System and method for autonomous valet parking using plenoptic cameras
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsLarry Dean Elie, Douglas Scott Rhode
Life of this patent
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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. An example vehicle includes a plenoptic camera to obtain an image external to the vehicle and a controller. The controller is to autonomously navigate a vehicle toward a parking space identified as unoccupied and generate, based on the image, an occupancy map indicating occupied regions in a plurality of concentric regions. The controller also is to determine whether the parking space is available based on the occupancy map and send, in response to determining the parking space is unavailable, an error message to a driver.
Claims20
A vehicle comprising:
- a plenoptic camera to obtain an image external to the vehicle;
- a controller to:
- autonomously navigate a vehicle toward a parking space identified as unoccupied;
- generate, based on the image, an occupancy map indicating occupied regions in a plurality of concentric regions;
- determine whether the parking space is available based on the occupancy map;
- and
- send, in response to determining the parking space is unavailable, an error message to a driver.
A method for autonomously parking vehicles, the method comprising:
- obtaining an image via a plenoptic camera of a vehicle;
- autonomously navigating, via a controller, the vehicle toward a parking space identified as unoccupied;
- generating, based on the image, an occupancy map indicating occupied regions in a plurality of concentric regions;
- determining whether the parking space is available based on the occupancy map;
- and
- sending an error message in response to determining the parking space is unavailable.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.