Method, computer program product, parking assistance system and vehicle

Abstract

Method, computer program product, parking assistance system and vehicle A method is proposed for operating a parking assistance system (110) of a vehicle (100). The parking assistance system (110) is designed for autonomous control of the vehicle (100). The method comprises: a step (S1) of receiving a plurality of sensor signals from a corresponding plurality of environmental sensors (122, 124, 126, 128, 131, 132, 133) disposed on the vehicle (100), each of the sensor signals being indicative of an obstacle (300) disposed in a particular region (102, 104, 106, 108) within an area surrounding the vehicle (100), a first number of the sensor signals being indicative of a first lateral region (106) of the vehicle (100) and a second number of the sensor signals being indicative of a second lateral region (108) of the vehicle (100) opposite the first lateral region (106); determining (S2) whether an obstacle (300) is present in the first and / or second lateral regions (106, 108) based on the strength of the received first and / or second number of sensor signals; determining (S3) a trajectory (TR) of the vehicle (100) passing through the first or second side region (106, 108) when it is determined that there is no obstacle (300) in each side region (106, 108); A step (S4) of starting autonomous movement along the determined trajectory (TR); Includes.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for operating a parking assistance system, a computer program product, a parking assistance system and a vehicle comprising such a parking assistance system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventional parking assistance systems are designed to assist the user of the vehicle in parking and unparking. For example, the parking process can be semi-autonomous, where the vehicle steers automatically, but the user controls the accelerator and brake. Fully autonomous systems are also known, where the user does not need to do anything themselves.

[0003] One problem of such parking assistance systems is the capture of the surrounding environment. Especially in a dynamic surrounding environment with moving objects and other road users, the surrounding environment around the vehicle may constantly change, so that the surrounding environment needs to be captured regularly, preferably in a timely manner. Conventional parking assistance systems capture the surrounding environment using ultrasonic sensors in the front and rear areas of the vehicle, for example, the sensors capture the surrounding environment in front and rear of the vehicle as well as limited lateral areas in the area of ​​the fender. However, at the sides of the vehicle, the parking assistance system is "blind" when it is stationary. When the vehicle is moving at a certain minimum speed, the scanning area, especially the lateral area, can be used to estimate whether there is an object at the side of the vehicle. However, this is not possible when the vehicle is below the minimum speed or stationary, since a moving object may enter the area next to the vehicle at any time. Therefore, during autonomous driving in this state, it is important to ensure that the vehicle first moves forward or backward before turning in order to avoid the "blind" area.

[0004] US 2007 / 0133963 A1 discloses an arrangement of environmental sensors on a vehicle encompassing the side areas of the vehicle, where when a door is opened by a user of the vehicle, the detected sensor signals are used to warn said user if there is an obstacle at the side of the vehicle and / or to prevent or stop the door from being opened in that case. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] US Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0078130 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Against this background, one of the objects of the present invention is to improve the operation of parking assistance systems.

[0007] Therefore, a method for operating a parking assistance system for a vehicle is proposed, the parking assistance system being designed for autonomous control of the vehicle. The method comprises: receiving a plurality of sensor signals from a corresponding plurality of environmental sensors disposed on the vehicle, each sensor signal indicative of an obstacle disposed in a particular region within an area surrounding the vehicle, a first number of the sensor signals indicative of a first lateral region of the vehicle, and a second number of the sensor signals indicative of a second lateral region of the vehicle opposite the first lateral region; determining whether an obstacle is present in the first and / or second lateral regions based on strengths of the received first and / or second number of sensor signals; determining a trajectory of the vehicle passing through the first or second side region if the respective side region is determined to be free of obstacles; Initiating autonomous movement along the determined trajectory; Includes.

[0008] This method has the advantage that the areas to the sides of the vehicle are not "uncaptureable" areas, so that the parking assistance system can use them to determine the trajectory, especially from a stationary state, if they are free. Conventional parking assistance systems, which cannot detect obstacles in the lateral areas, must move straight ahead for approximately one vehicle length in order to cover the lateral area, so that the detection range of the sensors at the front or rear of the vehicle passes through the lateral area. The method is particularly advantageous when the vehicle is parked in a vertically positioned or at an angle positioned parking space and is supposed to be unparked autonomously. In these situations, a better trajectory can be achieved if the vehicle moves over the lateral areas of the parked vehicle, but this is only possible if these areas are free of obstacles. Compared to vehicles that have sensors on the sides but only take into account detected obstacles for the purpose of protecting the doors, the proposed method is particularly different in that it uses the lateral areas to determine the trajectory based on the strength of the detection of the obstacle.

