Method and automatic parking system for automatic parking control using crabbing mode

Abstract

The application relates to a method for automatic parking control using crab mode, which comprises the following steps: planning a parking path of a vehicle based on detected parking environment information and body contour information of the vehicle (1), wherein the parking path comprises a first parking sub-path in which the vehicle travels in crab mode, and an outside rearview mirror of the vehicle is foldable in the body contour of the vehicle; and controlling the vehicle (1) to park according to the planned parking path based on the detected parking environment information, wherein during the process of controlling the vehicle to travel in crab mode according to the first parking sub-path, the folding of the outside rearview mirror of the vehicle is controlled based on the distance between the body contour of the vehicle and obstacles in the parking environment. According to the application, the risk of scratching or collision of the side body of the vehicle, especially the outside rearview mirror, can be reduced, the movable range of the vehicle during parking is increased, and the safety and parking success rate of the automatic parking function are effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of automatic parking, and more particularly to an automatic parking control method utilizing a crab-like mode, an automatic parking system, a vehicle including the automatic parking system according to this application, and a computer program product. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of vehicle technology, automatic parking systems have been widely used in newly developed models. These systems use onboard sensors to detect the parking environment and automatically park in a parking space. However, in narrow parking environments, such as when the distance between obstacles on both sides of the parking space is short, the parking space is narrow, there are parallel dead-end parking spaces, or the available space for maneuvering along the parking path, automatic parking systems are prone to failure. During the parking process, the vehicle body may also be scratched, especially when the rearview mirror collides with surrounding obstacles.

[0003] Therefore, there is room for improvement in current automatic parking systems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a method for automatic parking control using a crab-like parking pattern, an automatic parking system, a vehicle including the automatic parking system according to this application, and a computer program product, to at least partially solve the problems in the prior art.

[0005] According to a first aspect of this application, a method for automatic parking control utilizing a crab-like parking pattern is provided, the method comprising: - A parking path for the vehicle can be planned based on the detected parking environment information and the vehicle's body outline information, wherein the parking path includes a first parking sub-path in which the vehicle moves in a crab-like mode, and the vehicle's exterior rearview mirrors are foldable in the vehicle's body outline. - The vehicle can be controlled to park according to the planned parking path based on the detected parking environment information. During the process of controlling the vehicle to drive in crab mode according to the first parking sub-path, the folding of the vehicle's side mirrors is controlled based on the distance between the vehicle's body outline and obstacles in the parking environment.

[0006] The core concept of this application is to plan a first parking sub-path for a vehicle in a relatively narrow parking environment, using a crab-like driving mode. The vehicle's exterior side mirrors are foldable within the vehicle's body contour on which the first parking sub-path is planned. Therefore, during the process of controlling the vehicle to park in crab-like mode, the folding of the exterior side mirrors can be controlled when necessary, thereby further reducing the risk of scraping or collision with the vehicle's side body, especially the exterior side mirrors, and increasing the vehicle's range of motion during parking. This effectively improves the safety and parking success rate of the automatic parking function.

[0007] According to an optional embodiment of this application, during the process of controlling the folding of the vehicle's side mirrors, parking environment information detected before the side mirrors are folded can be stored. During the folding of the vehicle's side mirrors and after the side mirrors are folded, the vehicle can be controlled to park in a crab-like mode according to the first parking sub-path based on the stored and detected parking environment information.

[0008] According to another optional embodiment of this application, the stored parking environment information may include one or more of the following: information about immovable obstacles in the parking environment, and information about the parking environment boundaries. The immovable obstacles may include, for example, one or more of the following: walls, surrounding vehicles, pillars, fire hydrants, fire boxes, etc.; the parking environment boundaries may include, for example, one or more of the following: curbs, wheel chocks, parking space boundary lines, etc.

