Method and device for assisting a driver of a vehicle in exiting from a parking space

• US 8,560,175 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2009
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valeo Schalter und Sensoren GmbH (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Valeo Schalter und Sensoren GmbH (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Bammert, Jens, Jecker, Nicolas, Kossmann, Simon, Vovkuschevsky, Vsevolod, Hoffsommer, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US12/933,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20110054739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,662 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/41
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/028 Guided parking by providing commands to the driver, e.g. acoustically or optically
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically

Abstract

A method for assisting a vehicle driver in exiting from a lateral parking space in a longitudinal direction with respect to a roadway is disclosed. The method involves measuring at least the length of the parking space to obtain measurement data, determining a parking-space-exiting trajectory at least on the basis of the measurement data, starting a process of exiting the parking space, and carrying out the process of exiting the parking space with simultaneous collision prevention by monitoring a distance from a plurality of objects which bound the parking space. During the exiting process, the steering of the vehicle is controlled automatically, and the automatic control of the steering concludes when the vehicle has reached an intermediate position from which the vehicle can exit the parking space using a single maneuver. The method concludes as soon as the parking-space-exiting trajectory allows for collision-free exiting from the parking space.

Claims

1. A method for assisting a driver of a vehicle in exiting from a lateral parking space in a longitudinal direction with respect to a roadway, wherein the parking method takes place without driver intervention, the method comprising:

when a parking space is to be exited longitudinally with respect to a roadway;

measuring at least the length of the parking space to obtain measurement data;

determining, by a computing device having a processor, a parking-space-exiting trajectory at least on the basis of the measurement data;

starting a process of exiting the parking space; and

carrying out, by the computing device having the processor, the process of exiting the parking space with simultaneous collision prevention by monitoring a distance from a plurality of objects which bound the parking space,

wherein the method concludes as soon as the parking-space-exiting trajectory allows for collision-free exiting from the parking space, and

wherein when the process of exiting the parking space is carried out, the steering of the vehicle is controlled automatically, and wherein the automatic control of the steering concludes when the vehicle has reached an intermediate position from which the vehicle can exit the parking space using a single maneuver.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the intermediate position is reached, the steering is turned automatically into a parking-space-exiting position that allows for collision-free exiting from the parking space.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein after the intermediate position has been reached during the exiting from the parking space, a steering angle which has been set and/or the path which has been traveled along is monitored, and when an imminent collision of the vehicle with the plurality of objects is detected, a corresponding warning signal is conveyed to the driver.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein during the parking-space-exiting process the vehicle is automatically accelerated and braked, wherein the automatic acceleration and braking concludes when the vehicle has reached an intermediate position from which the vehicle is able to exit the parking space using a single maneuver.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising measuring a depth of the front parking space, and using the measured depth in the determination of the parking-space-exiting trajectory.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising measuring an oblique position of the vehicle in the parking space, and using the measured oblique position in the determination of the parking-space-exiting trajectory.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising measuring a distance of the vehicle from one of the plurality of objects which laterally bounds the parking space, and using the measured distance in the determination of the parking-space-exiting trajectory.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein curb data stored by a separate parking process is also used in the determination of the parking-space-exiting trajectory.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a curb is detected directly during the process of exiting the parking space, and the parking-space-exiting trajectory is-corrected based on the detection of the curb so that the parking-space-exiting trajectory is traversed without collisions with the curb.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the parking-space-exiting trajectory is newly determined when the driver brings about a travel direction of the single maneuver by means of a steering lock and/or by means of a gear speed selection.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising performing an unobstructed view check at least during a forward maneuver, and when there is an unobstructed view and one of the plurality of objects which bounds the parking space to the front is passable laterally without a collision, the process of exiting the parking space is ended.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when the method ends, the driver is informed, after which said driver assumes control of the vehicle.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the parking-space-exiting trajectory provides a plurality of arcuate forward maneuvers and a plurality of rearward maneuvers, as a result of which the vehicle experiences an increasingly oblique position in the parking space until collision-free exiting from the parking space is carried out in a last forward maneuver.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first parking-space-exiting maneuver is carried out as a rearward maneuver directed straight to a rear and which is adjoined by one or more arcuate forward maneuvers and rearward maneuvers.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

calculating the parking-space-exiting trajectory comprising at least one S-shaped section, as a function of at least the length of the parking space, wherein each S-shaped section, which alternately forms a forward maneuver or a rearward maneuver, causes the vehicle steered along the parking-space-exiting trajectory to move parallel to the direction of the roadway in the parking space, wherein the vehicle comes to a standstill parallel to the parking space or to an original parked position in each case at a start of each S-shaped section and at an end of each S-shaped section, and parallel movement of the vehicle by traveling along the parking-space-exiting trajectory.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the parking-space-exiting trajectory comprising the S-shaped section is calculated when the measurement taken results in an oblique positioning of the vehicle in the parking space that does not allow for leaving of the parking space.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the parking-space-exiting trajectory is calculated in such a way that an intermediate position is reached with an S-shaped section which is carried out as a last rearward maneuver, with the result that an ultimate exit from the parking space occurs in a single forward maneuver.

18. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein during traversal of the parking-space-exiting trajectory, in each case sensing of the surroundings takes place at least at end positions of the S-shaped sections in order to check whether the vehicle is in an intermediate position from which the parking space can be exited without a collision.

19. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the parking-space-exiting trajectory has a first straight section which forms a straight rearward maneuver and whose end position is adjoined by a first S-shaped section which moves the vehicle laterally in parallel in the parking space and forms a first forward maneuver.

20. The method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising, during the determination of the parking-space-exiting trajectory, simultaneously detecting whether traversal of an S-shaped section is possible.

21. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein while the process of exiting the parking space is being carried out, the driver of the vehicle is responsible for accelerating and braking the vehicle and for monitoring the flowing traffic.