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DE-102025146182-A1 - SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MONITORING AND MITIGATION OF TRAILER SUSPENSE

DE102025146182A1DE 102025146182 A1DE102025146182 A1DE 102025146182A1DE-102025146182-A1

Abstract

Vehicles, systems, and methods for reducing trailer oscillation are provided. According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a vehicle includes at least one sensor configured to record data from a trailer coupled to the vehicle, processing logic configured to monitor the trailer's position based on at least one feature point of the recorded data and to determine the extent of trailer oscillation based on the monitored position, and a warning system configured to warn the vehicle's driver when the determined extent of trailer oscillation exceeds a threshold. Triggering the warning can reduce the trailer oscillation either through a driver response or through an action by the processing logic, such as applying the trailer's brakes or adjusting the vehicle's torque.

Inventors

  • Fai Yeung
  • Abhiram Krishnan
  • Aleksa Katic
  • Strahinja Stefanovic

Assignees

  • RIVIAN IP HOLDINGS, LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20251110
Priority Date
20250516

Claims (20)

  1. Vehicle, comprising: at least one sensor configured to record data from a trailer coupled to the vehicle; processing logic configured to: monitor the position of the trailer based on at least one feature point of the recorded data; and determine the magnitude of trailer oscillation based on the monitored position; and a warning system configured to issue a warning to the driver of the vehicle in response to the determined magnitude of trailer oscillation exceeding a threshold.
  2. Vehicle after Claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises a camera and at least one ultrasonic sensor, a LIDAR sensor, a RADAR sensor and/or an inertial measurement unit.
  3. Vehicle after Claim 1 , wherein the processing switching logic is further configured to detect an optical signature, and the at least one feature point includes the optical signature.
  4. Vehicle after Claim 3 , where: the optical signature encodes data from the tag; and the threshold is based on the tag's data.
  5. Vehicle after Claim 4 , wherein: the trailer data includes at least a trailer load, trailer dimensions and/or a trailer weight distribution; and the processing switching logic is configured to determine the extent of the trailer oscillation based on the trailer data.
  6. Vehicle after Claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor is further configured to adapt an aspect of the data recording based on a speed of the vehicle or an environmental condition.
  7. Vehicle after Claim 1 , wherein the warning system is configured to trigger an obstruction warning in response to an obstruction of at least one sensor.
  8. Vehicle after Claim 1 , wherein: the processing logic is further configured to determine an estimated position of the trailer; the estimated position does not take into account the trailer oscillation; and the processing logic is further configured to determine the extent of the trailer oscillation based on a difference between the monitored position and the estimated position.
  9. Vehicle after Claim 1 , wherein the processing switching logic is further configured to cause the vehicle to reduce trailer vibration in response to the fact that the certain extent of trailer vibration exceeds the threshold.
  10. Vehicle after Claim 9 , wherein the processing switching logic is configured to cause the vehicle to reduce trailer oscillation by at least applying a brake to the trailer or adjusting a torque of the vehicle.
  11. A method comprising: Recording, using at least one sensor of a vehicle, data from a trailer towed by the vehicle; Monitoring the position of the trailer based on at least one feature point of the recorded data; Determining the magnitude of the trailer oscillation based on the monitored position; and Triggering, using a warning system, a warning to a driver of the vehicle in response to the determined magnitude of the trailer oscillation exceeding a threshold.
  12. Procedure according to Claim 11 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises a camera and at least one ultrasonic sensor, a LIDAR sensor, a RADAR sensor and/or an inertial measurement unit.
  13. Procedure according to Claim 11 , wherein the at least one feature point comprises an optical signature that is coupled to the pendant.
  14. Procedure according to Claim 13 , where the optical signature encodes data from the tag and where the threshold is based on the tag's data.
  15. Procedure according to Claim 14 , wherein the trailer data includes at least a trailer load, trailer dimensions and/or a trailer weight distribution, and wherein the determination of the extent of the trailer oscillation is further based on the trailer data.
  16. Procedure according to Claim 11 , furthermore, encompassing the adjustment of an aspect of the recording based on at least one speed The nature of the vehicle or an environmental condition.
  17. Procedure according to Claim 11 , furthermore, including issuing a cover warning in response to a cover being triggered on at least one sensor.
  18. Procedure according to Claim 11 , furthermore, in response to the fact that the certain extent of the trailer oscillation exceeds the threshold, causing the vehicle to reduce the trailer oscillation, the reduction comprising at least the application of a brake to the trailer or the modification of a torque of the vehicle.
