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US 10,384,609 B2Granted
Vehicle rear object proximity system using multiple cameras
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsYi Zhang, Erick Michael Lavoie
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vehicle hitch assistance system includes first and second cameras on an exterior of the vehicle and an image processor. The image processor is programmed to identify an object in image data received from the first and second cameras and determine a height and a position of the object using the image data. The system further includes a controller outputting a steering command to a vehicle steering system to selectively guide the vehicle away from or into alignment with the object.
Claims12
A vehicle hitch assistance system, comprising:
- first and second cameras on an exterior of the vehicle;
- and
- an image processor programmed to:
- identify a first object in image data received from the first and second cameras as a hitch of a trailer and a second object in the image data as an obstacle;
- and
- combine the data received from the first and second cameras into stereoscopic image data;
- determine a height and a position of the hitch of the trailer and of the obstacle, respectively, using the image data by reconstructing a three-dimensional scene of a portion of an area surrounding the vehicle using the stereoscopic image data;
- and
- a controller outputting a steering command to a vehicle steering system to guide the vehicle into alignment with the hitch of the trailer and to guide the vehicle away from the obstacle, including by processing two dimensional image data from one of the first or second vehicle cameras to track the position of the hitch of the trailer relative to the vehicle within the three-dimensional scene only when the trailer hitch is not present within image data from the other of the first and second cameras.
6 more elements
A vehicle, comprising:
- a steering system;
- a hitch ball mounted on an exterior of the vehicle;
- first and second cameras on the exterior;
- and
- a hitch assistance system, including:
- an image processor programmed to:
- combine the data received from the first and second cameras into stereoscopic image data;
- identify a first object in image data received from the first and second cameras as a hitch of a trailer and a second object in the image data as an obstacle;
- and
- determine a height and a position of the hitch of the trailer and of the obstacle, respectively, using the image data by reconstructing a three-dimensional scene of a portion of an area surrounding the vehicle using the stereoscopic image data;
- and
- a controller outputting a steering command to the steering system to guide the hitch ball into alignment with the hitch of the trailer and to guide the vehicle away from the obstacle, including by processing two dimensional image data from one of the first or second vehicle cameras to track the position of the hitch of the trailer relative to the vehicle within the three-dimensional scene only when the trailer hitch is not present within image data from the other of the first and second cameras.
9 more elements
A method for assisting a vehicle in hitching with a trailer, comprising:
- processing image data received from first and second vehicle cameras to:
- identify a hitch of the trailer and an obstacle in the image data received from the first and second cameras;
- combine the data received from the first and second cameras into stereoscopic image data;
- and
- determine a height and a position of the hitch of the trailer and of the obstacle, respectively, using the image data by reconstructing a three-dimensional scene of a portion of an area surrounding the vehicle using the stereoscopic image data;
- and
- controlling a vehicle steering system to guide the vehicle into alignment of a vehicle hitch ball with the hitch of the trailer and to guide the vehicle away from the obstacle, including by processing two dimensional image data from one of the first or second vehicle cameras to track the position of the hitch of the trailer relative to the vehicle within the three-dimensional scene only when the trailer hitch is not present within image data from the other of the first and second cameras.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.