FR3147895A1 - Method and system for selecting a parking space for a motor vehicle and motor vehicle comprising such a system - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for selecting a parking space for a motor vehicle comprises: determining (21) an arrival time in a parking area, said parking area comprising lanes with parking spaces; classifying (27) the lanes into predefined classes according to their degree of sunshine at the determined parking time; presenting (29) a map of the parking area making it possible to visualize the classification of the lanes; searching (31) for a parking space among the lanes belonging to a predetermined class. Figure to be published with the abstract: Fig 2

Description

Method and system for selecting a parking space for a motor vehicle and motor vehicle comprising such a system

The present invention relates to a system and method for selecting a parking space for a motor vehicle and to a motor vehicle comprising such a system.

State of the art

Selecting a parking space based on the amount of sunlight it receives is an activity that has long been practiced by motorists in the summer when they are looking for a shady parking space to limit the temperature inside the passenger compartment.

With the arrival of electric cars with photovoltaic charging panels on their roofs, the problem becomes different: how to choose a sunny parking location to allow optimal charging?

Thus, patent application US 2022/0065652 proposes to identify available parking spaces and determine their sunshine levels during the expected parking duration based on the shadows and to select the one with the highest sunshine level.

This teaching has the disadvantage of limiting the search for a location to visible locations.

There is therefore a real need for a method and system for selecting a parking space for a motor vehicle which allows the search for a space to be extended to a wider area.

Description of the invention

• détermination d’une heure d’arrivée dans une zone de stationnement, ladite zone de stationnement comprenant des voies avec des emplacements de stationnement ;
• classification des voies dans des classes prédéfinies en fonction de leur degré d’ensoleillement à l’heure de stationnement déterminée ;
• présentation d’une cartographie de la zone de stationnement permettant de visualiser la classification des voies ;
• recherche d’un emplacement de stationnement parmi les voies appartenant à une classe prédéterminée.

To solve one or more of the drawbacks cited above, according to a first embodiment, a method for selecting a parking space for a motor vehicle comprises:

• determining an arrival time in a parking area, said parking area comprising lanes with parking spaces;
• classification of roads into predefined classes according to their degree of sunshine at the determined parking time;
• presentation of a map of the parking area allowing visualization of the classification of the lanes;
• search for a parking space among the lanes belonging to a predetermined class.

Thus, the method makes it possible to obtain a location search with the desired sunshine in a given area, regardless of the visibility of the locations.

• Il comprend en outre une étape de détermination de la durée de stationnement de sorte que la classification des voies est également fonction de la durée de stationnement  ;
• Le degré d’ensoleillement d’une voie est déterminé en utilisant un ou plusieurs des paramètres suivants : le jour de l’année, la position géographique, le degré d’ensoleillement prévu par la météo, l’orientation de la voie, la largeur de la voie associée à la hauteur des immeubles la bordant ;
• Le degré d’ensoleillement est en outre déterminé en utilisant un historique de degré d’ensoleillement  ;
• Le véhicule automobile étant un véhicule électrique avec des panneaux photovoltaïques de recharge, la classe prédéterminée correspond au degré d’ensoleillement le plus élevé afin de maximiser la recharge ;
• Il comprend en outre la détermination de la recharge effective en fin de stationnement et sa comparaison avec une recharge estimée à partir de l’ensoleillement de l’emplacement de stationnement et de la durée de stationnement ; et/ou
• la classe prédéterminée correspond au degré d’ensoleillement le plus faible afin de minimiser la température intérieure du véhicule.

Particular features or embodiments, usable alone or in combination, are:

• It further includes a step of determining the parking duration so that the classification of the lanes is also a function of the parking duration;
• The degree of sunshine on a road is determined using one or more of the following parameters: the day of the year, the geographical position, the degree of sunshine predicted by the weather, the orientation of the road, the width of the road associated with the height of the buildings bordering it;
• The degree of sunshine is further determined using a history of sunshine degree;
• The motor vehicle being an electric vehicle with photovoltaic charging panels, the predetermined class corresponds to the highest degree of sunshine in order to maximize charging;
• It also includes determining the actual recharge at the end of parking and comparing it with a recharge estimated from the sunshine in the parking space and the duration of parking; and/or
• the predetermined class corresponds to the lowest degree of sunshine in order to minimize the interior temperature of the vehicle.

