Patent 10940889 was granted and assigned to Jaguar Land Rover on March, 2021 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The present invention relates to a vehicle control system (1) for controlling a trailer (5) coupled to a vehicle (3) during a reversing operation. The vehicle control system includes a processor (29) configured to determine an actual trailer travel direction (TACT) based on one or more sensor signals. The processor (29) receives a demanded trailer travel direction (TDEM), for example from a user. A maximum permissible hitch angle (ϕMAX) is calculated by the processor (29) and the demanded trailer travel direction (TDEM) is limited to an angle less than or equal to the calculated maximum permissible hitch angle (ϕMAX). The present invention also relates to a vehicle (3) incorporating the vehicle control system (1); and a method of controlling the reversing of the trailer (5).