# US 11,110,900 B2 · Vehicle sensing and guidance system for a vehicle wash, and a vehicle wash > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,110,900 B2 - Document ID: US11110900B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/812,250 - Filed: 2020-03-06 - Published: 2020-09-10 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2019-03-06 - Assignees: Stephenson Technologies Inc. - Applicants: Stephenson Technologies Inc. - Inventors: Robert Roy Stephenson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11110900B2 ## CPC - B60S 3/04: for exteriors of land vehicles {(B60S3/002, B60S3/004 take precedence; specially adapted for railway vehicles B60S3/006)} - B60Q 9/008: {for anti-collision purposes} - B60S 3/004: {Conveyors for vehicle cleaning apparatus} - B62D 15/028: {Guided parking by providing commands to the driver, e.g. acoustically or optically} - G05D 1/0212: {with means for defining a desired trajectory (involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287)} - G05D 1/0214: {in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas (monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13)} - G05D 1/0223: {involving speed control of the vehicle (vehicle fittings for automatically controlling, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator B60K31/00)} - G06V 20/00: Scenes; Scene-specific elements (control of digital cameras H04N23/60) - G06V 20/52: Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects (recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69) - G06V 20/588: {Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road} - G08G 1/017: identifying vehicles (G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence) - G08G 1/04: using optical or ultrasonic detectors - G06V 20/625: {License plates} - G06V 2201/08: Detecting or categorising vehicles - B60S: SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, OR MANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL - B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M) - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) ## Abstract A vehicle sensing and guidance system for a vehicle wash, and a vehicle wash, are provided. The system includes a first vehicle sensing system having at least one sensor configured to detect a vehicle and generate sensor data, a storage storing computer readable instructions, at least one processor that, when executing the computer readable instructions, determines a pose of the first vehicle using the sensor data, and at least one output device configured to present at least one of a first vehicle positioning marker and a vehicle positioning signal at least partially based on the pose of the first vehicle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle sensing and guidance system for a vehicle wash, comprising: a vehicle sensing system having at least one sensor positioned to detect a position of a vehicle approaching the vehicle wash at least partially based on a distance between the at least one sensor and the vehicle and generate sensor data; a storage storing computer readable instructions; at least one processor that, when executing the computer readable instructions, determines the position of the vehicle using the sensor data; and at least one display connected to the at least one processor to present an image of the vehicle and a vehicle positioning marker, wherein the vehicle positioning marker indicates at least one of a target position and a target position range along a lateral axis perpendicular to a vehicle travel direction through the vehicle wash for loading the vehicle onto a conveyor system. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one display is configured to present the position of the vehicle and the vehicle positioning marker to a driver of the vehicle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, further comprising at least one display positioned inside of a structure of the vehicle wash for presenting the vehicle positioning marker to the driver of the vehicle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a first vehicle, wherein the at least one processor, when executing the computer readable instructions, determines a position of a second vehicle using the sensor data, and wherein the vehicle positioning marker indicates at least one of a target position and a target position range along a longitudinal axis parallel to the vehicle travel direction through the vehicle wash for the first vehicle determined at least partially based on the position of the second vehicle. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor, when executing the computer readable instructions, determines the velocity of the second vehicle from the sensor data. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one processor, when executing the computer readable instructions, generates the vehicle positioning marker at least partially based on the velocity of the second vehicle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein the vehicle positioning marker is a first vehicle positioning marker, wherein the at least one processor, when executing the computer readable instructions, determines a velocity of the second vehicle from the sensor data, and determines a second vehicle positioning marker for the second vehicle positioning marker at least partially based on the velocity of the second vehicle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one of the target position and the target position range is determined at least partially based on the distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle determined by the at least one sensor. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes at least one imaging sensor module. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes at least one sonic sensor module. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one display includes a first display positioned outside of a structure of the vehicle wash, and a second display positioned inside of the structure of the vehicle wash. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor, when executing the computer readable instructions, generates a surface map of the vehicle via the sensor data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor, when executing the computer readable instructions, determines the pose of the vehicle from the surface map of the vehicle. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor, when executing the computer readable instructions, determines a velocity of the first vehicle from the sensor data, and generates the vehicle positioning marker at least partially based on the velocity of the vehicle. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle positioning marker includes a transverse edge normal to the vehicle travel direction. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the transverse edge is at least a minimum target distance from a rear of the second vehicle. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the longitudinal transverse edge is a target distance from the rear of the second vehicle, and wherein the target distance is dynamically determined. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor presents, via the at least one display, an additional first vehicle positioning marker spaced laterally from the vehicle positioning marker along the lateral axis normal to the vehicle travel direction through the vehicle wash, the additional first vehicle positioning marker indicating the at least one of the target position and the target position range. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle positioning marker includes a lateral edge parallel to the vehicle travel direction. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein the vehicle positioning marker includes a lateral line parallel to the vehicle travel direction. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The system of claim 20, wherein the conveyor system is positioned to engage at least one wheel of vehicles along one lateral side thereof; and wherein the lateral line is positioned to align the at least one wheel along the lateral side of the vehicle with the conveyor system. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle positioning marker includes a median line parallel to the vehicle travel direction. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a first vehicle, wherein the vehicle positioning marker is a first vehicle positioning marker, wherein the at least one sensor is positioned to detect a position of a second vehicle, wherein the target position is a first target position, wherein the target position range is a first target position range, wherein the at least one processor determines the position of the second vehicle, wherein the at least one display presents the position of the second vehicle and a second vehicle positioning marker, wherein the second vehicle positioning marker indicates at least one of a second target position and a second target position range along the lateral axis perpendicular to the vehicle travel direction through the vehicle wash for loading the second vehicle onto the conveyor system.