JP7573377B2 - Parking assistance device and parking assistance method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a parking assistance device and a parking assistance method.

Conventionally, technology related to vehicle parking assistance is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 describes "a parking assistance device that recognizes parking spaces and assists in parking a vehicle in a predetermined position corresponding to the recognized parking space, characterized in that the parking assistance device determines whether or not the vehicle can be parked in the predetermined position based on the availability of space around the predetermined position when it is assumed that the vehicle is parked in the predetermined position."

International Publication No. 2019/012848

However, in the parking assistance device described in Patent Document 1, the detection range of an obstacle changes as the vehicle moves, and even if it is recognized that there is no obstacle beyond the parking space that is the target parking position, for example, it is not possible to use the parking assistance device to proceed further and park the vehicle.
An object of the present invention is to provide a parking assistance device and a parking assistance method that, when it is possible to park further beyond a target parking position, allows the vehicle to park further.

In order to achieve the above object, the parking assistance device of the present invention is a parking assistance device that assists in parking a vehicle, and includes an obstacle detection unit that detects obstacles around the vehicle, a position determination unit that determines a target parking position based on a detection result of the obstacle detection unit, a driving control unit that drives the vehicle to the target parking position, and a reception unit that receives instructions from a user, wherein the position determination unit determines a corrected target parking position further ahead than the target parking position based on the detection result of the obstacle detection unit after starting to drive the vehicle toward the target parking position, and if the obstacle detection unit does not detect an obstacle when the vehicle stops at the target parking position, the position determination unit repeatedly determines the corrected target parking position based on the detectable range of the obstacle detection unit, and the driving control unit drives the vehicle to the corrected target parking position when the reception unit receives an instruction from the user to accept the corrected target parking position when the vehicle stops.

According to the present invention, after the vehicle starts traveling toward the target parking position, a corrected target parking position that differs from the target parking position is determined based on the detection results of the obstacle detection unit, so that if it is possible to park at the corrected target parking position that is further ahead than the target parking position, the vehicle can be parked at the corrected target parking position.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an in-vehicle device including a parking assistance device. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a first target parking position and a parking path. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a vehicle parked at a first target parking position. FIG. FIG. 11 is a screen diagram showing an example of a parking assistance screen displayed when no obstacle is detected at the first target parking position. FIG. 13 is a screen diagram showing an example of a parking assistance screen displayed when an obstacle is detected at the first target parking position. FIG. 11 is a screen diagram showing an example of a parking assistance screen displayed when no obstacle is detected at the second target parking position. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of the parking assistance device. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of the parking assistance device.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an in-vehicle device 3 including a parking assistance device 100. The in-vehicle device 3 is mounted on a vehicle 1.
The in-vehicle device 3 includes a position detection unit 10 , a detection section 20 , an operation section 50 , a display section 60 , a vehicle control unit 70 , a steering device 71 , a drive device 73 , a braking device 75 , a transmission 77 , and a parking assistance device 100 .

The position detection unit 10 detects the position of the vehicle 1. The position detection unit 10 includes a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver that receives a GNSS signal, and a processor that calculates the position of the vehicle 1 based on the GNSS signal received by the GNSS receiver. The GNSS receiver and processor are not shown. The position detection unit 10 outputs position information indicating the position of the vehicle 1 to the parking assistance device 100.

The detection unit 20 includes one or more sensors that detect an obstacle RT (see FIG. 5) around the vehicle 1 and detect the distance between the detected obstacle RT and the vehicle 1. The detection unit 20 of this embodiment includes, as sensors, an image capturing unit 30 and a sonar unit 40. The detection unit 20 outputs the captured image of the image capturing unit 30 and the sensor value of the sonar unit 40 to the parking assistance device 100 as detection information.
In this embodiment, the case where the detection unit 20 includes a camera and a sonar sensor will be described, but the sensor included in the detection unit 20 is not limited to a camera and a sonar sensor. For example, the detection unit 20 may include a radar or LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) capable of measuring the distance to the obstacle RT using radio waves, light, or the like.

The photographing unit 30 includes a front camera 31 that photographs the area in front of the vehicle 1, a rear camera 33 that photographs the area behind the vehicle 1, a left side camera 35 that photographs the area to the left of the vehicle 1, and a right side camera 37 that photographs the area to the right of the vehicle 1. Each of these cameras includes an image sensor such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS), and a data processing circuit that generates a photographed image from the image sensor.
The imaging unit 30 adjusts the angle of view of each of the four cameras so that the four cameras can capture a 360° range centered on the vehicle 1. Each of the front camera 31, the rear camera 33, the left side camera 35, and the right side camera 37 captures the capture range at a predetermined frame rate to generate a captured image. The imaging unit 30 outputs the generated captured image to the parking assistance device 100. The parking assistance device 100 stores the input captured image in the memory 110.

The sonar unit 40 includes sonar sensors at multiple locations, such as the front, rear, left and right sides of the vehicle 1, and detects the size, position and distance to the obstacle RT using ultrasonic waves.
In this embodiment, a case where the sonar unit 40 detects the obstacle RT will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the photographing unit 30 may detect the obstacle RT. In addition, for example, a radar or LiDAR may detect the obstacle RT.

The operation unit 50 accepts an operation of a user who is in the vehicle 1. The user is, for example, a driver. The operation unit 50 outputs an operation signal corresponding to the accepted operation to the parking assistance device 100. The operations accepted by the operation unit 50 include, for example, an operation to instruct the start of parking assistance processing, an operation to end parking assistance processing, and the like.
The operation unit 50 includes, for example, a parking assist ON switch (not shown) and a parking assist OFF switch (not shown), and when the parking assist ON switch is pressed, the parking assist device 100 accepts an operation to start the parking assist process. When the parking assist OFF switch is pressed during the execution of the parking assist process, the parking assist device 100 accepts an operation to end the parking assist process.
The "parking assistance process" refers to a process in which the parking assistance device 100 determines a target parking position, drives the vehicle 1 toward the target parking position, and stops the vehicle 1 at the target parking position.

