Vehicle Parking Indicators Patents (Class 340/932.2)
  • Patent number: 10884125
    Abstract: A parking assistance device (100) is provided with distance sensors (2FL, 2FR, 2RL, 2RR) which transmit detection waves laterally with respect to a host vehicle (1) while the host vehicle (1) travels and receive reflected waves of the detection waves, a reflection point calculating unit (11) which calculates a reflection point indicating a position where the detection wave is reflected, a grouping unit (13) which groups the reflection points, a parking space pitch calculating unit (14) which calculates a parking space pitch indicating a width of each parking space by using periodicity of a shape of a reflection point group set by grouping, a parking target area setting unit (15) which sets a parking target area which is a target of perpendicular parking by the host vehicle (1), and a parking assistance controlling unit (21) which guides the host vehicle (1) to the parking target area on the basis of the parking space pitch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinichi Harase, Satoru Inoue, Ryotaro Suzuki, Wataru Tsujita, Yoshitsugu Sawa, Tsutomu Asahina
  • Patent number: 10875532
    Abstract: A travelling assist apparatus executing a collision avoidance control between other vehicle and an own vehicle is provided with an approach determination unit determining whether the other vehicle will enter an own lane from an adjacent lane of the own lane; a passing determination unit determining whether the other vehicle is able to pass across the own lane; an interruption determination unit determining whether the other vehicle interrupts the own lane; and a collision avoidance unit executing the collision avoidance control under a condition where the interruption determination unit determines that the other vehicle interrupts the own lane and the passing determination unit determines that the other vehicle is able to pass across the own lane, and executes the collision avoidance control regardless of a determination of the interruption determination unit, when the passing determination unit determines that the other vehicle is unable to pass across the own lane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shogo Matsunaga
  • Patent number: 10873725
    Abstract: An image processing unit repeatedly acquires a captured bird's-eye image which is obtained by bird's-eye conversion of a captured image of the surroundings of a vehicle. An image processing unit acquires a history image that is a bird's-eye image corresponding to a predetermined area in front in the traveling direction at each timing determined according to a predetermined condition. The image processing unit acquires a history image at every predetermined first cycle if an unstable condition related to a behavior of the vehicle is not satisfied. If an unstable condition is satisfied, the history image is acquired at a later timing than the first cycle. The image processing unit creates a bird's-eye image for display by extracting an area corresponding to a non-imaging area of the latest captured bird's-eye image from among the accumulated history images, and combining the extracted area with the non-imaging area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Kohara, Hirohiko Yanagawa, Akihiro Sunasaka, Satoshi Hoshi
  • Patent number: 10868951
    Abstract: The present invention is a system and method of operating cellular devices in a synchronized manner. Each of a plurality of mobile cellular devices has a system clock, a display screen, and a camera flash, and each mobile cellular device communicates with a communications network. A software application is loaded onto each of the cellular devices. A primary user selects a session activity that is to be performed by the cellular devices. The cellular devices first update system time to improve time synchronization. At an execution time, a session activity is performed simultaneously by all the mobile cellular devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Inventors: Brian Zima, Seth Damergy
  • Patent number: 10861335
    Abstract: A parking management system and a parking space management method are provided. In this system, intelligent parking locks are capable of performing two-way data communication with a cloud platform and executing an action instruction issued by the cloud platform, which realizes parking space sharing, open and intelligent management and monitoring. One-key navigation parking and one-key car searching can be realized since the intelligent parking locks include Bluetooth positioning and/or multiple GPS combined with mobile internet applications. The problems in searching for a parking space and searching for one's own car are hence well solved. The induction type parking locks control system ensures automatic locking and unlocking operations according to the distance between the mobile terminal and the parking locks, which significantly improves user's experiences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Inventors: Shen Wang, Changyuan Fang, Wen Long
  • Patent number: 10852741
    Abstract: A method for autonomously controlling a vehicle is disclosed. In some examples, a vehicle can maneuver out of a parking space in an autonomous and unmanned operation. While parking, the vehicle can capture first one or more images of its surroundings and store the images in a memory included in the vehicle. Upon starting up, the vehicle can capture second one or more images of its surroundings and compare them to the first one or more images to determine if there is an object, person, or animal proximate to the vehicle, for example. In some examples, in accordance with a determination that there is no object, person, or vehicle present that was not present during parking, the vehicle can autonomously move from the parking space with or without a user present in the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: FARADAY & FUTURE INC.
