Parking assistance device and method

Abstract

The present application provides a parking assistance device and a method of using the same. The device includes: a parking space sensing module, which includes an image sensor for acquiring image data including available parking spaces and a parameter sensor for identifying existing available parking spaces and obtaining position data of each available parking space; a vehicle measurement module for measuring real-time parameter information of the vehicle; and a controller module configured to: receive the image data from the image sensor and receive the position data of the one or more available parking spaces from the parameter sensor and store them; notify the driver of the vehicle of the one or more available parking spaces; and when the driver selects a selected parking space, determine the time for the vehicle to pass through the selected parking space based on the position data of the selected parking space, the current position of the vehicle, and the real-time vehicle speed between the two positions, and retrieve the image data corresponding to that time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to a parking assistance device capable of providing a driver with a detailed internal real - scene image of a candidate parking space and a method of using the device. Background Art

[0002] Current parking assistance technologies generally use ultrasonic sensors installed on the front / rear / sides of a vehicle to identify the environment around the vehicle and determine whether there is a parking space, and then the vehicle automatically performs a parking - in operation or assists the driver in parking.

[0003] During the assisted parking operation based on ultrasonic sensors, the driver usually becomes aware of the existence of a parking space only after the vehicle has passed the parking space, and at this time, it is simply impossible to understand the conditions inside the parking space. This is caused by the technical limitations of ultrasonic sensors. And this may lead to some problems. For example, there is water accumulation, large potholes or protrusions, no - parking signs, uncovered sewer openings or other situations where the ground is not suitable for parking on the ground of the parking space; for example, there is a "no - parking" sign or a store entrance or a similar situation on the wall next to the parking space; or for another example, the parking posture of the vehicle next to the parking space is not good, resulting in difficult or impossible parking into the space. In the lightest case, this will cause an unpleasant parking experience for the vehicle driver. In the worst case, ignoring this information will result in illegal parking or collisions during parking, and even cause unnecessary property losses.

[0004] There are also solutions in the prior art that combine ultrasonic sensors and cameras, and the driver can see the candidate parking spaces indicated in the camera view. However, what the driver can usually see is the detected "parking space" area or contour, rather than the internal real - scene of the parking space. The current technology is also limited to detecting the existence of a parking space, the size or contour of the parking space, but cannot provide the driver with an internal real - scene image of the parking space. The above - listed situations can only be known by the driver getting out of the vehicle to observe in person, or by reversing the vehicle back to the parking space to see, or even cannot be seen or noticed at all, causing inconvenience.

[0005] The present application hopes to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a parking assistance device and method that not only provide available parking spaces to the driver during the assisted parking process, but also allow the driver to select a parking space and replay an image of the parking space to the driver, thereby solving at least one of the above problems.

[0007] This object is achieved by the following parking assistance device and parking assistance method.

[0008] The parking assistance device of the present application includes:

[0009] A parking space sensing module, which includes an image sensor configured to acquire image data including available parking spaces, and a parameter sensor configured to acquire parameter information of objects in the external environment of the vehicle, identify one or more possible available parking spaces based on the parameter information, and acquire position data of each available parking space when one or more available parking spaces are identified;

[0010] A vehicle measurement module configured to measure real-time parameter information of the vehicle, the real-time parameter information including the real-time position and real-time speed of the vehicle; and

[0011] A controller module communicatively connected to the parking space sensing module and the vehicle measurement module, which is configured to:

[0012] Receive the image data from the image sensor and receive the position data of the one or more available parking spaces from the parameter sensor, and store the image data and the position data;

[0013] Notify the driver of the vehicle of the one or more available parking spaces identified by the parameter sensor; and

[0014] When the driver selects one of the one or more available parking spaces as the selected parking space, determine the time for the vehicle to pass through the selected parking space based on the position data of the selected parking space, the current position of the vehicle, and the real-time speed of the vehicle between the two positions, and retrieve the stored image data corresponding to the time.

[0015] In one embodiment, the image sensor includes a camera that images the side of the vehicle;

[0016] The parameter sensor includes a radar, or a lidar, or both;

[0017] The time for the vehicle to pass through the selected parking space is the time for the vehicle to pass through the longitudinal or lateral center line position of the selected parking space.

