IP Library Granted Patent US 12,565,192
Granted Patent B2
US 12,565,192 · App. 17/828,137 · Granted Mar 3, 2026

System, method, and computer program product for identification of intention and prediction for parallel parking vehicles

Inventors: Randall Schur (Pittsburgh, PA); Dale Lord (Pittsburgh, PA)
Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
B60W30/06B60W40/12B60W60/0025B60W2554/20B60W2554/402B60W2554/4041B60W2554/80
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,565,192
App. No.
17/828,137
Granted
Mar 3, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed herein are system, method, and computer program product embodiments for identification of intention and prediction for parallel parking vehicles. For example, the method includes: obtaining sensor data associated with an environment surrounding an autonomous vehicle; identifying, based on the sensor data, a plurality of static objects in the environment, an open parallel parking location between the plurality of static objects, and a vehicle in the environment that satisfies a parallel parking condition; generating a polygon that extends beyond a side and a rear of the vehicle that satisfies the parallel parking condition; and controlling movement of the autonomous vehicle based on a prediction that the vehicle is intending to parallel park in the open parking location, the prediction that the vehicle is intending to parallel park in the open parking location being determined based on an amount of the open parallel parking location that is contained within the polygon.

Claims (34)

1 . A method, comprising:

obtaining, with at least one processor, sensor data associated with an environment surrounding an autonomous vehicle;

identifying, with the at least one processor, based on the sensor data, a plurality of static objects in the environment, an open parallel parking location between the plurality of static objects, and a vehicle in the environment that satisfies a parallel parking condition;

in response to identifying the vehicle that satisfies the parallel parking condition, generating, with the at least one processor, a polygon that extends beyond a side and a rear of the vehicle that satisfies the parallel parking condition based on a turning radius associated with the vehicle; and

controlling, with the at least one processor, movement of the autonomous vehicle based on a prediction that the vehicle is intending to parallel park in the open parallel parking location, wherein the prediction that the vehicle is intending to parallel park in the open parallel parking location is determined based on an amount of the open parallel parking location that is contained within the polygon.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the open parallel parking location includes determining, based on the plurality of static objects, one or more sides of the open parallel parking location.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the parallel parking condition includes at least one of the following conditions: an object classification associated with the vehicle, a size associated with the vehicle, a location associated with the vehicle, a current and/or prediction motion associated with the vehicle, or any combination thereof.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the polygon includes a predetermined area that extends beyond the side and the rear of the vehicle.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein an area in which the polygon extends beyond the side and the rear of the vehicle is determined based on an attribute associated with the vehicle, and wherein the attribute associated with the vehicle includes at least one of the following: a size associated with the vehicle, a type associated with vehicle, or any combination thereof.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the prediction that the vehicle is intending to parallel park includes a probability that the vehicle is intending to parallel park.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein controlling movement of the autonomous vehicle includes at least one of: controlling the autonomous vehicle to maintain a distance between the autonomous vehicle and the vehicle predicted to be parallel parking that is greater than a default distance and controlling the autonomous vehicle to bias lateral positioning within a lane or roadway to go around the vehicle predicted to be parallel parking.

8 . A system, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to:

obtain sensor data associated with an environment surrounding an autonomous vehicle;

identify, based on the sensor data, a plurality of static objects in the environment, an open parallel parking location between the plurality of static objects, and a vehicle in the environment that satisfies a parallel parking condition;

in response to identifying the vehicle that satisfies the parallel parking condition, generate a polygon that extends beyond a side and a rear of the vehicle that satisfies the parallel parking condition; and

control movement of the autonomous vehicle based on a prediction that the vehicle is intending to parallel park in the open parallel parking location, wherein the prediction that the vehicle is intending to parallel park in the open parallel parking location is determined based on an overlap of the open parallel parking location and the polygon being above a threshold.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to identify the open parallel parking location by determining, based on the plurality of static objects, one or more sides of the open parallel parking location.

10 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the parallel parking condition includes at least one of the following conditions: an object classification associated with the vehicle, a size associated with the vehicle, a location associated with the vehicle, a current and/or prediction motion associated with the vehicle, or any combination thereof.

11 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the polygon includes a predetermined area that extends beyond the side and the rear of the vehicle.

12 . The system of claim 8 , wherein an area in which the polygon extends beyond the side and the rear of the vehicle is determined based on an attribute associated with the vehicle, and wherein the attribute associated with the vehicle includes at least one of the following: a size associated with the vehicle, a type associated with vehicle, or any combination thereof.

13 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the prediction that the vehicle is intending to parallel park includes a probability that the vehicle is intending to parallel park.

14 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control movement of the autonomous vehicle by at least one of: controlling the autonomous vehicle to maintain a distance between the autonomous vehicle and the vehicle predicted to be parallel parking that is greater than a default distance and controlling the autonomous vehicle to bias lateral positioning within a lane or roadway to go around the vehicle predicted to be parallel parking.

15 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one computing device, cause the at least one computing device to perform operations comprising:

obtaining sensor data associated with an environment surrounding an autonomous vehicle;

identifying, based on the sensor data, a plurality of static objects in the environment, an open parallel parking location between the plurality of static objects, and a vehicle in the environment that satisfies a parallel parking condition;

in response to identifying the vehicle that satisfies the parallel parking condition, generating a polygon that extends beyond a side and a rear of the vehicle that satisfies the parallel parking condition; and

controlling movement of the autonomous vehicle based on a prediction that the vehicle is intending to parallel park in the open parallel parking location, wherein the prediction that the vehicle is intending to parallel park in the open parallel parking location is determined based on an amount of the open parallel parking location that is contained within the polygon.

16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one computing device, further cause the at least one computing device to identify the open parallel parking location by determining, based on the plurality of static objects, one or more sides of the open parallel parking location.

17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the parallel parking condition includes at least one of the following conditions: an object classification associated with the vehicle, a size associated with the vehicle, a location associated with the vehicle, a current and/or prediction motion associated with the vehicle, or any combination thereof.

18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the polygon includes a predetermined area that extends beyond the side and the rear of the vehicle.

19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein an area in which the polygon extends beyond the side and the rear of the vehicle is determined based on an attribute associated with the vehicle, and wherein the attribute associated with the vehicle includes at least one of the following: a size associated with the vehicle, a type associated with vehicle, or any combination thereof.

20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one computing device, further cause the at least one computing device to control movement of the autonomous vehicle by at least one of: controlling the autonomous vehicle to maintain a distance between the autonomous vehicle and the vehicle predicted to be parallel parking that is greater than a default distance and controlling the autonomous vehicle to bias lateral positioning within a lane or roadway to go around the vehicle predicted to be parallel parking.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 9, 2023
From: ARGO AI, LLC
To: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 062934/0355 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 9, 2023
From: ARGO AI, LLC
To: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 063025/0346 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 31, 2022
From: SCHUR, RANDALL; LORD, DALE
To: ARGO AI, LLC
Reel/Frame 060052/0374 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230382368A1 · Nov 30, 2023
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