EP2302608B1 - Device and method for determining the orientation of a parking space for a vehicle - Google Patents

Description

State of the art

Systems for supporting the parking process for motor vehicles are already widely known. Such assistance systems provide assistance to the driver to enable him to drive the optimum trajectory when parking the vehicle, such systems either indicate the steering direction and the steering angle or actuate the steering system of the vehicle itself, for example by means of an electromechanical actuator.

Such systems obtain their information from sensor devices, which usually have a plurality of sensors distributed on the vehicle, which determine the distance to the next object. The sensors are laterally aligned and detect the depth of the parking space when driving past a potential parking space, combined with the path the vehicle travels while driving past. As a result, for example, the length of the parking space can be detected. It also determines where the parking space begins and ends.

From the DE 10 2004 037 641 A1 a system for detecting free parking spaces is known in which by means of an environment detection system of a vehicle, free areas are recognized as parking spaces. In this case, a location information, where there is currently a free parking space is transmitted to a remote communication base, from where this information can also be accessed by other road users.

The publication US 2003/0074129 shows a system for assistance in parking operations for longitudinally extending parking spaces. These parking spaces are for Vorwärteinparken The system differentiates the parking spaces in terms of their width, so as to distinguish, for example, parking spaces for compact cars ("compact parking space") from larger parking spaces for "full-size parking space". The system assigns the driver according to the size of the vehicle, which of the parking spaces are suitable and which not. The system described therein is provided to use parking space efficient by appropriate assignment of the vehicle to the correct parking lot size, and for example to avoid that a small car occupies a large parking lot, although a small car parking space is free and sufficient. The system described therein further comprises a GPS unit to guide the vehicle to a free parking space.

Systems according to the prior art (as well as the system US 2003/0074129 A1 ) are based only on the limitations of the parking space. According to the invention, however, it has been recognized that this distance sensor information does not provide unambiguous information about the parking space, as the sensors can not detect whether the parking space is contiguous or bisected, for example, by a cycle path or sidewalk that adjoins the parking space Parking spaces connected. Rather, the sensors merely serve to detect the depth to the nearest reflecting object and non-reflective areas intended for parking (e.g., a free parking area) may not differ from non-reflective areas not intended for parking (e.g., when a part of the non-reflective portion is part of a cycle path or the like). In particular, it has been recognized according to the invention that the information provided by the sensors is not suitable for detecting the type of parking space. The sensor information does not make it possible to distinguish parking spaces that extend longitudinally of the travel path (for reverse parking) from parking spaces (for example, for forward parking) arranged vertically to determine the type of parking space or parking space. Therefore, resulting in systems according to the prior art possibly faulty controls when the planned parking track does not fit the traffic law provided parking space, or the available parking space is not approached by orientation errors with the correct orientation, ie longitudinal or transverse to the road.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a parking aid mechanism, which provides a Einparkbahn, which is reliable and always fits the current parking situation.

Revelation of the erection

The concept underlying the invention is not only to record the width of a parking lot, but also to determine its orientation. Since the determination can not reliably be provided solely by distance sensor data, orientation information is provided that is location-dependent. This way will be faulty Avoiding parking trajectories based on the following two ambiguous parking situations.

According to the first ambiguous situation parking spaces are provided for Vorwärteinparken, which line up and are provided perpendicular to the roadway course. Such parking orientations are used very often in public parking lots. For example, if three parking spaces are free next to each other, the vehicle sensor determines a parking space which is also suitable for reverse parking, i. with a vehicle orientation parallel to the vehicle path.

According to a second ambiguous situation, a parking space gap having a length (in the direction of the driving course) is recognized which would enable forward parking of the vehicle, since the width of the vehicle is less than the length of the parking space gap. For example, if the depth sensor detects a depth of the parking space that would be sufficient for the length of the car (for example, because the next reflective wall is far away, for example due to a cycle path between the end of the parking space and the wall of the house, then the sensor data will falsely provide the image of a free parking space that is being obstructed (due to the detected depth) extends perpendicular to the roadway and a wrong parking maneuver is initiated, which optionally leads to collisions with non-sensed by the sensor objects, such as barriers for separating the parking area from the adjacent Fahrradwegbereich, especially bollards, pylons, posts or high curbs ,

The invention is based on the consideration of the orientation of the course of the parking space, as well as the recognition that sensor data alone can lead to the abovementioned ambiguous parking situations which lead to incorrect vehicle orientations. In addition to the ability to specify the orientation of the Einparkverlaufs automatically and without errors, the invention also prevents erroneous Einparkverläufe in systems in which the driver (error-prone) enters the parking orientation.