[0018] In one embodiment, the controller module further includes a display, which is configured to: notify the driver of the one or more available parking spaces in a visual or visual and audible combination manner, provide a man-machine interaction interface for the driver to select the selected parking space from the one or more available parking spaces, and display the image data of the time for the vehicle to pass through the longitudinal or lateral center line position of the selected parking space.

[0019] In one embodiment, the image data stored by the controller module is limited to the image data within a preset time period or within a preset distance from the current position of the vehicle.

[0020] The parking assistance method of the present application includes:

[0021] The first step of starting the parking assistance device includes: a first sub-step of starting the image sensor of the parking assistance device to obtain and store image data about the vehicle's surrounding environment; a second sub-step of starting the parameter sensor of the parking assistance device to identify one or more available parking spaces that may exist and calculate the position data of each available parking space, and when an available parking space is identified, notify the driver and store the position data of the available parking space; and a third sub-step of starting the vehicle measurement module of the parking assistance device to measure and record the vehicle's real-time position and real-time speed;

[0022] A second step of the driver selecting a specific parking space from one or more available parking spaces;

[0023] A third step of calculating the time for the vehicle to pass through the specific parking space based on the position data of the specific parking space, the vehicle's current position, and the vehicle's real-time speed between the two positions; and

[0024] A fourth step of retrieving and displaying the image data stored corresponding to the time.

[0025] In one embodiment: In the first sub-step, the parking assistance device is automatically started when a preset condition is met, or is started in response to a manual actuation by the driver.

[0026] In one embodiment, the preset condition for automatically starting the parking assistance device is that the distance of the vehicle from the destination reaches within a preset distance; or the vehicle's speed drops below a preset speed.

[0027] In one embodiment, when an available parking space is identified, the driver can be notified by using at least one of the following: voice prompt; image display; pop-up message box; and / or the driver can select a specific parking space from one or more available parking spaces through the vehicle's human-machine interface.

[0028] In one embodiment, when there are multiple available parking spaces, the method further includes: after the fourth step, returning to the second step to re-select a specific parking space and repeating the second to fourth steps.

[0029] This application also relates to a machine-readable storage medium having executable instructions stored thereon; when the executable instructions are executed, the machine performs the above-described parking assistance method.

[0030] The parking assistance device of the present application acquires and stores image data including available parking spaces, especially their internal conditions, through a side image sensor (such as a side camera), and senses or searches for parking spaces through a parameter sensor (such as an ultrasonic sensor) to obtain and store the position data of the parking spaces. The parking assistance device of the present application not only provides the searched available parking spaces to the driver, but also allows the driver to select a specific parking space to be used from them, and then retrieves and replays the image data of that time to the driver by calculating the time when the vehicle passes through the parking space.

[0031] This enables the driver to carefully observe and reconfirm the actual scene details inside the specific parking space, confirm whether the specific parking space is suitable for parking and whether it is sufficient to park the vehicle model driven by the driver, or in other words, the driver can review the availability of the specific parking space to ensure the success of the parking operation. At the same time, this avoids the driver missing relatively concealed or unobvious parking space detail information, enabling the driver to cancel parking in time or change to other parking spaces in time when the parking space is not suitable.

[0032] Rather than simply relying on an external detection system to select or determine a parking space for the driver, the parking assistance device and method of the present invention only provide the actually existing available parking spaces to the driver, and the driver himself selects which parking space to use for parking, which can meet the personal hobbies and different needs of the drivers.

[0033] The parking assistance device of the present application can be fully implemented relying on the existing modules on the vehicle. For example, the image sensor can use the existing camera on the vehicle, the parameter sensor can use the existing ultrasonic sensor on the vehicle, and the display can use the vehicle's display screen, etc. Essentially, there is no need to add detection components or chips, only the memory of the system needs to be expanded. In this sense, vehicle manufacturers only need to improve their existing vehicle systems to achieve the purpose of the present application. Therefore, the vehicle's hardware system is not more complex and the cost is not increased. Of course, the present application can also be implemented using components specifically set or added for this parking assistance device.

