Method and device for managing slot parking of motor vehicles

• US 6,948,729 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2001
• Issued: 09/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intellitech Coproration
• Original Assignee: Intellitech Coproration
• Inventors: Gueydan, Guillaume, Zalila, Zyed
• Primary Examiner(s): Hurley, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US10/240,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20040020699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,645 Days
• Field of Search: 180/204, 180/402, 180/443, 180/446, 180/422, 701/41, 701/42, 701/43, 701/44
• US Class Current: 280/204
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/10 Automatic or semi-automatic parking aid systems
• 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 2015/935 for measuring the contour, e.g. a trajectory of measurement points, representing the boundary of the parking space
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

A method and a device for slot parking of a mobile vehicle (1), the slot parking (15) includes positioning (19,22), locking (23,25), unlocking (26,27) and realigning (28,29) phases, the method using elements to evaluate available parking space relative to immediate surroundings. The method consists in: retrieving quantitative input values from sensors, which are transformed or not into gradual qualitative input values; determining on the basis of qualitative rules operating instructions which supply gradual qualitative output data and quantitative output data, which are transformed into quantitative output data to control the vehicle actuators. The invention is useful for parking any type of powered vehicles whereof the wheel can be locked on a common axle, and can be used on public roads, private parking lots or production sites of companies.

Claims

1. A method for managing slot parking of a vehicle (1) with respect to immediate surroundings and obstacles, the method comprising:

a locking phase (23, 25); and

a reverse-locking phase (26, 27),

said locking phase and said reverse-locking phase using measurement sensors (36) for measuring distance, orientation and vehicle speed to evaluate (10) a space available (2) with respect to the immediate surroundings (3) to perform the locking and reverse-locking phase by operating on the vehicle speed, a vehicle direction of travel and a relative lock of wheels of the vehicle, wherein,

retrieving input data originating from the measurement sensors (36) to obtain quantitative input values,

translating at least some of the quantitative input values into gradual qualitative input values,

on a basis of qualitative rules, determining operating instructions that provide gradual qualitative output data and quantitative output data,

transforming the gradual qualitative output data into quantitative output data, and

controlling actuators of the vehicle (1) as a function of the quantitative output data.

2. The method of claim 1, performed in real time by retrieving the input data at each instant and by controlling the actuators at each instant during the locking phase and said reverse-locking phase.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising a positioning phase administering a lateral position of the vehicle with respect to the obstacles by

monitoring the lateral position of the vehicle, with respect to a lateral position instruction, on a basis of

measurement data from the sensors,

quantitative data involving the direction of travel and a result of a first test, and

gradual qualitative data involving a heading of the vehicle (1) and a relative lateral distance,

determining an operating instruction for the relative lock of the wheels by transforming a gradual qualitative value into a quantitative value, the determination of the operating instruction using qualitative rules of determination of a lateral position monitor, and

acting on a wheel lock as a function of the determined operating instruction.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein,

the positioning phase (19, 22) is carried out by administering, in parallel with the administration of the lateral position, a longitudinal position of the vehicle with respect to the obstacles by

monitoring the longitudinal position of the vehicle, with respect of a longitudinal position instruction, and with respect to the obstacles on a basis of

three measurement data from the sensors,

quantitative data including the result of the first test and the direction of travel, and

a gradual qualitative data item based on a relative longitudinal distance,

determining two quantitative output instructions involving the vehicle speed and the direction of travel using qualitative rules of determination of a longitudinal position monitor, and

acting on the speed and the direction of travel upon as a function of the determined two output instructions.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the locking phase (23, 25) is carried out once the positioning phase (19, 22) is concluded by

monitoring the relative lock on a basis of three measurement data from the sensors (36), gradual qualitative data involving the heading of the vehicle and a back right distance with respect to an edge of a parking zone and a quantitative data item resulting from a second test,

determining three output instructions including two quantitative outputs involving a speed instruction and a direction of travel instruction, and a gradual qualitative output concerning the relative lock of the wheels, using qualitative rules of determination of a lock monitor, and

transforming the gradual qualitative output into a quantitative output and acting on the wheel lock, the speed and the direction of travel of the vehicle as a function of the determined three output instructions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, the reverse-locking phase (26, 27) is carried out once the locking phase (23, 25) is concluded by

monitoring a reverse-lock of the wheels on a basis of four measurement data from the sensors (36), quantitative data resulting from a third test and the direction of travel, and two gradual qualitative data concerning the heading of the vehicle and a distance to the vehicle,

determining three output instructions including two quantitative outputs involving the speed and the direction of travel of the vehicle, and a gradual qualitative output concerning the relative lock of the wheels using qualitative rules of determination of the reverse lock,

