Parking control method, parking control device and parking control system

Abstract

Parking control procedure comprising the following steps: Searching for a parking space by sensing a left or right object existing on a left or right side of a parking space while moving along a parking space driveway and calculating a driveway width value while moving along the parking space driveway; Obtaining scanning information for an object on an opposite side that exists opposite the sought parking space in relation to the parking lot passage, Comparing the passage width value with a previously set reference value; and Calculating a parking route for parking a vehicle in the parking space based on the acquired scanning information, wherein, if the passage width value is greater than the reference value, calculating a parking route for parking the vehicle, which includes a first reverse route, a second forward route, and a third reverse route; and If the passage width value is equal to or less than the reference value, calculate another parking route to park the vehicle.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONThe present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2013-0066448, filed on Jun. 11, 2013, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the InventionThe present invention relates to a parking control technology for a vehicle.2. Description of the Prior ArtAs vehicles become more and more, spaces for parking vehicles in a limited area or in a city are reduced. In order to solve a problem of lack of parking spaces, a parking section divided to allow a single vehicle to be parked therein becomes narrower and narrower.In addition, even in a space where parking sections are not divided, it is unavoidable that a space between vehicles is narrowed when a number of vehicles are parked therein together. It is difficult for a driver to drive and park a vehicle directly in a narrow parking space while at the same time having to look for an obstacle around the vehicle with his own eyes inside the vehicle. Particularly, when an inexperienced driver moves a vehicle for parking, the vehicle is highly likely to collide with a vehicle or an obstacle around the same, which may result in an accident.DE 10 2009 024 083 A1 describes a method for carrying out an at least semi-autonomous parking process of a vehicle by means of a parking assist system, in which ambient conditions of the vehicle are detected when driving past a potential parking space and a parking path is determined as a function of the ambient conditions and the parking space, wherein the ambient conditions comprise at least one obstacle which is external to the parking space and does not directly delimit the parking space and is detected as close to the vehicle and is taken into account for the determination of the parking path, wherein the parking process is carried out in a plurality of trains and at least one train which is driven through with an autonomous steering intervention is determined in its course as a function of the obstacle.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn view of the above, an aspect of the present invention is to provide a parking control method, a parking control device, and a parking control system that enable stable parking control of a vehicle without causing the vehicle to collide with an obstacle around the same when the vehicle is parked in a target parking space.Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a parking control method, a parking control device, and a parking control system that enable parking control into a target parking space even in a case where a width of a parking space passage is narrow.According to the present invention, there is provided a parking control method having the features defined in independent claim 1, a parking control apparatus having the features defined in independent claim 4, and a parking control system having the features defined in independent claim 7.Advantageous further developments are evident from the dependent dependent claims.As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform stable parking control of a vehicle without causing the vehicle to collide with an obstacle positioned opposite to the parking space when the vehicle is parked in a target parking space.In addition, since it is possible to perform parking control to a target parking space even in a case where a width of a parking space passage is narrow, user-friendliness of the parking control system as well as user trust in the parking control system can be improved.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a parking control system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a parking control device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a view briefly illustrating a parking control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a view exemplarily illustrating a first route in a parking control device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a method for setting vertices of a vehicle in a parking control device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a parking control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a parking control method according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTSHereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same elements will be denoted by the same reference numerals even if they are shown in different drawings. In addition, in the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted if this would make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a parking control system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.Referring to FIG. 1, a parking control system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: a sensor unit 10 including one or more sensors configured to sense an object around a vehicle and generate sensing information while the vehicle is moving along a parking space passage; and a parking control device 20 configured to search a parking space based on the sensing information transmitted from the sensor unit 10, and calculate a parking route to perform parking control.In addition, the parking control system may include a steering control unit 30 connected to the parking control device 20 to control operation of a steering device 60 so that the vehicle can move along the parking route calculated by the parking control device 20, and an interface control unit 50 configured to perform