Automatic parking system and control method thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automatic parking system and a control method for the automatic parking system. For each of a plurality of parking areas, the present invention obtains a longitudinal number which is the number of parking spaces arranged in the longitudinal direction as a parking space. For each of the plurality of parking areas, the present invention obtains an available number which is the number of available parking spaces. An available number threshold is calculated based on the longitudinal number, and the available number threshold is a threshold for the available number used to calculate the priority of a parking area for an automatic parking target vehicle to park. The priority is calculated such that the priority of a parking area with an available number greater than or equal to the available number threshold is higher than the priority of a parking area with an available number less than the available number threshold. The automatic parking target vehicle is preferentially parked in a parking space of a parking area with a higher priority.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic parking system and a control method for the automatic parking system. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a technique in which, in automatic parking in which two or more autonomous vehicles are parked in a column, a parking space and a parking position for an autonomous vehicle to be parked are selected based on parking space length information corresponding to the length of each parking space and total length information corresponding to the total length of all autonomous vehicles parked in each parking space (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-182230).

[0003] In recent years, in this technical field, from the viewpoint of efficiently using the parking spaces in a parking area, for example, a parking method in which vehicles are sequentially parked from the innermost parking space in the parking area has attracted attention. In this parking method, when an outgoing vehicle that is an object to be taken out is taken out, if another vehicle is parked in the outgoing direction (for example, in front of the vehicle) of the outgoing vehicle, it is necessary to temporarily move back the other vehicle. Since the replacement of vehicles accompanied by the movement back of such other vehicles takes time, there is room for improvement in terms of improving the efficiency of the time required for parking (parking in and taking out) of each vehicle in consideration of the movement back of other vehicles. Summary of the Invention

[0004] One aspect of the present invention is an automatic parking system including a parking lot control server that, in a parking lot having a plurality of parking areas each having a plurality of parking spaces arranged at least in a longitudinal direction, causes an automatic parking target vehicle to park in a parking space by instructing an autonomous vehicle. The parking lot control server includes: a longitudinal number acquisition unit that acquires, for each of the plurality of parking areas, a longitudinal number (parallel-parking number) that is the number of parking spaces arranged in the longitudinal direction; a vacancy number acquisition unit that acquires, for each of the plurality of parking areas, a vacancy number that is the number of vacant parking spaces; a threshold calculation unit that calculates a vacancy number threshold based on the longitudinal number, the vacancy number threshold being a threshold of the vacancy number used to calculate the priority of a parking area for an automatic parking target vehicle to park; a priority calculation unit that calculates a priority such that the priority of a parking area having a vacancy number equal to or greater than the vacancy number threshold is higher than the priority of a parking area having a vacancy number less than the vacancy number threshold; and a vehicle instruction unit that causes the automatic parking target vehicle to preferentially park in a parking space of a parking area having a high priority.

[0005] An automatic parking system according to an aspect of the present invention calculates a free space number threshold based on the longitudinal number by a threshold calculation unit. A priority calculation unit calculates the priority of a parking area such that the priority of a parking area with a free space number equal to or greater than the free space number threshold is higher than the priority of a parking area with a free space number less than the free space number threshold. In the column where the vehicle to be taken out is located, at most the same number of other vehicles as the longitudinal number can be located in front of or behind the vehicle in the take-out direction. By calculating the free space number threshold based on such a longitudinal number, it is possible to calculate the priority of the parking area according to the number of parking spaces in the evacuation destination for the other vehicles in the column where the vehicle to be taken out is located by comparing the free space number threshold and the free space number. Therefore, by preferentially parking the automatic parking target vehicle in the parking space of such a high-priority parking area, it is possible to reduce the time required for vehicle swapping accompanied by the evacuation of other vehicles when taking out the vehicle to be taken out.

[0006] In one embodiment, the free space number threshold may be the longitudinal number, and the priority calculation unit calculates the priority such that the priority of a parking area with a free space number equal to or greater than the longitudinal number is higher than the priority of a parking area with a free space number less than the longitudinal number. In this case, for example, the automatic parking target vehicle can be parked in the following parking area: other vehicles in the take-out direction of the vehicle to be taken out can be evacuated to other columns of the parking area where the vehicle to be taken out is to be parked.

[0007] In one embodiment, the free space number acquisition unit may acquire, for each of a plurality of parking areas, the adjacent number that is the number of adjacent free parking spaces, and the priority calculation unit calculates the priority such that the higher the adjacent number, the higher the priority. In this case, for example, other vehicles in the take-out direction of the vehicle to be taken out can be evacuated to adjacent free parking spaces, so it is easy to save the effort of moving other vehicles.

[0008] Another solution of the present invention is a control method for an automatic parking system. The automatic parking system includes a parking lot control server. In a parking lot having a parking area with a plurality of parking spaces arranged at least in a longitudinal direction, the parking lot control server instructs an autonomous vehicle to park an automatic parking target vehicle in a parking space. The control method of the automatic parking system includes: a longitudinal number acquisition step of acquiring, for each of the plurality of parking areas, the longitudinal number which is the number of parking spaces arranged in the longitudinal direction; a free number acquisition step of acquiring, for each of the plurality of parking areas, the free number which is the number of free parking spaces; a threshold calculation step of calculating a free number threshold based on the longitudinal number, where the free number threshold is a threshold for calculating the priority of the parking area for parking the automatic parking target vehicle; a priority calculation step of calculating the priority such that the priority of the parking area with the free number being greater than or equal to the free number threshold is higher than the priority of the parking area with the free number less than the free number threshold; and a vehicle instruction step of instructing the automatic parking target vehicle to park preferentially in the parking space of the parking area with a higher priority.

[0009] According to the control method for an automatic parking system of another solution of the present invention, through the threshold calculation step, a free number threshold is calculated based on the longitudinal number. Through the priority calculation step, the priority of the parking area for parking the automatic parking target vehicle is calculated such that the priority of the parking area with the free number being greater than or equal to the free number threshold is higher than the priority of the parking area with the free number less than the free number threshold. In the column where the vehicle to be taken out is located, at most the same number of other vehicles as the longitudinal number can be located in front of or behind the vehicle in the vehicle taking-out direction. Based on such a longitudinal number, the free number threshold is calculated. Therefore, by comparing the free number threshold and the free number, the priority can be calculated according to the number of parking spaces in the evacuation destination for other vehicles in the column where the vehicle to be taken out is located to evacuate. Therefore, by instructing the automatic parking target vehicle to park preferentially in the parking space of such a parking area with a higher priority, the time required for vehicle swapping accompanied by the evacuation of other vehicles can be reduced when the vehicle to be taken out is taken out.

