METHOD FOR DETERMINING AND / OR MANAGING A PARKING MAP

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for determining and / or managing an occupancy status of parking spaces for a motor vehicle in a parking space map describing a parking space area in a server device external to the motor vehicle.

[0002] To support motor vehicle drivers, a variety of support systems have been proposed. These use, for example, software applications (apps) to offer drivers information and services related to parking spaces. The information provided is usually related to a local area and is therefore based, for example, on a parking map with a number of parking spaces. This means that drivers can be provided with information such as the location of a parking space, parking prices, and / or opening hours. Information about parking spaces and parking environments can be retrieved via a software application on the smartphone and / or via display devices in the vehicle. Furthermore, such software applications can be used, for example, to navigate to desired destination parking spaces and / or to pay parking fees.Such a software application can also indicate to a driver the availability of a parking space and / or a parking environment, for example a parking lot or parking garage, in order to avoid the driver driving to an already occupied parking space or to a fully occupied parking environment.

[0003] In the prior art, it was proposed to determine the availability, and therefore the occupancy status, of a parking space by determining the location of the smartphone / vehicle when paying via a software application, after which the parking space is marked as occupied for the booked time in a server device external to the vehicle that manages the parking space card.

[0004] DE 10 2011 003 886 A1 proposes a device for a vehicle for generating driving situation information, which device comprises an evaluation unit for determining a parking maneuver of the vehicle by evaluating one or more driving state variables and a communication unit for transmitting information about the determined parking maneuver. Vehicle state data can include a vehicle speed, a vehicle acceleration, a turn signal position of the vehicle, a steering wheel position of the vehicle, a gear selection position of the vehicle, navigation data and / or position data of a driver information system of the vehicle, environmental data from the vehicle's environmental sensors, or driving situation data transmitted to the vehicle by other road users.Clearly, a highly complex evaluation is being carried out here, for example to provide infrastructure facilities with information that can be used to detect parking space occupancy.

[0005] DE 10 2013 203 909 A1 relates to a method and a mobile device for detecting a parking space. It is proposed to detect whether the mobile device is being brought into or out of a motor vehicle. Upon leaving the motor vehicle, it is determined whether the position indicates an occupied parking space, and the corresponding position is transmitted to a central server. Similarly, upon bringing the mobile device into a motor vehicle, it can also be checked whether the position indicates a parking space, and then an authorization can be transmitted to the central server. For this purpose, parking spaces must already be known in a parking space map on the server.

[0006] "IPARK: Location-Aware-Based Intelligent Parking Guidance over Infrastructureless VANETs," Hui Zhao, Li Lu, Chao Song, and Yue Wu, XP055131259, discloses a system for determining the occupancy status of parking spaces. This system involves guiding motor vehicles in parking lots with multiple parking spaces. A cluster, specifically a so-called VANET ("vehicular ad hoc network"), is to be formed by parked vehicles. This cluster is to monitor the parking lot for occupancy status without the use of any additional infrastructure and is to provide assistance to vehicles searching for parking spaces.

[0007] Another method proposed in the prior art for determining parking spaces is based on the interpretation of movement trajectories. This often involves using GPS positions from smartphones on which a software application as described above is installed, but these are quite inaccurate. Furthermore, a smartphone generally cannot determine with absolute certainty whether the vehicle has been parked. Therefore, based on simple position information, only assumptions can be made as to whether a parking transaction has taken place.

[0008] This is not changed by a training system in which a vehicle regularly transmits its position, for example, every minute or every two minutes, to a server device external to the vehicle so that the server can monitor traffic flow and detect congestion. This is because the collected position data are so far apart in time that an analysis of parking is not possible. However, such data reduction is necessary to reduce the amount of data transmitted from the vehicle to the server device.

[0009] The invention is therefore based on the object of providing an improved possibility for position-based determination and / or updating of a parking space map.