The display unit 60 includes a display panel 61 and a touch sensor 63 .
A liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, etc. are used for the display panel 61. The display unit 60 causes the display panel 61 to display an image based on display data input from the parking assistance device 100.
A resistive film type, a capacitive type, or the like sensor is used as the touch sensor 63. The display unit 60 detects a touch operation of the user's finger on the display panel 61 by the touch sensor 63, and generates a position signal indicating the operation position of the detected touch operation. The display unit 60 outputs the generated position signal to the parking assistance device 100.

The vehicle control unit 70 controls the steering device 71, the drive device 73, the braking device 75, and the transmission device 77 mounted on the vehicle 1. The vehicle control unit 70 includes a computer such as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The vehicle control unit 70 is communicatively connected to the steering device 71, the drive device 73, the braking device 75, and the transmission device 77 via an in-vehicle network such as a CAN (Controller Area Network).
Furthermore, the vehicle control unit 70 controls the steering device 71, the drive device 73, the braking device 75, and the transmission device 77 in accordance with control information input from the parking assistance device 100. As a result, for example, the vehicle 1 travels toward the target parking position.
The target parking position is a target value of the parking position determined by the parking assistance device 100.

The steering device 71 includes an actuator that adjusts the steering angle of the steering wheels of the vehicle 1 , and is a device that steers the vehicle 1 .
The drive device 73 is a device that includes an actuator that adjusts the drive force of the drive wheels of the vehicle 1 and drives the vehicle 1. This actuator corresponds to a throttle actuator when the power source of the vehicle 1 is an engine, and corresponds to the motor when the power source of the vehicle 1 is a motor.
The braking device 75 includes an actuator that adjusts the braking force applied to the wheels of the vehicle 1, and is a device that brakes the vehicle 1. This actuator controls a brake system provided in the vehicle 1 based on control information from the parking assistance device 100.
The transmission 77 includes a transmission and an actuator, and is a device that changes the gear ratio of the transmission, etc. The transmission 77 changes the gear ratio of the transmission and the forward and reverse modes of the vehicle 1 by driving the actuator to adjust the shift position of the transmission.

The parking assistance device 100 is a computer that includes a processor 130 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), and a memory 110 such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or RAM (Random Access Memory). In addition to these devices, the parking assistance device 100 also includes a storage device such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive), an interface circuit for connecting sensors and peripheral devices, and an in-vehicle network communication circuit for communicating with other in-vehicle devices via an in-vehicle network. The parking assistance device 100 realizes various functional configurations by having the processor 130 execute control programs stored in the memory 110 or the storage device.

The parking assistance device 100 includes a position acquisition unit 131, a detection information acquisition unit 132, a map generation unit 133, an obstacle detection unit 134, a target parking position determination unit 135, a route generation unit 136, a driving control unit 137, and a display control unit 138. Specifically, the processor 130 executes a control program stored in the memory 110 or the storage device to function as the position acquisition unit 131, the detection information acquisition unit 132, the map generation unit 133, the obstacle detection unit 134, the target parking position determination unit 135, the route generation unit 136, the driving control unit 137, and the display control unit 138.

The position acquisition unit 131 acquires the position of the vehicle 1 detected by the position detection unit 10 as position information. The position acquisition unit 131 estimates the position of the vehicle 1 using a known dead reckoning technique, and corrects the position of the vehicle 1 input from the position detection unit 10 based on the estimation result.

The detection information acquisition unit 132 acquires the captured images of the surroundings of the vehicle 1 captured by the image capture unit 30 as detection information. The detection information acquisition unit 132 stores the acquired captured images in the memory 110. The detection information acquisition unit 132 also acquires the sensor values of the sonar unit 40 as detection information. The detection information acquisition unit 132 stores the acquired sensor values in the memory 110.

The map generation unit 133 generates map data in which obstacles RT around the vehicle 1 and the position of the vehicle 1 are recorded in a local coordinate system. This map data is stored in the memory 110. The obstacles RT are objects that impede or restrict the travel of the vehicle 1. Examples of the obstacles RT include structures such as pillars and walls, poles and ground markings that separate a travel area in which the vehicle 1 can travel from a parking area, other vehicles, carts, pedestrians, etc.
In addition, the map generation unit 133 sequentially updates the position of the vehicle 1, which is the registered information of the map data, and the position and size of the obstacle RT, based on the position of the vehicle 1 sequentially input from the position acquisition unit 131 and the detection information acquired by the detection information acquisition unit 132.

In this embodiment, the case where map data is generated by the map generation unit 133 will be described, but the parking assistance device 100 may be configured to acquire map data in which the position of the obstacle RT is recorded in advance. For example, the parking assistance device 100 may download map data from a server device, or the parking assistance device 100 may read map data that is pre-stored in the memory 110. In these cases, the parking assistance device 100 generates map data by recording the position of the vehicle 1 input from the position acquisition unit 131 in the acquired map data.

The obstacle detection unit 134 detects obstacles RT around the vehicle 1. The obstacle detection unit 134 also detects obstacles RT in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1.
The obstacle detection unit 134 detects an obstacle RT in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 based on the map data generated by the map generation unit 133.
The obstacle detection unit 134 detects an obstacle RT whose distance from the vehicle 1 is equal to or less than a preset distance, for example. The set distance is set based on the detectable range of the sonar unit 40, for example. The detectable range of the sonar unit 40 indicates the range in which the sonar unit 40 can detect with good accuracy. The set distance is, for example, 5 m.
Moreover, the obstacle RT detected by the obstacle detection unit 134 is, for example, a candidate object that may become an obstacle to the travel of the vehicle 1 when the vehicle 1 travels along a parking path. The parking path is generated by the path generation unit 136.