[0010] According to the automatic parking system and the control method for the automatic parking system of the present invention, the time required for vehicle swapping accompanied by the evacuation of other vehicles can be reduced when the vehicle to be taken out is taken out. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described, where the same reference numerals denote the same elements, and:

[0012] Figure 1 is a diagram for explaining an automatic parking system of an embodiment.

[0013] Figure 2 It is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a parking lot control server.

[0014] Figure 3 It is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a parking lot control server.

[0015] Figure 4 It is a diagram showing an example of a parking area.

[0016] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing another example of a parking area.

[0017] Figure 6 It is a block diagram showing an example of an autonomous vehicle.

[0018] Figure 7 It is a flowchart showing an example of the entry process.

[0019] Figure 8 It is showing Figure 7 A flowchart showing an example of the priority calculation process of

[0020] Figure 9 It is showing Figure 7 A flowchart showing an example of the parking area determination process of Detailed implementation manner

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] Figure 1 It is a diagram for explaining an automatic parking system according to an embodiment. Figure 1 The automatic parking system (AVPS: Automated Valet Parking System) 1 shown is a system for performing automated valet parking in a parking lot (Parking place).

[0023] Automated valet parking refers to the following service: enabling an unmanned vehicle (automated parking target vehicle) in which a user (rider) has alighted at the alighting area in a parking lot to automatically park in a target parking space within the parking lot according to an instruction from the parking lot side. The automated parking target vehicle is a vehicle that is the target of automated parking implemented by the automated parking system 1. The target parking space refers to the space (Parking space) that is the parking position of the automated parking target vehicle. Automated valet parking includes a first form in which an autonomous driving vehicle automatically travels on a target route according to an instruction from the parking lot side and automatically parks in the target parking space by itself. The target route refers to the route within the parking lot that the autonomous driving vehicle 2 travels on to reach the target parking space. In the first form, the autonomous driving vehicle 2 itself becomes the automated parking target vehicle. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, the automated valet parking of the autonomous driving vehicle in the first form will be described as an example.

[0024] In automated valet parking, the autonomous driving vehicle 2 performs automatic driving and automatic parking. Automatic driving is vehicle control that causes the autonomous driving vehicle 2 to travel along the target route toward the target parking space on the driving road in the parking lot. Automatic parking is vehicle control that causes the autonomous driving vehicle 2 to park relative to the target parking space.

[0025] After the automated parking system 1 parks the autonomous driving vehicle 2, it performs the departure of the parked autonomous driving vehicle 2 according to a pickup request from the rider. The automated parking system 1 causes the autonomous driving vehicle 2 that is the departure target to automatically travel toward the target parking space for boarding (waiting box) set at the boarding area and automatically park relative to the target parking space for boarding, thereby causing the autonomous driving vehicle 2 to wait until the rider arrives.

[0026] It should be noted that the parking lot can be either a parking lot dedicated to automated valet parking or a parking lot for general vehicles other than those targeted for automated valet parking. A part of the parking lot for general vehicles can also be used as a dedicated area for automated valet parking. The parking lot can be either an indoor parking lot or an outdoor parking lot. For example, the parking lot can also be a parking lot for vehicles used in rental services such as car rental or car sharing. For example, the parking lot can also be a parking lot for business vehicles with a certain number prepared, such as company vehicles or commercial vehicles. For example, the parking lot can also be a parking lot provided together with a large shopping mall.

[0027] In this embodiment, the parking lot has a plurality of parking areas in which a plurality of parking frames (parking spaces) are arranged at least in the longitudinal direction. The parking lot may also have a parking area in which one parking frame is provided in the longitudinal direction. The longitudinal direction is the direction corresponding to the direction in which the vehicle enters or exits the parking space in the parking area. For example, the longitudinal direction is the direction corresponding to the long dimension direction of the parking frame in the parking area. The lateral direction is the direction intersecting the direction in which the vehicle enters or exits the parking space in the parking area. For example, the lateral direction is the direction corresponding to the short dimension direction of the parking frame in the parking area.

[0028] [Configuration of Automatic Parking System]

[0029] Hereinafter, the configuration of the automatic parking system 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. As Figure 1 shown, the automatic parking system 1 includes a parking lot control server 10. The parking lot control server 10 is a server for managing the parking lot.

[0030] The parking lot control server 10 is configured to communicate with the autonomous vehicle 2. The autonomous vehicle 2 will be described in detail later. The parking lot control server 10 may be provided in the parking lot or in a facility away from the parking lot. The parking lot control server 10 may be composed of a plurality of computers provided in different locations. The parking lot control server 10 is connected to the parking lot sensor 3 and the parking lot map database 4.

[0031] The parking lot sensor 3 is a sensor for identifying the situation in the parking lot. The parking lot sensor 3 includes, for example, a surveillance camera for detecting the position of the autonomous vehicle 2 in the parking lot. The surveillance camera is provided on the ceiling or wall of the parking lot and takes pictures of the autonomous vehicle 2 in the parking lot. The surveillance camera sends the captured image to the parking lot control server 10.

[0032] The parking lot sensor 3 may also include an empty vehicle sensor for detecting whether there is a parked vehicle in the parking frame (whether the parking frame is full or empty). The empty vehicle sensor may be provided for each parking frame or may be provided on the ceiling or the like and configured to monitor a plurality of parking frames with one empty vehicle sensor. The configuration of the empty vehicle sensor is not particularly limited, and a well-known configuration may be adopted. The empty vehicle sensor may be a pressure sensor, a radar sensor using radio waves, a sonar sensor, or a camera. The empty vehicle sensor sends the empty vehicle information of the parking frame to the parking lot control server 10.

[0033] The parking lot map database 4 is a database that stores parking lot map information. The parking lot map information includes the position information of the parking frames in the parking lot and the information of the driving roads in the parking lot. The parking lot map information includes the information of the vertical number, which is the number of parking frames arranged in the vertical direction. The parking lot map information may also include the information of the horizontal number, which is the number of parking frames arranged in the parallel direction. In addition, the parking lot map information may also include the position information of the landmarks used by the autonomous vehicle 2 in position recognition. The landmarks include at least one of a white line, a pole, a traffic cone, a column of the parking lot, etc.

[0034] The hardware configuration of the parking lot control server 10 will be described. Figure 2 It is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the parking lot control server. As Figure 2 shown, the parking lot control server 10 is configured as a general computer having a processor 10a, a storage unit 10b, a communication unit 10c, and a user interface 10d.

[0035] The processor 10a operates various operating systems to control the parking lot control server 10. The processor 10a is an arithmetic unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) including a control device, an arithmetic device, registers, etc. The processor 10a comprehensively controls the storage unit 10b, the communication unit 10c, and the user interface 10d. The storage unit 10b is a recording medium including at least one of a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and an SSD (Solid State Drive), for example.

