The present invention relates to systems for guiding a vehicle to a trailer that can easily be installed or removed, and in particular relates to systems for guiding a vehicle to a trailer to facilitate coupling the vehicle and trailer together. The present invention is a means and a method for continuously determining the heading and/or distance to the trailer to assist a driver to couple a vehicle and trailer together. A device containing an inertial measurement unit is manually positioned proximate to the hitch ball of the vehicle and then positioned proximate to the coupler of the trailer and the motion is tracked and stored to enable the desired path between the two positions to be plotted. This path is then used to guide the driver in bringing the hitch ball and coupler together.

A method for assisting with the parking of a motor vehicle includes detecting the position of a movement-control member able to indicate a transverse component and a longitudinal component, with respect to the motor vehicle, of a movement instruction, and analyzing the movement instruction. The method also includes classifying the movement instruction in two modes (mode 1, mode 2) according to the angle β about the transverse axis of the movement-control member with respect to its rest position and the comparison thereof with the angel βM that brings the steered wheels of the motor vehicle to the angle αM of maximum steering lock, and moving the vehicle in accordance with the movement instruction mode, with mode 2 corresponding to assisted parking mode and performing a semi-automatic parallel-parking maneuver.

An on-vehicle control device includes: an image acquiring unit that acquires an image from an image-capturing device that captures the image of surroundings of a vehicle; an overhead view image generating unit that generates an overhead view image from the image acquired by the image acquiring unit, the overhead view image being a plan view of the surroundings of the vehicle seen from above the vehicle; a white line recognizing unit that recognizes possible white lines on a road surface in the overhead view image; a white line information saving unit that saves information including positional information of the possible white lines recognized by the white line recognizing unit; a white line position predicting unit that predicts a position of a possible white line to be reached, based on information about a previous possible white line saved by the white line information saving unit and vehicle behavior information; and a white line judging unit that excludes, among the possible white lines recognized by the white line recognizing unit, a possible white line that extends in a radial direction from the image-capturing device in the overhead view image and satisfies a predetermined condition.

A visual system (1) for a vehicle (7) having a capturing unit (2) for capturing a field of view (8) and a calculation unit (3), which is adapted to generate image data to be displayed based on the captured image data, and to supply the same to an image display unit (4), wherein the image data to be displayed include the field of view (8) captured by the capturing unit (2), the image display unit (4) is adapted to display the image data to be displayed, so that they are visible for the driver of the vehicle (7), and the calculation unit (3) is adapted to superimpose at least one trajectory (10, 10′) of a future track/driving curve of the vehicle (7) on the image data to be displayed on the image display unit (4), if a steering angle of the vehicle (7) has a predetermined amount.

A trailer flank object contact avoidance system for a vehicle towing a trailer includes a sensor system configured to detect objects in an operating environment of the vehicle and a controller. The controller processes information received from the sensor system to monitor a relative position of at least one object with respect to the vehicle during driving and determines an instantaneous path of the trailer based on a vehicle steering angle and whether the instantaneous path of the trailer would bring the trailer into contact with the at least one object. The controller issues a coaching notification to the driver that reverse driving is required to prevent contact between the trailer and the vehicle when a corrective steering angle cannot prevent contact of the trailer with the at least one object during forward driving.

A system and method are provided for steering control during vehicle reverse operation when maneuvering a trailer in a reverse direction with a desired turn angle. The system has a P-I-D cascade structure and includes a rear video camera for providing images to determine a trailer angle, a yaw angle determination device, a steering angle sensor, a vehicle interior display with an input device, and a vehicle speed determination device. When a trajectory mode is selected and a desired turn angle value are received, an electronic processor determines a trailer trajectory based on the desired turn angle value, the trailer angle, vehicle yaw angle, and physical properties of the vehicle and trailer. The trailer trajectory is displayed on the vehicle interior display with the rear camera image. When a driver selects an automatic steering maneuver mode, the trailer tow assist system automatically controls steering of the vehicle.

A parking assistance device includes an imager that captures an image of a surrounding of a vehicle, and a display that displays a guidance image for guiding the vehicle from a parking start position to a target parking position and displays a moving area in which the vehicle can move during a parking operation. An area and dimension of the moving area displayed on the display changes based on a change in a steering angle of the vehicle.

One general aspect includes a system having a memory configured to include one or more executable instructions and a processor configured to execute the executable instructions, where the executable instructions enable the processor to estimate a rate of change of a hitch angle between a trailer and vehicle, the estimated rate of change of the hitch angle being based on a turn angle for a plurality of rear wheels of the vehicle as well as a speed of the vehicle.

A trailer reversing assist system for controlling reversing operations of a vehicle and trailer connected to the vehicle includes a module that detects an angle of the trailer relative to the vehicle, and outputs a trailer angle signal corresponding to the detected angle. The system also includes a human machine interface (HMI) device that provides an output signal based upon an input of the user, where the generated output signal includes information regarding magnitude and direction of a desired change to the angle. The system calculates a trailer trajectory that positions the trailer at a target location or calculates a trailer trajectory correction, wherein the calculation is performed using the output signal as corresponding to a change relative to the detected angle, and the detected angle corresponds to the trailer angle signal generated at the time of operation of the HMI device by the user.

A vehicle trailer assist system is configured to display a plurality of target areas to a vehicle operator for the vehicle operator to select. The vehicle operator selects a target area on a trailer for tracking and using in determining a relative orientation with the vehicle. The system records selected target area and determines a relative orientation between a trailer and a tow vehicle based on a relative position between the features in the selected target area on the trailer and the tow vehicle.