Patent Publication Number: US-2022222948-A1

Title: Vehicle parking finder support system, method and computer program product for determining if a vehicle is at a reference parking location

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION DATA 
     This application is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2020/118062, filed Sep. 27, 2020, which claims the benefit of European Patent Application No. 19203614.3, filed Oct. 16, 2019, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a vehicle parking finder support system for determining if a vehicle is at a reference parking location, a method for determining if a vehicle is at a reference parking location and a computer program product. 
     BACKGROUND 
     When parking a vehicle, the vehicle occupant needs to make sure that the vehicle is parked at a correct parking location. Parking at a wrong parking location may result in getting a ticket or even that the vehicle is towed away from the wrong parking location. It is common that a vehicle has a reserved parking that is allowed to use for parking the vehicle. In an example, a vehicle occupant may have a certain parking location at home, at work or at another location where the vehicle can be parked without violating rules and getting a parking ticket. Today a vehicle occupant needs to observe where the vehicle occupant is parking the vehicle. For example, the vehicle occupant looks at signs and the surroundings to verify that the vehicle is parked at the correct parking location. It is common to use e.g. a reference number or a text assigned to the correct parking location so that the vehicle occupant can verify that the parking location is the correct parking location. Even if a vehicle occupant is observing the surroundings when parking the vehicle, it can happen that the vehicle is parked at a wrong parking location, e.g. the parking at the parking spot just next to the correct parking spot that will result in a parking at a wrong parking location. 
     The use of a global positioning system for determining a geographical location of a vehicle is not always that accurate and the error can exceed the size of a normal parking location. The accuracy worsens near buildings or inside of buildings, near trees, and underground etc. 
     SUMMARY 
     It is an object of the present disclosure to mitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more of the above-identified deficiencies and disadvantages in the prior art and solve at least the above mentioned problem. With autonomous driving vehicle, there is no vehicle occupant that can observe the surroundings when parking the autonomous driving vehicle. There is hence also a need for an autonomous driving vehicle to be able to park at a correct parking location. 
     According to a first aspect there is provided a vehicle parking finder support system for determining if a vehicle is at a reference parking location, the vehicle parking finder support system comprises: at least a first camera configured to provide images of the surroundings of the vehicle; a memory configured to store data; a processing circuitry operatively connected to the at least first camera and the memory, configured to cause the vehicle parking finder support system to: obtain, by the at least first camera, at least first image data of the surroundings of the vehicle; obtain, from the memory, at least first reference image data; and determine if the vehicle is at the reference parking location using the at least first reference image data and the obtained at least first image data. 
     An advantage is that the content of the reference image data can then be used for comparing the content of the at least first image data of the surroundings of the vehicle to determine if the vehicle is back at the reference parking location. 
     According to some embodiments, the vehicle parking finder support system further comprises a user interface operatively connected to the processing circuitry configured to receive user input by a vehicle occupant, and the processing circuitry is further configured to, cause the vehicle parking finder support system to: receive, via the user interface, a first input by the vehicle occupant indicative of that the vehicle is at the reference parking location; obtain, by the at least first camera, at least first image data of the surroundings of the vehicle while the vehicle remains at the reference parking location; and store the at least first image data as reference image data in the memory. 
     An advantage is that the vehicle occupant can then indicate to the system via the user interface when the vehicle is at the location that is going to be the reference parking location, so that the obtained at least first image data of the surroundings of the vehicle, while the vehicle remains at the reference parking location, can be stored as reference image data in the memory. 
     According to some embodiments, the vehicle parking finder support system further comprises a position sensor operatively connected to the processing circuitry configured to determine the geographical location of the vehicle, and the processing circuitry is further configured to, cause the vehicle parking finder support system to: obtain, by the position sensor, parking location data associated with the location of the vehicle while the vehicle remains at the reference parking location; and store the parking location data as reference parking location data. 
     An advantage with this is that the vehicle occupant can then indicate to the vehicle parking finder support system via the user interface when the vehicle is at the location that is going to be the reference parking location, so that the obtained parking location data then can be stored as reference parking location data in the memory. 
     According to some embodiments, the processing circuitry is further configured to cause the vehicle parking finder support system to: obtain, by the position sensor, parking location data associated with the location of the vehicle; obtain, from the memory, reference parking location data; and determine if the vehicle is at the reference parking location using the reference parking location data and the obtained parking location data. 
     An advantage with this is that the information about the geographical location of the vehicle can hence be compared with the reference parking location data to determine if the vehicle is at the reference parking location. 
     According to some embodiments, the processing circuitry is further configured to, cause the vehicle parking finder support system to: identify the presence of at least a first object in the at least first image data by object recognition processing of the at least first image data; and store attributes of the identified at least first object as object attribute data in the memory. 
