Method, device, computer program and machine-readable storage medium for performing a parking operation for a vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method, a device, a computer program, and a machine-readable storage medium for executing a parking operation for a vehicle, wherein the method comprises: a first step for determining whether predefined boundary conditions for executing a parking operation for a vehicle are met, a second step for determining a current position of the vehicle, a third step for determining whether position information corresponding to the current position of the vehicle is stored in a storage unit provided for the method, wherein, in addition to each piece of position information, associated parking configuration data are stored in the storage unit, which define a respective parking operation starting from an initial position represented by the respective position information, and a fourth step for executing the parking operation for the vehicle using the parking configuration data.which correspond to the current position of the vehicle, if the boundary conditions for executing the parking operation are met and if position information corresponding to the current position of the vehicle has been determined in the storage unit.

Description

State of the art

[0001] The present invention relates to a method, a device, a computer program and a machine-readable storage medium for performing a parking operation for a vehicle.

[0002] Driver assistance systems are known from the state of the art, which support a driver of a vehicle in respective driving tasks and can thus increase comfort and / or safety during a driving maneuver.

[0003] These driver assistance systems include in particular so-called parking assistance systems, which, based on environmental information preferably captured by means of the vehicles' environmental sensors (e.g., ultrasonic sensors), can facilitate and / or secure parking operations for the vehicles.

[0004] In this system, it is common for a driver to actively request a parking maneuver from the vehicle via a user interface when a suitable parking space is available. The driver is then presented with a selection of suitable parking spaces, which they can subsequently choose manually. Alternatively or additionally, the driver can select and / or define a parking-situation-specific configuration for a parking maneuver based on further interactions with the vehicle. This configuration might, for example, specify minimum distances between the vehicle and objects in its vicinity at a given parking position, etc. Disclosure of the invention

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method for performing a parking operation for a vehicle is proposed. The vehicle can be, for example, a passenger car, truck, bus, van, two-wheeler, or a vehicle other than these.

[0006] The method described below can, for example, be implemented using an evaluation unit, which may be configured as an ASIC, FPGA, processor, digital signal processor, microcontroller, or similar device, and which may advantageously be connected to environmental sensors of the vehicle and a storage unit. The evaluation unit is configured, for example, to execute the method according to the invention using a computer program that implements the following process steps.

[0007] In a first step of the method according to the invention, it is determined whether predefined boundary conditions for executing a parking maneuver for the vehicle are met. If an evaluation unit of the aforementioned type is used, it is possible, for example, for the evaluation unit to compare the respective predefined boundary conditions with the currently existing conditions based on information from the vehicle's environmental sensors and / or based on information provided by various control units in the vehicle's on-board network.

[0008] In a second step of the method according to the invention, the current position of the vehicle is determined. This can, for example, be determined, as described above, based on environmental sensors of the vehicle and / or on information from other control units in the vehicle. For example, and advantageously, the position of the vehicle can be determined by means of a navigation system of the vehicle, which is configured to determine the current position of the vehicle based on satellite-based navigation and / or odometry, etc.Preferably, the current position of the vehicle is determined in the form of latitude and longitude coordinates. This explicitly does not preclude the possibility of representing the current position of the vehicle differently, for example, by using a local coordinate system with a predefined local reference and / or a different representation of the current position of the vehicle, either as an alternative or in addition to a global coordinate system. Furthermore, the method according to the invention does not impose any restrictions regarding the definition of the current position of the vehicle with respect to the vehicle itself. For example, the current position of the vehicle can refer to a geometric center of gravity of the vehicle or to a different definition.

[0009] In a third step of the method according to the invention, it is determined whether position information corresponding to the current position of the vehicle is stored in a storage unit provided for the method. In addition to each piece of position information, corresponding parking configuration data is stored in the storage unit, which defines a respective parking operation starting from an initial position represented by the respective position information. For this purpose, the respective parking configuration data is linked to the corresponding position information in the storage unit, for example, in a database and / or a lookup table, etc.In other words, this method determines whether position information is stored in the memory unit for a given vehicle's current position, representing a position that essentially corresponds to the vehicle's current position. In addition to the initial position, the parking configuration data may include, for example, a parking position of the vehicle and / or a path and / or a driving lane to reach the parking position and / or the movements of a multi-stage driving maneuver to reach the parking position and / or a permissible tolerance regarding the parking position and / or specifications for minimum distances of one or more sides of the vehicle in relation to surrounding objects when reaching the parking position and / or other configuration data that deviates from this.Furthermore, it is possible, for example, that based on specific parking configuration data, the use of a designated parking space for the vehicle is predetermined from among a multitude of available parking spaces. This means that even if numerous parking spaces are available in the vicinity of the vehicle, only the designated parking space is used. Such a situation can occur, for instance, when a specific parking space in a parking garage or parking lot is reserved for the vehicle or its driver.

