US 11,455,887 B1Granted

Systems and methods to locate a parking spot for a vehicle

AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC

InventorsYifan Chen, Kwaku O. Prakah-Asante

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Abstract

This disclosure is generally directed to systems and methods to locate a parking spot for a vehicle. In an example method, an address of a destination for a trip is provided to a processor. The processor identifies a cluster of parking spots based on determining a statistical probability that at least one parking spot in the cluster of parking spots is available at an expected time of arrival of the vehicle at the cluster of parking spots. An availability of the first parking spot is then checked by the processor at a time of arrival of the vehicle at a perimeter of the cluster of parking spots. The processor may direct the vehicle to travel from the perimeter to either the first parking spot if still available, or to a second parking spot if the first parking spot is unavailable.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a request to provide parking spot availability information in a vicinity of a destination for a vehicle;
identifying, by the processor, a cluster of parking spots based on determining a statistical probability that at least one parking spot in the cluster of parking spots is available at an expected time of arrival of the vehicle at the cluster of parking spots;
and
providing, by the processor, a first routing instruction directing the vehicle to travel to the cluster of parking spots,
wherein identifying the cluster of parking spots comprises:
determining, by the processor, a total number of parking spots for evaluation to identify the cluster of parking spots;
reorganizing, by the processor, the total number of parking spots into a sequence of parking spots, arranged in an order of ascending walking distances from the destination;
generating, by the processor, a subset of parking spots based on evaluating each parking spot in the sequence of parking spots until a probability of at least one parking spot being available in the subset of parking spots is at equal to or greater than a specified level of statistical certainty;
constructing, by the processor, a convex hull based on the subset of parking spots, the convex hull defining a perimeter of the cluster of parking spots;
and
calculating a centroid of the convex hull.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/407,453Filed 20 Aug 2021
Granted: 27 Sep 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

G08G 1/143
With means giving the indication of available parking spaces: inside the vehicles
G08G 1/144
With means giving the indication of available parking spaces: on portable or mobile units, e.g. personal digital assistant [PDA]
G08G 1/146
Where the indication depends on the parking areas: where the parking area is a limited parking space, e.g. parking garage, restricted space
G08G 1/148
Where the indication depends on the parking areas: management of a network of parking areas