Vehicle Park Assist System and Method for Parking a Vehicle Using Such System

• US 20110057813A1
• Filed: 09/04/2009
• Published: 03/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Meise, Janet, Wey, Torsten, Toledo, Salvador, Gunia, Dirk
• Granted Patent: US 9,260,090 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/06 Automatic manoeuvring for parking
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/00 Beacons or beacon systems transmitting signals having a characteristic or characteristics capable of being detected by non-directional receivers and defining directions, positions, or position lines fixed relatively to the beacon transmitters; Receivers co-operating therewith position fixing by co-ordinating a plurality of determinations of direction or position lines G01S5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space

Abstract

A method for parking a vehicle in a parking spot comprises scanning objects to determine if a feasible parking space is available, the neighboring objects including at least one object either in front of or behind the vehicle and at least one object alongside the vehicle; determine whether there is a sufficient slot length in which to park the vehicle and to determine a height of the object alongside which the vehicle is to be parked in order to park the vehicle at a lateral distance from the object alongside the vehicle dependent upon the particular height of such object relative to a height of a bottom of a door; and parking the vehicle in the space wherein the vehicle is parked at the lateral distance from the object vehicle based upon the detected height of such object relative to the height of the bottom of the door.

Claims

1. A park assist system for parking a vehicle in a target parking space comprising:

a park assist system having a sensing system which determines whether there is a sufficient slot length in which to park the vehicle and determines a height of a object alongside which the vehicle is to be parked in the target parking space in order to park the vehicle at a predetermined lateral distance from the object alongside the vehicle dependent upon the particular detected height of such object relative to a predetermined height of a bottom of an associated door of the vehicle.

2. The park assist system of claim 1 wherein the sensing system includes at least one ultrasonic sensor for determining whether there is the sufficient slot length in which to park the vehicle and for determining the height of the object alongside which the vehicle is to be parked in the target parking space.

3. The park assist system of claim 1 wherein the target parking space is a parallel parking space between a forward first object, a rearward second object, and alongside a third object.

4. The park assist system of claim 1 wherein the predetermined lateral distance is a first lateral distance when the object alongside the vehicle when parked in the target parking space is less than the predetermined height of the bottom of the associated vehicle door of the vehicle and is a second lateral distance when the object alongside the vehicle when parked in the target parking space is generally equal to or greater than the predetermined height of the bottom of the associated vehicle door of the vehicle, the first lateral distance being less than the second lateral distance.

5. The park assist system of claim 4 wherein the first lateral distance is when the object alongside the vehicle is a curb.

6. The park assist system of claim 1 wherein the park assist system prompts a driver of the vehicle that a feasible target parking space is available, instructs the driver to stop the vehicle, remove their hands from a steering wheel of the vehicle, and engage reverse whereby the park assist system controls the steering wheel to execute a calculated steering trajectory provided by the park assist system in order to park the vehicle into the target parking space at the predetermined lateral distance from the object alongside the vehicle.

7. A method for parking a vehicle in a target parking spot comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a vehicle having a sensing system and a park assist system operatively connected thereto, the sensing system including at least one ultrasonic sensor which provides an input signal to the park assist system;

(b) scanning neighboring objects using the ultrasonic sensor to determine if a feasible target parking space is available for parking the vehicle, the neighboring objects including at least one object either in front of or behind the vehicle when parked in the target parking space and at least one object alongside the vehicle when parked in the target parking space;

(c) using the park assist system to determine whether there is a sufficient slot length in which to park the vehicle and to determine a height of the object alongside which the vehicle is to be parked in the target parking space in order to park the vehicle at a predetermined lateral distance from the object alongside the vehicle dependent upon the particular detected height of such object relative to a predetermined height of a bottom of an associated door of the vehicle; and

(d) parking the vehicle in the target parking space using the park assist system wherein the vehicle is parked at the predetermined lateral distance from the object alongside the vehicle based upon the detected height of such object relative to the predetermined height of the bottom of the associated vehicle door.

8. The method for parking the vehicle of claim 7 wherein the target parking space is a parallel parking space between a forward first object, a rearward second object, and alongside a third object.

9. The method for parking the vehicle of claim 7 wherein the predetermined lateral distance is a first lateral distance when the object alongside the vehicle when parked in the target parking space is less than the predetermined height of the bottom of the associated vehicle door of the vehicle and is a second lateral distance when the object alongside the vehicle when parked in the target parking space is generally equal to or greater than the predetermined height of the bottom of the associated vehicle door of the vehicle, the first lateral distance being less than the second lateral distance.

10. The method for parking the vehicle of claim 9 wherein the first lateral distance is when the object alongside the vehicle is a curb.

11. The method for parking the vehicle of claim 7 wherein the sensing system further includes at least one odometric sensor and an absolute steering wheel angle sensor which are used in conjunction with the at least one ultrasonic sensor to scan the neighboring objects to determine if a feasible target parking space is available for parking the vehicle.

12. The method for parking the vehicle of claim 7 wherein the vehicle further includes electric power assisted steering system operatively connected to the park assist system.

13. The method for parking the vehicle of claim 7 further including the steps of prompting a driver of the vehicle that a feasible target parking space is available, instructing the driver to stop the vehicle, remove their hands from a steering wheel of the vehicle and engage reverse, and controlling the steering wheel to execute a calculated steering trajectory provided by the park assist system in order to park the vehicle into the target parking space.

14. A method for parking a vehicle in a target parking spot comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a vehicle having a sensing system, a park assist system operatively connected to the sensing system, a steering system including a steering wheel, and a powertrain system;

(b) activating the sensing system to determine if there is a feasible target parking space available for parking of the vehicle, the sensing system determining whether there is a sufficient slot length in which to park the vehicle and determining a height of an object alongside which the vehicle is to be parked in order to park the vehicle at a predetermined lateral distance from the object dependent upon the particular detected height of such object relative to a predetermined height of a bottom of an associated door of the vehicle;

(c) prompting the driver that a feasible target parking space is available;

(d) instructing the driver to stop the vehicle, remove their hands from the steering wheel of the steering system, and engage the powertrain system into reverse; and

(e) controlling the steering wheel to execute a calculated steering trajectory provided by the park assist system in order to park the vehicle into the target parking space.

15. The method for parking the vehicle of claim 14 wherein the target parking space is a parallel parking space between a forward first object, a rearward second object, and alongside a third object.

16. The method for parking the vehicle of claim 14 wherein the predetermined lateral distance is a first lateral distance when the object alongside the vehicle when parked in the target parking space is less than the predetermined height of the bottom of the associated vehicle door of the vehicle and is a second lateral distance when the object alongside the vehicle when parked in the target parking space is generally equal to or greater than the predetermined height of the bottom of the associated vehicle door of the vehicle, the first lateral distance being less than the second lateral distance.

17. The method for parking the vehicle of claim 16 wherein the first lateral distance is when the object alongside the vehicle is a curb.

18. The method for parking the vehicle of claim 14 wherein the sensing system further includes at least one odometric sensor and an absolute steering wheel angle sensor which are used in conjunction with the at least one ultrasonic sensor to scan the neighboring objects to determine if a feasible target parking space is available for parking the vehicle.

19. The method for parking the vehicle of claim 18 wherein the park assist system is a sensor only based system.

20. The method for parking the vehicle of claim 14 wherein the vehicle further includes an electro-hydraulic power assisted steering system operatively connected to the park assist system.