Method for operating a parking assistance system

• US 6,906,640 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2003
• Issued: 06/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Valeo Schalter und Sensoren GmbH (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Valeo Schalter und Sensoren GmbH (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Grüdl, Dietmar, Jecker, Nicolas, Gotzig, Heinrich, Hurtado, Miguel
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V.
• Application Number:
  US10/422,833
• Publication Number:
  US 20030210157A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 340/436, 340/437, 340/933, 340/958, 340/435, 180/271, 701/36
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/10 Automatic or semi-automatic parking aid systems
• 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 7/22 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 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• 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 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/80 Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/06 Automatic manoeuvring for parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/1819 Propulsion control with control means using analogue circuits, relays or mechanical links
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/028 Guided parking by providing commands to the driver, e.g. acoustically or optically
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9314 Parking operations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9319 Controlling the accelerator
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2015/933 for measuring the dimensions of the parking space when driving past
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2015/935 : for measuring the contour, e.g. a trajectory of measurement points, representing the boundary of the parking space

Abstract

A method for operating a parking assistance system and a parking assistance system for a vehicle, is characterized by the following steps: a) determination of the length and/or width of a parking space when passing the parking space; b) determination of at least one feasible parking process for the vehicle for entering into or exiting the parking space; c) instructing the driver as to which direction the vehicle shall be moved and how far the steering wheel must be turned, and d) automatic braking and/or acceleration of the vehicle during the parking process into or out of a parking space, wherein steps c) and d) can be effected in any order, one after the other and/or at the same time.

Claims

1. A method for operating a driver parking assistance system for driving a vehicle into and out of a parking space, the method comprising the steps of:

a) determining at least one of a length and width of the parking space;

b) determining at least one feasible parking process for the vehicle for entering into or exiting the parking space;

c) instructing the driver as to which direction the vehicle should be driven and in which direction and how far a steering wheel must be turned; and

d) automatically braking or accelerating the vehicle during the parking process into or out of the parking space, wherein steps c) and d) can be effected in any sequence and/or simultaneously, wherein a braking force increases with an inverse of a distance Δ

d between the vehicle and an object disposed in a traveling direction, as the vehicle approaches the object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the braking force decreases non-linearly for increasing values of Δ

d.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the braking force is given by $F_B\sim$

+1Δ

⁢

 

⁢

d·

ⅇ

c2·

Δ

⁢

 

⁢

φ

wherein C2 is a constant.

4. A method for operating a driver parking assistance system for driving a vehicle into and out of a parking space, the method comprising the steps of:

a) determining at least one of a length and width of the parking space;

b) determining at least one feasible parking process for the vehicle for entering into or exiting the parking space;

c) instructing the driver as to which direction the vehicle should be driven and in which direction and how far a steering wheel must be turned; and

d) automatically braking or accelerating the vehicle during the parking process into or out of the parking space, wherein steps c) and d) can be effected in any sequence and/or simultaneously, wherein a braking force decreases linearly with a difference Δ

φ

between a predetermined angle of the steering wheel and an actual angle of the steering wheel as the actual angle approaches the predetermined angle.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the braking force increases non-linearly for increasing values of Δ

φ

.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the braking force is given by

F_B˜

Δ

φ

·

e<sup>c1·

Δ

φ</sup>

wherein C1 is a constant.

7. A method for operating a driver parking assistance system for driving a vehicle into and out of a parking space, the method comprising the steps of:

a) determining at least one of a length and width of the parking space;

b) determining at least one feasible parking process for the vehicle for entering into or exiting the parking space;

c) instructing the driver as to which direction the vehicle should be driven and in which direction and how far a steering wheel must be turned; and

d) automatically braking or accelerating the vehicle during the parking process into or out of the parking space, wherein steps c) and d) can be effected in any sequence and/or simultaneously, wherein a braking force decreases linearly with a difference Δ

φ

between a predetermined angle of the steering wheel and an actual angle of the steering wheel as the actual angle approaches the predetermined angle and increases with an inverse of a distance Δ

d between the vehicle and an object disposed in a traveling direction as the vehicle approaches the object.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the braking force decreases non-linearly for large distances Δ

d and increases non-linearly for large values of Δ

φ

.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein step b) is carried out at a same time as steps c) and d), and step b) determines new feasible parking processes in dependence on a previous parking development and/or on a respective current vehicle position.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein spatial dimensions of the vehicle, distances to objects surrounding the parking space, an angle of the steering wheel, a speed and/or a respective current vehicle position are taken into consideration for determining the parking process.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein a speed traveled, a path followed, and/or a steering wheel motion are taken into consideration to track the parking process.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the vehicle is automatically controlled during the parking process.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the braking force F_B is proportional to $F_B\sim$

(Δ

⁢

 

⁢

φ

·

ⅇ

c1·

Δ

⁢

 

⁢

φ

+1Δ

⁢

 

⁢

d·

ⅇ

c2·

Δ

⁢

 

⁢

d)

wherein c1 and c2 are constants.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the braking force F_B depends on a speed with which the steering wheel is turned.

15. A computer readable medium suited for carrying out the method of claim 7, when performed by a control and/or regulating device.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein it is stored in a memory.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein said memory is a flash-memory.

18. A control and/or regulating device for operating a parking assistance system, the device suited for controlling and/or regulating the method of claim 7.

19. A parking assistance system for driving a vehicle into and out of a parking space, the system comprising at least one distance measuring sensor, a travel measuring sensor, a speed measuring sensor, a steering angle measuring sensor, a control and/or regulating device connected to said sensors for data evaluation, control and/or regulation of a braking and/or acceleration system and for control and/or regulation of a communication means for communicating instructions to the driver, wherein the parking assistance system is suited for carrying out the method of claim 7.

20. A method for operating a driver parking assistance system for driving a vehicle into and out of a parking space, the method comprising the steps of:

a) determining at least one of a length and a width of the parking space;

b) determining at least one feasible parking process for the vehicle for entering into or exiting the parking space;

c) instructing the driver as to which direction the vehicle should be driven and in which direction and how far a steering wheel must be turned; and

d) automatically braking or accelerating the vehicle during the parking process into or out of the parking space, with steps c) and d) being effected in any sequence and/or simultaneously, wherein a braking force (F_B) depends on a speed with which the steering wheel is turned.