Method for performing a towing process, and camera system for recognizing a towing process, as well as motor vehicle with a camera system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10752173-B2
Application number	US-201916519394-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2019
Priority date	Aug 13, 2018
Publication date	Aug 25, 2020
Grant date	Aug 25, 2020

Abstract

A method of performing a towing process by a towing vehicle ( 10 ) involves activating a towing mode (S 1 ) and adapting a vehicle speed of the towing vehicle to a towing speed (S 2 ). A camera system ( 100 ) for recognizing a towing process includes at least one camera ( 12 ) arranged on the rear of a vehicle, for detecting at least one sub-region located behind the vehicle, and an image processing device ( 16 ) configured to recognize a towing device ( 14 ) in detected image data, whereby a towing mode may be activated and/or terminated.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of performing a towing process by a towing vehicle, comprising the steps:
using a reversing camera of the towing vehicle, detecting a region located behind the towing vehicle and generating corresponding image data;
in the image data, recognizing a tow rope that is slack and/or moving;
in response to the recognizing of the tow rope that is slack and/or moving, activating a towing mode; and
after the activating of the towing mode, automatically adapting a vehicle speed of the towing vehicle to a specified towing speed.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising terminating the towing mode when at least one of the following situations is present:
recognizing in the image data that the tow rope is tight or taut, or
detecting a predefined tractive force on the tow rope.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein, after termination of the towing mode, the vehicle speed is increased and a driver of the towing vehicle is enabled to drive the towing vehicle at any desired value of the vehicle speed.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the terminating of the towing mode occurs in response to the recognizing that the tow rope is tight or taut.

5. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the terminating of the towing mode occurs in response to the detecting of the predefined tractive force on the tow rope.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of recognizing comprises recognizing that the tow rope is slack.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of recognizing comprises recognizing that the tow rope is moving.

8. A system for performing a towing process by a towing vehicle, comprising:
a reversing camera that is arranged at a rear of the towing vehicle and is configured to detect a region located behind the towing vehicle and to generate corresponding image data;
an image processing device configured to recognize, in the image data, a tow rope that is slack and/or moving; and
a control unit configured to activate a towing mode in response to the recognizing of the tow rope that is slack and/or moving, and, after the activating of the towing mode, to automatically adapt a vehicle speed of the towing vehicle to a specified towing speed.

9. The system according to claim 8 , further comprising a force sensor configured to measure a tractive force on the tow rope.

10. A motor vehicle having a system according to claim 8 .

11. A method of recognizing a towing process by a towing vehicle, comprising the steps:
using a reversing camera of the towing vehicle, detecting a region located behind the towing vehicle and generating corresponding image data;
in the image data, recognizing a tow rope that is slack and/or moving;
in response to the recognizing of the tow rope that is slack and/or moving, recognizing that the towing vehicle is performing the towing process.

Assignees

• Conti Temic Microelectronic Gmbh

Inventors

• Fendt Guenter Anton

Classifications

• B60W30/02 Primary

  Control of vehicle driving stability · CPC title

• B60R2300/802

  for monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior blind spot views · CPC title

• B60D1/18

  Tow ropes, chains or the like · CPC title

• B60W2530/207

  Towing force · CPC title

• B60W2554/80

  Spatial relation or speed relative to objects · CPC title