Daimler Chrysler Ag

Frederic Holzmann

Gernot Spiegelberg

Andreas Schwarzhaupt

Ottmar Gehring

Armin Sulzmann

Harro Heilmann

Many day-to-day driving situations require that an operator of a motor vehicle guide the motor vehicle along a specific course and bring the vehicle to a stop at a specific location, for example in a parking bay or at a loading platform. To assist a vehicle operator in such situations, a method and a suitable device for implementing this method, include detecting the potential target objects in the image data of an image sensor and identifying the potential target objects as potential destinations in a multi-stage exclusionary method, whereupon a trajectory describing an optimized travel path is computed at least in relation to the most proximate destination. By using the multi-stage exclusionary method according to the present invention, it is possible to reliably identify potential destinations in complex image scenarios solely on the basis of their geometric form, even when the destinations have not been encoded by specific symbols.

Docking assistant

A system for coupling a trailer () to a motor vehicle (), in particular a trailer () to a motor tractor (), is provided with an image sensor (), which is located in the coupling area. The coupling process involves connecting a trailer coupler () of the motor vehicle () and a tow bar () of the trailer (), which is detected by an image sensor () detecting a movement of a locking element () associated with the trailer coupling (). Thereupon a process of braking of the motor vehicle () is initiated.

System for hitching a trailer to a motor vehicle

In the case of a method for hitching a trailer () to a motor vehicle (), in particular a semitrailer to a semitrailer towing machine, an image sensor () is provided which is arranged in a hitching region () in such a manner that image data of the hitching region () are recorded. During the approach of the motor vehicle () to the trailer (), stored model data of the hitching region () of the trailer () are segmented in the image data recorded by the image sensor () and are in each case placed in the correct position in the image data. A target zone () for the hitching is determined therefrom. The arrangement of the target zone () in the image data is used as a measurement for a steering operation of the motor vehicle () during hitching.

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Stuttgart, Germany

Frederic Holzmann