Parking assist system using backup camera

• US 10,583,779 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2018
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magna Electronics Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Magna Electronics Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Koravadi, Krishna
• Primary Examiner(s): Yenke, Brian P
• Application Number:
  US16/149,365
• Publication Number:
  US 20190100139A1
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/002 for parking purposes, e.g. for warning the driver that his vehicle has contacted or is about to contact an obstacle warning arrangements in garages E04H6/42
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/005 using a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/307 virtually distinguishing relevant parts of a scene from the background of the scene
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/027 Parking aids, e.g. instruction means
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/028 Guided parking by providing commands to the driver, e.g. acoustically or optically
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space

Abstract

A parking assist system for a vehicle includes a rear backup camera and a control having an image processor that processes image data captured by the rear backup camera. The control, when the vehicle is driven forward into a parking slot and responsive to image processing of captured image data, determines a parking slot marker at a side boundary of the parking slot at which the vehicle is being parked. The system may include a display screen that displays images representative of the vehicle at a determined orientation relative to the determined parking slot marker so a driver of the vehicle can determine whether or not the vehicle is aligned in the parking slot. The control may determine a degree of misalignment of the vehicle relative to the parking slot and may generate an output to alert the driver that the vehicle is not aligned in the parking slot.

Claims

1. A parking assist system for a vehicle, said parking assist system comprising:

a rear backup camera disposed at a rear portion of a vehicle equipped with said parking assist system and having a field of view at least rearward of the equipped vehicle;

a control comprising a processor that processes image data captured by said rear backup camera;

a display screen disposed in the equipped vehicle and viewable by a driver of the equipped vehicle;

wherein said control, as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into a parking slot and via processing by said processor of only image data captured by said rear backup camera, determines a parking slot marker at a side boundary of the parking slot at which the equipped vehicle is being parked;

wherein said control, as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into the parking slot and via processing by said processor of only image data captured by said rear backup camera, determines an orientation of the equipped vehicle relative to the determined parking slot marker; and

wherein, only as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into the parking slot, and responsive to processing by said processor of only image data captured by said rear backup camera, said display screen displays images representative of the equipped vehicle at the determined orientation relative to the displayed determined parking slot marker, so the driver, when viewing the display screen as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into the parking slot, can determine whether or not the equipped vehicle is aligned in the parking slot.

2. The parking assist system of claim 1, wherein said parking assist system is actuated via a user input.

3. The parking assist system of claim 1, wherein, as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into the parking slot, said display screen displays an avatar of a vehicle at spaced apart line segments, with the displayed avatar being at the determined orientation relative to the displayed spaced apart line segments.

4. The parking assist system of claim 1, wherein said control, as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into the parking slot and via processing of image data by said processor of only image data captured by said rear backup camera, determines a rearward portion of the parking slot marker rearward of the equipped vehicle and estimates a forward portion of the determined parking slot marker based at least in part on the determined rearward portion of the parking slot marker.

5. The parking assist system of claim 4, wherein, as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into the parking slot, said display screen displays images representative of the estimated forward portion of the determined parking slot marker to assist in displaying misalignment of the equipped vehicle relative to the determined parking slot marker.

6. The parking assist system of claim 5, wherein said display screen displays images that include images of the determined rearward portion of the parking slot marker rearward of the equipped vehicle as derived from image data captured by said rear backup camera.

7. The parking assist system of claim 1, wherein said control, as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into the parking slot and responsive to determination of the parking slot marker, determines a degree of misalignment of the equipped vehicle relative to the parking slot, and wherein said control, as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into the parking slot and responsive to the determined degree of misalignment being greater than a threshold degree of misalignment, generates an output to alert the driver that the equipped vehicle is not aligned in the parking slot.

8. The parking assist system of claim 1, wherein said control, as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into the parking slot and responsive to processing by said processor of only image data captured by said rear backup camera, determines a parking slot marker at each side boundary of the parking slot at which the equipped vehicle is being parked, and wherein, as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into the parking slot, said display screen displays images representative of each of the determined parking slot markers.

