Optimized vehicle positioning method to enable successful subsequent parking maneuvers in a parking space

Abstract

Optimized vehicle positioning method to enable successful subsequent parking maneuver of the vehicle in a parking space. The invention relates to an optimized vehicle positioning method to enable successful subsequent parking maneuver of the vehicle in a parking space, the vehicle comprising means for calculating and rendering an aerial view of the vehicle in which a longitudinal axis of the vehicle passing through the middle of the vehicle is implemented, the vehicle being located in front of the parking space so that the parking space is partially visible in the aerial view of the vehicle, the method comprising the following steps: Contour detection in the aerial view of the vehicle; Calculation of the position in the aerial view of the vehicle, of a longitudinal axis of the parking space passing through the middle of the parking space, from the detected contours;Projection of the longitudinal axis of the parking space into the aerial view of the vehicle; Construction of an optimized positioning zone from the projected longitudinal axis of the parking space; Projection of the optimized positioning zone into the aerial view of the vehicle; As long as the longitudinal axis of the vehicle is not located within the optimized positioning zone in the aerial view of the vehicle, repositioning by a driver of the vehicle in front of the parking space.

Description

Title of the invention: Optimized vehicle positioning method to enable successful subsequent parking maneuvers in a parking space. TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The technical field of the invention is that of vehicles, and more particularly that of vehicles equipped with an autonomous parking function.

[0002] The present invention relates to an optimized vehicle positioning method and, in particular, to an optimized vehicle positioning method to enable the successful completion of a subsequent parking maneuver in a parking space. The present invention also relates to a parking method, a vehicle, and an associated computer program. TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The autonomous parking function, or Remote Parking (RPK), is a feature that allows the driver to park a vehicle in a parking space located, for example, in a garage or between two other vehicles, while outside the vehicle and using a connected device, such as a smartphone. This function is particularly advantageous when the parking space is narrow and does not allow the vehicle's occupants to open the doors wide enough to exit the vehicle once it is parked.

[0004] For the autonomous parking maneuver to succeed, it is essential that the vehicle be correctly positioned in front of the parking space. To this end, suppliers provide recommendations regarding certain vehicle positioning parameters. As illustrated in [Fig. 1], the positioning parameters are, for example, an angular offset DA between a longitudinal axis of the vehicle 3011 passing through the middle of the vehicle 301 and a longitudinal axis 3001 of the parking space 300 passing through the middle of the parking space 300, a longitudinal offset DL, and a transverse offset DT between a point 3012 of the vehicle 301 located on the longitudinal axis of the vehicle 3011 and closest to the parking space 300 and a point 3003 of the parking space 300 located on the longitudinal axis 3001 of the parking space 300 and closest to the vehicle 301.

[0005] However, positioning a vehicle according to such recommendations is far from easy for a non-expert driver. This difficulty can be further increased if the maneuvering area in front of the parking space is constrained in terms of dimensions, such as in a corridor serving two rows of parking spaces in the underground parking garage of a building.

[0006] There is therefore a need to know if the vehicle is well positioned before launching the autonomous parking function and to help the driver to position itself by carrying out the fewest possible maneuvers. Summary of the invention

[0007] The invention offers a solution to the problems mentioned above, by providing the driver with assistance in positioning the vehicle ensuring the success of a subsequent parking maneuver.

[0008] A first aspect of the invention relates to a method for optimizing the positioning of a vehicle to enable the success of a subsequent maneuver of parking the vehicle in a parking space, the vehicle comprising means for calculating and reproducing an aerial view of the vehicle in which a longitudinal axis of the vehicle passing through the middle of the vehicle is implemented, the vehicle being located in front of the parking space so that the parking space is partially visible in the aerial view of the vehicle, the method comprising the following steps: • Edge detection on the aerial view of the vehicle; • Calculation of the vehicle's position in the aerial view, along an axis longitudinal of the parking space passing through the middle of the parking space, from the detected contours; • Projection of the longitudinal axis of the parking space in the aerial view of the vehicle; • Construction of an optimized positioning zone based on the longitudinal axis of the planned parking space; • Projection of the optimized positioning zone in the aerial view of the vehicle; • As long as the longitudinal axis of the vehicle is not located in the optimized positioning zone in the aerial view of the vehicle, repositioning by a driver, of the vehicle in front of the parking space.

[0009] Thanks to the invention, the optimized positioning zone projected in the aerial view of the vehicle makes it possible to provide the driver with relevant contextual information to help him position himself in front of the parking space by performing a reduced number of maneuvers, without having to add new sensors on the vehicle.

