Parking robot for a motor vehicle and a method for operating such a parking robot

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11021138-B2
Application number	US-201916692765-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2019
Priority date	Dec 6, 2018
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

Systems, apparatus and methods for a motor vehicle parking robot. The parking robot includes a pair of wheel support arms and a retracted wheel retention arm configured laterally from the outside of the parking robot and configured to lift a wheel of a vehicle by extending the pair of wheel support arms and affix the wheel in place on the parking robot by extending the wheel retention arms.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A parking robot for a motor vehicle, comprising:
a parking robot body comprising a processor device and a sensor unit communicatively coupled to the processing device to navigate the parking robot body autonomously to the motor vehicle;
a pair of wheel support arms, each positioned at different ends of a lower portion of the parking robot body, wherein the wheel support arms are configured to extend and retract laterally in a generally perpendicular direction from the parking robot body using data from the sensor unit;
a wheel retention arm, coupled to a top portion of the parking robot body, the wheel retention arm configured to extend and retract vertically in a perpendicular direction from the parking robot body using data from the sensor unit,
wherein the wheel support arms are configured to engage and lift a wheel of the motor vehicle by extending towards the wheel, and wherein the wheel retention arm is configured to engage and fix in place the wheel by extending towards the wheel.

2. The parking robot of claim 1 , wherein the wheel support arms each include a slip roll.

3. The parking robot of claim 2 , wherein each slip roll for each of the wheel support arms is configured to rotate parallel relative to an axle of the motor vehicle to engage and lift the wheel.

4. The parking robot of claim 1 , wherein the wheel retention arm comprises a slip roll having an axis rotation having an angle greater than 0 degrees and smaller than 90 degrees relative to an axel of the motor vehicle when in an extended position while engaging the wheel, and wherein the wheel retention arm is configured to press against a top portion of the wheel in a vertical direction of the motor vehicle against the wheel.

5. The parking robot of claim 1 , wherein the parking robot body comprises an electric drive machine, a battery for supplying electric energy to the electric drive machine, and at least one drive wheel for moving the parking robot.

6. The parking robot of claim 1 , wherein the sensor unit is configured to capture a surrounding area of the parking robot body to detect obstacles in the way of the parking robot body inside the captured surroundings.

7. The parking robot of claim 1 , wherein the parking robot body comprises a communications interface for communicating with at least one further parking robot.

8. A method of operating a parking robot for a motor vehicle, comprising:
navigating a parking robot body autonomously to the motor vehicle via a processor device and a sensor unit;
extending a pair of wheel support arms, each positioned at different ends of a lower portion of the parking robot body, laterally in a generally perpendicular direction relative to the parking robot body using data from the sensor unit;
extending a wheel retention arm, coupled to a top portion of the parking robot body, vertically in a perpendicular direction from the parking robot body using data from the sensor unit;
wherein extending the wheel support arms engage and lift a wheel of the motor vehicle by extending towards the wheel, and wherein the wheel retention arm engages and fixes in place the wheel by extending towards the wheel.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein extending the pair of wheel support arms comprises extending the wheel support arms, with each wheel support arm including a slip roll.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein extending the pair of wheel support arms comprises rotating each slip roll for each of the wheel support arms in a direction parallel, relative to an axle of the motor vehicle to engage and lift the wheel.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the wheel retention arm comprises a slip roll having an axis rotation having an angle greater than 0 degrees and smaller than 90 degrees relative to an axel of the motor vehicle when in an extended position while engaging the wheel, and wherein the wheel retention arm is configured to press against a top portion of the wheel in a vertical direction of the motor vehicle against the wheel.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein navigating the parking robot body comprises navigating via an electric drive machine, a battery for supplying electric energy to the electric drive machine, and at least one drive wheel for moving the parking robot.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein navigating the parking robot body comprises capturing, via the sensor unit, a surrounding area of the parking robot body to detect obstacles in the way of the parking robot body inside the captured surroundings.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the parking robot body comprises a communications interface for communicating with at least one further parking robot.

15. A parking robot for a motor vehicle, comprising:
a parking robot body comprising a processor device and a sensor unit communicatively coupled to the processing device to navigate the parking robot body autonomously to the motor vehicle;
a pair of wheel support arms, each positioned at different ends of a lower portion of the parking robot body, wherein the wheel support arms are configured to extend and retract laterally from a generally parallel to a generally perpendicular direction along a horizontal plane relative to parking robot body;
a wheel retention arm, coupled to a top portion of the parking robot body, the wheel retention arm configured to extend and retract vertically in a perpendicular direction from the parking robot body using data from the sensor unit,
wherein the wheel support arms are configured to engage and lift a wheel of the motor vehicle by extending towards the wheel, and wherein the wheel retention arm is configured to engage and fix in place the wheel by extending towards the wheel.

16. The parking robot of claim 15 , wherein the parking robot body comprises a processor device and a sensor unit communicatively coupled to the processing device to navigate the parking robot body autonomously to the motor vehicle.

17. The parking robot of claim 15 , wherein the wheel support arms each include a slip roll.

18. The parking robot of claim 17 , wherein each slip roll for each of the wheel support arms is configured to rotate parallel relative to an axle of the motor vehicle to engage and lift the wheel.

19. The parking robot of claim 15 , wherein the wheel retention arm comprises a slip roll having an axis rotation having an angle greater than 0 degrees and smaller than 90 degrees relative to an axel of the motor vehicle when in an extended position while engaging the wheel, and wherein the wheel retention arm is configured to press against a top portion of the wheel in a vertical direction of the motor vehicle against the wheel.

20. The parking robot of claim 15 , wherein the parking robot body comprises an electric drive machine, a battery for supplying electric energy to the electric drive machine, and at least one drive wheel for moving the parking robot.

Assignees

• Volkswagen Ag

Inventors

• Tzivanopoulos Theodoros

Classifications

• E04H6/305

  using car-gripping transfer means · CPC title

• B60S13/00 Primary

  Vehicle-manoeuvring devices separate from the vehicle (vehicle lifting {, e.g. liftable turntables} or pushing devices B66F; {workshop equipment B25H}) · CPC title

• B62D15/0285 Primary

  Parking performed automatically · CPC title

• E04H6/36 Primary

  characterised by use of freely-movable dollies · CPC title

• E04H6/424

  Positioning devices · CPC title