TWI769708B - System and method of vehicle parking guidance for mechanical parking system - Google Patents

Abstract

A system and a method for mechanical parking assistance are provided. In the method, multiple car images are obtained, assisting indication is generated in the car images according to boundaries corresponding to the car images to form multiple parking-guiding images, and the parking-guiding images are presented. The car images are obtained in multiple capturing directions. The capturing directions at least correspond to the boundaries of the accommodating space of the mechanical parking equipment, and the accommodating space is used for accommodating the car. The corresponding assisting indication and car image are integrated into the parking-guiding image. Accordingly, it’s easy and convenient for the driver to drive the car into or out of the mechanical parking spaces.

Description

Parking assistance system and method for mechanical parking lot

The present invention relates to a maintenance management, and in particular, to a mechanical parking assistance system and method.

The limited width of the vehicle board and the protruding side rails of the vehicle board are caused by the limited space usage planning of the mechanical parking space, thereby causing the trouble and inconvenience of the driver's parking. When the driver drives the vehicle into the car board of the parking compartment, the judgment error is often caused by the poor steering wheel control, which in turn causes the tire friction or excessive deflection of the tire to get stuck on the side rail, and even affects the driver's willingness to use the mechanical parking lot. At present, the drive-through parking space will place a mirror in front of the vehicle to let the driver know the direction and position of the front of the vehicle. However, there is no assist mechanism for reversing into a parking position. In addition, due to the low position of the side rails, it is difficult for the driver to observe from the rear-view mirror and distinguish whether the front and rear tires of the vehicle are excessively offset, thereby causing friction between the side rails between the vehicle and the vehicle board.

In view of this, embodiments of the present invention provide a mechanical parking assist system and the method, dynamically captures images and provides guidance instructions to assist drivers in easily entering and exiting the on-board panels on the parking grid.

The mechanical parking assistance method of the embodiment of the present invention includes (but is not limited to) the following steps: acquiring a plurality of vehicle images, generating auxiliary instructions in those vehicle images according to the boundaries corresponding to those vehicle images to form a plurality of guided parking images, and Present those guided parking images. The vehicle image is obtained by photographing the vehicle in several framing directions, and those framing directions at least correspond to the boundary of the accommodating space of the mechanical parking device, and the accommodating space is for the vehicle to park. Each guided parking image integrates corresponding auxiliary instructions and corresponding vehicle images.

The mechanical parking assistance system of the embodiment of the present invention includes (but is not limited to) a plurality of image capturing devices, displays and management devices. The image capturing device is used for capturing images. The display is used to display images. The management device is coupled to the image capture devices and the display. The management device is also configured to obtain a plurality of vehicle images through the image capture device, generate auxiliary instructions in those vehicle images according to the boundaries corresponding to those vehicle images to form a plurality of guide parking images, and present those guides through a display parking image. The vehicle image is obtained by photographing the vehicle in several framing directions of the image capturing device, and those framing directions at least correspond to the boundary of the accommodating space of the mechanical parking device, and the accommodating space is used for parking the vehicle. Each guided parking image integrates corresponding auxiliary instructions and corresponding vehicle images.

Based on the above, according to the mechanical parking assistance system and method of the embodiments of the present invention, the situation of the vehicle entering and exiting the mechanical parking device is captured in real time, and combined with the auxiliary instructions related to the boundary of the accommodation space, so as to help guide the driver to drive in correctly and conveniently. stop The location of the vehicle panel of the car compartment.

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the following embodiments are given and described in detail with the accompanying drawings as follows.