[0034] On the one hand, the present application retains the advantages of the ultrasonic sensor in searching for available parking spaces, and on the other hand, uses the side image sensor to comprehensively present the internal situation or actual scene details of the specific parking space selected by the driver, ensuring the availability of the parking space, improving the success rate of the driver's parking into the space, and improving the driver's parking experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become clearer and easier to understand through the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

[0036] Figure 1is a simplified block diagram of a parking assistance device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 2 is a flowchart of a parking assistance method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 3a and 3b is a parking schematic diagram according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0039] Generally, the present application provides a parking assistance device and a parking assistance method. According to the principle of the present application, on the one hand, the parking assistance device includes an ultrasonic sensor (or hereinafter referred to as a "parameter sensor") to search for available parking spaces existing around a moving vehicle and obtain position data of the available parking spaces; on the other hand, the parking assistance device includes an image sensor disposed on the side of the vehicle to obtain image data including the available parking spaces. The parking assistance device and method of the present application are configured to notify the driver of the vehicle in real time when the parameter sensor searches for an available parking space and allow the driver to select a specific parking space from the searched available parking spaces, and then calculate the time when the vehicle passes through the middle position of the specific parking space based on the stored position data of the specific parking space and the real-time parameters of the vehicle's travel. On this basis, image data including the internal details of the specific parking space is retrieved. This enables the driver to reconfirm that the selected parking space is available for parking, facilitating the smooth and successful subsequent parking operation. The parking assistance device of the present application can be provided as part of an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS).

[0040] Generally, as Figure 1 shown in the simplified block diagram of, the parking assistance device 100 of the present application includes a parking space sensing module 10 for obtaining parking space information, including image information and parameter information; a vehicle measurement module 20 for obtaining real-time parameter information of the vehicle; and a controller module 30 communicating with the foregoing two to implement the parking assistance function of the present application.

[0041] The parking space sensing module 10 can be used to obtain image information related to available parking spaces and parameter information about available parking spaces, such as the distance between the available parking space and the vehicle.

[0042] Thus, the parking space sensing module 10 may include an image sensor 12 configured to image the external environment of the vehicle to obtain image information, so as to obtain image data including comprehensive internal scenarios or real scene details of the available parking spaces when the vehicle passes by the parking spaces. The image sensor 12 may include, but is not limited to, any form of camera or video camera, and an existing camera on the vehicle may be adopted. In Figure 3a and 3bIn the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the image sensors 12 of the parking space sensing module 10 include two side cameras 122 and 124 disposed on both sides of the exterior of the vehicle. The side cameras 122 and 124 may be disposed on two rearview mirrors on both sides of the outside of the vehicle. Of course, they may also be disposed at any other positions on both sides of the vehicle. The parking space sensing module 10 may further include a rear camera or a front camera, which may be disposed on the rear or front bumper of the vehicle or at any other suitable position.

[0043] The parking space sensing module 10 may further include a parameter sensor 14 configured to obtain parameter information of an object in the external environment of the vehicle. For example, the object includes other vehicles, people, or any other thing located within the sensing range of the parameter sensor 14. The parameter information or parameter data may include the distance from the object to the vehicle or the speed of the object relative to the vehicle, etc. The parameter sensor 14 may include, for example, any type of radar sensor or ultrasonic radar sensor existing in the vehicle or additionally specially configured. By sending signals (such as IR signals, RF signals, or electromagnetic wave signals) to an object within its sensing range and receiving the signals returned from the object, the distance from the object to the vehicle, the speed of the object relative to the vehicle, etc. are calculated, thereby determining whether the space between adjacent objects is sufficient for parking or whether there is an available parking space. In one embodiment, the parameter sensor 14 may include at least one of the following: a front radar sensor 132 installed at the front of the vehicle, a left front corner radar sensor and a right front corner radar sensor 134 and 136 installed at the left front and right front of the vehicle, a left rear corner radar sensor and a right rear corner radar sensor 142 and 144 installed at the left rear and right rear of the vehicle, a rear radar sensor 146 installed at the rear of the vehicle, as Figure 3a and 3b shown.

