Parking assist method and system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016358474-A1
Application number	US-201615171702-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 2, 2016
Priority date	Jun 4, 2015
Publication date	Dec 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for determining if a vehicle will fit into a parking space with one or more doors of the vehicle open begins with capturing an image of the space. A simulated three-dimensional representation of the space is created from the image, the dimensions of the space are determined using the three-dimensional representation. The dimensions of the space are then compared to the dimensions of the vehicle with one or more doors of the vehicle open, and an indication is provided to a user if one or more of the vehicle dimensions are greater or smaller than the space.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
capturing an image of a parking space; operating a computing device to determine a dimension of the space using a three-dimensional representation of the space created from the image, and to compare the dimension of the space with a corresponding dimension of a vehicle with a vehicle door open; and indicating to a user whether the vehicle with the vehicle door open fits into the space.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising indicating an amount by which the vehicle with the door open is at least one of greater than and smaller than the space.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the user selects a type of vehicle for comparison with the dimension of the space.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the indicating step comprises presenting to the user the image of the parking space overlaid with a scaled image of the vehicle.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the user specifies which of a plurality of vehicle doors is to be open for determining the dimension of the vehicle.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising comparing the dimension of the vehicle with a corresponding dimension of a second parking space.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the image is captured by a portable device carried by the user.

8 . A method comprising:
operating an imaging device to capture an image of a parking space; operating a computing device to determine a dimension of the space using a three-dimensional representation of the space created from the image; and providing to a user a comparison between the dimension of the space and a corresponding dimension of a vehicle with a vehicle door open.

9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising indicating to the user an amount by which the vehicle with the door open is at least one of greater than and smaller than the space.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the user selects a type of vehicle for comparison with the dimension of the space.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the comparison comprises presenting to the user the image of the parking space overlaid with a scaled image of the vehicle.

12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the user specifies which of a plurality of vehicle doors is open when determining the dimension of the vehicle.

13 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising comparing the dimension of the vehicle with a corresponding dimension of a second parking space.

14 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the imaging device is a component of a portable device carried by the user.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the computing device is a second component of the portable device.

16 . A method comprising:
operating a computing device to create a three-dimensional representation of a parking space using an image of the space, and to determine a dimension of the space using the representation; and indicating to a user whether a corresponding dimension of a vehicle having an open door is at least one of greater and smaller than the dimension of the space.

17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising operating an imaging device to capture the image of the space.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the imaging device is a component of a portable device carried by the user.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the computing device is a second component of the portable device.

20 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the representation of the space is created suing an augmented reality process.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Uppal Vaibhav

Classifications

• G08G1/168 Primary

  Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space · CPC title

• G06T19/006

  Mixed reality (object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00) · CPC title

• G06K9/00671

  Physics · mapped topic

• G08G1/142 Primary

  external to the vehicles · CPC title

• G06V20/586

  of parking space · CPC title