Park-steer assist system and method for operating a park-steer assist system

• US 9,623,906 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2006
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Rohlfs, Michael, Schoening, Volkmar, Schwitters, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Shelley
• Application Number:
  US12/158,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20090259365A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,795 Days
• Field of Search: 701 41
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/028 Guided parking by providing commands to the driver, e.g. acoustically or optically

Abstract

The method relates to an operating method for a semi-automatic park-steer assist system and to a semi-automatic park-steer assist system of a motor vehicle for aiding in an alignment of the motor vehicle in a parking space, including a device for detecting an activation signal; a device for determining a change direction in which an alignment of the motor vehicle is to be changed; a device for detecting a set drive direction; and a control unit which controls at least one actuator in an active state of the park-steer assist system such that steerable wheels of the motor vehicle are turned in the change direction when the set drive direction is forward, and the steerable wheels are maximally turned counter to the change direction when the set drive direction is reverse.

Claims

1. A semi-automatic park-steer assist system of a motor vehicle for aiding in an alignment of the motor vehicle in a parking space, comprising:

a device configured to detect an activation signal;

a device configured to determine a change direction in which an alignment of the motor vehicle is to be changed;

a control unit configured to control at least one actuator in an active state of the park-steer assist system to deflect steerable wheels of the motor vehicle in the change direction when a set drive direction is forward and to deflect the steerable wheels counter to the change direction when the set drive direction is reverse;

wherein the control unit includes an alignment-determination unit configured to compare an instantaneous alignment of the motor vehicle with a setpoint alignment, and, if the instantaneous alignment corresponds to the setpoint alignment, to control the actuator to move the steerable wheels into a substantially non-deflected center position.

2. The park-steer assist system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control the actuator to maximally deflect the steerable wheels of the motor vehicle in the change direction when the set drive direction is forward and to maximally deflect the steerable wheels counter to the change direction when the set drive direction is reverse.

3. The park-steer assist system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to detect and analyze distance information from a distance-determination unit that includes information about at least one distance of the motor vehicle from objects that delimit the parking space to determine and output a suggested drive direction in accordance with the detected distance information.

4. The park-steer assist system according to claim 3, wherein the distance-determination unit includes distance-measuring sensors at a front end and a rear end of the motor vehicle, the distance information including information about at least one distance of the motor vehicle from a front delimitation and at least one distance from a rear delimitation of the parking space.

5. The park-steer assist system according to claim 3, wherein the control unit includes a comparator configured to compare the distance to at least one distance threshold value, and to output at least one warning signal if the distance undershoots the distance threshold value.

6. The park-steer assist system according to claim 5, wherein the control unit is configured to at least one of (a) actively brake and/or (b) prevent a movement of the motor vehicle that leads to a further reduction in the distance if the distance threshold value is not attained.

7. The park-steer assist system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to receive signals from at least one sensor that detects at least one of (a) motor vehicle states and/or (b) occurrences, the control unit configured to evaluate signals and to influence functions of the park-steer assist system as a function of the evaluation.

8. The park-steer assist system according to claim 7, wherein the signals include information about a steering intervention of a driver of the motor vehicle, and the influence of the functions of the park-steer assist system includes a deactivation of the park-steer assist system upon detection of the steering intervention.

9. The park-steer assist system according to claim 7, wherein the signals include information about a speed of the motor vehicle, and the influence of the functions of the park-steer assist system includes a deactivation of the park-steer assist system if a predefined speed value is exceeded.

10. The park-steer assist system according to claim 7, wherein the signals include information about at least one of (a) a moving state and/or (b) a braking state of the motor vehicle, and the influence of the functions of the park-steer assist system includes blocking of the control of the actuator to bring about a deflection of the steerable wheels if the motor vehicle is at least one of (a) moving and/or (b) not braked.

11. A method for operating a semi-automatic park-steer assist system of a motor vehicle for aiding in an alignment of the motor vehicle in a parking space, comprising:

detecting an activation signal;

determining a change direction in which an alignment of the motor vehicle is to be changed; and

controlling at least one actuator with the aid of a control unit in an active state of the park-steer assist system to deflect steerable wheels of the motor vehicle in the change direction when the set drive direction is forward, and to deflect the steerable wheels counter to the change direction when the set drive direction is reverse;

wherein the control unit includes an alignment-determination unit, the method further comprising;

comparing, by the alignment-determination unit, an instantaneous alignment of the motor vehicle with a setpoint alignment; and

if the instantaneous alignment corresponds to the setpoint alignment, controlling, by the alignment determination unit, the actuator to move the steerable wheels to a substantially non-deflected center position.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the controlling of the actuator is performed by a control unit in the active state of the park-steer assist system to maximally deflect the steerable wheels of the motor vehicle in the change direction when the set drive direction is forward, and to maximally deflect the steerable wheels counter to the change direction when the set drive direction is reverse.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

determining distance information, that includes information about at least one distance of the motor vehicle from objects that delimit the parking space, with the aid of a distance-determination unit; and

determining and outputting, by the control unit, a suggested drive direction in accordance with the distance information.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

comparing the distance to a distance threshold value with the aid of a comparator of the control unit; and

outputting a warning signal if the distance undershoots the distance threshold value.

15. The method according to claim 13, the method further comprising at least one of (a) actively braking and/or (b) preventing movement of the motor vehicle, by the control unit, that leads to a further decrease in the distance if a distance threshold value is not attained.

16. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, by the control unit, signals from at least one sensor, that detects at least one of (a) states of the motor vehicle and/or (b) occurrences;

analyzing the signals by the control unit; and

influencing functions of the park-steer assist system, by the control unit, as a function of the evaluation.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the signals include information about a speed of the motor vehicle, and the control unit influences the functions of the park-steer assist system in that the park-steer assist system is deactivated when a predefined speed value is exceeded.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the signals include information about a steering intervention of a driver of the motor vehicle, and the control unit influences the functions of the park-steer assist system in that the park-steer assist system is deactivated when a steering intervention is detected.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the signals include information about at least one of (a) a moving state and/or (b) a braking state of the motor vehicle, and the control unit influences the functions of the park-steer assist system in that the control of the actuator for bringing about a maximum deflection of the steerable wheels is prevented if the motor vehicle is at least one of (a) in motion and/or (b) not braked.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein the distance-determination unit includes distance-measuring sensors on a front end and a rear end of the motor vehicle, and the distance information includes information about a minimum distance of the motor vehicle from a front delimitation and a minimum distance from a rear delimitation of the parking space.