Automatic Parking Exit Control via Dynamic Angle Thresholds

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Solution Overview

Problem

Automatic parking devices struggle to efficiently exit a vehicle from difficult situations caused by changes in slope, road surface conditions, or unexpected obstacles, leading to potential contact with obstacles and inefficiencies in parking control.

Innovation Solution

An automatic parking device with a parking control unit that performs automatic forward, reverse, and stop movements, setting stop and exit conditions based on exit angles and continuation distances to facilitate safe exit and resumption of parking control.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the automatic parking device calculates a route with minimal distance to obstacles to maximize parking efficiency, then productivity is improved, but the risk of contact between the vehicle and obstacles increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveparking efficiencyVSAvoidrisk of contact with obstacles
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection of obstacles and pre-calculates exit routes before the vehicle enters the difficult situation. The detection unit identifies obstacles in advance, and the control unit prepares multiple candidate routes including exit routes, so that when a difficult situation is detected, the vehicle can immediately execute a pre-planned safe exit without delay.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the automatic parking device stops the vehicle when encountering unexpected obstacles to ensure safety, then reliability is improved, but the ability to efficiently exit the difficult situation deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesafetyVSAvoidexit efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The control unit dynamically switches between different control modes based on the situation. When no difficult situation is detected, the system operates in normal automatic parking mode. When a difficult situation is detected, it dynamically transitions to exit control mode, automatically selecting and executing the most appropriate exit route from multiple candidates based on real-time obstacle detection and vehicle state.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The detection unit continuously monitors the environment and provides real-time feedback to the control unit about obstacles and vehicle state. This feedback loop enables the system to detect difficult situations promptly and automatically adjust the control strategy, switching from parking control to exit control and selecting appropriate exit routes based on current conditions rather than following a predetermined sequence.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Device complexity

If the automatic parking device follows a predetermined exit procedure to simplify control, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to different difficult situations deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol complexityVSAvoidadaptability to different situations
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The control unit is designed with multi-functionality to handle both normal automatic parking control and various exit control scenarios using a unified control architecture. The same control unit that manages normal parking operations also manages exit control, selecting from multiple candidate routes based on detected situations. This universal approach allows the system to adapt to different difficult situations without requiring separate dedicated control systems for each scenario.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4052996A1Automatic parking device
Publication Date: 2022.09.07 SUZUKI MOTOR CORP
  • EP4052996A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4052996A1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4052996A1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

[Problem to be Solved] To efficiently exit a vehicle from a difficult situation and improve the efficiency of performing parking control for parking the vehicle in a parking area. [Solution] An automatic parking device of the present invention includes a parking control unit for executing parking control for parking a vehicle in a parking area, and the parking control unit executes automatic stop when a stop condition is satisfied and executes exit control so that an exit condition is satisfied. The stop condition is set based on a situation in which the parking control is hindered, and the exit condition is set based on an exit-sufficient state in which an exit angle which is an angle formed between a first unit vector which is along a central axis line in the width direction of the vehicle and is oriented to the traveling direction along which the vehicle traveled on a front-side road R before execution of the parking control, and a second unit vector which is oriented to the front side of the vehicle along the central axis line of the vehicle during execution of the exit control is within an acute-angle exit range between 0 degrees to an exit angle reference value or within an obtuse-angle exit range between (180 degrees - the exit angle reference value) to 180 degrees, and the exit angle reference value is set to be greater as the width of the front-side road is greater.