Method and apparatus for remotely controlling vehicle parking

• US 10,384,719 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2016
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Kim, Jong Gyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Shudy, Angelina
• Application Number:
  US15/014,646
• Publication Number:
  US 20170129537A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 701 2
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/00 Steering controls, i.e. means for initiating a change of direction of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/027 Parking aids, e.g. instruction means
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69

Abstract

A method for remotely controlling vehicle parking including recognizing a smart key in a first region by a vehicle, upon recognizing the smart key, activating a distance sensor of a camera and a parking assistance system (PAS) by the vehicle, recognizing a driver having the smart key through the activated camera, setting a position of the driver as a reference point by the vehicle, and calculating a detected distance of the driver and the vehicle through the PAS, and after the setting of the reference point and the calculating of the detected distance, moving forward or backward based on the detected distance or turning left or right based on a change in a position of the driver in right and left directions with respect to the reference point while receiving a parking signal from the smart key.

Claims

1. A method for remotely controlling vehicle parking, the method comprising:

recognizing a smart key by a vehicle in a first region;

upon recognizing the smart key, activating a camera and a distance sensor of a parking assistance system (PAS) equipped in the vehicle;

recognizing a position of a driver having the smart key through the activated camera;

setting the recognized position of the driver as a reference point by the vehicle;

calculating a detected distance between the driver and the vehicle through the PAS;

controlling a first movement of the vehicle in a forward or backward direction while receiving a parking signal from the smart key based on the detected distance between the driver and the vehicle; and

controlling a second movement of the vehicle to a left or right direction while receiving a parking signal from the smart key based on a change of the position of the driver from the reference point,

wherein the reference point is set to an initial position of the driver in an image output by the camera,

wherein the controlling of the first movement comprises;

moving the vehicle forward when the detected distance is increased; and

moving the vehicle backward when the detected distances is reduced, and

wherein the controlling of the second movement comprises;

turning the vehicle right when the driver is positioned right with respect to the reference point; and

turning the vehicle left when the driver is positioned left with respect to the reference point.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising stopping the vehicle when the vehicle does not receive a parking signal from the smart key or

when the detected distance of the driver or an obstacle is equal to or less than a threshold distance.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the recognizing the smart key is performed after activating starting of the vehicle.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the activating of the starting further comprises activating the starting of the vehicle by receiving a first signal from the smart key positioned in a second region.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein:

the first region is a region in which the vehicle is capable of recognizing the smart key by receiving the third signal from the smart key; and

the second region is a region in which the vehicle is capable of activating starting of the vehicle by receiving the first signal from the smart key.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the recognizing of the smart key further comprises:

at the smart key, upon receiving a second signal from the vehicle, transmitting a third signal comprising authentication information of the smart key to the vehicle; and

at the vehicle, upon receiving the third signal from the smart key, recognizing the smart key based on the authentication information.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein the calculating of the detected distance of the driver and the vehicle through the PAS further comprises identifying the detected distance with at least two preset levels that are divided based on a threshold range set according to the calculated detected distance.

8. The method according to claim 3, wherein:

the PAS comprises at least one ultrasonic sensor; and

the calculating of the detected distance of the driver and the vehicle through the PAS further comprises transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave by the at least one ultrasonic sensor and calculating the detected distance.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the moving of the vehicle forward when the detected distance is increased, the moving of the vehicle backward when the detected distance is reduced, the turning of the vehicle right when the driver is positioned right of the reference point, or the turning of the vehicle left when the driver is positioned left of the reference point further comprises controlling at least one of a drive system, a brake system, and a steering system of the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the moving of the vehicle forward when the detected distance is increased, the moving of the vehicle backward when the detected distance is reduced, the turning of the vehicle right when the driver is positioned right of the reference point, or the turning of the vehicle left when the driver is positioned left of the reference point further comprises changing a steering angle of the steering system in consideration of a distance degree by which the driver is positioned right or left of the reference point.

11. An apparatus for remotely controlling vehicle parking, the apparatus comprising:

a controller for, upon recognizing the smart key by a vehicle in a first region activating a camera and a distance sensor of a parking assistance system (PAS) equipped in the vehicle, recognizing a position of a driver having the smart key through the camera, and setting the recognized position of the driver as a reference point by the vehicle; and

a transceiver configured to receive a detected distance between the driver and the vehicle, measured by the PAS,

wherein the transceiver receives information about whether the smart key is recognized from a smart key system (SMK) for transmitting and receiving a signal for recognition of the smart key to and from the smart key in the first region; and

after setting of the reference point and receiving the detected distance, while the SMK receives a parking signal from the smart key, the controller controls at least one of a drive system, a brake system, and a steering system to move forward or backward direction based on the detected distance between the driver and the vehicle and to move left or right direction based on a change of the position of the driver from the reference point

wherein the reference point is set to an initial position of the driver in an image output by the camera, and

wherein the controller controls at least one of a drive system, a brake system, and a steering system to move the vehicle forward when the detected distance is increased, to move the vehicle backward when the detected distance is reduced, to turn the vehicle right when the driver is positioned right with respect to the reference point, or to turn the vehicle left when the driver is positioned left with respect to the reference point.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the controller controls the at least one of the drive system, the brake system, and the steering system to stop the vehicle when the SMK does not receive the parking signal from the smart key or when the detected distance of the driver or an obstacle is equal to or less than a threshold distance.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the transceiver transmits information about whether the smart key is recognized upon receiving a third signal containing authentication information from the smart key.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein, when the transceiver receives the detected distance from the PAS comprising at least one ultrasonic sensor, the controller identifies the detected distance with at least two preset levels that are divided based on a threshold range set according to the calculated detected distance.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the SMK comprises a long frequency (LF) antenna.

16. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the transceiver is connected to the SMK and the camera via a controller area network (CAN) communication and is connected to the PAS via a local interconnect network (LIN) communication.

17. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, upon receiving a first signal for starting from the smart key in a second region by the SMK, the SMK transmits a second signal for recognition of the smart key.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising a memory for storing an authentication information.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein:

the first region is a region in which the vehicle is capable of recognizing the smart key by receiving a third signal from the smart key; and

the second region is a region in which the vehicle is capable of activating starting of the vehicle by receiving the first signal from the smart key.

20. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the controller changes a steering angle of the steering system in consideration of a distance degree by which the driver is positioned right or left of the reference point.

21. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a body control module (BCM).

22. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing a method for remotely controlling vehicle parking, the method comprising:

recognizing a smart key by a vehicle in a first region;

upon recognizing the smart key, activating a camera and a distance sensor of a parking assistance system (PAS) equipped in the vehicle;

recognizing a position of a driver-having the smart key through the activated camera;

setting the recognized position of the driver as a reference point by the vehicle;

calculating a detected distance between the driver and the vehicle through the PAS;

after setting of the reference point and the calculating of the detected distance, while receiving a parking signal from the smart key, controlling a first movement of the vehicle in a forward or backward direction based on the detected distance between the driver and the vehicle and controlling a second movement of the vehicle to a left or right directions based on a change of the position of the driver from the reference point

wherein the reference point is set to an initial position of the driver in an image output by the camera,

wherein the controlling first movement comprises;

moving the vehicle forward when the detected distance is increased; and

moving the vehicle backward when the detected distance is reduced;

wherein the controlling second movement comprises;

turning the vehicle right when the driver is positioned right with respect to the reference point; and

turning the vehicle left when the driver is positioned left with respect to the reference point.