[0010] In a fourth step of the inventive method, a parking operation is finally carried out for the vehicle using the parking configuration data that corresponds to the current position of the vehicle, if the boundary conditions for executing the parking operation are met and if position information corresponding to the current position of the vehicle has been determined in the storage unit.

[0011] In cases where position information corresponding to the vehicle's current position, along with associated parking configuration data, is stored in the memory unit, the inventive method offers a particular advantage: when repeatedly performing the same parking maneuver (e.g., parking the vehicle in a home garage used by the driver), where the starting position for the repeated maneuver is typically similar, no or only a very small number of interactions between the driver and the vehicle are required to repeat the maneuver. This increases driver convenience and thus the acceptance and / or use of the vehicle's parking function.

[0012] The dependent claims describe preferred embodiments of the invention.

[0013] Preferably, a given position information in the storage unit corresponds to the current position of the vehicle if a position represented by the position information matches the current position of the vehicle within a predefined position tolerance. For example, the position tolerance can be defined by a predefined radius (e.g., a radius of up to 10 m, more preferably up to 5 m, and particularly preferably up to 2 m) which describes a circle around the position represented by the position information, within which the current position of the vehicle must lie in order to be considered to correspond to the respective position information.Alternatively, the predefined position tolerance can also define a multitude of direction-dependent tolerances starting from a respective position represented by the position information, which deviate from a simple radius.

[0014] In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the boundary conditions for executing the parking maneuver for the vehicle include a stationary vehicle and / or a speed below a predefined threshold. Such a speed threshold can, for example, be set to a value of 10 km / h or a different value. Alternatively or additionally, the boundary conditions can include a user input to request a parking maneuver from the vehicle's driver. In other words, such a boundary condition can require the driver, at a given starting position for a parking maneuver, to activate a predefined control element (for example, a parking button, a control element on a touchscreen, etc.) and / or perform an activation gesture and / or enter a voice command and / or perform a different user action.Alternatively or additionally, the boundary conditions may require a match between the vehicle's current position and corresponding position information stored in the memory unit. In other words, a parking configuration stored in the memory unit that corresponds to the vehicle's current position can be automatically suggested and / or applied if position information matching the vehicle's current position is identified in the memory unit. Whether the parking configuration is suggested and / or applied automatically can be determined, for example, via a basic configuration set in the vehicle. Such a basic configuration could be provided and configured, for instance, in a settings menu of the vehicle's on-board computer system.

[0015] In a further advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the current position of the vehicle is determined based on a satellite-based positioning system (e.g., GPS, etc.) and / or on the basis of an environmental sensing system of the vehicle. Based on the satellite-based positioning system, for example, a coarse localization of the vehicle can be performed, while based on the environmental sensing system of the vehicle, for example, a fine localization can be performed, which is based on the coarse localization, without thereby restricting the use of the different localization methods described above.

[0016] A particularly advantageous feature is that, in addition to each position information, the storage unit also stores corresponding orientation information, which defines the expected orientation of the vehicle relative to the position represented by the position information. Furthermore, the parking process is advantageously executed only if the vehicle's orientation defined by the orientation information matches the vehicle's current orientation relative to its current position, within a predefined tolerance. The vehicle's current orientation can be determined, for example, based on the aforementioned environmental sensors and / or by comparing the vehicle's current position with map data, and / or by other means.By additionally considering the vehicle's orientation, the advantage arises that a parking configuration corresponding to the vehicle's current position is only executed if the vehicle's current orientation also corresponds to this parking configuration. This prevents a parking maneuver from being suggested and / or executed based on the inventive method that the driver might not want at the vehicle's current position. In a specific example, parking the vehicle based on the inventive method might be undesirable if the driver parks the vehicle in reverse in a garage entrance, while the corresponding parking configuration stored in the memory unit assumes a vehicle oriented forward in the garage entrance.