[0036] The communication unit 10c is a communication device for performing wireless communication via a network. A network device, a network controller, a network card, etc. can be used in the communication unit 10c. The parking lot control server 10 uses the communication unit 10c to communicate with the autonomous vehicle 2. The user interface 10d is an input / output unit of the parking lot control server 10 for the manager of the parking lot control server 10, etc. The user interface 10d includes output devices such as a display and a speaker, and input devices such as a touch panel.

[0037] Next, the functional configuration of the parking lot control server 10 will be described. Figure 3 It is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the parking lot control server. As Figure 3As shown in the figure, the parking lot control server 10 includes a vehicle information acquisition unit 11, a longitudinal number acquisition unit 12, a free number acquisition unit 13, a threshold calculation unit 14, a priority calculation unit 15, a parking area determination unit 16, a parking plan generation unit 17, and a vehicle instruction unit 18.

[0038] The vehicle information acquisition unit 11 acquires the vehicle information of the autonomous vehicle 2 in the parking lot through communication with the autonomous vehicle 2 in the parking lot. The vehicle information includes the identification information of the autonomous vehicle 2 and the position information of the autonomous vehicle 2 in the parking lot. The identification information can be any information that can identify each autonomous vehicle 2. The identification information can be an ID number (Identification Number), a vehicle number, or a reservation number for automatic valet parking, etc.

[0039] The vehicle information can include the vehicle type of the autonomous vehicle 2, or can include the vehicle number separately from the identification information. The vehicle information can include reservation information for entry such as the entry reservation time, or can include the scheduled departure time. The vehicle information can include body information such as the turning radius, size, and vehicle width of the autonomous vehicle 2, or can include information related to the autonomous driving function of the autonomous vehicle 2. The information related to the autonomous driving function can include the version information of the autonomous driving function.

[0040] The vehicle information can also include the driving state of the autonomous vehicle 2 and the recognition result of the external environment. The recognition of the driving state and the external environment will be described later. The vehicle information can also include the remaining drivable distance or the remaining fuel information of the autonomous vehicle 2. The vehicle information can also include the difference between the automatic driving mode and the automatic parking mode of the autonomous vehicle 2.

[0041] During automatic valet parking, the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 continuously acquires the vehicle information from the autonomous vehicle 2. When the autonomous vehicle 2 is in the process of parking, the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 can either interrupt the acquisition of the vehicle information or acquire the vehicle information regularly.

[0042] The vehicle information acquisition unit 11 identifies the status of the autonomous vehicle 2 during automatic valet parking based on the acquired vehicle information. The status of the autonomous vehicle 2 in the parking lot includes the position of the autonomous vehicle 2 in the parking lot. The status of the autonomous vehicle 2 can include the vehicle speed of the autonomous vehicle 2, the yaw rate of the autonomous vehicle 2, or the distance between the autonomous vehicle 2 and other surrounding vehicles.

[0043] The vertical number acquisition unit 12 acquires, for each of a plurality of parking areas, a vertical number that is the number of parking frames arranged in the vertical direction. For example, when the vertical numbers of the columns arranged in the parallel direction in the parking area are the same and the parking area has a rectangular shape, the vertical number acquisition unit 12 acquires the number of parking frames arranged in the vertical direction in each parking area as the vertical number. For example, the vertical number acquisition unit 12 may acquire the number of parking frames in the column with the largest number of parking frames arranged in the vertical direction in one column of each parking area as the vertical number.

[0044] Figure 4 FIG. is an example showing a parking area. In Figure 4 a plurality of parking areas A1, A2, A3, and A4 are shown. In each of the parking areas A1 to A4, the vertical direction is the direction indicated by the arrow A in the figure. In the parking areas A1, A2, and A4, a plurality of parking frames are arranged and provided in the vertical direction and the parallel direction. In the parking area A3, a plurality of parking frames are arranged and provided in the parallel direction, but there is one parking frame in the vertical direction.

[0045] In each of the parking areas A1 to A4, as an example, a plurality of autonomous vehicles 2 park with the direction indicated by the arrow A as the front of the vehicle. Each autonomous vehicle 2 reverses from the front side in the direction indicated by the arrow A toward the opposite direction (inside) of the direction indicated by the arrow A and enters the parking frame, and parks by filling up the parking frames in order from the inside of the parking area. Such a parking method is also called so-called "crammed parking". It should be noted that as long as the autonomous vehicles 2 park by filling up the parking frames in order from the inside, the autonomous vehicles 2 may also move forward from the front side in the direction indicated by the arrow A toward the inside and enter the parking frame.

[0046] In the parking area A1, there are 6 columns R1 each with 5 parking spaces arranged in the longitudinal direction. In the parking area A1, the maximum number of parking spaces arranged in the longitudinal direction is 5. Thus, the longitudinal number acquisition unit 12 acquires the longitudinal number for the parking area A1 as 5. In the parking area A2, there are 10 columns R2 each with 2 parking spaces arranged in the longitudinal direction. In the parking area A2, the maximum number of parking spaces arranged in the longitudinal direction is 2. Thus, the longitudinal number acquisition unit 12 acquires the longitudinal number for the parking area A2 as 2. In the parking area A3, there are 10 columns R3 each with 1 parking space arranged in the longitudinal direction. In the parking area A3, the maximum number of parking spaces arranged in the longitudinal direction is 1. Thus, the longitudinal number acquisition unit 12 acquires the longitudinal number for the parking area A3 as 1. In the parking area A4, there are 3 columns R4 each with 2 parking spaces arranged in the longitudinal direction. In the parking area A4, the maximum number of parking spaces arranged in the longitudinal direction is 2. Thus, the longitudinal number acquisition unit 12 acquires the longitudinal number for the parking area A4 as 2.

[0047] Alternatively, when the parking area is not rectangular (i.e., when the longitudinal numbers of all columns are not necessarily equal), the longitudinal number acquisition unit 12 may acquire the number of parking spaces arranged in the longitudinal direction in the column including the available parking spaces in the parking area as the longitudinal number.

[0048] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing another example of the parking area. In Figure 5 multiple parking areas A2, A3, A4, and A5 are shown. In each of the parking areas A2 to A5, the longitudinal direction is the direction indicated by the arrow A in the figure. The parking spaces in the parking areas A2, A3, and A4 are configured in the same way as the parking spaces in Figure 4 the parking areas A2, A3, and A4. In the parking area A5, multiple parking spaces are arranged in the longitudinal and lateral directions, but the number of parking spaces in the longitudinal direction varies for each column.