[0010] In addition to the characteristics mentioned in the preceding paragraph, the process according to the first aspect of the invention may have one or more complementary characteristics from among the following, considered individually or according to all technically possible combinations.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the construction step of the optimized positioning zone is carried out by adding a maximum transverse distance and a maximum angle on either side of the longitudinal axis of the parking space.

[0012] According to an embodiment compatible with the previous embodiment, the method according to the first aspect of the invention comprises, if the parking space is located between two other vehicles, a step of detecting each other vehicle surrounding the parking space to obtain an encompassing box for each other vehicle and a step of projecting into the aerial view of the vehicle, of each encompassing box obtained, prior to the contour detection step.

[0013] According to a sub-variant of the previous variant, the step of detecting each other vehicle is carried out on an image taken using a front or rear camera of the vehicle.

[0014] According to an embodiment compatible with previous embodiments, the repositioning step includes a substep of displaying on a screen of the vehicle, the aerial view of the vehicle with the projected optimized positioning area.

[0015] According to an embodiment compatible with the previous embodiments, the repositioning step includes a sub-step of providing the driver with information relating to a maneuver to be carried out to position the vehicle.

[0016] A second aspect of the invention relates to a method of parking a vehicle in a parking space, the parking method comprising the steps of the positioning method according to the first aspect of the invention, and a step of parking the vehicle in the parking space.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the parking step is carried out using an autonomous parking function implemented on the vehicle.

[0018] A third aspect of the invention relates to a vehicle comprising means for implementing the method according to the first or second aspect of the invention.

[0019] A fourth aspect of the invention relates to a computer program product comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, lead the computer to implement the steps of the process according to the first or second aspect of the invention.

[0020] The invention and its various applications will be better understood by reading the following description and examining the accompanying figures. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0021] The figures are presented for illustrative purposes only and are in no way limiting of the invention. • Fig. 1 illustrates a set of vehicle positioning parameters that influence the success of an autonomous parking maneuver in a parking space. • Figure 2 is a synoptic diagram illustrating the sequence of steps of a positioning method according to the invention. • Figure 3 shows a schematic representation of a sixth step of the Positioning method according to the invention. • Figure 4 shows a schematic representation of an eighth step of the Positioning method according to the invention. • Figure 5 shows a schematic representation of a first step optional of the positioning method according to the invention. • Figure 6 shows a schematic representation of a fourth stage of the positioning method according to the invention, in the case where the first optional step has been carried out. • Figure 7 is a synoptic diagram illustrating the sequence of steps of a parking method according to the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Unless otherwise specified, the same element appearing on different figures has a unique reference.

[0023] A first aspect of the invention relates to an optimized positioning method of a vehicle 301 in front of a parking space 300, with a view to subsequently parking the vehicle 301 in the parking space 300. The sequence of steps of the positioning method 100 according to the invention is illustrated in [Fig.2].

[0024] The positioning is optimized to allow the success of a subsequent parking maneuver of the vehicle 301 in a parking space 300.

[0025] The vehicle 301 includes means for calculating and displaying an aerial view of the vehicle 301, or "bird's eye view". Examples of aerial views of the vehicle 301 are shown in Figures 3, 4 and 6.

[0026] On the aerial view of vehicle 301, a longitudinal axis of vehicle 3011 is implemented passing through the middle of vehicle 301, as seen in figures 1 and 4.

[0027] At the time of implementation of method 100, vehicle 301 is located in front of parking space 300 and at least part of parking space 300 is visible on the aerial view of vehicle 301.

[0028] The method 100 according to the invention may include a first step 101 and a second step 102 if the parking space 300 is located between two vehicles 1011, as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6.

[0029] The first step 101 consists of detecting each vehicle 1011 surrounding the parking space 300.

[0030] Such detection can be carried out on an image 1013 acquired by a camera 3013 of the vehicle 301, for example using a machine learning algorithm, and makes it possible to obtain for each vehicle 3011, a box 1012 encompassing the vehicle 1011, as seen in [Fig.5].

[0031] In [Fig.5], the parking space 300 is surrounded laterally by two vehicles 1011 and each vehicle 1011 is enclosed in a parallelepiped box 1012.

[0032] The camera 3013 of the vehicle 301 is, for example, a front camera if the parking maneuver is carried out in forward gear, or a rear camera or Permanent rear view in English, if the parking maneuver is carried out in reverse gear.

[0033] The machine learning algorithm is for example a neural network specialized in vehicle detection or more broadly in object detection, such as a convolutional neural network.

