Vehicle Parking Location Recording via Motion Sensor Context

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for recording a vehicle's parking location are inefficient due to the need for additional infrastructure installation and maintenance, and they often misidentify parking situations, leading to inaccurate location recording and increased costs.

Innovation Solution

A method using a user terminal connected to a vehicle via Bluetooth or USB, which employs GNSS, WiFi, and motion sensors to recognize contextual situations such as boarding, traveling, and off-boarding, and only records the parking location when the user has moved away from the vehicle, ensuring accurate identification and reducing reliance on weak GPS signals.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If sensors and servers are additionally installed in parking structures to provide parking space information, then parking location information can be obtained, but additional costs for installation and maintenance are incurred

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveparking location informationVSAvoidinstallation and maintenance costs
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The vehicle's own sensors (accelerometer, GPS, oxygen sensor) are utilized to detect parking conditions without requiring external infrastructure. The vehicle performs self-diagnosis to determine parking state, eliminating the need for additional sensors and servers in parking structures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

Existing vehicle sensors are made multi-functional by using them for both their original purposes and for detecting parking conditions. The accelerometer serves both motion detection and parking state determination, while GPS serves both navigation and location recording functions.

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

2Ease of operation

If only momentary situation (engine off, gear in P, parking brake set) is considered to determine parking, then determination is simple, but unusual situations are misdetermined as parking

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetermination simplicityVSAvoidparking situation accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection of vehicle state parameters (engine status, gear position, parking brake) before making a parking determination. This preliminary assessment is combined with subsequent analysis of sensor data over time to confirm the parking state, preventing premature or incorrect determination.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors sensor data and provides feedback to verify the parking state. By analyzing the pattern and duration of sensor readings (accelerometer, oxygen sensor, GPS), the system confirms whether the vehicle is truly parked or temporarily stationary, correcting misdeterminations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Extent of automation

If communication establishment and disconnection are used as main clues for determining parking, then automatic detection is achieved, but momentary entry cases are unnecessarily recorded as parking

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomatic detectionVSAvoidparking situation accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Extent of automationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the criteria for determining parking based on the duration and context of communication disconnection. Instead of using a fixed threshold, the system analyzes the temporal pattern of disconnection events and combines them with sensor data to dynamically determine whether a true parking event has occurred.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

Before recording a parking event based on communication disconnection, the system performs preliminary verification using other sensors (accelerometer, oxygen sensor, GPS) to confirm the vehicle state. This preliminary check prevents false recording of momentary entry/exit events as parking events.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

4Measurement precision

If GPS location information is used when signals are weakened, then location can be obtained, but location may be misdetermined to be completely different from actual location

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelocation informationVSAvoidlocation accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

When GPS signals are weak or unavailable, the system uses other sensors (accelerometer, oxygen sensor, barometer) as intermediary indicators to infer location and parking state. These sensors provide alternative measurement channels that can confirm or correct GPS-derived location information, preventing large location errors.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously cross-validates GPS location information with data from other sensors. When GPS signals are weak, the feedback from accelerometer, oxygen sensor, and barometer data helps detect inconsistencies and prevents the system from recording erroneous location information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3678112B1Method and device for recording parking location
Publication Date: 2024.12.04 LG ELECTRONICS INC
  • EP3678112B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3678112B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3678112B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The present disclosure relates to a method and device for recording a parking location of a vehicle more accurately at a more accurate time point by performing machine learning through situation recognition by the device. A method for recording parking according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes, when a communication is established between the terminal and the vehicle, recognizing that a user gets in the vehicle, when a strength of a communication connection signal between the terminal and the vehicle is lowered to be equal to or lower than a predetermined level, recognizing that the user exits the vehicle, when it is determined by the motion sensor of the terminal that the user has moved a predetermined number of walking steps or more, recognizing that parking of the vehicle is completed.