The problem of ambiguity is solved according to the invention by automatically taking into account the orientation, wherein the orientation information is linked to the sensor data, in order to provide a correct Einparkbahnverlauf in each case. The recourse to parking space orientation information according to the invention is based on the recognition of the location where the vehicle (or the parking space) is located, as well as on a database in which the location information linked to the parking space orientation information is retrievable. The orientation data are linked to the sensor data for the calculation of the parking track.

The invention therefore provides a method for detecting the orientation of a parking space for a vehicle. Here, depth information is detected along a Einparkstrecke, the parking distance includes the parking space in which the vehicle is to be parked. The detection is performed by means of a distance sensor device on the vehicle (preferably attached to the side and / or at the front or rear end of the vehicle), while the vehicle is passed by the parking space. For example, the vehicle can be moved forwards past a parking space, the distance sensors optionally scanning (repeatedly) the area laterally of the vehicle, facing the road boundary. The depth information is linked to the distance information resulting from the vehicle's passage.

Furthermore, the length of the vehicle is calculated from the course of the depth information along the parking route, which was obtained from the passage of the distance device past the parking space along the parking route. The detection of the parking space thus described is already known from the prior art. According to the invention, the method further comprises a step of detecting the location at which the parking route is present. For this purpose, for example, the location of the parking distance, the parking space and in particular the vehicle is determined by a device for absolute detection of the location determines a geographical location. Preferably, a GPS receiver is used in this case, wherein its location (more precisely: the location of the receiving antenna of the GPS device) is determined and a geographical position information is output. Such location surveys are already known from navigation devices. Optionally, the location detection of a navigation device can be used. Furthermore, the method provides parking space orientation information that is linked to location information, that is to say with information relating to the geographical location. This parking space information combined with associated location information is provided in a database which is retrievable. The location information can be present in particular in data formats, as they are also used by navigation devices. The parking space information can be provided by an angle specification and, in particularly simple cases, by a single bit which, depending on the value, represents a vertical or parallel orientation to the roadway. The parking space orientation information Indicates the orientation of parking spaces available there for several locations. Preferably, the parking space information is given by whole streets, districts, cities or countries.

According to a first embodiment, the parking space orientation information is added to the electronic map material of a navigation device so as to explicitly provide a further data field within the present map material.

Further, the parking space orientation information may be extracted from pre-existing electronic map material, for example, assuming that public parking lots or commercial parking lots have parking spaces oriented perpendicular to the travel path, such as in underground garages.

In particular, the parking space orientation information can be detected by detecting occupied parking spaces. In this case, a driving route is traversed, with sensors aligned laterally to the direction of travel (optical sensors, in particular a camera or distance sensors based on ultrasound or microwaves) detecting the already existing parking situation. If the existing parking situation already includes occupied parking spaces, the parking space orientation can be recorded on the basis of the gaps and their distances from each other. Here, the gap length and the distances between two gaps are recorded. Gap length and / or the distances between two gaps are dependent on parking orientation for occupied parking spaces and can be clearly assigned to them. In particular, the distance between two gaps corresponds to the length of a motor vehicle parked parallel to the road, and corresponds to the width of a vehicle that is parked perpendicular to the road. On the basis of predetermined standard intervals, width and length can be distinguished, since most vehicles have a width that is significantly less than their length. As a standard interval, for example 1.5 to 2 m can be assumed for a vehicle width and, for example, 3 to 6 m for a vehicle length. The detected gaps between the gaps can also be averaged. Detections that do not fit into an interval can be excluded from this averaging. The interval can also be provided country-specific. The parking orientation thus detected can be stored in a database (for example, a navigation system), together with the associated location data, to enable learning of the system. The parking orientation data acquired by means of gaps (or by means of gaps between gaps) can be combined with further parking orientation data provided as described here for example, to allow for redundancy in the capture.