[0049] In the parking area A5, in the lateral direction, there are arranged in sequence: column R5a with 5 parking spaces arranged in the longitudinal direction, column R5b with 4 parking spaces arranged in the longitudinal direction, column R5c with 3 parking spaces arranged in the longitudinal direction, column R5d with 2 parking spaces arranged in the longitudinal direction, column R5e with 3 parking spaces arranged in the longitudinal direction, and column R5f with 4 parking spaces arranged in the longitudinal direction. In the parking area A5, the longitudinal numbers of column R5a to column R5f are different from each other, and the parking area is not rectangular. In Figure 5In the example, among columns R5b, R5c, and R5f in parking area A5 that include empty parking spaces, the maximum number of parking spaces arranged in the vertical column direction is 4. In this case, the vertical number acquisition unit 12 can acquire the vertical number for parking area A5 as 4.

[0050] The empty number acquisition unit 13 acquires the empty number, which is the number of empty parking spaces, for each of the multiple parking areas. The empty number acquisition unit 13 acquires the empty number based on, for example, the empty vehicle status of the parking spaces in the parking lot identified from the detection results of the parking lot sensor 3.

[0051] In Figure 4 the example, in parking area A1, there are empty parking spaces P1a, P1b, P1c, P1d, and P1e. Accordingly, the empty number acquisition unit 13 acquires the empty number for parking area A1 as 5. It should be noted that the autonomous driving vehicle (the automatic parking target vehicle) 2X represented by the dashed line means the autonomous driving vehicle 2 that will enter the warehouse next, and it is assumed that the parking space where the autonomous driving vehicle 2X represented by the dashed line is located is empty. In parking area A2, there are empty parking spaces P2a and P2b. Accordingly, the empty number acquisition unit 13 acquires the empty number for parking area A2 as 2. In parking area A3, there are no empty parking spaces. Accordingly, the empty number acquisition unit 13 acquires the empty number for parking area A3 as 0. In parking area A4, there are empty parking spaces P4a and P4b. Accordingly, the empty number acquisition unit 13 acquires the empty number for parking area A4 as 2.

[0052] In Figure 5 the example, in parking area A2, there is an empty parking space P2b. Accordingly, the empty number acquisition unit 13 acquires the empty number for parking area A2 as 1. In parking area A3, there are no empty parking spaces. Accordingly, the empty number acquisition unit 13 acquires the empty number for parking area A3 as 0. In parking area A4, there are empty parking spaces P4a and P4c. Accordingly, the empty number acquisition unit 13 acquires the empty number for parking area A4 as 2. In parking area A5, there are empty parking spaces P1f, P1g, P1h, and P1i. The empty number acquisition unit 13 acquires the empty number for parking area A5 as 4.

[0053] The empty number acquisition unit 13 can also acquire, for each of the multiple parking areas, the adjacent number, which is the number of adjacent empty parking spaces. The empty number acquisition unit 13 acquires the adjacent number based on, for example, the empty vehicle status of the parking spaces in the parking lot identified from the detection results of the parking lot sensor 3 and the position information of the parking spaces.

[0054] In Figure 4 's example, in the parking area A1, the vacant parking spaces P1a, P1b, the parking spaces P1b, P1c, and the parking spaces P1b, P1d are adjacent to each other. Thus, the vacant number acquisition unit 13 acquires the number of adjacencies for the parking area A1 as 4. In the parking area A2, although there are vacant parking spaces P2a, P2b, they are not adjacent to each other. Thus, the vacant number acquisition unit 13 acquires the number of adjacencies for the parking area A2 as 0. In the parking area A3, there are no vacant parking spaces. Thus, the vacant number acquisition unit 13 acquires the number of adjacencies for the parking area A3 as 0. In the parking area A4, the vacant parking spaces P4a, P4b are adjacent to each other. Thus, the vacant number acquisition unit 13 acquires the number of adjacencies for the parking area A4 as 2.

[0055] In Figure 5 's example, in the parking area A2, there is a vacant parking space P2b, but there are no other vacant parking spaces adjacent to the parking space P2b. Thus, the vacant number acquisition unit 13 acquires the number of adjacencies for the parking area A2 as 0. In the parking area A3, there are no vacant parking spaces. Thus, the vacant number acquisition unit 13 acquires the number of adjacencies for the parking area A3 as 0. In the parking area A4, the vacant parking spaces P4a, P4c are not adjacent to each other. Thus, the vacant number acquisition unit 13 acquires the number of adjacencies for the parking area A4 as 0. In the parking area A5, the vacant parking spaces P1f, P1g, the parking spaces P1g, P1h are adjacent to each other. The vacant number acquisition unit 13 acquires the number of adjacencies for the parking area A5 as 3.

[0056] The threshold calculation unit 14 calculates a vacant number threshold based on the vertical number. The vacant number threshold is a threshold for the number of vacant spaces used to calculate the priority of the parking area for the vehicle to be automatically parked. The threshold calculation unit 14, for example, calculates the value of the vertical number itself as the vacant number threshold.

[0057] The threshold calculation unit 14 may also calculate an adjacency threshold. The adjacency threshold is a threshold for the number of adjacencies used to calculate the priority of the parking area for the vehicle to be automatically parked. The adjacency threshold can be set in advance. The adjacency threshold can be stored in the storage unit 10b. The threshold calculation unit 14 can calculate the adjacency threshold by reading out the adjacency threshold set in advance from the storage unit 10b. The adjacency threshold is not particularly limited, but as an example, it can be 3. The adjacency threshold of 3 means that it corresponds to at least two pairs of adjacent vacant parking spaces. It should be noted that the adjacency threshold is not limited to a fixed value. For example, it can also be calculated in a varying manner based on the vacant vehicle status of the parking spaces in the parking lot identified from the detection results of the parking lot sensor 3.

[0058] The priority calculation unit 15 calculates the priority based on the comparison result between the number of available spaces and the threshold of the number of available spaces. The priority calculation unit 15 calculates the priority such that the priority of the parking area where the number of available spaces is equal to or more than the threshold of the number of available spaces is higher than the priority of the parking area where the number of available spaces is less than the threshold of the number of available spaces.

[0059] The priority here is used as the priority when the parking area determination unit 16 determines the parking area for the autonomous driving vehicle 2 (the vehicle to be automatically parked). Here, in each of the parking areas A1 to A5, multiple autonomous driving vehicles 2 park in a filled manner in order from the inside. Therefore, when multiple autonomous driving vehicles 2 park in the same column, in order for the autonomous driving vehicle 2 located inside to leave the warehouse, it is necessary to make the autonomous driving vehicle 2 located in front of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 in the direction of arrow A retreat. Retreating means temporarily moving the autonomous driving vehicle 2 from the parking space in which the autonomous driving vehicle 2 is parked so that other autonomous driving vehicles 2 inside can leave the warehouse. Retreating includes moving the autonomous driving vehicle 2 to the available parking space when there is an available parking space in the same parking area. Retreating includes moving the autonomous driving vehicle 2 to the lane outside the parking area when there is no available parking space in the same parking area or when the number of available parking spaces is insufficient for the number of autonomous driving vehicles 2 that should retreat.