[0017] The parking maneuver is preferably only initiated after the driver has acknowledged a suggestion made within the vehicle. Such a suggestion can be made, for example, via voice output and / or a display in the vehicle. Furthermore, the suggestion can present a variety of suitable end positions for the parking maneuver, allowing the driver to select their preferred option. These multiple end positions can represent different positions within a parking space and / or different parking spaces. The driver's acknowledgment can be made, for example, via a control element (such as a button), a touchscreen, a voice command, or a gesture (such as a hand movement, a nod, etc.).Alternatively or additionally, a message can be issued to the driver indicating which current conditions for executing the parking maneuver are not met. This allows the driver to establish the necessary conditions (for example, by adjusting the vehicle's current position and / or orientation) so that a parking maneuver according to the invention can subsequently be performed.

[0018] In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the method according to the invention additionally includes a step for storing parking configuration data in conjunction with corresponding position information (and optionally orientation information) in the storage unit if no corresponding position information (and optionally no orientation information) is available in the storage unit for the current position of the vehicle. Whether corresponding position information (and optionally orientation information) is available in the storage unit can be determined, in particular, taking into account the tolerances described above. In this way, additional (i.e.,New parking configurations for the vehicle are stored in the memory unit so that they can be used for a parking operation according to the invention when the vehicle subsequently approaches the corresponding starting position. In this context, it is particularly possible to link the storage of a new parking configuration to additional conditions, which may include, for example, a minimum number (e.g., two or three, etc.) of parking operations manually performed by the driver from a respective starting position of the vehicle, so that new parking configurations are only stored when they have been executed several times by the driver of the vehicle in a similar manner (using a similar starting position and / or orientation and / or a similar parking position, etc.).

[0019] Furthermore, it is possible to store and apply the respective parking configuration data (i.e., new parking configuration data for previously unsaved parking maneuvers) and corresponding position information (and, if applicable, orientation information) in a driver-specific manner. This further increases comfort for each driver of the vehicle, as the method according to the invention is tailored to that individual driver. Identification of a specific driver can be implemented, for example, based on an identifier of the respective driver's vehicle key and / or on an identifier of a mobile device used by the respective driver and / or on an interior camera directed at the driver in conjunction with image recognition software for identifying the respective driver.

[0020] In a further advantageous embodiment of the present invention, an optical display is provided in a vehicle display based on the determined parking configuration data to support a manual parking process (for example, by superimposing an image from a surround-view camera of the vehicle and / or a 3D view of the vehicle's surroundings using driving lanes and / or using a driving tube to mark a suitable path for the vehicle's parking process, etc.) and / or a semi-automated parking process (in which only automated lateral control of the vehicle takes place) and / or a fully automated parking process (in which lateral and longitudinal control of the vehicle takes place) is carried out.Alternatively or additionally, based on the determined parking configuration data, a path adapted to the current situation is calculated for the vehicle during the parking process, and / or a parking position adapted to the current situation is determined. The path and / or parking position adapted to the current situation can be determined, for example, depending on the position and / or number of other vehicles in the vicinity that could potentially influence the parking process.

[0021] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a computer program is proposed which is configured to carry out the method according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0022] According to a third aspect of the present invention, a machine-readable storage medium is proposed on which the computer program according to the second aspect of the invention is stored. The storage medium can, for example, correspond to the storage unit described above or to a different storage medium.

[0023] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a device for executing a parking maneuver for a vehicle is proposed. The device can, for example, include the evaluation unit described above, which is configured to execute the method according to the invention. The device is configured to determine whether predefined boundary conditions for executing a parking maneuver for the vehicle are met.The device is further configured to determine the current position of the vehicle and to ascertain whether position information corresponding to the current position of the vehicle is stored in a storage unit connected to the device. In addition to each piece of position information, the storage unit also contains associated parking configuration data, which defines a parking operation starting from a given initial position represented by the position information. The device is also configured to execute the parking operation for the vehicle using the parking configuration data corresponding to the current position of the vehicle, provided the conditions for executing the parking operation are met and if position information corresponding to the current position of the vehicle has been determined in the storage unit.The features, combinations of features and the advantages arising from them correspond so clearly to those described in connection with the first-mentioned aspect of the invention that reference is made to the above statements to avoid repetition. Brief description of the drawings

[0024] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawing shows: Fig. 1 a schematic view of a vehicle with an embodiment of a device according to the invention for performing a parking maneuver for the vehicle; and Fig. 2 a block diagram representing an embodiment of a method according to the invention for performing a parking operation for a vehicle. Embodiments of the invention

[0025] Fig. Figure 1 shows a schematic view of a vehicle 10 with an embodiment of a device according to the invention for performing a parking operation for the vehicle 10, which is designed here as a passenger car.

