Vehicle parking control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11884263-B2
Application number	US-202017002854-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2020
Priority date	Aug 26, 2020
Publication date	Jan 30, 2024
Grant date	Jan 30, 2024

Abstract

A computer includes a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to actuate movement of a vehicle at a first speed, identify a potentially available parking space in a vehicle direction of travel based on data received from at least one camera, then reduce a speed of the vehicle to a second speed that is less than the first speed while receiving data from at least one proximity sensor about the parking space, and actuate movement of the vehicle to a parking position in the parking space upon determining that the parking space is available based on the data from the at least one proximity sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer comprising a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to:
actuate movement of a vehicle at a first speed;
identify a potentially available parking space in a vehicle direction of travel based on first data received from at least one camera having a partially occluded view of the potentially available parking space by determining that criteria are satisfied by a region of an image frame received from the at least one camera, the criteria including that a pixel area occupied by the region within the image frame from the camera fits a size criterion, the criteria including that the shape of the region of the image frame received from the at least one camera is a trapezoidally shaped unoccluded portion of the parking space;
in response to determining that the criteria for identifying the potentially available parking space are satisfied, reduce a speed of the vehicle to a second speed that is less than the first speed while receiving second data from at least one proximity sensor having an unoccluded view of the parking space;
in response to determining that the criteria for identifying the potentially available parking space are not satisfied, actuate movement of the vehicle at the first speed; and
actuate movement of the vehicle to a parking position in the parking space upon determining that the parking space is available based on the second data from the at least one proximity sensor.

2. The computer of claim 1 , wherein the at least one proximity sensor includes a plurality of radar or ultrasonic sensors mounted below a beltline of the vehicle.

3. The computer of claim 2 , wherein determining that the parking space is available includes determining that the parking space is free of obstacles based on the second data from the radar or ultrasonic sensors.

4. The computer of claim 1 , wherein determining that the parking space is available further includes determining that the parking space is free of markings indicating that parking is prohibited based on third data from the at least one camera mounted to the vehicle.

5. The computer of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further include to select one of actuating movement of the vehicle forward into the parking space or actuating movement of the vehicle backward into the parking space based on a regulation applying to a parking area including the parking space.

6. The computer of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further include to select one of actuating movement of the vehicle forward into the parking space or actuating movement of the vehicle backward into the parking space based on a selection by an operator of the vehicle.

7. The computer of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further include to:
actuate movement of the vehicle forward at least partially past the parking space to a stop position at the second speed while receiving the second data from the at least one proximity sensor about the parking space; and
actuate movement of the vehicle backward from the stop position to the parking position upon determining that the parking space is available based on the second data from the at least one proximity sensor.

8. The computer of claim 7 , wherein the instructions further include to resume actuating movement of the vehicle forward at the first speed before reaching the stop position upon determining that the parking space is unavailable based on the second data from the at least one proximity sensor.

9. The computer of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further include to:
actuate movement of the vehicle forward into the parking space at the second speed while receiving the second data from the at least one proximity sensor about the parking space; and
stop movement of the vehicle at the parking position upon determining that the parking space is available based on the second data from the at least one proximity sensor.

10. The computer of claim 9 , wherein the instructions further include to:
stop movement of the vehicle short of the parking position upon detecting an obstacle in the parking space or upon detecting markings indicating that parking is prohibited; and
then actuate movement of the vehicle backward out of the parking space.

11. The computer of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further include to turn off the vehicle upon reaching the parking position.

12. The computer of claim 1 , wherein identifying the potentially available parking space includes determining that the potentially available parking space is free of vehicles, and determining that the parking space is available includes determining that the parking space is free of nonvehicle obstacles.

13. The computer of claim 1 , wherein identifying the potentially available parking space is performed without using the second data from the at least one proximity sensor, and determining that the parking space is available is performed without using the first data from the at least one camera.

14. A vehicle comprising:
a vehicle body;
a propulsion attached to the vehicle body;
a braking system attached to the vehicle body;
a steering system attached to the vehicle body;
at least one proximity sensor mounted to the vehicle body; and
a computer communicatively coupled to the propulsion, the braking system, the steering system, and the at least one proximity sensor;
wherein the computer is programmed to:
instruct the propulsion to move the vehicle at a first speed;
identify a potentially available parking space in a vehicle direction of travel based on first data received from at least one camera having a partially occluded view of the potentially available parking space by determining that criteria are satisfied by a region of an image frame received from the at least one camera, the criteria including that a pixel area occupied by the region within the image frame from the camera fits a size criterion, the criteria including that the shape of the region of the image frame received from the at least one camera is a trapezoidally shaped unoccluded portion of the parking space;
in response to determining that the criteria for identifying the potentially available parking space are satisfied, instruct at least one of the propulsion or the braking system to reduce a speed of the vehicle to a second speed that is less than the first speed while receiving second data from the at least one proximity sensor having an unoccluded view of the parking space;
in response to determining that the criteria for identifying the potentially available parking space are not satisfied, instruct the propulsion to move the vehicle at the first speed; and
instruct at least one of the propulsion, the braking system, or the steering system to move the vehicle to a parking position in the parking space upon determining that the parking space is available based on the second data from the at least one proximity sensor.

15. The vehicle of claim 14 , further comprising the at least one camera mounted to the vehicle body facing forward and communicatively coupled to the computer.

16. The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the at least one proximity sensor includes a plurality of radar or ultrasonic sensors mounted below a beltline of the vehicle body.

17. The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein at least one of the plurality of radar or ultrasonic sensors is directed sideways.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Niewiadomski Luke
• Chen Lihui
• Xu Li

Classifications

• B60W30/06 Primary

  Automatic manoeuvring for parking · CPC title

• B60W10/04

  including control of propulsion units · CPC title

• B60W10/18

  including control of braking systems · CPC title

• B60W10/20

  including control of steering systems · CPC title

• B60W60/001

  Planning or execution of driving tasks · CPC title