     An advantage with identifying the presence of at least a first object and storing attributes of the identified at least first object is that the object attribute data can be used to define the content of the at least first image data. This in turn can be used when e.g. comparing the content of the at least first image data with the content of the reference image data. 
     According to some embodiments, the processing circuitry is further configured to, cause the vehicle parking finder support system to: associate object attribute data with a time stamp data; and determine the presence of the at least first object in the at least first image data dependent on the time of day, based on the object attribute data and the time stamp data. 
     An advantage with the time stamp data is that e.g. a history data describing when a certain object is present in the at least first image data can be generated and i.e. the relevance of the certain object in the at least first image, dependent on the time of the day. 
     According to a second aspect there is provided a method for determining if a vehicle is at a reference parking location, the method comprising: obtaining, by at least a first camera, at least first image data of the surroundings of the vehicle; obtaining, from a memory, at least first reference image data; and determining if the vehicle at the reference parking location using the at least first reference image data and the obtained at least first image data. 
     An advantage is that the content of the reference image data can then be used for comparing the content of the at least first image data of the surroundings of the vehicle to determine if the vehicle is back at the reference parking location. 
     According to some embodiments, the method further comprises: receiving, via a user interface, a first input by the vehicle occupant indicative of that the vehicle is at a reference parking location; obtaining, by the at least first camera, at least first image data of the surroundings of the vehicle while the vehicle remains at the reference parking location; and storing the at least first image data as reference image data in the memory. 
     An advantage is that the vehicle occupant can then indicate to the vehicle parking finder support system via the user interface when the vehicle is at the location that is going to be the reference parking location, so that the obtained at least first image data of the surroundings of the vehicle, while the vehicle remains at the reference parking location, can be stored as reference image data in the memory. 
     According to some embodiments, the method further comprises: identifying the presence of at least a first object in the at least first image data by object recognition processing of the at least first image data; and storing attributes of the identified at least first object as object attribute data in the memory. 
     An advantage with identifying the presence of at least a first object and storing attributes of the identified at least first object is that the object attribute data can be used to define the content of the at least first image data. 
     According to some embodiments, the method further comprises: associating object attribute data with a time stamp data; and determining the presence of the at least first object in the at least first image data dependent on the time of day, based on the object attribute data and the time stamp data. 
     An advantage with the time stamp data is that e.g. a history data describing when a certain object is present in the at least first image data can be generated and i.e. the relevance of the certain object in the at least first image, dependent on the time of the day. 
     According to some embodiments, the determining if the vehicle is at the reference parking location, the method comprises comparing object attribute data of the at least first reference image data with object attribute data of the obtained at least first image data. 
     An advantage with comparing object attribute data of the at least first image data with the object attribute data of the reference image data is that a less amount of the total image data is used that will enhance comparing the content of the reference image data with the content of the at least first image data, which in turn saves processing capacity and processing time of the processing circuitry. 
     According to some embodiments, it is determined that the vehicle is at the reference parking location when the attributes of the object attribute data of the obtained at least first image data equals, or is above a predefined object attribute threshold value, when comparing with the attributes of the object attribute data of the at least first reference image data. 
     An advantage with this is that the attribute data of the obtained at least first image data does not need to be equal to the object attribute data of the at least first reference image data, but a certain deviation from the object attribute data of the at least first reference image data can be allowed and still it can be determined that the vehicle is at the reference parking location. 
     According to some embodiments, in a determination that the vehicle is at the reference parking location, the method further comprises: obtaining, by the at least first camera, at least first image data of the surroundings of the vehicle while the vehicle remains at the reference parking location; and storing the at least first image data as further reference image data in the memory for providing additional reference image data to the reference image data collection of the vehicle parking finder support system. 
     An advantage with this is that over time further reference image data can be generated in order to better determine if the vehicle is at the reference parking location based on the additional reference image data. Over time the surroundings of the correct parking location may change and with further reference image data in the memory that is more recent, additional and new object attribute data of the at least first reference image can be used. 
     According to some embodiments, in a determination that the vehicle is not at the reference parking location, generating a notification message for controlling the parking of the vehicle, wherein the notification message is at least any of: an output message intended for the vehicle occupant, transmitted via the user interface, indicative of that the vehicle is not at the reference parking location; and/or a control message to a vehicle operation support system, for controlling the operation of the vehicle. 
     An advantage with this is that a vehicle occupant or a vehicle operation support system can take action to e.g. maneuver the vehicle to the correct parking location. 
     According to a third aspect there is provided a computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium, having thereon a computer program comprising program instructions, the computer program being loadable into a processing circuitry and configured to cause execution of the method according to any of the aspects when the computer program is run by the at least one processing circuitry. 
