Perpendicular Parking Guidance Using a Blocking Line for Safe Corrections

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing parking assistance systems struggle to reliably prevent collisions during perpendicular parking by ensuring the vehicle remains visible to following traffic, as they rely on complex and unreliable line-of-sight determinations and reference points that vary with vehicle design and parking direction, leading to potential collisions due to unexpected maneuvers.

Innovation Solution

A method that defines a blocking line through the vehicle, independent of surrounding vehicles, to ensure the traffic space is kept clear until no further corrective maneuvers are required, using a computer-implemented system to manage automatic lateral and longitudinal guidance, issuing signals or warnings to drivers to ensure safe parking.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If the vehicle enters the perpendicular parking space deeply to complete the parking maneuver, then the parking position is reached, but the driver's view of following traffic is obstructed and collision risk increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveparking position accuracyVSAvoidcollision risk from following traffic
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system determines in advance whether corrective maneuvers are required by analyzing the trajectory before execution. If corrective maneuvers are needed, the system prevents the vehicle from entering the parking space deeply in the first place, thereby avoiding the dangerous situation before it arises. This preliminary assessment and preventive action resolve the contradiction by ensuring parking position accuracy is achieved without creating obstruction scenarios.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the line of sight is used to determine vehicle position relative to following traffic, then visibility is maintained, but the determination becomes complex and computationally intensive

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevisibility to following trafficVSAvoidcomputational complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the essential safety requirement from the complex line-of-sight concept and reduces it to a simple binary determination: does the trajectory require corrective maneuvers? This extraction eliminates the need for complex computational geometry calculations while maintaining the safety function. The system only needs to assess whether the vehicle will need to re-enter traffic, which is a straightforward logical check rather than a complex visual obstruction calculation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Manufacturing precision

If the vehicle performs corrective maneuvers to reach the parking position, then accurate parking is achieved, but following traffic may accelerate and cause collision

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveparking position accuracyVSAvoidfollowing traffic speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies preliminary anti-action by preventing the creation of dangerous situations before they occur. Instead of reacting to following traffic acceleration after it happens, the system proactively determines whether corrective maneuvers are required and prevents deep entry into the parking space if corrections are needed. This anticipatory prevention counteracts the potential harmful effect of following traffic acceleration before the conflict arises.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Data Source

PatentEP4177137B1Method for supporting a parking procedure, parking assistance system and computer program
Publication Date: 2025.12.10 FORD GLOBAL TECH LLC
  • EP4177137B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4177137B1 patent drawingFigure 2a~2c
  • EP4177137B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A computer-implemented method 100 for supporting a parking operation of a vehicle 1 from a starting position A to a parking position B in a perpendicular parking space 2 is specified.Procedure 100 comprises the following steps: S1: Determining a trajectory 3 for a movement of vehicle 1 into parking position B with at least one parking maneuver 22, S2: Checking whether the trajectory 3 provides for one or more correction maneuvers 4, S3: Defining a straight blocking line 5 running longitudinally through vehicle 1 positioned in the initial position A, if the trajectory 3 provides for one or more correction maneuvers 4, S4: Checking whether the blocking line 5 will be released before vehicle 1 executes the last parking maneuver 22 during a preceding parking maneuver 22 and a preceding correction maneuver 4, and if vehicle 1 executes the last parking maneuver 22 during a preceding parking maneuver 22 and/or a preceding correction maneuver 4, S5: Outputting a signal 6.In addition, a parking assistance system 200 for supporting a parking process of a vehicle 1 and a computer program are specified.