# US 9,434,381 B2 · Collision avoidance method including determining height of an object fixed to a vehicle

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- Number: US 9,434,381 B2
- Document ID: US9434381B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/530,084
- Filed: 2014-10-31
- Published: 2016-05-05
- Granted: 2016-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2014-10-31
- Assignees: Fca US LLC
- Applicants: Joshua C Windeler
- Inventors: Joshua C Windeler
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9434381B2

## CPC

- B60W 30/09: Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
- B60K 35/22: Display screens
- B60K 35/28: characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
- B60T 7/20: specially for trailers, e.g. in case of uncoupling of {or overrunning by} trailer (inertia-actuated overrun brakes B60T13/08)
- B60T 7/22: initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle {, or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle}
- B60T 8/1708: {for lorries or tractor-trailer combinations}
- G06V 20/56: exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
- B60R 2300/8093: for obstacle warning
- B60T 2201/024: Collision mitigation systems
- B60T 2230/08: Driving in reverse
- B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
- B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
- B60T: VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL (electrodynamic brake systems for vehicle, in general B60L; brakes per se, i.e. devices where braking effect occurs, including ultimate brake actuators, F16D); ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

A method and system of avoiding a collision between an object attached to a rear of a vehicle and an object behind the vehicle during reverse maneuvering of the vehicle includes determining with an electronic control unit of the vehicle an adjusted top height of a first object attached to a rear of the vehicle. The electronic control unit then determines whether the adjusted top height is lower than a clearance height of a second object behind the vehicle and unattached to the vehicle. Upon determining that the adjusted top height of the first object is not lower than the clearance height of the second object, the electronic control unit determines that the first object would collide with the second object if the vehicle is reverse maneuvered too close to the second object and upon determining that the collision would occur alerting a user of the vehicle.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of determining a height of an attached object attached to a rear of a vehicle and avoiding a collision between the attached object and an unattached object which is behind and unattached to the rear of the vehicle during reverse maneuvering of the vehicle on a ground surface, comprising:
determining with an electronic control unit of the vehicle and a rear facing vision system of the vehicle an adjusted top height (Hb adjusted) of the attached object wherein the determination of the adjusted top height (Hb adjusted) of the attached object includes:
determining with the electronic control unit an angle β which is an angle between a reference plane lying on the ground surface and a line of sight of a camera of the rear facing vision system that is tangent to the attached object by an equation β=arctan (Hc/De) where Hc is a height of the camera above the reference plane and De is a lateral distance between a perpendicular plane which extends through the camera and a point where the line of sight intersects the reference plane and determining the lateral distance De based on distances lines of the rear facing vision system wherein each distance line is indicative of a different distance from the rear of the vehicle;
determining with the electronic control unit the unadjusted top height (Hb) of the attached object by an equation Hb=Tan β(De−Db) where Db is a lateral distance from the rear of the vehicle to a vertical plane extending through the attached object and intersecting a top most point of the attached object;
determining with the electronic control unit an adjusted top height (Hb adjusted) of the attached object by adding a correction factor (He) to the unadjusted top height (Hb);
determining with the electronic control unit whether the adjusted top height (Hb adjusted) of the attached object is lower than a clearance height of the unattached object wherein the clearance height of the unattached object is a distance between a bottom of the unattached object and the ground surface;
upon determining with the electronic control unit that the adjusted top height (Hb adjusted) of the attached object is not lower than the clearance height of the unattached object, determining with the electronic control unit whether the attached object would collide with the unattached object when the vehicle is reverse maneuvered too close to the unattached object; and
in response to the determining with the electronic control unit that the adjusted to height (Hb adjusted) of the attached object is not lower than the clearance height of the unattached object and upon determining that the collision would occur, alerting a user of the vehicle by having the electronic control unit display on a display an alert indicating that the collision would occur.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein upon determining that the collision would occur, determining with the electronic control unit whether the vehicle is equipped with automatic reverse maneuvering and upon determining that the vehicle is equipped with automatic reverse maneuvering, having the electronic control unit cause automatic braking of the vehicle to a halt.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the distance lines are color coded distance lines and the determining the lateral distance (De) includes determining the lateral distance De based on the color coded distance lines that are color coded based on distance away from the rear of the vehicle so that each distance line has a different color with a particular color indicating the distance that the distance line is away from the rear of the vehicle.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3 wherein determining the lateral distance (De) based on the color coded distance lines includes determining the lateral distance (De) based on a color of a distance line closest to the rear of the vehicle that as seen by the camera is unbroken by the attached object.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the attached object is a trailer hitch ball of a trailer hitch, the unattached object is a trailer hitch coupling of a trailer, and determining the adjusted top height (Hb adjusted) of the attached object includes determining an adjusted top height of the trailer hitch ball.