1: Mechanical Parking Assist

10: Vehicles

20: Mechanical Parking Equipment

30: Image capture device

50: Monitor

100: Management device

130: Storage

150: Processor

S210~S250: Steps

301: Boundary indication

303: Travel Track

305: Body rear boundary line

307: Buffer belt

309: Border

401, 501: tires

403, 503: Warning text

W: warning line

B: ground reference line

C: dimension line

601: Top Side

602: Bottom side

603: left and right

701: Tail side

703: left and right

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of components of a mechanical parking assist system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a mechanical parking assist method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a guided parking image according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a guided parking image according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a guided parking image according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of forward size determination according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of top view size determination according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of components of a mechanical parking assist system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1 , the mechanical parking assistance system 1 includes (but is not limited to) one or more vehicles 10 , one or more mechanical parking devices 20 , one or more image capturing devices 30 , one or more or more displays 50 and management devices 100 . The mechanical parking assist system 1 is suitable for parking lot management.

The vehicle 10 may be a gasoline vehicle, a gasoline electric vehicle, or an electric vehicle.

The mechanical parking device 20 may be a vehicle board, a vehicle transfer tray, or other mechanical parking related devices. In one embodiment, the mechanical parking device 20 has an accommodating space for the vehicle 10 to park, and a part of the mechanical parking device 20 (eg, side rails, or jacks) is used as the boundary of the accommodating space.

The image capturing device 30 can be a camera, a video camera, a monitor or an infrared sensor, and is used for capturing images of the vehicle 10 by taking pictures. In one embodiment, the viewing direction of some or all of the image capturing devices 30 corresponds to the boundary of the accommodating space of the mechanical parking equipment 20 . For example, the viewing direction corresponds to the area through which the vehicle 10 travels (straight toward the accommodation space or reversed into the accommodation space) or between the tires or sides of the vehicle 10 and the side rails of the mechanical parking device 20 . In another embodiment, the viewing directions of some or all of the image capturing devices 30 correspond to the vehicle 10 being located in front of and above (or the top side) of the waiting parking area. In other embodiments, the viewing direction may have other changes according to different design requirements.

The display 50 may be, for example, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Light-Emitting Diode (LED) display, an Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) display, or a projector, and uses to display (or render) an image. In one embodiment, the location of the display 50 or its projected image is located around the mechanical parking device 20 or other location that is convenient for the driver to view. For example, the display 50 is located on the side post of the mechanical parking device 20 , or the displayed image is projected on the opposite wall in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 .

The management device 100 may be a desktop computer, a notebook computer, an AIO computer, a smart phone, a tablet computer, or a server and other devices. The management device 100 may Including (but not limited to) storage 130 and processor 150 .

The storage 130 may be any type of fixed or removable random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), flash memory, conventional hard disks (Hard Disk Drive, HDD), solid-state hard disk (Solid-State Drive, SSD), non-volatile (nonvolatile) memory or similar components. In one embodiment, the storage 130 is used to record code, software modules, configuration, data (eg, images, dimensions, alert messages, etc.) or files.

The processor 150 is coupled to the storage 130, and the processor 150 can be a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or other programmable general-purpose or special-purpose Microprocessor (Microprocessor), Digital Signal Processor (DSP), Programmable Controller, Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Application-Specific Integrated Circuit Integrated Circuit, ASIC), neural network accelerator or other similar elements or a combination of the above elements. In one embodiment, the processor 150 is used to execute all or part of the operations of the management device 100 , and can load and execute each code, software module, file, and data recorded in the storage 130 .

In one embodiment, the management device 100 further provides an input-output (I/O) interface for coupling with the image capturing device 30 and the display 50 , and communicating with the mechanical parking equipment 20 , the image capturing device 30 and the display 50 accordingly. material. For example, the management device 100 can obtain images captured by the image capture device 30 and can drive the image capture device 30 shoot. For another example, the management device 100 may present images through the display 50 . In some embodiments, the management device 100 (after being modularized) may be integrated into any mechanical parking device 20 or display 50 .

