A video system including a camera engaged with a rotary drive is mounted rearwardly on a vehicle. The camera provides a rectilinear video image. A drive controller includes two switches to control camera rotation to stop at a point in either direction from a neutral field of view aligned with the vehicle to either of a view including vehicle blind spots or a view including a directly lateral image. The video images are displayed on a monitor in the vehicle.

A method for assisting a driver of a vehicle towing a trailer includes providing a rear backup camera at a rear portion of the vehicle. A trailer having a trailer tow bar is attached to the trailer hitch of the vehicle. The vehicle is driven while towing the trailer and image data is captured via the rear backup camera and provided to a control at the vehicle. The image data captured while the vehicle is towing the trailer is processed at the control to determine an angle of the trailer tow bar relative to the vehicle. Responsive to determining the angle of the trailer tow bar relative to the vehicle, a degree of sway of the trailer relative to the vehicle is determined. Responsive to determination that the degree of sway is greater than a threshold degree of sway, an output is generated via the control.

A vehicle includes: motor(s), local sensors, processor(s) configured to: receive an instruction including first properties of a target vehicle; verify the instruction; instruct the local sensors to scan at a first resolution; mark a scanned external vehicle, having second properties, as compatible or incompatible based on a comparison of the first and second properties; instruct the local sensors to scan at a second resolution upon marking the external vehicle as compatible.

The described positional awareness techniques employing visual-inertial sensory data gathering and analysis hardware with reference to specific example implementations implement improvements in the use of sensors, techniques and hardware design that can enable specific embodiments to provide positional awareness to machines with improved speed and accuracy.

In one aspect, a system for adjusting operating parameters of an agricultural harvester based on estimated crop volume values may include an image capture device configured to capture one or more images of the crop materials standing within the field prior to the crop materials being harvested by a harvester. The system may also include a controller communicatively coupled to the image capture device. The controller may be configured to estimate a crop volume value associated with a quantity of the crop materials transferred through the harvester based on the one or more images captured by the image capture device. Additionally, the controller may be further configured to initiate a control action associated with adjusting an operating parameter of the harvester based on a magnitude of the estimated crop volume value.

A system and method to determine trailer pose includes imaging first and second telltales affixed to a trailer to provide trailer image data. A controller is operable to determine trailer pose from the trailer image data. The trailer pose information may be provided to one or more controllers of a vehicle towing the trailer.

Electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles include a rechargeable traction battery. An automated vehicle charging system is configured to charge the traction battery with minimal operator intervention. The vehicle charging system includes at least one tire pad including a plurality of pressure-sensitive sensors arranged at known locations of the tire pad and outputting signals having a magnitude indicative of a pressure applied by a tire at the known locations. The vehicle charging system also includes at least one controller programmed to receive the signals and control movement of a transmit coil according to a position of the tire on the tire pad that is derived from the signals. The known locations may be generally equally spaced or unevenly spaced across the tire pad. The tire pad may include a tire stop to limit motion of the tire in one direction.

A method for providing operation data onboard a first vehicle with autonomous capabilities. The method presents an image of an exterior view from the first vehicle with autonomous capabilities, by a user interface touchscreen communicatively coupled to a processor and system memory element; receives user input data to manipulate the image, via the user interface touchscreen; adjusts the image, by the processor, based on the user input data; modifies an operation parameter of the first vehicle with autonomous capabilities, by the processor, based on the user input data, to generate a modified operation parameter, wherein the operation parameter comprises at least one of a following distance, a stopping distance, or a turning speed; and transmits the modified operation parameter, via a communication device communicatively coupled to the processor.

A system for estimating an articulation angle between a first and a second connected vehicle section of an articulated vehicle combination, the system comprising a primary image obtaining device configured to be mounted on a first position of one of the vehicle sections and to obtain images of the other vehicle section during use; a secondary image obtaining device configured to be mounted on a second position of one of the vehicle sections and to obtain images of the other vehicle section during use, the second position being different from the first position, and/or a mounting orientation at the second position of the second image obtaining device being different from a mounting orientation at the first position of the primary image obtaining device.

A vehicular trailering assist system includes a camera disposed at a vehicle and capturing image data representative of at least a portion of a trailer hitched to the vehicle. The vehicular trailering assist system, responsive to processing of captured image data, determines that the system has not been previously calibrated for the trailer hitched to the vehicle. The vehicular trailering assist system, responsive to determining that the system has not been previously calibrated for the trailer, determines whether a dedicated calibration maneuver is triggered. The vehicular trailering assist system, responsive to determining that the dedicated calibration of the trailer is not triggered and responsive to processing of captured image data, monitors maneuvers performed by the vehicle while the trailer is hitched to the vehicle without prompting the driver for calibration maneuvers. The vehicular trailering assist system, using the monitored maneuvers, calibrates the system for the trailer.