In a second embodiment, a computer program product downloadable from a communications network and/or recorded on a computer-readable medium and/or executable by a processor, is characterized in that it comprises program code instructions for implementing the above method.

• Une horloge adaptée pour déterminer une heure d’arrivée dans une zone de stationnement, ladite zone de stationnement comprenant des voies avec des emplacements de stationnement ; reliée à
• un calculateur adapté pour classifier les voies dans des classes prédéfinies en fonction de leur degré d’ensoleillement à l’heure de stationnement déterminée ; relié à
• une interface de présentation d’une cartographie de la zone de stationnement adaptée pour visualiser la classification des voies et permettre la recherche d’un emplacement de stationnement parmi les voies appartenant à une classe prédéterminée.

In a third embodiment, a system for selecting a parking space for a motor vehicle comprising:

• A clock adapted to determine a time of arrival in a parking area, said parking area comprising lanes with parking spaces; connected to
• a calculator adapted to classify the roads into predefined classes according to their degree of sunshine at the determined parking time; connected to
• an interface for presenting a map of the parking area adapted to visualize the classification of the lanes and allow the search for a parking space among the lanes belonging to a predetermined class.

In a fourth embodiment, a motor vehicle comprises a system according to the third embodiment.

Brief description of the figures

• représente une vue de côté d’un véhicule comprenant un système de de sélection d’un emplacement de stationnement selon un premier mode de réalisation ;
• représente un ordinogramme du fonctionnement du système de la  ; et
• représente un ordinogramme d’un mode de calcul de l’ensoleillement d’une voie.

The invention will be better understood by reading the following description, given solely by way of example, and with reference to the appended figures in which:

• represents a side view of a vehicle comprising a parking space selection system according to a first embodiment;
• represents a flow chart of the operation of the system of the ; And
• represents a flow chart of a method of calculating the sunshine of a track.

Methods of implementation

The embodiments presented below refer to a motor vehicle, a car. However, the person skilled in the art understands that these are also usable with other types of vehicle such as vans, vans, etc.

The terms “front”, “rear”, “top”, “bottom”, “transverse” are understood in relation to the vehicle. When they apply to a component, they are understood for the component integrated into the vehicle.

In reference to the , a motor vehicle 1 comprises a GNSS ("Geolocation and Navigation by a Satellite System") type navigator 3 for knowing the position of the vehicle via the reception of signals from satellites 4. Conventionally, the navigator 3 helps to pilot the vehicle by indicating to the driver the changes of direction necessary for following a route on a screen 5, screen also comprising input means such as a touch screen. When the vehicle 1 is an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, these instructions are also sent to a computer 7 for piloting the vehicle 1 which also has a connection with the screen 5 to receive instructions from the driver or transmit information to him.

The controller 7 of the vehicle 1 belongs to an advanced driver assistance system, commonly called ADAS [for “Advanced driver-assistance systems” according to the English terminology] which makes all the driving decisions according to the environment and the programmed destination. The motor vehicle is then described as an autonomous motor vehicle. But it can also belong to a centralized vehicle management system comprising different driving aids. If the ADAS functions are grouped in a single computer (often called “ADAS ECU” for, in English “ADAS Electronic Control Unit” or “ADAS electronic control unit”), the controller 7 is then integrated into this single computer.

Data transfer between the different elements is carried out by a CAN [for “ Controller Area Network” in English, or “controller area network”] or LIN [for “Local Interconnect Network” in English, or “Local interconnected network” in French] type data bus.

The controller 7 is also connected to a clock 9, one of the functions of which is to determine the arrival time.

In addition, the controller 7 is connected to a transmitter 11 allowing data to be transmitted and received from a server 13.

Server 13 is connected to different databases 15, 17.

The mode of operation of this system is as follows, .

The clock 9 determines, step 21, the time of arrival of the vehicle at an arrival location. This corresponds, for example, to the arrival of a route recorded by the navigator 3 and followed by the vehicle 1. This can also correspond, when the vehicle is traveling without following a route defined in the navigator (manual mode of driving the vehicle by the driver) to the receipt of an order from the driver indicating that he has arrived at the destination (pressing a button or a touch key, voice order, etc.). The arrival time then corresponds, by default, to the time of issue of the order and the arrival location is the location of the vehicle 1.