Furthermore, the information can be derived from the building density or the track width, for example, in the case of narrow-width driveways (as in residential areas), it is assumed that because of the small available space, vehicles will be parked in a row along the driveway , Therefore, for example, in residential areas or in urban areas with small road widths parking space orientation information can be assigned, according to the parking spaces extending along the track.

Furthermore, the database can be provided as a recordable database, wherein after a parking process on which a longer standing (for example greater than 30 minutes or another predetermined duration) takes place, the corresponding location or preferably the entire street is stored, together with the orientation, in which the parked car is currently. Thus, for example, in the case of manually executed parking processes, information can be created which is stored in the database in order to allocate the parking space orientation information to this location or location including a given radius during subsequent automatic or assisted parking processes. Automatic or assisted parking processes can also be used for learning the database, whereby it is first determined whether the parking attempt was successful (for example by determining a directly following standstill of the vehicle or if corrections have been made), and then entering the associated parking space orientation information with the associated location information.

The parking space orientation information can be determined by examining the parking path used, or can be provided by an orientation information that can be read, for example, from a navigation device. Starting point for the parking space orientation information, which is entered into the database, together with the associated location information) can therefore be detected by: observation of the trajectory or the Einlenkwinkels during the previous parking maneuver, detecting the orientation of the vehicle, using a compass, or by means of a Navigation device, or by manual user input. The parking space orientation information is preferably for a particular Place registered or for an area, the area may be provided for example by a location information, including a range.

Furthermore, the parking space orientation information may refer not only to a location but to the entire street in which the location is located. Further, the parking space orientation information may refer to an entire urban development unit, such as a parking lot, a residential district, a residential district, or the like. Here, it is assumed that the entire road train, the entire surrounding area or the entire urban development unit has the same parking space orientation information that applies to the location within the road or the urban development unit. Furthermore, object units such as car park, public car park, city center, residential district alone may be assigned parking space orientation information based on the classification, which is preferably region or country specific. For example, for parking garages in Germany, a parking space orientation information can generally be provided which according to a location whose surroundings are assigned to the object class parking garage or public parking lot, parking spaces extend perpendicular to the roadway course. The same applies to object classes such as industrial park, motorway service area or the like. In other countries, the different object classes may be associated with other parking space orientation information.

The orientation information indicating the orientation of parking spaces for the detected location retrieved from the database also includes deriving the orientation information (i.e., the parking space orientation information) from object information of the database, as set forth above. The database may be the map database of a navigation device, or may be a differing database that may be associable with map databases. In particular, the retrieval comprises a memory access, wherein the memory may be a read-only memory or a read-write memory (the latter in particular for adaptive systems), wherein the memory may be provided in the form of an optical or magnetic data carrier or by means of a nonvolatile semiconductor memory.

According to the invention, the orientation information is also output for the detected location. In particular, the output can be output to a parking assistance system which, among other things, the parking path due to the given orientation information calculated, also taking into account the detected depth information or other geometric information about the parking space.

The parking space orientation information indicates, for a plurality of locations, whether the parking space or parking spaces present there extend vertically in a roadway or extend parallel to a roadway. As a roadway in particular the track piece is considered, to which the parking space adjacent, or in which the parking space is located. Moreover, this may concern lane areas that are close (i.e., within a given perimeter) of the location. Parking space information of one location may be transmitted to parking space information of another location, for example, if the locations are close to each other (not more than a predetermined air distance from each other), or if the locations are in comparable area classes, for example if both locations are in areas of public parking. The orientation information that exists for a location can be used for an area in which the location is located. The area can be defined by a maximum distance in front of the location in the sense of a radius.

The parking space information is provided in the database, the database comprising a retrievable memory with the parking orientation information associated with associated location information. The link can be provided by assigning the same parking orientation information to a plurality of locations, for example a location area. For example, by means of a pointer or an associated list entry. The memory may either serve only location information and the associated parking orientation information and thus only for the purpose stated above, or may include geographical map material, as used in navigation devices, in addition to the location information and the associated parking orientation information. If the memory comprises only location information and associated parking orientation information, then this information is preferably in a data format that can be combined with geographical map material, for example a navigation device. For example, the parking orientation information may be in the format in which travel direction data (one-way or bi-directional) is present or may be provided together with it in a common value or in a common variable.

