Parking-lot-navigation system and method

A method for determining whether to advance into a first feeder lane within a parking lot, the method comprising:

• approaching, by an autonomous vehicle, the first feeder lane within the parking lot;
• collecting, by one or more sensors on-board the autonomous vehicle, first data characterizing at least a portion of the first feeder lane;
• confirming, by a computer system carried on-board the autonomous vehicle, an existence of a condition precedent for advancing into the first feeder lane;
• the confirming comprising detecting the condition precedent by at least one of applying a machine-learning algorithm to the first data, applying a computer-vision technique to the first data, and extracting first range measurements from the first data;
• the confirming wherein the condition precedent for advancing into the first feeder lane comprises at least one of
• an in-bound arrow on the first feeder lane,
• parking lines adjacent the first feeder lane defining a departure angle less than or equal to ninety degrees, wherein the angle of departure defined by the parking lines adjacent the first feeder lane is a measure of a change of direction necessary for the autonomous vehicle to appropriately enter a parking space defined by the parking lines adjacent the first feeder lane if the autonomous vehicle were already traveling down the first feeder lane, and
• at least one parked vehicle adjacent the first feeder lane defining a departure angle less than or equal to ninety degrees, wherein the angle of departure defined by the at least one parked vehicle adjacent the first feeder lane is a measure of a change of direction necessary for the autonomous vehicle to turn and park alongside the at least one parked vehicle adjacent the first feeder lane if the autonomous vehicle were already traveling down the first feeder lane;
• and
• advancing, by the autonomous vehicle, into the first feeder lane in response to the confirming.

An autonomous vehicle comprising:

• one or more sensors carried on-board the autonomous vehicle;
• at least one processor carried on-board the autonomous vehicle;
• and
• memory operably connected to the at least one processor, the memory storing software programmed to
• direct the autonomous vehicle to a first feeder lane within a parking lot,
• collect data output by the one or more sensors that characterizes at least a portion of the first feeder lane,
• use at least one of machine learning, computer vision, and range measurement to determine whether a condition precedent for entering the first feeder lane is reflected in the data, wherein the condition precedent comprises a presence of at least one of
• an in-bound arrow on the first feeder lane,
• parking lines adjacent the first feeder lane defining a departure angle less than or equal to ninety degrees, wherein the angle of departure defined by the parking lines is a measure of a change of direction necessary for the autonomous vehicle to appropriately enter a parking space defined by the parking lines if the autonomous vehicle were already traveling down the first feeder lane, and
• at least one parked vehicle adjacent the first feeder lane defining a departure angle less than or equal to ninety degrees, wherein the angle of departure defined by the at least one parked vehicle is a measure of a change of direction necessary for the autonomous vehicle to turn and park alongside the at least one parked vehicle if the autonomous vehicle were already traveling down the first feeder lane,
• direct the autonomous vehicle to enter the first feeder lane when the condition precedent is present, and
• direct the autonomous vehicle to a second feeder lane when the condition precedent is not present.