[0060] The priority is calculated according to the ease of reducing the time required for vehicle swapping accompanied by such retreat of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The more the time required for vehicle swapping accompanied by the retreat of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 is reduced, the more the efficiency of the time required for parking (entry and exit) of each autonomous driving vehicle 2 can be improved.

[0061] The priority calculation unit 15 calculates the priority such that, for example, the priority of the parking area where the number of available spaces is equal to or more than the vertical number is higher than the priority of the parking area where the number of available spaces is less than the vertical number. As a specific example, the priority calculation unit 15 can calculate the priority by setting the priority of the parking area where the number of available spaces is less than the vertical number to 3. The priority calculation unit 15 can also calculate the priority by setting the priority of the parking area where the number of available spaces is equal to or more than the vertical number to 1 or 2.

[0062] The priority calculation unit 15 can also calculate the priority such that the higher the number of adjacent spaces, the higher the priority. For example, the priority calculation unit 15 can calculate the priority such that the priority of the parking area where the number of adjacent spaces is equal to or more than the adjacent threshold is higher than the priority of the parking area where the number of adjacent spaces is less than the adjacent threshold. As a specific example, the priority calculation unit 15 can calculate the priority by setting the priority of the parking area where the number of adjacent spaces is less than the adjacent threshold (for example, 3) to 2. The priority calculation unit 15 can also calculate the priority by setting the priority of the parking area where the number of adjacent spaces is equal to or more than the adjacent threshold to 1.

[0063] In Figure 4 the example of, for the parking area A1, the number of available spaces is 5, and the number of longitudinal spaces is 5, and the number of available spaces is more than the number of longitudinal spaces. In addition, the number of adjacent spaces is 4 and is above the adjacent threshold. Therefore, the priority calculation unit 15 calculates the priority of the parking area A1 of Figure 4 as 1. For the parking area A2, the number of available spaces is 2, and the number of longitudinal spaces is 2, and the number of available spaces is more than the number of longitudinal spaces. In addition, the number of adjacent spaces is 0 and is less than the adjacent threshold. Therefore, the priority calculation unit 15 calculates the priority of the parking area A2 of Figure 4 as 2. For the parking area A3, the number of available spaces is 0, and the number of longitudinal spaces is 1, and the number of available spaces is less than the number of longitudinal spaces. Therefore, the priority calculation unit 15 calculates the priority of the parking area A3 of Figure 4 as 3. For the parking area A4, the number of available spaces is 2, and the number of longitudinal spaces is 2, and the number of available spaces is more than the number of longitudinal spaces. In addition, the number of adjacent spaces is 2 and is less than the adjacent threshold. Therefore, the priority calculation unit 15 calculates the priority of the parking area A4 of Figure 4 as 2.

[0064] In Figure 5 the example of, for the parking area A2, the number of available spaces is 1, and the number of longitudinal spaces is 2, and the number of available spaces is less than the number of longitudinal spaces. Therefore, the priority calculation unit 15 calculates the priority of the parking area A2 of Figure 5 as 3. For the parking area A3, the number of available spaces is 0, and the number of longitudinal spaces is 1, and the number of available spaces is less than the number of longitudinal spaces. Therefore, the priority calculation unit 15 calculates the priority of the parking area A3 of Figure 5 as 3. For the parking area A4, the number of available spaces is 2, and the number of longitudinal spaces is 2, and the number of available spaces is more than the number of longitudinal spaces. In addition, the number of adjacent spaces is 0 and is less than the adjacent threshold. Therefore, the priority calculation unit 15 calculates the priority of the parking area A4 of Figure 5 as 2. For the parking area A5, the number of available spaces is 4, and the number of longitudinal spaces is 4, and the number of available spaces is more than the number of longitudinal spaces. In addition, the number of adjacent spaces is 3 and is above the adjacent threshold. Therefore, the priority calculation unit 15 calculates the priority of the parking area A5 of Figure 5 as 1.

[0065] It should be noted that in Figure 4 and Figure 5In the example, the parking areas A2 and A3 are respectively surrounded by the roadways RW2 and RW3. Therefore, for example, the autonomous vehicle 2 can be moved to the roadways RW2 and RW3 outside the parking areas A2 and A3 as a retreat when there are no available parking spaces in the same parking area or when the number of available parking spaces is insufficient for the number of autonomous vehicles 2 that should retreat. The autonomous vehicle 2 to be retreated can temporarily retreat by driving along either of the dotted lines indicating the roadways RW2 and RW3 until the vehicle leaving the warehouse has left the warehouse.

[0066] Here, it is assumed that the autonomous vehicle 2 retreats by driving on the roadways RW2 and RW3 surrounding the parking area where the autonomous vehicle 2 is parking. In this case, compared with the parking area A2, the parking area A3 is more likely to reduce the time required for vehicle swapping during the retreat. More specifically, in the parking areas A2 and A3, the circuit length of the roadway RW3 surrounding the parking area A3 is shorter than the circuit length of the roadway RW2 surrounding the parking area A2. The circuit length is the distance around the roadway surrounding the parking area. Therefore, the priority calculation unit 15 can calculate the priority, for example, in such a way that the shorter the circuit length of the surrounding roadway, the higher the priority of the parking area.

[0067] The parking area determination unit 16 determines the parking area for the autonomous vehicle 2 to enter the warehouse based on the calculated priority. Specifically, the parking area determination unit 16 determines, for example, whether there is a parking area with a priority of 1. When the parking area determination unit 16 determines that there is a parking area with a priority of 1, it determines that the autonomous vehicle 2 to enter the warehouse parks in the parking area with a priority of 1.

[0068] For example, when the parking area determination unit 16 determines that there is no parking area with a priority of 1, it determines whether there is a parking area with a priority of 2. When the parking area determination unit 16 determines that there is a parking area with a priority of 2, it determines that the autonomous vehicle 2 to enter the warehouse parks in the parking area with a priority of 2.

[0069] For example, when the parking area determination unit 16 determines that there is neither a parking area with a priority of 1 nor a parking area with a priority of 2, it determines that the autonomous vehicle 2 to enter the warehouse parks in the parking area with a priority of 3.

[0070] The parking plan generation unit 17 generates a parking plan as a driving plan related to the parking of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 based on the parking area determined by the parking area determination unit 16 and the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 11. The parking plan includes a target parking space within the parking area determined by the parking area determination unit 16 and a target route to the target parking space. For example, when the parking plan generation unit 17 receives an entry request from the autonomous driving vehicle 2 entering the parking lot, the parking plan generation unit 17 starts generating a parking plan for parking the autonomous driving vehicle 2 in the parking area determined by the parking area determination unit 16. The entry request may be made by the user terminal of the passenger, rather than by the autonomous driving vehicle 2.

