Method for selecting a parking space for a motor vehicle

Abstract

A method for selecting a parking space for a motor vehicle includes the steps of: collecting (21) the vehicle's destination; determining (23) an area surrounding the destination; determining (25) for the area a probability of available parking spaces in lanes located within the determined area; if the probability of available parking spaces is less than a predetermined value (27), sending (29) a message to the driver of the vehicle informing them of this. A system for selecting a parking space for a motor vehicle and a motor vehicle comprising the system are also described. Figure to be published with the abstract: Fig 2

Description

Title of the invention: Method for selecting a parking space for a motor vehicle technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for selecting a parking space for a motor vehicle, a computer program product, a system for selecting a parking space for a motor vehicle and a motor vehicle comprising such a system. State of the art

[0002] Currently, a motor vehicle includes a multitude of navigation assistance functions. For example, many navigation systems provide real-time or near-real-time information on congestion and traffic on the roads along the defined navigation route. Based on this information, some navigation systems recalculate faster routes that bypass congestion.

[0003] However, few or no browsers offer to help the user find a parking space once they have arrived at their destination, in particular a parking space located along a traffic lane, and not a parking space located in a parking lot.

[0004] Document US2022 / 0146265 proposes to make a probabilistic evaluation of parking roads near the destination in order to determine a road offering a high probability of available parking spaces and to guide the vehicle to it.

[0005] US patent 11733058 also performs a probabilistic evaluation of available parking spaces on roads surrounding the destination. A cost function is used to determine the road, or road segment, that optimizes both the vehicle's travel time and the walking time from the parking space to the destination.

[0006] These documents have the drawback of offering the driver a probability of available parking spaces for each lane, or section of lane. In particular, this has the disadvantage of not allowing the user to have an overview of the difficulty of finding a parking space at or near the destination, which could allow them, for example, to forgo searching for a parking space along a lane and instead park the vehicle in a parking lot.

[0007] There is therefore a real need for a method and a system for selecting a parking space for a motor vehicle that resolves all or part of the problem. the aforementioned disadvantages. Description of the invention

[0008] To resolve one or more of the aforementioned drawbacks, according to a first embodiment, a method for selecting a parking space for a motor vehicle includes the steps of: • collecting a destination for the vehicle; • determination of an area surrounding the destination; • determination for the area of ​​a probability of parking spaces available in roads located in the determined area; • if the probability of available parking spaces is less than a predetermined value, a message is sent to the vehicle driver informing them of this.

[0009] Thus, the user has the ability to quickly know the chances of finding a parking space along a road close to his destination.

[0010] Specific features or embodiments, usable alone or in combination, are: • destination collection includes entering a destination into an on-board vehicle navigation system; • the determination of the area includes determining a circle of predetermined radius centered on the destination such that only locations included in the circle are considered to determine the probability of available locations; • the radius of the circle is increased when the probability of available locations is less than the predetermined value and the probability of locations is recalculated accordingly, these two steps being repeated until the probability of locations becomes greater than the predetermined value or the radius of the circle reaches a maximum radius value; • the radius of the circle is increased according to a discrete scale of increase and the driver of the vehicle can stop the increase at any time; • The message sent to the driver includes a suggestion to search for a parking lot; and / or • it also includes a step of displaying the lanes surrounding the destination, each lane being displayed with a colour code symbolizing the probability of parking spaces available in that lane.

[0011] In a second embodiment, a computer program product downloadable from a communication network and / or stored on a computer-readable medium and / or executable by a processor includes code instructions program for the implementation of the above process.

[0012] In a third embodiment, a system for selecting a parking space for a motor vehicle comprises: • a device for collecting the vehicle's destination; connected to a suitable computer for: • determine an area surrounding the destination; • determine for the area a probability of parking spaces available in roads located in the determined area; • if the probability of available parking spaces is less than a predetermined value, send a message to the vehicle driver informing them of this.

[0013] In a fourth embodiment, a motor vehicle includes a system according to the third embodiment. Brief description of the figures

[0014] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description, given solely by way of example, and with reference to the figures in the appendix in which: • [Fig.1] represents a top view of a vehicle comprising a parking space selection system according to an embodiment; • [Fig.2] represents a flowchart of a process for selecting an em parking placement according to a specific embodiment; and • [Fig.3] represents a flowchart of a parking space selection process according to a first variant of the embodiment Methods of implementation

[0015] The embodiments presented below refer to a motor vehicle, a car. However, those skilled in the art understand that they are also applicable to other types of vehicles such as vans, trucks, etc.

[0016] The terms "front", "rear", "top", "bottom", "transverse" are understood in relation to the vehicle.

[0017] With reference to [Fig. 1], a motor vehicle 1 includes a parking space selection system 3. The system 3 includes a destination acquisition device 5. In this embodiment, the acquisition device 5 is included in an onboard navigation system 7 having an interface that allows the user to enter a destination. These destination entry methods are conventional and well known to those skilled in the art. The navigation system 7 also includes map display means 9. road maps allow users to visualize the route to their destination, as well as other geographical data such as maps of the roads surrounding the destination. It should be noted that the data collection method (5) and the display method (9) can be combined in the form of a touchscreen controlled by suitable software.

[0018] The system 3 includes a controller, or computer, 10 connected to the navigator 7.

[0019] The controller 10 can, for example, be integrated into the vehicle control system 1 as an advanced driver-assistance system, commonly called ADAS (for "Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems"), which makes all driving decisions based on the environment and the programmed destination. The motor vehicle is then described as an autonomous vehicle. However, it can also be a centralized vehicle management system that may or may not include driver assistance features. All these functions can also be distributed among a multitude of interconnected processors, controllers, or computers.