transforming the gradual qualitative output into a quantitative output, and

acting on the wheel lock, the speed and the direction of travel of the vehicle as a function of the determined three output instructions.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising a phase of realignment (28, 29) of the vehicle, carried out once the reverse-locking phase (26, 27) is concluded, by

monitoring realignment of the vehicle on the basis of five measurement data from the sensors (36) including two quantitative data involving the result of a fourth test and the direction of travel of the vehicle, and three gradual qualitative data concerning a distance to a back part of the vehicle, a distance to a front part of the vehicle and the heading of the vehicle,

determining three output instructions including two quantitative outputs involving the speed and the direction of travel of the vehicle, and a gradual qualitative output concerning the relative lock of the wheels using qualitative rules of determination of a longitudinal monitor and of a lateral monitor of realignment,

transforming the gradual qualitative output into a quantitative output, and

acting on the wheel lock, the direction of travel and the speed of the vehicle as a function of the determined three output instructions.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, when the realignment phase (28, 29) has terminated, a fifth test (test 5) (30) for validating the parking (15) is performed and:

if the fifth test is validated, the parking (15) is concluded, and

if the fifth test is non validated, the locking phase (23, 25), reverse-locking phase (26, 27) and realignment phase (28, 29) are repeated.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

a positioning phase (19, 22) preceding the execution of the locking phase and the reverse-locking phase, and

a realignment phase (28, 29) and following the execution of the reverse-locking phase, wherein,

the positioning phase is a first phase of the method,

the locking phase is a second phase of the method,

the reverse-locking phase is a third phase of the method, and

the realignment phase is a forth phase of the method.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein two safety tests (31, 32) are performed in parallel while carrying out the four parking phases by:

as a first safety test (31), verifying that a vehicle operator performs no action on control members of the vehicle (1),

as a second safety test (32), verifying a distance to a front part of the vehicle and a distance to a back part of the vehicle to ensure that the surrounding obstacles (3) are not modified, wherein,

if the first safety test (31) is not validated, then a transient halting (33) of the vehicle is performed, followed by a test of halting (34),

if the test of halting (34) is then validated by the operator, a parking (15) maneuver is completely halted (35),

and, in parallel with the test of halting, if the second safety test (32) is validated, the parking maneuver is completely halted (35),

otherwise the parking maneuver is continued.

11. A device (39) for implementing the method of claim 1, comprises:

measurement sensors (36) for measuring the distance of the vehicle (1) with respect to the surrounding obstacles (3), speeds sensors, direction of travel sensors and vehicle orientation sensors,

a computer (42) which retrieves the quantitative data from the measurement sensors and transforms the input data into gradual qualitative values and into quantitative values, processes and determines output instructions which have gradual qualitative values and quantitative values and transforms these output instructions into quantitative values, and

actuators which act on the movements of the vehicle (1) as a function of the quantitative output values transmitted by the computer (42) or an output interface (41) which transmits visual and/or audible and/or kinesthetic information to the driver to guide him in his maneuver.

12. A method of slot parking a vehicle, comprising the sequential steps of:

a first phase, serving as a positioning phase, of locating a vehicle with respect to immediate obstacles in front of and in back of the vehicle;

a second phase, serving as a locking phase, of moving the vehicle backward and locking wheels of the vehicle to back a rear part of the vehicle into a parking space;

a third phase, serving as a reverse-locking phase, of moving the vehicle and reverse-locking the wheels to move a front part of the vehicle into the parking space; and

a fourth phase, serving as a realigning phase, of moving the vehicle, according to available front and back space, while straightening the wheels,

using measurement sensors for measuring distance, orientation and vehicle speed to evaluate a space available with respect to the immediate obstacles to perform the locking and reverse-locking phases by operating on the vehicle speed, a vehicle direction of travel and a relative lock of the wheels of the vehicle,

retrieving input data originating from the measurement sensors to obtain quantitative input values,

translating at least some of the quantitative input values into gradual qualitative input values,

on a basis of qualitative rules, determining operating instructions that provide gradual qualitative output data and quantitative output data,

transforming the gradual qualitative output data into quantitative output data, and

controlling actuators of the vehicle as a function of the quantitative output data.

13. A method for managing a slot parking (15) of a mobile vehicle (1), a locking phase (23, 25) and a reverse-locking phase (26, 27), said method using measurement sensors (36) for measuring distance, vehicle orientation and vehicle speed to evaluate (10) a space available (2) with respect to immediate surroundings (3) so as to perform a parking maneuver, the parking maneuver being carried out by operating on the speed, a direction of travel and a relative lock of the wheels of the vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:

retrieving input data originating from the measurement sensors (36);

translating the quantitative input values into gradual qualitative input values,

on a basis of qualitative rules, determining operating instructions providing gradual qualitative output data and gradual quantitative output data, transforming the gradual qualitative output data into quantitative output data, and

controlling actuators of the vehicle as a function of the transformed quantitative output data.