Method for providing user-defined customization of a vehicle

• US 10,053,090 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2016
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Buschenfeld, Torsten, Max, Stephan, Urban, Alexander, Brosig, Stefan, Katzwinkel, Reiner
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US15/158,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20160362103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/06 Direction of travel
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2900/00 Indexing codes relating to the purpose of, or problem solved of road vehicle drive control systems not otherwise provided for in groups B60W30/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/06 Automatic manoeuvring for parking
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/027 Parking aids, e.g. instruction means
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/028 Guided parking by providing commands to the driver, e.g. acoustically or optically
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/00 Measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, persons, animals or other moving solid bodies, e.g. using odometers, using pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/146 where the parking area is a limited parking space, e.g. parking garage, restricted space
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A method for the user-defined provision of a vehicle in which a parking position in a parking region is identified and driven to automatically by the vehicle or with guidance by a user and, at the request of the user, the vehicle drives automatically to a transfer location in the parking region for further use. A trajectory which is traveled along as far as the parking position within the parking region is sorted and the transfer location can be defined at any desired point on this trajectory. Also disclosed is a system for carrying out the method and a motor vehicle having the disclosed system.

Claims

1. A method for user-defined provision of a vehicle, the method comprising:

identifying a parking position in a parking region; and

automatically driving the vehicle, by the vehicle or with guidance by a user, at the request of the user, to a transfer location in the parking region for further use;

storing a trajectory by continuously measuring the trajectory as it is travelled along to the parking position within the parking region;

transmitting the trajectory to a mobile communication device,

defining the transfer location at any desired point on the trajectory on the mobile communication device, and

transmitting the transfer location to the vehicle,

wherein the vehicle subsequently drives autonomously to the transfer location.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring and storing the trajectory by measuring and storing a horizontal and vertical direction of travel, a velocity and a time using a data storage device and processing device of the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing a user exit point position on the trajectory.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request, from a user'"'"'s mobile communication device, for further use to the vehicle; and

in response to receipt of the request, activating the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising illustrating the trajectory on a user'"'"'s mobile communication device with surroundings information superimposed thereon.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting at least the trajectory to a further user, wherein the further user defines the transfer location.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the trajectory includes linked position and time data, and the position data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a path is reconstructed from position data including angular position of wheels of the vehicle with respect to time.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the trajectory data comprises position data plotted against time.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the parking position further comprises searching for an available parking position while the trajectory data is being measured and stored.

7. A system for a vehicle, the system comprising:

means for communicating with vehicle-external apparatuses;

actuators for automatically activating actuator elements of the vehicle;

a sensor system for acquiring surroundings information and vehicle information; and

an open-loop and closed-loop control system for storing and processing communication information, vehicle information and surroundings information and for generating actuation signals for the actuators,

wherein the system is configured to carry out a method comprising;

identifying a parking position in a parking region; and

automatically driving the vehicle, by the vehicle or with guidance by a user, at the request of the user, to a transfer location in the parking region for further use;

storing and measuring a trajectory as it is travelled along to the parking position within the parking region;

transmitting the trajectory to a mobile communication device,

defining the transfer location at any desired point on the trajectory on the mobile communication device, and

transmitting the transfer location to the vehicle,

wherein the vehicle subsequently drives autonomously to the transfer location.

8. A motor vehicle comprising:

a system according to claim 7.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the trajectory includes linked position and time data, and the position data describe a path.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein a path is reconstructed from position data including angular position of wheels of the vehicle with respect to time.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the trajectory data comprises position data plotted against time.