[0010] To achieve this object, a method of the type mentioned at the outset according to claim 1 provides that, within motor vehicles of a vehicle fleet communicating with the server device, a position sequence covering a predetermined operating section of geodetic positions visited by the motor vehicle and / or positions that can be related to geodetic positions is recorded, which is transmitted to the server device when a parking criterion indicating a parking of the respective motor vehicle occurs, wherein the server device checks, upon receipt of a position sequence, whether the position sequence describes a parking trajectory on a managed parking space or parking space to be managed, and upon recognition of a parking trajectory, marks the parking space described by the end position of the position sequence as occupied.

[0011] According to the invention, it is therefore proposed to record positions within motor vehicles at a high frequency, thus a significantly higher frequency than, for example, a position recording for determining traffic situation information, and to store them within the motor vehicle in a suitable storage device. The position sequences resulting from such a recording of positions relate to a predetermined operating segment, for example, a predetermined time interval, but preferably a predetermined number of positions, so that both the storage space and the transmission effort can be kept to a minimum. In particular, only the positions related to the operating segment are then stored within the motor vehicle.At the end of a journey, i.e. when a stopping criterion is met which indicates that the journey has ended, the last recorded, current position sequence is transmitted to the server device external to the vehicle for further evaluation.

[0012] The change in the frequency of recording positions compared to determining traffic information now allows the server device to analyze the trajectory at the end of the journey to determine whether a parking maneuver has occurred. Parking trajectories exhibit typical characteristics depending on the type of parking maneuver performed. For example, it can be determined whether the vehicle was parked on-street or off-street, whether it parked forwards or backwards, and / or whether it drove into a diagonal, parallel, or perpendicular parking space. It is particularly advantageous to use position sequences recorded by the vehicle itself, after the data from global navigation satellite systems is usually further refined, for example, through map matching and / or dead reckoning.In particular, it can be provided that the positions are determined using position information from a sensor of a global navigation satellite system of the respective motor vehicle, preferably with refinement by map matching and / or dead reckoning.

[0013] Based on the position sequence, a highly reliable detection of a parking maneuver can be achieved. If it is determined that a parking maneuver has taken place, but the corresponding parking space is not yet known in the parking map, it can be added to the map and marked as occupied. If the parking space is already known, its status can be adjusted accordingly.

[0014] The type of data proposed by the invention, i.e., the position sequence, and its analysis provide a highly accurate parking space map on which parking spaces and, as will be discussed in more detail below, their attributes and occupancy status can be precisely displayed. Only a small amount of data needs to be stored within the vehicle and transmitted accordingly after the journey has ended. The inventive approach described here functions independently of external data sources such as content providers and the like. However, it can also be used to supplement information from external data sources, thus significantly increasing the level of information.

[0015] To verify whether the position sequence describes a parking trajectory, the use of at least one evaluation algorithm on the server device is expedient. For example, trajectory features of the trajectory described by the position sequence can be extracted from it, such as changes in direction, induced lateral offset, deviations from traffic routes, and the like, so that classification can be performed. Additionally or alternatively, it is also conceivable to perform comparisons with example trajectories for parking trajectories, and the like.

[0016] In a particularly expedient embodiment of the present invention, positions in the motor vehicle are recorded cyclically, in particular at intervals of 0.5 seconds to 1.5 seconds, preferably one second, wherein the operating section is defined by a number of positions to be stored, in particular 30 to 80 positions, preferably 50 positions. In a preferred embodiment, the current position in the motor vehicle can therefore be determined every second, in particular as a geodetic position, and stored in the motor vehicle, wherein the length of the stored position sequence can be limited, for example, to 50 positions. In this context, it is expedient to use a ring buffer to store the position sequence, in which the oldest position is always overwritten by the most recently recorded position.This means that the oldest saved position is always overwritten by a currently recorded position as soon as the ring buffer is full. This makes implementation particularly simple.

[0017] A particularly advantageous embodiment in this context provides that the cyclical recording of positions is interrupted when the vehicle is stationary until the vehicle starts moving again. This approach particularly captures cases in which the parking criterion is only met well after the parking maneuver has been completed, for example, if the driver leaves the engine running for some time or keeps the ignition on for certain reasons. This embodiment advantageously avoids only depicting the stationary process in the parking space in the position sequence. In this way, the data of the position sequence is reduced to the essentials.

