Method for determining a parking spot

• US 8,279,087 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2004
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Knoll, Peter, Engelsberg, Andreas, Manstetten, Dietrich, Kussmann, Holger, Placke, Lars, Stoerzel, Marc, Schweiger, Ulrich, Lee, Wei-Chia
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Labbees, Edny
• Application Number:
  US10/578,929
• Publication Number:
  US 20080231469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,937 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 340/436, 340/437, 340/438, 701/41, 701/42, 701/44
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/006 using a distance sensor
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/007 providing information about the distance to an obstacle, e.g. varying sound
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/027 Parking aids, e.g. instruction means

Abstract

A method for determining a parking spot including at least the following steps: measuring a parking spot and outputting a measured length of the parking spot; comparing the determined length to at least one limiting value and determining an indicator signal; outputting the indicator signal to the driver; recording vehicle dynamics signals, during a parking operation; evaluating the parking operation on the basis of the recorded vehicle dynamics signals and outputting an evaluation signal, and changing the at least one limiting value as a function of the evaluation signal and the indicator signal. An adaptive parking spot measurement is created in which an evaluation of the parking spot length is automatically adapted to the driving behavior and the driving skills of the respective driver, resulting in a particularly high degree of acceptance of the PSM system by the driver.

Claims

1. A method for determining a parking spot, comprising:

measuring a parking spot;

outputting a measured length of the parking spot;

comparing the measured length to at least one limiting value;

determining an indicator signal;

outputting the indicator signal to a driver;

recording vehicle dynamics signals during a parking operation;

evaluating the parking operation on the basis of the recorded vehicle dynamics signals;

outputting an evaluation signal; and

changing the at least one limiting value as a function of the evaluation signal and the indicator signal.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the evaluation signal and the indicator signal to one another, wherein;

no change to the at least one limiting value occurs when the evaluation signal and the indicator signal correspond, and

the at least one limiting value is changed in the event of a deviation.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one lower limiting value, which indicates a minimally possible length of the parking spot, and one upper limiting value, which separates an easy parking section from a medium-difficult parking section, are used for the comparing and are changed as a function of the evaluation signal and the indicator signal.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising:

raising the lower limiting value if a possible parking operation is determined from the measured length of the parking spot and an unsuccessful parking operation is determined as the evaluation signal.

5. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising:

raising the upper limiting value.

6. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising:

reducing the lower limiting value and the upper limiting value if a successful, easy parking operation is determined and the measured length of the parking spot is in a middle range between the lower limiting value and the upper limiting value.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

performing a quantitative comparison of the indicator signal and the evaluation signal; and

establishing an amount of a change of the at least one limiting value as a function of a size of a deviation.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

outputting a visual color signal as the indicator signal by;

outputting a red color signal when the measured length of the parking spot is in a lower range below a lower limiting value,

a yellow color signal when the measured length is in a middle range between the lower limiting value and an upper limiting value, and

a green color signal when the measured length is in an upper range above the upper limiting value.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the changing of the at least one limiting value is carried out via a long-term determination over multiple parking operations.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the following time-dependent signals is used as vehicle dynamics signals:

vehicle velocity,

steering angle, and

brake signal.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

detecting an end of the parking operation when a vehicle is situated within the determined parking spot and an engine is shut off.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

determining an unsuccessful parking operation when the engine is not shut off in the parking spot within a predefined time period.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a respective driver; and

assigning an evaluation of a parking behavior to the identified driver.