Trailer Parking Path Tracking for Tight-Space Autonomous Maneuvering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional autonomous parking systems face difficulties in parking trailers due to the large radius of turn required, making it challenging to maneuver them into standard parking spaces.
Innovation Solution
A parking system and method that records and stores the trailer's location and direction, allowing for autonomous parking by comparing the stored data with real-time measurements to minimize differences between desired and current positions, using a hitch-angle detection unit, GPS/visual odometry, and a trailer-pose estimation unit to guide the vehicle and trailer into a parking space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional autonomous parking systems use only steering for turning control, then the system is simple to operate, but the radius of turn becomes large making autonomous parking impossible in standard parking spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the turning radius adjustable rather than fixed. The system dynamically changes the turning radius based on parking space conditions and trailer characteristics, allowing small turning radii for tight spaces while maintaining simple steering operation. This is achieved through real-time adjustment of steering angles and timing during the parking maneuver.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the turning parameter (radius) by adjusting steering control characteristics. Instead of using a fixed large turning radius, the system modifies steering angles, steering rate, and steering duration to achieve variable effective turning radii, enabling parking in both wide and narrow spaces while keeping the control system relatively simple.
2Manufacturing precision
If the system records detailed parking processes including location and direction, then parking precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves multi-functionality by using a single processing unit that performs multiple tasks: recording parking processes, tracking trailer location and direction, comparing recorded data with real-time measurements, calculating positioning errors, and controlling vehicle movement. This consolidates what would otherwise require separate complex subsystems into one universal processing unit, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses copying by recording the parking process trajectory in advance and then replaying/replicating this recorded path during autonomous parking. The processing unit stores reference location and direction data, then compares real-time sensor measurements against this copied reference path, enabling precise tracking without requiring complex real-time calculation algorithms.
3Manufacturing precision
If the system continuously monitors and compares trailer position with recorded path, then parking accuracy is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic action by updating the trailer position measurement and comparison at discrete time intervals rather than continuously. The processing unit periodically reads sensor data, compares it with the recorded parking path, calculates positioning errors, and adjusts control signals at regular intervals, reducing computational load and energy consumption while maintaining sufficient positioning accuracy for safe parking operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A parking method includes searching a moving path of a trailer, giving a movement instruction to a vehicle, based on the moving path of the trailer, measuring one or both of a current location of the trailer and a current direction of the trailer according to the movement instruction, comparing one or both of a desired location of the trailer and a desired direction of the trailer in the moving path of the trailer with one or both of the current location of the trailer and the current direction of the trailer; and moving the trailer to a parking space, based on a result of the comparing.