Parking assistance device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11458960-B2
Application number	US-202016884358-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 27, 2020
Priority date	May 28, 2019
Publication date	Oct 4, 2022
Grant date	Oct 4, 2022

Abstract

The invention relates to a parking assistance device, comprising an autonomous vehicle detecting unit adapted to detect whether a parked vehicle is an autonomous vehicle ( 16 ) capable of moving autonomously, a parking space optimization area detecting unit adapted to detect at least one parking space optimization area ( 20 ), a distance measuring unit adapted to measure a distance ( 24 ) in front of or behind the at least one autonomous vehicle ( 16 ), a parking spot determining unit adapted to determine whether or not a subset of the distances ( 24 ) measured by the distance measuring unit is equal to or larger than a predetermined distance required for parking a host vehicle ( 26 ), and a communication unit ( 38 ) adapted to output a movement command to the at least one parked autonomous vehicle ( 16 ). The invention further relates to an according parking assistance method.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A parking assistance device configured to be mounted in a host vehicle, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to implement:
an autonomous vehicle detecting unit configured to detect whether a vehicle parked within a predetermined range in the vicinity of the host vehicle is an autonomous vehicle configured to move autonomously,
a parking space optimization area detecting unit configured to detect at least one parking space optimization area as an area in which a consecutive number of at least one autonomous vehicle is parked between a first end of the parking space optimization area defined by an object that is not configured to be moved autonomously or an end of an associated parking allowance area in front of the consecutive number of at least one autonomous vehicle and a second end of the parking space optimization area defined by another object that is not configured to be moved autonomously or another end of an associated parking allowance area behind the consecutive number of at least one autonomous vehicle,
a distance measuring unit configured to measure a distance in front of or behind the at least one autonomous vehicle parked in the at least one parking space optimization area,
a parking spot determining unit configured to determine whether or not at least a subset of the distances measured by the distance measuring unit is equal to or larger than a predetermined distance required for parking the host vehicle, and
a communication unit configured to output a movement command to the at least one parked autonomous vehicle, said movement command including an identification information for identifying one of the at least one parked autonomous vehicle and a direction information indicating whether the identified autonomous vehicle is to be moved in the forward direction or in the backward direction,

wherein the direction of the direction information of the movement command in which the identified autonomous vehicle is to be moved is determined according to the smaller value of a comparison of the two travel distances the identified autonomous vehicle has to travel in each direction.

2. The parking assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein said movement command further includes a distance information indicating by which distance the identified autonomous vehicle is to be moved.

3. The parking assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the movement command is configured to trigger all of the parked autonomous vehicles detected by the autonomous vehicle detection unit to be moved for optimizing the parking space optimization area to move into the same direction.

4. The parking assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the movement command is configured to trigger all of the parked autonomous vehicles detected by the autonomous vehicle detection unit to be moved for optimizing the parking space optimization area to move in a direction away from a location where a distance currently or recently measured by the distance measuring unit is located.

5. The parking assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further caused to implement a parking spot setting unit configured to set a location that is closest to the host vehicle as a parking spot to be optimized by the parking assistance device within the parking space optimization area.

6. The parking assistance device according to claim 5 , wherein the parking spot setting unit is configured to set the location closest to the host vehicle as a parking spot to be optimized only when the velocity of the host vehicle is equal or below a predetermined threshold.

7. The parking assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein said movement command further includes a parking distance information indicating at which predetermined distance to an object, towards which the identified autonomous vehicle is approaching in response to the movement command, the identified autonomous vehicle is to be stopped.

8. The parking assistance device according to claim 7 , wherein the predetermined distance is individually adjustable for each distance and/or for each autonomous vehicle.

9. The parking assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further caused to implement an environment monitoring unit configured to monitor an environment surrounding the host vehicle.

10. The parking assistance device according to claim 9 , wherein the environment monitoring unit is configured to monitor the environment surrounding the host vehicle every time a preset time period has lapsed.

11. The parking assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further caused to implement a warning unit configured to output a warning signal by using visual and/or acoustical means to the surrounding environment of the host vehicle indicating that the host vehicle is moving and/or is about to move.

12. The parking assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the communication unit is further configured to output a movement command to the at least one parked autonomous vehicle in response to at least one of unlocking the host vehicle, starting the host vehicle, and a remote travel request received by the host vehicle.

13. A parking assistance method, comprising the steps of:
detecting whether a vehicle parked within a predetermined range in the vicinity of the host vehicle is an autonomous vehicle configured to move autonomously;
detecting at least one parking space optimization area as an area in which a consecutive number of at least one autonomous vehicle is parked between a first end of the parking space optimization area defined by an object that is not configured to be moved autonomously or an end of an associated parking allowance area in front of the consecutive number of at least one autonomous vehicle and a second end of the parking space optimization area defined by another object that is not configured to be moved autonomously or another end of an associated parking allowance area behind the consecutive number of at least one autonomous vehicle;
measuring distances in front of or behind the at least one autonomous vehicle parked in the at least one parking space optimization area;
determining whether or not at least a subset of the measured distances is equal to or larger than a predetermined distance required for parking the host vehicle; and
outputting a movement command to the at least one parked autonomous vehicle, said movement command including an identification information for identifying one of the at least one parked autonomous vehicle and a direction information indicating whether the identified autonomous vehicle is to be moved in the forward direction or in the backward direction,
wherein the direction of the direction information of the movement command in which the identified autonomous vehicle is to be moved is determined according to the smaller value of a comparison of the two travel distances the identified autonomous vehicle has to travel in each direction.

14. The parking assistance method according to claim 13 , wherein said movement command further includes a parking distance information indicating at which predetermined distance to an object towards which the identified autonomous vehicle is approaching in response to the movement command the identified autonomous vehicle is to be stopped and/or said movement command further includes a distance information indicating by which distance the identified autonomous vehicle is to be moved.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nessler Jens
• Kleinehagenbrock Marcus
• Kastner Robert
• Kerkeling Christoph

Classifications

• B60W30/06 Primary

  Automatic manoeuvring for parking · CPC title

• G05D1/0011

  associated with a remote control arrangement · CPC title

• B60Q5/005

  automatically actuated · CPC title

• G08G1/147

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

• G08G1/22

  Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles · CPC title