According to another embodiment, the database is not only provided for retrieving information, but also for storing new information. in this connection the database is descriptively provided, and the method comprises a learning step of detecting a vehicle orientation of the vehicle in a parked state that is the result of an unsupported parking step. The parked state may also be the result of a supported parking step that has been successful. The parked state is detected, for example, by exceeding a minimum time after performing a parking maneuver or the like. The step of learning further provides to capture the associated location information, and the vehicle orientation (as provided in the parked state), together with the associated location information retrievable store in the database, for example, to be retrieved in future parking steps and in the calculation to be used a Einparkbahn.

The location can be captured by retrieving GPS data from a GPS receiver. The GPS receiver may be provided only for this purpose, for example a GPS module that provides location information only for retrieving the associated parking space orientation information. Alternatively, the GPS receiver may be part of a navigation device, wherein the navigation device comprises a location that outputs the location information. Location data can also be determined by means of a mobile radio receiver. The mobile radio receiver may be designed according to a GSM standard or according to the UMTS standard. Other alternatives are IS-95, IS-2000 or other CDMA-based standards. When using a mobile radio protocol, the location can be determined by reading location information from an entry provided in accordance with the mobile radio standard, optionally including interpolation. Further alternatives are triangulation or the detection and comparison of scatter information of the radio channel or the indication of a cell name from which the location of the cell can be deduced.

The database, which contains the parking space information associated with location information, may be retrievable, for which purpose the method further comprises: sending the location information and receiving associated parking space information. In this case, the database can be provided in the form of a server and the associated data connection, via which the data call is provided, can be at least partially Internet-based or based on a mobile Internet service. Alternatively, the database may be carried in the vehicle. The database can be part of a database of a navigation device, can be permanently mounted inside the vehicle or be removable, for example in the case of a mobile module. In particular, the method may be combined with a parking assistance method provided by a system that automatically steers the vehicle according to a calculated parking path. The invention is therefore further provided by a method for parking assistance for vehicles, the method comprising the above-described method for detecting the orientation. The method for parking assistance further comprises the step of assisted parking in which steering information is displayed to the driver of the vehicle via a display. Instead of a visual display, the steering information can also be emitted acoustically. In an actively assisting variant, steering information is delivered to a steering system of the vehicle for implementing the steering information, wherein the steering information is determined on the basis of sensor data, which are determined by distance sensors of the vehicle, and on the basis of the orientation information. The steering information is a calculated parking track again, which is created based on the sensor data of the resulting geometric data for the parking space and in particular on the basis of the invention determined orientation information. The implementation can be provided by an actuator, which is driven by a power amplifier, which in turn is directly or indirectly controlled by a microprocessor, which implements the inventive method for parking assistance.

According to one embodiment of the method according to the invention for parking assistance, the method comprises providing a desired parking path profile. The desired Einparkbahnverlauf is created according to the detected parking space and has a Momentankrümmung corresponding to the steering information. Therefore, the steering information is the desired parking path again. The desired Einparkbahnverlauf corresponds to the orientation information and thus provides to move the vehicle either substantially parallel to the road surface, when according to the parking space orientation information, the parking space is parallel to the road or the target Einparkbahnverlauf provides essentially a rotation of the vehicle by 90 °, to maneuver the vehicle from the roadway into a perpendicular parking space.

In particular, the invention is implemented by a memory device that provides the parking space orientation information. The memory device includes parking location information stored there, stored along with associated location information in the storage device (permanently), the parking space orientation information for the associated location information, the orientation of a parking space relative to a road surface in which or to which the parking space extends. The memory device preferably further comprises an output configured to output the parking space orientation information. The storage device further comprises an input via which location information can be input to the storage device to retrieve the associated parking space orientation information from the storage device. The memory device may in principle be a read-only memory or also a read / write memory, wherein in the latter embodiment the addition of parking space orientation information together with location information is possible. As described above, the memory device may be provided by persistent optical magnetic semiconductor-based memories.

