A vehicle is provided with a trailer hitch, a camera oriented to capture images of the trailer hitch, and a controller processing the captured images, detecting a trailer coupler coupled to the trailer hitch, determining a locked or unlocked state of the hitch coupler by comparing the captured images to known trailer coupler images, and generating an output indicative of the determined state of the trailer coupler.

A method for determining a location of a target positioned behind a tow vehicle is provided. The method includes receiving images from a camera positioned on a back portion of the tow vehicle. The images include the target. The method includes applying one or more filter banks to the images. The method also includes determining a region of interest within each image based on the applied filter banks. The region of interest includes the target. The method also includes identifying the target within the region of interest and determining a target location of the target including a location in a real-world coordinate system. The method also includes transmitting instructions to a drive system supported by the vehicle. The instructions cause the tow vehicle to autonomously maneuver towards the location in the real-world coordinate system.

Embodiments describe a method for positioning a hinged vehicle including a primary part and a secondary part coupled to the primary part at a project site. The method includes receiving, from an image capturing device, digital image data representing one or more features of the secondary part; performing image analysis on the digital image data to identify positions of the one or more features of the secondary part; identifying an angle of at least a portion of the secondary part; calculating a current position of the secondary part based on the angle; calculating a positional difference between a correct position at the project site for the secondary part and a current position of the secondary part at the project site; and initiating a change in a position of the primary part to compensate for the positional difference and to position the secondary part on the correct position.

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.

An environment of a tow vehicle may be monitored by displaying at least one image on a display remote from the tow vehicle based on data provided by a camera supported by the tow vehicle. The tow vehicle may be positioned on a trailer. The display may be supported by a tow vehicle towing the tow vehicle. In some instances, a recreational vehicle comprises a plurality of cameras, such that a subset of cameras may be automatically determined for presentation to an operator of the recreational vehicle, thereby presenting relevant information to the operator for use when maneuvering the vehicle.

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 vehicular trailer hitching assist system includes a camera disposed at a rear portion of a vehicle and having a field of view exterior of the vehicle, the field of view encompassing at least a portion of a trailer rearward of the vehicle. The camera captures image data representative of the trailer rearward of the vehicle. A control includes a processor operable to process image data captured by the camera. The control, responsive to processing of image data captured by the camera, detects a trailer hitch coupler of the trailer rearward of the vehicle. The control, responsive to detecting the trailer hitch coupler, estimates an initial height and an initial location of the detected trailer hitch coupler. The ECU tracks the position of the trailer hitch coupler in subsequent frames and the ECU selects a current frame and a previous frame of captured image data to refine the initial height.

An imaging and display system for use in a vehicle pulling a trailer, the system including: a trailer camera mounted on the trailer such that the camera is oriented to receive images from a first field of view having a horizontal angle and a vertical angle where the vertical angle is greater than the horizontal angle; an image processor for creating a back-up image and a rearward image from an image captured by the camera, the back-up image corresponding to a second field of view cropped from the lowest portion of the first field of view and the rearward image corresponding to a third field of view cropped from a portion of the first field of view above the lowest portion, the third field of view having a horizontal angle and a vertical angle where the horizontal angle is greater than the vertical angle.

A vehicular control system includes a rear backup camera viewing at least rearward of the vehicle. With a trailer hitched to the vehicle, and based at least in part on image processing of captured image data during a backing-up maneuver, the image processor determines a distance between an axle of the trailer and the hitch of the vehicle and determines a trailer angle of the trailer hitched to the vehicle. During the backing-up maneuver of the trailer hitched to the vehicle, the vehicular control system determines a path of the trailer responsive to (i) a steering angle of the vehicle, (ii) the determined trailer angle of the trailer and (iii) the determined distance between the axle of the trailer and the hitch of the vehicle. The vehicular control system displays information to assist the driver in backing up the trailer hitched to the vehicle.

A vehicular vision system includes a plurality of cameras including a forward viewing camera and multiple color cameras, and includes a display device operable to display video images derived from image data captured by the color cameras. A processing unit includes a first processing chip that has an image processor for machine-vision processing of captured image data, and a second processing chip that receives vehicle data and receives image data captured by the color cameras. The first processing chip machine-vision processes image data captured by the cameras for object detection and classification of objects. The first processing chip controls operating parameters of the color cameras to enhance object detection based on machine-vision processing by the first processing chip of image data captured by the color cameras. The second processing chip controls operating parameters of the color cameras for display at the display device of video images.