control so that the parking route calculated by the parking control device 20 or a parking control message corresponding to the parking route can be displayed to a driver through an interface 70.The parking control device 20 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may calculate the parking route for parking the vehicle in the searched parking space based on the sensing information for an object on the opposite side of the searched parking space in the sensing information transmitted from the sensor unit 10. At this time, the parking control device 20 may be connected to the sensor unit 10, the steering control unit 30, and the interface control unit 50 to calculate a parking route and generate and transmit a control signal to each component of the vehicle, so that the parking control may be performed according to the calculated parking route.In the present invention, the object may correspond to another parked vehicle, a structure of a building, a facility, or the like. However, in the present patent specification, a description is made as needed on the assumption that the object is a parked vehicle.In addition, the parking control system according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be applied to various types of parking operations such as perpendicular parking (perpendicular parking to the lane), parallel parking (along parking), front parking (forward parking), and rear parking (reverse parking). However, the parking control system may further improve stability of a driver when applied to perpendicular parking in which the vehicle is likely to collide with an obstacle existing opposite to the parking space while the vehicle is turning to move in a process of parking. Accordingly, if necessary, descriptions will be made herein with reference to a case where an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is applied to the perpendicular parking mode as an example.FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a parking control device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.Referring to FIG. 2, a parking control device 20 according to an exemplary embodiment may include: a parking space search unit 210 configured to search a parking space while moving along a parking space passage; and a parking route calculation unit 220 configured to acquire sensing information for an object on the opposite side existing opposite to the searched parking space with respect to the parking space passage, and calculate a parking route based on the acquired sensing information.The parking control device 20 may include: a shape point extraction unit 230 configured to extract a shape point of the object on the opposite side based on the sensing information; and a parking route control unit 240 configured to control the operation of the vehicle such that the vehicle moves along the parking route calculated by the parking route calculation unit 220.The parking control device 20 may acquire the sensing information from the sensor unit 10. The sensor unit 10 includes one or more object sensors 110, a vehicle speed sensor 120, a steering angle sensor 130, and a gear position sensor 140, so that an output signal from each of the sensors can be sent to the parking control device 20 as the sensing information.The object sensors 110 may be mounted on front, rear, left, and right surfaces of the vehicle, respectively, to sense an object around the vehicle, and may transmit a signal corresponding to the sensing to the parking control device 20 as the sensing information for the object. An ultrasonic sensor may be used as each object sensor 110, without being exclusive.The parking route calculation unit 220 may set vertices at front, rear, left, and right sides with respect to the vehicle, and may generate vertex information for each of the set vertices. The parking route calculation unit 220 may calculate a turning route such that each of the vertex information for at least one vertex and the shape point information acquired by the shape point extraction unit 230 may maintain a separation distance equal to or greater than a reference value.Hereinafter, the operation of the parking route calculation unit 220 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described. For convenience of explanation, a vehicle that searches a parking space by the parking control device 20 and moves to the searched parking space in accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be referred to as a "vehicle to be parked", a vehicle existing on a left or right side of the parking space will be referred to as a "left or right obstacle vehicle", and a vehicle existing opposite to the parking space with respect to the passage of the parking space will be referred to as an "obstacle vehicle on the opposite side".FIGS. 3 ato 3 care views illustrating a concept of a parking control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.Referring to FIG. 3 a, when parking control is started, the parking control device 20 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention acquires sensing information generated by the sensor unit 10 while the vehicle to be parked is moving along a parking lot passage to search for a parking space.When the parking space is searched and determined as the parking space Ps for parking the vehicle to be parked, the parking control is performed such that the parking control device 20 calculates a parking route based on a relationship between the position of the parking space Ps determined according to the search and the current position of the vehicle to be parked, and causes the vehicle to be parked to move along the calculated parking route.At this time, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 band 3 c, the parking route calculated by the parking route calculation unit 220 may include a first route L 1 in which the vehicle to be parked is turned to move from the current position to a position near the parking space Ps and a second route L 2 in which the vehicle to be parked is moved from the end point of the first route L 1 to a parking control termination point inside the parking space Ps, the first route L 1 being calculated so that the vehicle to be parked can be turned while sufficiently avoiding an obstacle vehicle on the opposite side.FIG. 4 is a view briefly illustrating an example of calculating a first route by a parking route calculation unit in the parking control device according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a