The calculator 7 determines, step 23, a parking zone. For example, the parking zone corresponds to a circle with a radius of 100 m around the arrival location. But this can be determined in different ways and configured by the user. For example, the user can indicate that he accepts any location located less than 5 minutes walk from the arrival location.

The parking area then corresponds to a map of lanes including parking spaces. By lane, we mean here lanes allowing the circulation of vehicles, such as streets, avenues, roads, boulevards, etc. as well as private roads accessible to the public such as parking aisles.

The calculator 7 determines, step 25, the degree of sunshine of each track, or section of track then considered as a track as such.

The calculator 7 then classifies, step 27, each lane into a predefined class. For example, the classification may include 5 classes with a class 1 corresponding to 100% sunshine (i.e. always sunny) and a class 5 corresponding to 0% sunshine (i.e. always in the shade), classes 2, 3 and 4 corresponding to intermediate situations.

The routes thus classified are then displayed, step 29, on screen 5 to show this classification. For example, a 5-color code can be used using warm colors such as red for sunny routes and cold colors such as blue for routes with little or no sun.

Then, the driver or the vehicle's automatic piloting searches, step 31, for a parking space among the lanes belonging to a specific class.

If the aim is to keep the cabin as cool as possible, the location is sought among roads with little or no sun.

If the aim is to recharge the batteries of an electric vehicle using the pavilion's photovoltaic panels, the location is sought among very sunny roads.

The determination of the sunshine of a track will now be explained in relation to the .

In this embodiment, the calculation is performed on the server 13. It has access to a number of databases, for example databases 15 and 17, and information sources.

The first set of information 32 concerns astronomical data and in particular the position of the sun relative to the position of the track, in particular its latitude, the day of the year and the time of parking. The position of the sun is thus determined in the form of a first angle relative to the north and a second angle in the vertical plane relative to the horizontal plane, the height of the sun.

The second set of information 33 concerns the geographical and topological data of the characteristics of the road. Its orientation relative to the north, its width and the height of the buildings bordering it, as well as the presence of trees.

The first and second series of information are used to determine the shaded areas 35 at the time of parking. When the parking time is known or estimated, the evolution of the shadows is taken into account, which makes it possible to determine potential durations of sunshine. It should be noted that a road can be cut into sections when the characteristics of the road vary greatly from one section to another.

The third series of information 37 concerns weather forecasts, in particular cloudiness which can be translated into sunshine durations per period. For example, the forecasts may indicate, in 3-hour periods, from 8 a.m. to noon, 90 minutes of sunshine, then a cloudy period from noon to 3 p.m. with 0 minutes of sunshine, then bright sunshine from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. with 150 minutes of sunshine.

This information is integrated into the modeling 39 of the routes to modify the estimated degree of sunshine, in the direction of a decrease since the result of the first and second series of information corresponds to a situation without cloudiness.

There illustrates a system according to certain embodiments. The breakdown presented is for educational purposes to highlight the various functions. However, it is understood that each block can be implemented using different means or their combinations, such as hardware components, software, one or more computers and/or electronic circuits. Each of the components can include at least one computer or a control-command unit. At least one memory can be included in each component. The memory can include computer program instructions or software code.

The computers can be implemented by any type of data processing device, such as a central computing unit, a signal processing processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a programmable gate array, etc. The computers can be implemented as a single controller, or a plurality of controllers or computers.

• interface radiofréquence RF, de type Wi-Fi® (selon IEEE 802.11), dans les bandes de fréquence à 2,4 ou 5 GHz, ou de type Bluetooth® (selon IEEE 802.15.1), dans la bande de fréquence à 2,4 GHz, ou de type Sigfox utilisant une technologie radio UBN [de l’anglais « Ultra Narrow Band », en français bande ultra étroite], ou LoRa dans la bande de fréquence 868 MHz, LTE [de l’anglais « Long-Term Evolution » ou en français « Évolution à long terme »], LTE-Advanced (ou en français LTE-avancé) ;
• interface USB [de l’anglais « Universal Serial Bus » ou « Bus Universel en Série » en français] ;
• interface HDMI [de l’anglais « High Definition Multimedia Interface », ou « Interface Multimedia Haute Definition » en français].

