Parking Space Detection Using Adjacent Vehicle Length
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing parking space detection methods fail to accurately detect empty parking spaces when the detection of white lines is difficult, leading to erroneous parking state determination.
Innovation Solution
The method employs cameras and a ranging device to capture images and detect the length of parked vehicles adjacent to the target parking space, determining the parking state based on the length of the vehicle's side surface, allowing for accurate detection even when white lines are not visible.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If white line detection is used to determine parking space status, then the detection method is simple, but the detection accuracy deteriorates when white lines are not visible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the parked vehicle in the far-side adjacent parking space as an intermediary object to infer the status of the determination target parking space. By detecting the length of the parked vehicle's side surface, the system indirectly determines whether the target parking space is empty or occupied, bypassing the need to directly detect white lines that may be invisible.
2Device complexity
If white line detection is used, then the detection system is simple, but reliability deteriorates in difficult detection conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The parked vehicle serves as a reliable intermediary indicator. Its side surface length provides consistent and reliable information about the target parking space status, regardless of lighting conditions, camera angles, or white line visibility. This intermediary approach significantly improves detection reliability.
3Measurement precision
If the length of parked vehicle is used to detect empty parking space, then detection accuracy improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The image capture means and ranging device are used for multiple purposes: detecting white lines, detecting parked vehicles, and measuring distances. By making these detection devices multi-functional, the system achieves improved accuracy without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the visual information and ranging data of the parked vehicle's side surface as a substitute (copy) for directly detecting the target parking space's white lines. This copying approach allows accurate inference of the target space status through the parked vehicle's characteristics.
Data Source
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AI summary
A parking space detection method is provided for detecting a parking space in an empty state from a captured image acquired by a camera (1) configured to capture an image of a parking lot. The method includes detecting a parked vehicle existing in a parking space (PL3) on the far side from the subject vehicle (V) and adjacent to a determination target parking space (PL2) for which the empty state is determined and measuring a lateral length of the parked vehicle on a surface located at the side of the determination target parking space (PL2). When the lateral length is a predetermined value or more, the determination target parking space (PL2) is detected as a parking space in the empty state.