    Inventors: Hong S. Bae, Aziz Umit Batur, Evan Roger Fischer, Oliver Max Jeromin
  • Patent number: 10846534
    Abstract: An augmented reality system including processors and storage devices storing instructions. The instructions may configure the processors to perform operations including determining a location of a mobile device, identifying a facility based on the location, requesting mapping data from a facility server, the mapping data comprising a plurality of vehicles, vehicle location data, and landmarks, identifying one location attribute in a video feed captured by an augmented reality viewer displayed in the mobile device, and determining whether the one location attribute matches the plurality of vehicles or the landmarks. The operations may also include identifying qualified vehicles from the vehicles based on qualification criteria, determining whether the qualified vehicles is in a field of view of the augmented reality viewer based on object attributes and the vehicle location data, and generating a modified video feed by providing an indication associated with qualified vehicles in the field of view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: CAPITAL ONCE SERVICES, LLC
    Inventors: Elizabeth Furlan, Chih-Hsiang Chow, Steven Dang
  • Patent number: 10846949
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for controlling the parking of a vehicle, a system having the same, and a method thereof. The apparatus for controlling parking of a vehicle includes a communication device communicating with a remote controller located inside or outside a vehicle, and a processor receiving information about a surrounding obstacle from a sensor and performing avoidance steering control of the vehicle to avoid collision with the surrounding obstacle, when receiving a vehicle control command from the remote controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Gil Won Seo, Dong Hae Kim, Jong Ho Park
  • Patent number: 10843684
    Abstract: A parking assist apparatus (13) has: a learning device (131) configured to learn a first position (WP_start) that is a position of the vehicle when a driver starts a parking operation, a second position (WP_shift) that is a position of the vehicle when the driver changes a shift range of the vehicle and a third position (WP_end) that is a position when the driver completes the parking operation during a period when the driver performs the parking operation; and a generating device (132) configured to generate, as a target route (TR_target) along which the vehicle should travel when the vehicle is automatically parked, a traveling route that reaches the third position from the first position via the second position on the basis of a learning result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Aya Yamada
  • Patent number: 10847032
    Abstract: Disclosed is a parking position notification apparatus connected to a user terminal for transmitting and receiving data. The parking position notification apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a camera configured to capture an image of surroundings of a vehicle; a sensor configured to sense movement route information of the vehicle; and a wireless communication processor configured to transmit the generated map data to a user terminal. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one of, for example, an autonomous driving vehicle, a user terminal or a server may be linked or fused with an artificial intelligence (AI) module, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a robot, an augmented reality (AR) device, a virtual reality (VR) device, or a device associated with 5G service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventor: Jong Jin Park
  • Patent number: 10839687
    Abstract: A parking space monitoring system, with multiple microprocessors for handling various parking space management conditions, including at least one of the following conditions: (1) Space Occupancy (vehicle detection); (2) Parking Meter Status; (3) Display of Parking Policy to Motorists; (3) Motorist User Interactions; (4) Maintenance User Interactions; (5) Radio Communications with a Central management system and Network; and (6) Coordination of the operation between various ones of the microprocessors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: fybr, LLC
    Inventors: Scott Keller, Chris Krstanovic, Tom Swiedler, David Fasciano, Eric Groft
  • Patent number: 10839686
    Abstract: A method of operating a community parking system includes generating sensor data with a plurality of vehicles corresponding to vehicle parking spaces and parked vehicles located in a region, transmitting the sensor data to a parking data system, and generating parking map data with the parking data system based on the sensor data, the parking map data including a location of the vehicle parking spaces. The method also includes generating parking service data with the parking data system based on the sensor data, the parking service data identifying a status of each vehicle parking space as either occupied or unoccupied, and transmitting the parking service data to a particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles to assist an operator of the particular vehicle in locating one of the vehicle parking spaces having an unoccupied status.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Gregor Wunder, Frederik Brockmann, Naveen Ramakrishnan, Manuel Maier, Rahul Kapoor, Alexander Hagmeister, Karsten Thalheimer