[0018] As a shutdown criterion, it is useful to check whether the engine and / or ignition of a particular motor vehicle have been switched off. The check process can therefore include, for example, "terminal 15." Switching off the engine and / or ignition is therefore considered an indication of the end of the journey and thus the end of the operating phase of the motor vehicle.

[0019] A particularly advantageous development of the present invention provides that by evaluating the position sequence, at least one piece of additional information is determined, in particular a parking direction and / or a parking position and / or a parking error. In addition to the fact whether a parking maneuver has taken place, the parking trajectory described by the position sequence can contain a variety of further information, in particular when additional information about the parking space is used, for example digital map data that indicate where traffic routes are located, the previously existing parking space map itself, which can contain previously collected information about the parking space, and the like. For example, further analysis can be used as additional information to determine whether the parking space is diagonal, parallel, or perpendicular.Parking errors can also be detected, for example, if the positions indicate that the driver of the vehicle is using two parking spaces simultaneously and / or is illegally parking on the sidewalk, etc. In the event of such a parking error, communication can also take place, in particular to send appropriate warning information to the vehicle itself and / or to an authority responsible for the parking area.

[0020] In particular, however, it can be provided that descriptive information assigned to the parking space is determined, particularly through statistical evaluation of the additional information. This can, in particular, be attributes that describe the parking space more precisely. For example, parking spaces not yet known in the parking space map can also be provided with suitable attributes, as already indicated above with regard to the type of parking space. In a preferred embodiment, at least part of the descriptive information assigned to a parking space can also be transmitted to a motor vehicle that is to or intends to park in the parking space, for example, instructions on how best to park in the parking space ("preferably forward parking") and the like.Such additional attributes can prove particularly useful if the parking process is to be at least partially automated and assisted by a vehicle system.

[0021] The descriptive information, or additional information in general, can also be usefully evaluated in other ways. For example, it can be determined how complicated it is to park in a parking space, particularly through statistical evaluation of various parking trajectories, which can, for example, reveal the need for structural changes to the parking space.

[0022] Preferably, upon fulfillment of a recommissioning criterion for a parked motor vehicle, the last stored position sequence and / or identification information can be retransmitted to the server device, which identifies the motor vehicle based on the position sequence and / or the identification information and marks the corresponding parking space as released again. The recommissioning criterion can, in particular, check whether an engine is switched on and / or an ignition is switched on, in accordance with the parking criterion. Here, too, the check can relate to terminal 15, for example. It is also particularly expedient to retransmit the position sequence, which is still stored in the memory device in the motor vehicle, since this represents a unique identification of the parking process and thus of the motor vehicle.In this way, the use of other identification information can be dispensed with. The server device can then, for example, compare possible position sequences stored by the server device to identify the motor vehicle and determine which motor vehicle was put back into operation to be parked. The position sequence can then be deleted from the server device; however, it is expedient to retain it in the motor vehicle, particularly if the driver decides not to leave despite the vehicle being put back into operation, but instead to leave the motor vehicle again. This would result in the position sequence being transmitted again and the parking space being marked as occupied again.

[0023] A useful further development in this context provides for the determination of usage information for a released parking space, particularly from the times of exiting and entering the parking space. After the exiting process has been assigned to the parking process via a timestamp, parking space, position sequence, and / or identification information, a parking duration, for example, can be determined as usage information. Determining usage information enables the creation of an occupancy profile of the parking space, particularly through statistical analysis. In particular, parking spaces belonging to a shared parking environment can be considered together to create an occupancy profile of the parking environment or the like.

[0024] A further, particularly preferred embodiment of the invention provides that the server device additionally manages a traffic information map, and the motor vehicles transmit a current position of the respective motor vehicle to the server device at regular time intervals, which are at least ten times the time intervals between the positions in the position sequence. The evaluation of this position is used to determine traffic situation information on at least one traffic route in the parking area. The central server device therefore not only has to manage the parking map, but can also manage a traffic information map, which, for example, indicates which routes have high traffic volumes / congestion, and the like.For this purpose, it can be provided that the individual motor vehicles regularly, for example every minute or every two minutes, transmit their current position to the server device for the provision of such "traffic services", which then evaluates this accordingly.

