Aftermarket trailer backup assist

[TheJaff]

Hey all, new user here.. Most summers, me and my family are traveling around Sweden in a travel trailer, and I've been reading recently about the "Trailer Assist" functionality of Ford and Wolksvagen among others. Not being in the market for a new car, and being a software developer by day, I have started to build an aftermarket solution that I can run using my main phone (in the car) and by fixing a spare (a couple of years older) phone at the back of the trailer. With these two devices I get a very high quality video feed when backing up, as well as very accurate estimation and visualization of the hitch angle (thanks to the gyrometers in the phones). Im also thinking of adding the possibility to input a "desired angle" and get steering wheel recommendations based on that.

Is this all just a crazy idea (I have like 90% of it working already), cause I haven't seen this anything like it on the market?

[TheJaff]

HitchAngle is now ready if anyone wants to try it out! It is free / gratis, so don't worry about that.

(Hit it up on google, since I'm not allowed to post a link)

[TheJaff]

Boband4 wrote:
Will you need an internet or wi-fi connection for both phones? I dont know how to link one phone as a remote camera to another as a display without the web connection. Many of our camp areas have poor/no connectivity. My question is really "Will the app would work without an internet connection?"

No. You will need an internet connection on both phones. But most phones from the past 5-10 years should be able to create a "personal hotspot", and the internet connection doesn't have to be very fast since in most cases, after the initial connection negotiation, the connection will end up beeing a peer to peer connection.

[TheJaff]

opnspaces wrote:
While it looks great, you might want to remove the website link. Otherwise the moderator might delete the post as it is promoting a business which is against the forum rules, even if you are not yet in business yet.

Thanks for the heads-up, it’s done.

[Boband4]

Will you need an internet or wi-fi connection for both phones? I dont know how to link one phone as a remote camera to another as a display without the web connection. Many of our camp areas have poor/no connectivity. My question is really "Will the app would work without an internet connection?"

[opnspaces]

While it looks great, you might want to remove the website link. Otherwise the moderator might delete the post as it is promoting a business which is against the forum rules, even if you are not yet in business yet.

[TheJaff]

Starting to finalize the interface, going for a HUD instead, what do you think?

[TheJaff]

The plan is that you are able to switch between angle view and video feed. You either use the angle view for extra visual feedback (one example that comes to mind is if you have a big truck and a tiny jetski-trailer, when you cant even see the trailer before you are jackknifed) or, by setting a "desired angle" you get real-time steering recommendations. The latter probably visualized with a onscreen steering wheel and a progressive indicator of which way, and how much, to turn the steering wheel.

[avoidcrowds]

I am not seeing where showing me the angle between the trailer and TV will help me back. I look in my mirrors, and can't tell you the angle of approach. I think that is where the rear-facing camera is more helpful than the angle.

What am I missing?

[winniman]

What will this show me that I cant already see in my back up camera?

[TheJaff]

🙂 To get you guys back on topic, here is a very early screenshot from the app:

[JRscooby]

winniman wrote:
I can back my own trailer in, but I like the idea of mounting the wife on the back of the trailer. I don't know about mounting the mother in law though.

Maybe just the horns? Like antlers in the den?

[winniman]

I can back my own trailer in, but I like the idea of mounting the wife on the back of the trailer. I don't know about mounting the mother in law though.

[philh]

valhalla360 wrote:
Reading comprehension...I said "need a mount"...I did not say "mount her phone permanently to the rear bumper".

Kind of like the windshield mounts they have for phones...2 seconds to mount the phone and it's ready to go but you can pull it out in 2 seconds also to return it to normal service.

Speaking of reading comprehension... he said mount her on the back of the trailer, not her phone 🙂

[profdant139]

valhallah, I believe grit dog was making a play on words.

grit dog, you may have to include a smiley face from time to time.

And this comment is just trying to make peace here, which (of course) reminds us of the Sermon on the Mount, so we are back on topic! 😉