Park-Assist Using Door Opening Angles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing park-assist systems fail to account for user-specific door opening angles and adjacent object constraints, leading to difficulties in parking vehicles where occupants may struggle to exit due to insufficient door opening space.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle park-assist system that uses door sensors, range-detection sensors, and a controller to determine preferred and permissible door opening angles based on occupant preferences and parking spot size, enabling autonomous parking only when the maximum door angle meets or exceeds the preferred angle, and providing alerts for intermediate angles to allow occupant selection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If park-assist systems use basic obstacle detection, then parking automation is achieved, but user-specific door opening requirements are not considered
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by determining the occupant's preferred door opening angle before the parking maneuver is executed. The controller stores this preference data and uses it to evaluate potential parking spots, ensuring the selected spot allows for adequate door opening. This preliminary assessment of user requirements integrates seamlessly into the automated parking workflow.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring door opening angles during actual use and comparing them against the stored preferred angle. This feedback loop allows the system to learn and adapt to the occupant's actual behavior patterns, refining the preferred angle determination over time and improving the selection of suitable parking spots.
2Productivity
If the system selects any available parking spot, then parking efficiency is maximized, but occupants may struggle to exit due to insufficient door opening space
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies parameter changes by introducing door opening angle as a critical evaluation parameter alongside traditional parking spot dimensions. The controller calculates the maximum achievable door opening angle for each potential spot and compares it against the occupant's preferred angle threshold. This additional parameter filtering ensures that only parking spots meeting both efficiency and accessibility criteria are selected.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements dynamics by making the parking spot selection criteria adaptive rather than static. The minimum acceptable door opening angle is not a fixed value but dynamically determined based on the occupant's stored preferences and potentially adjusted based on real-time conditions such as adjacent objects or vehicle configuration, allowing flexible optimization of both parking efficiency and exit accessibility.
3Ease of operation
If the system enforces a strict minimum door angle, then accessibility is ensured, but parking spot options are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial action by implementing a tiered alert system rather than a strict binary acceptance/rejection criterion. When a parking spot's maximum door opening angle falls between the preferred and minimum acceptable thresholds, the system generates an alert allowing the occupant to make an informed decision. This partial enforcement approach maintains accessibility standards while preserving some parking spot options that might still be acceptable under certain conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
Method and apparatus are disclosed for park-assist based on vehicle door open positions. An example vehicle includes a door, a door sensor, a range-detection sensor, and a controller. The controller is to determine, via the door sensor, a preferred angle of an occupant for opening the door and detect, via the range-detection sensor, a spot that is unoccupied. The controller also is to predict a maximum angle for opening the door within the spot. The example vehicle also includes an autonomy unit to perform park-assist into the spot responsive to the maximum angle equaling or exceeding the preferred angle.