  • Patent number: 10839692
    Abstract: A driving supporter includes: a departure-possibility-value obtainer that obtains a departure-possibility value; a relative positional relationship obtainer that detects another vehicle located diagonally at a rear of an own vehicle and obtain a relative positional relationship between them; a support executer that executes a lane-departure prevention support; and a support controller that controls the support executer to execute the lane-departure prevention support when the departure-possibility value is greater than or equal to a threshold value. The support controller includes a threshold-value determiner that determines the threshold value to a smaller value when the relative positional relationship is a set relationship than when the relative positional relationship is not the set relationship. The set relationship is a relationship in which there is a possibility of collision of the own vehicle with the other vehicle in an event of departure of the own vehicle from a lane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Kawaguchi, Iwao Izumikawa, Yuji Okuda, Kazuma Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 10838414
    Abstract: A method and system are described for automated parking of a vehicle. The method includes determining that the vehicle is in an appropriate starting position for performing a parking maneuver, determining a control zone for controlling the parking maneuver, determining that an authorized key is located in the control zone, detecting an object located in the control zone, verifying that the detected object is an authorized user, detecting a movement of the authorized use, and when the detected movement of the authorized user is a movement in the direction of an expected parking area, performing the parking maneuver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: VOLVO CAR CORPORATION
    Inventor: Martin Bonander
  • Patent number: 10832064
    Abstract: A vacant parking space detection apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a memory and a hardware processor coupled to the memory. The hardware processor is configured to: generate, for each of divided regions in a region around a vehicle, map information representing a presence probability of an object based on a detection result of a sensor for detecting an object present around the vehicle; define on the map information a plurality of first straight lines, whose intercepts differ from each other, with one or more angles to a straight advancing direction of the vehicle; and detect whether a vacant parking space is present at the angle based on a presence probability of an object assigned to the divided region belonging to each of the plurality of first straight lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yoshito Hirai
  • Patent number: 10821971
    Abstract: Methods and systems for monitoring use, determining risk, and pricing insurance policies for a vehicle having one or more autonomous or semi-autonomous operation features are provided. According to certain aspects, the operating status of the features, the identity of a vehicle operator, risk levels for operation of the vehicle by the vehicle operator, or damage to the vehicle may be determined based upon sensor or other data. According to further aspects, decisions regarding transferring control between the features and the vehicle operator may be made based upon sensor data and information regarding the vehicle operator. Additional aspects may recommend or install updates to the autonomous operation features based upon determined risk levels. Some aspects may include monitoring transportation infrastructure and communicating information about the infrastructure to vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY
    Inventors: Brian Mark Fields, Chien Che Huang, Mohamed A. Wazeer, Shawn C. Bennett, Steven C. Cielocha, Ronny S. Bryant, Stephen Kohaus, Terry Quakenbush, Richard A. Novak, Craig M. Main, Weixin Wu, Torri Wollenschlager, Carol Marie Csanda, Stacey Gorsuch, Todd Binion, Aaron Scott Chan
  • Patent number: 10821845
    Abstract: A system for navigating a vehicle automatically from a current location to a destination location without a human operator is provided. The system of the vehicle includes a global positioning system (GPS) for identifying a vehicle location and a communications system for communicating with a server of a cloud system. The server is configured to identify that the vehicle location is near or at a parking location. The communications system is configured to receive mapping data for the parking location from the server, and the mapping data is at least in part used to find a path at the parking location to avoid a collision of the vehicle with at least one physical object when the vehicle is automatically moved at the parking location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Emerging Automotive, LLC
