Trailer target monitoring system and method

US9102272B2 · US · B2

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-9102272-B2
Application numberUS-201314068410-A
CountryUS
Kind codeB2
Filing dateOct 31, 2013
Priority dateApr 19, 2011
Publication dateAug 11, 2015
Grant dateAug 11, 2015

How to read this patent

A practical reading order for non-experts. Skip the full description unless you need deep technical detail.

  1. Title

    What the patent document calls the invention.

  2. Abstract

    A short plain-language summary of the technical disclosure.

  3. Assignees and inventors

    Who owns or filed the patent and who is credited as inventor.

  4. Key dates

    Filing, priority, publication, and grant dates set the timeline.

  5. First independent claim

    The legal scope of protection — read this for what is actually claimed.

  6. CPC / IPC classifications

    Technology tags used to group this patent with similar filings.

  7. Citations and related patents

    Prior art links and similar publications in this corpus.

Abstract

Official abstract text for this publication.

A vehicle trailer backup assist system and method includes a hitch angle detection apparatus and a target monitor controller. The target monitor controller processes images acquired of the trailer towed by a towing vehicle to assist with placement of a target on the trailer. The target monitor controller also monitors the target and provides feedback to the user as to proper positioning of the target on the trailer. A target move detection routine detects movement of a target by processing the pixels of the image to determine if a new trailer has been connected. Further, a trailer connection monitoring routine monitors for a changed trailer based on loss of the hitch angle or target for a predetermined time period.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

What is claimed is: 1. A method of determining change of a trailer connected to a vehicle comprising: acquiring with a camera a first image of a feature of a trailer connected to the vehicle; acquiring with the camera a second image of the feature of a trailer connected to the vehicle; detecting a trailer changed out based on a difference in the first and second images of the feature; and prompting entry of trailer information when the trailer changed out is detected.…

Assignees

Inventors

Classifications

  • Operations & Transport · mapped topic

  • Physics · mapped topic

  • Operations & Transport · mapped topic

  • Operations & Transport · mapped topic

  • B62D13/06Primary

    Operations & Transport · mapped topic

Patent family

Related publications grouped by family.

External sources

Next steps

Free tools are coming soon. Tell us what you want to track and we'll notify you.

Frequently asked questions

Answers are generated from the same data shown on this page.

What does patent US9102272B2 cover?
A vehicle trailer backup assist system and method includes a hitch angle detection apparatus and a target monitor controller. The target monitor controller processes images acquired of the trailer towed by a towing vehicle to assist with placement of a target on the trailer. The target monitor controller also monitors the target and provides feedback to the user as to proper positioning of the …
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Ford Global Tech Llc
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification B62D13/06. Mapped technology areas include Operations & Transport.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Tue Aug 11 2015 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
What related patents are in patentsdb?
We list 1 related publication on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).