# US 11,897,469 B2 · System and method for adjusting trailer reverse assist parameters based upon estimated trailer position > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,897,469 B2 - Document ID: US11897469B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/451,492 - Filed: 2021-10-20 - Published: 2023-04-20 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2021-10-20 - Assignees: Continental Autonomous Mobility US, LLC - Applicants: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. - Inventors: Daniel Diessner; Brandon Herzog - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11897469B2 ## CPC - B60D 1/245: {for facilitating push back or parking of trailers} - B60W 30/18036: {Reversing} - B60D 1/62: involving supply lines, electric circuits or the like - B60W 40/06: Road conditions - B60W 40/11: Pitch movement - B60W 40/112: Roll movement - B62D 15/0285: {Parking performed automatically} - G06T 7/70: Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras (camera calibration G06T7/80) - B60W 2520/22: Articulation angle, e.g. between tractor and trailer - B60W 2552/35: Road bumpiness, e.g. potholes - B60W 2720/10: Longitudinal speed - B60W 2720/106: Longitudinal acceleration - B60W 2720/22: Articulation angle, e.g. between tractor and trailer - G06T 2207/20084: Artificial neural networks [ANN] - B60D: VEHICLE CONNECTIONS - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract A method and system for operating a vehicle's trailer reverse assist system is disclosed, including receiving vehicle sensor system data from one or more sensors supported by the vehicle. Based upon the received vehicle sensor data, a trailer pitch angle and a trailer roll angle of a coupled trailer are estimated relative to the vehicle. Surface unevenness of a surface traversed by the vehicle and the trailer is estimated, based upon the estimated trailer pitch angle and the estimated trailer roll angle. One or more parameters of the trailer reverse assist system or of the tow vehicle are adjusted based upon the estimated road surface variance. The trailer reverse assist system of the tow vehicle is subsequently operated using the adjusted one or more parameters. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for operating a trailer reverse assist system of a tow vehicle coupled to a trailer, the trailer reverse assist system including data processing hardware, the method comprising: receiving, at the data processing hardware, vehicle sensor system data from one or more sensors supported by the vehicle; estimating, based upon the received vehicle sensor data, a trailer pitch angle and a trailer roll angle, relative to the tow vehicle; estimating, at the data processing hardware, surface unevenness of a surface traversed by the tow vehicle and the trailer, based upon the estimated trailer pitch angle and the estimated trailer roll angle; adjusting, at the data processing hardware, one or more parameters of the trailer reverse assist system or of the tow vehicle based upon the estimated surface unevenness; operating, by the data processing hardware, the trailer reverse assist system of the tow vehicle using the adjusted one or more parameters; and, determining, at the data processing hardware, trailer pitch angle variance based upon the estimated trailer pitch angle, and determining, at the data processing hardware, trailer roll angle variance based upon the estimated trailer roll angle, wherein estimating the surface unevenness is based upon the trailer pitch angle variance and the trailer roll angle variance. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, at the data processing hardware, a derivative of the trailer pitch angle variance and a derivative of the trailer roll angle variance, wherein estimating the surface unevenness is based upon the derivative of the trailer pitch angle variance and the derivative of the trailer roll angle variance. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusted one or more parameters comprises a maximum yaw angle between the tow vehicle and the trailer during a reverse maneuver of the tow vehicle and the trailer. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusted one or more parameters comprises at least one of a maximum speed or a maximum acceleration of the tow vehicle during a reverse maneuver of the tow vehicle and the trailer. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusted one or more parameters comprises a dynamic response of the trailer reverse assist system or of the tow vehicle. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the dynamic response of the trailer reverse assist system comprises at least one of a degree of sensitivity of a steering system of the tow vehicle or a degree of an acceleration system of the tow vehicle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein estimating the surface unevenness is further based upon at least one of speed of the tow vehicle, acceleration of the tow vehicle or a wheel pulse counter value of the tow vehicle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein estimating the trailer pitch angle and estimating the trailer roll angle are performed when the tow vehicle is operating at least one of a reverse maneuver or a forward maneuver. