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US 10,870,323 B2Granted
Compensation for trailer coupler geometry in automatic hitch operation
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsLuke Niewiadomski, George Edmund Walley, III, Chen Zhang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle hitch assistance system includes a steering system and a controller. The controller acquires position data for a coupler of a trailer, derives a vehicle path to position a center of a hitch ball of the vehicle at an interference offset past a centerline of the coupler in a driving direction of the vehicle path, and outputs a steering control signal to the steering system to maintain the vehicle along the path.
Claims20
A vehicle hitch assistance system, comprising:
- a steering system;
- and
- a controller:
- acquiring position data for a coupler of a trailer;
- deriving a vehicle path to position a center of a hitch ball of the vehicle at an interference offset past a centerline of the coupler in a driving direction of the vehicle path;
- and
- outputting a steering control signal to the steering system to maintain the vehicle along the path.
4 more elements
A method for assisting a vehicle in hitching with a trailer, comprising:
- acquiring position data for a coupler of the trailer;
- deriving a vehicle path to position a center of a vehicle hitch ball at an interference offset past a centerline of the coupler in a driving direction of the vehicle path;
- and
- generating a steering control signal to maintain the vehicle along the path and outputting the steering control signal to a steering system of the vehicle.
1 more element
A vehicle, comprising:
- a hitch ball mounted on a rear of the vehicle;
- a steering system;
- and
- a controller:
- acquiring position data for a coupler of a trailer;
- deriving a vehicle path to position a center of the hitch ball at an interference offset past a centerline of the coupler in a driving direction of the vehicle path;
- and
- outputting a steering control signal to the steering system to maintain the vehicle along the path.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.