VEHICLE MOTION CONTROL FOR TRAILER ALIGNMENT

A vehicle control system is configured to control a braking operation of a hitch ball to a coupler on a trailer. The system comprises a controller in communication with a maneuvering system and a sensor system. The controller is configured to control the maneuvering system to maneuver the vehicle along a vehicle path and monitor a coupler distance from the hitch ball to the coupler via the sensor system. The controller is further configured to control a deceleration procedure configured to decrease a velocity of the vehicle along a deceleration profile and stop the vehicle with the hitch ball aligned with the coupler. During the procedure, the controller may detect a premature stop condition of the vehicle, where the coupler distance is greater than zero.