[0020] Data transfer between the different elements is preferably carried out by a CAN (for "Controller Area Network") or LIN (for "Local Interconnect Network") type data bus.

[0021] The operation of system 3 is as follows, [Fig.2].

[0022] System 3 collects, step 21, a destination via the collection device 5.

[0023] In step 23, it defines a zone surrounding the destination and the roads within that zone and, in step 25, determines the probability of finding available parking spaces on those roads. It should be noted that this probability corresponds to an overall probability of finding available parking spaces for the zone surrounding the destination. This probability may correspond to a weighted aggregation of the probabilities of finding available parking spaces for each road in the zone considered, the latter being calculated using the principles of prior art described in the preamble, or to a percentage of roads having available parking spaces.

[0024] A choice, step 27, is made according to the value of the probability thus determined in relation to a predetermined value.

[0025] If this value is less than the predetermined value, a message is sent, step 29, to the user to inform him of the situation: it will be difficult to find a parking space.

[0026] If this value is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, a second message is sent, step 31, to inform the user of the possibility of parking their vehicle in an available parking space.

[0027] Figure 1 illustrates a system according to certain embodiments. The cutting The diagram presented here is for educational purposes, highlighting the various functions. However, it is understood that each block can be implemented using different means or combinations thereof, such as hardware components, software, one or more computers, and / or electronic circuits. Each component can include at least one computer or control unit. Each component can also include at least one memory. This memory can contain computer program instructions or software code.

[0028] The computers can be implemented by any type of data processing device, such as a central processing unit, a signal processing unit, a specific application integrated circuit, a programmable gate network, etc. The computers can be implemented in the form of a single controller, or a plurality of controllers or computers.

[0029] The different modules are connected to each other by data links adapted to the environment. These can be wired or wireless.

[0030] For the software, the implementation may comprise modules or units distributed in the form of procedures, functions, etc. The memories may be any type of storage circuit. They may be part of the processor circuit, or separate from it and connected via electrical data links. These may be non-volatile memories, hard drives, RAM, flash memory, etc.

[0031] Furthermore, the program instructions stored in memory and processed by the computers can be any type of program code, for example, a compiled or interpreted program written in a suitable programming language.

[0032] The computer program instructions stored in memory are such that, when executed by the computer, the latter carries out one or more of the steps of the processes described above.

[0033] The invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and the preceding description. This description is to be considered illustrative and given by way of example and not as limiting the invention to this single description. Numerous embodiments are possible.

[0034] In a first variant, [Fig.3], the search area for a parking space is determined during step 23 by forming a circle of determined radius whose center is the destination and by considering all the roads included in this circle.

[0035] If, at step 27, the determined probability is less than the predetermined value, then the radius of the circle is increased at step 33, and the process starts again at step 23 with the area thus enlarged. This is repeated as long as the probability remains less than the predetermined value and the radius remains less than a maximum radius value. step 35.

[0036] In a variant of the first variant, the radius is increased in one or more predetermined increments. For example, the initial radius is 100 m, followed by 300 m, 500 m, and 800 m. These, like the maximum radius, can be parameters that can be modified by the user. Similarly, the user can stop increasing the radius of the search area at any time.

[0037] In a second variant, the message broadcast to the user during step 29 may consist of suggesting that he go and park in a car park since parking along the roads has a low probability of success.

[0038] Also, in a third variant, the display of the navigator 5 shows the parking search area and colors each lane with a color code based on the probability of available parking spaces in that lane. For example, green indicates a probability greater than 60%, orange a probability between 20% and 59%, and red a probability less than 20%. Preferably, this color code is displayed as two lines surrounding the lane and parallel to it.

Claims

Claims

1. Method for selecting a parking space for a motor vehicle comprising the steps of: • collecting (21) a destination of the vehicle; • determining (23) an area surrounding the destination; • determining (25) for the area a probability of available parking spaces in lanes located in the determined area; • if the probability of available parking spaces is less than a predetermined value (27), sending (29) a message to the driver of the vehicle informing him thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting destinations comprises entering a destination into an on-board navigator of the vehicle.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein determining the area comprises determining a circle of predetermined radius and centered on the destination such that only locations included in the circle are considered in determining the probability of available locations.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the radius of the circle is increased (33) when the probability of available locations is less than the predetermined value and the probability of locations recalculated accordingly, these two steps being repeated until the probability of locations becomes greater than the predetermined value or the radius of the circle reaches (35) a maximum radius value.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the radius of the circle is increased according to a discrete scale of increase and the driver of the vehicle can stop the increase at any time.

6. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the message sent to the driver comprises a suggestion to search for a parking lot.

7. A method according to any preceding claim, further comprising a step of displaying the lanes surrounding the destination, each lane being displayed with a color code symbolizing the probability of available parking spaces in this lane.

8. Computer program product downloadable from a communication network and / or recorded on a computer-readable medium and / or executable by a processor, characterized in that it comprises program code instructions for implementing the method according to at least one of claims 1 to 7.

9. System (3) for selecting a parking space for a motor vehicle comprising: • a device (5) for collecting a destination of the vehicle; connected to a computer (10) adapted to: • determine an area surrounding the destination; • determine for the area a probability of available parking spaces in lanes located in the determined area; • if the probability of available parking spaces is less than a predetermined value, send a message to the driver of the vehicle informing him thereof.

10. A motor vehicle comprising a system according to claim 9.

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