METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PARKING ASSISTANCE

• US 20100332080A1
• Filed: 02/12/2010
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hong Bae
• Original Assignee: Hong Bae
• Inventors: BAE, HONG
• Application Number:
  US12/705,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20100332080A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/42
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/028 Guided parking by providing commands to the driver, e.g. acoustically or optically
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9314 Parking operations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2015/935 for measuring the contour, e.g. a trajectory of measurement points, representing the boundary of the parking space
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2015/936 for measuring parking spaces extending transverse or diagonal to the driving direction, i.e. not parallel to the driving direction

Abstract

A method of providing assistance to a driver for parking a vehicle includes detection of a space and a location of the vehicle for vehicle parking. The method determines a feasibility for parking the vehicle into the space based on the space; calculates a parking path based on the space and the location; generates a constant target position of a steering wheel based on the parking path; generates a first human machine interface (HMI) signal that instructs the driver to turn the steering wheel based on the target position, wherein the first HMI signal is generated when the vehicle is not moving; monitors a steering wheel angle of the vehicle including comparing the steering wheel angle with the constant target position, and detecting that the steering wheel angle reaches a proximity of the target position. The method also includes generating a second HMI signal that instructs the driver to hold the steering wheel, wherein the second HMI signal is generated when the steering wheel angle has reached the proximity of the target position; generating a vehicle motion command after the steering wheel angle is held steadily according to the second HMI signal; and generating a third HMI signal based on the vehicle motion command.

Claims

1. A method of providing assistance to a driver for parking a vehicle comprising:

detecting a space and a location of the vehicle for vehicle parking;

determining a feasibility for parking the vehicle into the space based on the space;

calculating a parking path based on the space and the location;

generating a constant target position of a steering wheel based on the parking path;

generating a first human machine interface (HMI) signal that instructs the driver to turn the steering wheel based on the target position, wherein the first HMI signal is generated when the vehicle is not moving;

monitoring a steering wheel angle of the vehicle comprising;

comparing the steering wheel angle with the constant target position, and

detecting that the steering wheel angle reaches a proximity of the target position;

generating a second HMI signal that instructs the driver to hold the steering wheel, wherein the second HMI signal is generated when the steering wheel angle has reached the proximity of the target position;

generating a vehicle motion command after the steering wheel angle is held steadily according to the second HMI signal; and

generating a third HMI signal based on the vehicle motion command.

2. The method as in claim 1 further comprising generating a plurality of constant target positions of the steering wheel;

3. The method as in claim 2, wherein the number of the plurality of constant target positions is determined based on a driver'"'"'s preference for parking difficulty.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein the constant target position has a magnitude less than a magnitude of full-lock position of the steering wheel.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein the constant target position has a magnitude equal to a magnitude of full-lock position of the steering wheel.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein the HMI signal is an audible signal.

7. The method as in claim 1, wherein the HMI signal is a visual signal.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein the HMI signal is a tactile feedback signal.

9. The method as in claim 8, wherein the HMI signal is a vibration signal on the steering wheel.

10. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

generating an upper bound of the target position;

generating a lower bound of the target position; and

determining the proximity of the target position based on the upper bound and the lower bound.

11. The method as in claim 1, wherein the parking path includes a turn point where turning of the steering wheel is necessary, and

wherein the driver is instructed to stop when the vehicle approaches the turn point.

12. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

monitoring a rear object while backing the vehicle;

monitoring a front object while moving the vehicle forward;

generating a warning signal when the rear object is within a first predetermined distance from the vehicle; and

generating a warning signal when the front object is within a second predetermined distance from the vehicle.

13. The method as in claim 1, wherein the detecting of the space and the location comprises processing of an ultrasonic signal.

14. The parking assist system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle motion command comprises a first instruction to move the vehicle backward.

15. The parking assist system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle motion command comprises a second instruction to stop the vehicle.

16. The parking assist system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle motion command comprises a third instruction to move the vehicle forward.

17. A parking assist system for providing parking instructions to a driver of a vehicle comprising:

a central processing module that

receives vehicle signals,

detects a space for parking,

determines a relative position between the space and the vehicle based on the vehicle signals, and

a space determining module that determines a feasibility of whether the space is large enough for parking;

a parking path calculating module that

computes a parking path based on the feasibility, the size of the space and the relative position,

generates a target steering position command based on the parking path, wherein the target steering position command is piecewise constant, and

generates a vehicle motion command based on a steering motion status of a steering wheel;

a progress monitoring module that

monitors a steering wheel position and the target steering position command and determines whether the steering wheel position is within a predetermined error bound of the target steering position command,

monitors a steering wheel motion to determine whether the steering wheel is held steadily, and

generate the steering motion status based on the monitored steering wheel position and the monitored steering wheel motion; and

a user interface control module that

generates a first human-machine interface (HMI) signal based on the piecewise constant target steering position command,

generates a second HMI signal when the steering wheel position is within the error bound of the target steering position command, and

generates a third HMI signal based on the vehicle motion command.

18. The parking assist system of claim 17, wherein the HMI module further receives a driver'"'"'s input of a preference.

19. The parking assist system of claim 18, wherein the target steering position command is generated based on the preference.

20. The parking assist system of claim 17 further comprising a wireless receiver that receives the vehicle signals.

21. The parking assist system of claim 17 further comprising a wireless transmitter that transmits a human machine interface signal to a wireless user interface device.

22. The parking assist system of claim 21, wherein the user interface device is an audio device.

23. The parking assist system of claim 21, wherein the user interface device is a video device.

24. The parking assist system of claim 21, wherein the user interface device is a tactile feedback device.

25. The parking assist system of claim 24, wherein the tactile feedback device is a vibrational device connected to the steering wheel.

26. The parking assist system of claim 17 further comprising a vehicle signal interface device that is electrically connected to a vehicle signal bus and the central processing module, and receives the vehicle signals from the vehicle signal bus for the central processing module.

27. The parking assist system of claim 17, further comprising sensor devices that generate the vehicle signals, said sensor devices include:

a steering wheel angle sensor device that senses an angle of the steering wheel;

a wheel speed sensor device that senses

a speed of the vehicle, and

a distance of vehicle movement; and

a proximity sensor device that senses an object near the vehicle.

28. The parking assist system of claim 27 wherein the proximity sensor is an ultrasonic sensor.

29. The parking assist system of claim 17 wherein the steering motion status is reset when the steering wheel is held steadily and the steering wheel position is within a predetermined error bound of the target steering position command.

30. The parking assist system of claim 17 wherein the vehicle motion command comprises a first instruction to move the vehicle backward.

31. The parking assist system of claim 17 wherein the vehicle motion command comprises a second instruction to stop the vehicle.

32. The parking assist system of claim 17 wherein the vehicle motion command comprises a third instruction to move the vehicle forward.

33. The parking assist system of claim 17 wherein the second HMI signal comprises a fourth instruction to hold the steering wheel steadily.