The different modules are connected to each other by data links adapted to the environment. These can be wired or wireless, such as, for example:

• RF radio frequency interface, of the Wi-Fi® type (according to IEEE 802.11), in the 2.4 or 5 GHz frequency bands, or of the Bluetooth® type (according to IEEE 802.15.1), in the 2.4 GHz frequency band, or of the Sigfox type using UBN [Ultra Narrow Band] radio technology, or LoRa in the 868 MHz frequency band, LTE [Long-Term Evolution] or LTE-Advanced;
• USB interface [from the English “Universal Serial Bus” or “Universal Serial Bus” in French];
• HDMI interface [from the English “High Definition Multimedia Interface”, or “High Definition Multimedia Interface” in French].

For software, the implementation may include modules or units distributed in the form of procedures, functions, etc. Memories may be any type of storage circuit. They may be part of the processor circuit, or separate from it and connected via electrical data links. These may be non-volatile memories, hard disks, random access memories, flash memories, etc.

Furthermore, the program instructions stored in memory and processed by computers can be any type of program code, for example, a compiled or interpreted program written in a suitable programming language.

The computer program instructions stored in the memory are such that, when executed by the computer, the latter carries out one or more of the steps of the methods described above.

The invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and the preceding description. The latter should be considered as illustrative and given by way of example and not as limiting the invention to this description alone. Numerous variant embodiments are possible.

In particular, the distribution of tasks between the server 13 and the controller 7 may vary from a solution in which the server 13 sends the classification to the controller 7 upon request from the latter to a solution in which the controller 7 receives all of the raw data (weather, sunshine history, etc.) and itself carries out the classification of the streets with different possible intermediate solutions.

It can be difficult and expensive to obtain all the geographic and topographic data of the roads over a large territory. One possibility is to use vehicles with sunlight sensors, for example electric vehicles with solar panels, as a distributed fleet of sensors that regularly send back sunshine information associated with a time stamp and a geographic position. A server collects this information and associated with meteorological information on cloudiness can generate a sunshine map according to the day of the year and the time.

At the end of the parking period, it is possible, for electric vehicles with photovoltaic panels, to determine the actual charge and compare it to the estimated charge based on the degree of sunshine in the parking space. If it is lower, this may be due to an unforeseen weather event, such as the passage of a cloud, or to a deficiency in the charging device that would need to be confirmed. Comparison with vehicle charges located nearby can allow one of the possibilities to be selected. For example, if nearby vehicles have charges corresponding to the planned charges, the probability of a deficiency in the charging device is high.

Claims (10)

Method for selecting a parking space for a motor vehicle comprising:

• determining (21) an arrival time in a parking area, said parking area comprising lanes with parking spaces;
• classification (27) of roads into predefined classes according to their degree of sunshine at the determined parking time;
• presentation (29) of a map of the parking area allowing visualization of the classification of the lanes;
• search (31) for a parking space among the lanes belonging to a predetermined class.

The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of determining the parking duration such that the classification of the lanes is also a function of the parking duration. Method according to claim 1 or 2, in which the degree of sunshine of a road is determined using one or more of the following parameters: the day of the year, the geographical position, the degree of sunshine predicted by the weather, the orientation of the road, the width of the road associated with the height of the buildings bordering it. The method of claim 3, wherein the degree of sunshine is further determined using a history of degree of sunshine. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the motor vehicle being an electric vehicle with photovoltaic charging panels, the predetermined class corresponds to the highest degree of sunshine in order to maximize charging. Method according to claim 5, further comprising determining the actual recharge at the end of parking and comparing it with a recharge estimated from the sunshine of the parking location and the parking duration. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the predetermined class corresponds to the lowest degree of sunshine in order to minimize the interior temperature of the vehicle. Computer program product downloadable from a communications network and/or recorded on a computer-readable medium and/or executable by a processor, characterized in that it comprises program code instructions for implementing the method according to any one of the preceding claims. System for selecting a parking space for a motor vehicle comprising:

• a clock (9) adapted to determine an arrival time in a parking area, said parking area comprising lanes with parking spaces; connected to
• a calculator (7) adapted to classify the roads into predefined classes according to their degree of sunshine at the determined parking time; connected to
• a presentation interface (5) of a map of the parking area adapted to visualize the classification of the lanes and allow the search for a parking space among the lanes belonging to a predetermined class.

Motor vehicle comprising a system according to claim 9.