Parking assistance system and parking assistance method

• US 7,786,896 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2006
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Lee, Wei-Chia, Schmid, Dirk, Schaaf, Gunther, Schneider, Marcus
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Toan N
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCNALLY, KERRI L
• Application Number:
  US11/585,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20070146164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,408 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 340/933, 340/942, 340/943, 340/425.5, 340/435, 340/436, 340/438
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space

Abstract

A parking assistance system for outputting parking instructions to the driver of a vehicle has a sensor device which is designed for performing a parking space measurement on the basis of parking space limits and generating parking space information on the basis of the parking space measurement; a program-controlled device which calculates the driving trajectory to be traveled on the basis of the parking space information generated and calculates a time to collision and/or a distance to collision, within which the vehicle will presumably collide with one of the parking space limits, from the parking space information generated and the calculated driving trajectory; and a warning signal transducer which generates a warning signal if the calculated period of time is less than a first limit value and/or the calculated distance to collision is less than a second limit value.

Claims

1. A parking assistance system of a motor vehicle for outputting parking instructions, comprising:

a sensor device that performs a parking space measurement on the basis of parking space limits and generates parking space information as a function of the parking space measurement;

a program-controlled device which calculates a driving trajectory to be traveled by the vehicle for a parking maneuver on the basis of the parking space information generated and calculates a time to collision and/or a distance to collision within which the vehicle will presumably collide with one of the parking space limits, basing this calculation on the parking space information generated as well as on the calculated driving trajectory;

a warning signal transducer that generates a warning signal if the calculated time to collision is less than a first limit value and/or the calculated distance to collision is less than a second limit value; and

a second sensor device for measuring an actual distance from the vehicle to at least one of the parking space limits;

wherein the program-controlled device includes a comparator device to compare the parking space information generated with information measured by the second sensor device for measuring the actual distance of the vehicle from a parking space limit and, as a function thereof, output a comparative signal indicating whether the second sensor device for measuring the actual distance from a parking space limit is active,

wherein the warning signal transducer contains a display which outputs a visual warning signal having at least two urgency levels and/or a loudspeaker that outputs an acoustic warning signal having at least two urgency levels,

wherein the program-controlled device includes;

a first calculation unit to calculate the time to collision on the basis of the parking space information generated by the sensor device for implementing a parking space measurement,

a second calculation device to calculate the distance to collision on the basis of the actual distance measured by the second sensor device for measuring the actual distance from the parking space limit, and

an evaluation device to evaluate the time to collision and the distance to collision and outputs an urgency signal that corresponds to the time to collision and the distance to collision and has the corresponding urgency level.

2. The parking assistance system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a memory unit in which the parking space information generated by the sensor device is storable.

3. The parking assistance system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a vehicle speed sensor which is connected to the program-controlled device, and which measures a current vehicle speed of the vehicle and outputs a vehicle speed signal corresponding to the current vehicle speed, and the program-controlled device additionally takes into account the vehicle speed signal output by the vehicle speed sensor to calculate the time to collision.

4. The parking assistance system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a status signal transducer, which outputs a sensor status signal if the signal output by the comparator device indicates that the second sensor device for measuring the actual distance from a parking space limit is not active.

5. The parking assistance system as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor device has near-range sensors corresponding to ultrasonic sensors, for measuring a lateral distance of the vehicle from at least one of the parking space limits.

6. The parking assistance system as recited in claim 1, wherein the program-controlled device includes a limit value determination device which determines the first limit value, taking into account a response time of a driver and a speed-dependent stopping time.

7. The parking assistance system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a memory unit in which the parking space information generated by the sensor device is storable;

a vehicle speed sensor which is connected to the program-controlled device, and which measures a current vehicle speed of the vehicle and outputs a vehicle speed signal corresponding to the current vehicle speed, and the program-controlled device additionally takes into account the vehicle speed signal output by the vehicle speed sensor to calculate the time to collision; and

a status signal transducer, which outputs a sensor status signal if the signal output by the comparator device indicates that the sensor device for measuring the actual distance from a parking space limit is not active.

8. The parking assistance system as recited in claim 7, wherein the sensor device has near-range sensors corresponding to ultrasonic sensors, for measuring a lateral distance of the vehicle from at least one of the parking space limits, and wherein the program-controlled device includes a limit value determination device which determines the first limit value, taking into account a response time of a driver and a speed-dependent stopping time.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer program, which is executable by a processor, comprising:

a computer code arrangement having computer code for outputting parking instructions for a motor vehicle, by performing the following;

measuring a parking space on the basis of parking space limits and generating parking space information as a function of the parking space measurement;

calculating a driving trajectory to be traveled by the vehicle for a parking maneuver on the basis of the parking space information generated;

calculating a time to collision or a distance to collision from the parking space information and the calculated driving trajectory;

outputting a warning signal if the calculated period of time is less than a first limit value and/or the calculated distance to collision is less than a second limit value;

measuring an actual distance from the vehicle to at least one of the parking space limits;

comparing the parking space information generated with the actual distance measured;

outputting a comparative signal as a function of the comparison between the parking space information and the actual distance indicating whether the measurement of the actual distance is suitable;

measuring a current vehicle speed of the vehicle;

outputting a vehicle speed signal corresponding to the current vehicle speed; and

calculating the time to collision based on the vehicle speed signal.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

outputting a sensor status signal if the comparative signal indicates that the measurement of the actual distance is unsuitable.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

outputting a visual warning signal having at least two urgency levels.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

measuring a lateral distance of the vehicle from at least one of the parking space limits.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

determining the first limit value based on a response time of a driver and a speed-dependent stopping time.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

outputting a sensor status signal if the comparative signal indicates that the measurement of the actual distance is unsuitable; and

outputting a visual warning signal having at least two urgency levels.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

calculating the time to collision based on the parking space information generated;

calculating the distance to collision based on the actual distance measured;

evaluating the time to collision and the distance to collision;

outputting an urgency signal that corresponds to the time to collision and the distance to collision, the urgency signal having a corresponding urgency level;

measuring a lateral distance of the vehicle from at least one of the parking space limits; and

determining the first limit value based on a response time of a driver and a speed-dependent stopping time.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer program, which is executable by a processor, comprising:

a computer code arrangement having computer code for outputting parking instructions for a motor vehicle, by performing the following;

measuring a parking space on the basis of parking space limits and generating parking space information as a function of the parking space measurement;

calculating a driving trajectory to be traveled by the vehicle for a parking maneuver on the basis of the parking space information generated;

calculating a time to collision or a distance to collision from the parking space information and the calculated driving trajectory;

outputting a warning signal if the calculated period of time is less than a first limit value and/or the calculated distance to collision is less than a second limit value;

measuring an actual distance from the vehicle to at least one of the parking space limits;

comparing the parking space information generated with the actual distance measured;

outputting a comparative signal as a function of the comparison between the parking space information and the actual distance indicating whether the measurement of the actual distance is suitable;

calculating the time to collision based on the parking space information generated;

calculating the distance to collision based on the actual distance measured;

evaluating the time to collision and the distance to collision; and

outputting an urgency signal that corresponds to the time to collision and the distance to collision, the urgency signal having a corresponding urgency level.