Systems and methods for multilevel parking structure utilization and reporting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11398155-B2
Application number	US-202017133576-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2020
Priority date	Dec 23, 2020
Publication date	Jul 26, 2022
Grant date	Jul 26, 2022

Abstract

Systems and methods for multilevel parking structure utilization and reporting are disclosed herein. An example method includes obtaining a layout that identifies ramps, turns, and level portions of a multilevel parking structure, determining vehicle data gathered as the vehicle operates within the multilevel parking structure, the vehicle data including steering input, compass headings, and distance traveled, and determining a current level of a vehicle within the multilevel parking structure by tracking the vehicle's use of the ramps, the turns, and the level portions in combination with the layout.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
obtaining a layout of a multilevel parking structure, wherein the layout includes ramps, turns, and level portions of the multilevel parking structure;
gathering vehicle data as a vehicle operates within the multilevel parking structure, the vehicle data comprising steering input, compass headings, and distance traveled; and
determining a current level of the vehicle within the multilevel parking structure by correlating the vehicle data to the layout.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising determining that the vehicle has entered the multilevel parking structure based on global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the layout is obtained from a service provider or a connected vehicle that has previously operated in the multilevel parking structure, the layout identifying locations, lengths, and cardinal or inter-cardinal directions of the ramps, the turns, and the level portions.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising determining the distance traveled using dead-reckoning based on counts of wheel revolutions of the vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising determining when the vehicle is circling a particular level of the multilevel parking structure.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising determining that the vehicle is traveling across one of the level portions when a pitch of the vehicle is flat and wheels of the vehicle are turning over a specified distance.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising inferring that the vehicle is ascending or descending between a first level and a second level based on a change in the compass headings from a first heading to a second heading as the vehicle completes one of the turns as determined from the steering input.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising determining that the vehicle is ascending or descending based on output from an altimeter or an inclinometer.

9. A method, comprising:
obtaining a layout that identifies ramps, turns, and level portions of a multilevel parking structure;
obtaining steering input, compass headings, and distance traveled by a vehicle within the multilevel parking structure;
determining a current level of the vehicle within the multilevel parking structure based on the layout, the steering input, the compass headings, and the distance traveled by the vehicle;
determining that the vehicle has parked in a parking spot on the current level; and
generating a message for display on a human-machine interface of the vehicle that indicates the current level of the vehicle within the multilevel parking structure.

10. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising determining a relative location of the parking spot on the current level.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the relative location is refined based on a direction of travel of the vehicle as identified in the compass headings.

12. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising determining that the vehicle has ascended from one level to another using one of the ramps when one or more conditions occur:
a direction of travel of the vehicle corresponds to an upward cardinal or inter-cardinal direction as determined from the layout and the compass headings;
the distance traveled by the vehicle matches a length of a garage level based on the layout;
the steering input indicates that a 90 degree turn has occurred at an end of one of the level portions followed by 90 degree steering input; and/or
the direction of travel of the vehicle is opposite of the upward cardinal or inter-cardinal direction until the vehicle parks.

13. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising determining that the vehicle has descended from one level to another using one of the ramps when one or more conditions occur:
a direction of travel of the vehicle corresponds to a downward cardinal or inter-cardinal direction as determined from the layout and the compass headings;
the distance traveled by the vehicle matches a length of a garage level based on the layout;
the steering input indicates that a 90 degree turn has occurred at an end of one of the level portions followed by 90 degree steering input; and/or
a direction of travel of the vehicle is opposite of the downward cardinal or inter-cardinal direction until the vehicle parks.

14. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising utilizing output obtained from a pitch sensor that indicates when the vehicle is operating at an incline or a decline.

15. A vehicle, comprising:
a controller having a processor and memory for storing instructions, the processor executing the instructions to:
determine that the vehicle has entered a multilevel parking structure, the multilevel parking structure having ramps, turns, and level portions;
obtain a layout of the multilevel parking structure, the layout comprising locations, lengths and cardinal or inter-cardinal directions of the ramps, the turns, and the level portions;
gather vehicle data as the vehicle operates within the multilevel parking structure, the vehicle data comprising steering input, compass headings, and distance traveled; and
determine a current level of the vehicle within the multilevel parking structure based on the layout and the vehicle data.

16. The vehicle according to claim 15 , wherein the vehicle data are obtained by a vehicle sensor platform that includes a compass, an altimeter, an inclinometer, and dead-reckoning module.

17. The vehicle according to claim 15 , further comprising a location module used to determine that the vehicle has entered the multilevel parking structure.

18. The vehicle according to claim 15 , further comprising a communications interface, the communications interface being utilized to obtain the layout from a service provider or another connected vehicle.

19. The vehicle according to claim 15 , wherein the processor is configured to determine a relative location of a parking spot occupied by the vehicle.

20. The vehicle according to claim 19 , wherein the relative location is refined based on a direction of travel of the vehicle as identified in the compass headings.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Dudar Aed M
• Ghannam Mahmoud Y

Classifications

• E04H6/424

  Positioning devices · CPC title

• E04H6/422

  Automatically operated car-parks · CPC title

• E04H6/42

  Devices or arrangements peculiar to garages, not covered elsewhere, e.g. securing devices, safety devices {, monitoring and operating schemes; centering devices} · CPC title

• E04H6/10

  without mechanical means for shifting or lifting vehicles, e.g. with helically-arranged fixed ramps, with movable ramps · CPC title

• G08G1/141 Primary

  with means giving the indication of available parking spaces · CPC title