The invention is further implemented by means of a navigation device comprising such a memory device. The memory device also stores lane information required for navigation besides the parking space orientation information (together with the associated location information). The lane information may be provided by electronic map material representing geographic data. The navigation device is set up to detect a currently valid location information (the currently valid location information relates to the location of the vehicle). The navigation device is further configured to output the associated parking space orientation information, which reflects the orientation of the parking space with respect to the roadway at the current location. For this purpose, the navigation device may have an output which is set up for connection to a parking aid system, the parking assistance system thus receives from the navigation device, the parking space orientation information to accordingly provide a Einparkbahnverlauf, taking into account the sensor data.

Figur 1

zeigt ein erstes uneindeutiges Verkehrsszenario mit dazugehörigen Sensordaten;

Figur 2

zeigt ein zweites uneindeutiges Verkehrsszenario mit dazugehörigen Sensordaten; und

Figur 3

zeigt ein erfindungsgemäßes System zur Ausführung der Erfindung.

Brief description of the drawings

FIG. 1

shows a first ambiguous traffic scenario with associated sensor data;

FIG. 2

shows a second ambiguous traffic scenario with associated sensor data; and

FIG. 3

shows a system according to the invention for carrying out the invention.

In the FIG. 1 is shown in the upper portion of a parking space 10, which is present within a Einparkstrecke 20. The parking space 10 is limited by a rear parking vehicle 30, by a front parking vehicle 32, which are both aligned parallel to the track. The vehicle 40 to be parked first moves the parking distance 20 off to measure the parking space 10 by lateral sensors 42. The sensors receive a sensor image which in the lower image portion of FIG FIG. 1 is shown. In the lower half of the picture, along the axis d, the distance is determined, which is determined by the sensors 42 (for example, an echo distance), the x-axis following the course of the road. For the sensors 42, which may also be provided as a single sensor, different measuring points result, for example, which are shown in the lower half of the figure as a circle. In the amount of parked cars 30, 32 results in a small lateral distance, resulting in a large distance d along the parking space 10. The distance d in the height of the parking space 10 is given by the distance between the sensors 42 of the vehicle 40 and the nearest house wall 50, but between the parking area and the house wall 50, a walkway 40 is provided, which is separated from the road by a curb, which can not be detected due to its small height, but for the vehicle is not overcome.

The sensor data shown in the lower half result in a picture, so that the vehicle could park perpendicular to the roadway, since in the height of the parking space 10 of the sensors detected distance is sufficient to accommodate the car in length. However, the sensors do not detect that the area 40 is not intended for parking, and thus the parking space 10 is only suitable for parallel parking. Here, however, the length of the vehicle 40 would be too large, so that the parking space 10 is not suitable for receiving the vehicle 40. Based on the sensors, however, a parking process would be provided by a parking assistance, which brings the vehicle 40 in accordance with Einparkbahn 60 in the parking space to park this according to the outline 70. However, this would be associated with a collision with the boundary of the walkway 40 or with the blocking of the walkway 40.

Without the parking space orientation information provided according to the invention, the information provided in FIG FIG. 1 the situation illustrated, whether the parking space 10 is provided for vertical parking, or whether the parking space 10 is to be used lengthwise and thus too short for the vehicle 40. The inventive A method would assign the location of the parking space 10 parking space orientation information that allows the parking assistant to determine whether the parking space 10 can be used as a vertical parking space or not. In the database according to the invention, an entry is stored for the location of the parking space 10, according to which this location or the entire area or street allows parking only in the longitudinal direction and vertical parking spaces due to the walkway 40 are not possible.

The FIG. 2 shows a second ambiguous traffic situation, which can be solved by the method according to the invention. In the upper part of the picture two vehicles 30, 32 are shown, between which a parking space 10 extends. The vehicles 30, 32 and the parking space 10 are provided as aligned perpendicular to the roadway parking spaces, the parking space 10 consists of three individual, vertical parking spaces.

