Method for providing vehicular parking assistance

Abstract

A method for providing vehicular parking assistance includes providing a plurality of sensors at a parking facility that has a plurality of parking spaces, capturing data via the plurality of sensors, and providing captured data to a control of a parking assist system. Responsive to processing at the control of the provided captured data, a communication system of the parking assist system wirelessly communicates information pertaining to available parking spaces at the parking facility. A vehicle-based communication system of a vehicle receives the wirelessly communicated information, and a target available parking space at the parking facility is selected at the vehicle. Responsive to selection at the vehicle of the target available parking space, the vehicle-based communication system of the vehicle wirelessly communicates to the parking assist system a signal reserving for the vehicle the selected target available parking space.

1 . A method for providing vehicular parking assistance, said method comprising:
 providing a plurality of sensors at a parking facility that has a plurality of parking spaces, the plurality of sensors having respective fields of sensing that encompass parking spaces at the parking facility;   capturing data via the plurality of sensors;   providing data captured by the plurality of sensors to a control of a parking assist system;   processing, via a processor at the control of the parking assist system, data captured by the plurality of sensors;   responsive to processing at the control of the parking assist system of the provided data captured by the plurality of sensors, wirelessly communicating via a communication system of the parking assist system information pertaining to available parking spaces at the parking facility;   equipping a vehicle with a vehicle-based communication system;   receiving via the vehicle-based communication system of the equipped vehicle the wirelessly communicated information pertaining to the available parking spaces at the parking facility;   responsive to receiving at the equipped vehicle the wirelessly communicated information pertaining to the available parking spaces at the parking facility, selecting at the equipped vehicle a target available parking space at the parking facility; and   responsive to selection at the equipped vehicle of the target available parking space, wirelessly communicating to the parking assist system, via the vehicle-based communication system of the equipped vehicle, a signal reserving for the equipped vehicle the selected target available parking space.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein, responsive to the parking assist system receiving from the vehicle-based communication system of the equipped vehicle the wirelessly communicated signal reserving for the equipped vehicle the selected target available parking space, the communication system of the parking assist system wirelessly communicates updated information indicative of the selected target available parking space being reserved. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors at the parking facility comprises a plurality of cameras, and wherein providing the plurality of sensors comprises providing the plurality of cameras at spaced apart locations at the parking facility. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein wirelessly communicating via the communication system of the parking assist system information pertaining to available parking spaces at the parking facility comprises wirelessly communicating via the communication system of the parking assist system information pertaining to multiple available parking spaces at the parking facility. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein selecting at the equipped vehicle the target available parking space at the parking facility from the multiple available parking spaces comprises selecting at the equipped vehicle as the target available parking space an available parking space of the multiple available parking spaces that is nearest to the equipped vehicle. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising (i) determining, via a vehicle-based sensor at the equipped vehicle, an available parking space as the equipped vehicle moves through the parking facility, and (ii) wirelessly communicating to the parking assist system, via the vehicle-based communication system of the equipped vehicle, information pertaining to the determined available parking space. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein selecting at the equipped vehicle the target available parking space is at least in part responsive to a wireless communication by a vehicle-based communication system of another vehicle at the parking facility. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the wireless communication by the vehicle-based communication system of the other vehicle comprises information pertaining to a newly available parking space at the parking facility as the other vehicle moves out of that parking space. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the wireless communication by the vehicle-based communication system of the other vehicle comprises information pertaining to an available parking space at the parking facility passed by the other vehicle as the other vehicle moves through the parking facility. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the vehicle-based communication system of the equipped vehicle and the vehicle-based communication system of the other vehicle comprise part of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the wireless communication by the vehicle-based communication system of the other vehicle at the parking facility comprises a wireless communication to the parking assist system. 
     