method for setting vertices of a vehicle in a parking control device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.Referring to FIG. 4, in the parking control device 20 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the parking route calculation unit 220 may set a vertex in the vicinity of the obstacle vehicle O on the opposite side among the vertices of the vehicle to be parked as a vertex C to be avoided. In addition, the parking route calculation unit 220 receives shape point information for a shape point P 1 shape of the obstacle vehicle O on the opposite side from a shape point extraction unit 230.At this time, the vertices of the vehicle to be parked may be set with respect to a central point G of the vehicle to be parked, as illustrated in FIG. 5. A center point of the rear wheel axle of the vehicle to be parked may be set as the central point G, and the parking control in relation to the parking space may be performed with reference to the central point G.The vertices D1, D1', D2 and D2' of the vehicle to be parked may be set as the vertices of a rectangular shape formed by tangential lines of front, rear, left and right surfaces of the vehicle. A position coordinate of each corner point may be calculated based on the lengths in the lateral and longitudinal directions of the vehicle to be parked and the position coordinate of the central point. The vehicle lateral direction length, the axle length, a front body overhang, and a rear body overhang are obtained when the corresponding vehicle is manufactured, and they may be stored in advance in a memory of the parking control device 20. Accordingly, the position coordinates of the rear left and right vertices D2 and D2' from the vertices may be calculated based on a reference coordinate value set with respect to the central point G and the value of the rear body overhang, and the position coordinates of the front left and right vertices D1 and D1' may also be calculated based on the reference coordinate value, the axis length, and the value of the front body overhang.The shape point extraction unit 230 may extract shape points P 1 and P 2 of an obstacle vehicle O on the opposite side based on the sensing information acquired by the sensor unit 10 while the vehicle to be parked is moving along the parking space passage.The sensing information may include information related to a distance to an object sensed by an object sensor 110, and the shape point extraction unit 230 may recognize an outline shape of the obstacle vehicle O on the opposite side based on the sensing information acquired from the object sensor 110 of the vehicle to be parked positioned on the obstacle vehicle O on the opposite side. In addition, the shape point extraction unit 230 may extract a plurality of shape points P 1 and P 2 from the recognized contour shape. Shape point information including position coordinates for the extracted shape points is generated based on the reference coordinate, a moving distance, or the like, and the generated shape point information is transmitted to the parking route calculation unit 220.With respect to the recognized contour shape, the shape point extraction unit 230 may preferably extract three shape points respectively corresponding to both side vertices and the central point of the recognized contour shape. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the shape points to be extracted can be easily changed by a person having ordinary skill in the art.While the shape points P 1 and P 2 of the obstacle vehicle on the opposite side have fixed position values, respectively, the position coordinate of the avoidance corner point C is varied as the vehicle to be parked moves. As a result, it is preferable for the parking route calculation unit 220 to calculate the parking route on the basis of the shape point information such that the avoidance vertex C is separated from the shape points P 1, P 2 by at least a predetermined distance.The value of the position coordinate of the avoidance vertex C may vary depending on how a turning angle is set. Accordingly, the parking route calculation unit 220 may calculate the largest turning route by calculating the largest coordinate value at which the shape points P 1 and P 2 and the avoidance vertex C do not collide with each other, that is, the coordinate value of the avoidance vertex at a point at which the distance between the shape points P 1 and P 2 and the avoidance vertex C is the minimum distance (the set distance) for avoiding the collision, and may calculate the first routes L 1 or L 1' so as not to deviate from the maximum turning route.FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a parking control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.Referring to FIG. 6, the parking control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of: searching a parking space by sensing an object around a vehicle to be parked while the vehicle to be parked is moving along a parking space passage (S 100); and calculating a parking route based on sensing information acquired with respect to the object around the vehicle (S 120).In addition, the parking control method may extract (S 110) extracting a shape point of the object on the opposite side based on the sensing information acquired from the sensor unit 10 before calculating the parking route (S 120).In the parking space search (S 100), when obstacle vehicles existing on both left and right sides with respect to the parking space passage are scanned while the vehicle to be parked moves along the parking space passage, the scanning information is first received in response thereto. In addition, at least one of the position, the width, and the depth of the parking space is calculated based on the sensing information for any of the objects existing on the left and right sides of the parking space in the received sensing information to perform a parking space search operation.When the parking route is calculated (S 120), the parking route is calculated based on the sensing information for an opposing-side object existing opposite to the parking space in the sensing information, a turning route for avoiding collision with the opposing-side object (including an obstacle vehicle on the opposing side) may be calculated based on the position of the parking space relative to the current position of the vehicle to be parked.After calculating the parking route calculation step (S 120), a control signal may be generated and sent to each component of the vehicle to be parked so that the vehicle to be parked moves along the calculated parking route. When it is determined that the vehicle to be parked is positioned at an end position of the calculated parking route, it may be determined that the parking control is completed to end the parking control.Meanwhile, the parking control method according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention as described above may be selectively applied according to the width of the parking space passage.FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a parking control method according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.Referring to FIG. 7, in the parking control method according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, first, sensing information of objects around a vehicle to be parked, which are generated by a sensor unit 10, is acquired while the vehicle to be parked moves along a parking lot passage, and a parking space is searched based on the acquired sensing information. At this time, the sensor unit 10 may search the parking space by calculating the position, the width, the depth, or the like of the parking space on the basis of sensing information for an object existing on a left or right side of the parking space in the acquired sensing information (S 200).Next, a parking route control unit 240 calculates the width of the parking space passage based on the sensing information. That is, the parking route control unit 240 may calculate a distance between the vehicle to be parked and an obstacle vehicle on the left side existing on the left side of the area to be parked, based on the sensing information acquired from the object sensors 110 mounted on the left and right surfaces of the vehicle to be parked. Similarly, the parking route control unit 240 may calculate a distance between the vehicle to be parked and a right side obstacle vehicle existing on the right side of the vehicle to be parked, and the passage width value of the parking space passage may be calculated from each of the calculated distance values (S 210).The parking route control unit 240 compares the calculated passage width value with a preset reference value (S 220). As a result of the comparison, when the calculated passage width value is larger than the reference value, the parking route control unit 220 may generate a control signal that enables calculation of a first parking route for the vehicle to be parked, and transmit the control signal to a parking route calculation unit 220 (S 240).The first parking route may include: a first rearward travel route in which the vehicle to be parked travels rearward to a position near the parking position from the current position of the vehicle to be parked based on the sensing information for the obstacle vehicles on the left side and the right side of the vehicle to be parked; a second forward travel route in which the vehicle to be parked travels forward from an end point of the first rearward travel route; and a third rearward travel route in which the vehicle to be parked travels rearward from the end point of the second forward travel route to enter the parking space, wherein the parking control is terminated when a parking reference point of the vehicle to be parked reaches an end point of the third rearward travel route.As a result of the comparison in the parking route control unit 240, when the calculated passage width value is equal to or less than the reference value, the parking route control unit 240 may generate a control signal that causes another parking route to be calculated and send the control signal to the parking route calculation unit 220.At this time, the parking route control unit 240 may generate the control signal and transmit the control signal to a shape point extraction unit, so that the shape point extraction unit may extract a shape point of the obstacle vehicle on the opposite side existing opposite to the parking space. Then, the shape point extraction unit may send shape point information for the shape point extracted for the opposite-side obstacle vehicle to the parking route calculation unit 220 (S 230).The parking route calculation unit 220 may calculate the parking route based on the shape point information sent from the shape point extraction unit and the information related to the current position of the vehicle to be parked, and parking control is performed so that the vehicle to be parked may move along the calculated parking route (S 240, S 250).That is, in the case of the backward perpendicular parking method, a route in which the vehicle to be parked travels forward toward an object on the opposite side from the parking space passage may be generated to guide the vehicle to be parked to the inside of the parking space. As a result, the parking space passage should have a width allowing calculation of the forward travel route so as to enable the parking control using a forward travel route.Accordingly, in the related art, even when the parking control is initiated, when it is determined that the width of the parking lot passage is equal to or less than the reference value, a message notifying that the parking control is impossible is displayed, and the parking control is only stopped.However, according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, when the width of the parking lot passage along the parking lot passage is equal to or less than the reference value, the parking control method calculates a parking route for entering the parking lot while calculating avoidance of the obstacle vehicle on the opposite side so as to enable the parking control, and when the width of the parking lot passage is greater than the reference value, the parking control method calculates the parking route including a route for forward travel from the parking lot passage as described above so as to enable the parking control. Consequently, the safety of a user and the user-friendliness with respect to parking control can be further improved.Although the exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described for illustrative purposes, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims. Therefore, the exemplary embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate only the scope of the technical idea of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited by the exemplary embodiments.