The target parking position determination unit 135 determines a target parking position where the vehicle 1 is to be parked. The target parking position determination unit 135 determines a target parking position where the vehicle 1 is to be parked based on the map data generated by the map generation unit 133 and the detection results of the obstacle detection unit 134.

In this embodiment, a case where the vehicle 1 is parked in an aisle portion corresponding to the pole of the flagpole site will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 6. In this case, the target parking position determination unit 135 detects an area where parking is possible based on, for example, the image captured by the imaging unit 30 and the sensor value of the sonar unit 40. The target parking position determination unit 135 determines a first target parking position P3 based on the detection result of the area where parking is possible and the map data. The first target parking position P3 is determined to be near the entrance/exit of the aisle portion corresponding to the pole of the flagpole site, as will be described later with reference to Figure 2.
The first target parking position P3 corresponds to an example of a "target parking position."

In addition, the target parking position determination unit 135 determines a second target parking position P4 when the vehicle 1 is stopped at the first target parking position P3.
When the obstacle detection unit 134 does not detect an obstacle RT, the target parking position determination unit 135 determines a second target parking position P41 based on the detectable range of the sonar unit 40. The second target parking position P41 corresponds to an example of the second target parking position P4.
The second target parking position P41 will be described later with reference to FIG.
The second target parking position P41 corresponds to an example of a "corrected target parking position."

When the obstacle detection unit 134 detects an obstacle RT, the target parking position determination unit 135 determines a second target parking position P42 based on the position of the obstacle RT. The second target parking position P42 corresponds to an example of the second target parking position P4.
The second target parking position P42 will be described later with reference to FIG.
The second target parking position P42 corresponds to an example of a "corrected target parking position."

In addition, when the obstacle detection unit 134 detects an obstacle RT, the target parking position determination unit 135 determines a second target parking position P42 based on the accuracy of the driving control of the driving control unit 137.
For example, the higher the accuracy of the driving control of the driving control unit 137, the closer the second target parking position P42 is to the obstacle RT.
Furthermore, in small vehicles, such as light automobiles, the driving control unit 137 has higher driving control accuracy than in large vehicles, such as large trucks and large buses.
Therefore, when the vehicle 1 is a small vehicle, the target parking position determination unit 135 determines the second target parking position P42 to be closer to the obstacle RT than when the vehicle 1 is a large vehicle.

In addition, the target parking position determination unit 135 determines a third target parking position P5 when the vehicle 1 is stopped at the second target parking position P41.
If the obstacle detection unit 134 does not detect an obstacle RT, the target parking position determination unit 135 determines a third target parking position P5 based on the detectable range of the sonar unit 40.
The third target parking position P5 will be described later with reference to FIG.

In this embodiment, the target parking position determination unit 135 determines the second target parking position P4 when the vehicle 1 is stopped at the first target parking position P3, but is not limited to this. The target parking position determination unit 135 may determine the second target parking position P4 after the vehicle 1 starts traveling toward the first target parking position P3. For example, the target parking position determination unit 135 may determine the second target parking position P4 after the vehicle 1 starts traveling toward the first target parking position P3 and before the vehicle 1 stops at the first target parking position P3. In this case, the vehicle 1 may be caused to travel toward the second target parking position P4 without stopping the vehicle 1 at the first target parking position P3.

The route generation unit 136 generates a parking route. Based on the map data generated by the map generation unit 133, the route generation unit 136 generates a parking route for parking the vehicle 1 at the target parking position without coming into contact with the obstacle RT. Hereinafter, the parking route that is first generated by the route generation unit 136 after the start of parking assistance is referred to as a parking route R1. The route generation unit 136 outputs the generated parking route R1 to the driving control unit 137.

The driving control unit 137 generates control information for controlling the driving of the vehicle 1 based on the parking route R1 generated by the route generation unit 136. This control information is information for driving the vehicle 1 along the parking route R1, and includes information for controlling steering, driving, braking, and gear shifting.
Based on the generated control information, the driving control unit 137 controls the driving of the vehicle 1. For example, the driving control unit 137 controls the driving of the vehicle 1 along the parking route R1 to the first target parking position P3.

The display control unit 138 generates display data to be displayed on the display panel 61 , and outputs the generated display data to the display unit 60 .
When the vehicle 1 is stopped at the first target parking position P3, the display control unit 138 generates, for example, the parking support screen 300 displaying the second target parking position P41 or the parking support screen 400 displaying the second target parking position P42. Then, the display control unit 138 causes the display panel 61 to display the parking support screen 300 or the parking support screen 400.
The parking assistance screen 300 will be described later with reference to FIG.
The parking assistance screen 400 will be described later with reference to FIG.

Furthermore, when the vehicle 1 is stopped at the second target parking position P41, the display control unit 138 generates a parking assistance screen 500 that displays, for example, the third target parking position P5. Then, the display control unit 138 causes the display panel 61 to display the parking assistance screen 500.
The parking assistance screen 500 will be described later with reference to FIG.

2 is a plan view showing an example of the first target parking position P3 and the parking route R1. Note that the shaded areas shown in Figs. 2 to 6 indicate areas where the vehicle 1 cannot travel, such as walls, buildings, etc.
The initial position P1 indicates the position of the vehicle 1 when the operation unit 50 receives an operation from the user to instruct the start of the parking assistance process.
When the vehicle 1 is located at the initial position P1 and the operation unit 50 receives an operation from the user instructing the start of parking assistance processing, the target parking position determination unit 135 determines a first target parking position P3.
The first target parking position P3 is determined, for example, near the entrance/exit EE of the passage PW corresponding to the pole of the flagpole lot. The flagpole lot has a rectangular lot on which, for example, a house or the like is arranged on the opposite side of the entrance/exit EE of the passage PW, i.e., on the lower side of Fig. 2. The rectangular lot corresponds to the flag of the flagpole lot.

