One general aspect includes a driver assistance system for a vehicle. The driver assistance system also includes a camera system having at least one rear camera constructed and arranged to obtain an image of an area behind a rear of the vehicle; a tailgate position determining system constructed and arranged to determine a position of a tailgate of the vehicle, and where the image provided by the camera system of the rear of the vehicle is selected based upon the position of the tailgate of the vehicle.

A trailering assist system includes a control and a camera disposed at a rear portion of a vehicle and having a field of view at least rearward of the vehicle. The control includes an image processor operable to process image data captured by the camera. The control, responsive to image processing of captured image data, transforms captured image data of the trailer hitch from a pivoting orientation of the portion of the trailer that pivots about the trailer hitch to a vertical orientation of the portion of the trailer that moves laterally across the transformed image data. The control transforms pivotal movement of the portion of the trailer about the trailer hitch to lateral movement of the trailer hitch in the transformed image data. The control determines a trailer angle of the trailer relative to the vehicle based on the lateral position of the trailer hitch in the transformed image data.

A vehicular trailer assist system includes a camera disposed at a rear portion of a vehicle, a plurality of sensors, and an electronic control unit (ECU) having a processor for processing image data captured by the camera and sensor data captured by the plurality of sensors. The ECU, responsive to processing of image data captured by the camera, determines a trailer angle of the trailer relative to the vehicle. The ECU, responsive to processing of sensor data captured by the plurality of sensors, predicts a yaw rate of the vehicle and a trailer angle of the trailer relative to the vehicle at a future time. The ECU, responsive to predicting the yaw rate, determines a corrected vehicle yaw rate based on processing of captured image data and captured sensor data, and determines a corrected trailer angle, and determines a vehicle heading and position and a trailer heading and position.

A vehicle is provided that includes a trailer hitch, a camera oriented to capture images of the trailer hitch, and a controller processing the captured images, detecting a trailer safety chain associated with a trailer, determining a connection state of the trailer safety chain to the vehicle, and generating an output indicative of the determined connection state of the trailer safety chain to the vehicle. The vehicle may determine a change in a scene of the captured image following placement of a trailer coupler onto a vehicle hitch and determine a trailer connection state based on the change in scene.

A vehicular trailer assist system includes a camera disposed at a rear portion of a vehicle and having a field of view exterior of the vehicle. A control includes a processor for processing image data captured by the camera. The control, responsive to processing at the control of captured image data, determines a trailer angle of a trailer hitched to the vehicle. Responsive to determining the trailer angle, the control determines a trailer direction that is based at least in part on the determined trailer angle. The control is operable to determine a virtual destination location that is a location that is a predetermined distance from the trailer and in the determined trailer direction. Responsive to determining the trailer direction, and during a reversing maneuver of the vehicle and trailer, the control controls steering of the vehicle to direct the trailer in the determined trailer direction toward the virtual destination location.

A towing assistance apparatus includes an image acquisition unit successively acquiring a rear image and a lateral image serving as a surrounding image captured by an imaging unit that is provided at a towing vehicle to which a towed vehicle is configured to be connected, an angle acquisition unit acquiring a connection angle between the towing vehicle and the towed vehicle, and a display processing unit switching the surrounding image displayed at a display unit from the lateral image to the rear image in a case where the connection angle becomes equal to or greater than a first angle at which a change control for decreasing the connection angle is impossible by a steering of the towing vehicle during a rearward driving thereof in a state where the lateral image is displayed and the towing vehicle to which the towed vehicle is connected is in a rearward driving available state.

A vehicle has a trailer hitch, a vehicle electrical connector configured to electrically connect to a trailer electrical connector, and an imaging system oriented to captures images proximate to the trailer hitch. The vehicle also includes a proximity sensing system arranged to sense objects proximate to the trailer hitch and generate a proximity signal, an electrical connection detection system to detect an electrical connection to the vehicle trailer connector and generate an electrical connection signal, and a controller processing the captured images, the proximity signal and the electrical connector signal and determining a connection state of a trailer to the vehicle based on the captured images, the proximity sensor and the electrical connector signal, and generating an output indicative of the determined connection state.

A system is disclosed and includes a vehicle. The vehicle includes a plurality of sensors including a first set and a second set. The vehicle includes a mirror assembly that includes a mirror body and one or more actuators that are actuable to move the mirror assembly between an extended position and a retracted position. The second set is positioned on the mirror assembly. The vehicle includes a controller communicatively coupled to the plurality of sensors and the one or more actuators, and the controller causes the one or more actuators to adjust a position of the mirror body based on information received from the first set. The controller selectively activates the second set based on the position of the mirror body. The controller calibrates the second set of the plurality of sensors while the position of the mirror body is being set to the extended position.

Aspects of the present invention relate to an imaging system (1) for a towing vehicle (V1). The imaging system (1) includes a processor configured to determine a reference speed (Vref) of the towing vehicle (V1). First image data (D1) is received from a first imaging device (C1); and second image data (D2) is received from a second imaging device (C2). The first imaging device (C1) may be disposed on the towing vehicle (V1); and the second imaging device (C2) may be disposed on a towed vehicle (V2). A first scaling factor (SF1, SF2) is applied to the second image data (D2) to generate scaled second image data (D2). The first scaling factor (SF1, SF2) is determined in dependence on the determined reference speed (Vref) of the towing vehicle (V1). Composite image data (D3) is generated by combining at least a part of the scaled second image data (D2) with at least a part of the first image data (D1). The composite image data (D3) is output for display on a display screen (10). Aspects of the present invention also relate a vehicle (V1) having an image system (1); a method of generating a composite image (IMG3); and a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

Methods and apparatus are provided for articulating mirrors for trailering in a motor vehicle. The method includes receiving a trailer dimension, receiving an indication of a trailering mode, receiving an image of a trailer hitch assembly in response to the indication of the trailering mode, estimating a hitch articulation angle in response to the image, estimating a trailer rear corner position in response to the hitch articulation angle and the trailer dimension, generating a mirror control signal to adjust a mirror position such that the trailer rear corner position is within a mirror field of view, and adjusting the mirror position in response to the mirror control signal.