[0025] The server device can be configured in various ways within the scope of the present invention. For example, the server device can be configured as a cloud and / or as part of a cloud; however, it is also conceivable to configure the server device as a backend computer.

[0026] A motor vehicle developed for implementing the method according to the invention has at least one position-determining device, a memory device, a communication device, and a control device. The control device is designed to record the position sequence and store it in the memory device, as well as to monitor compliance with the shutdown criterion and, if applicable, the restart criterion, thus performing all necessary steps of the method according to the invention on the motor vehicle side. In particular, the memory device can be designed as a ring buffer and / or the position-determining device can comprise a sensor of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), in particular a GPS sensor.

[0027] Further advantages and details of the present invention will become apparent from the exemplary embodiments described below and from the drawings. In the drawings: Fig. 1 shows a flow chart of an embodiment of the method according to the invention, and Fig. 2 shows a section of a parking area.

[0028] Fig. 1 shows a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the invention. The steps on the left side take place in all vehicles of a vehicle fleet, which communicates with a central server device, the steps of which are shown on the right side.

[0029] During an operating phase of a respective motor vehicle, a current position of the motor vehicle is cyclically recorded in a step S1 using a position determination device of the motor vehicle and stored in a position list in a memory device of the motor vehicle. The current position is determined here as a geodetic position based on position data from a GPS sensor of the motor vehicle; this position is refined using map matching and dead reckoning. The memory device is a ring buffer in which 50 positions can be stored. If a new position is stored, the oldest existing position is deleted accordingly. The current position is generally stored every second, although a check is made to see whether the motor vehicle is moving at all. If this is not the case, storage is interrupted until the motor vehicle moves again.It can therefore be said that the position sequence in the storage device covers a 50-second movement of the motor vehicle.

[0030] In a step S2, a corresponding control device of the motor vehicle, which also coordinates the recording of the position sequence, checks whether a shutdown criterion has been met—in this case, whether a motor vehicle engine is switched off. If the shutdown criterion is not met, the operating phase continues, and projection data is recorded in step S1. However, if the shutdown criterion is met in step S2, in a step S3, the current position sequence is transmitted from the storage device to a central server device, in this case a backend computer, via a communication device of the motor vehicle, where it is received via a corresponding communication device.

[0031] In a step S4, the server device evaluates the received position sequence to determine at least whether it represents a parking trajectory and whether the final position of the transmitting motor vehicle must therefore be considered a parking space relevant to the parking space map managed in the server device. However, additional information, in particular descriptive information, that can be assigned to the parking space is also determined, in particular whether it is a parking space perpendicular to or parallel to the street or an angled parking space, whether it is located at the edge of the street or away from the street, and the like. For this purpose, existing digital map data in the server device that characterizes the traffic network are also taken into account.

[0032] If it is then determined in step S5 that a parking trajectory actually existed, the parking space map relating to a specific parking area is updated in step S6. If the parking position was not yet known as a parking space, the parking space is added accordingly, including corresponding descriptive information, which ultimately represents the parking space's attributes. In any case, however, once the transmitting vehicle has parked in the parking space, the parking space is marked as occupied in the parking space map. If parking errors were detected as additional information, a corresponding warning message can be sent back to the vehicle and / or to a parking location.

[0033] It should also be noted that descriptive information that can be stored in the parking space map associated with the parking space can also be made available to motor vehicles that are to or want to park in the parking space.

[0034] These steps are in view of Fig. 2 explained in more detail. Shown there is a road 1, along which motor vehicles 2 are parked in parking spaces 3. Most recently, motor vehicle 2' was parked in parking space 3', with the position sequence 4 based on the positions 5 recorded at one-second intervals, as well as the resulting trajectory 6, being shown. This is clearly a classic parking trajectory for parking in a parking space 3' oriented in the same way as road 1. In this case, the driver parked in three moves. Corresponding characteristics of trajectory 6 can be recognized in the server device, so that trajectory 6 can be recognized as a parking trajectory and it can be determined accordingly that motor vehicle 2' was parked in a parking space 3' and that this space is oriented longitudinally to the road.