Claims

A parking control method comprising the steps of: searching a parking space by sensing a left or right object existing on a left or right side of a parking space while moving along a parking space passage and calculating a passage width value while moving along the parking space passage; obtaining sensing information for an object on an opposite side existing opposite to the searched parking space with respect to the parking space passage, comparing the passage width value with a preset reference value; and calculating a parking route for parking a vehicle in the parking space based on the obtained sensing information, wherein when the passage width value is larger than the reference value, calculating a parking distance. A parking route for parking the vehicle, comprising a first rearward travel route, a second forward travel route, and a third rearward travel route; and when the passage width value is equal to or less than the reference value, calculating another parking route for parking the vehicle.The parking control method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of: - extracting a shape point of the object on the opposite side based on the sensing information, before calculating the parking route.The parking control method according to claim 1, wherein in the calculation of the parking route, when the passage width value is larger than the reference value, the parking route is calculated based on sensing information for the left or right object, and when the passage width value is equal to or smaller than the reference value, the parking route is calculated based on the sensing information for the object on the opposite side.A parking control device (20) comprising: a parking space search unit (210) configured to search a parking space by scanning a left or right object existing on a left or right side of a parking space while moving along a parking space passage and calculating a passage width value while moving along the parking space passage; A parking route calculation unit (220) configured to acquire sensing information for an object on the opposite side existing opposite to the searched parking space with respect to the parking space passage, and calculate a parking route for parking a vehicle in the parking space based on the acquired sensing information, wherein when the passage width value is greater than the reference value, the parking route calculation unit (220) calculates a parking route for parking the vehicle including a first rearward travel route, a second forward travel route, and a third rearward travel route; and then, when the passage width value is equal to or less than the reference value, the parking route calculation unit ( 220) calculates another parking route for parking the vehicle.The parking control device (20) according to claim 4, further comprising: a shape point extraction unit (230) configured to extract one or more shape points of the object on the opposite side based on the sensing information.The parking control device (20) according to claim 5, wherein the parking route calculation unit (220) sets each of vertices for the vehicle and calculates a turning route such that each of the set vertices and each of the shape points of the object on the opposite side extracted by the shape point extraction unit (230) are maintained at a separation distance equal to or greater than a reference value.A parking control system comprising: a sensor unit (10) configured to sense an object around a vehicle and generate sensing information while the vehicle is moving along a parking space passage; and a parking control device (20) configured to search a parking space based on sensing information for a left or right object existing on the left or right side of the parking space in the sensing information sent from the sensor unit (10), and calculate a parking route for parking the vehicle in the parking space based on the sensing information for an object on the opposite side existing opposite to the searched parking space; wherein the sensor unit (10) calculates a passage width value while moving along the parking space passage, and wherein when the passage width value is greater than the reference value, the parking control device (20) calculates a parking route for parking the vehicle, which includes a first rearward travel route, a second forward travel route, and a third rearward travel route; and when the passage width value is equal to or less than the reference value, the parking control device (20) calculates another parking route for parking the vehicle.

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