[0044] The vehicle measurement module 20 includes a measurement module configured to measure real-time parameters of the vehicle. The real-time parameters of the vehicle include the real-time position and the real-time speed of the vehicle. In one embodiment, the real-time speed of the vehicle may be calculated by measuring the wheel speed of the vehicle. The position of the vehicle may be the position of a specific point on the vehicle, such as the midpoint of the rear axle of the vehicle. The above components included in the vehicle measurement module 20 may be existing components on the vehicle or components specially provided for this parking assistance device.

[0045] The controller module 30 communicates with the parking space sensing module 10 and the vehicle measurement module 20 to complete the parking assistance function. Specifically, the controller module 30 may include a memory 32 and a display 34, and is configured to: receive in real time the image data acquired by the image sensor 12 in the parking space sensing module 10, the position data of the available parking space acquired by the parameter sensor 14 in the parking space sensing module 10, and the real-time parameter information of the vehicle measured by the vehicle measurement module 20, and store them in the memory 32. In one embodiment, the memory 32 is set to store only the data or information acquired from the parking space sensing module 10 and the vehicle measurement module 20 within the last preset time period, or only the data or information acquired from the parking space sensing module 10 and the vehicle measurement module 20 within a preset distance from the current position of the vehicle.

[0046] The controller module 30 is further configured to notify the driver of the message in real time when receiving the message that the parameter sensor 14 in the parking space sensing module 10 detects an available parking space, and provide the available parking space to the driver. This notification can be carried out in any available manner, such as an acoustic prompt of voice broadcast or a beeping sound, a visual prompt displayed on the display 34 of the controller module 30, or a combination of both, such as bouncing a message box on the display 34 and accompanied by a voice prompt, etc.

[0047] The controller module 30 further includes a human-machine interaction interface 36, which allows the driver to choose to ignore the message of detecting an available parking space (for example, not performing any operation on the human-machine interaction interface 36) when receiving the message that there is an available parking space, or choose to confirm that the vehicle will park in this parking space (for example, clicking the "OK" button on the human-machine interaction interface 36 or clicking on the message box of the available parking space). The human-machine interaction interface 36 can be set on the display 34.

[0048] The controller module 30 is also configured to be able to retrieve the image information corresponding to the parking space containing this parking space when the driver selects to park the vehicle in this parking space, such as the panoramic image of this parking space. When the driver receives the information of the detected available parking space and chooses to confirm parking, and the vehicle has passed this parking space, the operation of retrieving the image information of the parking space can be achieved by calculating the time when the vehicle passes the middle position of this parking space and retrieving the corresponding image frame or image data at this time. Preferably, this time is, for example, the moment T when the vehicle passes the longitudinal or transverse center line ( Figure 3a or Figure 3b "L" in it), then the image frame corresponding to this moment contains an image that deeply reflects the overall actual scene of this parking space. For example, there may be no-parking signs or instructions on the ground of the parking space, other obstacles that may be unsuitable for parking on the ground of the parking space, and the situation of no-parking or unsuitable parking in the adjacent space of the parking space, etc.

[0049] In this way, the driver can reconfirm whether the selected parking space is available, and then the vehicle can call the fully automatic reverse parking program to park in the space or the driver can reverse into the space with the assistance of the assistance system.

[0050] Figure 2 It is a flowchart of a parking assistance method using the above parking assistance device.

[0051] The parking assistance method of the present application may include a first step S1 of starting the parking assistance device 100; a second step S2 of the driver confirming whether to use the detected available parking space; a third step S3 of calculating, after the driver confirms to use the available parking space, the time for the vehicle to pass through the parking space, such as the time T to pass through the intermediate position, based on the position data of the stored available parking space, the current position of the vehicle, and the real-time vehicle speed information stored between the two positions; and a fourth step S4 of retrieving the image data that deeply reflects the interior view of the parking space at this time.

