US Patent 9804022 System and method for hitch angle detection

A hitch angle detection system is provided herein. Ultrasonic transducers are disposed on a rear vehicle structure and are configured to transmit ultrasonic waves in a rearward vehicle direction. An ultrasonic reflector is disposed on a trailer and is configured to reflect incident ultrasonic waves back toward the corresponding ultrasonic transducers. A processor is configured to derive distance measurements between the ultrasonic transducers and the ultrasonic reflector and determine a hitch angle based on the derived distance measurements.