  19. A method comprising: Recording, using at least one sensor of a vehicle, first data of a trailer configured to be towed by the vehicle; Recording, using the at least one sensor, second data of the trailer while it is being towed by the vehicle; and causing, while the vehicle and trailer are in motion, the trailer to align itself with the vehicle based on the first and second data.
  20. Procedure according to Claim 19 , further comprising estimating a calculated trajectory of the trailer based on the orientation, monitoring a recorded trajectory of the trailer based on the second data, and determining an extent of the trailer's oscillation by comparing the estimated trajectory with the recorded trajectory, wherein causing the trailer to align is further based on the extent of the trailer's oscillation.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED REGISTRATIONS This application claims the benefit of preliminary status. US patent application no. 63/719,059 , submitted on November 11, 2024, which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. INTRODUCTION The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for monitoring and reducing trailer vibrations. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to the use of sensors (including, but not limited to, image sensors) of a vehicle for monitoring the condition of a trailer towed by the vehicle and for reducing trailer vibrations (e.g., by issuing warnings and/or corrective actions) when a trailer vibration threshold is reached. SUMMARY Vehicles can incorporate data from onboard sensors (e.g., at least one camera and/or other light-based, radio-wave-based, ultrasound-based, or other sensors) for any number of applications. According to embodiments of this disclosure, cameras or other sensors (including any sensors that can be used to generate space-time data) are used to monitor the condition (in particular, the potential swaying) of a trailer or other load being towed by the vehicle. Based on the monitoring, a warning can be issued to the driver to mitigate the swaying, or the vehicle can be controlled (e.g., by a software system that responds to the monitoring indicating that a degree of oscillation has exceeded a threshold) to mitigate the swaying. Vehicles, systems, and methods for reducing trailer oscillation are provided. According to some embodiments of this disclosure, a vehicle includes at least one sensor configured to record data from a trailer coupled to the vehicle, processing logic configured to monitor the trailer's position based on at least one feature point of the recorded data and to determine the extent of trailer oscillation based on the monitored position, and a warning system configured to warn the vehicle's driver when the determined extent of trailer oscillation exceeds a threshold. Triggering the warning can reduce the trailer oscillation either through a driver response or through an action by the processing logic, such as applying the trailer's brakes or adjusting the vehicle's torque. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and other tasks and advantages of the disclosure will become clear when considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals consistently refer to the same parts and in which the following applies: 1 shows an illustrative trailer coupling which, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, can be used to connect a trailer to a vehicle; 2 shows an electric vehicle configured to monitor the sway of a trailer mechanically coupled to the electric vehicle, according to some embodiments of this disclosure; 3 is a flowchart of an illustrative hardware- and software-based method for monitoring the swaying of a trailer mechanically coupled to a vehicle, according to some embodiments of this disclosure; 4 shows an illustrative system comprising a pendant equipped with a QR code and a computer vision system for tracking the QR code to monitor the pendant's vibration according to some embodiments of this disclosure; 5 shows an illustrative system of a vehicle that uses computer vision to track trailer oscillation based on the position of a QR code, according to some embodiments of this disclosure; 6 is an illustrative graphical representation of the pendant oscillation over time according to some embodiments of this disclosure; 7 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for issuing a warning in response to the detection of trailer vibration according to some embodiments of this disclosure; 8 displays an illustrative display field that shows a trailer sway warning. according to some embodiments of this disclosure; 9 is a flowchart of an illustrative method for monitoring and reducing pendant vibrations according to some embodiments of this disclosure; and 10 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for calibrating the monitoring of trailer vibration and for reducing trailer vibration according to some embodiments of this disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Trailer oscillation, also known as fishtailing, refers to the unwanted lateral movement of a towed trailer. Trailer oscillation can be caused by various factors, including improper weight distribution, faulty trailer design, and difficult driving conditions. One approach to reducing trailer oscillation is to correct improper weight distribution. To avoid improper weight distribution, heavier items should be placed in the center of the trailer, and lighter items should be distributed evenly on both sides. For example, 60% of the weight should be placed in front of the trailer axle and 40% behind it. When using a trailer hitch, the weight of the hitch may be between 10% and 12% of the total weight of the trailer, and this weight should be taken into account when determining weight distributi