Valet parking method and system

• US 9,947,223 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2015
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Mielenz, Holger
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, DHAVAL V
• Application Number:
  US15/314,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20170200367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: 3409322, 340928, 3405391, 340473, 701 23, 701 24, 701 28, 701 315, 701119, 705 5, 705 13
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/20 Static objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/55 using telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/06 Automatic manoeuvring for parking
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0282 generated in a local control room
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0285 using signals transmitted via a public communication network, e.g. GSM network
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/142 external to the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/146 where the parking area is a limited parking space, e.g. parking garage, restricted space

Abstract

A valet parking system for automatically bringing a vehicle to a parking space within a predefined parking area. The valet parking system includes a central control unit and a parking-space monitoring system having a stationary parking-space sensor. The parking-space monitoring system is designed to detect the current state of occupancy of the parking spaces of the parking area and to transmit that to the central control unit. The parking-space monitoring system may localize all autonomously moving or waiting vehicles that are currently in transit autonomously within the parking area either to be brought to their assigned parking space or received by their driver at a predefined pick-up location, and to transmit information about the present position of all these vehicles to the central control unit. A free parking space is assigned to the vehicle by the central control unit as a function of the geometrical dimensions of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A valet parking system for automatically bringing a vehicle to an assigned parking space within a predefined parking area, comprising:

a central control unit; and

a parking-space monitoring system having at least one stationary parking-space sensor, the parking-space monitoring system being configured to at least one of;

(i) detect a state of occupancy of parking spaces of the parking area and to transmit a current state of occupancy to the central control unit, and (ii) localize vehicles moving autonomously or waiting within the predefined parking area, and to transmit information about a present vehicle position to the central control unit, the central control unit being configured to assign a free parking space to a vehicle and to transmit information to the vehicle so that the vehicle is able to be brought autonomously along a trajectory to the assigned parking space;

wherein the central control unit is configured to assign a free parking space to the vehicle as a function of geometrical dimensions of the vehicle, so as to maximize visibility of the parking spaces to the at least stationary sensor, the geometrical dimensions including a height of the vehicle, and

wherein vehicles having a larger size are parked directly laterally of the parking-space sensor in closer parking spaces, or at a further field of view, in farther parking spaces, wherein parking spaces between the closer parking space and the farther parking spaces are assigned to vehicles by a heuristic process so that smaller vehicles are parked at a closer distance to the parking-space sensor, and vehicle of increasing sizes are parked at a farther distance from the parking-space sensor, so that the parking-space sensor is able to detect at least an upper part of a vehicle while it is being steered into the parking space.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein a free parking space is assigned to the vehicle in such a way that obstruction of the field of view of the parking-space sensors of the parking-space monitoring system by the parked vehicle is minimized.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one parking-space sensor includes a 2-D camera or 3-D camera.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one parking-space sensor of the parking-space monitoring system is disposed in such a way that the field of view of the parking-space monitoring system covers at least one of:

i) a maximum number of parking spaces, and ii) all access routes and maneuvering areas.

5. The system as recited in one of claim 1, wherein the system includes a device to determine the geometrical dimensions of the vehicle.

6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein the devices includes at least one sensor.

7. A method for laying out a valet parking system, the valet parking system including a central control unit, and a parking-space monitoring system having at least one stationary parking-space sensor, the method comprising:

performing, via the parking-space monitoring system, at least one of;

detecting a state of occupancy of parking spaces of the parking area and to transmit a current state of occupancy to the central control unit; and

localizing vehicles moving autonomously or waiting within the predefined parking area, and transmitting information about a present vehicle position to the central control unit;

assigning, via the central control unit, a free parking space to a vehicle and transmitting information to the vehicle so that the vehicle is able to be brought autonomously along a trajectory to the assigned parking space, wherein the central control unit is configured to assign a free parking space to the vehicle as a function of geometrical dimensions of the vehicle, so as to maximize visibility of the parking spaces to the at least stationary sensor, the geometrical dimensions including a height of the vehicle; and

selecting a number and placement of the parking-space sensors of the parking-space monitoring system so that at least one of the following is satisfied;

(i) providing sufficient detection of the state of occupancy of all parking spaces of the predefined parking area, and (ii) providing all positions of the autonomously moving or waiting vehicles at all times, and

wherein vehicles having a larger size are parked directly laterally of the parking-space sensor in closer parking spaces, or at a further field of view, in farther parking spaces, wherein parking spaces between the closer parking space and the farther parking spaces are assigned to vehicles by a heuristic process so that smaller vehicles are parked at a closer distance to the parking-space sensor, and vehicle of increasing sizes are parked at a farther distance from the parking-space sensor, so that the parking-space sensor is able to detect at least an upper part of a vehicle while it is being steered into the parking space.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the parking-space sensors are placed by assuming an occupancy of the predefined parking area with vehicles of an average size distribution.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein geometrical features of the predefined parking area and possible sight obstructions are taken into account when determining the number and placement of the parking-space sensors.

10. A valet parking method for automatically bringing a vehicle to an assigned parking space within a predefined parking area, the method comprising:

detecting continuously, using a parking-space monitoring system having at least one parking-space sensor, at least one of;

(i) a current state of occupancy of the parking spaces of the parking area, and (ii) a present position of autonomously moving or waiting vehicles within the parking area;

transmitting, to a central control unit, the at least one of the current state of occupancy and the present position of the vehicles moving autonomously or waiting within the predefined parking area;

assigning, by the central control unit, a free parking space to a vehicle; and

transmitting information to the vehicle, so that the vehicle is able to be brought autonomously along a trajectory to the assigned parking space;

wherein the central control unit is configured to assign at least one of the free parking space and a trajectory to the vehicle as a function of geometrical dimensions of the vehicle, the geometrical dimensions including a size of the vehicle, including a height of the vehicle, so that obstruction of the field of view of the at least one parking-space sensor by the vehicle at least one of during and after the parking maneuver is minimized, so as to maximize visibility of the parking spaces to the at least stationary sensor, and

wherein vehicles having a larger size are parked directly laterally of the parking-space sensor in closer parking spaces, or at a further field of view, in farther parking spaces, wherein parking spaces between the closer parking space and the farther parking spaces are assigned to vehicles by a heuristic process so that smaller vehicles are parked at a closer distance to the parking-space sensor, and vehicle of increasing sizes are parked at a farther distance from the parking-space sensor, so that the parking-space sensor is able to detect at least an upper part of a vehicle while it is being steered into the parking space.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the geometrical dimensions including the height, of the vehicle are measured prior to assigning a parking space.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the geometrical dimensions including the height, of the vehicle are determined prior to assigning a parking space, by detecting a type of vehicle and taking the geometrical dimensions from a table stored in the central control unit.