    Inventors: Angel A. Penilla, Albert S. Penilla
  • Patent number: 10818181
    Abstract: A vehicle and a controlling method of the vehicle are provided. The vehicle may include: a battery; a plurality of cameras powered by the battery; a GPS sensor configured to detect a GPS signal; a storage configured to store map information; and a controller configured to determine a parking location based on the map information and the GPS signal, determine a fixed object based on images captured by the plurality of cameras and deactivate at least one camera of the plurality of cameras based on the parking location, the fixed object and a state of charge (SOC) of the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, KIA Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Wang Seong Cheon
  • Patent number: 10818178
    Abstract: A vehicle operation management system includes a communication terminal and a plurality of vehicles that communicates with the terminal, and is capable of autonomously driving. The vehicles include a first vehicle and a second vehicle. In a boarding area, when the first vehicle is at a leading portion in a file, the second vehicle is at a next position in the file, and one boarding request is made from the terminal, the first notification unit in the first vehicle notifies that the first vehicle is available for boarding, and the second notification unit in the second vehicle does not notify that the second vehicle is available for boarding. When the first vehicle is at the leading portion and the second vehicle is located at the nest position, and at least two boarding requests are made, the first and second notification units notify that the first and second vehicles, respectively, are available for boarding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kazuo Morimura
  • Patent number: 10818185
    Abstract: A parking support apparatus for a vehicle may include: a detector configured to detect a distance between a vehicle and an object; a parking space recognizer configured to recognize a parking space based on a first distance detected through the detection unit, and generate first parking space recognition information; a parking controller configured to generate second parking space recognition information corresponding to the first parking space recognition information based on a second distance detected through the detection unit, while controlling parking of the vehicle; an error calculator and statistics analyzer configured to calculate errors between the first and second parking space recognition information, and statistically analyze the calculated errors; and a compensation parameter calculator configured to calculate a compensation parameter for compensating for one or more of the first distance and the first parking space recognition information, based on the errors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jin Young Oh
  • Patent number: 10810882
    Abstract: There is disclosed a system to assist in parking a vehicle. The system includes an overhead sensor, a controller adapted to receive instructions from a remote device to set an optimum parking position, and wherein the controller is adapted to display one or more guidelines on a display screen in the vehicle to indicate the position of the vehicle in relation to the optimum parking position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Hall Labs LLC
    Inventors: David R. Hall, Corey Webb, Casey Webb, Clint Cook, Christopher Jones
  • Patent number: 10810446
    Abstract: A method of detecting a frame line of a parking space from a captured image acquired by a camera includes detecting the frame line when the value of a parameter used for detection of the frame line falls within a first threshold range, estimating the position of an undetected frame line on the basis of the position of the detected frame line, and setting a threshold range used for detecting the frame line at the estimated position of the frame line to a second threshold range wider than the first threshold range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasuhisa Hayakawa
  • Patent number: 10803423
    Abstract: A vehicle sensing system includes a vehicle sensing device configured to detect entry of a vehicle into a given area, and in response, to send to the vehicle an instruction message. At least one beacon device is disposed somewhere between a location of entry of the vehicle into the given area and an available parking space. A parking server communicates with the vehicle based on the instruction message, and sends parking instructions to the vehicle, the parking instructions instructing the vehicle to autonomously drive toward the available parking space, and informing the vehicle of expected interactions with the beacon device as it autonomously drives toward the available parking space. The beacon device performs the expected interactions with the vehicle if the vehicle is driving on a proper path toward the available parking space, with the proper path including the vehicle autonomously driving within wireless communication range of the beacon device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: The Parking Genius, Inc.
    Inventor: George Frederick Baker, Sr.