     Effects and features of the second and third aspects are to a large extent analogous to those described above in connection with the first aspect. Embodiments mentioned in relation to the first aspect are largely compatible with the second and third aspects. 
     The present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description given below. The detailed description and specific examples disclose preferred embodiments of the disclosure by way of illustration only. Those skilled in the art understand from guidance in the detailed description that changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the disclosure. 
     Hence, it is to be understood that the herein disclosed disclosure is not limited to the particular component parts of the device described or steps of the methods described since such device and method may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. It should be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the articles “a”, “an”, “the”, and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements unless the context explicitly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a unit” or “the unit” may include several devices, and the like. Furthermore, the words “comprising”, “including”, “containing” and similar wordings does not exclude other elements or steps. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above objects, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure, will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of example embodiments of the present disclosure, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
         FIG. 1A  illustrates an overview of the vehicle parking finder support system. 
         FIG. 1B  illustrates the at least first camera configured to provide images of the surroundings of the vehicle. 
         FIGS. 2A-2C  illustrates a first example set of image data of the surroundings of the vehicle. 
         FIGS. 3A-3C  illustrates a second example set of image data of the surroundings of the vehicle. 
         FIG. 4A-4C  illustrates example object attribute data according to the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a flow chart of the method steps according to the disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a computer program product according to some aspects of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred example embodiments of the disclosure are shown. The disclosure may, however, be embodied in other forms and should not be construed as limited to the herein disclosed embodiments. The disclosed embodiments are provided to fully convey the scope of the disclosure to the skilled person. 
       FIG. 1A  illustrates an overview of the vehicle parking finder support system. The first aspect of this disclosure discloses a vehicle parking finder support system  100  for determining if a vehicle  1  is at a reference parking location. 
     According to some embodiments the reference parking location is a location within a predefined distance from a geographical position. According to some embodiments the reference parking location is a location defined by certain geographical boundaries. According to some embodiments the reference parking location is a location defined by boundaries of a parking lot. According to some embodiments the reference parking location refers to a desired or correct parking location. According to some embodiments the vehicle parking finder support system  100  is configured to determine if the vehicle  1  is at one reference parking location out of a plurality of reference parking locations. In an example a vehicle occupant may have a certain parking location at home, a certain parking location at work and a certain parking location at another location where the vehicle can be parked without violating rules and getting a parking ticket that are all reference parking locations. 
     The vehicle parking finder support system  100  comprises at least a first camera  30   a ,  30   b ,  30   c ,  30   d  configured to provide images of the surroundings of the vehicle  1 .  FIG. 1B  illustrates the at least first camera  30   a ,  30   b ,  30   c ,  30   d  configured to provide images of the surroundings of the vehicle. In an example the at least first camera  30   a ,  30   b ,  30   c ,  30   d  is mounted on the outside or on the inside of the vehicle  1 . According to some embodiments the at least first camera  30   a ,  30   b ,  30   c ,  30   d  is integrated into the body of the vehicle  1 . According to some embodiments the at least first camera  30   a ,  30   b ,  30   c ,  30   d  obtains at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  of at least a first exterior view of the surroundings outside of the vehicle  1 .  FIGS. 2A-2C  illustrates a first example set of obtained image data of the surroundings of the vehicle.  FIGS. 3A-3C  illustrates a second example set of obtained image data of the surroundings of the vehicle. According to some embodiments the at least first camera  30   a ,  30   b ,  30   c ,  30   d  obtains a wide angle view of the surroundings outside of the vehicle  1  by a wide angle lens of the at least first camera  30   a ,  30   b ,  30   c ,  30   d . According to some embodiments the at least first camera  30   a ,  30   b ,  30   c ,  30   d  obtains is a telephoto view of the surroundings outside of the vehicle  1  by a telephoto lens of the at least first camera  30   a ,  30   b ,  30   c ,  30   d . According to some embodiments vehicle parking finder support system  100  comprises a combination of different cameras  30   a ,  30   b ,  30   c ,  30   d  for providing both a wide angle view and a telephoto view of the surroundings outside of the vehicle  1 . According to some embodiments, as illustrated in  FIG. 1B , a first camera  30   a  and a second camera  30   b  are configured to obtain at least a first exterior view and a second exterior view that are overlapping. This is exemplified further in the  FIGS. 2A and 2B  where the “D88” sign and the “P” sign are overlapping in the first image data im 1  and the second image data im 2 . 
     The vehicle parking finder support system  100  further comprises a memory  101   a ,  101   b ,  101   c  configured to store data. According to some embodiments the memory  101   a  is the memory of an on-board vehicle computer. According to some embodiments the memory  101   b  is comprised in a portable electronic device connected to vehicle parking finder support system  100  via a wireless communication network  50 , as illustrated in  FIG. 1A . According to some embodiments the memory  101   c  is comprised in an electronic device connected to vehicle parking finder support system  100  via a wireless communication network  50 , as illustrated in  FIG. 1A . 
