Autonomous Vehicle Parking Without External Infrastructure

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing autonomous valet parking systems require costly and complex external processing units for vehicle navigation, making them impractical for retrofitting in existing parking areas and limiting their functionality.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle operates autonomously within a parking lot without external support, using in-vehicle sensors and processing to navigate, search for parking spaces, and manage parking processes independently, eliminating the need for external data transmission and processing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a vehicle-external processing unit is used to calculate trajectories and transmit data to the vehicle, then the autonomous parking function can be implemented, but the system becomes expensive and difficult to retrofit into existing parking areas

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautonomous parking functionalityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the processing unit from the external infrastructure and relocates it to the vehicle itself. The vehicle now carries its own processing unit that receives sensor data from external sensors and independently calculates trajectories, eliminating the need for expensive external processing infrastructure while maintaining autonomous parking functionality

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The vehicle performs its own navigation and parking tasks using its own processing unit and sensor data, without relying on external processing support. The vehicle autonomously calculates trajectories and executes parking maneuvers independently, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating infrastructure dependencies

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Adaptability or versatility

If the vehicle searches for parking spaces in all directions including against oncoming traffic, then more parking options are available, but collision risk increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveparking space optionsVSAvoidcollision risk
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different search strategies to different spatial zones. The vehicle prioritizes searching for parking spaces in the direction of travel (lower risk zone) and only searches against oncoming traffic (higher risk zone) when necessary and safe, creating a risk-differentiated search pattern that balances parking options with collision avoidance

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3256365B1Method to operate a vehicle
Publication Date: 2019.07.24 ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
  • EP3256365B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for operating a vehicle, said vehicle traveling autonomously in a car park from a start position to a target position without the support of a vehicle-external processing system. The invention further relates to a corresponding vehicle and to a computer program.