Parking Assistance Device Dynamic Obstacle Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing parking assistance devices using ultrasonic sonar struggle to accurately detect the height of obstacles, leading to inappropriate parking guidance, as they assume all obstacles are of a tall stature, resulting in inefficient parking and potential contact with shorter obstacles like curbs.
Innovation Solution
A parking assistance device with an obstacle detection unit, separated distance determination unit, target position determination unit, and route calculation unit that assesses the positional relationships between obstacles to guide the vehicle to an appropriate parking position, determining the target position based on the distance between obstacles to avoid contact with both tall and short obstacles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a constant distance is always ensured for parking guidance assuming all obstacles are tall, then the vehicle avoids contact with tall obstacles, but the vehicle cannot park close to short obstacles like curbs, reducing parking efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the separation distance parameter dynamically based on obstacle height classification. Tall obstacles receive a larger predetermined separation distance for safety, while short obstacles allow a smaller separation distance for efficient parking, resolving the contradiction between contact avoidance and parking efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
Different separation distances are applied to different obstacle types (tall vs. short) based on their local characteristics. The system classifies obstacles by height and applies appropriate separation rules to each, enabling both contact avoidance for tall obstacles and efficient parking near short obstacles
2Device complexity
If ultrasonic sonar is used for obstacle detection, then the detection system is simple and low-cost, but the height of obstacles cannot be accurately detected, leading to inappropriate parking guidance
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary classification mechanism that infers obstacle height categories (tall/short) from ultrasonic detection data and positional relationships with other obstacles. This intermediary step enables height-based separation distance selection without requiring direct height measurement, maintaining system simplicity while improving guidance accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces direct mechanical/optical height measurement with an inference-based approach using ultrasonic time-of-flight data and spatial relationships. By substituting physical height measurement with computational inference from available sensor data, the system maintains low complexity while achieving functional equivalence
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate guidance for parking by distinguishing between obstacles of varying heights, allowing the vehicle to park closer to shorter obstacles without contact and maintaining a safe distance from taller ones, improving parking efficiency and safety.
Implementation Method 1
presence of an obstacle (an object) or a distance to the obstacle is detected by performing a detection of a reflected wave
Data Source
AI summary
A parking assistance device includes: an obstacle detection unit that detects an obstacle; a separated distance determination unit that determines a separated distance between the obstacles when a plurality of the obstacles are detected; a target position determination unit that determines a target position in a guidance route; a route calculation unit that calculates the guidance route; and a control unit that guides a vehicle in accordance with the guidance route, wherein, when a second obstacle is detected in a second direction orthogonal to a first direction in which one or plurality of first obstacles extends or are lined up while being separated from each other and at a position separated from the first direction, the separated distance determination unit determines the separated distance between the first and second obstacles.