     The vehicle parking finder support system  100  further comprises a processing circuitry  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c . According to some embodiments the processing circuitry  102   a  is the processing circuitry of an on-board vehicle computer. According to some embodiments the processing circuitry  102   b  is comprised in a portable electronic device connected to vehicle parking finder support system  100  via a wireless communication network  50 , as illustrated in  FIG. 1A . According to some embodiments the processing circuitry  102   b  is comprised in a portable electronic device connected to vehicle parking finder support system  100  via a wired connection. According to some embodiments the processing circuitry  102   c  is comprised in an electronic device connected to vehicle parking finder support system  100  via a wireless communication network  50 , as illustrated in  FIG. 1A . 
     In one example the wireless communication network  50 , as illustrated in  FIG. 1A  is a standardized wireless local area network such as a Wireless Local Area Network, WLAN, Bluetooth™, ZigBee, Ultra-Wideband, Near Field Communication, NFC, Radio Frequency Identification, RFID, or similar network. In one example the wireless communication network  50  is a standardized wireless wide area network such as a Global System for Mobile Communications, GSM, Extended GSM, General Packet Radio Service, GPRS, Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution, EDGE, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access, WCDMA, Long Term Evolution, LTE, Narrowband-IoT, 5G, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, WiMAX or Ultra Mobile Broadband, UMB or similar network. According to some aspects wireless communication network  50  can also be a combination of both a local area network and a wide area network. According to some embodiments the wireless communication network  50  is defined by common Internet Protocols. 
     The processing circuitry  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  is operatively connected to the at least first camera  30   a ,  30   b ,  30   c ,  30   d  and the memory  101   a ,  101   b ,  101   c , configured to cause the vehicle parking finder support system  100  to obtain, by the at least first camera  30   a ,  30   b ,  30   c ,  30   d , at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  of the surroundings of the vehicle  1 ; obtain, from the memory  101   a ,  101   b ,  101   c , at least first reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3 ; and determine if the vehicle  1  is at the reference parking location using the at least first reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  and the obtained at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3 . 
     An advantage is that the content of the reference image data can be used for comparing the content of the at least first image data of the surroundings of the vehicle to determine if the vehicle is at the reference parking location. According to some embodiments the at least first reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  comprising previously obtained image data of the surroundings of the vehicle  1 . According to some embodiments the at least first reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  comprising previously obtained image data of the surroundings of the vehicle  1  at a desired location to be used as the reference parking location. 
     According to some embodiments the at least first reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  comprising video image data. According to some embodiments the vehicle  1  is moving when determining if the vehicle  1  is at a reference parking location. According to some embodiments the vehicle  1  is moving when determining if the vehicle  1  is at a reference parking location and the obtained at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  comprising video data. According to some embodiments the vehicle  1  is moving when determining if the vehicle  1  is at a reference parking location and the at least first reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  comprising video image data. 
     According to some embodiments the at least first reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  is associated with a direction data. According to some embodiments the direction data comprising the exterior view direction of the at least first camera  30   a ,  30   b ,  30   c ,  30   d  in relation to the direction of travel of the vehicle  1 . According to some embodiments, the direction data is defined by vector data in a three dimensional space. 
     In an example the reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  is illustrated in the  FIGS. 2A-2C  and the obtained image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  is illustrated in  FIGS. 3A-3C . The at least first reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  and the obtained at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  are then used to determine if the vehicle  1  is at the reference parking location. 
     According to some embodiments the vehicle parking finder support system  100  further comprises a user interface  400   a ,  400   b . According to some embodiments the user interface  400   a  is the user interface of an on-board vehicle computer. According to some embodiments the user interface  400   b  is comprised in a portable electronic device connected to vehicle parking finder support system  100  via a wireless communication network  50 , as illustrated in  FIG. 1A . According to some embodiments the vehicle parking finder support system  100  further comprises at least a first display configured to display the at least first exterior view provided by the at least first camera  30   a ,  30   b ,  30   c ,  30   d . According to some embodiments the at least first display is a part of the vehicle parking finder support system  100 . According to some embodiments the at least first display is integrated in the dashboard of the vehicle. According to some embodiments the at least first display is a head-up display that is visible at or on at least a first window of the vehicle  1 . According to some embodiments the at least first display is a separate display unit that can be placed at a desired location in the vehicle  1  by the vehicle occupant  5 . According to some embodiments the at least first display is a display that is comprised in a portable electronic device connected to vehicle parking finder support system  100  via a wireless communication network  50 . According to some embodiments the at least a first display is a touch sensible display configured to operate as the user interface  400   a ,  400   b.    