[0071] The parking plan generation unit 17 sets a target parking space based on the parking area determined by the parking area determination unit 16 and the empty vehicle status of the parking spaces in the parking lot identified from the detection results of the parking lot sensors 3 in the parking area. For example, the parking plan generation unit 17 selects any one of the parking spaces preset in the parking area determined by the parking area determination unit 16 to set the target parking space. The parking plan generation unit 17 may also select the innermost parking space among the empty parking spaces in the parking area determined by the parking area determination unit 16 to set the target parking space. The parking plan generation unit 17 may also set an appropriate target parking space corresponding to the size of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 based on the body information of the autonomous driving vehicle 2.

[0072] The parking plan generation unit 17 sets a target route from the current position of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 to the target parking space based on the position information of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 11, the position information of the target parking space in the parking area determined by the parking area determination unit 16, and the parking lot map information in the parking lot map database 4.

[0073] The parking plan generation unit 17 sets a target route on the driving road in the parking lot. The target route does not necessarily need to be the shortest distance, and a route that does not interfere with or has less interference with the target routes of other autonomous driving vehicles 2 may be preferentially selected. The method for setting the target route is not particularly limited, and various well-known methods may be adopted.

[0074] In addition, the parking plan generation unit 17 may also generate a vehicle speed plan for the autonomous driving vehicle 2. Alternatively, the parking plan generation unit 17 may calculate the target vehicle speed for each set position preset on the target route (travel route), and transmit a vehicle speed plan including the position information of the set position and the target vehicle speed, thereby controlling the vehicle speed of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The set positions are virtually set at regular intervals for the travel route, for example. The set positions may also be set at intersections of the travel route. The parking plan generation unit 17 may also update the target vehicle speed at the set positions based on the driving conditions of other autonomous driving vehicles 2 and general vehicles.

[0075] Alternatively, the following scheme may also be adopted: the parking plan generation unit 17 appropriately indicates a target vehicle speed corresponding to the change in the position of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 without generating a vehicle speed plan. Another alternative is: the parking plan generation unit 17 indicates a vehicle speed upper limit to the autonomous driving vehicle 2 and allows the autonomous driving vehicle 2 to perform vehicle speed adjustment.

[0076] The vehicle instruction unit 18 gives instructions to the autonomous driving vehicle 2 performing automated valet parking. The vehicle instruction unit 18 causes the autonomous driving vehicle 2 (the vehicle to be automatically parked) to preferentially park in a parking space in a parking area with a high priority. The vehicle instruction unit 18 distributes the target route and the target vehicle speed for the autonomous driving vehicle 2 (the vehicle to be automatically parked) to reach the target parking space in the parking area determined by the parking area determination unit 16 according to the parking plan generated by the parking plan generation unit 17.

[0077] In the automated parking system 1 configured as described above, for example, after parking the autonomous driving vehicle 2, the vehicle is taken out of the parked state according to an out-of-parking request from the occupant. In Figure 4 this example, the priority of the parking area A1 is calculated as 1 by the priority calculation unit 15. The parking area determination unit 16 determines to park the autonomous driving vehicle 2 to be parked in the parking area A1. As Figure 4As shown by the dashed line, the parking area determination unit 16 may, for example, determine to park the autonomous driving vehicle 2X in the vacant parking space P1d of the parking area A1. In the case of parking the autonomous driving vehicle 2X in the parking space P1d in this way, for example, when the autonomous driving vehicle 2Z parked in the innermost parking space in the same column as the parking space P1d exits the garage, it is necessary to move back three autonomous driving vehicles 2 in front of the autonomous driving vehicle 2Z. In the parking area A1 with a priority of 1, there are three vacant parking spaces P1a, P1c, and P1e in columns different from the parking space P1d. Therefore, as long as the three autonomous driving vehicles 2 in front of the autonomous driving vehicle 2Z are moved to the parking spaces P1a, P1c, and P1e, the autonomous driving vehicle 2Z can exit the garage. In this way, the vehicles can be moved back within the same parking area A1. Therefore, for example, compared with the case of moving the autonomous driving vehicle 2 back outside the parking area A1, the time required for vehicle swapping associated with the move-back is reduced. Moreover, two of the autonomous driving vehicles 2 can be moved back to the vacant parking spaces P1a and P1c in the column adjacent to the parking space P1d. Therefore, for example, compared with the case of moving all the autonomous driving vehicles 2 back to the vacant parking spaces (for example, scattered vacant parking spaces) in columns not adjacent to the parking space P1d, the time required for vehicle swapping associated with the move-back is further reduced.

[0078] In Figure 5 the example, the priority of the parking area A5 is calculated as 1 by the priority calculation unit 15. The parking area determination unit 16 determines to park the incoming autonomous driving vehicle 2 in the parking area A5. As Figure 5 shown by the dashed line, the parking area determination unit 16 may, for example, determine to park the autonomous driving vehicle 2X in the vacant parking space P1g of the parking area A5. In the case of parking the autonomous driving vehicle 2X in the parking space P1g in this way, for example, when the autonomous driving vehicle 2Z parked in the innermost parking space in the same column as the parking space P1g exits the garage, it is necessary to move back two autonomous driving vehicles 2 in front of the autonomous driving vehicle 2Z. In the parking area A5 with a priority of 1, there are two vacant parking spaces P1h and P1i in columns different from the parking space P1g. Therefore, as long as the two autonomous driving vehicles 2 in front of the autonomous driving vehicle 2Z are moved to the parking spaces P1h and P1i, the autonomous driving vehicle 2Z can exit the garage. In this way, the vehicles can be moved back within the same parking area A5. Therefore, for example, compared with the case of moving the autonomous driving vehicle 2 back outside the parking area A5, the time required for vehicle swapping associated with the move-back is reduced. Moreover, one of the autonomous driving vehicles 2 can be moved back to the vacant parking space P1h in the column adjacent to the parking space P1g. Therefore, for example, compared with the case of moving all the autonomous driving vehicles 2 back to the vacant parking spaces in columns not adjacent to the parking space P1g, the time required for vehicle swapping associated with the move-back is further reduced.

[0079] [Configuration of Autonomous Driving Vehicle]

[0080] Next, an example of the configuration of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 (the autonomous driving vehicle that receives instructions related to automatic parking from the automatic parking system 1) according to the present embodiment will be described. Figure 6 It is a block diagram showing an example of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. It should be noted that in the present embodiment, the autonomous driving vehicle 2 is not included in the automatic parking system 1.