The parking route R1 generated by the route generating unit 136 may include a route in which the vehicle 1 is stopped temporarily to change the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 after the vehicle 1 starts traveling along the route. Changing the traveling direction includes changing the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 from forward to reverse and from reverse to forward. Hereinafter, the position where the vehicle 1 is stopped temporarily to change the traveling direction is referred to as an intermediate position P2. The intermediate position P2 may include a position where the vehicle 1 turns left, a position where the vehicle 1 turns right, etc.

As shown in FIG. 2, the parking route R1 is, for example, composed of parking route R11 and parking route R12. Parking route R11 is a section in which the vehicle 1 travels forward, and parking route R12 is a section in which the vehicle 1 travels backward.

In addition, the parking path R1 includes an initial position P1, an intermediate position P2, and a first target parking position P3.
The driving control unit 137 causes the vehicle 1 to start from the initial position P1 and drive forward along the parking route R11 toward the intermediate position P2. When the vehicle 1 reaches the intermediate position P2, the vehicle 1 stops once and switches the traveling direction from forward to reverse via the transmission 77. The vehicle 1 then drives backward along the parking route R12 toward the first target parking position P3, and when the vehicle 1 reaches the first target parking position P3, it stops.

A vehicle range 220 indicates the range of the vehicle 1 at the intermediate position P2. A vehicle range 230 indicates the range of the vehicle 1 at the first target parking position P3.
As shown in FIG. 2, the driving control unit 137 controls the driving of the vehicle 1 so that the vehicle 1 is located within the vehicle range 220 when the vehicle 1 reaches the intermediate position P2.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of the vehicle 1 stopped at the first target parking position P3.
As shown in FIG. 3, the driving control unit 137 controls the driving of the vehicle 1 so that the vehicle 1 is located within the vehicle range 230 when the vehicle 1 reaches the first target parking position P3.
In addition, when the vehicle 1 is stopped at the first target parking position P3, there is no obstacle below the vehicle 1 in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 in Fig. 3. Therefore, the vehicle 1 can move further backward.

Figure 4 is a screen diagram showing an example of a parking assistance screen 300 that the display control unit 138 displays on the display panel 61 when the obstacle detection unit 134 does not detect an obstacle RT while the vehicle 1 is stopped at the first target parking position P3.
An overhead image BV captured from above the vehicle 1 is displayed on the parking assistance screen 300. The overhead image BV is an image generated by combining images captured by the front camera 31, the rear camera 33, the left side camera 35, and the right side camera 37 shown in FIG.
The overhead image BV includes an aisle image PWa, which corresponds to the aisle PW shown in FIGS.

The parking assistance screen 300 also includes a first target parking position image P3a, a vehicle range image 230a, a second target parking position image P41a, a vehicle range image 240a, and a parking path image R21a.
When the obstacle detection unit 134 does not detect an obstacle RT while the vehicle 1 is stopped at the first target parking position P3, the target parking position determination unit 135 determines a second target parking position P41 based on the detectable range of the obstacle detection unit 134. The path generation unit 136 generates a parking path R21 for parking the vehicle 1 at the second target parking position P41 without coming into contact with the obstacle RT based on the map data generated by the map generation unit 133. In addition, the driving control unit 137 controls the driving of the vehicle 1 so that the vehicle 1 is located within the vehicle range 240 when the vehicle 1 reaches the second target parking position P41.

The first target parking position image P3a is an image showing the first target parking position P3, and the vehicle range image 230a is an image showing the vehicle range 230. In Fig. 4, the vehicle range image 230a is indicated by a dashed line.
The second target parking position image P41a is an image showing the second target parking position P41, and the vehicle range image 240a is an image showing the vehicle range 240. In Fig. 4, the vehicle range image 240a is indicated by a solid line.
The parking path image R21a is an image showing the parking path R21.

In addition, a guidance image 310 is displayed on the parking assistance screen 300.
The guidance image 310 includes a guidance display portion 311 , a YES button 312 , and a NO button 313 .
Guidance information for the user is displayed on the guidance display section 311. For example, guidance information such as "Add and reverse?" is displayed on the guidance display section 311.
The YES button 312 is touched by the user when moving the vehicle 1 backward from the first target parking position P3 to the second target parking position P41. When the touch sensor 63 detects that the YES button 312 has been touched, the driving control unit 137 controls the steering device 71, the drive device 73, the braking device 75, and the transmission 77 to move the vehicle 1 backward from the first target parking position P3 to the second target parking position P41.
The touch sensor 63 corresponds to an example of a "reception unit."
In this embodiment, a case will be described in which the touch sensor 63 receives a user instruction, but the operation unit 50 may receive a user instruction.
In addition, when the YES button 312 is touched, the vehicle 1 reaches the second target parking position P41, and the driving control unit 137 stops the vehicle 1 within the vehicle range 240, the display control unit 138 displays the parking assistance screen 500 shown in Figure 6 on the display panel 61.
The NO button 313 is touched by the user when the vehicle 1 is not to be reversed from the first target parking position P3 to the second target parking position P41. When the NO button 313 is touched, the parking assistance device 100 ends the parking assistance process.

FIG. 5 is a screen diagram showing an example of a parking assistance screen 400 that the display control unit 138 displays on the display panel 61 when the obstacle detection unit 134 detects an obstacle RT while the vehicle 1 is stopped at the first target parking position P3.
The parking assistance screen 400 displays an overhead image BV of the vehicle 1 taken from above.
The overhead image BV includes an aisle image PWa and an obstacle image RTa. The aisle image PWa corresponds to the aisle PW shown in Figures 2 and 3. The obstacle image RTa shows an obstacle RT arranged in the aisle PW. The obstacle RT is, for example, three triangular cones arranged along the width direction of the aisle PW.

