How the F-150's Ford Pro Trailer Hitch Assist Uses Artificial Intelligence in Hitching a Trailer

[Administrator]

How Ford Uses Artificial Intelligence to Make Hitching a Trailer Easier Than Ever

• All-new Ford Pro Trailer Hitch Assist available exclusively for Ford F-Series uses sophisticated artificial intelligence, including computer vision and machine learning, to automatically back up and align a truck’s hitch ball to a trailer coupler with a button push  
• Ford’s in-house team secured 60 patents while developing this industry-first technology, which automatically controls the truck’s speed, steering and braking to make sure the trailer hitch ball is directly under a conventional trailer coupler 
• Pro Trailer Hitch Assist is the latest example of Ford applying advanced technology to deliver smart solutions that improve the productivity of customers so they can spend more time on the job or enjoying the lake

DEARBORN, Mich., April 5, 2023 – Stop the yelling and end the frustration! Ford, maker of America's leading F-Series trucks, is introducing industry-first technology that leverages artificial intelligence to help make hitching a truck and trailer as easy as pushing a button.

Pairing a truck and trailer can be tricky and often embarrassing if others are watching and waiting. Whether alone or with a spotter, lining up to hitch a trailer can be a tension-filled ordeal, trying to perfectly position the truck’s hitch ball under the trailer hitch coupler, so the truck and trailer can be physically joined.

Pro Trailer Hitch Assist helps take the frustration out of hitching up. It works by using the rear camera and corner radars to align the hitch with the trailer coupler while simultaneously controlling the truck’s speed, steering, and braking to stop at just the right place.  Pro Trailer Hitch Assist is now available for F-150, F-150 Lightning and the all-new F-Series Super Duty.

“Pro Trailer Hitch Assist is another smart solution to save time for our customers. Instead of struggling to hitch a trailer alone or with a spotter, customers can now get hitched more confidently and on their way to the lake or a jobsite.”
-John Emmert, Ford Truck general manager

To operate Pro Trailer Hitch Assist, the customer pushes and holds a button while monitoring progress visible on the truck’s large center screen display.

Pro Trailer Hitch Assist uses advanced machine learning technology to detect the hitch ball, trailer, and coupler at distances of up to approximately 20 feet.

As the truck backs up to the trailer, the system figures out the best path to follow.

Computer vision is used to precisely detect both the hitch ball and trailer.

After the driver verifies the coupler is positioned higher than the hitch ball, the truck’s control algorithms steer the truck, lining it up so the hitch ball can be positioned directly under the trailer’s coupler.

The result is less time required to back up to a trailer with improved confidence. It even helps towing experts by reducing time lost to maneuvering mistakes.

Ford collected a large volume of data to develop Pro Trailer Hitch Assist’s machine learning algorithms to detect a broad variety of trailers of varied sizes and types on different terrain and in various weather conditions.

The system’s ultrasonic reverse parking aid system alerts the driver in case an obstacle is detected during the maneuver.

And future trailer image data can be used to make the system better over time through Ford Power-Up software updates.

The Pro-Trailer Hitch Assist technology was developed in-house, by Ford’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems team. Over development, Ford received 60 patents.






Trailer Towing Technology Leadership  

Pro Trailer Hitch Assist joins a suite of driver-assist technologies already available for F-Series. Among these features is Pro Trailer Backup Assist, which makes backing up a trailer as easy as turning a knob to indicate which direction the trailer should go while reversing into position.

F-150 customers can also gauge how much they are hauling with available Onboard Scales that measure and display the approximate weight of the payload in the truck. Load information is displayed in the center touch screen with a graphic representation of the truck, or in graphics within the smart taillamps on select models.

Smart taillamps operate like the battery charge indicator on a mobile phone, displaying the percentage of payload capacity by illuminating LEDs (Light Emitting Diode) arranged in a built-in vertical bar. As the truck is loaded, all four lights illuminate, showing it is fully loaded. If the truck is overloaded, the top lights blink. The maximum payload based on the pickup’s configuration is programmed into the system. Additionally, the truck can be set on scale mode, which zeroes out the current load and allows for approximate weighing of additional items loaded into the bed.






Class-exclusive Smart Hitch is designed to help customers easily load trailers and better practice safe towing. Smart Hitch measures the tongue weight of a trailer being connected, to help the customer distribute trailer weight correctly.