[0009] The parking assistance system is designed for semi-autonomous or fully autonomous control or operation of the vehicle. Semi-autonomous control is understood to mean, for example, that the parking assistance system controls the steering system and / or the automatic gear selection system. Fully autonomous operation is understood to mean, for example, that the parking assistance system also controls the drive and braking systems. The control is based in particular on received sensor signals which indicate the operating state of the vehicle and the area surrounding the vehicle.

[0010] Each number of sensor signals includes one or more sensor signals. For example, the number is selected based on the strength of the respective sensor technology so that it can be used to estimate the position of the respective obstacle. For example, three ultrasonic sensor signals are advantageous for this purpose, which can be used to trilaterate the obstacle. Alternatively or additionally, a single radar signal, lidar signal or image signal from a 3D camera, such as a stereo camera or a TOF camera, may be sufficient for this purpose.

[0011] The respective side area extends in particular between the front and rear axles of a two-axle vehicle, and in the case of a four-door vehicle the side area in particular includes the door area.

[0012] If the parking assistance system determines that there are no obstacles on the sides of the vehicle based on the strength of the received first and / or second number of sensor signals, the parking assistance system can plan a trajectory that includes the side areas. If the parking assistance system determines that there are obstacles in each side area, it plans a trajectory in such a way that a collision with the found obstacles is excluded. This increases both safety and vehicle efficiency in the autonomous driving mode. Also, a trajectory that passes through each side area means that the vehicle does not have to move as far forward, so that it can avoid using the oncoming lane, for example.

[0013] The situation where the track passes through a first or second lateral region is understood to mean that the vehicle passes through each lateral region at least in places as it travels along the track, for example the rear wheels of the vehicle passing through the lateral region.

[0014] The trajectory does not necessarily have to pass through each side region if the respective region is free of obstacles, rather the trajectory is planned accordingly if it provides benefits such as safer operation of the vehicle and / or a simpler and faster trajectory.

[0015] Initiating autonomous movement along the determined trajectory involves outputting appropriate control signals to the respective vehicle systems, such as the steering system in semi-autonomous driving mode, and also the motors in fully autonomous driving mode.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the method, the plurality of identified regions form a substantially enclosed region around the vehicle.

[0017] This means that based on the received sensor signals it is possible to determine the presence of an obstacle located anywhere within a certain maximum distance around the vehicle. "Substantially surrounded" means that smaller areas, such as areas up to 5 cm wide, may not be encompassed.

[0018] In an embodiment, the plurality of specific regions form an enclosed region around the vehicle, in particular a completely enclosed region.

[0019] According to another embodiment of the method, each of the first and / or second number of sensor signals includes at least three ultrasonic sensor signals.

[0020] The position of the obstacle relative to the vehicle can be determined by trilaterating the detected obstacle based on the three ultrasonic sensor signals, which in particular come from three different ultrasonic sensors.

[0021] According to another embodiment of the method, each of the first and / or second number of sensor signals includes at least one radar sensor signal, a lidar sensor signal and / or a camera sensor signal.

[0022] According to another embodiment of the method, the environmental sensor from which the first and second number of sensor signals are received is only activated if the speed of the vehicle is below a predetermined upper speed limit, the upper speed limit being selected in the range 2-60 km / h, in particular 3-30 km / h, preferably 10 km / h, preferably 7 km / h, more preferably 5 km / h.

[0023] This is advantageous since it can save energy and processing power. Further environmental sensors, such as those detecting the areas to the sides of the fender, may continue to operate. The obstacles detected by these environmental sensors to the front and / or rear sides of the vehicle can be used to estimate whether there are obstacles in the respective side areas, so that switching off the aforementioned environmental sensors has no adverse effect. This embodiment is particularly advantageous for ultrasonic sensors.