[0081] As Figure 6 shown, as an example, the autonomous driving vehicle 2 has an autonomous driving ECU 20. The autonomous driving ECU 20 is an electronic control unit having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc. In the autonomous driving ECU 20, various functions are realized, for example, by loading a program recorded in the ROM into the RAM and executing the program loaded into the RAM by the CPU. The autonomous driving ECU 20 may also be composed of multiple electronic units.

[0082] The autonomous driving ECU 20 is connected to a GPS receiving unit 21, an external sensor 22, an internal sensor 23, a communication unit 24, and an actuator 25.

[0083] The GPS receiving unit 21 measures the position of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 (for example, the latitude and longitude of the autonomous driving vehicle 2) by receiving signals from multiple GPS satellites. The GPS receiving unit 21 sends the measured position information of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 to the autonomous driving ECU 20. A GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiving unit may also be used instead of the GPS receiving unit 21.

[0084] The external sensor 22 is an in-vehicle sensor that detects the external environment of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The external sensor 22 includes at least a camera. The camera is a photographing device that photographs the external environment of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The camera is provided, for example, inside the front window glass of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 and photographs the front of the vehicle. The camera sends photographing information related to the external environment of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 to the autonomous driving ECU 20. The camera may be a monocular camera or a stereo camera. Multiple cameras may also be provided to photograph the left and right sides and the rear in addition to the front of the autonomous driving vehicle 2.

[0085] The external sensor 22 may also include a radar sensor. The radar sensor is a detection device that uses electric waves (such as millimeter waves) or light to detect objects around the autonomous driving vehicle 2. For example, the radar sensor includes a millimeter wave radar or a lidar (LiDAR: Light Detection And Ranging). The radar sensor sends electric waves or light to the periphery of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 and receives the electric waves or light reflected by the object, thereby detecting the object. The radar sensor sends the detected object information to the autonomous driving ECU 20. In addition, the external sensor 22 may also include a sonar sensor that detects the sound outside the autonomous driving vehicle 2.

[0086] The internal sensor 23 is an in-vehicle sensor that detects the driving state of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The internal sensor 23 includes a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a yaw rate sensor. The vehicle speed sensor is a detector that detects the speed of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. A wheel speed sensor can be used as the vehicle speed sensor. The wheel speed sensor is a sensor that is provided on the wheel of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 or a drive shaft that rotates integrally with the wheel and detects the rotational speed of each wheel. The vehicle speed sensor sends the detected vehicle speed information (wheel speed information) to the autonomous driving ECU 20.

[0087] The acceleration sensor is a detector that detects the acceleration of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The acceleration sensor includes, for example, a longitudinal acceleration sensor that detects the longitudinal acceleration of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The acceleration sensor may also include a lateral acceleration sensor that detects the lateral acceleration of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The acceleration sensor sends the acceleration information of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 to the autonomous driving ECU 20, for example. The yaw rate sensor is a detector that detects the yaw rate (rotational angular velocity) of the center of gravity of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 around the vertical axis. For example, a gyro sensor can be used as the yaw rate sensor. The yaw rate sensor sends the detected yaw rate information of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 to the autonomous driving ECU 20.

[0088] The communication unit 24 is a communication device that controls wireless communication with the outside of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The communication unit 24 sends and receives various information through communication with the parking lot control server 10. The communication unit 24 sends vehicle information to the parking lot control server 10, for example, and obtains information required for automatic valet parking (such as information on landmarks along the target route) from the parking lot control server 10.

[0089] The actuator 25 is a device for controlling the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The actuator 25 at least includes a drive actuator, a brake actuator, and a steering actuator. The drive actuator controls the supply amount of air (e.g., throttle opening) to the engine according to a control signal from the autonomous driving ECU 20, thereby controlling the driving force of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. It should be noted that when the autonomous driving vehicle 2 is a hybrid vehicle, in addition to the control signal for the supply amount of air to the engine, a control signal from the autonomous driving ECU 20 is also input to the motor serving as a power source to control the driving force. When the autonomous driving vehicle 2 is an electric vehicle, a control signal from the autonomous driving ECU 20 is input to the motor serving as a power source to control the driving force. In these cases, the motor serving as a power source constitutes the actuator 25.

[0090] The brake actuator controls the braking system according to a control signal from the autonomous driving ECU 20, thereby controlling the braking force applied to the wheels of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. For example, a hydraulic braking system can be used as the braking system. The steering actuator controls the driving of the assist motor that controls the steering torque in the electric power steering system according to a control signal from the autonomous driving ECU 20. Thereby, the steering actuator controls the steering torque of the autonomous driving vehicle 2.

[0091] Next, an example of the functional configuration of the autonomous driving ECU 20 will be described. The autonomous driving ECU 20 has an external environment recognition unit 31, a driving state recognition unit 32, a vehicle position recognition unit 33, a vehicle information providing unit 34, and an autonomous driving control unit 35.

[0092] The external environment recognition unit 31 recognizes the external environment of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 based on the detection results of the external sensors 22 (the captured images of the cameras or the object information detected by the radar sensors). The external environment includes the relative positions of the surrounding objects with respect to the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The external environment may also include the relative speeds and moving directions of the surrounding objects with respect to the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The external environment recognition unit 31 recognizes objects such as other vehicles and columns in the parking lot through pattern matching, etc. The external environment recognition unit 31 may also recognize the doors of the parking lot, the walls of the parking lot, poles, traffic cones, etc. In addition, the external environment recognition unit 31 may also recognize the driving boundaries in the parking lot through white line recognition.

[0093] The driving state recognition unit 32 recognizes the driving state of the autonomous vehicle 2 based on the detection results of the internal sensor 23. The driving state includes the vehicle speed of the autonomous vehicle 2, the acceleration of the autonomous vehicle 2, and the yaw rate of the autonomous vehicle 2. Specifically, the driving state recognition unit 32 recognizes the vehicle speed of the autonomous vehicle 2 based on the vehicle speed information of the vehicle speed sensor. The driving state recognition unit 32 recognizes the acceleration of the autonomous vehicle 2 based on the acceleration information of the acceleration sensor. The driving state recognition unit 32 recognizes the orientation of the autonomous vehicle 2 based on the yaw rate information of the yaw rate sensor.

[0094] The vehicle position recognition unit 33 recognizes the position of the autonomous vehicle 2 in the parking lot based on the parking lot map information obtained from the parking lot control server 10 through the communication unit 24 and the external environment recognized by the external environment recognition unit 31.

[0095] The vehicle position recognition unit 33 recognizes the position of the autonomous vehicle 2 in the parking lot based on the position information of the landmarks in the parking lot included in the parking lot map information and the relative position of the landmarks with respect to the autonomous vehicle 2 recognized by the external environment recognition unit 31. An object fixedly installed in the parking lot can be used as a landmark.

