Probabilistic parking routes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12566067-B2
Application number	US-202418765735-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2024
Priority date	Jul 6, 2018
Publication date	Mar 3, 2026
Grant date	Mar 3, 2026

Abstract

Navigation systems are often tasked with routing a vehicle to a destination. Navigation device configurations are provided and involve probabilistic evaluation of parking routes in a vicinity of a destination that may be generated and compared, and may be optionally weighted by various factors. The evaluation is performed to identify a parking route with parking opportunities that collectively present a high probability of vacancy as compared with other parking routes, which may be presented to the user and/or appended to a current route of an autonomous vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A device comprising:
a processor; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the device to:
for respective routes of a set of routes near a destination and comprising a set of segments, aggregate parking probabilities of parking opportunities along the segments of the route to identify a parking route probability for the route;
compare the parking route probabilities of the respective routes to select a parking route; and
navigate, by a control system executing instructions derived from the parking route for autonomous vehicle navigation, a vehicle to a selected parking opportunity.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the device further comprises a parking probability data source; and execution of the instructions further causes the device to:
receive a parking report from a second vehicle for a selected segment; and
store, in the parking probability data source, a segment parking probability for the selected segment according to the parking report.

3 . The device of claim 2 , wherein:
receiving the parking report further comprises: receiving, from the second vehicle, a parking opportunity notification for a selected segment; and identifying the parking route probability further comprises: identifying the parking route probability of routes comprising the selected segment according to the parking opportunity notification.

4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein:
executing the instructions further causes the device to limit the set of routes to a walking distance threshold for a walking distance between parking opportunities of the segments of the route and the destination.

5 . The device of claim 1 , wherein:
executing the instructions further causes the device to, for respective segments, identify a preference score for parking the vehicle in the respective parking opportunities; and selecting the parking route further comprises: weighting the parking route probabilities by the preference scores of the parking opportunities of the respective segments to identify the parking route.

6 . The device of claim 5 , wherein the preference score is proportional to a proximity of the respective parking opportunities to the destination.

7 . The device of claim 6 , wherein:
executing the instructions further causes the device to identify, from a local weather report, a weather condition; and the weighting further comprises: adjusting the weighting of the parking route probabilities by the preference scores proportional to the proximity according to the weather condition.

8 . The device of claim 6 , wherein:
executing the instructions further causes the device to identify, from a schedule of a user of the vehicle, a target arrival time at the destination; and the weighting further comprises:
calculating a walking duration between the respective parking opportunities and the destination; and
adjusting the weighting of the parking route probabilities by the preference scores proportional to the proximity according to a current time, the walking duration, and the target arrival time at the destination.

9 . A method involving a device having a processor and comprising:
executing, by the processor, instructions that cause the device to:
for respective routes of a set of routes near a destination and comprising a set of segments, aggregate parking probabilities of parking opportunities along the segments of the route to identify a parking route probability for the route;
compare the parking route probabilities of the respective routes to select a parking route; and
navigate, by a control system executing instructions derived from the parking route for autonomous vehicle navigation, a vehicle to a selected parking opportunity.

10 . The method of claim 9 , comprising:
identifying a selected set of route start locations that are near the destination; and formulating routes that begin at a selected route start location and extend away from the destination.

11 . The method of claim 9 , comprising:
initiating the route as a first segment that is near the destination; and appending, to a previous segment in the route, a next segment that is connected with the previous segment.

12 . The method of claim 9 , comprising:
limiting the set to routes that comprise parking opportunities comprising a walking distance to the destination that is within a walking distance threshold.

13 . The method of claim 9 , comprising:
limiting the set to routes that present a parking route probability that is above a parking route probability threshold.

14 . The method of claim 9 , wherein a dynamic segment exhibits a dynamic parking availability, and wherein the method comprises:
identifying a route that includes the dynamic segment; and inserting at least two instances of the dynamic segment in the route.

15 . The method of claim 9 , wherein:
a second vehicle is also parking near the destination; and selecting the parking route further comprises: distributing the parking probabilities of the parking opportunities between the vehicle and the second vehicle.

16 . A method involving a device having a processor and comprising:
executing, by the processor, instructions that cause the device to:
for respective routes of a set of routes near a destination and comprising a set of segments, aggregate parking probabilities of parking opportunities along the segments of the route to identify a parking route probability for the route;
compare the parking route probabilities of the respective routes to select a parking route; and
navigate, by a control system executing instructions derived from the parking route for autonomous vehicle navigation, an autonomous vehicle to a selected parking opportunity.

17 . The method of claim 16 , comprising:
limiting the set to routes that comprise parking opportunities comprising a walking distance to the destination that is within a walking distance threshold.

18 . The method of claim 16 , comprising:
limiting the set to routes that present a parking route probability that is above a parking route probability threshold.

19 . The method of claim 16 , wherein a dynamic segment exhibits a dynamic parking availability, and wherein the method comprises:
identifying a route that includes the dynamic segment; and inserting at least two instances of the dynamic segment in the route.

20 . The method of claim 16 , wherein:
a second vehicle is also parking near the destination; and selecting the parking route further comprises: distributing the parking probabilities of the parking opportunities between the vehicle and the second vehicle.

Assignees

• Inrix Inc

Inventors

• Puri Indra
• Zhou Linjun
• Hsu William M
• Jordan Dominic Jason
• Uthaisombut Patchrawat
• Irvine Douglas

Classifications

• G08G1/143

  inside the vehicles · CPC title

• G08G1/096805

  where the transmitted instructions are used to compute a route · CPC title

• G01C21/3685

  the POI's being parking facilities · CPC title

• G01C21/3492

  employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical (traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968) · CPC title

• G05D1/646

  Following a predefined trajectory, e.g. a line marked on the floor or a flight path · CPC title