In the lower part of the picture FIG. 2 the associated sensor data are shown, wherein in the height of the vehicles 30, 32 echo signals are detected, resulting from the presence of the vehicles 30, 32. At the height of the parking space 10, however, no (safe) echo signal is provided, since no reflective object in the range of the sensor 42 of the vehicle 40 is present at this altitude. Based on the sensor data, the result is thus that the parking space 10 for parking in the longitudinal direction is sufficient and thus the vehicle 40 can be parked in the parking space 10.

To detect the parking space 10, the vehicle 40, including the lateral sensor 42, drives along the parking space 20 along the parking space 20 in order to determine the beginning and the end of the gap 10. After determining the end at the height of the vehicle 32, without taking into account parking space orientation information, the image would result in a longitudinal parking lot being available for the vehicle 40 between the vehicles 32, 30. In this case, the vehicle would be parked in a longitudinal parking situation 70 according to the parking track 60, which would unnecessarily block two additional longitudinal parking spaces.

In order to unambiguously resolve the situation, the method therefore provides for the location of the parking space 10 (or for the location of the vehicle 40) parking space orientation information retrieve from a database. The Einparkbahn 60 would then be generated in such a clear manner that the vehicle 40 comes to stand parallel to the vehicles 30, 32, and thus one of the vertically aligned parking spaces of the parking space 10 is occupied. The remaining parking spaces remain free in the application of the method according to the invention for other vehicles.

The FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a system according to the invention, which is suitable for carrying out the method according to the invention.

The system of FIG. 3 comprises a GPS receiver 110 with an antenna 112 connected thereto, both of which are arranged in a vehicle (not shown). GPS antenna 112 and GPS receiver 110 provide up-to-date location information about the vehicle. Connected to the GPS receiver 110 is the database 120 that includes first entries 122 that represent various location information. The entries 122 may be given in latitude and longitude, and in particular represent not only individual geographical points, but geographical areas. This location information 122 is assigned via an association 124 a list of entries 126 which reproduce parking space orientation information. The entries 126 representing parking space orientation information are thus linked to the locations 122 via the link 124. In FIG. 3 shown symbolically is the link 124 of the first two location information 122 with a first parking space orientation entry, and a lower assignment of the lower two location information to another parking space orientation information. The parking space orientation information is in digital form, for example, in a simple form as a bit representing either a vertical or a longitudinal orientation of the parking space to the travel path. In other embodiments, the parking information entries may be discrete angle indications, for example 0 °, 30 °, 45 °, 60 °, 90 °, or in finer resolution, for example, in degrees.

The database 120 passes the parking space orientation information 126, which belongs to the location information provided by the receiver 110, to a parking assistant 130, which further acquires distance data from a distance sensor device 140, preferably passenger side lateral distance data (not shown). The parking assistant 130 (provided, for example, as a processor, associated software, and input / output interfaces) calculates from the sensor data provided by the proximity sensor device 140 and below Taking into account the parking space orientation information output by the database 120, an parking curve course, for example in the form of interpolation points, which are available as angle data. The parking assistant 130 may also provide an angle signal to an actuator 150, which converts the electrical signal output by the assistant 130 into a mechanical motion that is relayed to the steering system 160 of the vehicle (not shown). Thus, the actuator 150 converts control signals of the parking assistant 130 to control the steering system 160 of the vehicle (not shown) in accordance with the specification of the parking assistant 130. Here, the parking assistant 130 uses distance data from a distance sensor 140 and parking space orientation information 120 to decide whether the parking route calculated by the assistant 130 reflects, for example, either a substantially parallel movement (corresponding to a parking space extending along the side of the lane ), or to provide the Einparkbahnverlauf according to a 90 ° turn when the parking space orientation information specifies a parking space orientation perpendicular to the roadway course.

The system components numbered 140, 130, 150, and 160 may be formed in accordance with the prior art and configured as a conventional parking assist system that actively steers the vehicle during parking. The components used according to the invention are the components with the reference numerals 110-126 which influence the calculated trajectory via an input of the parking assistant 130, wherein in particular the output of the parking space orientation information of the database 120 specifies to the parking assistant 130 whether the parking path to be calculated corresponds to a longitudinal, parallel Parking maneuver is equivalent or the vehicle is rotated by 90 ° to retract forward (or backward) in a perpendicular to the lane extending parking space.