### Claim 6

A collision avoidance system for a vehicle for determining a height of an attached object attached to a rear of a vehicle and avoiding a collision between the attached object and an unattached object which is behind and unattached to the rear of the vehicle during reverse maneuvering of the vehicle on a ground surface, comprising:
an electronic control unit coupled to a rear facing vision system of the vehicle and to a display in the vehicle wherein;
the electronic control unit is configured to determine an adjusted top height (Hb adjusted) of the attached object by:
determining an angle βwhich is an angle between a reference plane lying on the ground surface and a line of sight of a camera of the rear facing vision system that is tangent to the attached object by an equation β=arctan(Hc/De ) where Hc is a height of the camera above the reference plane and De is a lateral distance between a perpendicular plane which extends through the camera and a point where the line of sight intersects the reference plane and determining the lateral distance De based on distance lines of the rear facing vision system wherein each distance line is indicative of a different distance from the rear of the vehicle,
determining the unadjusted top height (Hb) of the attached object by an equation Hb =Tan β(De−Db) where Db is a lateral distance from the rear of the vehicle to a vertical plane extending through the attached object and intersecting a top most point of the attached object,
determining the adjusted top height (Hb adjusted) of the attached object by adding a correction factor (He) to the unadjusted top height (Hb),
determining whether the adjusted top height (Hb adjusted) of the attached object is lower than a clearance height of the unattached object wherein the clearance height of the unattached object is a distance between a bottom of the unattached object and the ground surface,
upon determining that the adjusted top height (Hb adjusted) of the attached object is not lower than the clearance height of the unattached object, determining whether the attached object would collide with the unattached object when the vehicle is reverse maneuvered too close to the unattached object, and
in response to determining that the adjusted top height (Hb adjusted) of the attached object is not lower than the clearance height of the unattached object and upon determining that the collision would occur, alerting a user of the vehicle by displaying on the display an alert indicating that the collision would occur.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The collision avoidance system of claim 6 wherein upon the electronic control unit determining that the collision would occur, the electronic control unit configured to determine whether the vehicle is equipped with automatic reverse maneuvering and upon determining that the vehicle is equipped with automatic reverse maneuvering, the electronic control unit configured to cause automatic braking of the vehicle to a halt.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The collision avoidance system of claim 6 wherein the distance lines are color coded distance lines and the electronic control unit is further configured to determine the lateral distance (De) based on the color coded distance lines that are color coded based on distance away from the rear of the vehicle so that each distance line has a different color with a particular color indicating the distance that the distance line is away from the rear of the vehicle.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The collision avoidance system of claim 8 wherein the electronic control unit is further configured to determine the lateral distance (De) based on a color of a distance line closest to the rear of the vehicle that as seen by the camera is unbroken by the attached object.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The collision avoidance system of claim 1 wherein the attached object is a trailer hitch ball of a trailer hitch, the unattached object is a trailer hitch coupling of a trailer, and the adjusted top height (Hb adjusted) of the attached object is an adjusted top height of the trailer hitch ball.