[0035] Furthermore, a statistical evaluation of position sequences and derived additional information can also be carried out with regard to parking spaces 3, for example as to whether it is particularly difficult to park in parking space 3, so that, for example, structural changes are indicated.

[0036] Returning to Fig. 1In motor vehicle 2, the control device now regularly checks in a step S7 whether a recommissioning criterion is met, which indicates that a new operating phase of motor vehicle 2 is beginning and it is expected to leave the parking space. For this purpose, a check is again made at terminal 15 as to whether the engine is started. If this is the case, the position sequence is transmitted again to the server device in step S8 via the communication device, where an assignment takes place in a step S9 by comparing the position sequences as identification information and parking space 3 is accordingly marked again as released in the parking space map. Furthermore, a further evaluation is carried out in a step S10 to determine an occupancy profile of parking space 3. For this purpose, the parking duration is determined in particular.

[0037] As is generally known, the parking space card can be used in a variety of ways, particularly in connection with parking assistance services that can, for example, allocate free parking spaces, navigate to them, handle payment automatically, and the like.

[0038] It should also be noted that the server device in this exemplary embodiment also serves to determine a traffic information map, so that the motor vehicles transmit their current position cyclically, here at intervals of one minute, which positions can then be evaluated in order to determine traffic situation information which, for example, indicates the presence of traffic jams on traffic routes in the covered parking area and the like.

Claims

1. Method for ascertaining and / or managing a parking space map, describing occupancy states of parking spaces for a motor vehicle (2, 2') in a parking space area, in a motor-vehicle-external server apparatus, wherein a position sequence (4), covering a predetermined operating section, of geodetic positions (5) and / or positions relatable to geodetic positions that are visited by the motor vehicle (2, 2'), which position sequence is transmitted to the server apparatus when a parking criterion indicating parking of the respective motor vehicle (2, 2') occurs, is recorded inside motor vehicles (2, 2') of a vehicle fleet communicating with the server apparatus, with the server apparatus checking, on receipt of a position sequence (4), whether the position sequence (4) describes a parking trajectory for a parking space (3, 3') that is managed or to be managed, and marking the parking space (3, 3') described by the final position in the position sequence (4) as occupied when a parking trajectory is detected.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that positions (5) in the motor vehicle (2, 2') are recorded cyclically, wherein the operating section is defined by a number of positions (5) of positions to be stored.

3. Method according to claim 2, characterised in that to store the position sequence (4), a ring memory is used in which the oldest position (5) is always overwritten by the latest recorded position (5).

4. Method according to claim 2 or 3, characterised in that the cyclical recording of the positions (5) is paused if the motor vehicle (2, 2') has stopped moving until the motor vehicle (2, 2') starts moving again.

5. Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the positions (5) are determined using a piece of position information from a sensor of a global navigation satellite system of the respective motor vehicle (2, 2').

6. Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that switching off of an engine and / or an ignition of the respective motor vehicle (2, 2') is checked as a parking criterion.

7. Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that at least one piece of additional information is determined by evaluating the position sequence (4).

8. Method according to claim 7, characterised in that a piece of description information to be assigned to the parking space (3, 3') is determined by statistically evaluating the piece of additional information.

9. Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that when a restart criterion for a parked motor vehicle (2, 2') is met, the last stored position sequence (4) and / or a piece of identification information is transmitted again to the server apparatus, which identifies the motor vehicle (2, 2') based on the position sequence (4) and / or the piece of identification information and marks the corresponding parking space (3, 3') as available again.

10. Method according to claim 9, characterised in that a piece of usage information is determined for an available parking space (3, 3') from the times of parking and exiting.

11. Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the server apparatus additionally manages a traffic information map and the motor vehicles (2, 2') transmit a current position (5) of the respective motor vehicle (2, 2') to the server apparatus at regular time intervals which are at least ten times longer than the time intervals of the positions (5) of the position sequence (4), the evaluation of which current position determines a piece of traffic situation information for at least one traffic route to the parking space area.