[0026] The device here features an evaluation unit 130 designed as an ASIC, which is connected to a storage unit 40, a GPS module 60, an environment detection system 70 and a touch display 80.

[0027] Based on this, the evaluation unit 130 is set up to determine whether a predefined boundary condition for executing a parking operation for the vehicle 10 is met, whereby the boundary condition is met if the speed of the vehicle 10 is less than 10 km / h.

[0028] The evaluation unit 130, based on the GPS module 60 and the environmental sensing system 70, which is shown here connected to an environmental sensor 72 designed as a camera (the environmental sensing system can preferably be connected to a large number of identical and / or different environmental sensors), is configured to determine the current position 20 and the current orientation 25 of the vehicle 10. The current position 20 and the current orientation 25 refer to a global coordinate system.

[0029] The evaluation unit 130 is further configured to determine whether position information corresponding to the current position 20 of the vehicle 10 and the current orientation 25 of the vehicle 10 is stored in the storage unit 40, wherein, in addition to each piece of position information in the storage unit 40, corresponding parking configuration data are stored in the storage unit, which define a respective parking process starting from a respective initial position represented by the position information.

[0030] A given position information and orientation information in the storage unit 40 is then considered to correspond to the current position 20 and the current orientation 25 of the vehicle 10 if the current position 20 of the vehicle is within a position tolerance 50 and if the orientation 25 of the vehicle 10 is within a corresponding orientation tolerance 55.

[0031] Since in that case, which in Fig. As described in section 1, if both the position tolerance 50 and the orientation tolerance 25 are maintained by the current position 20 and the current orientation 25 of the vehicle 10, the evaluation unit 130 is further configured to output a proposal via the touch display 80 of the vehicle 10 for the reuse of parking configuration data identified in the storage unit 40, corresponding to the current situation, in order to repeat a parking operation previously used by the vehicle 10 to park in a parking space 115.

[0032] In this case, the suggestion is confirmed by the driver of vehicle 10 via the touchscreen, so that the evaluation unit 130 is further configured to initiate the parking process for vehicle 10 using the suggested parking configuration data. The evaluation unit 130 is configured to initiate this parking process by transmitting the selected parking configuration data to a (not shown) parking assistance system, which is configured to determine a path 90 for vehicle 10, based on the parking configuration data and, if applicable, other environmental information, to reach a parking position 110 for vehicle 10 within a parking space 115 that corresponds to the parking configuration data, and to execute the parking process semi-automatically or fully automatically.

[0033] Fig. Figure 2 shows a block diagram representing an embodiment of a method according to the invention for performing a parking operation for a vehicle 10 (see Figure 2). Fig. 1) wherein the method is carried out on the basis of an evaluation unit 130 designed as a microcontroller, which is connected in terms of information technology to, among other things, a machine-readable storage medium 120 on which a computer program 110 executable by the evaluation unit 130 is stored, which implements the method according to the invention.

[0034] Based on an environmental sensor 72 of the vehicle 10, sensor data 74 are generated and transmitted to an environmental detection system 70 of the vehicle 10. The environmental detection system 70 determines the current position 20 and orientation 25 of the vehicle 10 based on the sensor data 74 and a GPS module (not shown) of the vehicle 10 and transmits this information to the evaluation unit 130.

[0035] The evaluation unit 130 then transmits data representing the current position 20 and the current orientation 25 of the vehicle 10 to a database, which is managed in a storage unit 40 connected to the evaluation unit 130. The database links the respective position information 30, 34 with the respective orientation information 31, 35 and the respective parking configuration data 32, 36, whereby only the aforementioned data are shown here as examples. Fig. 2 are marked by reference symbols, while the database contains a large number of other entries for other parking situations.

[0036] Since the current position 20 and the current orientation 25 of the vehicle 10 correspond to the first position information 30 and the first orientation information 31, taking into account the respective tolerances, the corresponding first parking configuration data 32 are transmitted by the database to the evaluation unit 130.

[0037] The evaluation unit 130 then transmits the first parking configuration data 32 (possibly in conjunction with further information) to a touch display 80 of the vehicle 10 in order to output a suggestion for the use of the identified first parking configuration data 32 in the touch display 80.

[0038] Through interaction between the driver of vehicle 10 and the touch display 80, the driver confirms that the initial parking configuration data 32 should be applied in the current situation. This confirmation is transmitted to the evaluation unit 130 in the form of confirmation data 85.