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein estimating the surface unevenness comprises estimating surface variance of the surface traversed by the tow vehicle and the trailer. ### Claim 10 A trailer reverse assist system of a tow vehicle coupled to a trailer, the trailer reverse assist system comprising: data processing hardware; and non-transitory memory hardware in communication with the data processing hardware, the non-transitory memory hardware storing instructions that when executed on the data processing hardware cause the data processing hardware to perform operations comprising: receiving vehicle sensor system data from one or more sensors supported by the vehicle; estimating, based upon the received vehicle sensor data, a trailer pitch angle and a trailer roll angle, relative to the tow vehicle; estimating surface unevenness of a surface traversed by the trailer based upon the estimated trailer pitch angle and the estimated trailer roll angle; adjusting one or more parameters of the trailer reverse assist system or of the tow vehicle based upon the estimated surface unevenness; operating the trailer reverse assist system and the tow vehicle using the adjusted one or more parameters; and determining trailer pitch angle variance based upon the estimated trailer pitch angle, and determining, at the data processing hardware, trailer roll angle variance based upon the estimated trailer roll angle, wherein estimating the surface unevenness is based upon the trailer pitch angle variance and the trailer roll angle variance. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The trailer reverse assist system of claim 10, the instructions, when executed on the data processing hardware, causes the data processing hardware to further perform operations comprising determining a derivative of the trailer pitch angle variance and a derivative of the trailer roll angle variance, wherein estimating the surface unevenness is based upon the derivative of the trailer pitch angle variance and the derivative of the trailer roll angle variance. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The trailer reverse assist system of claim 10, wherein the adjusted one or more parameters comprises at least one of a maximum speed or a maximum acceleration of the tow vehicle during a reverse maneuver of the tow vehicle and the trailer. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The trailer reverse assist system of claim 10, wherein the adjusted one or more parameters comprises a dynamic response of the trailer reverse assist system or of the tow vehicle. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The trailer reverse assist system of claim 13, wherein the dynamic response of the trailer reverse assist system comprises at least one of a degree of sensitivity of a steering system or a degree of an acceleration system of the tow vehicle. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The trailer reverse assist system of claim 10, wherein estimating the surface unevenness is further based upon at least one of speed of the tow vehicle, acceleration of the tow vehicle or a wheel pulse counter value of the tow vehicle. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The trailer reverse assist system of claim 10, wherein estimating the trailer pitch angle and estimating the trailer roll angle are performed when the tow vehicle is operating at least one of a reverse maneuver or a forward maneuver. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The trailer reverse assist system of claim 10, wherein estimating the surface unevenness comprises estimating surface variance of the surface traversed by the tow vehicle and the trailer. ### Claim 18 A computer software product for a trailer reverse assist system comprising computer program instructions, stored on non-transitory memory hardware and which, when executed by data processing hardware, causes the data processing hardware to perform operations comprising: receiving vehicle sensor system data from one or more sensors supported by a tow vehicle; estimating, based upon the received vehicle sensor data, a trailer pitch angle and a trailer roll angle of a trailer coupled to the tow vehicle, relative to the tow vehicle; estimating surface unevenness of a surface traversed by the trailer based upon the estimated trailer pitch angle and the estimated trailer roll angle; adjusting one or more parameters of the trailer reverse assist system or of the tow vehicle based upon the estimated surface unevenness; operating the trailer reverse assist system and the tow vehicle using the adjusted one or more parameters; and determining at least one of trailer pitch angle variance based upon the estimated trailer pitch angle, or trailer roll angle variance based upon the estimated trailer roll angle, wherein estimating the surface unevenness is based upon the at least one of trailer pitch angle variance or the trailer roll angle variance. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The computer software product of claim 18, wherein determining the at least one of trailer pitch angle variance or the trailer roll angle variance comprises determining the trailer pitch angle variance and the trailer roll angle variance, and wherein estimating the surface unevenness is based upon the trailer pitch angle variance and the trailer roll angle variance. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The computer software product of claim 18, further comprising determining, at the data processing hardware, a derivative of the at least one of the trailer pitch angle variance or the trailer pitch roll angle variance, wherein estimating the surface unevenness is based upon the derivative of the at least one of the trailer pitch angle variance or the derivative of the trailer roll angle variance. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The computer software product of claim 20, wherein determining the derivative of the at least one of the trailer pitch angle variance or the trailer pitch roll angle variance comprises determining the derivative of the trailer pitch angle variance and the trailer pitch roll angle variance, and wherein estimating the surface unevenness is based upon the derivative of the trailer pitch angle variance and the derivative of the trailer roll angle variance. ### Claim 22 (depends on 18) The computer software product of claim 18, wherein determining the at least one of trailer pitch angle variance or trailer roll angle variance comprises determining the trailer roll angle variance, and wherein estimating the surface unevenness is based upon the trailer roll angle variance.