METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE VALIDITY OF RADAR MEASURED VALUES IN ORDER TO DETERMINE AN OCCUPANCY STATE OF A PARKING SPACE

Abstract

A method for determining the validity of radar measured values in order to determine an occupancy state of a parking space. A device that includes at least one radar sensor and a processing unit, the processing unit being configured to carry out the method. A parking area that includes at least one parking space, the parking space including the device.

Claims

1-9. (canceled)

10. A method for determining validity of radar measured values to determine an occupancy state of a parking space, comprising the following method steps: a. detecting radar measured values of multiple radar channels at a predefined point in time using at least one radar sensor, each of the radar measured values being made up of a real part and an imaginary part; b. transforming the radar measured values into a polar coordinate system; c. determining both a first parameter and a second parameter of each of the transformed radar measured values using a linearized least-squares polynomial fit method; d. determining a variance of the first parameters and second parameters determined in step c; and e. determining the validity of the radar measured values as a function of the variance.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the validity of the radar measured values is determined in step e by comparing the variance to a threshold value, the validity of the radar measured values being regarded as sufficient when the variance is less than the threshold value.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the threshold value is 10.

13. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising the following step: f. after step e, determining the occupancy state of the parking space as a function of the detected radar measured values.

14. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein steps a through d are repeated, the radar measured values of all channels being detected in each case at different points in time within a predefined time period in step a, and after step e, step g is performed in which the occupancy state of the parking space is determined as a function of the first parameter.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the first parameter is compared to a further threshold value in step g, the parking space being determined as occupied when the first parameter is greater than the further threshold value.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the further threshold value is 1.

17. A device, comprising: at least one radar sensor; and a processing unit configured to determine validity of radar measured values to determine an occupancy state of a parking space, the processing unit configured to: a. detect radar measured values of multiple radar channels at a predefined point in time using at least one radar sensor, each of the radar measured values being made up of a real part and an imaginary part; b. transform the radar measured values into a polar coordinate system; c. determine both a first parameter and a second parameter of each of the transformed radar measured values using a linearized least-squares polynomial fit method; d. determine a variance of the first parameters and second parameters determined in c; and e. determine the validity of the radar measured values as a function of the variance.

18. A parking area, comprising: at least one parking space, the parking space including a device, including: at least one radar sensor; and a processing unit configured to determine validity of radar measured values to determine an occupancy state of the parking space, the processing unit configured to: a. detect radar measured values of multiple radar channels at a predefined point in time using at least one radar sensor, each of the radar measured values being made up of a real part and an imaginary part; b. transform the radar measured values into a polar coordinate system; c. determine both a first parameter and a second parameter of each of the transformed radar measured values using a linearized least-squares polynomial fit method; d. determine a variance of the first parameters and second parameters determined in c; and e. determine the validity of the radar measured values as a function of the variance.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] FIG. 1 shows one exemplary embodiment of a method according to the present invention.

[0033] FIG. 2 shows one exemplary embodiment of a device according to the present invention.

[0034] FIG. 3 shows transformed radar measured values illustrated in a polar coordinate diagram.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0035] FIG. 1 shows one exemplary embodiment of a method according to the present invention.

[0036] Radar measured values 22 of multiple radar channels are initially detected at a predefined point in time with the aid of at least one radar sensor 20 in a method step a, each radar measured value 22 being made up of a real part and an imaginary part. Detected radar measured values 22 are subsequently transformed into a polar coordinate system in a method step b, as the result of which transformed radar measured values 23 are obtained. A first parameter and a second parameter of transformed radar measured values 23 are subsequently determined in each case with the aid of a linearized least-squares polynomial fit method in a method step c. The first parameter and the second parameter each represent the coordinates of the center of transformed radar measured values 23. The first parameter applies in the abscissa direction, and the second parameter applies in the ordinate direction.

[0037] A variance of the first parameters and second parameters determined in method step c is subsequently determined in a method step d. The validity of radar measured values 22 is subsequently determined as a function of the variance determined in method step d. The validity of radar measured values 22 may be determined in method step e, for example by comparing the variance to a threshold value, the validity of radar measured values 22 being regarded as sufficient if the variance is less than the threshold value. The threshold value may be 10, for example.

[0038] After method step e, a method step f optionally runs in which the occupancy state of the parking space is determined as a function of detected radar measured values 22.

[0039] In addition, method steps a through d may optionally be repeated, radar measured values 22 of all radar channels being detected in each case at different points in time within a predefined time period in method step a, and after method step e, a method step g running in which the occupancy state of the parking space is determined as a function of the first parameter. The first parameter may be compared to a further threshold value in method step g, the parking space being determined as occupied if the first parameter is greater than the further threshold value. The further threshold value may be 1, for example.

[0040] FIG. 2 shows one exemplary embodiment of a device according to the present invention.

[0041] A device 10 is illustrated. Device 10 includes a radar sensor 20 and a processing unit 30. Radar sensor 20 is connected to processing unit 30 in such a way that radar measured values that are detected by radar sensor 20 may be tapped by processing unit 30. The connection for this purpose may be hard-wired or also wireless.

[0042] Processing unit 30 is designed in such a way that it may carry out a method according to the present invention, for example as illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0043] The device may be situated, for example, at a parking space of a parking area, not illustrated, and may monitor the occupancy state of the parking space.

[0044] FIG. 3 shows transformed radar measured values illustrated in a polar coordinate diagram.

[0045] A polar coordinate system is illustrated. The abscissa represents the real part, and the ordinate represents the imaginary part. Transformed radar measured values 23 are depicted which have been transformed, starting from radar measured values 22 that are detected at a shared point in time. Each of transformed radar measured values 23 includes a center, which is illustrated as a point. This center represents the first parameter as the abscissa value, and the second parameter as the ordinate value.