The parking assistance screen 300 also includes a first target parking position image P3a, a vehicle range image 230a, a second target parking position image P42a, a vehicle range image 240a, and a parking path image R22a.
When the obstacle detection unit 134 detects an obstacle RT while the vehicle 1 is stopped at the first target parking position P3, the target parking position determination unit 135 determines a second target parking position P42 based on the position of the obstacle RT. The target parking position determination unit 135 determines the second target parking position P42, for example, to a position closer to the obstacle RT in the traveling direction. The path generation unit 136 generates a parking path R22 for parking the vehicle 1 at the second target parking position P42 without contacting the obstacle RT based on the map data generated by the map generation unit 133. In addition, the driving control unit 137 controls the driving of the vehicle 1 so that the vehicle 1 is located within the vehicle range 250 when the vehicle 1 reaches the second target parking position P42.

The first target parking position image P3a is an image showing the first target parking position P3, and the vehicle range image 230a is an image showing the vehicle range 230. In Fig. 5, the vehicle range image 230a is indicated by a dashed line.
The second target parking position image P42a is an image showing the second target parking position P42, and the vehicle range image 250a is an image showing the vehicle range 250. In Fig. 5, the vehicle range image 250a is indicated by a solid line.
The parking path image R22a is an image showing the parking path R22.

Furthermore, a guidance image 410 is displayed on the parking assistance screen 400 .
The guidance image 410 includes a guidance display portion 411, a YES button 412, and a NO button 413, similar to the guidance image 310 shown in FIG.
The guidance display unit 411, the YES button 412, and the NO button 413 correspond to the guidance display unit 311, the YES button 312, and the NO button 313 shown in Fig. 4, respectively, and therefore their description will be omitted. However, when the YES button 412 is touched, the driving control unit 137 controls the steering device 71, the drive device 73, the brake device 75, and the transmission device 77 so as to move the vehicle 1 backward from the first target parking position P3 to the second target parking position P42. That is, the vehicle 1 is moved backward from the first target parking position P3 to the second target parking position P41 in Fig. 4, whereas the vehicle 1 is moved backward from the first target parking position P3 to the second target parking position P42 in Fig. 5, which is different from the first target parking position P3 to the second target parking position P42 in Fig. 5.
In addition, when the YES button 412 is touched, the vehicle 1 reaches the second target parking position P42, and the vehicle 1 is stopped within the vehicle range 250 by the driving control unit 137, the parking assistance device 100 terminates the parking assistance process.

In this embodiment, the obstacle RT is a triangular cone, but the present invention is not limited to this. The obstacle RT may be any object that obstructs or restricts the travel of the vehicle 1. The obstacle RT may be, for example, a structure such as a pillar or a wall, a pole or a dividing line on the ground that divides a travel area in which the vehicle 1 can travel from a parking area, another vehicle, etc.

Figure 6 is a screen diagram showing an example of a parking assistance screen 500 that the display control unit 138 displays on the display panel 61 when the obstacle detection unit 134 does not detect an obstacle RT while the vehicle 1 is stopped at the second target parking position P41.
The parking assistance screen 500 displays an overhead image BV of the vehicle 1 taken from above.
The overhead image BV includes an aisle image PWa, which corresponds to the aisle PW shown in FIGS.

The parking assistance screen 300 also includes a second target parking position image P41a, a vehicle range image 240a, a third target parking position image P5a, a vehicle range image 260a, and a parking path image R3a.
If the obstacle detection unit 134 does not detect an obstacle RT when the vehicle 1 is stopped at the second target parking position P41, the target parking position determination unit 135 determines a third target parking position P5 based on the detectable range of the obstacle detection unit 134. The path generation unit 136 generates a parking path R3 for parking the vehicle 1 at the third target parking position P5 without coming into contact with the obstacle RT based on the map data generated by the map generation unit 133. In addition, the driving control unit 137 controls the driving of the vehicle 1 so that the vehicle 1 is located within the vehicle range 260 when the vehicle 1 reaches the third target parking position P5.

The second target parking position image P41a is an image showing the second target parking position P41, and the vehicle range image 240a is an image showing the vehicle range 240. In Fig. 6, the vehicle range image 240a is indicated by a dashed line.
The third target parking position image P5a is an image showing the third target parking position P5, and the vehicle range image 260a is an image showing the vehicle range 260. In Fig. 6, the vehicle range image 260a is indicated by a solid line.
The parking path image R3a is an image showing the parking path R3.

In addition, a guidance image 510 is displayed on the parking assistance screen 500.
The guidance image 510 includes a guidance display portion 511, a YES button 512, and a NO button 513, similar to the guidance image 310 shown in FIG.
The guidance display section 511, the YES button 512, and the NO button 513 correspond to the guidance display section 311, the YES button 312, and the NO button 313 shown in FIG. 4, respectively, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

When the YES button 512 is touched, the vehicle 1 reaches the third target parking position P5, and the driving control unit 137 stops the vehicle 1 within the vehicle range 260, the display control unit 138 displays a parking assistance screen (not shown) on the display panel 61. The parking assistance screen (not shown) includes a third target parking position image P5a and a fourth target parking position image. The fourth target parking position indicates the target parking position determined by the target parking position determination unit 135 when the vehicle 1 reaches the third target parking position P5.
In this way, when the obstacle detection unit 134 does not detect an obstacle RT, the target parking position determination unit 135 repeatedly determines the target parking position, and the driving control unit 137 controls the driving of the vehicle 1 so that it stops at the determined target parking position.

In this embodiment, as described with reference to Figures 2 to 6, the route generation unit 136 generates a parking route for driving the vehicle 1 in reverse to the target parking position, but this is not limited to the above. The route generation unit 136 may also generate a parking route for driving the vehicle 1 in forward motion to the target parking position.

