Method and system for vehicle parking

• US 9,666,074 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2015
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Nicoll, Douglas, Scott, Jonathan, Skipp, David, Brown, Richard, Wingfield, Eric H., Farrelly, Will
• Primary Examiner(s): Pope, Daryl
• Application Number:
  US14/803,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20160055749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 3409322, 340933, 340937, 340992, 382103, 382104
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/143 inside the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/147 where the parking area is within an open public zone, e.g. city centre

Abstract

A request to identify a parking spot is received. A response to the request, including an identification of at least one available parking spot, is provided. A parking spot selected from the response is identified. Data relating to the selected spot are collected. A user profile based on the collected data is updated.

Claims

1. A system, comprising a computer including a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to:

receive a request to identify a parking spot;

provide a response to the request, including an identification of at least one available parking spot;

identify a parking spot selected from the response;

collect information relating to the selected parking spot; and

update a user profile based on the collected information;

wherein the collected information include at least one of ambient weather conditions, covering of the parking spot, online payment availability, local traffic flow, changes of the selected parking spot, route, parking maneuvers required, and ambient noise, and wherein the parking maneuvers include at least one of parallel parking, angle of vehicle after parking, and number of attempts made to park in the parking spot.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further include instructions to send navigational instructions to the selected parking spot.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the user profile includes preferred user attributes and disfavored user attributes.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the instructions include instructions to sort the collected data in the user profile into the preferred user attributes and the disfavored user attributes.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further include instructions to determine if the user parked at the selected parking spot.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the instructions further include instructions to, based on whether user parked in the selected spot, sort the collected data into at least one of preferred user attributes and disfavored user attributes.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the instructions further include instructions to identify a new parking spot if the user does not park in the selected parking spot.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions further include instructions to identify the new parking spot having information different than the previous selected spot.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further include instructions to collect the information with at least one data collector.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the data collectors include at least one of a camera, radar, portable dongle, and a user device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further include instructions to update the user profile based on a user commentary.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving a request to identify a parking spot;

providing a response to the request, including an identification of at least one available parking spot;

identifying a parking spot selected from the response;

collecting data relating to the selected spot; and

updating a user profile based on the collected data;

wherein the collected information include at least one of ambient weather conditions, covering of the parking spot, online payment availability, local traffic flow, changes of the selected parking spot, route, parking maneuvers required, and ambient noise, and wherein the parking maneuvers include at least one of parallel parking, angle of vehicle after parking, and number of attempts made to park in the parking spot.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising sending navigational instructions to the selected parking spot.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the user profile includes preferred user attributes and disfavored user attributes.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining if the user parked at the selected parking spot.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising collecting the information with at least one data collector.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising updating the user profile based on a user commentary.