Patent ID: 8138899

Claim:
A method for assisting a backup maneuver of a motor vehicle in which a first point of interest on the vehicle is moved toward a second point of interest remote from the vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: displaying a rear contextual view on an electronic display visible to a driver of the vehicle, wherein the rear contextual view is obtained from a rearward directed image sensor on the vehicle, and wherein the rear contextual view includes the first point of interest and the second point of interest; manually configuring the placement of a zoom window on the electronic display to include the second point of interest; enlarging on the electronic display the portion of the rear camera view contained in the zoom window; manually identifying the location of the second point of interest within the enlarged zoom window; transforming the identified location of the second point of interest into target positional coordinates within the rear contextual view; redisplaying the rear contextual view; displaying a target icon at the target positional coordinates in the rear contextual view; manually identifying on the rear contextual view the location of the first point of interest; transforming the identified location of the first point of interest into starting positional coordinates within the rear contextual view; displaying a start icon at the starting positional coordinates in the rear contextual view; determining a target line between the target positional coordinates and the starting positional coordinates; displaying a path line icon in the rear contextual view corresponding to the determined target line; displaying a bearing line in the rear contextual view extending from the start icon in a direction parallel with the axis of the vehicle projected into the rear contextual view; re-determining the target positional coordinates as the rear contextual view shifts during the backup maneuver; and updating the target icon and the path line icon in response to the re-determined target positional coordinates.