     The user interface  400   a ,  400   b  is operatively connected to the processing circuitry  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  configured to receive user input by a vehicle occupant  5 , and the processing circuitry  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  is further configured to, cause the vehicle parking finder support system  100  to receive, via the user interface  400   a ,  400   b , a first input by the vehicle occupant  5  indicative of that the vehicle  1  is at the reference parking location; obtain, by the at least first camera  30   a ,  30   b ,  30   c ,  30   d , at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  of the surroundings of the vehicle  1  while the vehicle  1  remains at the reference parking location; and store the at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  as reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  in the memory  101   a ,  101   b ,  101   c . According to some embodiments the processing circuitry  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  is further configured to determine if the vehicle  1  is not moving and prompt a vehicle occupant  5 , via the user interface  400   a ,  400   b  to indicate, by a first input, if the vehicle  1  is at the reference parking location. According to some embodiments it can be determined if the vehicle  1  is not moving by determining at least one of that: the vehicle is turned off; the parking brake is applied; the vehicle  1  has been idle longer than a predetermined time; the vehicle is driving at a speed slower than a predetermined value. In an example, each of the cameras  30   a ,  30   b  and  30   d  obtains image data of the surroundings of the vehicle  1  simultaneously while the vehicle  1  remains at the reference parking location. The cameras  30   a ,  30   b  and  30   d  obtain the image data as illustrated in  FIGS. 2A-2C . In the example, the obtained image data is then stored as reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  as illustrated in  FIGS. 2A-2C . 
     An advantage is that the vehicle occupant  5  can indicate to the vehicle parking finder support system  100  via the user interface  400   a ,  400   b  when the vehicle  1  is at the location that is going to be the reference parking location, so that the obtained at least first image data of the surroundings of the vehicle  1  while the vehicle remains at the reference parking location, can be stored as reference image data in the memory. 
     According to some embodiments the vehicle parking finder support system  100  further comprises a position sensor  40 . According to some embodiments the position sensor  40  is a Global Positioning System sensor.  FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrates the position sensor  40  as a part of the vehicle. According to some embodiments position sensor is comprised in a portable electronic device connected to vehicle parking finder support system  100  via a wireless communication network  50 . According to some embodiments the position sensor is operatively connected to the processing circuitry  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  configured to determine the geographical location of the vehicle  1 , and the processing circuitry  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  is further configured to, cause the vehicle parking finder support system  100  to obtain, by the position sensor  40 , parking location data associated with the location of the vehicle  1  while the vehicle  1  remains at the reference parking location; and store the parking location data as reference parking location data. 
     An advantage with this is that the vehicle occupant can then indicate to the vehicle parking finder support system  100  via the user interface  400   a ,  400   b  when the vehicle is at the location that is going to be the reference parking location, so that the obtained parking location data then can be stored as reference parking location data in the memory. 
     According to some embodiments the processing circuitry  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  is further configured to cause the vehicle parking finder support system  100  to: obtain, by the position sensor  40 , parking location data associated with the location of the vehicle  1 ; obtain, from the memory  101   a ,  101   b ,  101   c , reference parking location data; and determine if the vehicle  1  is at the reference parking location using the reference parking location data and the obtained parking location data. An advantage with this is that the information about the geographical location of the vehicle  1  can hence be compared with the reference parking location data to determine if the vehicle  1  is back at the reference parking location. According to some embodiments the reference parking location data is used in addition to the reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  to determine if the vehicle  1  is at the reference parking location. 
     According to some embodiments the processing circuitry  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  is further configured to, cause the vehicle parking finder support system  100  to identify the presence of at least a first object  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c ,  5   d  in the at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  by object recognition processing of the at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3 ; and store attributes of the identified at least first object  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c ,  5   d  as object attribute data in the memory  101   a ,  101   b ,  101   c . An advantage with identifying the presence of at least a first object  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c ,  5   d  and storing attributes of the identified at least first object  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c ,  5   d  is that the object attribute data can be used to define the content of the at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3 . This in turn can be used when e.g. comparing the content of the at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  with the content of the reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3 . According to some embodiments the attributes of the identified at least first object  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c ,  5   d  comprising at least any of a color; a vehicle model; a vehicle brand; a text; a number; an object category; a text and number; a shape; a form factor; a status. In an example an identified object is stored with attributes such as “vehicle”, “Geely”, “SUV”, “license plate number ABC12A” and “green”. In the example illustrations in  FIG. 2A  the attributes of the object  5   a  are “road sign”, “parking”, “blue” and “static”, the attributes of the object  5   b  are “number”, “D88”, “white” and “static”. Further, in the example in  FIG. 2B  the attributes of the object  5   c  are “bike”, “vehicle”, “red” and “movable”. Further, in the example in  FIG. 2C  the attributes of the object  5   d  are “truck”, “white” and “movable”. 
