US 11,989,902 B2
Vehicular trailering assist system with trailer beam length estimation
Mohammadmehdi Jalalmaab, Waterloo (CA); and Jyothi P. Gali, Rochester Hills, MI (US)
Assigned to Magna Electronics Inc., Auburn Hills, MI (US)
Filed by Magna Electronics Inc., Auburn Hills, MI (US)
Filed on Dec. 10, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/643,596.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/199,155, filed on Dec. 10, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0189052 A1, Jun. 16, 2022
Int. Cl. G06T 7/60 (2017.01); B60D 1/36 (2006.01); G06T 7/20 (2017.01); G06T 7/70 (2017.01); H04N 23/80 (2023.01)
CPC G06T 7/60 (2013.01) [G06T 7/20 (2013.01); G06T 7/70 (2017.01); H04N 23/80 (2023.01); B60D 1/36 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30252 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicular trailer beam estimation system, the vehicular trailer beam estimation system comprising:
a camera disposed at a rear portion of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular trailer beam estimation system;
wherein the camera comprises a CMOS imaging array, and wherein the CMOS imaging array comprises at least one million photosensors arranged in rows and columns;
wherein the camera views at least rearward of the vehicle, the camera capturing image data;
wherein the vehicle is equipped with a trailer hitch and, with a trailer hitched at the trailer hitch of the vehicle, the camera views at least a portion of the trailer hitched at the trailer hitch of the vehicle;
an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising electronic circuitry and associated software, the electronic circuitry comprising an image processor operable to process image data captured by the camera;
wherein the vehicular trailer beam estimation system, responsive at least in part to processing by the image processor of image data captured by the camera, determines a trailer angle, the trailer angle comprising an angle between a longitudinal axis of the trailer and a longitudinal axis of the vehicle;
wherein, during a driving maneuver of the vehicle, the vehicular trailer beam estimation system tracks trailering parameters comprising at least (i) the determined trailer angle, (ii) steering angle of the vehicle and (iii) speed of the vehicle; and
wherein the vehicular trailer beam estimation system determines beam length of the trailer based at least in part on (i) the trailering parameters tracked during the driving maneuver, (ii) the vehicle's wheelbase and (iii) hitch length of the trailer hitch of the vehicle, the hitch length comprising distance along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle from a rear axle of the vehicle to a hitch ball of the trailer hitch of the vehicle.