Method for classifying parking scenarios for a system for parking a motor vehicle

• US 9,400,897 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2012
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Brning, Stefan, Terkes, Mehmet, Wendler, Torsten
• Primary Examiner(s): Lau, Hoi
• Application Number:
  US14/346,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20140292542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,412 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 340/425.5, 701/13, 701/25, 701/1, 701/41, 701/42, 701/36, 701/200
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: B62D 15/029 Steering assistants using warnings or proposing actions to the driver without influencing the steering system
• CPC Class Codes: G06G 1/14 in which a straight or curved line has to be drawn from given points on one or more input scales to one or more points on a result scale
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas

Abstract

A method for classifying parking scenarios for an assistance system for parking a motor vehicle wherein a predetermined number of parking scenarios are defined, each parking scenario is described by a predetermined number of typical parking scenario criteria, and the criteria are based at least on parking space-specific parameters. The method includes determination of data from the environment of the motor vehicle by means of an environment sensor system in the motor vehicle, determination of the parking space-specific parameters from the environment data, examining the criteria of each parking scenario on the basis of the parking space-specific parameters, and classifying each parking scenario on the basis of the examined criteria.

Claims

1. A method for classifying parking scenarios for an assistance system for parking a motor vehicle, a predefined number of parking scenarios being defined and each parking scenario being described by a predefined number of typical parking scenario criteria, the criteria being based at least on parking-space-specific parameters, the method comprising:

determining data relating to the environment of the motor vehicle using an environment sensor system of the motor vehicle;

determining parking-space-specific parameters from the environment data;

checking the criteria of each parking scenario using the parking-space-specific parameters; and

classifying each parking scenario using the criteria which have been checked;

wherein the following parking scenarios;

“

reversing into a perpendicular parking space”

, “

reversing into a parallel parking space”

, “

driving forward into a perpendicular parking space”

, “

driving forward into a parallel parking space” and

“

driving forward into an oblique parking space”

are defined

wherein a type of parking space in the parking scenario is detected by checking criteria including a number of previously found free spaces in which one of perpendicular, parallel, or oblique-type parking is possible.

2. The method of claim 1, the criteria of the parking space scenarios are also based on motor-vehicle-specific parameters and/or driver-specific parameters and/or earlier parking scenarios and/or navigation data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the following criteria of each parking scenario are used to describe the parking scenarios, each parking scenario comprising a typical parking scenario selection of the criteria:

bounding objects of a parking space, depth of the parking space, width of the parking space, background objects, objects in the environment of the motor vehicle, objects in a parking space, turning of the vehicle, orientation of the bounding objects and history including assessment of the earlier parking scenarios.

4. The method claim 1, wherein the parking scenarios are assessed by evaluating the individual criteria of each parking scenario, the individual evaluations are combined to form a classification of each parking scenario.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the classification is carried out by assigning probabilities or by distributing point values.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein checking criteria including a number of previously found free spaces in which one of perpendicular, parallel, or oblique-type parking is possible comprises checking a number of previously found free spaces within a predefined interval of time.

6. A parking assistance system for parking a motor vehicle in a parking space having an environment sensor system for determining environment data relating to the motor vehicle, the parking assistance system comprising:

a storage device for storing a predefined number of parking scenarios with typical parking scenario criteria;

a device for determining criteria-relevant parameters at least from the environment data;

a checking device for checking the criteria of each parking scenario using the criteria-relevant parameters;

a classification device for classifying the parking scenarios using the criteria which have been checked; and

a selection device for selecting the parking scenario with the highest classification as the most probable parking scenario;

wherein the following parking scenarios;

“

reversing into a perpendicular parking space”

, “

reversing into a parallel parking space”

, “

driving forward entering into a perpendicular parking space”

, “

driving forward entering into a parallel parking space” and

“

driving forward into an oblique parking space”

are stored in the storage device;

wherein the parking assistance system uses the selected parking scenario to park the vehicle in the parking space.

7. The parking assistance system of claim 6, wherein the typical parking scenario criteria also comprise motor-vehicle-specific parameters and/or driver-specific parameters and/or earlier parking scenarios and/or navigation data.

8. The parking system of claim 6, wherein the classification device carries out a probability-based or a point-based evaluation of the criteria and the parking scenarios.

9. The parking assistance system of claim 6, wherein the environment sensor system is based at least on ultrasound-based 2D environment data.

10. The parking assistance system of claim 6, wherein a type of parking space in the parking scenario is detected by checking criteria including a number of previously found free spaces in which one of perpendicular, parallel, or oblique-type parking is possible.

11. The parking assistance system of claim 6, wherein a type of parking space in the parking scenario is detected when the vehicle has driven past a plurality of the same type of parking spaces and corresponding parked objects within a predefined interval of time.

13. The parking assistance system of claim 6, wherein the checking device for checking the criteria of each parking scenario using the criteria-relevant parameters checks criteria including a number of previously found free spaces in which one of perpendicular, parallel, or oblique-type parking is possible comprises checking a number of previously found free spaces within a predefined interval of time.