Method to detect a trailer coupler position using camera-based triangulation, optimization and filtering

An electronic device, comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• processing circuitry configured to detect and utilize a 3-dimensional (3D) position of a coupler of a trailer by,
• calculating a motion of a camera mounted to a vehicle,
• determining 2-dimensional (2D) positions of the coupler within input images captured by the camera,
• estimating 3D estimated positions of the coupler based on the 2D positions of the coupler and the motion of the camera,
• optimizing the 3D estimated positions of the coupler to generate adjusted 3D coupler positions,
• filtering the adjusted 3D coupler positions to detect the 3D position of the coupler of the trailer,
• wherein the optimizing comprises:
• reprojecting the 3D estimated positions of the coupler back onto respective ones of the input images to determine reprojected 2D positions;
• determining reprojection errors between ones of the 2-dimensional (2D) positions of the coupler within the respective ones of the input images and respective ones of the reprojected 2D positions;
• and
• adjusting the 3D estimated positions of the coupler to reduce a sum of the reprojection errors, and
• guiding the vehicle based on at least the 3D position of the coupler such that a hitch ball of the vehicle approaches the coupler of the trailer.

A vehicle comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and
• memory including code that, when executed by the one or more processors, performs to detect and utilize a 3-dimensional (3D) position of a coupler of a trailer by:
• calculating a motion of a camera mounted to a vehicle;
• determining 2-dimensional (2D) positions of the coupler within input images captured by the camera;
• estimating 3D estimated positions of the coupler based on the 2D positions of the coupler and the motion of the camera;
• optimizing the 3D estimated positions of the coupler to generate adjusted 3D coupler positions;
• filtering the adjusted 3D coupler positions to detect the 3D position of the coupler of the trailer,
• wherein the optimizing comprises:
• reprojecting the 3D estimated positions of the coupler back onto respective ones of the input images to determine reprojected 2D positions;
• determining reprojection errors between ones of the 2-dimensional (2D) positions of the coupler within the respective ones of the input images and respective ones of the reprojected 2D positions;
• and
• adjusting the 3D estimated positions of the coupler to reduce a sum of the reprojection errors;
• and
• guiding the vehicle based on at least the 3D position of the coupler such that a hitch ball of the vehicle approaches the coupler of the trailer.