[0052] According to the present application, the step S1 of starting the parking assistance device can be automatically performed when a preset condition is met, that is, it can be in the default automatic start mode, or can be performed in response to the driver's actuation, such as by setting a button for turning on this function. The preset condition for automatically starting the parking assistance device may be: the distance of the vehicle from the destination reaches within a preset distance (for example, when the vehicle navigation system is in operation); or the real-time vehicle speed of the vehicle drops below a preset speed. The parking assistance device of the present application can be configured to be in an automatically enabled mode all the time except when manually turned off by the driver. If the driver manually turns off the automatically enabled mode, the parking assistance device of the present application is only enabled in response to the driver's manual actuation. For example, in one embodiment, the condition for meeting the automatically enabled mode may be that the vehicle enters within a range of 200 meters, 100 meters, or 50 meters from the destination. In another embodiment, the condition for meeting the automatically enabled mode may be that the real-time vehicle speed of the vehicle drops below 60 km / h, 30 km / h, or 20 km / h.

[0053] The step S1 of starting the parking assist device may include: starting the image sensor 12 of the parking space sensing module 10 of the parking assist device 100 to obtain image data about the vehicle's surrounding environment and transmitting it to the controller module 30 for storage in real time; starting the parameter sensor 14 of the parking space sensing module 10 of the parking assist device 100 to obtain the position data of the available parking space and transmitting it to the controller module 30 for storage in real time; starting the parameter sensor 14 of the parking space sensing module 10 of the parking assist device 100 to obtain the position data of the available parking space and transmitting it to the controller module 30 for storage in a second sub-step S12, in which the sensor sends a signal to the object within the sensing range around the vehicle and receives the signal reflected from the object, calculates the position of each object and the gap distance between adjacent objects, so as to determine whether there is a parking space, and notifies the controller module 30 in real time when the parking space is detected, and the controller module 30 notifies the driver of the information of the detected parking space in any feasible manner described above, and stores the position information of the parking space in the memory 32; and starting the vehicle measurement module 20 of the parking assist device 100 to measure and record the position information and speed information of the vehicle. Preferably, the first, second and third sub-steps S11, S12 and S13 are performed simultaneously. Optimally, the three sub-steps are performed at the same time intervals between adjacent measurements and synchronously, so that the measured and stored data all correspond to the same time. In one embodiment, notifying the driver that a parking space has been detected also includes notifying the driver or displaying specific parameter information of the parking space to the driver, such as the distance from the current position of the vehicle, so that the driver can consider whether to select the parking space.

[0054] As mentioned above, the memory 32 can be configured to store only the parking space results within the latest preset time period or preset distance segment, so the first, second and third sub-steps S11, S12 and S13 can respectively include steps of overwriting the old measurement results with the new measurement results when the storage time exceeds the above limit.

[0055] As mentioned above, the parking assist device of the present application can be configured to automatically enable the image sensor 12 and the parameter sensor 14 in the parking space sensing module 10 to start searching for a parking space and notify the driver if a parking space is found, and the image data and parameter data acquired by the image sensor 12 and the parameter sensor 14 are synchronously stored in the memory 32. Optionally, in some embodiments, as required, the parking assist device 100 can also be configured to be in an automatic activation mode, but the storage operation of the image data and parameter data is only started in response to the driver's actuation.

[0056] In the second step S2, the driver selects, via the human-machine interface 36 of the controller module 30, whether to ignore this parking space information (for example, according to a preset setting, no operation may be performed, or a button with a "Cancel" or similar function may be clicked), or to confirm parking the vehicle in this parking space (for example, according to a preset setting, a "Confirm" button or a pop-up message box may be clicked).

[0057] In the third step, the controller module 30 calculates the time when the vehicle passes through the middle position of the parking space based on the position data of the selected parking space, the current position of the vehicle, and the stored real-time vehicle speed value between these two positions. The controller module 30 then retrieves the image data at this time and replays it on the display 34.

[0058] Preferably, in order to obtain a panoramic image with the best effect of the parking space, the controller module 30 calculates, in the third step S3, the moment T when the vehicle reaches or is located at the center line of the parking space ( Figure 3a and Figure 3b position L), and then retrieves the image data frame corresponding to this moment in the fourth step S4.