Hereinafter, the method according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in conjunction with various elements, modules and devices in the mechanical parking assistance system 1 . Each process of the method can be adjusted according to the implementation situation, and is not limited to this.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a mechanical parking assist method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2 , the processor 150 of the management device 100 obtains the vehicle image through the image capturing device 30 (step S210 ). Specifically, depending on the viewing directions of different image capturing devices 30 , the viewing angles of the vehicle 10 captured by the vehicle image may be different. In one embodiment, in order to assist the vehicle 10 in entering and exiting the accommodating space of the mechanical parking device 20 , the viewing direction corresponds to the bottom side and/or its left and right sides (ie, boundaries) of the accommodating space. For example, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a guided parking image according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 3 , the left and right images in FIG. 3 are the viewing directions corresponding to the left and right sides of the accommodating space, and when the vehicle 10 is located in the accommodating space, the vehicle images can be captured on the wheels and/or the side of the vehicle. The middle image in FIG. 3 is that the viewing direction corresponds to the bottom side of the accommodating space, and is used to view the relative positional relationship between the vehicle 10 and the accommodating space as a whole.

The processor 150 may generate one or more auxiliary indications in those vehicle images according to the boundaries corresponding to those vehicle images to form a plurality of guided parking images (step S230 ). In one embodiment, the auxiliary indication is a boundary indication, and the boundary indication is directly located on the boundary of the accommodating space captured by the corresponding vehicle image. Taking FIG. 3 as an example, the boundary indication 301 extends along the side rail of the mechanical parking device 20 . That is, the boundary indication 301 On the side rail of the mechanical parking device 20 in the vehicle image. The width of the boundary indication 301 is approximately equal to the width of the side rail.

In one embodiment, the assistance indication includes a trajectory of travel of the vehicle 10 . The processor 150 can predict the travel trajectory of the vehicle 10 according to the vehicle image. For example, the processor 150 may determine the steering angle of the tires of the vehicle 10 according to a plurality of vehicle images captured at different time points, and then predict the subsequent travel trajectory according to the tire orientation (corresponding to the steering angle). Taking FIG. 3 as an example, the traveling trajectory 303 presented by the intermediate image in FIG. 3 is the predicted traveling trajectory of the vehicle 10 and extends from the tires and the center line (not shown) of the vehicle 10 .

In one embodiment, the auxiliary indication includes a rear boundary line of the vehicle body. This boundary line is used to indicate the alignment position of the front (reversing) or the rear (straight forward) of the vehicle 10 after the vehicle 10 completely enters the accommodating space. Taking FIG. 3 as an example, the rear boundary line 305 of the vehicle body shown in the intermediate image of FIG. 3 (here, the rear refers to the entrance and exit of the parking compartment) is approximately located at the entrance of the accommodating space.

In one embodiment, the auxiliary indication includes a buffer zone, and the buffer zone is located in an area between the boundary of the corresponding accommodation space and the vehicle 10 . The purpose of the buffer belt is to let the driver know in advance that the vehicle 10 is about to contact, collide or cross the boundary of the accommodation space. The width of the buffer tape is, for example, 7-10 cm, but it is not a line. Taking FIG. 3 as an example, a buffer zone 307 is further provided beside the boundary indication 301 of the left and right figures. It should be noted that the buffer strip 307 is usually close to the boundary indication 301, but in other embodiments, the buffer strip 307 may still have a distance of 2-5 cm from the boundary indication 301 according to other design requirements.

In one embodiment, the auxiliary indication is more related to the alert message. Alert messages in different visual forms (eg, color, pattern, flashing, etc.) can represent the vehicle 10 and its contents. different relative positional relationships of the boundaries of the space. Taking FIG. 3 as an example, the borders 309 of the middle and left and right images may be red, green or orange, and represent different relative positions of the vehicle 10 and the side rails respectively.

In addition, each guided parking image integrates the corresponding auxiliary instruction and the corresponding vehicle image. That is to say, the processor 150 directly projects the auxiliary instruction on the vehicle image, and the composite image formed after the projection is the guided parking image.