9. A parking assist system for a vehicle, said parking assist system comprising:

a rear backup camera disposed at a rear portion of a vehicle equipped with said parking assist system and having a field of view at least rearward of the equipped vehicle;

a control comprising a processor operable to process image data captured by said rear backup camera;

wherein said control, only as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into a parking slot and via processing by said processor of only image data captured by said rear backup camera, determines a parking slot marker at a side boundary of the parking slot at which the equipped vehicle is being parked;

wherein said control, as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into the parking slot and via processing by said processor of only image data captured by said rear backup camera, determines a degree of misalignment of the equipped vehicle relative to the determined parking slot marker; and

wherein said control, as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into the parking slot and responsive to the determined degree of misalignment being greater than a threshold degree of misalignment, generates an output to alert a driver of the equipped vehicle that the equipped vehicle is not aligned in the parking slot.

10. The parking assist system of claim 9, wherein said parking assist system is actuated via a user input.

11. The parking assist system of claim 9, comprising a display screen that is viewable by the driver of the equipped vehicle, wherein the output comprises display at said display screen of images representative of the equipped vehicle at an orientation relative to the displayed determined parking slot marker.

12. The parking assist system of claim 11, wherein said control, as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into the parking slot and via processing of image data by said processor of only image data captured by said rear backup camera, determines a rearward portion of the parking slot marker rearward of the equipped vehicle and estimates a forward portion of the determined parking slot marker based at least in part on the determined rearward portion of the parking slot marker.

13. The parking assist system of claim 9, wherein the output comprises an audible alert.

14. The parking assist system of claim 9, wherein, as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into the parking slot and responsive to the determined degree of misalignment being less than the threshold degree of misalignment, said control generates another output to notify the driver that the equipped vehicle is aligned in the parking slot.

15. A parking assist system for a vehicle, said parking assist system comprising:

a rear backup camera disposed at a rear portion of a vehicle equipped with said parking assist system and having a field of view at least rearward of the equipped vehicle;

a control comprising a processor operable to process image data captured by said rear backup camera;

a display screen disposed in the equipped vehicle and viewable by a driver of the equipped vehicle;

wherein said control, as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into a parking slot and via processing by said processor of only image data captured by said rear backup camera, determines a parking slot marker at each side boundary of the parking slot at which the equipped vehicle is being parked;

wherein said control, as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into the parking slot and via processing by said processor of only image data captured by said rear backup camera, determines an orientation of the equipped vehicle relative to the determined parking slot markers;

wherein, only as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into the parking slot, and responsive to processing by said processor of only image data captured by said rear backup camera, said display screen displays an avatar of a vehicle at the displayed spaced apart line segments, and wherein the displayed avatar is at the determined orientation relative to the displayed spaced apart line segments so the driver, when viewing the display screen as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into the parking slot, can determine whether or not the equipped vehicle is aligned in the parking slot;

wherein said control, as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into the parking slot and via processing by said processor of only image data captured by said rear backup camera, determines when the determined orientation is indicative of a threshold degree of misalignment of the equipped vehicle relative to the determined parking slot markers; and

wherein said control, as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into the parking slot and responsive to the determined orientation being indicative of greater than the threshold degree of misalignment, generates an alert to the driver of the equipped vehicle.

16. The parking assist system of claim 15, wherein said parking assist system is actuated via a user input.

17. The parking assist system of claim 15, wherein said control, as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into the parking slot and via processing of image data by said processor of only image data captured by said rear backup camera, determines a rearward portion of the parking slot marker rearward of the equipped vehicle and estimates a forward portion of the determined parking slot marker based at least in part on the determined rearward portion of the parking slot marker.

18. The parking assist system of claim 15, wherein the alert comprises an audible alert.

19. The parking assist system of claim 15, wherein the alert comprises a visual alert displayed at said display screen.

20. The parking assist system of claim 15, wherein, as the equipped vehicle is driven forward into the parking slot and responsive to the determined degree of misalignment being less than the threshold degree of misalignment, said control generates an output to notify the driver that the equipped vehicle is aligned in the parking slot.