The database 120 may in particular be integrated into existing parking assistants 130, preferably including a GPS module 110, 112. Alternatively, only the database may be integrated into a driver assistance system 130 according to the prior art, in which case the parking assistant 130 comprises an entrance via which this location information can be received, for example from a navigation device also located in the vehicle.

Basically, the database 120 can also be a remote database, for example in the form of a server, in which case the connections between the GPS module 110, 112 and the database on the one hand and the connection between the database 120 and the parking assistant 130 on the other hand Radio links are provided.

Claims (10)

1. Method for detecting the orientation of a parking space (10) by means of a vehicle (40), comprising:

   acquiring depth information (d) along a parking route (20) comprising the parking space (10) by means of a distance sensor apparatus (42) on the vehicle while the vehicle is guided past the parking space;

   calculating the length of the parking space (10) from a profile of the depth information (d) along the parking route;

   detecting the location at which the parking route (20) is present;

   providing parking space orientation information linked to location information (126) in a database (120), the parking space orientation information indicating, for a plurality of locations (122), the orientation (126) of parking spaces present there and whether the parking space (10, 11) present there extends perpendicular or parallel in or to a road which is adjoined by the parking space or in which the parking space is located;

   retrieving the orientation information (126), which indicates the orientation of parking spaces for the detected location, from the database (120) by means of the vehicle; and

   outputting the orientation information (126) for the detected location in the vehicle.
2. Method according to Claim 1, the parking space orientation information being provided in the database (120) which comprises a retrievable memory containing parking orientation information (126) linked to associated location information (122), the memory comprising only location information and associated parking orientation information or location information, associated parking orientation information and geographical map material.
3. Method according to one of the preceding claims, the database (120) being provided in such a manner that it can be written to, and the method comprising a learning step which provides for a vehicle orientation of the vehicle (40) in the parked state, which is the consequence of an unassisted parking step, to be detected, for the associated location information to be acquired, and for the vehicle orientation to be stored together with the associated location information in a retrievable manner in the database for future assisted parking steps.
4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, the operation of detecting the location comprising: retrieving GPS data from a GPS receiver (110) which is provided only for the purpose of retrieving the orientation information or is part of a navigation device; or retrieving location data from a mobile radio receiver which is designed according to a mobile radio protocol, according to the GSM standard or according to the UMTS standard.
5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, the parking space orientation information linked to location information (126) being provided in the database which can be remotely retrieved, and the method also comprising the operation of sending the location information to the database and receiving associated parking space orientation information.
6. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 4, the parking space orientation information linked to location information (126) being provided in a database (120) which is carried along in the vehicle in an apparatus which is firmly mounted in the vehicle or is removable, in particular in a navigation device which is provided in the vehicle.
7. Method for providing parking assistance for vehicles (40), which comprises the method according to one of the preceding claims and the step of assisted parking, during which steering information is displayed for the driver of the vehicle or steering information is output to a steering system (150, 160) of the vehicle (40) in order to implement the steering information, the steering information being determined on the basis of sensor data determined by distance sensors of the vehicle and the orientation information.
8. Method according to Claim 7, the method comprising: providing a desired parking path (60) which has an instantaneous curvature corresponding to the steering information, the desired parking path corresponding to the orientation information.
9. Memory apparatus (120) for providing parking space orientation information, comprising: parking space orientation information (122) which is stored in the memory apparatus together with associated location information (126), the parking space orientation information for the associated location information representing the orientation of a parking space with respect to a road in or to which the parking space extends and whether the parking space (10, 11) present there extends perpendicular or parallel in or to a road which is adjoined by the parking space or in which the parking space is located, the memory apparatus also comprising an output which is set up to output the parking space orientation information and an input which can be used to input location information to the memory apparatus for the purpose of retrieving the parking space orientation information.
10. Navigation device having a memory apparatus according to Claim 9, the memory apparatus comprising, in addition to the parking space orientation information, road information required for navigation, the navigation device being set up to acquire a currently valid item of location information and to output the associated parking space orientation information which represents the orientation of the parking space with respect to the road at the currently valid location.

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