In one embodiment, the processor 150 further determines the overlap of the vehicle 10 with one or more auxiliary indications. That is, the processor 150 determines whether the auxiliary instruction projected on the vehicle image overlaps with the tire or other body of the vehicle 10 . The overlapping situation includes that the vehicle 10 and the auxiliary instruction overlap, and the vehicle 10 and the auxiliary instruction do not overlap. The processor 150 may issue a warning message according to the overlapping situation, and the warning message is related to the distance between the vehicle 10 and the boundary of the accommodating space. Taking FIG. 3 as an example, if the vehicle 10 and the auxiliary indication do not overlap, the warning message is that the boundary indication 301 and the frame 309 appear green. Alternatively, the guided parking image may further include textual content related to the correct direction of travel. If the vehicle 10 overlaps with the auxiliary indication, the warning message is that the boundary indication 301 and the frame 309 appear red. Or, the guidance parking image further includes text content related to the offset of the traveling direction.

In one embodiment, the warning message may be different depending on the overlapping position of the vehicle 10 and the auxiliary indication. In response to the vehicle 10 overlapping the boundary indication 301, the processor 150 can send a first warning message; and in response to the vehicle 10 overlapping the buffer zone 307, the processor 150 can send a second warning message different from the first warning message. For example, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a guided parking image according to another embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to In FIG. 4 , it is assumed that the tire 401 of the vehicle 10 straddles the buffer belt 307 , which means that the tire 401 is about to rub against the side rail. For example, the distance between the tire 401 and the outermost edge of the buffer strip 307 is less than 5 cm. At this time, the warning message is that the boundary indication 301 and the frame 309 are orange, and the warning text 403 is added to the guidance parking image (for example, pay attention to the deviation of the left wheel, please correct it). For another example, FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a guided parking image according to still another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5 , it is assumed that the tire 501 of the vehicle 10 is pressed against the outermost edge or the boundary indication 301 of the buffer belt 307 , which means that the tire 501 has been rubbed against the side rail. For example, tire 401 is zero distance from the outermost edge of bumper 307 . At this time, the warning message is that the boundary indication 301 and the frame 309 are red, and the warning text 503 different from the warning text 403 is added to the guidance parking image (for example, pay attention to the deviation of the left wheel, please correct it forward before reversing).

It should be noted that the warning message is not limited to a specific color or text content, and in other embodiments, the warning message can also be a specific pattern, a flashing frequency, or a sound (played through a speaker).

In some embodiments, the position of the buffer belt may be further provided with contact piezoelectric material, or the processor 150 may use non-contact optical detection or optical ranging to determine the vehicle 10 and the buffer belt 307 and/or the boundary indication 301 relative positional relationship.

In one embodiment, the processor 150 further determines whether the travel trajectory exceeds the corresponding auxiliary indication. Assuming that the travel trajectory extends along the tires of the vehicle 10 , the travel trajectory can also represent the position reached after the vehicle 10 continues to travel. By judging the overlapping relationship between the traveling trajectory and the auxiliary instructions (for example, the comparison result of the number of overlapping pixels between the traveling trajectory and the auxiliary instructions in the image and the threshold value) Whether the direction is offset. Taking FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 as an example, the travel track 303 has already crossed the boundary indication 301 .

Next, the processor 150 may present those guided parking images through the display 50 (step S250). Specifically, the guided parking image integrates real-time vehicle images and virtual auxiliary instructions. Thereby, the driver can understand the relationship between the current position of the vehicle 10 and even the future position of the vehicle 10 and the boundary of the accommodation space by watching the guided parking image, thereby assisting the driver to properly correct the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 .

According to different design requirements, in one embodiment, the guided parking image may be a combination of multiple images corresponding to different viewing directions (ie, segmented images) as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 . In some embodiments, the processor 150 can further adjust the scale of the partial image. For example, zoom in on a portion of the image to make it easier for the driver to align the tires with the side rails. In one embodiment, images corresponding to different viewing directions can be spliced into a surround view image.

In some embodiments, the processor 150 can further determine whether the doors and the front and rear lids of the vehicle 10 in the vehicle image are properly closed based on image recognition technology (eg, feature comparison, neural network inference, etc.) The corresponding warning message is added to the parking image.

In addition to using the visual auxiliary image to enter and exit the parking space, the embodiment of the present invention can also determine whether the size of the vehicle 10 conforms to the restriction of the accommodating space.

