A trailer hitch system for improving the speed and safety of attaching the trailer to a tow vehicle. The hitch may include a shank that may be attached to the trailer through a ball hitch. A receiver may be provided on the tow vehicle such that attachment of the trailer to the tow vehicle may be accomplished by introducing the shank into the receiver when the tow vehicle is backed to the trailer. A funnel shaped guide member may be provided to facilitate aligning the shank with the receiver. Also, friction reducing rollers may be used with the shank or the receiver. Moreover, a height adjustment and visual guidance system may be included to facilitate connecting the trailer to the tow vehicle.

The disclosed inventive concept provides a vertically articulating trailer hitch assembly for use with a vehicle, and particularly for use with an autonomous vehicle. The trailer hitch assembly is pivotally attached to the vehicle frame. The hitch assembly is allowed to swing away from the vehicle frame from a lowered position in which the trailer ball is uncoupled from the hitch coupler of the trailer to a raised position in which the trailer ball is coupled to the hitch coupler. The hitch assembly typically includes a receiver that has a long axis. The vehicle frame has a long axis. When the hitch assembly is in its lowered position, the long axis of the receiver is out of alignment with the long axis of the frame. When the hitch assembly is in its raised position, the long axis of the receiver is aligned with the long axis of the frame.

The disclosed inventive concept provides a vertically articulating trailer hitch assembly for use with a vehicle, and particularly for use with an autonomous vehicle. The trailer hitch assembly is pivotally attached to the vehicle frame. The hitch assembly is allowed to swing away from the vehicle frame from a lowered position in which the trailer ball is uncoupled from the hitch coupler of the trailer to a raised position in which the trailer ball is coupled to the hitch coupler. The hitch assembly typically includes a receiver that has a long axis. The vehicle frame has a long axis. When the hitch assembly is in its lowered position, the long axis of the receiver is out of alignment with the long axis of the frame. When the hitch assembly is in its raised position, the long axis of the receiver is aligned with the long axis of the frame.

A method and apparatus for trailer recognition are provided. The method includes detecting a face of a trailer in a first and second image, taken at first and second distances respectively, generating a bounding box around the face of the trailer in the first and second images, determining a first and second set of feature points in the bounding boxes of the first and second images, determining a correspondence between the first set of feature points and the second set of feature points and a correspondence between corners of the bounding boxes and estimating at least one dimension of the trailer by performing a least squares analysis to solve for three-dimensional real world coordinates of the first and second set of features points and the corners of the bounding boxes. The method may assist an operator of a vehicle in aligning the vehicle hitch with a trailer coupler.

A system for connecting a tongue jack to a trailer coupler includes a coupler, a jack plate, and a lower plate. The coupler defines a slot configured to receive an outer tube of a tongue jack. The lower plate defines an aperture configured to receive and laterally restrain the outer tube of the tongue jack. The jack plate defines an aperture configured to receive and laterally restrain the outer tube of the tongue jack and a hanger configured to be received by the slot of the coupler and supported by the coupler adjacent the slot.

A system for connecting a tongue jack to a trailer coupler includes a coupler, a jack plate, and a lower plate. The coupler defines a slot configured to receive an outer tube of a tongue jack. The lower plate defines an aperture configured to receive and laterally restrain the outer tube of the tongue jack. The jack plate defines an aperture configured to receive and laterally restrain the outer tube of the tongue jack and a hanger configured to be received by the slot of the coupler and supported by the coupler adjacent the slot.

System, including apparatus and methods, for transporting cargo using a swing-away hitch adapter that mounts to a hitch of a vehicle and provides a movable hitch receiver for a cargo carrier, such as a rack for carrying bicycles. In some embodiments, the hitch adapter may comprise a fixed beam and a movable beam. The movable beam may be pivotally connected to the fixed beam at a first end and associated with a movable hitch receiver at a second end. A latch mechanism of the adapter may be configured to automatically lock the movable beam in an open position orthogonal to the fixed beam, to provide access to a rear of the vehicle, when the movable beam is pivoted about a pivot axis to the open position from a closed position parallel to the fixed beam.

System, including apparatus and methods, for transporting cargo using a swing-away hitch adapter that mounts to a hitch of a vehicle and provides a movable hitch receiver for a cargo carrier, such as a rack for carrying bicycles. In some embodiments, the hitch adapter may comprise a fixed beam and a movable beam. The movable beam may be pivotally connected to the fixed beam at a first end and associated with a movable hitch receiver at a second end. A latch mechanism of the adapter may be configured to automatically lock the movable beam in an open position orthogonal to the fixed beam, to provide access to a rear of the vehicle, when the movable beam is pivoted about a pivot axis to the open position from a closed position parallel to the fixed beam.

Method and apparatus for an adjustable trailer hitch which allows each of three differently sized user selected balls to be adjusted laterally and longitudinally so that the tongue of the trailer can be more easily attached to the towing vehicle. The trailer hitch has a body portion mounted on a slide-tube for insertion in a receiver-tube wherein the body portion has an interior space which allows the draw bar to move laterally from side to side inside the space along with a plurality of apertures so that the draw bar can be laterally adjusted using the apertures and a locking pin. When the draw bar is moved all the way to the left or right the user selected ball is automatically aligned with the receiver tube due to the effective sizing of the draw bar which is assured by the right and left stops of the body portion contacting the right and left outer edges of the draw bar.

The disclosed inventive concept provides a vertically articulating trailer hitch assembly for use with a vehicle, and particularly for use with an autonomous vehicle. The trailer hitch assembly is pivotally attached to the vehicle frame. The hitch assembly is allowed to swing away from the vehicle frame from a lowered position in which the trailer ball is uncoupled from the hitch coupler of the trailer to a raised position in which the trailer ball is coupled to the hitch coupler. The hitch assembly typically includes a receiver that has a long axis. The vehicle frame has a long axis. When the hitch assembly is in its lowered position, the long axis of the receiver is out of alignment with the long axis of the frame. When the hitch assembly is in its raised position, the long axis of the receiver is aligned with the long axis of the frame.