[0024] According to another embodiment of the method, the method is executed for autonomously unparking a vehicle, the determined trajectory connecting the parked position of the vehicle and the driving position of the vehicle.

[0025] In the driving position of the vehicle, the user of the vehicle in particular controls the vehicle.

[0026] According to another embodiment of the method, the vehicle has not moved for longer than a predetermined minimum time before the method is performed.

[0027] When the vehicle is stationary, objects or obstacles may move into the side area of ​​the vehicle. This may happen unnoticed by the environmental sensors. Therefore, it cannot be reliably assumed that the previously free side area is still free after the predetermined stopping time. The predetermined minimum time is, for example, 10 seconds, preferably 5 seconds, preferably 3 seconds.

[0028] According to another embodiment of the method, the first number of received and the second number of received sensor signals are further used to determine whether an obstacle is present in a pivot area of ​​the vehicle door, and a predetermined action is performed if an obstacle is found in the pivot area.

[0029] This means that each environmental sensor from which the first and second number of sensor signals are received performs a dual function, which reduces the complexity of the vehicle and the parking assistance system and saves resources. The predetermined action includes, for example, outputting a warning message to a user of the vehicle, preventing the door from opening, and / or preventing the door from opening beyond a predetermined range. The predetermined range depends inter alia on the distance between the found obstacle and the vehicle.

[0030] According to a second aspect, a computer program product is proposed comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method according to the first aspect.

[0031] The computer forms in particular a parking assistance system.

[0032] A computer program product, such as a computer program means, may be available as a storage medium, e.g. a memory card, a USB stick, a CD-ROM, a DVD, or may be provided or supplied in the form of a downloadable file from a server in a network, e.g. by transmitting the computer program product or a corresponding file containing the computer program means in a wireless communication network.

[0033] According to a third aspect, a parking assistance system for a vehicle is proposed. The parking assistance system is designed for autonomous control of the vehicle. The parking assistance system comprises: a receiver for receiving a plurality of sensor signals from a corresponding plurality of environmental sensors disposed on the vehicle, each sensor signal being indicative of an obstacle disposed in a particular region within an area surrounding the vehicle, a first number of the sensor signals being indicative of a first lateral region of the vehicle, and a second number of the sensor signals being indicative of a second lateral region of the vehicle opposite the first lateral region; a detector configured to determine whether an obstacle is present in the first and / or second side regions based on the strength of the received first and / or second number of sensor signals; a determination unit for determining a trajectory of the vehicle passing through the first or second lateral region if no obstacle is found in the respective lateral region; A control unit that starts autonomous movement along the determined trajectory; has.

[0034] The embodiments and features described for the proposed method according to the first aspect apply mutatis mutandis to the proposed parking assistance system.

[0035] Each part of the parking assistance system can be implemented in hardware and / or software. In a hardware implementation, each part may be in the form of a computer or in the form of a microprocessor, for example. In a software implementation, each part may be in the form of a computer program product, a function, a routine, an algorithm, a part of a program code, or an executable object. Furthermore, each part mentioned in this specification may be in the form of a part of a higher-level control system of the vehicle, such as a central electronic control unit and / or an engine control unit (ECU: Electronic Control Unit).

[0036] The parking assistance system is especially designed to carry out the method according to the first aspect.

[0037] According to a fourth aspect, a vehicle is proposed. The vehicle has a number of environmental sensors, each environmental sensor designed to detect obstacles located in a specific region of an area surrounding the vehicle and output a corresponding sensor signal, a first number of environmental sensors designed to detect a first lateral region of the vehicle and a second number of environmental sensors designed to detect a second lateral region of the vehicle opposite the first lateral region. The vehicle also includes a parking assistance system according to the third aspect.

[0038] The vehicle is for example a car or a truck. The embodiments and features described for the parking assistance system according to the third aspect as well as the embodiments and features described for the method of operating the parking assistance system according to the first aspect apply mutatis mutandis to the vehicle and vice versa.

[0039] According to one embodiment of the vehicle, the multiple environmental sensors include one or more ultrasonic sensors, one or more radar sensors, one or more lidar sensors, and / or one or more cameras.

