Parking Assist Lot Recognition via Ground Entrance Feature Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle parking assist systems struggle to autonomously park vehicles in parking lots where the surrounding conditions have changed since the initial registration of feature points, such as changes in inclination, lighting, or movement of objects, leading to inaccurate identification of registered feature points.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle parking assist apparatus equipped with multiple cameras and an electronic control unit that acquires and compares feature points from the ground in the parking lot, registering entrance feature points to determine if the vehicle is in a registered parking area, even if surrounding conditions have changed, by using information on luminance patterns and position relative to a predetermined position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If feature points of standing objects are registered for parking lot identification, then the system can autonomously park in the same parking lot, but the identification accuracy deteriorates when surrounding conditions change (inclination, lighting, object movement)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the type of feature points from standing objects to ground features. Ground features are more stable and less susceptible to environmental changes like lighting, inclination, and object movement. The ECU acquires camera images and extracts feature points from the ground area in the parking lot, which maintains consistent characteristics across different parking conditions, thereby resolving the reliability issue while preserving autonomous parking capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses ground features as temporary, easily acquirable markers for parking lot identification. Instead of relying on permanent standing objects that may change or move, the system uses the ground surface itself as a disposable feature set that can be重新acquired and compared without long-term stability requirements, enabling robust identification under varying conditions
2Duration of action of moving object
If feature points are registered in one time condition (morning/daytime) and used for parking in different conditions (afternoon/night-time), then the system can operate across different times, but the identification accuracy deteriorates due to sunlight variation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the feature extraction target from standing objects affected by lighting to ground features. Ground features exhibit consistent luminance patterns and textures regardless of sunlight conditions, time of day, or seasonal changes. The ECU compares luminance patterns of ground feature points between registration and execution phases, enabling accurate identification across extended time ranges without degradation from lighting variations
3Adaptability or versatility
If the vehicle inclination changes between feature point registration and autonomous parking, then the system can adapt to different parking positions, but the feature point identification accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the reference from standing objects to ground features. Ground features provide a stable reference frame that is independent of vehicle inclination. The ECU acquires camera images at different inclination angles and extracts ground feature points, then compares their luminance patterns and relative positions. Since ground features remain fixed regardless of vehicle tilt, the system maintains high detection accuracy while adapting to various parking positions
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle parking assist apparatus acquires a camera image when the vehicle stops by a non-determined parking lot and acquires feature points of a ground of an entrance of the non-determined parking lot as non-compared entrance feature points from the camera image. The vehicle parking assist apparatus determines whether the non-determined parking lot is a registered parking lot by comparing information on the non-compared entrance feature points with registered entrance feature point information. The vehicle parking assist apparatus executes a parking assist control with using the currently-acquired parking lot information and the registered parking lot information when the vehicle parking assist apparatus determines that the non-determined parking lot is the registered parking lot.