[0059] After the driver confirms that there is no error after viewing the replayed parking space image, the parking assistance method enters the guided reverse operation step S5. Optionally, the controller module 30 can also be configured to perform the guided reverse operation. For example, the guiding steps include planning the reverse trajectory of the vehicle, planning the reverse speed of the vehicle, and planning the steering time and steering angle of the vehicle by using the position parameters of the parking space, the position parameters of the objects around the parking space, and the current position parameters of the vehicle. The steps of the guided reverse operation are not the focus of this application and will not be described in detail here.

[0060] It is possible to retrieve the image containing the parking space obtained by the side image sensor when the vehicle is at the middle position of the parking space to help the driver re-check or verify whether the parking space is indeed available, whether there are potential dangers or no-parking prompts that the sensor fails to recognize, etc., improving the experience and comfort of assisting the driver in parking the vehicle and avoiding the bad experiences and property losses caused by unnecessary illegal parking or repeated parking.

[0061] In one embodiment, if the available parking space detected by the sensor 14 of the parking space sensing module 10 in the first step S1 is only one, then as described above, in the second step S2, the driver can choose to ignore the available parking space or confirm to use the available parking space to continue with the subsequent steps.

[0062] In other embodiments, the parking assist device 100 is configured to: when the memory 32 has not reached the storage limit, if the parameter sensor 14 in the parking space sensing module 10 detects multiple available parking spaces, the available parking spaces may be notified to the driver and listed on the display for the driver to select, and the order of listing may be in the order from near to far from the current position of the vehicle, in the order sensed by the parameter sensor 14, or in any other pre-set order, etc. The human-machine interface 36 of the parking assist device 100 may be configured to enable the driver to browse all available parking spaces and select any specific parking space from all available parking spaces to perform the following steps.

[0063] In this case, the second step S2 in the parking assistance method includes the driver selecting a specific parking space among the available parking spaces via the human-machine interface 36 of the controller module 30. In the subsequent third step S3 and fourth step S4, the controller module 30 calculates the time T when the vehicle passes the middle position of the specific parking space based on the position information of the selected specific available parking space measured by the parameter sensor 14, the current position of the vehicle, and the real-time speed of the vehicle between the two positions, and retrieves the image data frame for the time.

[0064] It can be understood that in the case where there are multiple available parking spaces, the parking assistance method of the present application also includes that if the driver is not satisfied with the parking space or finds that parking is not suitable or prohibited after viewing the playback image data frame of the specific parking space, at this time, the method will return to the second step S2, reselect other parking spaces from the available parking spaces and continue to execute the third and fourth steps, such as Figure 2 As shown by the dotted line in .

[0065] After the driver is satisfied with the selected specific parking space, the method proceeds to step S5 of parking in the space.

[0066] Different from purely relying on external detection systems to select or determine parking spaces for drivers, the present invention only provides the driver with a true picture of available parking spaces in reality or actual parking spaces, and the driver can choose which parking space to use to park, so as to meet the different needs of the driver. The parking assistance device of the present application can completely use the existing modules (cameras, sensors, display screens, etc.) on the vehicle, without adding additional detection components or chips, only the system memory needs to be expanded. In this sense, vehicle manufacturers only need to improve their existing systems to achieve the purpose of the present application. Therefore, the vehicle's hardware system is not more complicated, and the cost is not increased. Of course, the present application can also be implemented using components specially set up or added for the parking assistance device.

[0067] The example parking assistance methods described herein can be at least partially machine or computer-implemented. Some examples can include a computer-readable medium or a machine-readable medium encoded with instructions that, when executed, perform the methods as described in the above examples. Implementations of these methods can include code, such as microcode, assembly language code, high-level language code, and the like. Such code can include computer-readable instructions for performing various methods. This code can form part of a computer program product. Additionally, in an example, the code can be tangibly stored on one or more volatile, non-transitory, or non-volatile tangible computer-readable media, such as during execution or at other times. Examples of such tangible computer-readable media can include, but are not limited to, hard disks, removable disks, removable optical disks (such as optical disks and digital video disks), magnetic cassettes, memory cards or sticks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), and the like.

