Non-contacting trailer hitch detector assembly

A trailer hitch detection system for a motor vehicle, comprising:

• a sensor mounted in or over an opening defined through a wall, and into an interior, of a trailer hitch receiver mounted to the motor vehicle, the sensor configured to be responsive to receipt of a trailer hitch assembly in the trailer hitch receiver to produce at least a first sensor characteristic, and to an absence of the trailer hitch assembly in the trailer hitch receiver to produce at least a second sensor characteristic discernably different from the first sensor characteristic,
• signal processing circuitry operatively coupled to the sensor and configured to produce at least a first trailer hitch detection signal in response to the first sensor characteristic and to produce at least a second trailer hitch detection signal, distinguishable from the first trailer hitch detection signal, in response to the second sensor characteristic,
• at least one notification device, and
• at least one processor or controller responsive to at least one of the first trailer hitch detection signal and the second trailer hitch detection signal to control the at least one notification device to provide a notification of a respective one of receipt of a trailer hitch assembly in the trailer hitch receiver and an absence of a trailer hitch assembly in the trailer hitch receiver.

A trailer hitch detection system for a motor vehicle, comprising:

• a sensor mounted in or over an opening defined through a wall, and into an interior, of a trailer hitch receiver mounted to the motor vehicle, the sensor configured to be responsive to receipt of a trailer hitch assembly in the trailer hitch receiver to produce at least a first sensor characteristic, and to an absence of the trailer hitch assembly in the trailer hitch receiver to produce at least a second sensor characteristic discernably different from the first sensor characteristic,
• signal processing circuitry operatively coupled to the sensor and configured to produce at least a first trailer hitch detection signal in response to the first sensor characteristic and to produce at least a second trailer hitch detection signal, distinguishable from the first trailer hitch detection signal, in response to the second sensor characteristic,
• at least one drive motor for driving a power tailgate assembly operatively mounted to the motor vehicle between a closed position and one or more open positions or at least one power latch for controlling the power tailgate assembly between a latched state and an unlatched state, wherein at least one component of the power tailgate assembly in at least one of the one or more open positions of the power tailgate assembly will contact the trailer hitch assembly received in the trailer hitch receiver,
• a switch or detector responsive to manual user activation to produce at least one tailgate activation signal to command the power tailgate assembly to the closed or any of the one or more open positions, and
• at least one processor or controller configured to be responsive to the first trailer hitch detection signal and to the at least one tailgate activation signal corresponding to a command of the power tailgate assembly to the at least one open position to disable the at least one drive motor from driving the power tailgate assembly to the at least one position or to disable the at least one latch from unlatching the tailgate assembly.