[0040] According to another embodiment of the vehicle, at least one of the first and second number of environmental sensors is arranged on a vehicle side of the vehicle corresponding to the respective lateral region.

[0041] For example, the respective environmental sensor is arranged in the door area of ​​the vehicle, in particular in the door of the vehicle, in the area of ​​the side mirror, in the area of ​​the B-pillar and / or in the area of ​​the C-pillar.

[0042] According to another embodiment of the vehicle, each at least one environmental sensor is arranged in a portion of a side of the vehicle between a front axle of the vehicle and a rear axle of the vehicle.

[0043] According to another embodiment of the vehicle, each of the first and second numbers of environmental sensors includes at least three ultrasonic sensors, each of the three ultrasonic sensors being positioned on a vehicle side corresponding to a respective lateral region so as to define a plane.

[0044] The three ultrasonic sensors are arranged in a triangle, or one could say they form a triangle. This arrangement allows the obstacles to be trilaterated. It is therefore possible to determine in particular height information about the obstacles, which means that surmountable obstacles, such as curbs, can be distinguished from insurmountable obstacles, such as other road users. The ultrasonic sensors are not arranged in a particular row.

[0045] Further possible implementations of the present invention also include combinations of features or embodiments described in the preceding or following exemplary embodiments that are not explicitly mentioned. Those skilled in the art will also add individual aspects to each basic form of the present invention as improvements or supplements.

[0046] Further advantageous configurations and aspects of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims and exemplary embodiments of the invention described below. The invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0047] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle. [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a first traffic situation. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a second traffic situation. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a vehicle. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a parking assistance system. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a method for operating a parking assistance system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0048] In the drawings, identical or functionally identical elements are provided with the same reference numbers unless stated otherwise.

[0049] FIG. 1 shows a schematic overhead view of a vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 is, for example, a car. The car 100 comprises a parking assistance system 110, for example in the form of a control unit. Furthermore, a number of environmental sensors 120 are arranged on the car 100, which are combined for the purposes of explaining the invention into environmental sensor groups 122, 124, 126, 128. Each group 122, 124, 126, 128 has a respective detection range 102, 104, 106, 108. To provide a better overview, the front / rear detection ranges 102, 104 of the vehicle 100 are shown with dashed lines, while the lateral detection ranges 106, 108 are shown using solid lines. It should be noted that combining the environmental sensors into groups 122, 124, 126, 128 only serves to provide a better overview. It is also possible to view each environmental sensor 120 and its respective detection range individually (not shown).

[0050] The group 122 includes six individual environmental sensors 120, and the group 124 also includes six individual environmental sensors 120. These are, for example, ultrasonic sensors collectively forming respective ultrasonic sensor arrays. The groups 122, 124 are designed to detect obstacles 300 (see FIG. 2 or FIG. 3) in areas 102, 104 located in front of and behind the vehicle 100. Each of the areas 102, 104 extends to a certain extent laterally around the vehicle 100, for example up to the front and rear axles of the vehicle 100. The arrangement of the ultrasonic sensors 120 in the groups 122 and 124 is known and is used in particular for parking assistance systems, for example to warn the driver of obstacles in front of or behind the vehicle and / or their distance from the vehicle, and / or to provide autonomous parking functions.

[0051] However, the areas 102, 104 detected by the known groups 122, 124 are at a large distance from each other to the sides of the vehicle 100, resulting in large areas on both sides of the vehicle that are not detected by these groups 122, 124. Therefore, two further groups 126, 128 of environmental sensors 120 are provided in order to also detect obstacles 300 present in the respective lateral areas 106, 108, whose detection ranges 106 and 108 in particular fill the gap between the detection ranges 102 and 104. Thus, all the detection ranges 102, 104, 106 and 108 together form an enclosed area, in particular around the vehicle 100.

[0052] It should be noted that a single environmental sensor 120, e.g., a single radar sensor, a single lidar sensor, or a single 3D camera, may be provided instead of each group 122, 124, 126, 128. Also, several further environmental sensors 120 and / or groups 122, 124, 126, 128 can be replaced with a corresponding single environmental sensor 120, if the single environmental sensor 120 has an appropriately large detection range. For example, a single radar or lidar sensor located on the roof of the vehicle 100 may be sufficient to detect the enclosed area around the vehicle 100.