[0034] The second step 102 consists of projecting each encompassing box obtained at the end of the first step 101, into the aerial view of the vehicle 301, as seen in [Fig.6].

[0035] A third step 103 of the method 100 according to the invention consists of performing a contour detection 1031 on the aerial view of the vehicle 301, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 6.

[0036] Edge detection is for example carried out using a filter, such as a Canny, Prewitt or Sobel filter.

[0037] If the parking space 300 is located in a box, as in the example of [Fig.3], the detected contours 1031 correspond to the walls of the box.

[0038] If the parking space 300 is located between two vehicles 1011, as in the example of [Fig.6], the detected contours 1031 correspond to the contours of the encompassing boxes 1012.

[0039] A fourth step 104 of the method 100 according to the invention consists of calculating the position of a longitudinal axis of the parking space 3001 in the aerial view of the vehicle 301, using the contours 1031 detected during the third step 103.

[0040] The longitudinal axis of parking space 3001 passes through the middle of parking space 300, as illustrated in figures 1, 3, 4 and 6.

[0041] The term "longitudinal" is understood to mean that which is taken in the direction of length with respect to a given reference frame, and "transverse" is understood to mean that which is taken in the direction of width with respect to the given reference frame and therefore perpendicular to longitudinal.

[0042] The longitudinal axis of the parking space 3001 is for example parallel and equidistant from the longitudinal contours 1031 detected during the third step 103.

[0043] If the box in which the parking space 300 is located is closed during the third step 103, the longitudinal axis of the parking space 3001 is for example the perpendicular bisector of the segment corresponding to the contours 1031 of the door closing the box.

[0044] A fifth step 105 of the method 100 according to the invention consists of projecting the longitudinal axis of the parking space 3001 into the aerial view of the vehicle 301, as illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and 6.

[0045] A sixth step 106 of the method 100 according to the invention consists of constructing an optimized positioning zone 1061 from the longitudinal axis of the parking space 3001 projected in the aerial view of the vehicle 301 at the end of the fifth step 105.

[0046] An example of the construction of the optimized positioning zone 1061 is visible in [Fig.3].

[0047] An orthonormal coordinate system X, Y is positioned on a point of the longitudinal axis of the parking space 3001, the X axis being positioned parallel to the longitudinal axis of the parking space 3001 and is therefore longitudinal in the reference frame of the parking space 300 and the Y axis being positioned perpendicular to the X axis and therefore transverse in the reference frame of the parking space 300.

[0048] The construction of the optimized positioning zone 1061 consists, for example, of adding a maximum transverse distance X0 on each side of the longitudinal axis of the parking space 3001, and then a maximum angle A0.

[0049] In [Fig.3], point PO is obtained by adding the maximum transverse distance X0 to the point at the origin of the coordinate system X, Y, and point PI is obtained by adding a longitudinal distance Y1 to point PO, then a transverse distance XI such that:

[0050] XI = X0+Yl*tan(A0)

[0051] A first straight line 1062 passing through points PO and PI is then constructed, then a second straight line 1063 symmetric to the straight line 1062 with respect to the longitudinal axis of the parking space 3001. The optimized positioning zone 1061 is then the zone between the first straight line 1062 and the second straight line 1063.

[0052] The maximum transverse distance X0 is for example between 5 and 10 cm and the maximum angle A0 is for example between 5 and 10°.

[0053] A seventh step 107 of the method 100 according to the invention consists of projecting the optimized positioning zone 1061 constructed during the sixth step 106 into the aerial view of the vehicle 301.

[0054] An eighth step 108 of the method 100 according to the invention is carried out as long as in the aerial view of the vehicle 301, the longitudinal axis of the vehicle 3001 is not located in the optimized positioning zone 1061.

[0055] For example, in [Fig.4], the longitudinal axis of the vehicle 3001 is not entirely within the optimized positioning zone 1061 and the eighth step 108 is therefore carried out.

[0056] The eighth step 108 consists for the driver of the vehicle 301, to reposition the vehicle 301 in front of the parking space 300 so that the longitudinal axis of the vehicle 3001 is located in the optimized positioning zone 1061.

[0057] For this purpose, the eighth step 108 includes a substep 1081 of displaying the aerial view of the vehicle 301 in which the optimized positioning area 1061 is projected, the display being carried out for example on a screen of the vehicle 301.

[0058] The eighth step 108 may also include a sub-step 1082 of providing the driver with information relating to a maneuver to be carried out to position the vehicle 301 so that the longitudinal axis of the vehicle 3001 is located in the optimized positioning zone 1061.