  • Patent number: 10795359
    Abstract: A method of controlling an autonomous vehicle may include receiving destination information before autonomous driving, providing parking space information corresponding to the destination information, receiving first parking selection information related to the parking space information, and performing the autonomous driving based on the destination information and the first parking selection information, and the autonomous driving includes movement of the autonomous vehicle to a first position corresponding to the destination information and the first parking selection information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Kwang Hun Choi
  • Patent number: 10796575
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of detecting vehicles that park in a parking space zone, wherein excluded zones are recognized and/or determined that are not suitable and/or provided for parking vehicles; a transponder (40) is arranged in or at a vehicle, the transponder automatically repeatedly transmits a recognition signal; the recognition signal is received by at most three radio devices; and the position of the transponder is determined by means of a control device with reference to the time of flight and/or to the time of flight differences of the recognition signal from the transponder to the radio devices and with reference to the positions of the excluded zones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: CLEVERCITI SYSTEMS GMBH
    Inventors: Thomas Hohenacker, Konrad Prinz-Dreher
  • Patent number: 10789846
    Abstract: A method of parking space dispatch includes receiving commands including an instruction to locate an available parking space, enqueueing the commands in a parking space request queue, analyzing a parking area image using machine learning to identify parking spaces, dequeueing the commands, and notifying users. A vehicle parking spot dispatch system includes a processor and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to receive commands including an instruction to locate a parking space, enqueue the commands, analyze a parking area image using machine, dequeue the commands, and notify users. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions that when executed, cause a computer to receive commands including an instruction to locate a parking space, enqueue the commands, analyze a parking area image using machine, dequeue the commands, and notify users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: CDW LLC
    Inventors: Colin R. Vallance, Michael Alan Robinson, Forrest Weinberg, Sankar Nair
  • Patent number: 10766484
    Abstract: A parking assistance apparatus can include a sensor for sensing environment information of a vehicle surrounding area, a display for displaying an image of the vehicle surrounding area; and a processor to determine a parking area within the vehicle surrounding area on which parking is allowable, generate virtual parking lines within the parking area, and control the display to display the virtual parking lines, receive an input selecting a candidate parking space within the virtual parking lines, set the selected candidate parking space as a target parking position, and control a vehicle to be driven to the target parking position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Hyeonju Bae, Seongju Ha, Jonghwa Yoon
  • Patent number: 10769950
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure involve a method for identifying parking locations. The current disclosure presents a technique for identifying parking locations within a geographical area. In one embodiment, a database is populated and stores information associated with parking locations. The database can include coordinates associated with parking locations and other relevant attributes. In another embodiment, the information from the database may be used to identify and present a visual representation and route to available parking locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Kjell F. Bronder, Scott M. Herz
  • Patent number: 10769949
    Abstract: Systems and methods for collaborative parking assistance using a parking facilitation circuit are provided. A method may include: using information from a plurality of sensors to locate one or more available parking spaces in a determined area; characterize the located available parking spaces to generate parking space parameters for each of the available parking spaces; generating a parking space map comprising an indication of available parking spaces, locations of the available parking spaces and parking space parameters for the available parking spaces; filtering the parking space map to include as available parking spaces only those one or more available parking spaces that, based on the parking space parameters, are compatible with a vehicle intended to park in the determined area; and providing the filtered parking space map to a user interface of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Michael C. Edwards, Randall M. Harris, Nutonya L. Parker, Ashok Ramadass, Kotaro Hashimoto, James H. Kikuma
  • Patent number: 10762386
    Abstract: The invention is related to a method of determining a similarity transformation between first coordinates and second coordinates of 3D features, comprising providing a first plurality of 3D features having first coordinates in a first coordinate system which is associated with a first geometrical model of a first real object, wherein the first plurality of 3D features describes physical 3D features of the first real object, providing a second coordinate system, providing image information associated with a plurality of images captured by at least one camera, for each respective 3D feature of at least part of the first plurality of 3D features, wherein the respective 3D feature is captured by at least two of the plurality of images, determining camera poses of the at least one camera in the second coordinate system while the at least two of the plurality of images are captured, determining for the respective 3D feature a second coordinate in the second coordinate system according to the at least two of the plu