[0053] Additionally, the automobile 100 may include various additional sensor devices, such as wheel speed sensors, wheel angle sensors, microphones, acceleration sensors, antennas with associated receivers for receiving electromagnetically transmittable data signals, and the like.

[0054] The parking assistance system 110 has a form as shown in Fig. 5, for example, and is designed to execute the method of Fig. 6. Advantages of the parking assistance system 110 will be described below with reference to Figs.

[0055] Figure 2 shows a schematic representation of a first traffic situation. On the sides of a road 200, parking spaces 210 are arranged, positioned vertically. On both sides of the vehicle 100, for example in Figure 1, there are obstacles 300. In this example, these are other parked vehicles 300. The side areas 106, 108 therefore contain obstacles 300 which are detected by the respective number of environmental sensors 126, 128 (see Figure 1).

[0056] To unpark the vehicle 100 in this situation, it must first move forward from the parking space to avoid a collision with the adjacently parked vehicle 300. As an example, a corresponding trajectory TR is shown, which is planned or determined by the parking assistance system 110 (see FIG. 1 or FIG. 5) based on the received sensor signals. The dashed lines I-IV show the respective trajectories along which each wheel of the vehicle 100 follows when the vehicle 100 moves out of the parking space according to the trajectory TR. Line I corresponds to the left front wheel, line II to the left rear wheel, line III to the right front wheel and line IV to the right rear wheel. It can be seen that in this case the lateral area 108 is essentially not crossed, but the vehicle 100 clearly enters the oncoming lane (in case of right-hand traffic).

[0057] FIG. 3 shows a second traffic situation similar to that shown in FIG. 2, but with no other vehicle 300 parked to the right of the vehicle 100. Thus, no obstacle 300 is present in the side area 108 adjacent to the vehicle 100. This is determined by the parking assistance system 110 based on a sensor signal indicating the right side area 108 of the vehicle 100. The parking assistance system 110 (see FIG. 1 or FIG. 5) can therefore plan or determine a trajectory TR for unparking the vehicle 100, such that the vehicle 100 crosses the side area 108 when unparking. This is shown by the dashed lines I-IV, which indicate the respective trajectories along which each wheel of the vehicle 100 passes. The relationship between the lines and the wheels is as explained with reference to FIG. 2. In particular, the vehicle 100 can turn away from a standstill, which means that the right rear wheel passes through the side area 108. It can also be said that the trajectory TR passes through the side area 108. On this trajectory TR, the vehicle 100 advantageously does not enter the oncoming lane, making the unparking maneuver safer.

[0058] It should be noted that a conventional parking assistance system, which does not receive a sensor signal based on whether an obstacle 300 is detected on the side of the vehicle 100, would still have to plan the trajectory TR depicted with reference to Figure 2 in this situation to ensure that the side area 108 is not crossed, since the conventional parking assistance system would not know if an obstacle 300 is not present in the side area 108 due to the lack of a suitable sensor signal.

[0059] FIG. 4 shows a schematic side view of a vehicle 100 with a parking assistance system 110. The parking assistance system 110 is, for example, in the form of FIG. 5 and is designed to carry out the method of FIG. 6. For example, the left side of the vehicle is shown. The vehicle 100 has two doors (not numbered). On each door is arranged a respective group 131, 132, which includes, for example, three ultrasonic sensors shown as black dots. Each group 131, 132 is designed to detect an obstacle 300 (see FIG. 2 or FIG. 3) in a corresponding lateral area 106, 108 (see FIG. 1 to FIG. 3) of the vehicle 100. The ultrasonic sensors 131, 132 may be arranged visibly or invisibly on the vehicle 100. The triangular arrangement shown here makes it possible to determine the height of the obstacle 300 using trilateration, so that, for example, a curb can be distinguished from a larger obstacle.

[0060] A further environmental sensor 133 is further shown in the upper region of the B-pillar of the vehicle 100, for example a radar or lidar sensor. This single sensor 133 may be sufficient to completely cover the left side region 106 (see FIG. 1 ) of the vehicle 100, meaning that it can be used for example as a replacement for the groups 131, 132. In other words, for example only the sensor 133 may be present and the groups 131, 132 can be omitted without resulting in functional limitations.

