Method for monitoring a parking facility for motor vehicles, and drone

• US 10,165,232 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2017
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Quast, Gerrit, Nicodemus, Rolf, Nordbruch, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Aghevli, Reza
• Application Number:
  US15/423,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20170237948A1
• Time in Patent Office: 690 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

A method for monitoring a parking facility for motor vehicles, the parking facility being monitored by way of a monitoring device of a flying drone. A drone and a computer program are also described.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a parking facility for motor vehicles, comprising:

monitoring the parking facility by way of a monitoring device of a flying drone, wherein;

several drones, which each monitor a respective sub-segment of the parking facility, are provided,

in the context of a journey by a motor vehicle from one of the sub-segments into a further one of the sub-segments, a drone monitoring the one sub-segment notifies a further drone monitoring the further sub-segment that a motor vehicle will drive into its sub-segment,

one of;

i) the drone directly notifies the further drone that a motor vehicle will drive into its sub-segment, or ii) the drone notifies the further drone indirectly via an intermediate station, that the motor vehicle will drive into its sub-segment, and

the intermediate station is one of a motor vehicle, or a parking facility management system for managing the parking facility.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the drone has a communication interface, and the method further comprises:

transmitting, via the communication interface via a wireless communication network, monitoring data corresponding to the monitoring, to at least one of;

i) a motor vehicle located within the parking facility, and ii) a parking facility management system for managing the parking facility.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the drone has a processor, and the method further comprising:

ascertaining, via the processor, at least one of i) driving data, and ii) a remote-control instruction, the ascertaining being based on monitoring data corresponding to the monitoring, and wherein, based on the at least one of the ascertained driving data and the ascertained remote-control instruction, at least one of;

i) a motor vehicle located within the parking facility can drive at least partly autonomously, and ii) the motor vehicle within the parking facility can be remotely controlled; and

transmitting, by way of a communication interface of the drone via a wireless communication network, the at least one of the ascertained driving data and the ascertained remote-control instruction, to the motor vehicle.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the drone has a communication interface by way of which a control instruction transmitted via a wireless communication network at least one of:

i) from a motor vehicle located within the parking facility, and ii) from a parking facility management system for managing the parking facility, is received, the drone being controlled based on the received control instruction.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the drone is operated in an autonomous operating mode.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein several drones are provided, one of the several drones being operated as a master drone, the others of the several drones being operated as slave drones.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the master drone remains in an immediate environment of a motor vehicle located within the parking facility to monitor the immediate environment of the motor vehicle, and the slave drones remain at a greater distance from the motor vehicle relative to the master drone to monitor a correspondingly distant environment.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the drone encompasses a light-emitting device with which a sub-region of the parking facility is illuminated.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the sub-region to be illuminated is defined based on a brightness measurement, so that only a sub-region which has a maximum brightness that is less than, or less than or equal to, a predetermined brightness value is illuminated.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein, in the event of a danger to a traffic participant located within the parking facility, the traffic participant being warned by way of a signaling device of the drone.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the drone flies toward the traffic participant that is to be warned.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the monitoring device encompasses at least one of:

a radar sensor, a video sensor, a laser sensor, a lidar sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a magnetic sensor, and an infrared sensor.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the drone has a processor, and the method further comprises:

ascertaining, using the processor, at least one of driving data and a remote-control instruction, the at least one of the driving data and the remote-control instruction being ascertained based on monitoring data corresponding to the monitoring, wherein, based upon the at least one of the driving data and the remote-control instruction, a motor vehicle located within the parking facility at least one of;

i) can drive at least partly autonomously, and ii) can be remotely controlled; and

transmitting the at least one of ascertained driving data and ascertained remote-control instruction being transmitted by way of a communication interface of the drone via a wireless communication network, to a parking facility management system for managing the parking facility.

14. A drone for monitoring a parking facility for motor vehicles, the drone including a monitoring device and being configured to monitor the parking facility using the monitoring device, as the drone is flying, wherein:

the drone cooperates with several other drones, which each drone monitoring monitor a respective sub-segment of the parking facility,

in the context of a journey by a motor vehicle from one of the sub-segments into a further one of the sub-segments, a drone monitoring the one sub-segment notifying a further drone monitoring the further sub-segment that a motor vehicle will drive into its sub-segment,

one of;

i) the drone directly notifies the further drone that a motor vehicle will drive into its sub-segment, or ii) the drone notifies the further drone indirectly via an intermediate station, that the motor vehicle will drive into its sub-segment, and

the intermediate station is one of a motor vehicle, or a parking facility management system for managing the parking facility.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium on which is stored a computer program for monitoring a parking facility for motor vehicles, the computer program, when executed by a processor of a drone, causing the processor to perform:

monitoring the parking facility by way of a monitoring device as the drone is flying, wherein;

several drones, which each monitor a respective sub-segment of the parking facility, are provided,

in the context of a journey by a motor vehicle from one of the sub-segments into a further one of the sub-segments, a drone monitoring the one sub-segment notifies a further drone monitoring the further sub-segment that a motor vehicle will drive into its sub-segment,

one of;

i) the drone directly notifies the further drone that a motor vehicle will drive into its sub-segment, or ii) the drone notifies the further drone indirectly via an intermediate station, that the motor vehicle will drive into its sub-segment, and

the intermediate station is one of a motor vehicle, or a parking facility management system for managing the parking facility.