In one embodiment, the framing direction of the image capturing device 30 further corresponds to that the vehicle is located in front of and above the waiting area for parking. This waiting parking area may be any designated location in the parking lot, and the waiting parking area is further provided with signs (eg, parking grids, stickers, or straight/cross bars) corresponding to the boundaries of the accommodation space as subsequent boundary parameters. Test used. The processor 150 may identify several alignment targets in the vehicle image based on feature alignment or neural network inference. These alignment targets correspond to the outermost positions of the vehicle 10 . For example, the upper edge of the front windshield, the lower edge of the front fender, the front bumper of the vehicle body and the edge lines of the two wheel spokes, or the outermost side of the front or rear of the vehicle 10 .

The processor 150 can determine whether these comparison targets exceed the corresponding auxiliary indications. Taking FIG. 6 as an example, FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of forward size determination according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 6 , the vehicle image is obtained by taking an image of the front of the vehicle 10 . The ground reference line B is used as the ground position. The warning line W is formed according to the boundary of the accommodating space of the mechanical parking device 20 , and the length and width of the accommodating space are shown in the figure, and may correspond to the aforementioned signs. The processor 150 may calculate the size of the warning line W in the vehicle image according to the ratio of the image to the actual object. The dimension line C is based on the top side 601 of the vehicle 10 (for example, the upper edge of the front windshield, but it is still necessary to determine whether there are additional attachments (for example, a frame, luggage or other attachments)), the bottom side 602 (eg, the lower edge of the front fender) and the extension lines of the left and right sides 603 (eg, the edges of the spokes on both sides of the vehicle 10 ) are formed by connecting.

Taking FIG. 7 as an example, FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of top view size determination according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 7 , the vehicle image is obtained by taking an image of the upper side (or the top side) of the vehicle 10 . The warning line W is further formed according to the reference line on the rear side of the parking position (white line as shown in the figure). The dimension line C is formed by connecting the extension lines of the rear side 701 of the vehicle 10 (eg, the tailgate, but may also be the headgate) and the left and right sides 703 (eg, the spoke edges of the vehicle 10 ).

The processor 150 may determine whether the dimension line C overlaps or crosses the warning line W. If the dimension line C overlaps or crosses the warning line W, it means that the vehicle 10 cannot be parked in the accommodating space of the mechanical parking device 20 . For example, the vehicle 10 is too high, too low, too wide, or too long. If the dimension line C does not overlap or cross the warning line W, it means that the vehicle 10 can be parked in the accommodating space of the mechanical parking device 20 . The processor 150 may prompt the determination result of whether the size of the vehicle 10 conforms to the restriction of the accommodation space through the display 50 or the speaker.

In addition to recognizing the size of the vehicle 10 through the image, in other embodiments, the processor 150 can also determine whether the light (the light corresponding to the size of the accommodating space) is blocked by the body of the vehicle 10 through optical detection, so as to confirm the size of the vehicle 10 . Whether the size meets the space constraints.

In some embodiments, the processor 150 can also measure the weight of the vehicle 10 through the weighbridge device, compare the weight of the vehicle 10 with the weight limit allowed by the mechanical parking device 20 , and determine whether the vehicle 10 is overweight.

To sum up, in the mechanical parking assistance system and method of the embodiments of the present invention, a vehicle image is captured in real time, and a virtual assistance instruction is formed in the vehicle image to provide a guided parking image. Thereby, the driver can know the relative positional relationship between the vehicle and the boundary of the accommodating space in time while the vehicle is traveling, so as to quickly enter and exit the mechanical parking bay. In addition, before the vehicle enters the parking compartment, it can be determined whether the size of the vehicle meets the limitation of the accommodation space, so as to avoid damage to the mechanical parking equipment or the vehicle.

Although the present invention has been disclosed above by the embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, The protection scope of the present invention shall be determined by the scope of the appended patent application.