After the trailer is set up in the center touch screen, Smart Hitch calculates its tongue weight and provides guidance on weight distribution or hitch overloading on the screen or within the smart taillamps. The truck also will indicate if the hitch weight is too high or low and can even guide owners through properly tensioning a weight redistributing hitch.

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Pro Trailer Hitch Assist available on Ford F-150, F-150 Lightning and Super Duty. For conventional hitching only. Functionality varies by model. See owner's manual for important operating instructions.

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[Je1279]

Will this be an OTA or is additional hardware required?

 

[Samson16]

My 22 302A PB has Dynamic Hitch Assist which I'm guessing is different than Pro Trailer Hitch assist, but as Jared mentioned, will I need additional hardware to upgrade and what is the actual difference between the two systems?

 

[imnuts]

People have enabled the hitch assist with Forscan on '21 & '22 trucks. It's in the Forscan thread. It doesn't work for everyone though, but I can't recall what the issue may be for those that it didn't work for. It's a combination of software and hardware.

 

[Ed21]

That’s great, now if they could only enable the truck to work with stickers.

 

[Henfield]

With all the lines in the tailgate camera, its really easy to get this right without anything else.

 

[GGGILLIM]

Many of the F150s have the Pro Trailer Backup Assist. Is the newer Hitch Assist another option that is added during the truck build or as asked already is this an OTA update?

 

[780]

Very curious if this is part of an OTA update as well. I have 360 cameras, Max Tow, Scales and SmartHitch. I don't recall seeing dynamic hitch assist as an option? How do you tell?

 

[crazywayne311]

i did all the forscan changes but have yet to actually try it out. it appears to initiate pro hitch assist but since i have no trailer to hook up to at the moment, i havent tried it. haha

 

[Je1279]

Sounds like if the options already exist in Forscan that it could be coming as an OTA update for everyone who has the existing hardware in the future.

 

[imnuts]

I think if you didn't have the park assist delete, you can enable and use it. There is a minimum software level as well, possible PowerUp 3.5.3 level or higher.

 

[FirstTimeFord]

For what it's worth, here are photos from my 23 F150 Platty. 4x4, CCD & Scales with Max Tow. Never knew it offered the Pro Trailer Hitch until I read this thread. Tried today and these are the screens. Pressed the center Pro Trailer dial, it asked if trailer connected. When I selected NO, it went into Pro Trailer Hitch Assist. Was at a grocery store parking lot so that's as far as I went with it. Thanks for the post!

 

[Aron]

People have enabled the hitch assist with Forscan on '21 & '22 trucks. It's in the Forscan thread. It doesn't work for everyone though, but I can't recall what the issue may be for those that it didn't work for. It's a combination of software and hardware.

The software can be enabled with Forscan, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they push it out via OTA to vehicles that can use it. The system requires the same chips that utilize the Automated Park Assist system to control the vehicle movement, so for those trucks that had the APA deleted (many model year 2022 trucks), then it won’t work.

Unless, like me, you buy replacement parts to get the missing systems operational. And I can verify that the Hitch Assist is awesome, and works pretty well. I didn’t know that it would learn more over time—that’s really cool!

 

[FirstTimeFord]

The software can be enabled with Forscan, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they push it out via OTA to vehicles that can use it. The system requires the same chips that utilize the Automated Park Assist system to control the vehicle movement, so for those trucks that had the APA deleted (many model year 2022 trucks), then it won’t work.

Unless, like me, you buy replacement parts to get the missing systems operational. And I can verify that the Hitch Assist is awesome, and works pretty well. I didn’t know that it would learn more over time—that’s really cool!

For the record, my 23 Platty did have Park Assist Delete. I simply have Pro Trailer as shown in the photo on the far left dial.

When the "Parking" button across the top of the screen is pressed on my truck, it shows parking lots near by

 

[Aron]

For the record, my 23 Platty did have Park Assist Delete. I simply have Pro Trailer as shown in the photo on the far left dial.

When the "Parking" button across the top of the screen is pressed on my truck, it shows parking lots near by

Yeah, that was my situation as well. I “fixed” it by replacing my IPMA with one from a model year 2021 truck (from before the delete). Now both APA and Hitch Assist work!

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