In addition, in this embodiment, as described with reference to Figures 2 to 6, a case has been described in which vehicle 1 is parked in passage PW corresponding to the pole of the flagpole lot, but this is not limited to this. It is sufficient that vehicle 1 is parked in a location where the space in the fore-aft direction is longer than the fore-aft length of vehicle 1. For example, vehicle 1 may be parked in a parking lot where two or more vehicles 1 can be parked side by side in the fore-aft direction.

7 and 8 are flowcharts showing an example of the processing of the parking assistance device 100.
First, as shown in FIG. 7, in step S101, the parking assistance device 100 determines whether or not an operation instructing the start of parking assistance processing has been accepted via the operation unit 50.
When the parking assistance device 100 determines that an operation to start the parking assistance process has not been received (step S101; NO), the process goes to a standby state. When the parking assistance device 100 determines that an operation to start the parking assistance process has been received (step S101; YES), the process proceeds to step S103.
Then, in step S103, the detection information acquisition unit 132 acquires the detection result of the detection unit 20. The detection information acquisition unit 132 acquires, for example, the captured image of the imaging unit 30 and the detection result of the sonar unit 40.

Next, in step S105, the position acquisition unit 131 acquires the position of the vehicle 1 as position information, and the map generation unit 133 generates map data that records obstacles RT around the vehicle 1 and the position of the vehicle 1 in a local coordinate system.
Next, in step S107, the target parking position determination unit 135 determines a first target parking position P3 based on the detection result of the available parking area and the map data.
Next, in step S109, the route generating unit 136 generates a parking route R1.
Next, in step S111, the display control unit 138 causes the display panel 61 to display a parking assistance screen including the first target parking position P3 and the parking route R1.
Next, in step S113, the driving control unit 137 executes driving control of the vehicle 1, and drives the vehicle 1 along the parking route R1 to the first target parking position P3.
Next, in step S<b>115 , the detection information acquisition unit 132 acquires the detection result of the detection unit 20 .
Next, in step S117, the driving control unit 137 determines, based on the detection result of the detection unit 20, whether or not the vehicle 1 has reached the first target parking position P3.
When the driving control unit 137 determines that the vehicle 1 has not reached the first target parking position P3 (step S117; NO), the process returns to step S113. When the driving control unit 137 determines that the vehicle 1 has reached the first target parking position P3 (step S117; YES), the process proceeds to step S119 in FIG.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8, in step S119, the parking assistance device 100 determines whether or not a setting has been made to repeatedly execute the parking assistance process.
In this embodiment, when the parking assist ON switch is pressed and the execution of the parking assist process is started, the parking assist process is set to be executed repeatedly. In other words, in this embodiment, when the vehicle reaches the first target parking position P3, the second target parking position P4 is determined as shown below, and the vehicle is moved from the first target parking position P3 to the second target parking position P4 based on an instruction from the user.
If the parking assistance device 100 determines that the parking assistance process is not set to be repeatedly executed (step S119; NO), the process ends. If the parking assistance device 100 determines that the parking assistance process is set to be repeatedly executed (step S119; YES), the process proceeds to step S121.
Then, in step S<b>121 , the detection information acquisition unit 132 acquires the detection result of the detection unit 20 .

Next, in step S123, the position acquisition unit 131 acquires the position of the vehicle 1 as position information, and the map generation unit 133 generates map data that records obstacles RT around the vehicle 1 and the position of the vehicle 1 in a local coordinate system.
Next, in step S125, the obstacle detection unit 134 determines whether or not an obstacle RT in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 has been detected, based on the map data generated by the map generation unit 133.
If the obstacle detection unit 134 determines that an obstacle RT has been detected (step S125; YES), the process proceeds to step S127.
Then, in step S127, the target parking position determination unit 135 determines the Nth target parking position based on the position of the obstacle RT. The number of times N indicates the number of times the parking assistance process is executed by the parking assistance device 100. Here, the initial value of the number of times N is "2". That is, the target parking position determination unit 135 determines the second target parking position P42 based on the position of the obstacle RT. Then, the process proceeds to step S131.
If the obstacle detection unit 134 determines that an obstacle RT has not been detected (step S125; NO), the process proceeds to step S129.
Then, in step S129, the target parking position determination unit 135 determines the Nth target parking position based on the detectable range of the sonar unit 40. The number of times N indicates the number of times the parking assistance process is executed by the parking assistance device 100. Here, the initial value of the number of times N is "2". That is, the target parking position determination unit 135 determines the second target parking position P41 based on the detectable range of the sonar unit 40.
Next, in step S131, the route generating unit 136 generates a parking route R2.
Next, in step S133, the display control unit 138 displays a parking support screen on the display panel 61. For example, if the obstacle detection unit 134 determines that an obstacle RT has been detected in step S125, the display control unit 138 displays the parking support screen 400 shown in Fig. 5 on the display panel 61. Also, for example, if the obstacle detection unit 134 determines that an obstacle RT has not been detected in step S125, the display control unit 138 displays the parking support screen 300 shown in Fig. 4 on the display panel 61.

