System and method for autonomous valet parking using plenoptic cameras
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsLarry Dean Elie, Douglas Scott Rhode
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Exemplary embodiments provide systems and methods for autonomously valet parking a vehicle based on images obtained from a plurality of plenoptic (light field) cameras. According to one embodiment, an autonomous valet parking system comprises a plenoptic camera configured to: obtain an image external to a vehicle, and for the image, generate a depth map including location information for an object in the image; and a controller configured to: using the depth map, generate an occupancy map indicating whether each of a plurality of regions surrounding the vehicle is occupied; and using the occupancy map, control the vehicle to navigate to a desired parking space.
Claims20
An autonomous parking system comprising:
- a plenoptic camera configured to generate a depth map based on the image external to the vehicle, the depth map including location information for object in the image;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- using the depth map, generate an occupancy map indicating occupied regions in a plurality of concentric sets of regions surrounding the vehicle;
- and
- using the occupancy map, control the vehicle to navigate to a desired parking space.
An autonomous parking method comprising:
- generating, by a plenoptic camera, a depth map based on the image external to the vehicle, the depth map including location information for object in the image;
- using the depth map, generating an occupancy map indicating occupied regions in a plurality of concentric sets of regions surrounding the vehicle;
- and
- using the occupancy map, controlling, by the controller, the vehicle to navigate to a desired parking space.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.