     According to some embodiments the processing circuitry  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  is further configured to, cause the vehicle parking finder support system  100  to identify the presence of at least a first object  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c ,  5   d  in the at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  by object recognition processing of the at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3 ; store attributes of the identified at least first object  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c ,  5   d  as object attribute data in the memory  101   a ,  101   b ,  101   c ; determine an object weight value dependent on the attribute of the at least first object  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c ,  5   d ; and store attributes of the identified at least first object  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c ,  5   d  together with the determined object weight value as object attribute data in the memory  101   a ,  101   b ,  101   c.    
     According to some embodiments, the object weight value is used to determine if the vehicle  1  is at the reference parking location, wherein the object weight value is used for giving at least a first object  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c ,  5   d  a higher importance in the determination if the vehicle  1  is at the reference parking location. In an example, an object with the attribute “movable” may be of less importance compared to another object with the attribute “static”. In an example, a sign given the attribute “static” may have a higher importance than a truck that is given the attribute “movable”. 
     According to some embodiments the reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  further comprises personal attribute data associated with at least any of the vehicle  1  and the vehicle occupant  5 . In an example the personal attribute data comprising any of the name of the vehicle occupant, the license plate number of the vehicle  1  and the name of e.g. a company, an organization or an association that is associated with any of the vehicle occupant  5  and the vehicle  1 . According to some embodiments the personal attribute data is indicated by a personal attribute selection input by the vehicle occupant  5  via the user interface  400   a ,  400   b  indicative of that the attribute data is personal attribute data. According to some embodiments the processing circuitry  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  is further configured to, cause the vehicle parking finder support system  100  to obtain, from the memory  101   a ,  101   b ,  101   c , at least first reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  comprising personal attribute data; and determine if the vehicle  1  is at the reference parking location using the at least first reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  comprising personal attribute data and the obtained at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3 . 
     According to some embodiments the object attribute data is based on at least a first reference point R found in the image by object recognition processing of the at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3 .  FIG. 4A  illustrates example reference points R. According to some embodiments when storing attributes of the identified at least first object  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c ,  5   d  as object attribute data in the memory  101   a ,  101   b ,  101   c , the object attribute data is based on specific reference points R found in the image by object recognition processing of the at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3 .  FIG. 4A  illustrates an example where specific reference points R, that are found in the image by object recognition processing of the at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3 , are used when storing attributes of the identified at least first object  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c ,  5   d  as object attribute data in the memory  101   a ,  101   b ,  101   c.    
     In an example, the obtained image data, comprising the object attribute data of the identified objects  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c ,  5   d , is stored as reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3 , in the memory  101   a ,  101   b ,  101   c . In the example the at least first reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  and the obtained at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  comprising object attribute data, is used to determine if the vehicle  1  is at the reference parking location. In the example the reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  is illustrated in the  FIGS. 2A-2C  and the obtained image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  is illustrated in  FIGS. 3A-3C . The at least first reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  and the obtained at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  are then used to determine if the vehicle  1  is at the reference parking location. When comparing the image data as illustrated in  FIGS. 2A and 3A  nothing is changed, which indicates that the vehicle  1  seems to be at the reference parking location. However, when comparing the image data as illustrated in  FIGS. 2B and 3B  the object  5   c , the bike, is missing. Further, when comparing the image data as illustrated in  FIGS. 2C and 3C  the object  5   d , the truck, is missing. Even if there is a deviation in the image data, the vehicle parking finder support system  100  may still determine that the vehicle  1  is at the reference parking location if e.g. a certain number of objects can be identified. 
     According to some embodiments the processing circuitry  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  is further configured to, cause the vehicle parking finder support system  100  to: associate object attribute data with a time stamp data; and determine the presence of the at least first object  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c  in the at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  dependent on the time of day, based on the object attribute data and the time stamp data. An advantage with the time stamp data is that e.g. a history data describing when a certain object is present in the at least first image data can be generated and i.e. the relevance of the certain object in the at least first image can be determined dependent on the time of the day. E.g. in an example, the certain object occurred with a 95% certainty between 17:30 and 07:00 over the last 20 days. If the certain object is not present at  21 : 00  the next day a flag may be generated by the vehicle parking finder support system to indicate a deviation from the normal presence of the certain object, and that this in turn may be an indication that the vehicle  1  may be at a wrong parking location. According to some embodiments the processing circuitry  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  is further configured to, cause the vehicle parking finder support system  100  to: associate object attribute data with a time stamp data; and determine the presence of the at least first object  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c  in the at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  dependent on the day of the year, based on the object attribute data and the time stamp data. In an Example it is determined if the day of the year is a working day or a non-working day, a weekday or a weekend, or a holiday. According to some embodiments the time stamp data can also be used if there is a change in the normal surroundings of the vehicle  1 . If e.g. the owner of a neighboring vehicle, that usually is parked beside the vehicle  1 , trades the neighboring vehicle for a new neighboring vehicle the surroundings of the vehicle  1  is changed. With the time stamp data the new neighboring vehicle will over time be the expected vehicle to be beside the vehicle  1 . The same situation applies if the neighboring parking is changing owner or user. 