Next, in step S135, the parking assistance device 100 determines whether or not an instruction to move the vehicle 1 from the first target parking position P3 to the second target parking position P41 or the second target parking position P42 has been received. For example, the parking assistance device 100 determines whether or not a touch on the YES button 312 on the parking assistance screen 300 or the YES button 412 on the parking assistance screen 400 has been received.
If the parking assistance device 100 determines that it has received an instruction to move the vehicle 1 from the first target parking position P3 to the second target parking position P4 (step S135; YES), the process proceeds to step S139. If the parking assistance device 100 determines that it has not received an instruction to move the vehicle 1 from the first target parking position P3 to the second target parking position P4 (step S135; NO), the process proceeds to step S137.
Then, in step S137, the parking assistance device 100 judges whether or not the end of the additional travel from the first target parking position P3 has been received. In other words, the parking assistance device 100 judges whether or not an instruction indicating that the vehicle 1 is not to be moved from the first target parking position P3 to the second target parking position P4 has been received. For example, the parking assistance device 100 judges whether or not a touch on the NO button 313 on the parking assistance screen 300 or the NO button 413 on the parking assistance screen 400 has been received.
If the parking assistance device 100 determines that the end of the additional travel from the first target parking position P3 has been received (step S137; YES), the process ends. If the parking assistance device 100 determines that the end of the additional travel from the first target parking position P3 has not been received (step S137; NO), the process returns to step S135.

If the parking assistance device 100 determines that it has received an instruction to move the vehicle 1 from the first target parking position P3 to the second target parking position P4 (step S135; YES), in step S139, the driving control unit 137 executes driving control of the vehicle 1 and drives the vehicle 1 from the first target parking position P3 to the second target parking position P4 along the parking route R2.
Next, in step S<b>141 , the detection information acquisition unit 132 acquires the detection result of the detection unit 20 .
Next, in step S143, the driving control unit 137 determines, based on the detection result of the detection unit 20, whether or not the vehicle 1 has reached the N-th target parking position, that is, the second target parking position P4.
If the driving control unit 137 determines that the vehicle 1 has not reached the N-th parking position (step S143; NO), the process returns to step S139. If the driving control unit 137 determines that the vehicle 1 has reached the N-th parking position (step S143; YES), the process proceeds to step S145.
Then, in step S145, the parking assistance device 100 increments the number of times N by 1. After that, the process returns to step S119.

Step S103 corresponds to an example of a "first detection step". Step S107 corresponds to an example of a "first position determination step". Step S113 corresponds to an example of a "travel control step". Steps S121 and S125 correspond to an example of a "second detection step". Steps S127 and S129 correspond to an example of a "second position determination step".

As described above, the parking assistance device 100 of this embodiment is a parking assistance device 100 that assists in parking the vehicle 1, and includes an obstacle detection unit 134 that detects obstacles RT around the vehicle 1, a target parking position determination unit 135 that determines a first target parking position P3 based on the detection result of the obstacle detection unit 134, and a driving control unit 137 that drives the vehicle 1 to the first target parking position P3. After the vehicle 1 starts driving toward the first target parking position P3, the target parking position determination unit 135 determines a second target parking position P4 that is different from the first target parking position P3 based on the detection result of the obstacle detection unit 134.
Therefore, based on the detection results of the obstacle detection unit 134, a second target parking position P4 different from the first target parking position P3 is determined, so that if it is possible to park further ahead than the first target parking position P3, the vehicle can be parked at the second target parking position P4, which is further ahead.

In addition, when the vehicle stops at the first target parking position P3, the target parking position determination unit 135 determines a second target parking position P4 that is different from the first target parking position P3.
Therefore, when the vehicle stops at the first target parking position P3, the second target parking position P4 is determined, so that the second target parking position P4 can be determined at an appropriate timing. In other words, when the vehicle stops at the first target parking position P3, the second target parking position P4 is determined, so that the user can decide with plenty of time whether to proceed to the second target parking position P4 or not.

In addition, the target parking position determination unit 135 determines a second target parking position P4 based on the detectable range of the obstacle detection unit 134.
Therefore, since the second target parking position P4 is determined based on the detectable range of the obstacle detection unit 134, the second target parking position P4 can be appropriately determined when the obstacle RT is not detected.

In addition, when the obstacle detection unit 134 detects an obstacle RT, the target parking position determination unit 135 determines a second target parking position P4 based on the accuracy of the driving control of the driving control unit 137.
Therefore, when an obstacle RT is detected, the second target parking position P4 is determined based on the accuracy of the driving control of the driving control unit 137, so that the second target parking position P4 can be determined appropriately.

The vehicle 1 is also provided with a touch sensor 63 that receives instructions from the user, and when the touch sensor 63 receives instructions from the user, the driving control unit 137 drives the vehicle 1 to the second target parking position P4.
Therefore, when an instruction from the user is received, the vehicle 1 is caused to travel to the second target parking position P4, so that the vehicle 1 can travel to the second target parking position P4 at a timing desired by the user. Therefore, the convenience for the user can be improved.

The vehicle also includes a display control unit 138 that displays the first target parking position P3 and the second target parking position P4.
Therefore, since the first target parking position P3 and the second target parking position P4 are displayed, the user can confirm the first target parking position P3 and the second target parking position P4. Therefore, the user's convenience can be improved.

In addition, the parking assistance method of this embodiment is a parking assistance method that assists in parking a vehicle, and includes a first detection step of detecting an obstacle RT around the vehicle 1, a first position determination step of determining a first target parking position P3 based on the detection result in the first detection step, a driving control step of driving the vehicle 1 to the first target parking position P3, a second detection step of detecting an obstacle RT around the vehicle 1 after the vehicle 1 starts driving toward the first target parking position P3, and a second position determination step of determining a second target parking position P4 different from the first target parking position P3 based on the detection result in the second detection step.
Therefore, based on the detection results in the second detection step, a second target parking position P4 different from the first target parking position P3 is determined, so that if it is possible to park further ahead than the first target parking position, the vehicle can be parked at the further ahead second target parking position P4.

The above-described embodiment is merely an example of one embodiment of the present invention, and any modifications and applications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
For example, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, the components are classified according to the main processing content in Fig. 1, but the components can be further classified into more components according to the processing content. Also, one component can be classified to perform more processes.
Furthermore, the processing of each component may be executed by a single piece of hardware, or may be executed by multiple pieces of hardware.
Furthermore, the processing of each component may be realized by one program, or may be realized by multiple programs.

