METHOD FOR PROVIDING ASSISTANCE IN A PARKING MANEUVER OF A VEHICLE COMBINATION OF TOWING VEHICLE AND TRAILER, SYSTEM AND VEHICLE COMBINATION

Abstract

A method for providing assistance in a parking maneuver of a vehicle combination of towing vehicle and trailer. The method includes: detecting a stationary object with the aid of a backup camera of the towing vehicle; ascertaining that the object is concealed for the backup camera by the trailer; and superimposing an image element representing the concealed object onto an image of the trailer in an image ascertained by the backup camera.

Claims

1-11. (canceled).

12. A method for providing assistance in a parking maneuver of a vehicle combination of towing vehicle and trailer, the method comprising the following steps: detecting a stationary object using using a backup camera of the towing vehicle; ascertaining that the object is concealed for the backup camera by the trailer; and superimposing an image element representing the concealed object onto an image of the trailer in an image ascertained by the backup camera.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising: generating a bird's-eye view image from recordings of surroundings, which were recorded by the backup camera prior to and/or during the parking maneuver, and of superimposing the bird's-eye view onto an image of a field of view concealed in the image by the trailer; and/or superimposing recordings of the surroundings, which are recorded by the backup camera prior to and/or during the parking maneuver, over the image of the field of view concealed by the trailer.

14. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the image element additionally represents a graphical representation of a trajectory of the trailer.

15. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising the following steps: detecting the trailer using the alternate rear view mirror camera; and ascertaining a position of the image of the trailer (6) in the image ascertained by the backup camera.

16. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the object is a parked second vehicle and/or a ground marking and/or a plant and/or a building and/or a road structure and/or an installation and/or a manhole cover.

17. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the image element is represented as a function of a steering angle and/or a vehicle speed and/or an acceleration.

18. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising: triggering the method for providing assistance by slowing below a predefined speed and/or by a user input.

19. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising: ascertaining that the trailer is hitched.

20. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising: filtering the object as to whether it has a collision relevance and/or a towing vehicle guidance relevance.

21. A system for providing assistance in a parking maneuver of a vehicle combination of towing vehicle and trailer, the system configured to: detect a stationary object using using a backup camera of the towing vehicle; ascertain that the object is concealed for the backup camera by the trailer; and superimpose an image element representing the concealed object onto an image of the trailer in an image ascertained by the backup camera.

22. A vehicle combination, comprising: a towing vehicle and a trailer; and a system for providing assistance in a parking maneuver of the towing vehicle and the trailer, the system configured to: detect a stationary object using using a backup camera of the towing vehicle; ascertain that the object is concealed for the backup camera by the trailer; and superimpose an image element representing the concealed object onto an image of the trailer in an image ascertained by the backup camera.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the figures.

[0020] FIG. 1 shows a specific embodiment of the vehicle combination according to the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 2 shows a bird's-eye view of a specific embodiment of the vehicle combination according to the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 3 shows an illustration of method steps according to a specific embodiment of the method according to the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 4 shows an illustration of method steps according to another specific embodiment of the method according to the present invention.

[0024] FIG. 5 shows a flow chart of one specific embodiment of the method according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0025] FIG. 1 shows a specific embodiment of the vehicle combination 10 according to the present invention comprising a towing vehicle 5, here in the form of a passenger car, and a trailer 6. Vehicle combination 10 further comprises a system 1 according to the present invention, which comprises a display 4, an evaluation unit 2 and a backup camera 3. With the aid of evaluation unit 2, backup camera 3 is designed to ascertain whether an object 11, here in the form of a sign, which was previously detected by the field of view 7 of backup camera 3, is concealed by trailer 6. Display 4, which is connected to evaluation unit 2, displays a corresponding image, which includes an image of trailer 6 and an image element 13 representing object 11 superimposed on this image if trailer 6 conceals field of view 7 onto object 11.

[0026] FIG. 2 shows a specific embodiment of the vehicle combination 10 of the present invention from a bird's-eye perspective.

[0027] FIG. 3 shows an illustration of method steps of a specific embodiment of the method according to the present invention via corresponding bird's-eye view images, which respectively show an image of towing vehicle 5, an image of trailer 6, and an image of field of view 7 of backup camera 3. The tiles in FIG. 3 illustrate the steps S1 through S6. For step S1, a bird's-eye view image of vehicle combination 10 driving forward is shown, which is indicated by forward arrow 8. In the process, backup camera 3 detects an object 11 (in the present case parking lines 9 on the roadway). For step S2, the start of the parking maneuver is shown. In this instance, parking lines 9 are not shown due to the concealed field of view 12. Upon triggering of the method of the present invention for providing assistance in a parking maneuver in step S3, image elements 13 representing the object are projected into the concealed area. In the illustrations of steps S4 through S6, trailer 6 is at the same time recorded by backup camera 3 and its position is continuously ascertained in order to allow for an orientation along parking lines 9. Image elements 13 are then superimposed onto the image of the concealed field of view 12 and the image of trailer 6 if the real parking lines 9 are not detectable for backup camera 3 due to a concealment.

[0028] FIG. 4 shows an illustration of method steps according to the present invention, in which recordings of the surroundings made prior to the start and during the parking maneuver, which are recorded by backup camera 3, are inserted into the bird's-eye view image. The tiles within FIG. 4 illustrate method steps L1 through L6. In step L1, during the forward drive (prior to the start of the parking maneuver), and in step L2 during the start of the parking maneuver, images of the surroundings recorded by backup camera 3 are stored. In step L3, previously recorded images are superimposed onto the image of the concealed field of view 12, as a result of which the image of concealed field of view 12 is depicted as reduced in area compared to the real concealed field of view 12. In steps L4 through L6, the previously recorded backup camera images are superimposed onto the image of concealed field of view 12 in a manner that compensates for motion. Such images, which are produced in a motion-compensated manner, may be displayed, e.g., in comic strip-like fashion in the form of a 3D art map and/or as a dashed drawing and/or as a ghost image and/or as a gradient image. This may be accomplished, e.g., on a 3D graphics processor of evaluation unit 2, in particular of a head unit.

[0029] FIG. 5 shows a flow chart of a specific embodiment of the method according to the present invention. In a first step 100, the method of the invention for providing support in a parking maneuver is triggered by towing vehicle 5 driving slowly, for example at a speed of <6 km/h. In response, backup camera 3 of towing vehicle 5 detects a stationary object 11, for example a parking line 9, in second step 200. In third step 300, an ascertainment is made, for example by an evaluation unit 2, whether a concealed field of view 12 exists, which may be caused by trailer 6 concealing object 11. If such a concealment exists, then, in a fourth step 400, an image element 13 representing concealed object 11 is superimposed onto an image of trailer 6 in an image ascertained by backup camera 3, which is displayed, e.g., on a display 4.