Vehicle Control Switching for Seamless Autonomous Parking

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional vehicle control systems require users to manually intervene by holding the steering wheel or steering during the transition from autonomous driving to automatic parking, which is burdensome.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle control apparatus that seamlessly transitions from autonomous driving to automatic parking without user intervention, allowing the vehicle to be parked directly into a pre-registered parking space, with the option to switch to manual driving if desired.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the vehicle hands over driving to the user when reaching the destination, then the user can manually park the vehicle, but the user needs to hold and steer the steering wheel which is burdensome

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of parking operationVSAvoidtime for manual steering operations
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the autonomous driving function with the automatic parking function into a single integrated control system. When the destination coincides with a registered parking position, the system automatically transitions from autonomous driving to automatic parking without requiring user intervention, thereby eliminating the burden of manual steering operations while maintaining seamless vehicle control.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary registration of parking positions in advance. When the autonomous driving destination matches a pre-registered parking position, the system is already prepared to execute automatic parking, eliminating the need for manual intervention during the transition and reducing operational time for the user.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If the vehicle requires manual driving intervention between autonomous driving and automatic parking, then the user can control the vehicle, but the operation becomes complex and burdensome

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveflexibility of driving mode switchingVSAvoidcomplexity of driving state transition
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The control system merges autonomous driving and automatic parking functions into a unified system that can automatically determine when to transition between modes. By comparing the autonomous driving destination with registered parking positions, the system intelligently decides whether to switch to automatic parking or hand over to manual driving, reducing operational complexity while maintaining flexibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts the driving mode based on real-time conditions. When the destination matches a registered parking position, it automatically transitions to automatic parking mode; otherwise, it hands over to manual driving mode. This dynamic adaptation simplifies the user experience while maintaining system versatility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Ease of operation

If the vehicle directly switches from autonomous driving to automatic parking without user intervention, then the operation is simplified, but the system must accurately determine when switching is appropriate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of driving mode transitionVSAvoiddetection of destination and parking position matching
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary registration of parking positions with specific identification information before autonomous driving begins. During autonomous driving, the system compares the destination with these pre-registered positions to determine if they coincide, enabling automatic transition decisions without complex real-time analysis.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses feedback from comparing the autonomous driving destination with registered parking positions to automatically determine whether to switch to automatic parking mode. This feedback mechanism simplifies the transition decision process while ensuring accurate detection of matching conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP4606666A1Vehicle control apparatus, vehicle control method, and non-transitory storage medium storing program thereof
Publication Date: 2025.08.27 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
  • EP4606666A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4606666A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4606666A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A vehicle control apparatus comprises a controller (20,30) configured to be capable of: performing an automatic parking to move and park a vehicle into a registered target parking space corresponding to a registered parking position that has been registered in advance from a position in the vicinity of the registered target parking space; and performing an autonomous driving to autonomously move the vehicle to a destination. The controller (20,30) is configured to, when the destination coincides with a position that is the same as the registered parking position, directly switch a driving state of the vehicle to a state where the automatic parking is executed from a state where the autonomous driving is being executed without handing over the driving state of the vehicle to a user of the vehicle, to park the vehicle into the registered target parking space by the automatic parking.