[0068] The various modules of the parking assistance device of the present application, the method of using the device, and non-limiting embodiments of their implementation have been described in detail above. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present application is not limited to the aforementioned modules and methods. Instead, without departing from the scope defined by the claims, the composition of the modules and certain features of the above methods can be deleted, modified, or combined according to actual needs.

Claims

1. A parking assist device (100), comprising: A parking space sensing module (10), which includes an image sensor (12) configured to acquire image data including available parking spaces, and a parameter sensor (14) configured to acquire parameter information of an object in the external environment of the vehicle, identify one or more possible available parking spaces based on the parameter information, and acquire position data of each available parking space when one or more available parking spaces are identified; a vehicle measurement module (20) configured to measure real-time parameter information of the vehicle, the real-time parameter information including the real-time position and real-time speed of the vehicle; and a controller module (30) communicatively connected to the parking space sensing module (10) and the vehicle measurement module (20), which is configured to: receive the image data from the image sensor (12) and receive the position data of the one or more available parking spaces from the parameter sensor (14), and store the image data and the position data; notify the driver of the vehicle of the one or more available parking spaces identified by the parameter sensor (14); and when the driver selects one of the one or more available parking spaces as the selected parking space, determine the time for the vehicle to pass through the selected parking space based on the position data of the selected parking space, the current position of the vehicle, and the real-time speed of the vehicle between the two positions, and retrieve the stored image data corresponding to the time.

2. The parking assistance device (100) according to claim 1, wherein, The image sensor (12) includes a camera that images the side of the vehicle; the parameter sensor (14) includes a radar, or a lidar, or both; the time for the vehicle to pass through the selected parking space is the time for the vehicle to pass through the longitudinal or transverse center line position of the selected parking space.

3. The parking assistance device (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The controller module (30) further includes a display, which is configured to: notify the driver of the one or more available parking spaces in a visual or a combination of visual and audible manners, provide a human-machine interaction interface for the driver to select the selected parking space from the one or more available parking spaces, and display the image data of the time for the vehicle to pass through the longitudinal or transverse center line position of the selected parking space.

4. The parking assistance device (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The image data stored by the controller module (30) is limited to the image data within a preset time period or within a preset distance from the current position of the vehicle.

5. A parking assistance method, comprising: The first step (S1) of activating the parking assistance device (100) includes: a first sub-step (S11) of activating the image sensor (12) of the parking assistance device (100) to obtain and store image data about the vehicle's surrounding environment; a second sub-step (S12) of activating the parameter sensor (14) of the parking assistance device (100) to identify one or more available parking spaces that may exist and calculate the position data of each available parking space, and when an available parking space is identified, notify the driver and store the position data of the available parking space; and a third sub-step (S13) of activating the vehicle measurement module (20) of the parking assistance device (100) to measure and record the vehicle's real-time position and real-time speed; a second step (S2) for the driver to select a specific parking space from one or more available parking spaces; a third step (S3) of calculating the time for the vehicle to pass through the specific parking space based on the position data of the specific parking space, the vehicle's current position, and the vehicle's real-time speed between the two positions; and a fourth step (S4) of retrieving and displaying the image data corresponding to the time.

6. The parking assistance method according to claim 5, wherein: In the first sub-step (S1), the parking assistance device (100) is automatically activated when a preset condition is met, or is activated in response to the driver's manual actuation.

7. The parking assistance method according to claim 6, wherein, The preset conditions for automatically activating the parking assistance device (100) are: the distance of the vehicle from the destination reaches within a preset distance; or the vehicle's speed drops below a preset speed.

8. The parking assistance method according to any one of claims 5-7, wherein, When an available parking space is identified, the driver can be notified by using at least one of the following: voice prompt; image display; pop-up message box; and / or the driver can select a specific parking space from one or more available parking spaces through the vehicle's human-machine interface.

9. The parking assistance method according to any one of claims 5-7, wherein, In the case where there are multiple available parking spaces, the method further includes: after the fourth step (S4), returning to the second step (S2) to re-select a specific parking space and repeating the second to fourth steps.

10. A machine-readable storage medium, on which executable instructions are stored; when the executable instructions are executed, the machine performs the parking assistance method according to any one of claims 5 to 9.

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