Vehicular trailering assist system with trailer beam length estimation

A vehicular trailer beam estimation system, the vehicular trailer beam estimation system comprising:

• a camera disposed at a rear portion of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular trailer beam estimation system;
• wherein the camera comprises a CMOS imaging array, and wherein the CMOS imaging array comprises at least one million photosensors arranged in rows and columns;
• wherein the camera views at least rearward of the vehicle, the camera capturing image data;
• wherein the vehicle is equipped with a trailer hitch and, with a trailer hitched at the trailer hitch of the vehicle, the camera views at least a portion of the trailer hitched at the trailer hitch of the vehicle;
• an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising electronic circuitry and associated software, the electronic circuitry comprising an image processor operable to process image data captured by the camera;
• wherein the vehicular trailer beam estimation system, responsive at least in part to processing by the image processor of image data captured by the camera, determines a trailer angle, the trailer angle comprising an angle between a longitudinal axis of the trailer and a longitudinal axis of the vehicle;
• wherein, during a forward driving maneuver of the vehicle that includes a turning maneuver of the vehicle, and responsive to determining that the determined trailer angle is greater than a threshold angle, the vehicular trailer beam estimation system tracks trailering parameters comprising at least (i) the determined trailer angle, (ii) steering angle of the vehicle and (iii) speed of the vehicle;
• and
• wherein the vehicular trailer beam estimation system determines beam length of the trailer based at least in part on (i) the trailering parameters tracked during the forward driving maneuver, (ii) the vehicle's wheelbase and (iii) hitch length of the trailer hitch of the vehicle, the hitch length comprising distance along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle from a rear axle of the vehicle to a hitch ball of the trailer hitch of the vehicle.

A vehicular trailer beam estimation system, the vehicular trailer beam estimation system comprising:

• a rear backup camera disposed at a rear portion of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular trailer beam estimation system;
• wherein the rear backup camera comprises a CMOS imaging array, and wherein the CMOS imaging array comprises at least one million photosensors arranged in rows and columns;
• wherein the rear backup camera views at least rearward of the vehicle, the rear backup camera capturing image data;
• wherein the vehicle is equipped with a trailer hitch and, with a trailer hitched at the trailer hitch of the vehicle, the rear backup camera views at least a portion of the trailer hitched at the trailer hitch of the vehicle;
• an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising electronic circuitry and associated software, the electronic circuitry comprising an image processor operable to process image data captured by the rear backup camera;
• wherein the vehicular trailer beam estimation system, responsive at least in part to processing by the image processor of image data captured by the rear backup camera, determines a trailer angle, the trailer angle comprising an angle between a longitudinal axis of the trailer and a longitudinal axis of the vehicle;
• wherein, during a forward driving maneuver of the vehicle, the vehicular trailer beam estimation system tracks trailering parameters comprising at least (i) the determined trailer angle, (ii) steering angle of the vehicle and (iii) speed of the vehicle;
• and
• wherein the vehicular trailer beam estimation system determines beam length of the trailer based at least in part on (i) the trailering parameters tracked during the forward driving maneuver, (ii) the vehicle's wheelbase, (iii) hitch length of the trailer hitch of the vehicle and (iv) one or more vehicle-trailer kinematic equations, the hitch length comprising distance along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle from a rear axle of the vehicle to a hitch ball of the trailer hitch of the vehicle.