     
         12 . A method for providing vehicular parking assistance, said method comprising:
 providing a plurality of cameras at spaced apart locations at a parking facility that has a plurality of parking spaces, the plurality of cameras having respective fields of sensing that encompass parking spaces at the parking facility;   capturing data via the plurality of cameras;   providing data captured by the plurality of cameras to a control of a parking assist system;   processing, via a processor at the control of the parking assist system, data captured by the plurality of cameras;   responsive to processing at the control of the parking assist system of the provided data captured by the plurality of cameras, wirelessly communicating via a communication system of the parking assist system information pertaining to available parking spaces at the parking facility;   equipping a vehicle with a vehicle-based communication system;   receiving via the vehicle-based communication system of the equipped vehicle the wirelessly communicated information pertaining to the available parking spaces at the parking facility;   responsive to receiving at the equipped vehicle the wirelessly communicated information pertaining to the available parking spaces at the parking facility, selecting at the equipped vehicle a target available parking space at the parking facility;   responsive to selection at the equipped vehicle of the target available parking space, wirelessly communicating to the parking assist system, via the vehicle-based communication system of the equipped vehicle, a signal reserving for the equipped vehicle the selected target available parking space; and   wherein, responsive to the parking assist system receiving from the vehicle-based communication system of the equipped vehicle the wirelessly communicated signal reserving for the equipped vehicle the selected target available parking space, the communication system of the parking assist system wirelessly communicates updated information indicative of the selected target available parking space being reserved.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein selecting at the equipped vehicle the target available parking space is at least in part responsive to a wireless communication by a vehicle-based communication system of another vehicle at the parking facility. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the wireless communication by the vehicle-based communication system of the other vehicle comprises information pertaining to a newly available parking space at the parking facility as the other vehicle moves out of that parking space. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the wireless communication by the vehicle-based communication system of the other vehicle comprises information pertaining to an available parking space at the parking facility passed by the other vehicle as the other vehicle moves through the parking facility. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the vehicle-based communication system of the equipped vehicle and the vehicle-based communication system of the other vehicle comprise part of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the wireless communication by the vehicle-based communication system of the other vehicle at the parking facility comprises a wireless communication to the parking assist system. 
     
     
         18 . A method for providing vehicular parking assistance, said method comprising:
 providing a plurality of sensors at a parking facility that has a plurality of parking spaces, the plurality of sensors having respective fields of sensing that encompass parking spaces at the parking facility;   capturing data via the plurality of sensors;   providing data captured by the plurality of sensors to a control of a parking assist system;   processing, via a processor at the control of the parking assist system, data captured by the plurality of sensors;   responsive to processing at the control of the parking assist system of the provided data captured by the plurality of sensors, wirelessly communicating via a communication system of the parking assist system information pertaining to multiple available parking spaces at the parking facility;   equipping a vehicle with a vehicle-based communication system;   receiving via the vehicle-based communication system of the equipped vehicle the wirelessly communicated information pertaining to the multiple available parking spaces at the parking facility;   responsive to receiving at the equipped vehicle the wirelessly communicated information pertaining to the multiple available parking spaces at the parking facility, selecting at the equipped vehicle a target available parking space at the parking facility from the multiple available parking spaces;   wherein selecting at the equipped vehicle the target available parking space is at least in part responsive to a wireless communication by a vehicle-based communication system of another vehicle;   responsive to selection at the equipped vehicle of the target available parking space, wirelessly communicating to the parking assist system, via the vehicle-based communication system of the equipped vehicle, a signal reserving for the equipped vehicle the selected target available parking space; and   wherein, responsive to the parking assist system receiving from the vehicle-based communication system of the equipped vehicle the wirelessly communicated signal reserving for the equipped vehicle the selected target available parking space, the communication system of the parking assist system wirelessly communicates updated information indicative of the selected target available parking space being reserved.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein selecting at the equipped vehicle the target available parking space at the parking facility from the multiple available parking spaces comprises selecting at the equipped vehicle as the target available parking space an available parking space of the multiple available parking spaces that is nearest to the equipped vehicle. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein selecting at the equipped vehicle the target available parking space is at least in part responsive to the wireless communication by the vehicle-based communication system of the other vehicle when the other vehicle is at the parking facility. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the wireless communication by the vehicle-based communication system of the other vehicle comprises information pertaining to a newly available parking space at the parking facility as the other vehicle moves out of that parking space. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the wireless communication by the vehicle-based communication system of the other vehicle at the parking facility comprises a wireless communication to the parking assist system.