[0009] According to another optional embodiment of this application, during the process of controlling the vehicle to drive in a crab-like mode along the first parking sub-path, if the distance between the outer rearview mirror on one side of the vehicle and an obstacle in the parking environment is less than a predetermined safe distance, the outer rearview mirror on that side of the vehicle can be folded, or the outer rearview mirrors on both sides of the vehicle can be folded. During the process of controlling the vehicle to drive in a crab-like mode along the first parking sub-path, if the distance between the outer rearview mirrors on both sides of the vehicle and an obstacle in the parking environment is less than a predetermined safe distance, the outer rearview mirrors on both sides of the vehicle can be folded.

[0010] According to another optional embodiment of this application, when a fisheye camera is installed in the outer rearview mirror, during the process of controlling the vehicle to drive in crab mode according to the first parking sub-path, after the outer rearview mirror of the vehicle is folded, image data about the parking environment of the vehicle is collected by the fisheye camera in the folded outer rearview mirror, and the collected image data is analyzed and processed based on the position of the fisheye camera in the folded outer rearview mirror.

[0011] According to another optional embodiment of this application, the folding angle of the vehicle's side mirror can be adjusted based on the distance between the side mirror and an obstacle in the parking environment. The position of the fisheye camera in the folded side mirror is determined based on the folding angle of the side mirror, and the image data acquired by the fisheye camera is analyzed and processed based on the position of the fisheye camera in the folded side mirror.

[0012] According to a second aspect of this application, an automatic parking system is provided, which may include the following components: - An environmental sensing unit, which is configured to detect parking environment information of the vehicle; - A control unit for performing the method according to this application.

[0013] According to another optional embodiment of this application, the environmental perception unit may include one or more of the following devices: an in-vehicle camera, millimeter-wave radar, lidar, and ultrasonic radar, etc. Exemplarily, the in-vehicle camera particularly includes a fisheye camera mounted in the exterior rearview mirror of the vehicle.

[0014] According to a third aspect of this application, a vehicle is provided, the vehicle including an automatic parking system according to this application.

[0015] According to a fourth aspect of this application, a computer program product, such as a computer-readable program carrier, is provided, comprising or storing computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor, at least assist in implementing the steps of the method described in this application. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The principles, features, and advantages of this application can be better understood by describing it in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings show: Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary embodiment of an automatic parking control method utilizing a crab-like pattern according to this application is shown. Figure 2 This illustration shows a parking scenario according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application; Figure 3 This illustration shows a parking scenario according to another exemplary embodiment of the present application; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of this application is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0017] To make the technical problems to be solved, the technical solutions, and the beneficial technical effects of this application clearer, the application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and several exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only for explaining this application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application.

[0018] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a method for automatic parking control utilizing a crab-like pattern according to an exemplary embodiment of this application is shown. The following exemplary embodiments describe the method according to this application in more detail. The method is performed by an automatic parking system 10 of vehicle 1.

[0019] like Figure 1 As shown, the method may include steps S1 and S2. In step S1, a parking path for vehicle 1 can be planned based on detected parking environment information and vehicle body contour information. The parking path includes a first parking sub-path where the vehicle moves in a crab-like mode, and the exterior rearview mirrors of vehicle 1 are foldable within the vehicle body contour. When vehicle 1 performs automatic parking, the parking environment information of vehicle 1 can be detected by the environmental perception unit 11 equipped on vehicle 1. The environmental perception unit 11 may include one or more of the following devices: an onboard camera, millimeter-wave radar, lidar, and ultrasonic radar, etc. In particular, a fisheye camera is installed in the exterior rearview mirrors of the vehicle. This is an ultra-wide-angle lens with a viewing angle close to or equal to 180° or even 220°, enabling vehicle 1 to more comprehensively detect the side and rear areas of vehicle 1, reducing blind spots.

