A vehicle camera telemetry system has a remotely mountable camera apparatus which has a stem having a magnet for magnetic affixation to a metallic body of a vehicle in use. The apparatus further comprises a camera device connected from the distal end of the stem by an adjustable coupling. The stem may further be telescopic for length adjustment so as, for example, extend the length of the stem from less than 22 cm to greater than 29 cm. The camera device has an image sensor and a wireless transmitter for transmitting image data obtained therefrom to a connected mobile device using a wireless connection, such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. As such, in use, the camera apparatus may be affixed to various parts of a vehicle and/or an associated trailer, caravan or the like.

A vehicular vision system includes a vehicle camera docking station disposed at a vehicle, a trailer camera docking station disposed at a rear of a trailer, and a camera operable to capture image data and to communicate captured image data to a data receiving device at the vehicle. When the trailer is not hitched to the vehicle, the camera is disposed at the vehicle camera docking station so as to have a field of view rearward of the vehicle. When the trailer is hitched to the vehicle, the camera is removed from the vehicle camera docking station and disposed at the trailer camera docking station so as to have a field of view rearward of the trailer. The camera captures image data and communicates captured image data to the data receiving device, which receives the communicated image data. A display device displays video images derived from the received image data.

A vehicle hitch assistance system includes a controller acquiring data from an external portable electronic device including position and orientation data of a trailer, including a coupler thereof, and deriving a vehicle path to align a hitch ball of the vehicle with the coupler using the position and orientation data of at least one of the trailer and the coupler.

A liftgate alert apparatus for alerting drivers when a liftgate is down before driving includes a pressure switch configured to be coupled to an air line of an airbrake system of a truck or a trailer. The pressure switch is closed when the airbrake system is activated. A roller switch is in operational communication with the pressure switch and is configured to be coupled to a liftgate. The roller switch is closed when the liftgate is in a down position. An alarm is in operational communication with the pressure switch, the roller switch, and a power source. The alarm has an alarm ground wire. The alarm is configured to be coupled within a cab of the truck or on a front end of the trailer and activates an audio and or visual alert when both the pressure switch and the roller switch are closed.

A camera system for a trailer that cooperates with a tarping system of the trailer to capture images during loading and unloading. The camera transmits the images to a display. A driver may watch the display to monitor loading and unloading. The camera system maintains a camera of the camera system positioned to capture images of an interior of the trailer regardless of the operation of the tarping system. The camera system generally includes an arm member, a pivot structure connected to the arm member, a camera connected to the arm member, and a weight connected to the arm member. Responsive to a force of gravity the camera remains oriented upward to capture images of the interior of the trailer during loading and unloading.

A fifth wheel coupling with a camera, including a coupling plate and a bearing element, with which the coupling plate can be secured to a towing vehicle, wherein the coupling plate has a centrally arranged locking region for receiving a king pin, as well as an insertion opening running along a longitudinal axis (x) and bordered on both sides by two insertion flanges. The camera is mounted in a position in the region of the fifth wheel coupling with the lowest possible risk of soiling and damage, with the camera being secured to the bearing element.

This camera monitoring system (20) is intended for providing to a user a view of a scene captured by a camera. To that end, the camera monitoring system (20) comprises a wide angle camera (22A, 22B) for capturing a wide angle image of a scene, a determination unit (28) for determining an area of interest in the scene, an image treatment system (24A, 24B) for providing an undistorted portion, including the area of interest, of the wide angle image, and a display (26A, 26B) for displaying a continuous displayed image of the wide angle image. The displayed image comprises the undistorted portion adjoining at least one distorted portion of the wide angle image.

The invention relates to a method and to a device for determining the articulation angle of a combination, consisting of a towing vehicle and a trailer attached using a tongue, by identifying the hitch tongue using a digital back-up camera with variable exposure times, the following steps being carried out: a) recording a first color image of the rear environment of the towing vehicle, the color image being based on the HSY color space, b) analyzing the hue values, saturation values and brightness values of adjacent surfaces of a vehicle-environment region that is to be evaluated, c) determining the tongue from the first color image using an edge detection method in order to determine the articulation angle if the hue values, saturation values and brightness values of adjacent surfaces in the region that is to be evaluated are substantially equal, “substantially equal” meaning that the values of hue, saturation and brightness of adjacent surfaces differ by at most a first threshold in percent, d) recording a second color image in the HSY color space if in the first color image the hue values and saturation values of adjacent surfaces in the region that is to be evaluated are substantially equal while the brightness values of the adjacent surfaces deviate greatly from each other, “deviate greatly from each other” meaning that the brightness values of adjacent surfaces differ from each other by more than a second threshold in percent, the exposure time of the second color image being selected in such a way that the brightness values of the adjacent surfaces within the vehicle-environment region that is to be evaluated are substantially equal, e) determining the tongue from the second color image by means of an edge detection method in order to determine the articulation angle.

A vision system for a vehicle includes first and second cameras configured to be disposed at respective locations at the vehicle so as to have respective first and second fields of view exterior of the vehicle. The locations are vertically and horizontally spaced apart by respective vertical and horizontal separation distances. With the first and second cameras disposed at the respective locations, the first field of view at least partially overlaps the second field of view. A control includes an image processor operable to process image data captured by the cameras. The control, with the first and second cameras disposed at the respective locations, and responsive to processing of captured image data and based on the separation distances, is operable to determine presence of an object in the first and second fields of view and to determine the location of the object in three dimensional space relative to the vehicle.

A vehicular multi-camera vision system includes a plurality of exterior viewing vehicle cameras disposed at a vehicle, a trailer camera disposed at a rear of a trailer and viewing rearward, an ECU and a display device in the vehicle. With the trailer not hitched to the vehicle and during a driving maneuver of the vehicle, image data captured by the vehicle cameras is provided to the ECU and the display device displays video images generated by the ECU and derived from image data captured by the vehicle cameras. With the trailer hitched to the vehicle and during a driving maneuver of the vehicle towing the trailer, image data captured by the trailer camera and the vehicle cameras is provided to the ECU and the display device displays video images generated by the ECU and derived from image data captured by the trailer camera and side viewing vehicle cameras.