     The second aspect of this disclosure shows a method for determining if a vehicle  1  is at a reference parking location.  FIG. 5  illustrates a flow chart of the method steps according to the disclosure. The method comprising the step S 4  obtaining, by at least a first camera  30   a ,  30   b ,  30   c ,  30   d , at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  of the surroundings of the vehicle  1 ; the step S 5  obtaining, from a memory  101   a ,  101   b ,  101   c , at least first reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3 ; and the step S 6  determining if the vehicle  1  at the reference parking location using the at least first reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  and the obtained at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3 . 
     An advantage is that the content of the reference image data can be used for comparing the content of the at least first image data of the surroundings of the vehicle to determine if the vehicle is at the reference parking location. 
     According to some embodiments the method further comprises the step: S 1  receiving, via a user interface  400   a ,  400   b , a first input by the vehicle occupant indicative of that the vehicle  1  is at a reference parking location; the step S 2  obtaining, by the at least first camera  30   a ,  30   b ,  30   c ,  30   d , at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  of the surroundings of the vehicle  1  while the vehicle  1  remains at the reference parking location; and the step S 3  storing the at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  as reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  in the memory  101   a ,  101   b ,  101   c.    
     An advantage is that the vehicle occupant  5  can then indicate to the vehicle parking finder support system  100  via the user interface  400   a ,  400   b  when the vehicle  1  is at the location that is going to be the reference parking location, so that the obtained at least first image data of the surroundings of the vehicle, while the vehicle remains at the reference parking location, can be stored as reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  in the memory  101   a ,  101   b ,  101   c.    
     According to some embodiments when storing the at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  as reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  in the memory ( 101   a ,  101   b ,  101   c ), attributes of the identified at least first object  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c ,  5   d  in the at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  is stored together with the reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  in the memory  101   a ,  101   b ,  101   c.    
     According to some embodiments the method further comprises: identifying the presence of at least a first object  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c ,  5   d  in the at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  by object recognition processing of the at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3 ; and storing attributes of the identified at least first object  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c ,  5   d  as object attribute data in the memory  101   a ,  101   b ,  101   c.    
     An advantage with identifying the presence of at least a first object and storing attributes of the identified at least first object is that the object attribute data can be used to define the content of the at least first image data. 
     According to some embodiments the method further comprises: associating object attribute data with a time stamp data; and determining the presence of the at least first object  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c  in the at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  dependent on the time of day, based on the object attribute data and the time stamp data. 
     An advantage with the time stamp data is that e.g. a history data describing when a certain object is present in the at least first image data can be generated and i.e. the relevance of the certain object in the at least first image, dependent on the time of the day. 
     According to some embodiments when determining if the vehicle  1  is at the reference parking location, the method comprises comparing object attribute data of the at least first reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3  with object attribute data of the obtained at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3 . 
     An advantage with comparing object attribute data of the at least first image data with the object attribute data of the reference image data is that less information is used that will enhance comparing the content of the reference image data with the content of the at least first image data, which in turn saves processing capacity and processing time of the processing circuitry. 
     An advantage with comparing object attribute data of the at least first image data with the object attribute data of the reference image data is that less data of the total image data is used that will enhance comparing the content of the reference image data with the content of the at least first image data, which in turn saves processing capacity and processing time of the processing circuitry. 
     According to some embodiments when comparing the attribute data of the at least first image data with the object attribute data of the reference image data, specific reference points of the reference image data is used for determining if the same reference points exist in the at least first image data. 
     According to some embodiments it is determined that the vehicle  1  is at the reference parking location when the attributes of the object attribute data of the obtained at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  equals, or is above a predefined object attribute threshold value, when comparing with the attributes of the object attribute data of the at least first reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3 . An advantage with this is that the attribute data of the obtained at least first image data does not need to be equal to the object attribute data of the at least first reference image data, but a certain deviation from the object attribute data of the at least first reference image data can be allowed and still it can be determined that the vehicle  1  is at the reference parking location. 