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Ulbricht, Thomas Olszamowski
  • Patent number: 10762782
    Abstract: A method includes receiving data corresponding to spaces situated in a street section, the data being ascertained by at least one ascertaining vehicle driving through the street section and including information corresponding to a beginning edge of at least one object and a ending edge of at least one second object, determining boundaries of at least one space in which parking is permitted based on the received data, and generating a display representation of the boundaries of the at least one space in which parking is permitted. The method includes receiving the data and determining the boundaries, for example, each time an ascertaining vehicle drives through the street.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Georgiy Shurkhovetskyy, Carlos Cunha, Ruobing Chen, Philipp Mayer, Manuel Maier
  • Patent number: 10753114
    Abstract: A vehicle parking assistance assembly includes a pair of clamps removably clamped to a respective one of a pair of garage door rails on either side of a garage door opening. A light emitting unit emits a beam of light across the garage door opening. A receiving unit receives the beam of light emitted by the light emitting unit. A visual unit is positioned on a back wall of a garage to be visible to a driver of a vehicle entering the garage. The visual unit emits a visual alert to stop when the visual unit receives a clear signal from the receiving unit for alerting the driver that the vehicle has fully entered the garage. The visual unit emits a visual alert to go when the visual unit receives a blocked signal from the receiving unit for alerting the driver that the vehicle has not fully entered the garage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Inventor: Kevin Bobenrieth
  • Patent number: 10755572
    Abstract: The invention relates to the field of information sharing, in particular to an urban private parking space sharing and exchanging service method and system. A parking space supply side sets parking space sharing information and releases the parking space sharing information on a sharing platform, and then an intelligent parking space lock is triggered to conduct locking; a parking space demand side acquires the parking space sharing information within a preset range, so that a parking space sharing information set is formed; the parking space demand side selects a parking space corresponding to the parking space sharing information from the parking space sharing information set and sets a time to leave the parking space. Urban private parking space information is shared, and the utilization rate of parking spaces is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: FUJIAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Lvchao Liao, Fumin Zou, Xinhua Jiang, Hongtu Lai, Yun Chen, Weidong Fang, Shijian Liu, Jiying Xiao, Xianghai Ge, Meirun Zhang
  • Patent number: 10752238
    Abstract: A parking assistance device includes: an obstacle detection unit that detects an obstacle; a separated distance determination unit that determines a separated distance between the obstacles when a plurality of the obstacles are detected; a target position determination unit that determines a target position in a guidance route; a route calculation unit that calculates the guidance route; and a control unit that guides a vehicle in accordance with the guidance route, wherein, when a second obstacle is detected in a second direction orthogonal to a first direction in which one or plurality of first obstacles extends or are lined up while being separated from each other and at a position separated from the first direction, the separated distance determination unit determines the separated distance between the first and second obstacles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yusuke Kiyokawa
  • Patent number: 10745928
    Abstract: A connected vehicle lift and storage system (VLSS) can include a plurality of platforms for storing vehicles that are movable between a plurality of positions. The connected VLSS can communicate with a computing device operated by a user to receive requests to store or retrieve the user's vehicle(s). As part of the request, location data generated by the computing device can be transmitted to the connected VLSS. In response to the request, the connected VLSS can determine a sequence of platform movements to fulfill the request to store or retrieve the user's vehicle(s). The sequence can be determined, at least in part, on the location data of the requesting user and/or the location data of other users. In addition, the sequence can be determined to minimize wait times for the requesting user and other users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: CityLift Parking, LLC
    Inventors: Brandon Michael Richardson, Yi Jack Cheng
  • Patent number: 10748422
    Abstract: A portable computing device can be used to locate a vehicle in a parking structure. In particular, the portable computing device can communicate with a parking system that manages the parking structure and/or with a vehicle in order to locate the vehicle. Communications between the portable computing device, parking system and vehicle can be based on one or more wireless connections, such as Bluetooth and/or Bluetooth LE connections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Brian J. Tucker, Emily C. Schubert, Jesse L. Dorogusker, Joakim Linde, Stephen Chick
  • Patent number: 10748424