[0061] FIG. 5 shows a schematic block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a parking assistance system 110 for the vehicle 100 of, for example, FIGS. 1-4. The parking assistance system 110 is designed for autonomous control of the vehicle 100. The parking assistance system 110 includes a receiver 112 for receiving a plurality of sensor signals from a corresponding plurality of environmental sensors 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 131, 132, 133 (see FIGS. 1 and 4) arranged on the vehicle, each sensor signal indicating an obstacle 300 (see FIG. 2 or FIG. 3) arranged in a specific region 102, 104, 106, 108 (see FIGS. 1-3) in an area surrounding the vehicle 100, a first number of sensor signals indicating a first side region 106 of the vehicle 100 and a second number of sensor signals indicating a second side region 108 of the vehicle 100 opposite to the first side region 106.

[0062] The parking assistance system 110 also includes a detection unit 114 that determines whether an obstacle 300 is present in the first and / or second lateral regions 106, 108 based on the strength of the received first and / or second number of sensor signals, a determination unit 116 that determines a trajectory TR (see Figure 2 or Figure 3) of the vehicle 100 passing through the first or second lateral region 106, 108 if no obstacle 300 is found in the respective lateral region 106, 108, and a control unit 118 that starts autonomous movement along the determined trajectory TR.

[0063] The parking assistance system 110 is designed to carry out the method described with reference to FIG.

[0064] FIG. 6 shows a schematic block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a method for operating a parking assistance system 110 (see FIGS. 1-4) for a vehicle 100, such as the parking assistance system 110 of FIG. 1 or FIG. 5. The parking assistance system 110 is designed for autonomous control of the vehicle 100. A first step S1 includes receiving a number of sensor signals from a corresponding number of environmental sensors 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 131, 132, 133 (see FIG. 1 or FIG. 4) arranged on the vehicle, each sensor signal indicating an obstacle 300 (see FIG. 2 or FIG. 3) arranged in a specific region 102, 104, 106, 108 (see FIGS. 1-3) in an area surrounding the vehicle 100, a first number of sensor signals indicating a first lateral region 106 of the vehicle 100 and a second number of sensor signals indicating a second lateral region 108 of the vehicle 100 opposite the first lateral region 106. A second step S2 includes determining whether there is an obstacle 300 in the first and / or second lateral regions 106, 108 based on the strength of the received first and / or second number of sensor signals. A third step S3 includes determining a trajectory TR (see FIG. 2 or FIG. 3) of the vehicle 100 passing through the first or second lateral region 106, 108 if there is no obstacle 300 in the respective lateral region 106, 108, and a fourth step S4 includes starting autonomous movement along the determined trajectory TR.

[0065] Although the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, the invention can be varied in many different ways. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 100 vehicles 102 areas 104 areas 106 areas 108 areas 110 Parking Assistance System 112 Receiving unit 114 Detection unit 116 Decision Section 118 Control Unit 120 Environmental Sensor 122 Multiple Environmental Sensors 124 Multiple Environmental Sensors 126 Multiple Environmental Sensors 128 Multiple Environmental Sensors 131 Multiple Environmental Sensors 132 Multiple Environmental Sensors 133 Multiple Environmental Sensors 200 road 210 Parking spaces 300 Obstacles I trajectory II Trajectory III Trajectory IV Trajectory S1 Method step S2 Method step S3 Method step S4 Method step TR orbit

Claims

1. A method of operating a parking assistance system (110) for a vehicle (100), the parking assistance system (110) being designed for autonomous control of the vehicle (100), the method comprising: receiving (S1) a plurality of sensor signals from a corresponding plurality of environmental sensors (120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 131, 132, 133) disposed on the vehicle (100), each of the sensor signals being indicative of an obstacle (300) disposed in a particular region (102, 104, 106, 108) within an area surrounding the vehicle (100), a first number of the sensor signals being indicative of a first lateral region (106) of the vehicle (100) and a second number of the sensor signals being indicative of a second lateral region (108) of the vehicle (100) opposite the first lateral region (106); determining (S2) whether an obstacle (300) is present in the first and / or second lateral regions (106, 108) based on the strength of the received first and / or second number of sensor signals; determining (S3) a trajectory (TR) of the vehicle (100) passing through the first or second lateral region (106, 108) when it is determined that there is no obstacle (300) in each of the lateral regions (106, 108); A step (S4) of starting autonomous movement along the determined trajectory (TR); A method comprising:

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of identified regions (102, 104, 106, 108) form a substantially enclosed area around the vehicle (100).

3. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each of the first and / or second number of sensor signals comprises at least three ultrasonic sensor signals.

4. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and / or second number of sensor signals comprises at least one radar sensor signal, a lidar sensor signal and / or a camera sensor signal.

5. 5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the environmental sensors (126, 128, 131, 132, 133) from which the first and second number of sensor signals are received are only activated if the speed of the vehicle (100) is below a predefined upper speed limit, the upper speed limit being selected in the range of 2 to 60 km / h, in particular 3 to 30 km / h, preferably 10 km / h, preferably 7 km / h, more preferably 5 km / h.

6. 6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method is executed for autonomously unparking the vehicle (100), and the determined trajectory (TR) connects a parked position of the vehicle (100) and a driving position of the vehicle (100).

7. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the vehicle (100) is stationary for longer than a predetermined minimum period before the method is executed.

8. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first number and the second number of received sensor signals are further used to determine whether an obstacle (300) is present in a pivot area of ​​a door of the vehicle (100), and a predetermined action is performed if an obstacle (300) is found in the pivot area.

9. A computer program product comprising instructions that, when said program is executed by a computer, cause said computer to carry out the method of any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A parking assistance system (110) for a vehicle (100), said parking assistance system (110) being designed for autonomous control of said vehicle (100), a receiver (112) for receiving a plurality of sensor signals from a corresponding plurality of environmental sensors (120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 131, 132, 133) disposed on the vehicle (100), each of the sensor signals being indicative of an obstacle (300) disposed in a particular region (102, 104, 106, 108) within an area surrounding the vehicle (100), a first number of the sensor signals being indicative of a first lateral region (106) of the vehicle (100) and a second number of the sensor signals being indicative of a second lateral region (108) of the vehicle (100) opposite the first lateral region (106); a detection unit (114) for determining whether an obstacle (300) is present in the first and / or second side regions (106, 108) based on the strength of the received first and / or second number of sensor signals; a determination unit (116) for determining a trajectory (TR) of the vehicle (100) passing through the first or second lateral region (106, 108) if no obstacle (300) is found in the respective lateral region (106, 108); A control unit (118) that starts autonomous movement along the determined trajectory (TR); A parking assistance system (110).

11. A vehicle (100), a plurality of environmental sensors (120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 131, 132, 133), each of which is designed to detect an obstacle (300) located in a specific region (102, 104, 106, 108) of an area surrounding the vehicle (100) and output a corresponding sensor signal; a plurality of environmental sensors (120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 131, 132, 133), one of the environmental sensors (126) designed to detect a first side region (106) of the vehicle (100) and a second of the environmental sensors (128) designed to detect a second side region (108) of the vehicle (100) opposite the first side region (106); A vehicle (100) comprising a parking assistance system (110) according to claim 10.

12. 12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the plurality of environmental sensors (120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 131, 132, 133) comprises one or more ultrasonic sensors, one or more radar sensors, one or more lidar sensors, and / or one or more cameras.

13. 13. The vehicle according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that at least one of the first and second number of environmental sensors (120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 131, 132, 133) is arranged on a vehicle side of the vehicle (100) corresponding to each of the lateral regions (106, 108).

14. 14. The vehicle according to claim 13, characterized in that each of the at least one environmental sensor (120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 131, 132, 133) is arranged in a portion of the vehicle side between a front axle of the vehicle (100) and a rear axle of the vehicle (100).

15. 15. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein each of the first and second numbers of environmental sensors (120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 131, 132, 133) comprises at least three ultrasonic sensors (131, 132), each of the three ultrasonic sensors (131, 132) being arranged on a vehicle side corresponding to each of the lateral regions so as to define a plane.

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