[0039] Upon receiving the confirmation data 85, the evaluation unit 130 transmits the first parking configuration data (possibly in conjunction with further information) to a parking assistance system 140 of the vehicle 10, which then performs a parking operation for the vehicle 10 based on the first parking configuration data 32.

Claims

[1] Method comprising a method for performing a parking operation for a vehicle (10): - a first step to determine whether predefined boundary conditions for performing a parking operation for a vehicle (10) are met, - a second step to determine a current position (20) of the vehicle (10), - a third step to determine whether position information (30, 34) corresponding to the current position (20) of the vehicle (10) is stored in a storage unit (40) provided for the procedure, wherein, in addition to each position information (30, 34), corresponding parking configuration data (32, 36) are stored in the storage unit (40), which define a respective parking operation starting from an initial position represented by the respective position information (30, 34), and - a fourth step to execute the parking operation for the vehicle (10) using the parking configuration data (32, 36) that correspond to the current position (20) of the vehicle (10), if the boundary conditions for executing the parking operation are met and if position information (30, 34) corresponding to the current position (20) of the vehicle (10) has been determined in the storage unit (40). [2] Method according to claim 1, wherein a respective position information (30, 34) in the storage unit (40) then corresponds to the current position (20) of the vehicle (10) if a position represented by the position information (30, 34) corresponds to the current position (20) of the vehicle (10) while adhering to a predefined position tolerance (50). [3] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the boundary conditions for performing the parking operation for the vehicle (10) - a vehicle that has come to a standstill (10), and / or - a vehicle falling below a predefined speed threshold (10), and / or - an existing user input to request a parking operation by a driver of the vehicle (10), and / or - exhibit a present correspondence between the current position (20) of the vehicle (10) and corresponding position information (30, 34) in the storage unit (40). [4] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the current position (20) of the vehicle (10) is based on - a satellite-based positioning system (60), and / or - is determined by an environment detection system (70) of the vehicle (10). [5] Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein - for each position information (30, 34) an additional orientation information (31, 35) corresponding to the position information (30, 34) is stored, and - the parking operation for the vehicle (10) is only carried out if an orientation of the vehicle (10) represented by the orientation information (31, 35) matches a current orientation (25) of the vehicle (10) at the current position (20) of the vehicle (10) within a predefined orientation tolerance (55). [6] Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein - the parking process for the vehicle (10) is only executed when a suggestion for executing the parking process displayed in the vehicle (10) has been acknowledged and / or adjusted by the driver, and / or - a message is issued to the driver of the vehicle (10) indicating which current boundary conditions for carrying out the parking operation are not met. [7] Method according to one of the preceding claims comprising a step for storing parking configuration data (32, 36) in conjunction with a corresponding position information (30, 34) in the storage unit (40) if no corresponding position information (30, 34) is available in the storage unit (40) for the current position (20) of the vehicle (10). [8] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the respective parking configuration data (32, 36) and corresponding position information (30, 34) are stored and applied in a driver-specific manner. [9] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein based on the determined parking configuration data - an optical display (80) of the vehicle (10) is provided to assist in a manual parking operation, and / or - a semi-automated parking process is being carried out, and / or - a fully automated parking process is carried out, and / or - a path (90) adapted to the current situation is determined for the vehicle (10) for the parking process, and / or - a parking position (100) adapted to the current situation is determined for the vehicle (10). [10] Computer program (110) configured to perform the method according to any of the preceding claims. [11] Machine-readable storage medium (120) on which the computer program (110) according to claim 10 is stored. [12] Device for performing a parking operation for a vehicle (10) which is equipped, - to determine whether predefined boundary conditions for performing a parking operation for the vehicle (10) are met, - to determine a current position (20) of the vehicle (10), - to determine whether position information (30, 34) corresponding to the current position (20) of the vehicle (10) is stored in a storage unit (40) connected to the device in terms of information technology, wherein, in addition to each position information (30, 34) in the storage unit (40), corresponding parking configuration data (32, 36) are stored in the storage unit (40), which define a respective parking process starting from a respective initial position represented by the position information (30, 34), and - to execute the parking operation for the vehicle (10) using the parking configuration data (32, 36) that correspond to the current position (20) of the vehicle (10), if the boundary conditions for executing the parking operation are met and if position information (30, 34) corresponding to the current position (20) of the vehicle (10) has been determined in the storage unit (40).

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