Vehicle vision system with autonomous parking function

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11400919-B2
Application number	US-202015929843-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 26, 2020
Priority date	Mar 2, 2016
Publication date	Aug 2, 2022
Grant date	Aug 2, 2022

Abstract

A vehicular parking system includes a plurality of exterior viewing cameras, at least one receiver and a control. The control, when the vehicle is located at an entrance of a parking structure, controls the vehicle to autonomously drive the vehicle from the entrance of the parking structure toward a parking location in the parking structure. The parking structure includes a positioning system having a plurality of short range communication devices at known locations at the parking structure. Responsive to communication signals generated by the devices, the control determines the location of the vehicle relative to the known locations and drives the vehicle from the entrance of the parking structure toward the parking location in the parking structure. With the vehicle positioned at the parking location, and responsive at least to image processing by the image processor of captured image data, the control parks the vehicle in the parking location.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicular parking system, the vehicular parking system comprising:
a plurality of exterior viewing cameras mounted to a vehicle, each camera of the plurality of exterior viewing cameras having a respective field of view exterior of the vehicle;
at least one receiver disposed at the vehicle for wirelessly receiving signals from short range communication devices near the vehicle;
a controller comprising an image processor operable to process image data captured by the cameras;
wherein the controller, when the vehicle is located at an entrance of a parking structure, controls the vehicle to autonomously drive the vehicle from the entrance of the parking structure toward a parking location in the parking structure;
wherein the parking structure comprises a positioning system having a plurality of short range communication devices that generate short range communication signals, and wherein individual short range communication devices of the plurality of short range communication devices are at known locations at the parking structure;
wherein the controller, with the vehicle at the parking structure, and responsive to short range communication signals generated by the short range communication devices of the positioning system of the parking structure and wirelessly received by the at least one receiver, determines the location of the vehicle relative to the known locations;
wherein the controller determines the location of the vehicle relative to the known locations via comparing measured signal patterns of wirelessly received signals with previously measured signal patterns of wirelessly received signals as the vehicle moves toward the parking location in the parking structure, and wherein the previously measured signal patterns were measured by the vehicular parking system during a previous navigation of the parking structure by the vehicle;
wherein, responsive to determining the location of the vehicle based on the comparison of the measured signal patterns of the signals generated by the short range communication devices of the positioning system of the parking structure and wirelessly received by the at least one receiver, and responsive to processing by the image processor of image data captured by at least some of the cameras, the controller drives the vehicle from the entrance of the parking structure toward the parking location in the parking structure; and
wherein the controller, with the vehicle positioned at the parking location, and responsive at least to image processing by the image processor of image data captured by at least one of the plurality of exterior viewing cameras, parks the vehicle in the parking location.

2. The vehicular parking system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of short range communication devices generate short range communication signals in accordance with a BLUETOOTH® communication protocol.

3. The vehicular parking system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of short range communication devices generate short range communication signals in accordance with a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) communication protocol.

4. The vehicular parking system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicular parking system is operable to determine, at least via image processing by the image processor of image data captured by at least some of the cameras, the presence of an object in the path of travel of the vehicle and, responsive to determination of the object, the controller stops or pauses the vehicle as the vehicle is driven from the entrance of the parking structure toward the parking location in the parking structure.

5. The vehicular parking system of claim 4 , wherein, responsive at least to processing by the image processor of captured image data while the controller stops or pauses the vehicle, the vehicular parking system determines the absence of the object in the path of travel and, responsive to determination of the absence of the object, the controller resumes autonomously driving the vehicle.

6. The vehicular parking system of claim 4 , wherein, after the driving of the vehicle is stopped or paused by the controller, the controller, responsive at least to image processing by the image processor of image data captured by at least some of the cameras, drives the vehicle to avoid the determined object.

7. The vehicular parking system of claim 1 , wherein the controller controls the vehicle to autonomously drive the vehicle from a driver drop off location to the entrance of the parking structure responsive at least to image processing by the image processor of image data captured by at least some of the cameras.

8. The vehicular parking system of claim 7 , wherein the controller controls the vehicle to autonomously drive the vehicle from the driver drop off location to the entrance of the parking structure responsive at least in part to a plurality of non-imaging sensors of the vehicle.

9. The vehicular parking system of claim 7 , wherein the vehicular parking system learns a path of travel from the driver drop off location to the entrance of the parking structure, and wherein the vehicular parking system learns the path of travel during a learning maneuver that comprises the driver driving the vehicle from the driver drop off location to the entrance of the parking structure, and wherein, during the learning maneuver, the vehicular parking system learns the path of travel responsive to processing by the image processor of image data captured by at least one of the plurality of exterior viewing cameras.

10. The vehicular parking system of claim 9 , wherein the vehicular parking system learns the path of travel from the driver drop off location to the entrance of the parking structure responsive to a user input that, when actuated by a user when the vehicle is at the driver drop off location, actuates a learning function of the vehicular parking system.

11. The vehicular parking system of claim 9 , wherein the vehicular parking system learns a path of travel from the driver drop off location to the parking location in the parking structure.

12. The vehicular parking system of claim 11 , wherein the controller, after the vehicular parking system learns the path of travel and responsive to actuation of a user input when the vehicle is at the driver drop off location, autonomously drives the vehicle from the driver drop off location to the parking location.

13. The vehicular parking system of claim 9 , wherein the controller, after the vehicular parking system learns the path of travel and responsive to actuation of a user input when the vehicle is at the driver drop off location, autonomously drives the vehicle from the driver drop off location to the entrance of the parking structure.

14. The vehicular parking system of claim 13 , wherein, responsive at least to processing by the image processor of captured image data while the controller autonomously drives the vehicle from the driver drop off location to the entrance of the parking structure, the vehicular parking system determines the presence of an object in the path of travel and, responsive to determination of the object, the controller adjusts the learned path of travel to avoid the object and the controller autonomously drives the vehicle along the adjusted learned path of travel.

15. The vehicular parking system of claim 9 , wherein the driver drop off location is at or near an entrance of a home.

16. The vehicular parking system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicular parking system is operable at least responsive to a remote control device, whereby a user controls steering and braking of the vehicle

Assignees

• Magna Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Diessner Horst D

Classifications

• B60W2555/00

  Input parameters relating to exterior conditions, not covered by groups B60W2552/00, B60W2554/00 · CPC title

• B60W30/06 Primary

  Automatic manoeuvring for parking · CPC title

• B60W50/14

  Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention · CPC title

• B60W10/20

  including control of steering systems · CPC title

• B60W10/04

  including control of propulsion units · CPC title