ADVANCED USER INTERACTION FEATURES FOR REMOTE PARK ASSIST

• US 20190310624A1
• Filed: 04/05/2018
• Published: 10/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Bettger, Timothy C., Christen, Urs, Benmimoun, Ahmed, Wysietzki, Nadja
• Granted Patent: US 10,732,622 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/12 for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/18 operated by wayside apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0085 Setting or resetting initial positions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/24 Direction of travel
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/06 Automatic manoeuvring for parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/085 Changing the parameters of the control units, e.g. changing limit values, working points by control input
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/00 Steering controls, i.e. means for initiating a change of direction of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• 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

Abstract

Vehicle systems include features for performing remote park assist (RePA) operations. One system include a feature where a user provides a continuous input via a touchscreen on a mobile device. The mobile device transmits a message and a vehicle autonomously traverses a calculated parking path while the message is being received by the vehicle. Another system include a feature where the vehicle autonomously move to a parking space based on data received from the mobile device. The mobile device receives user inputs on a display showing representations of the vehicle and its surrounding areas to generate the data. Another system include a feature where the mobile device determines whether the user is a first time user of a RePA application. The mobile device operates in a certain training mode based on the determination.

Claims

1. A vehicle system comprising:

a mobile device including a touchscreen, the mobile device to;

display a track;

display an indicator to guide an interaction between a user input and the track, the indicator responding to a movement of the user input along the track; and

transmit a message in response to the movement; and

a vehicle to autonomously traverse a calculated parking path while the message is being received.

2. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the message is generated in response to a speed of the movement satisfying a threshold speed.

3. The vehicle system of claim 2, wherein the indicator indicates a user to increase or decrease the speed of the movement in response to the speed of the movement failing to satisfy the threshold speed.

4. The vehicle system of claim 2, where in the mobile device alters one or more elements displayed on the touchscreen in response to the speed of the movement failing to satisfy the threshold speed.

5. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the track comprises:

a slidable button; and

an arrow extending from the slidable button, and wherein the mobile device transmits the message in response to;

(1) a contact between a portion of the touchscreen displaying the slidable button and a user; and

(2) a speed of the movement of the satisfying a threshold speed.

6. A vehicle system comprising:

a vehicle to;

detect surrounding areas thereof;

estimate, based on data, a parking space and boundaries of obstacles around the parking space; and

autonomously move to the parking space; and

a mobile device comprising a touchscreen, the mobile device to;

display representations of the vehicle and the surrounding areas; and

receive user inputs on a display showing the representations to generate the data; and

transmit the data.

7. The vehicle system of claim 6, wherein the parking space is partially included in the surrounding areas.

8. The vehicle system of claim 6, wherein the parking space is not included in the surrounding areas.

9. The vehicle system of claim 6, wherein when the vehicle initiates an autonomous parking maneuver and detects that the parking space is invalid, the vehicle determines whether a new parking space is available based on a current position of the vehicle.

10. The vehicle system of claim 6, wherein the vehicle comprises:

range detection sensors to detect the surrounding areas of the vehicle when the vehicle is in a first position and orientation; and

an electronic control unit (ECU) to estimate the parking space based on the data when the vehicle is in the first position and orientation.

11. The vehicle system of claim 10, wherein the parking space is not fully detectable by the range detection sensors when the vehicle is in the first position and orientation.

12. The vehicle system of claim 10, wherein the parking space is undetectable by the range detection sensors when the vehicle is in the first position and orientation.

13. The vehicle system of claim 6, wherein the boundaries of the obstacles around the parking space are partially included in the surrounding areas.

14. The vehicle system of claim 6, wherein the boundaries of the obstacles around the parking space are not included in the surrounding areas.

15. The vehicle system of claim 10, wherein the ECU estimates the boundaries of the obstacles based on the data when the vehicle is in the first position and orientation.

16. The vehicle system of claim 6, wherein the mobile device transmits a message while the mobile device receives a continuous input from the user, and

wherein the vehicle autonomously moves to the parking space while the vehicle is receiving the continuous input from the user.

17. The vehicle system of claim 6, wherein the mobile device displays an indicator to assist the user as to how the user should provide a continuous input.

18. The vehicle system of claim 6, wherein the mobile device displays the representations and the surrounding areas such that dimensions of the representations and the surrounding areas are scaled according to actual dimensions of the vehicle and the surrounding areas.

19. A vehicle system, comprising:

a mobile device comprising a touchscreen, the mobile device to;

automatically operate in a first training mode when the mobile device determines that a user is a first time user of a remote park assist (RePA) application;

operate in a second training mode when the mobile device determines that the user is not the first time user of the RePA application;

provide a display for receiving a user input, the display comprising an indicator to guide a user for providing the user input, the indicator being responsive to the first training mode and the second training mode; and

transmit a message in response to the user input; and

a vehicle to autonomously traverse a calculated parking path while the message is being received.

20. The vehicle system of claim 19, wherein the second training mode provides at least one user-configurable default setting.