Autonomous Parking Camera Range Sensor Localization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current autonomous vehicle systems face challenges in accurately locating and parking in vacant spaces, especially when adjacent spaces are occupied, as range sensors struggle to detect parking spaces without adjacent vehicles.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a combination of cameras, range sensors, and GPS receivers to detect parking lines, localize the vehicle, determine occupancy states of parking spaces, and calculate errors in position to autonomously park in a selected empty space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If range sensors are used to detect parking spaces, then the vehicle can autonomously park when adjacent spaces are occupied, but the system fails to locate parking spaces when adjacent spaces are empty
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines camera-based detection with range sensor detection to create a hybrid system. The camera captures images of the parking lot to identify parking spaces by detecting parking lines, while range sensors detect objects in physical proximity. This merging of detection methods allows the system to reliably identify parking spaces regardless of whether adjacent spaces are occupied or empty, resolving the contradiction between autonomous parking capability and parking space detection versatility.
2Measurement precision
If camera-based detection is added to identify parking spaces, then the system can locate vacant spaces with high precision, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera system serves multiple functions: it detects parking lines to identify parking spaces, captures images for processing to determine space occupancy, and works in conjunction with range sensors to provide comprehensive detection. This multi-functionality allows the camera to contribute to both parking space identification and occupancy detection, justifying the added complexity by delivering enhanced measurement precision for parking space location.
3Measurement precision
If the system processes images to detect parking lines and calculate positions, then accurate parking space identification is achieved, but the processing time and computational load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary image processing to detect parking lines and identify parking spaces before the vehicle begins its autonomous parking maneuver. By pre-processing the visual data to establish the parking lot layout and available spaces, the system reduces the computational burden during the actual parking execution, thereby maintaining high position accuracy while minimizing the time loss during the critical parking operation.
Data Source
AI summary
Camera-based autonomous parking is disclosed. An autonomous parking procedure can include detecting parking lines in images captured by a camera on a vehicle. The vehicle can be localized with respect to the parking lines based on location data for the vehicle from a GPS receiver and a location determination for the vehicle based on detected ends of the parking lines. The vehicle can further determine an occupancy state of one or more parking spaces formed by the two or more parking lines using a range sensor on the vehicle and select an empty space. A region of interest including the selected space can be identified and one or more parking lines of the selected space can be detected in an image of the region of interest. The vehicle can autonomously move to reduce errors between the location of the vehicle and the final parking position within the selected space.