Determining an unoccupied street parking space

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10026316-B2
Application number	US-201715728122-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2017
Priority date	Nov 4, 2016
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

A street parking space for a first motor vehicle is located within a predefined area. A method for determining an unoccupied street parking space includes steps of scanning environmental data of a second motor vehicle in the predefined area; determining an item of information regarding an unoccupied parking space in the area of the second motor vehicle on the basis of the environmental data; and reporting the item of information to a central instance. The central instance determines a demand for reports in the area on the basis of received information from a plurality of second motor vehicles, and suppresses further reports from a second motor vehicle as a function of the demand.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for determining an unoccupied street parking space for a first motor vehicle, the street parking space being located within a predefined area, the method comprising:
scanning environmental data of a second motor vehicle in the predefined area;
determining an item of information regarding an unoccupied street parking space in an area of the second motor vehicle based on the environmental data; and reporting the item of information to a central instance; wherein:
the central instance determines a demand for reports in the area on the basis of received information from a plurality of second motor vehicles; and
suppresses further reports from the second motor vehicle as a function of the demand.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the central instance suppresses reports from a subset of the second motor vehicles in the area as a function of the demand, and continues to accept reports from a residual subset of the second motor vehicles.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the central instance transmits a signal respectively to the second motor vehicles of the subset in order to suppress further reports.

4. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the central instance determines the subset in such a way that a number of the second motor vehicles of the residual subset does not drop below a predefined value.

5. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the central instance determines the subset in such a way that a scanning frequency of a point within the area satisfies a predefined minimum frequency.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the central instance determines the demand based on at least one of: a temporal distribution of reports and a local distribution of reports, from the second motor vehicles.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the central instance determines a rate of change in the occupancy status of parking spaces in the area based on reports from the second motor vehicles of the residual subset and ends the suppression as a function of the rate of change.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the central instance enables the reports from the second motor vehicles again as a function of the demand.

9. A reporting device on board a motor vehicle, the reporting device comprising:
a scanning device for scanning an environment of the motor vehicle;
a processing device for determining an item of information regarding an unoccupied street parking space for the motor vehicle based on the scanning;
a transmission device for reporting an item of information regarding the street parking space to a central instance; and
a receiving device for receiving a signal from the central instance;
wherein the processing device suppresses a further report as a function of the received signal.

10. A determination device for an unoccupied street parking space for a motor vehicle in a predefined area, the determination device comprising:
a receiving device for receiving an item of information regarding an unoccupied street parking space from a motor vehicle in the predefined area; and
a processing device for determining the unoccupied street parking space based on the item of information, the processing device being designed to determine a demand for reports in the area based on the received items of information from a plurality of motor vehicles, the processing device further being designed to suppress further reports from the motor vehicle as a function of the demand.

11. A system, comprising:
a central instance including a determination device for an unoccupied street parking space for a motor vehicle in a predefined area, the determination device including a receiving device for receiving an item of information regarding an unoccupied street parking space from the motor vehicle in the predefined area, and a processing device for determining the unoccupied street parking space based on the item of information, the processing device being designed to determine a demand for reports in the area based on the received items of information from a plurality of motor vehicles, the processing device further being designed to suppress further reports from the motor vehicle as a function of the demand; and
at least one motor vehicle equipped with a reporting device, the reporting device including a scanning device for scanning an environment of the motor vehicle, a processing device for determining the item of information regarding the unoccupied street parking space for the motor vehicle based on the scanning, a transmission device for reporting the item of information regarding the street parking space to the central instance, and a receiving device for receiving a signal from the central instance, wherein the processing device suppresses a further report as a function of the received signal.

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Maier Manuel
• Mayer Philipp

Classifications

• G08G1/14 Primary

  indicating individual free spaces in parking areas · CPC title

• G08G1/147 Primary

  where the parking area is within an open public zone, e.g. city centre · CPC title

• G08G1/0965

  responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle · CPC title