The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 26, 2025
Filed:
Mar. 21, 2024
Ford Global Technologies, Llc, Dearborn, MI (US);
Luke Niewiadomski, Dearborn, MI (US);
Douglas Rogan, Mountainview, CA (US);
Shannon Brooks-Lehnert, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
Chen Zhang, South Rockwood, MI (US);
Roger Arnold Trombley, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
Peter Ling, Canton, MI (US);
Kenneth Michael Mayer, Ypsilanti, MI (US);
Seyed Armin Raeis Hosseiny, Canton, MI (US);
Bo Bao, Bloomfield, MI (US);
Steven Wayne Friedlander, Canton, MI (US);
FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US);
Abstract
A vehicle hitching assistance system includes a controller executing an initial alignment process including searching for a trailer within a specified area of image data that is less than a total field of the image data in directions corresponding with both a longitudinal distance between the vehicle and the trailer and a lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal distance, presenting an indication to a driver of the vehicle to reposition the vehicle when the trailer is not identified within the specified area, and removing the indication when the trailer is identified within the specified area. The controller further executes an automated backing process upon identifying the trailer within the specified area, including identifying a coupler of the trailer and outputting a steering signal to the vehicle to cause the vehicle to steer to align a hitch ball of the vehicle with the coupler of the trailer during reversing.