[0020] In the current embodiment of this application, vehicle 1 must be equipped with independent rear-wheel steering, thereby enabling independent control of the front and rear wheel steering angles of vehicle 1. In the crab walk mode of vehicle 1, the front and rear wheel steering angles can be set to be equal, thereby controlling vehicle 1 to move diagonally along a diagonal trajectory (i.e., all four wheel steering angles are less than 90°), or laterally along a straight trajectory perpendicular to the side of vehicle 1 (i.e., all four wheel steering angles are equal to 90°). Especially in relatively narrow parking environments, the planned parking path can include a first parking sub-path where the vehicle moves in crab walk mode. When both the front and rear wheel steering angles of vehicle 1 are less than 90°, the first parking sub-path is a diagonal path; when both the front and rear wheel steering angles are equal to 90°, the first parking sub-path is a straight path perpendicular to the side of vehicle 1's body profile. Figure 2The diagram illustrates a parking scenario according to an exemplary embodiment of this application. The planned parking path may further include a second parking sub-path (marked with a dashed straight line) in which the vehicle travels in a normal mode, where it is not necessary to control the rear wheel steering angle of the vehicle 1.

[0021] Vehicle 1 may be equipped with two foldable exterior rearview mirrors, R1 and R2, which are typically located at their most prominent position on the side of the vehicle's body profile. Therefore, in narrow parking environments—such as when the distance between obstacles on either side of the parking space is short, the parking space is narrow, there are parallel dead-end parking spaces, or the parking path has limited space—the exterior rearview mirrors of Vehicle 1 are prone to scraping or colliding with obstacles in the parking environment. Figure 2 The parking scenario diagram shows that the target parking space for vehicle 1 is relatively narrow, and the distance between the first parked vehicle 22 and the second parked vehicle 23 in the adjacent parking spaces on both sides of the target parking space is short. A pillar 21 is also located near the target parking space. In the vehicle body profile used to plan the first parking sub-path for vehicle 1, the outer rearview mirrors of vehicle 1 are foldable when necessary to reduce the width of the vehicle body profile. Therefore, based on the detected parking environment information and the vehicle body profile information, a first parking sub-path with folded rearview mirrors and a crab-like driving mode can be planned—which... Figure 2 The image is marked with a dashed diagonal arrow. It is understandable that when the parking environment for vehicle 1 is relatively spacious, the vehicle's profile with folded side mirrors does not need to be considered when planning the first parking sub-path.

[0022] In step S2, vehicle 1 can be controlled to park according to the planned parking path based on the detected parking environment information. During the process of controlling vehicle 1 to drive in crab mode along the first parking sub-path, the folding of the vehicle 1's outer rearview mirrors can be controlled based on the distance between the vehicle 1's body outline and obstacles in the parking environment. Figure 2 In the driving scenario diagram shown, vehicle 1 can be controlled to drive in crab mode along the first parking path marked by the dashed diagonal arrow, where the steering angle of all wheels of vehicle 1 is set to be equal. Figure 3 The driving scenario diagram shown illustrates that when vehicle 1 travels in crab mode along the first parking sub-path to the vicinity of obstacle 21, if the distance between the outer rearview mirror on one side of vehicle 1 and the obstacle in the parking environment is less than a predetermined safe distance, the outer rearview mirror on that side of vehicle 1 can be controlled (in...). Figure 3The left-side exterior rearview mirror R2 can be folded, or both exterior rearview mirrors R1 and R2 on both sides of the vehicle 1 can be folded. For example, if the distance between the exterior rearview mirrors on both sides of the vehicle 1 and obstacles in the parking environment is less than a predetermined safe distance, the exterior rearview mirrors R1 and R2 on both sides of the vehicle 1 can be folded.

