial alignment path until the controller identifies the trailer within the vehicle camera field of view; and
responsive to identifying the trailer within the vehicle camera field of view, completing an automated alignment maneuver, including:
deriving a backing path to align a hitch ball mounted on the vehicle to a coupler of the trailer for connection of the coupler with the hitch ball; and
controlling the vehicle steering system from within the vehicle to maneuver the vehicle including reversing along the backing path.