DETERMINING A DISTANCE BETWEEN A CAMERA AND A HITCH BALL

A system for determining a distance between a camera and a hitch ball of a vehicle. The system includes a camera configured to be mounted on a vehicle and an electronic processor connected to the camera. The electronic processor is configured to determine a first position and a second position associated with a point on a trailer, determine an angle of rotation between the first position and the second position, and using the first position, the second position, and the angle of rotation, determine a null space of a matrix. In one example, the matrix is and the null space of the matrix includes a value of a distance (d) between the camera and the hitch ball. The electronic processor is further configured to perform an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle operation based on the distance (d) between the camera and the hitch ball.