[0023] Since a fisheye camera is installed in the outer rearview mirror of the vehicle, folding the outer rearview mirror may affect the field of view of the environmental perception unit 11 of the vehicle 1 for the side and / or rear environment. Therefore, during the process of controlling the folding of the outer rearview mirror of the vehicle 1, parking environment information detected before the outer rearview mirror of the vehicle 1 is folded can be stored. This allows for the tracking and positioning of obstacles and environmental boundaries in the parking environment based on the stored parking environment information. The stored parking environment information may include one or more of the following: information about immovable obstacles in the parking environment, information about parking environment boundaries, etc. For example, immovable obstacles include one or more of the following: walls, surrounding vehicles, pillars, fire boxes, fire hydrants, etc.; parking environment boundaries include one or more of the following: curbs, wheel chocks, parking space boundary lines, etc. During the folding of the outer rearview mirrors of vehicle 1, the parking environment information of vehicle 1 can continue to be detected by other environmental perception units 11 of vehicle 1, so as to continuously track obstacles and parking environment boundaries in the parking environment of vehicle 1. Based on the stored parking environment information and the detected parking environment information, vehicle 1 can be controlled to park in crab mode according to the first parking sub-path.

[0024] During the process of controlling vehicle 1 to drive in crab mode according to the first parking sub-path, after the outer rearview mirrors of vehicle 1 are folded, the fisheye camera, due to its extremely wide field of view, still has a certain perception capability of the parking environment. Image data about the parking environment of vehicle 1 can be collected through the fisheye camera in the folded outer rearview mirror, and the collected image data can be analyzed and processed based on the position of the fisheye camera in the folded outer rearview mirror. Optionally, the folding angle of the outer rearview mirrors of vehicle 1 can be controlled based on the distance between the outer rearview mirrors of vehicle 1 and obstacles in the parking environment, for example, in... Figure 3In the driving scenario diagram, the folding angle of the left-side rearview mirror R2 of vehicle 1 is adjusted based on the distance between the left-side rearview mirror R2 and the pillar 21. The position of the fisheye camera in the folded rearview mirror can be determined based on the folding angle, and the image data acquired by the fisheye camera is analyzed and processed based on the position of the fisheye camera in the folded rearview mirror. The result of the analysis and processing can be fused with parking environment information detected by other environmental perception units 11 of vehicle 1. Then, based on the stored and detected parking environment information, vehicle 1 is controlled to park in a crab-like mode according to the first parking sub-path. If necessary, the planned parking path is adjusted based on the stored and detected parking environment information until vehicle 1 is controlled to park in the target parking space along the first and second parking sub-paths.

[0025] According to an embodiment of this application, a first parking sub-path is planned for the vehicle in a relatively narrow parking environment, using a crab-like driving mode. The vehicle's exterior rearview mirrors are foldable within the vehicle body contour upon which the first parking sub-path is planned. Therefore, during the process of controlling the vehicle to park in crab-like mode, the folding of the vehicle's exterior rearview mirrors is controlled when necessary, thereby further reducing the risk of scraping or collision with the vehicle's side body, especially the exterior rearview mirrors, and increasing the vehicle's range of motion during parking. This effectively improves the safety and parking success rate of the automatic parking function.

[0026] In addition, it should be noted that the step numbers described herein do not necessarily represent the order of steps, but are merely a reference numeral. The order may be changed depending on the specific circumstances, as long as the technical objective of this application can be achieved.

[0027] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 4 As shown, vehicle 1 is equipped with an automatic parking system 10, which may include the following components: -Environmental sensing unit 11, which is configured to detect parking environment information of vehicle 1; - Control unit 12, which is used to perform the method according to this application.

[0028] Optionally, the environmental perception unit 11 may include one or more of the following devices: an in-vehicle camera, millimeter-wave radar, lidar, and ultrasonic radar. Here, the in-vehicle camera particularly includes a fisheye camera mounted in the exterior rearview mirror of the vehicle.

[0029] It should be understood that the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., used in this document are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, nor should they be construed as implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated.

[0030] If an embodiment includes an "and / or" association between a first feature and a second feature, it should be interpreted as follows: according to one implementation, the embodiment has not only the first feature but also the second feature; according to another implementation, the embodiment has either only the first feature or only the second feature.