Also, in FIG. 1, the parking assistance device 100 may be provided with at least one of the position detection unit 10 and the detection section 20 integrated into one unit.

In addition, in this embodiment, the parking assistance device 100 includes, but is not limited to, the position acquisition unit 131, the detection information acquisition unit 132, the map generation unit 133, the obstacle detection unit 134, the target parking position determination unit 135, the route generation unit 136, the driving control unit 137, and the display control unit 138. A server device communicably connected to the parking assistance device 100 via a network such as the Internet may include at least one of the position acquisition unit 131, the detection information acquisition unit 132, the map generation unit 133, the obstacle detection unit 134, the target parking position determination unit 135, the route generation unit 136, the driving control unit 137, and the display control unit 138. The server device may include, for example, the position acquisition unit 131, the map generation unit 133, the obstacle detection unit 134, the target parking position determination unit 135, and the route generation unit 136.

In addition, in this embodiment, the parking assistance process is repeatedly executed until the parking assistance off switch is pressed or the NO button on the parking assistance screen is touched during the execution of the parking assistance process, but is not limited thereto. For example, the maximum number of times N for executing the parking assistance process may be set in advance. For example, the maximum number of times N may be two times, or three times or more.
5, when the obstacle detection unit 134 detects an obstacle RT around the vehicle 1, the target parking position determination unit 135 may determine the target parking position only once. In this case, it is possible to improve the convenience for the user.

Furthermore, when the parking assistance method of the present invention is realized using a computer, the control program executed by the computer can be configured in the form of a recording medium or a transmission medium for transmitting the control program.
The recording medium may be a magnetic or optical recording medium or a semiconductor memory device. Specifically, the recording medium may be a portable or fixed recording medium such as a flexible disk, HDD, CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), DVD, Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc, magneto-optical disk, flash memory, or card-type recording medium. The recording medium may be a non-volatile storage device such as a RAM, ROM, or HDD provided in the parking assistance device 100.
In addition, the control program may be downloaded by the parking assistance device 100 from a server device communicatively connected to the parking assistance device 100 via a network.

For example, the processing units in the flowcharts shown in Figures 7 and 8 are divided according to the main processing content in order to make it easier to understand the processing of the parking assistance device 100, and the present invention is not limited by the manner in which the processing units are divided or the names of the processing units. The processing of the parking assistance device 100 may be divided into even more processing units according to the processing content. Furthermore, the processing of the parking assistance device 100 may be divided so that one processing unit includes even more processes.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 vehicle 3 in-vehicle device 5 obstacle 10 position detection unit 20 detection section 30 imaging section 40 sonar unit 50 operation section 60 display section 61 display panel 63 touch sensor (reception section)
70 Vehicle control unit 71 Steering device 73 Drive device 75 Braking device 77 Transmission device 100 Parking assistance device 110 Memory 130 Processor 131 Position acquisition unit 132 Detection information acquisition unit 133 Map generation unit 134 Obstacle detection unit 135 Target parking position determination unit 136 Route generation unit 137 Travel control unit 138 Display control unit 220, 230, 240, 250, 260 Vehicle range 230a, 240a, 250a, 260a Vehicle range image 300, 400, 500 Parking assistance screen 310, 410, 510 Guidance image 311, 411, 511 Guidance display unit 312, 412, 512 YES button 313, 413, 513 NO button BV Overhead image P1 Initial position P2 Intermediate position P3 First target parking position (target parking position)
P3a: First target parking position image P41, P42, P4: Second target parking position (corrected target parking position)
P41a, P42a, P4a Second target parking position image P5 Third target parking position P5a Third target parking position image PW Aisle PWa Aisle image R11, R12, R1 Parking path R21, R22, R2, R3 Parking path R21a, R22a, R2a, R3a Parking path image RT Obstacle RTa Obstacle image

Claims (4)

A parking assistance device that assists in parking a vehicle,
an obstacle detection unit that detects obstacles around the vehicle;
a position determination unit that determines a target parking position based on a detection result of the obstacle detection unit;
A driving control unit that drives the vehicle to the target parking position;
A reception unit that receives instructions from a user;
Equipped with
The position determination unit determines a target parking position that is corrected to a position further ahead than the target parking position based on a detection result of the obstacle detection unit after the vehicle starts traveling toward the target parking position,
When the vehicle stops at the target parking position, if the obstacle detection unit does not detect an obstacle, the position determination unit repeatedly determines the corrected target parking position based on a detectable range of the obstacle detection unit;
The driving control unit drives the vehicle to the corrected target parking position when the reception unit receives an instruction to accept the corrected target parking position from the user when the vehicle is stopped.
Parking assistance device. The position determination unit determines the corrected target parking position based on the accuracy of driving control of the driving control unit when the obstacle detection unit detects the obstacle.
2. The parking assistance device according to claim 1. A display control unit is provided that displays the target parking position and the corrected target parking position.
3. A parking assistance device according to claim 1 or 2. A parking assistance method for a parking assistance device that assists in parking a vehicle, comprising:
The parking assistance device includes:
a first detection step of detecting an obstacle around the vehicle;
a first position determination step of determining a target parking position based on a detection result in the first detection step;
a driving control step of driving the vehicle to the target parking position;
a second detection step of detecting an obstacle around the vehicle after the vehicle starts traveling toward the target parking position;
A second position determination step of determining a target parking position corrected to a position further ahead of the target parking position based on a detection result in the second detection step;
Run
When the vehicle stops at the target parking position, if the obstacle is not detected in the second detection step, the corrected target parking position is repeatedly determined in the second position determination step based on a detectable range of the obstacle in the second detection step;
In the driving control step, when the vehicle is stopped, if an instruction to accept the corrected target parking position is received from a user, the parking assistance method causes the vehicle to drive to the corrected target parking position.

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