     In an example as illustrated in  FIG. 4A , the objects; the parking sign  5   a , the number sign  5   b  and the bike  5   c , are identified in an image by object recognition processing of the image data. Attributes of the identified objects  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c  are stored as object attribute data in the memory  101   a ,  101   b ,  101   c . In the example the image data is stored as reference image data together with attributes of the identified objects  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c  in the memory  101   a ,  101   b ,  101   c.    
     According to some embodiments the object attribute data comprising at least a first reference point R identified by object recognition processing of the at least first image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3 . In the example the attributes of the identified objects  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   c  are based on a number of reference points R as illustrated in  FIG. 4A . At a later point in time when the vehicle is at the same location, it is determined that a certain number of reference points R are not present when comparing the attribute data of the obtained image, illustrated in  FIG. 4B , with the object attribute data of the at least first reference image. In particular, the bike  5   c  that was present when the at least first reference image data was stored is no longer at the location. In the example the four reference points of the bike  5   c  does exist, but the remaining reference points R exits, as illustrated in  FIG. 4B . In the example the bike  5   c  is removed, but reference points can also be non-detectable due to e.g. that an object is covered by snow etc. In the example, 4 out of 14 reference points are missing, which makes the attribute data of the obtained image to deviate from the object attribute data of the at least first reference image data. The deviation is based on the missing reference points, illustrated with reference points R having dotted lines in the  FIG. 4C . In the example the object attribute threshold value is set to allow object attribute data of the obtained image that is matching the object attribute data of the at least first reference image data to 70% or more. With 10 existing reference points out of 14 in the example means that 71% of the reference points seem to be right and in the example it is therefore determined that the vehicle  1  is at the reference parking location. According to some embodiments a plurality of images and a plurality of reference images are used for determining if the vehicle  1  is at the reference parking location. According to some embodiments a plurality of image data associated with certain object attribute data is compared with a plurality of reference image data associated with certain object attribute data for determining if the vehicle  1  is at the reference parking location. According to some embodiments the object attribute data of plural image data im 1 , im 2 , im 3  is compared with the object attribute data of plural reference image data rim 1 , rim 2 , rim 3 . In an example when the obtained first image data im 1  is compared with the first reference image data rim 1 , as illustrated in  FIG. 2A  and  FIG. 2B , the object attribute data of the obtained first image data im 1  is matching the object attribute data of the first reference image data rim 1  to 100%. In the same example when the obtained second image data im 2  is compared with the second reference image data rim 2 , as illustrated in  FIG. 2B  and  FIG. 3B , the object attribute data of the obtained second image im 2  is matching the object attribute data of the second reference image data rim 2  to 67%. In the same example when the obtained third image data im 3  is compared with the third reference image data rim 3 , as illustrated in  FIG. 2C  and  FIG. 3C , the object attribute data of the obtained third image im 3  is matching the object attribute data of the third reference image data rim 3  to 78%. In the example the total matching is 83% which in the example is above a set object attribute threshold value of 70%, which then leads to a determination that the vehicle  1  is at the reference parking location. If the matching for each obtained image would have been different, and the total matching would have been below the set object attribute threshold value of 70%, then it would have been determined that the vehicle  1  is not at the reference parking location. 
     According to some embodiments in a determination that the vehicle  1  is at the reference parking location, the method further comprises: obtaining, by the at least first camera, at least first image data of the surroundings of the vehicle  1  while the vehicle  1  remains at the reference parking location; and storing the at least first image data as further reference image data in the memory  101   a ,  101   b ,  101   c  for providing additional reference image data to the reference image data collection of the vehicle parking finder support system  100 . 
     An advantage with this is that over time further reference image data can be generated in order to better determine if the vehicle is at the reference parking location based on the additional reference image data. Over time the surroundings of the correct parking location may change and with further reference image data in the memory that is more recent, additional and new object attribute data of the at least first reference image can be used. 
     According to some embodiments in a determination that the vehicle  1  is not at the reference parking location, generating a notification message for controlling the parking of the vehicle, wherein the notification message is at least any of: an output message intended for the vehicle occupant, transmitted via the user interface  400   a ,  400   b , indicative of that the vehicle  1  is not at the reference parking location; and/or a control message to a vehicle operation support system, for controlling the operation of the vehicle  1 . 
     An advantage with this is that a vehicle occupant or a vehicle operation support system can take action to e.g. maneuver the vehicle to the correct parking location. 
     The third aspect of this disclosure shows a computer program product the second aspect comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium, having thereon a computer program comprising program instructions, the computer program being loadable into a processing circuitry  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  and configured to cause execution of the method according to any of the second aspect through  14  when the computer program is run by the at least one processing circuitry  102 . 
     The person skilled in the art realizes that the present disclosure is not limited to the preferred embodiments described above. The person skilled in the art further realizes that modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims. Additionally, variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by the skilled person in practicing the claimed disclosure, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims.