System and method to provide trailer backing assistance

A method for trailer backing assistance for a vehicle attached to a trailer by a movable hitch, the method comprising:

• accessing a trailer backing assistance application via one or more human-machine interfaces (HMIs) disposed within the vehicle;
• detecting an environment surrounding the vehicle with one or more sensors disposed on the vehicle;
• obtaining vehicle position information from global positioning system (GPS) satellites of a GPS;
• utilizing a remote computing system;
• utilizing a vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications network;
• executing programmatic control logic stored within a memory of one or more controllers in communication with the one or more sensors, the one or more HMIs, the GPS, and the remote computing system, via one or more input/output (I/O) ports and the V2I communications network;
• each of the one or more controllers having a processor, the memory, and the I/O ports;
• the processor executing the programmatic control logic;
• the programmatic control logic including a trailer backing assistance application (TBA), the TBA including control logic for:
• determining that a predefined set of conditions have been satisfied;
• obtaining optical data from one or more of the one or more sensors, and the remote computing system;
• processing the optical data, including performing feature detection, edge detection, edge filtering, and dimensional calculations on the optical data;
• presenting, via the HMI, a view of the environment surrounding the vehicle;
• prompting a vehicle operator for a first input;
• prompting the vehicle operator for a second input;
• calculating a current location of the vehicle from the optical data and from GPS vehicle position information;
• generating and presenting a planned path from the current location to a target location based on the first input and the second input;
• and
• continuously displaying, via the HMI while the TBA is active, a live view of the trailer and hitch and actively and dynamically adjusts on-screen instructions that guide the vehicle operator in maneuvering the vehicle and trailer along the planned path from the current location to the target location.

A method for trailer backing assistance for a vehicle attached to a trailer by a movable hitch, the method comprising:

• accessing a trailer backing assistance application (TBA) via one or more human-machine interfaces (HMIs) disposed within the vehicle;
• detecting an environment surrounding the vehicle with one or more sensors disposed on the vehicle;
• obtaining vehicle position information from global positioning system (GPS) satellites of a GPS;
• utilizing a remote computing system;
• utilizing a vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications network;
• executing programmatic control logic stored within a memory of one or more controllers in communication with the one or more sensors, the one or more HMIs, the GPS, and the remote computing system, via one or more input/output (I/O) ports and the V2I communications network;
• each of the one or more controllers having a processor, the memory, and the I/O ports;
• the processor executing the programmatic control logic;
• the programmatic control logic including the TBA, the TBA including control logic for:
• determining that a predefined set of conditions have been satisfied including:
• determining that a speed of the vehicle is equal to or less than five kilometers-per-hour;
• and
• receiving confirmation, from a vehicle operator, that the TBA should be engaged;
• obtaining optical data from one or more of the one or more sensors, and the remote computing system;
• processing the optical data including:
• performing feature detection, edge detection, edge filtering, and dimensional calculations on the optical data;
• presenting, via the HMI, presenting a top-down view of the environment surrounding the vehicle based on data obtained from GPS, from optical data from the one or more sensors, and from image data stored in the remote computing system;
• prompting the vehicle operator for a first goalpost and at least one second goalpost, wherein the first goalpost defines a first feature of a target location, and the at least one second goalpost defines at least one second feature of the target location, wherein the second goalpost is different from and separated from the first goalpost by a distance that is greater than a width of the vehicle and a width of the trailer;
• calculating a current location of the vehicle from the optical data and from GPS vehicle position information;
• generating a planned path from the current location to a target location based on the first input and the second input;
• generating an animation of the vehicle and trailer traversing the planned path;
• presenting, via the HMI, the animation of the vehicle and trailer traversing the planned path;
• prompting, via the HMI, the vehicle operator to approve the planned path, and upon receiving a vehicle operator response rejecting the planned path, generating a new planned path and presenting the new planned path, via the HMI, an animation of the vehicle and trailer traversing the new planned path;
• and upon receiving a vehicle operator response accepting the planned path or the new planned path, actively and continuously displaying a live view of the trailer and hitch and actively and continuously displaying a target trailer angle reference, a directional arrow, and on-screen instructions that direct the vehicle operator how to manipulate a steering wheel of the vehicle;
• and
• actively and dynamically adjusting the directional arrow, the planned path, and the on-screen instructions according to a quantity of error between the target trailer angle reference and directional arrow until the vehicle and trailer have arrived at the target location.