System and method for remote automated vehicle alignment with a trailer for hitching

US11697414B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Ford Global Technologies, LLC · US

Inventors

• Kyle Simmons · New Boston, US
• Luke Niewiadomski · Dearborn, US
• Roger Arnold Trombley · Ann Arbor, US
• Frederic Christen · Walhorn, BE
• Christoph Kessler · Pier, DE
• Katherine Rouen · Livonia, US
• Erick Michael Lavoie · Dearborn, US
• Hamid M. Golgiri · Westland, US
• Bruno Sielly Jales Costa · Sunnyvale, US
• Nikhil Nagraj Rao · Cupertino, US
• Vidya Nariyambut Murali · Sunnyvale, US
• John Michael Celli · Westland, US
• Frank Golub · Oak Park, US
• Seyed Armin Raeis Hosseiny · Canton, US
• Bo Bao · Changchun, CN
• Siyuan Ma · Chicago, US
• Hemanth Yadav Aradhyula · Farmington Hills, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 17, 2020
• Grant date: Jul 11, 2023
• Expiry date: Jul 31, 2040

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B60W2554/802
• WIPO field: Transport
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

A system for assisting in aligning a vehicle for hitching with a trailer includes a vehicle steering system, a wireless communication module, a detection system outputting a signal including scene data of an area to a rear of the vehicle, and a controller. The controller receives, via the wireless communication module, an automated hitching initiation command from an external wireless device, receives the scene data and identifying the trailer within the area to the rear of the vehicle, derives a backing path to align a hitch ball mounted on the vehicle to a coupler of the trailer, and controls the vehicle steering system to maneuver the vehicle including reversing along the backing path.