Swivel tailgate bracket

A motor vehicle includes a horizontally oriented bed. A tailgate is pivotably attached to the bed. The tailgate is pivotable between an upright position and a horizontal position. A camera is pivotably attached to the tailgate. The camera has a field of view. An orientation sensor detects an orientation of the tailgate and/or the camera. An actuator pivots the camera relative to the tailgate. An electronic processor is communicatively coupled to the orientation sensor and to the actuator. The electronic processor receives a sensor signal from the orientation sensor. The electronic processor causes the actuator to pivot the camera dependent upon the sensor signal such that a field of view of the camera remains in a horizontal orientation throughout pivoting of the tailgate.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to mounting a rear-facing camera on a truck tailgate.

2. Description of the Related Art

All production trucks use a fixed position bracket to mount a rear-facing camera on the truck's tailgate, as shown inFIG. 1.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention may provide a truck tailgate camera bracket with a rotating camera head. When the truck tail gate is lowered, the camera head may rotate outward toward the rear of the vehicle, enabling the camera head to be used when the truck is hauling large objects.

The invention is related to rear camera mounting on trucks. The mounting position is located on the tailgate, which could cause a problem if the driver is hauling an oversized load (e.g., long wood, etc.), and when the tailgate is lowered the camera is facing toward the front of the vehicle such that the camera is no longer capable of capturing images to the rear of the truck. The present invention may enable the camera to be used when the tailgate is lowered.

The invention comprises, in one form thereof, a motor vehicle including a horizontally oriented bed. A tailgate is pivotably attached to the bed. The tailgate is pivotable between an upright position and a horizontal position. A camera is pivotably attached to the tailgate. The camera has a field of view. An orientation sensor detects an orientation of the tailgate and/or the camera. An actuator pivots the camera relative to the tailgate. An electronic processor is communicatively coupled to the orientation sensor and to the actuator. The electronic processor receives a sensor signal from the orientation sensor. The electronic processor causes the actuator to pivot the camera dependent upon the sensor signal such that the field of view of the camera remains in a horizontal orientation throughout pivoting of the tailgate.

The invention comprises, in another form thereof, a method of operating a motor vehicle, including providing a horizontally oriented bed. A tailgate is pivotably attached to the bed. A camera is pivotably attached to the tailgate. The camera has a field of view. The tailgate is pivoted between an upright position and a horizontal position. An orientation of at least one of the tailgate and the camera is detected after the pivoting of the tailgate has commenced. The camera is pivoted relative to the tailgate dependent upon the detecting of the orientation such that a field of view of the camera remains in a horizontal orientation throughout pivoting of the tailgate.

The invention comprises, in yet another form thereof, a motor vehicle including a camera pivotably attached to a portion of a rear end of the motor vehicle. The camera has a field of view. An orientation sensor detects an orientation of the portion of the rear end of the motor vehicle anti/or the camera. An actuator pivots the camera relative to the portion of the rear end of the motor vehicle. An electronic processor is communicatively coupled to the orientation sensor and to the actuator. The electronic processor receives a sensor signal from the orientation sensor, and causes the actuator to pivot the camera dependent upon the sensor signal such that the field of view of the camera remains in a substantially horizontal, substantially rearward orientation during operation of the motor vehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments hereinafter disclosed are not intended to be exhaustive or limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed in the following description. Rather the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may utilize its teachings.

FIG. 2Ais a fragmentary, side cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a truck tailgate with rear-facing camera arrangement10of the present invention with a tailgate12in a closed or vertical position. Tailgate12is pivotably attached to a truck bed14, and may pivot relative to bed14about a pivot point16. A rearward-facing camera18has a field of view approximately centered in a rearward direction indicated by arrow20. Camera18is pivotably attached to a distal edge21of tailgate12, and may pivot relative to tailgate12about a pivot point22.

FIG. 3illustrates camera18and associated electronics for maintaining the field of view of camera18in horizontal direction20regardless of the orientation of tailgate12. Camera18is pivoted by an actuator24, which, in turn, is controlled by an electronic processor26, A camera orientation sensor28, which may be a geomagnetic field sensor, accelerometer and/or gyroscope, for example, determines the orientation of camera18and hence the orientation of the field of view of camera18. Processor26may use the feedback signal from orientation sensor28to keep camera18pointed in a horizontal direction.

During use, tailgate12may be lowered to an open or horizontal orientation, as shown inFIG. 2B. As tailgate12pivots about pivot point16, orientation sensor28senses the changing orientation of camera18and informs processor26of the changing orientation. Processor26responds by causing actuator24to pivot camera18about pivot point22to thereby maintain the field of view of camera18being centered in horizontal direction20.

FIG. 4is a flow chart of one embodiment of a method400of the present invention for operating a motor vehicle. In a first step402, a tailgate is pivotably attached to a horizontally oriented bed. For example, tailgate12is pivotably attached to a horizontally oriented truck bed14

Next, in step404, a camera is pivotably attached to the tailgate. The camera has a field of view. For example, camera18has a field of view approximately centered in a rearward direction indicated by arrow20. Camera18is pivotably attached to a distal edge21of tailgate12.

In a next step406, the tailgate is pivoted between an upright position and a horizontal position. For example, tailgate12is pivoted between the upright position shown inFIG. 2Aand the horizontal position shown inFIG. 2B.

In step408, an orientation of the tailgate and/or the camera is detected after the pivoting of the tailgate has commenced. For example, as tailgate12pivots about pivot point16, orientation sensor28senses the changing orientation of camera18

In a final step410, the camera is pivoted relative to the tailgate dependent upon the detecting step such that a field of view of the camera remains in a horizontal orientation throughout pivoting of the tailgate. For example, orientation sensor28informs processor26of the changing orientation. Processor26responds by causing actuator24to pivot camera18about pivot point22to thereby maintain the field of view of camera18being centered in horizontal direction20.

The foregoing description may refer to “motor vehicle”, “automobile”, “automotive”, or similar expressions. It is to be understood that these terms are not intended to limit the invention to any particular type of transportation vehicle. Rather, the invention may be applied to any type of transportation vehicle whether traveling by air, water, or ground, such as airplanes, boats, etc.