[0031] Although specific embodiments have been described above, these embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of this application, even when only a single embodiment is described with respect to a particular feature. The feature examples provided in this application are intended for illustrative purposes and not for limitation, unless otherwise stated. In practice, multiple features may be combined with each other as needed and where technically feasible. Various substitutions, modifications, and alterations are also conceived without departing from the spirit and scope of this application.

Claims

1. A method for automatic parking control using a crab-like parking pattern, the method comprising: The parking path of the vehicle (1) is planned based on the detected parking environment information and the vehicle body outline information, wherein the parking path includes a first parking sub-path in which the vehicle (1) drives in a crab mode, and the outer rearview mirror of the vehicle (1) is foldable in the vehicle body outline. The vehicle (1) is controlled to park according to the planned parking path based on the detected parking environment information. During the process of controlling the vehicle (1) to drive in crab mode according to the first parking sub-path, the folding of the outer rearview mirror of the vehicle (1) is controlled based on the distance between the vehicle body outline and the obstacles in the parking environment.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, During the process of controlling the folding of the outer rearview mirror of the vehicle (1), parking environment information detected before the folding of the outer rearview mirror of the vehicle (1) is stored. During the process of controlling the folding of the outer rearview mirror of the vehicle (1) and after the outer rearview mirror of the vehicle (1) is folded, the vehicle (1) is controlled to park in crab mode according to the first parking sub-path based on the stored parking environment information and the detected parking environment information.

3. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The stored parking environment information includes one or more of the following: information about immovable obstacles in the parking environment, information about the boundaries of the parking environment, wherein, The immovable obstacle includes, for example, one or more of the following objects: walls, surrounding vehicles, pillars, fire boxes, and fire hydrants; The parking environment boundary includes, for example, one or more of the following objects: curb, wheel chocks, parking space boundary lines.

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, During the process of controlling the vehicle (1) to drive in crab mode according to the first parking sub-path, if the distance between the outer rearview mirror on one side of the vehicle (1) and an obstacle in the parking environment is less than a predetermined safe distance, the outer rearview mirror on that side of the vehicle (1) is folded, or the outer rearview mirrors on both sides of the vehicle (1) are folded; and / or While controlling the vehicle (1) to drive in crab mode according to the first parking sub-path, if the distance between the outer rearview mirrors on both sides of the vehicle (1) and the obstacles in the parking environment is less than the predetermined safe distance, the outer rearview mirrors on both sides of the vehicle (1) are controlled to fold.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, When a fisheye camera is installed in the outer rearview mirror, during the process of controlling the vehicle (1) to drive in crab mode according to the first parking sub-path, after the outer rearview mirror of the vehicle (1) is folded, image data about the parking environment of the vehicle (1) is collected by the fisheye camera in the folded outer rearview mirror, and the collected image data is analyzed and processed based on the position of the fisheye camera in the folded outer rearview mirror.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The folding angle of the outer rearview mirror of the vehicle (1) is adjusted based on the distance between the outer rearview mirror of the vehicle (1) and the obstacle in the parking environment. The position of the fisheye camera in the folded outer rearview mirror is determined based on the folding angle of the outer rearview mirror. The image data collected by the fisheye camera is analyzed and processed based on the position of the fisheye camera in the folded outer rearview mirror.

7. An automatic parking system (10), the automatic parking system (10) comprising the following components: An environmental sensing unit (11) is configured to detect parking environment information of the vehicle (1); Control unit (12) for performing the method according to any one of the preceding claims.

8. The automatic parking system (10) according to claim 7, wherein, The environmental perception unit (11) includes one or more of the following devices: a vehicle-mounted camera, a millimeter-wave radar, a lidar, and an ultrasonic radar, wherein, The vehicle-mounted camera particularly includes a fisheye camera mounted in the exterior rearview mirror of the vehicle.

9. A vehicle (1) comprising an automatic parking system (10) according to claim 7 or 8.

10. A computer program product, such as a computer-readable program carrier, comprising or storing computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor, at least auxiliaryly implement the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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