[0059] The information is provided for example via a screen of the vehicle 301 or via a speaker of the vehicle 301 and can for example give indications on the actions to be applied on the steering wheel or on the pedals of the vehicle 301.

[0060] A second aspect of the invention relates to a method of parking the vehicle 301 in the parking space 300, the sequence of which is shown in [Fig.7].

[0061] The process 200 comprises the steps of the process 100 according to the first aspect of the invention and a step 201 of parking the vehicle 301 in the parking space 300.

[0062] According to one embodiment, the parking step 201 is carried out using an autonomous parking function implemented on the vehicle 301.

[0063] The autonomous parking function allows the driver to park his vehicle in a parking space while outside the vehicle, without having to perform the parking maneuver himself.

[0064] Once the vehicle 301 is positioned in front of the parking space 300, the autonomous parking function is triggered by the driver using a connected object, for example a smartphone or a tablet, and the vehicle 301 parks itself autonomously in the parking space 300.

[0065] According to another embodiment, the parking step 201 is carried out by the driver of the vehicle 301.

[0066] A third aspect of the invention relates to a vehicle 301 enabling the implementation of the method 100 according to the first aspect of the invention and / or of the method 200 according to the second aspect of the invention.

[0067] As illustrated in Figures 1 and 4, the vehicle 301 includes at least one camera 3013, and an on-board computer 3016.

[0068] The vehicle 301 may also include a plurality of ultrasonic sensors 3014 and a plurality of peripheral cameras 3015, or surround view in English, to implement the autonomous parking function.

[0069] The vehicle 301 includes, for example, 6 ultrasonic sensors 3016 at the front and 6 ultrasonic sensors 3016 at the rear, and 4 peripheral cameras 3015.

Claims

Demands

1. Method (100) for optimized positioning of a vehicle (301) to enable the success of a subsequent maneuver of parking the vehicle (301) in a parking space (300), the vehicle (301) comprising means for calculating and rendering an aerial view of the vehicle (301) in which a longitudinal axis of the vehicle (3011) passing through the middle of the vehicle (301) is implemented, the vehicle (301) being located in front of the parking space (300) such that the parking space (300) is partially visible on the aerial view of the vehicle (301), the method (100) comprising the following steps: • Detection (103) of contours (1031) on the aerial view of the vehicle (301); • Calculation (104) of the position in the aerial view of the vehicle (301), of a longitudinal axis of the parking space (3001) passing through the middle of the parking space (300), from the contours (1031) detected;• Projection (105) of the longitudinal axis of the parking space (3001) in the aerial view of the vehicle (301); • Construction (106) of an optimized positioning zone (1061) from the projected longitudinal axis of the parking space (3001); • Projection (107) of the optimized positioning zone (1061) in the aerial view of the vehicle (301); • As long as the longitudinal axis of the vehicle (3001) is not located in the optimized positioning zone (1061) in the aerial view of the vehicle (301), repositioning (108) by a driver, of the vehicle (301) in front of the parking space (300).

2. Method (100) according to claim 1, wherein the step (106) of constructing the optimized positioning zone (1061) is carried out by adding a maximum transverse distance (X0) and a maximum angle (A0) on either side of the longitudinal axis of the parking space (3001).

3. A method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising, if the parking space (300) is located between two other vehicles (1011), a step (101) of detecting each other vehicle (1011) surrounding the parking space (300) to obtain a bounding box (1012) for each other vehicle (1011) and a step (102) of projecting into the aerial view of the vehicle (301), each bounding box (1012) obtained, prior to the step (103) of contour detection (1031).

4. Method (100) according to claim 3, wherein the step (101) of detecting each other vehicle (1011) is carried out on an image (1013) taken using a camera (3013) in front of or behind the vehicle (301).

5. Method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the repositioning step (108) comprises a substep (1081) of displaying on a screen of the vehicle (301), the aerial view of the vehicle (301) with the optimized positioning area (1061) projected.

6. Method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the repositioning step (108) includes a substep (1082) of providing the driver with information relating to a maneuver to be performed to position the vehicle (301).

7. Method (200) of parking a vehicle (301) in a parking space (300), the parking method (200) comprising the steps of the positioning method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, and a step (201) of parking the vehicle (301) in the parking space (300).

8. Method (200) according to claim 7, wherein the parking step (201) is carried out using an autonomous parking function implemented on the vehicle (301).

9. Vehicle (301) comprising means for implementing the method (100, 200) according to any one of the preceding claims.

10. Product computer program comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the steps of the process (100, 200) according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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