    Abstract: A vehicle presence detection system for determining whether a parking space is vacant or occupied and utilizing this information to guide vehicles to available parking spaces. generally includes a LIDAR device, a cloud-based processing unit, a database, and a guidance light. The LIDAR device generally includes a light emitter, a light sensor, a CPU, a memory unit, and a communications device. The LIDAR device determines the distance between itself and a parking spot or a vehicle parked in that parking spot using an algorithm that accounts for variances in the ambient conditions. This status information can be communicated to a cloud-based processing unit, which can store this information in a database and/or use this information to send parking status indications to an autonomous vehicle dynamic sign, mobile device, or guidance light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: Frogparking Limited
    Inventor: Donald H. Sandbrook
  • Patent number: 10741075
    Abstract: There is disclosed a system, method and software program for managing parking spaces in a geographical area. The system, method and software program includes monitoring the geographical area; identifying one or more available parking spaces in the geographical area based at least partly upon the monitoring; informing, over the air interface, one or more vehicle operators about a first available parking space of the one or more available parking spaces identified; and completing a parking reservation for the first available parking space with a first vehicle operator of the one or more vehicle operators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Ganesh Adireddy, Javier Alcazar, Dominik Froehlich, Ibro Muharemovic
  • Patent number: 10740631
    Abstract: A method for an enhanced vehicle monitoring system that utilizes cameras and other sensors to determine the state of the interior and/or exterior of a vehicle is provided. The method comprises detecting that a driver has exited a vehicle. The method further comprises monitoring a state of the vehicle. The method further comprises determining based, at least in part, on the monitoring, if an object has been left in the vehicle unintentionally or if the vehicle has been left running unattended. The method further comprises, upon determining that the object has been left in the vehicle or the vehicle has been left running unattended, sending a notification to the driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Asmahan A. Ali, Ali Y. Duale, Mustafa Y. Mah
  • Patent number: 10737652
    Abstract: A safety system in a vehicle may be activated by receiving information indicating a physical change, such as a pressure, of an interval cavity associated with a tire or tire guard. The safety system may be activated based at least in part on the physical change (e.g. an increase in a pressure by at least a threshold amount, an increase of a pressure to a threshold pressure, or a rate of change of a pressure), in addition to other, external, information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: Zoox, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew John Piper, Josh Alexander Jimenez
  • Patent number: 10737690
    Abstract: Method and apparatus are disclosed for mobile device tethering for a remote parking assist system of a vehicle. An example vehicle includes a plurality of proximity sensors and a body control module. In response to detecting a mobile device proximate one of the proximity sensors, the body control module sends a location associated with the corresponding proximity sensor to the mobile device. The body control module receives, from the mobile device, a relative position of the mobile device from the location, and when the mobile device is within a threshold distance of the vehicle, enables autonomous parking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Erick Michael Lavoie, Hamid M. Golgiri, John Robert Van Wiemeersch, Vivekanandh Elangovan, Aaron Matthew DeLong
  • Patent number: 10737725
    Abstract: A system is provided for assisting a driver of a vehicle with parallel parking of the vehicle. The system includes at least one imager positioned to capture images of a scene to at least a side of the vehicle and to output image data, and an image processor for processing the image data received from the at least one imager to create an orthographic projection from the image data, where the orthographic projection shows side views of parking spaces and a graphic representation of the vehicle to be parked shown in relative locations to the parking spaces to enable the driver to determine the relative size of the parking spaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: GENTEX CORPORATION
    Inventor: Jeremy A. Schut
  • Patent number: 10733641
    Abstract: A parking management method, a server, a user terminal and a system are provided. The parking management method includes: acquiring a parking service information request sent by a user terminal; acquiring parking service information of a bound vehicle of the user terminal, where the parking service information includes a transfer data volume corresponding to a parking service of the bound vehicle in a target parking lot; sending the parking service information to the user terminal to make the user terminal submit a data transfer request to a data transfer server based on the parking service information, to request the data transfer server to transfer the transfer data volume from an account of the user terminal to an account of the parking management server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Company Limited
    Inventors: Yanghui Xu, Peng Liu, Rong Zeng, Hang Zhou, Hao Huang, Junhan Tan
  • Patent number: 10723241