S210~S250: Steps

Claims (8)

A mechanical parking assistance method, which is suitable for mechanical parking spaces, comprises: acquiring a plurality of vehicle images, wherein the vehicle images are obtained by photographing a vehicle in a plurality of viewing directions, and the viewing directions at least correspond to a The boundary of an accommodating space of the mechanical parking equipment, and the accommodating space is for the vehicle to park; at least one auxiliary instruction is generated in the vehicle images according to the boundary corresponding to the vehicle images to form a plurality of guided parking an image, wherein each of the guided parking images integrates the corresponding auxiliary indication and the corresponding vehicle image, and the at least one auxiliary indication includes a boundary indication, and the boundary indication is directly located at the boundary of the accommodating space captured by a vehicle image present the guided parking images; determine an overlapping situation between the vehicle and the at least one auxiliary indication; and issue a warning message according to the overlapping situation, wherein the warning message is related to the boundary between the vehicle and the accommodating space spacing. The mechanical parking assistance method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the warning message includes a first warning message and a second warning message, and the at least one auxiliary instruction includes a buffer belt located between the boundary and the vehicle. and sending the warning message according to the overlapping situation includes: sending the first warning message in response to the vehicle overlapping the boundary indication; and sending the second warning message in response to the vehicle overlapping the buffer zone, in The second warning message is different from the first warning message. The mechanical parking assistance method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the framing directions further correspond to the front and the top of the vehicle, and the mechanical parking assistance further comprises: identifying a plurality of comparison targets in the vehicle images, wherein the The comparison targets correspond to the outermost side of the vehicle; and it is judged whether the comparison targets exceed the corresponding auxiliary indication. The mechanical parking assistance method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one assistance instruction includes a traveling trajectory of the vehicle, and the mechanical parking assistance method further comprises: predicting the traveling trajectory of the vehicle according to the vehicle images; and determining Whether the travel trajectory exceeds the corresponding auxiliary indication. A mechanical parking assistance system is suitable for mechanical parking spaces. The mechanical parking assistance system includes: a plurality of image capturing devices for capturing images; a display for displaying images; and a management device for coupling the image capturing devices The image capturing device and the display are configured to: obtain a plurality of vehicle images through the image capturing devices, wherein the vehicle images are obtained by photographing a vehicle in a plurality of viewing directions of the image capturing devices, the The framing directions at least correspond to a boundary of an accommodating space of a mechanical parking device, and the accommodating space is for the vehicle to park; and generating in the vehicle images according to the boundary corresponding to the vehicle images At least one auxiliary instruction is generated to form a plurality of guided parking images, wherein each of the guided parking images integrates the corresponding auxiliary instruction and the corresponding vehicle image, the at least one auxiliary instruction includes a boundary indication, and the boundary indication is directly located at An image of the vehicle is captured on the boundary of the accommodating space; the guided parking images are presented through the display, wherein the management device is further configured to: determine an overlapping situation of the vehicle and the at least one auxiliary instruction; and sending out a warning message according to the overlapping situation, wherein the warning message is related to the distance between the vehicle and the boundary of the accommodating space. The mechanical parking assist system of claim 5, wherein the warning message includes a first warning message and a second warning message, and the at least one auxiliary instruction includes a buffer belt located between the boundary and the vehicle corresponding to the boundary. and the management device is further configured to: send the first warning message in response to the vehicle overlapping the boundary indication; and send the second warning message in response to the vehicle overlapping the buffer zone, wherein The second warning message is different from the first warning message. The mechanical parking assist system of claim 5, wherein the viewing directions further correspond to the front and top of the vehicle, and the management device is further configured to: identify a plurality of comparison targets in the vehicle images, Wherein the comparison targets correspond to the outermost side of the vehicle; and determine whether the comparison targets exceed the corresponding auxiliary indication. The mechanical parking assist system of claim 5, wherein the at least one assist indication includes a travel trajectory of the vehicle, and the management device is further configured to: predict the travel trajectory of the vehicle according to the vehicle images; and It is judged whether the travel trajectory exceeds the corresponding auxiliary instruction.

Images