Patent ID: 9694749
Date: 2017-07-04
CPC Classifications: B60D,B60K,B60Q,B60R,G02B,G06K,G09G,H04N,Y10S

Claim:
1. A tow hitching aid system for a vehicle, said tow hitching aid system comprising: a camera mounted at a rear portion of a vehicle equipped with said tow hitching aid system and having a field of view at least rearward of the equipped vehicle, the equipped vehicle having a hitching ball at a rear portion of the equipped vehicle for connecting to a hitching receiver of a trailer; wherein the field of view of said camera encompasses the hitching ball of the equipped vehicle; a plurality of distance measuring sensors disposed at the equipped vehicle; said plurality of distance measuring sensors at least comprising a first distance measuring sensor disposed at the equipped vehicle at a first location and a second distance measuring sensor disposed at the equipped vehicle at a second location; wherein said second location is spaced from said first location; a display screen disposed in the equipped vehicle and viewable by a driver of the equipped vehicle when the driver is normally operating the equipped vehicle; a control, wherein said control receives input from said camera and input from said plurality of distance measuring sensors; wherein said control, responsive to processing of input from said plurality of distance measuring sensors, determines at least one of (i) distance from the equipped vehicle to the trailer and (ii) orientation of the equipped vehicle relative to the trailer; wherein, during a tow hitching maneuver where the equipped vehicle is reversed towards the hitching receiver of the trailer to establish a hitch connection, and responsive to input from said camera, said display screen displays video images captured by said camera as the equipped vehicle is reversing towards the trailer so the driver can view the hitching ball of the equipped vehicle approaching the hitching receiver of the trailer; and wherein, during the tow hitching maneuver of the equipped vehicle, and responsive to input from said camera and input from said plurality of distance measuring sensors, said control generates at least one graphic overlay that is superimposed over the displayed video images to assist the driver during the tow hitching maneuver to connect the hitching ball of the equipped vehicle with the hitching receiver of the trailer.