Method for performing automatic valet parking

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11590964-B2
Application number	US-202017003987-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2020
Priority date	Aug 27, 2019
Publication date	Feb 28, 2023
Grant date	Feb 28, 2023

Abstract

A method for performing automatic valet parking, which includes selecting a road scenario applicable to a roadway; notifying a driver to release manual control elements of a motor vehicle and to leave the motor vehicle; checking whether the control elements have been released and the driver has left the motor vehicle and, in this case, entering an EXPLORE mode in which the motor vehicle is slowly driven autonomously and searches for a free car space or a parking space using the vehicle's own environmental sensors, before the motor vehicle is placed in a parking position; and then to change from the EXPLORE mode to a PARKING mode in which the motor vehicle is parked in the car space or in the parking space from the parking position by means of the longitudinal and lateral controllers and using the environmental data previously obtained from the environmental sensors in the EXPLORE mode.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for performing automatic valet parking (AVP) on and/or beside a roadway, the method comprising:
selecting, after activation by a driver of a motor vehicle, a road scenario applicable to the roadway from several pre-set scenarios or by the driver, wherein the pre-set scenarios include at least a parking space layouts longitudinal parking, vertical parking, and cross-parking;
checking whether the road scenario has been selected;
notifying the driver to release manual control elements of the motor vehicle and to leave the motor vehicle;
checking whether the control elements have been released and that the driver has left the motor vehicle;
if the control elements are released and the driver has left the motor vehicle, entering an EXPLORE mode in which the motor vehicle is slowly autonomously driven along the roadway by means of longitudinal and lateral controllers and searches for a free car space or a parking space using environment data from the vehicle's own environmental sensors;
when the free car space or parking space of sufficient size for the motor vehicle has been found, placing the motor vehicle in a parking position suitable for parking and to stop there; and
when the motor vehicle has reached an appropriate position for parking, changing from the EXPLORE mode to a PARKING mode in which the motor vehicle is parked autonomously in the free car space or the parking space from the parking position by means of the longitudinal and lateral controllers and using the environmental data previously obtained by the environmental sensors in the EXPLORE mode and the environmental data continuously captured in the PARKING mode, wherein the motor vehicle is driven along the roadway in the EXPLORE mode first at a constant speed of 10 km/h and in other phases of the EXPLORE mode at lower speeds than 10 km/h.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the motor vehicle is driven autonomously along the roadway in the EXPLORE mode at a constant or gradually reduced speed.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the motor vehicle is driven at a lower speed in the PARKING mode than in the EXPLORE mode.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein four areas around the motor vehicle are monitored by means of the environmental sensors, wherein sizes of the monitored areas are gradually decreased as the speed decreases.

5. The method according to claim 4 , the four areas are a first area straight ahead of the motor vehicle, a second area to the front right or front left of the motor vehicle, a third area extending over the length of a whole side of the motor vehicle, and a fourth area extending over part of the length of a side of the motor vehicle and extending further to the side than the third area.

6. The method according to claim 5 , the signals of the environmental sensors are evaluated by four monitoring units, each of which is assigned to one or more assigned areas of the four areas and obtains information from the signals as to whether or not there is an obstacle in the one or more assigned areas and how large the distance to this obstacle is.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method is carried out without a parking assistance infrastructure located outside the motor vehicle on or beside the roadway and without prior knowledge of paths to the free car space or a parking space, and that at least the EXPLORE and PARKING modes are carried out without any supervision by a person.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein under certain conditions the method enters a PAUSE mode or an ABORT mode from which the method can automatically return to the EXPLORE mode or the PARKING mode, and enters a FAULT mode from each of the above mentioned modes under certain conditions, wherein in the FAULT mode the motor vehicle immediately stops and at least the driver is notified.

9. A method for performing automatic valet parking (AVP) on and/or beside a roadway, the method comprising:
selecting, after activation by the driver of a motor vehicle, a road scenario applicable to the roadway from several pre-set scenarios or by the driver, wherein the pre-set scenarios include at least a parking space layouts longitudinal parking, vertical parking, and cross-parking;
checking whether a road scenario has been selected;
notifying the driver to release manual control elements of the motor vehicle and to leave the motor vehicle;
checking whether the control elements have been released and that the driver has left the motor vehicle;
if the control elements are released and the driver has left the motor vehicle, entering an EXPLORE mode in which the motor vehicle is slowly autonomously driven along the roadway by means of longitudinal and lateral controllers and searches for a free car space or a parking space using the vehicle's own environmental sensors;
when a free car space or parking space of sufficient size for the motor vehicle has been found, placing the motor vehicle in a parking position suitable for parking and to stop there; and when the motor vehicle has reached the appropriate position for parking, changing from the EXPLORE mode to a PARKING mode in which the motor vehicle is parked autonomously in the car space or the parking space from the parking position by means of the longitudinal and lateral controllers and using the environmental data previously obtained by the environmental sensors in the EXPLORE mode and the environmental data continuously captured in the PARKING mode, wherein the motor vehicle is driven at a lower speed in the PARKING mode than in the EXPLORE mode, wherein four areas around the motor vehicle are monitored by means of the environmental sensors, wherein sizes of the monitored areas are gradually decreased as the speed decreases.

10. A system comprising:
a processor; and
a memory for storing executable instructions, the processor configured to execute the instructions to:
select, after activation by a driver of a motor vehicle, a road scenario applicable to the roadway from several pre-set scenarios or by the driver, wherein the pre-set scenarios include at least a parking space layouts longitudinal parking, vertical parking, and cross-parking;
check whether the road scenario has been selected;
notify the driver to release manual control elements of the motor vehicle and to leave the motor vehicle;
check whether the control elements have been released and that the driver has left the motor vehicle;
if the control elements are released and the driver has left the motor vehicle, enter an EXPLORE mode in which the motor vehicle is slowly autonomously driven along the roadway by means of longitudinal and lateral controllers and searches for a free car space or a parking space using environment data from the vehicle's own environmental sensors;
when the free car space or parking space of sufficient size for the motor vehicle has been found, place the motor vehicle in a parking position suitable for parking and to stop there; and
when the motor vehicle has reached an appropriate position for parking, change from the EXPLORE mode to a PARKING mode in which the motor vehicle is parked autonomously in the free car space or the parking space from the parking position by means of the longitudinal and lateral controllers and using the environmental data previously obtained by the environmental sensors in the EXPLORE mode and the environmental data continuously captured in the PARKING mode, wherein the motor vehicle is driven along the roadway in the EXPLORE mode first at a constant speed of 10 km/h and in other phases of the EXPLORE mode at lower speeds than 10 km/h.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Stefan Frederic
• Marbaix Michael
• Bitsanis Evangelos
• Aslandere Turgay
• Chevalier Alain

Classifications

• B60W30/182

  Selecting between different operative modes, e.g. comfort and performance modes · CPC title

• B62D15/0285

  Parking performed automatically · CPC title

• B60W60/0025

  specially adapted for specific operations · CPC title

• B60W60/0018

  by employing degraded modes, e.g. reducing speed, in response to suboptimal conditions · CPC title

• B60W50/08

  Interaction between the driver and the control system · CPC title