AUTOMATED VEHICLE PARKING

• US 20180001930A1
• Filed: 09/14/2017
• Published: 01/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wellen Sham
• Original Assignee: Wellen Sham
• Inventors: Sham, Wellen
• Granted Patent: US 10,745,050 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/22 Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/06 Automatic manoeuvring for parking
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3685 the POI's being parking facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/86 Combinations of sonar systems with lidar systems; Combinations of sonar systems with systems not using wave reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2015/932 for parking operations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0263 by combining or switching between positions derived from two or more separate positioning systems
• 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: G08G 1/146 where the parking area is a limited parking space, e.g. parking garage, restricted space
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/148 Management of a network of parking areas
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

Systems and methods for automatically parking and wirelessly charging a vehicle are described. A database including parking and charging availability information can be searched based at least in part on the request, location information and model information of the vehicle. An available parking space is determined based on the results of the search, and information. The parking space may be equipped with a pad configured to wireless charge a vehicle parked in the parking space. When information indicating that the vehicle has been parked in the parking space, a parking status indicating such can be transmitted to a control device associated with the parking space. The vehicle can then be automatically and wirelessly charged by the control device through the parking space.

Claims

1. A method of automatically parking a vehicle, comprising:

receiving a request from a user to park and wireless charge a vehicle, the request including location information of the vehicle and model information about the vehicle;

searching a database including parking availability information based at least in part on the request, the location information and the model information;

determining a parking space available for parking and wirelessly charging the vehicle based on the searching;

sending the model information of the vehicle to a control device associated with the parking space;

sending a vehicle parking status to the control device, the vehicle parking status indicating the vehicle has parked in the available parking space;

receiving a charging status from the control device and/or the vehicle, the charging status including information regarding a wireless charging session for charging the vehicle through the parking space; and

receiving a departure status from the vehicle, the departure status indicating that the vehicle has left the parking space.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information includes GPS coordinates, and the search returns results within a predetermined distance of the GPS coordinates.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the charging status indicating the wireless charging session was successfully started for the vehicle or the wireless charging session was not successfully started for the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the charging status indicating a progress of the wireless charging of the vehicle through the charging session.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating guidance information and transmitting the guidance information to the vehicle in response to the charging status wherein the guidance information is for enabling the vehicle to be automatically parked the parking space such that the charging session can be successfully started for the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising automatically guiding the vehicle at least partly to the parking space.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending information related to the space to the vehicle, the information related to the parking space including at least one of parking space location information, parking facility information, price information, distance information, or availability timing information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising charging the user a parking fee based at least in part on determining that the vehicle has arrived at the parking space, determining that the vehicle has left the available parking space, or the confirmation from the user that the vehicle is to be parked in the available parking space.

9. An automatic parking system comprising one or more of a processor configured to perform:

receiving a request from a user to park and wireless charge a vehicle, the request including location information of the vehicle and model information about the vehicle;

searching a database including parking availability information based at least in part on the request, the location information and the model information;

determining a parking space available for parking and wirelessly charging the vehicle based on the searching;

sending the model information of the vehicle to a control device associated with the parking space;

sending a vehicle parking status to the control device, the vehicle parking status indicating the vehicle has parked in the available parking space;

receiving a charging status from the control device and/or the vehicle, the charging status including information regarding a wireless charging session for charging the vehicle through the parking space; and

receiving a departure status from the vehicle, the departure status indicating that the vehicle has left the parking space.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the location information includes GPS coordinates, and the search returns results within a predetermined distance of the GPS coordinates.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the charging status indicating the wireless charging session was successfully started for the vehicle or the wireless charging session was not successfully started for the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the charging status indicating a progress of the wireless charging of the vehicle through the charging session.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to perform generating guidance information and transmitting the guidance information to the vehicle in response to the charging status received, wherein the guidance information is for enabling the vehicle to be automatically parked inside the parking space such that the charging session can be successfully started for the vehicle.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to perform automatically guiding the vehicle at least partly to the parking space.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to perform information related to the parking space to the vehicle, the information related to the parking space including at least one of parking space location information, parking facility price information, distance information, or availability timing information.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to perform charging the user a parking fee based at least in part on determining that the vehicle has at the parking space, determining that the vehicle has left the available parking space, or the confirmation from the user that the vehicle is to be parked in the available parking space.