    Abstract: Generally described, a vehicle occupant monitoring system with front and rear sensors that scan different sections or areas at different times within a vehicle is presented. A number of different sensors may be included that monitor the front row, second row, third row and rear storage of the vehicle. The system may deactivate the front and rear sensors when the vehicle is unlocked. The system may determine whether a rear door has been closed. If the rear door has not been opened, the rear sensors may remain inactive. However, and when the rear door has been closed, the system activates the rear sensors until the vehicle begins moving. A notification may be provided when an occupant has been detected by the rear sensors after the vehicle is placed in park. The front and rear sensors may be activated when the vehicle is locked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Stuart Masakazu Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 10720058
    Abstract: The present invention provides an on-board vehicle system and method for camera or sensor-based parking spot detection and identification. Advantageously, this system and method utilizes a standard front (or side or rear) camera or sensor image to detect and identify one or more parking spots at a distance via vector or like representation using a deep neural network trained with data annotated using an annotation tool, without first transforming the standard camera or sensor image(s) to a bird's-eye-view (BEV) or the like. The system and method can be incorporated in a driver-assist (DA) or autonomous driving (AD) system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: Volvo Car Corporation
    Inventors: Sihao Ding, Andreas Wallin
  • Patent number: 10719534
    Abstract: The example embodiments are directed to a data rollup engine for use in software applications hosted by a cloud platform such as in an Internet of Things. As one example, the method includes receiving sensor data associated with at least one Internet of Things (IoT) asset, processing a data rollup engine on the sensor data to generate rolled-up sensor data having a granularity determined by a user, and executing one or more operations on the rolled-up sensor data to generate information associated with the at least one IoT asset. The rollup engine is not limited to a particular type of asset and enables substantial amounts of raw time series data to be rolled up and grouped based on properties thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Rupinder S Guron, Aditya Swamy
  • Patent number: 10713642
    Abstract: A system and method are provided that include a communication system coupled to a vehicle, the communication system being configured to determine geospatial location data of the vehicle and transmit the geospatial location data to a server. At least one beacon communicates with the communication system and provides a reference location from which a part of the geospatial location data is determined. A mobile device is in communication with the server and is configured to receive geospatial location data of parked vehicles, compare the geospatial location data of the parked vehicles with geospatial reference location data of parking spaces in a parking lot to determine whether at least one parking space is available, and (communicate to the mobile device whether at least one parking space in the parking lot is available. The mobile device is configured to generate an output indicating whether at least one parking space is available.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO International America, Inc.
    Inventor: Patrick Powell
  • Patent number: 10710633
    Abstract: Various embodiments relate generally to autonomous vehicles and associated mechanical, electrical and electronic hardware, computing software, including autonomy applications, image processing applications, etc., computing systems, and wired and wireless network communications to facilitate autonomous control of vehicles, and, more specifically, to systems, devices, and methods configured to control driverless vehicles to facilitate complex parking maneuvers and autonomous fuel replenishment. In some examples, a method may include computing vehicular drive parameters, accessing map data to identify a boundary, detecting an autonomous vehicle, accessing executable instructions to facilitate vectoring of an autonomous vehicle, and applying vehicular drive parameters to propel the autonomous vehicle to a termination point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: NIO USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Jamie P. Carlson, Yadunandana Yellambalase, Sathya Narayanan Kasturi Rangan
  • Patent number: 10713942
    Abstract: There is provided a display control device having first and second processing unit. When a traveling state of a vehicle indicated by a vehicle signal, which is acquired at a point of time at which an additional information generated by the second processing unit can be output, is not a predetermined state, at least one of an output of an additional image by the second processing unit and a superimposition of the additional image is prohibited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO TEN LIMITED
    Inventor: Nobuaki Kajimoto
  • Patent number: 10712445
    Abstract: Objects are sensed by a distance sensor of a vehicle. Reflected signals are received as echo signals by the driving-environment sensor. Object distance is calculable, for example, from the propagation time of the signals. Of the sensed objects, those objects are identified which, e.g., based on their spatial disposition, are parking-space-delimiting objects. It is possible to differentiate between objects delimiting a parking space to the side (e.g., parked vehicles) and lateral parking-space delimitations (e.g., a curbstone) by evaluating the echo signals. The parking-space-delimiting objects are classified through characteristic structures of the echo signals assigned to the parking-space-delimiting objects, and an object class is assigned to each parking-space-delimiting object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Markus Kempf, Philipp Mayer