Vehicle park assist system and method for parking a vehicle using such system

• US 8,169,341 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2009
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Toledo, Salvador, Gunia, Dirk, Müller, Kay C., Wey, Torsten, Rolfes, Nate, Meise, Janet, Kalabis, Marcus
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US12/574,840
• Publication Number:
  US 20110080305A1
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 701/36, 701 41- 44
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• 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: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space

Abstract

A park assist system for parking a vehicle in a target parking space includes a sensing system. The sensing system determines whether there is a sufficient slot length in a target parking space too small to complete a parking maneuver in a single maneuver, but large enough to complete a parking maneuver in more than one maneuver. During each of the more than one parking maneuvers, the driver is prompted to execute a calculated steering trajectory.

Claims

1. A method for parallel parking a vehicle in a target parking space, the target parking space being a parallel parking space between a first object in front of the target parking space and a second object behind the target parking space wherein the slot length of the target parking space is too small to complete a parallel parking maneuver in one maneuver but large enough to complete the parallel parking maneuver in multiple maneuvers, the vehicle having a sensing system and a park assist system, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) scanning objects near the vehicle using the sensing system to determine when the target parking space having the slot length too small to complete the parallel parking maneuver in the one maneuver but large enough to complete the parallel parking maneuver in the multiple maneuvers is detected, the one maneuver being moving the vehicle rearward from a stop into the target parking space, stopping the vehicle, moving the vehicle forward within the target parking space and stopping in a vehicle parked position, the multiple maneuvers including the rearward and forward movements of the one maneuver plus at least one additional rearward movement of the vehicle before arriving in the vehicle parked position;

(b) providing an input signal from the sensing system to the park assist system when the target parking space is detected;

(c) after step (b), automatically steering the vehicle while backing the vehicle partially into the target parking space;

(d) after step (c), automatically steering the vehicle while moving the vehicle forward into the target parking space; and

(e) after step (d), automatically steering the vehicle while backing the vehicle in the target parking space and stopping the vehicle in the target parking space to complete arrival in the vehicle parked position.

2. A method for parallel parking a vehicle in a target parking space, the target parking space being a parallel parking space between a first object in front of the target parking space and a second object behind the target parking space wherein the slot length of the target parking space is too small to complete a parallel parking maneuver in one maneuver but large enough to complete the parallel parking maneuver in multiple maneuvers, the vehicle having a sensing system and a park assist system, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) scanning objects near the vehicle using the sensing system to determine when the target parking space having the slot length too small to complete the parallel parking maneuver in the one maneuver but large enough to complete the parallel parking maneuver in the multiple maneuvers is detected, the one maneuver being moving the vehicle rearward from a stop into the target parking space, stopping the vehicle, moving the vehicle forward within the target parking space and stopping in a vehicle parked position, the multiple maneuvers including the rearward and forward movements of the one maneuver plus at least one additional rearward and forward movement of the vehicle before arriving in the vehicle parked position;

(b) providing an input signal from the sensing system to the park assist system when the target parking space is detected;

(c) after step (b), automatically steering the vehicle while backing the vehicle partially into the target parking space;

(d) after step (c), automatically steering the vehicle while moving the vehicle forward into the target parking space;

(e) after step (d), automatically steering the vehicle while backing the vehicle in the target parking space; and

(f) after step (e), automatically steering the vehicle while moving the vehicle forward in the target parking space and stopping the vehicle in the target parking space to complete arrival in the vehicle parked position.