Trailers are typically hitched to vehicles using, in the case of passenger vehicles, a trailer hitch that is mounted at the lower rear of the vehicle. The trailer coupling is at a similar height. The vehicle driver must then manipulate the vehicle to align the trailer hitch with the trailer coupling, which is typically disposed at a front of the trailer. When the rear of the vehicle gets close to the front of the trailer, the driver of the vehicle typically cannot see either the trailer hitch or the trailer coupling. Further, when manipulating the vehicle to align the trailer hitch to the trailer coupling, the driver is typically operating the vehicle in reverse.
There are systems that provide guidance to the driver to aid the driver in aligning the trailer hitch with the trailer coupling. There are for example the systems disclosed in US 2013/0226390 for “Hitch Alignment Assistance,” US 2010/324770 for “Trailer Hitch Alignment Device and Method,” US 2009/0040300 for “Removably Mountable, Portable Vision System,” and U.S. Pat. No. 7,777,615 for “System for Assisting the Attachment of a Trailer to a Vehicle.” Some of those systems have provided visual indicators such as on a vehicle's radio head or navigation system screen to guide the driver in steering the vehicle as the driver manipulates the vehicle to align the trailer hitch to the trailer coupling. In these systems, the driver will be looking forward at the display and it is typically more difficult for a driver to steer a vehicle moving in reverse when the driver is looking forward. As such, it is desirable to have a system that provides visual indicators on a display to a driver looking forward at the display that provide guidance to the driver as to the appropriate direction to turn a steering wheel of the vehicle to steer it along a target path to align a trailer hitch with a trailer coupling.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds