US 6,690,413 B1 · Tractor-trailer viewing system

Abstract

This invention relates to motor vehicles, and, more particularly, to a rear viewing system for tractor-trailer vehicles. An automated, universal trailer rear viewing system that is integrated in its entirety on the head or pulling portion of a pivotally connected articulated vehicle. The system includes: (a) at least one image capturing device mounted on the tractor designed to tilt, pan and focus on a target object or an area around the trailer; (b) a computer located inside the tractor coupled to the image capturing device; (c) an image capturing and comparative software program loaded into the memory of the computer capable of processing the image file of the target object transmitted from the image capturing device, and capable of generating control commands to the image capturing device so that an image of the target object is maintained as the system is activated; (d) at least one adjustable viewing camera also coupled to the computer that automatically adjusts the viewing camera tilting, panning and focusing according to the movement of the image capturing device; and, (e) at least one display monitor located near the driver that is coupled to the viewing camera so that the image seen thereby may be seen by the driver.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A tractor-trailer motor vehicle blind spot viewing system, comprising:

(a) a computer located on a tractor;
(b) at least one image capturing device mounted on a tractor and aimed rearward and under said trailer when attached to said tractor, the view of said image capturing device designed to adjust, focus on, and track a target object on said trailer when attached to said tractor, said image capturing device connected to said computer and capable of transmitting an image file thereto;
(c) an image capturing software program loaded into the memory of said computer capable of processing said image file transmitted from said image capturing device, and capable of comparing said image file with a stored image file and generating control commands to said image capturing device so that said image file substantially matches the stored image file when the system is activated;
(d) at least one adjustable viewing camera mounted on said tractor and aimed rearward and under said trailer when attached to said tractor to view the blind spot created when said tractor is driven in a left or right turn, said blind spot not observable to a driver of said tractor, said viewing camera coupled to said computer;
(e) at least one display monitor located near the driver coupled to said viewing camera so that the image from said viewing camera may be seen by the driver;
and, (f) means to adjust the view of said viewing camera to match the changing view of said image capturing device as said target object moves relative to said image capturing device as said tractor is driven in a left or right turn.

3 more elements

A tractor-trailer motor vehicle blind spot viewing system, comprising:

(a) at least one image capturing camera mounted on a tractor, said image camera being aimed rearward and under a trailer attached to said tractor to view a target object located on said trailer, said image capturing camera capable of generating an image file of a target object;
(b) a computer located on said tractor and coupled to the image capturing camera;
(c) an image capturing software program loaded into said computer capable of processing said image file from said image capturing camera, said image capturing software program also capable of generating control commands to said image capturing camera so that an image of a target object is continuously and automatically adjusted and maintained during use;
(d) at least one adjustable viewing camera mounted on the tractor, said viewing camera being aimed rearward at a blind spot around the trailer, said blind spot being created when said tractor is driven in a left or right turn, objects in said blind spot not being visible to a driver when the tractor is turned, said viewing camera being coupled to said computer so that said image capturing software program may automatically adjust the view of said viewing camera to match the adjusted view of said image capturing camera;
and,
(e) at least one display monitor attached to said tractor and coupled to said viewing camera so that the image transmitted from said viewing camera may be seen by a driver.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Tractor-trailer viewing system

Life of this patent

Tractor-trailer viewing system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24