Dynamic Orientation Field for Adaptive Vehicle Parking

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing semi-automatic parking systems fail to adapt the parking path to the vehicle's speed and changes in its environment, leading to inaccuracies in parking space utilization and potential collisions with obstacles.

Innovation Solution

A method and device that utilize an orientation field composed of two sub-fields to dynamically adjust the steering angle based on the vehicle's position and environment, allowing flexible control and collision avoidance by recalculating the parking path in real-time.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a fixed parking path is calculated before the parking process begins, then the parking maneuver can be executed with predetermined steering angles, but the system cannot adapt to changes in vehicle speed or environmental conditions during parking

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveparking accuracyVSAvoidadaptability to speed and environment
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transforms the static parking path into a dynamic orientation field that adapts in real-time. Instead of following a predetermined path, the system continuously calculates target orientations based on current vehicle position, speed, and environmental conditions. The orientation field is dynamically updated during the parking maneuver, allowing the vehicle to adjust its steering angles adaptively while maintaining reliable parking accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements continuous feedback by monitoring the vehicle's actual position and orientation during the parking process. The control device compares the current vehicle state with the target orientation field and adjusts the steering angles accordingly. This closed-loop control ensures that the vehicle adapts to changes in speed and environment while maintaining accurate parking execution.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Adaptability or versatility

If the parking path is recalculated in real-time to adapt to environmental changes, then the system can avoid obstacles and adjust to speed changes, but the computational complexity and processing time increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereal-time adaptationVSAvoidcontrol system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the parking space into a grid of discrete location points, each with an associated target orientation. This segmentation transforms the continuous path planning problem into a discrete lookup process. During real-time operation, the system simply identifies the current location point and retrieves the corresponding target orientation, significantly reducing computational complexity while maintaining real-time adaptability to environmental changes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary calculation of the orientation field for all possible location points before the parking maneuver begins. This pre-computation stores the target orientations in advance, so that during the actual parking process, the system only needs to lookup and follow the pre-calculated orientations based on current position, rather than performing complex real-time path planning calculations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Device complexity

If the orientation field uses a single sub-field for the entire parking space, then the structure is simpler, but it cannot properly handle the transition from the approach area to the parking space while avoiding corner collisions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveorientation field structureVSAvoidcollision avoidance
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the orientation field into two distinct sub-fields: a first sub-field for the parking space and a second sub-field for the approach area. This segmentation allows each sub-field to be optimized for its specific function - the first sub-field ensures proper alignment within the parking space, while the second sub-field guides the vehicle into the parking space while avoiding corner collisions during the transition phase.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The second orientation sub-field acts as an intermediary between the vehicle's approach path and the final parking position. It provides a transition zone with specific target orientations that guide the vehicle safely into the parking space, mediating the transition from the approach area to the parking space while preventing collisions with corners that would occur with a single unified field.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP2125472B1Semiautomatic parking machine
Publication Date: 2012.07.11 VODAFONE AUTOMOTIVE
  • EP2125472B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP2125472B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5
  • EP2125472B1 patent drawingFigure 6~7

AI summary

The invention relates to a device (20) and a method for controlling the steering of a vehicle (2) during a parking maneuver. To this end first the parking spot (15) selected for parking the vehicle (2) is surveyed. Based on said survey, an orientation field is prepared, which defines a target orientation for a plurality of positioning points inside the selected parking spot (15) and in the surroundings of the parking spot, the vehicle being guided along these points from any arbitrary point inside the orientation field to the target point of the parking maneuver. The control of the vehicle (2) occurs by comparing the respective current orientation thereof to the target orientation specified for the respective position in the orientation field and by an appropriate adjustment of the steering angle by the vehicle orientation to said target orientation.