[0096] In addition to this, the vehicle position recognition unit 33 can also recognize the position of the autonomous vehicle 2 by dead reckoning based on the detection results of the internal sensor 23. In addition, the vehicle position recognition unit 33 can also recognize the position of the autonomous vehicle 2 by communicating with a beacon installed in the parking lot.

[0097] The vehicle information providing unit 34 provides vehicle information to the parking lot control server 10 through the communication unit 24. The vehicle information providing unit 34 provides vehicle information including the position of the autonomous vehicle 2 in the parking lot recognized by the vehicle position recognition unit 33 to the parking lot control server 10, for example, at regular intervals. The vehicle information may also include the external environment and / or the driving state recognized by the autonomous vehicle 2.

[0098] The autonomous driving control unit 35 executes the autonomous driving of the autonomous vehicle 2. The autonomous driving control unit 35 generates a trajectory of the autonomous vehicle 2 based on, for example, a target route, the position of the autonomous vehicle 2, the external environment of the autonomous vehicle 2, and the driving state of the autonomous vehicle 2. The trajectory is equivalent to the driving plan of the autonomous driving. The trajectory includes the path that the vehicle travels through autonomous driving and the vehicle speed plan during autonomous driving.

[0099] The path is a predetermined trajectory that the vehicle will travel during autonomous driving on the target route indicated to the automatic parking system. The path can be set, for example, as data on the change in the steering angle of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 corresponding to the position on the target route (steering angle plan). The position on the target route is, for example, a set longitudinal position set at a prescribed interval (e.g., 1 m) in the traveling direction of the target route. The steering angle plan is data in which the target steering angle is associated with each set longitudinal position. The autonomous driving control unit 35 generates a route, for example, in such a way as to pass through the center of the driving road in the parking lot along the target route.

[0100] When the autonomous driving control unit 35 is instructed by the parking plan generation unit 17 of the parking lot control server 10 with a parking plan (target parking space and target route) during automated valet parking, it performs autonomous driving according to the parking plan. When the parking plan does not include a steering angle plan and a vehicle speed plan corresponding to the position, the autonomous driving control unit 35 generates a steering angle plan and a vehicle speed plan on the side of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 to achieve autonomous driving.

[0101] When the autonomous driving control unit 35 has reached near the target parking space, it stops and waits for an instruction from the parking lot control server 10. The autonomous driving control unit 35 can also notify the parking lot control server 10 that it has reached near the target parking space.

[0102] Alternatively, the autonomous driving control unit 35 can also notify the parking lot control server 10 that the autonomous driving control unit 35 starts automatic parking with respect to the target parking space (switches from the autonomous driving mode to the automatic parking mode) based on a preset automatic parking start condition. The automatic parking start condition can be set as a condition for performing automatic parking with respect to the target parking space. The automatic parking start condition can be, for example, that the autonomous driving vehicle 2 has stopped within a certain distance from the target parking space, or it can be set as a condition that the target parking space is appropriately recognized by the external sensor 22 of the autonomous driving vehicle 2.

[0103] [Control Method of Automatic Parking System]

[0104] Next, an example of the control method (processing) of the automatic parking system 1 of the present embodiment will be described. Figure 7 It is a flowchart showing an example of the warehousing process. The warehousing process is performed, for example, when automated valet parking for making the autonomous driving vehicle 2 enter the warehouse is started by a request from the autonomous driving vehicle 2.

[0105] As Figure 7 shown, as S01, the parking lot control server 10 of the automatic parking system 1 obtains the longitudinal number through the longitudinal number obtaining unit 12 (longitudinal number obtaining step). The longitudinal number obtaining unit 12, for example, asFigure 4 and Figure 5 In the same way as Figure 5 , for each of a plurality of parking areas having a rectangular shape, the number of parking frames arranged in the vertical direction in the parking area is obtained as the vertical number.

[0106] In S02, the parking lot control server 10 obtains the number of available spaces through the available space number obtaining unit 13 (available space number obtaining step). The available space number obtaining unit 13 obtains the number of available spaces based on the vacant state of the parking frames in the parking lot identified from the detection results of the parking lot sensors 3.

[0107] In S02, the parking lot control server 10 may also obtain the number of adjacent spaces through the available space number obtaining unit 13 (available space number obtaining step). The available space number obtaining unit 13 may obtain, for each of the plurality of parking areas, the number of adjacent spaces as the number of adjacent available parking frames. The available space number obtaining unit 13 can obtain the number of adjacent spaces, for example, based on the vacant state of the parking frames in the parking lot identified from the detection results of the parking lot sensors 3 and the position information of the parking frames. It should be noted that in S02, the obtaining of the number of adjacent spaces may be omitted.

[0108] In S03, the parking lot control server 10 calculates the available space number threshold through the threshold calculation unit 14 (threshold calculation step). The threshold calculation unit 14 calculates, for example, the value of the vertical number itself as the available space number threshold.

[0109] In S03, the parking lot control server 10 may also calculate the adjacent threshold through the threshold calculation unit 14 (threshold calculation step). The threshold calculation unit 14 may calculate the adjacent threshold by reading out a preset adjacent threshold from the storage unit 10b.

[0110] In S04, the parking lot control server 10 calculates the priority through the priority calculation unit 15 (priority calculation step). As an example of the processing in S04, specifically, the parking lot control server 10 executes Figure 8 the processing. Figure 8 represents Figure 7 a flowchart of an example of the priority calculation process.

[0111] As Figure 8 shown, as S11, the parking lot control server 10 determines whether the number of available spaces is equal to or greater than the vertical number (available space number threshold) through the priority calculation unit 15 (available space number comparison step). When the parking lot control server 10 determines that the number of available spaces is equal to or greater than the vertical number (S11: Yes), it proceeds to the processing in S12. When the parking lot control server 10 does not determine that the number of available spaces is equal to or greater than the vertical number (S11: No), it proceeds to the processing in S15.

[0112] In S12, the parking lot control server 10 determines whether the number of adjacent parking spaces is equal to or greater than the adjacent threshold value through the priority calculation unit 15 (adjacent number comparison step). When the parking lot control server 10 determines that the number of adjacent parking spaces is equal to or greater than the adjacent threshold value (S12: Yes), it proceeds to the processing of S13. When the parking lot control server 10 does not determine that the number of adjacent parking spaces is equal to or greater than the adjacent threshold value (S12: No), it proceeds to the processing of S14.

[0113] In S13 - S15, the parking lot control server 10 calculates the priority through the priority calculation unit 15 (priority calculation step). In S13, the priority calculation unit 15 calculates the priority as 1. In S14, the priority calculation unit 15 calculates the priority as 2. In S15, the priority calculation unit 15 calculates the priority as 3. After each processing of S13 - S15, the parking lot control server 10 ends the current Figure 8 processing and returns to Figure 7 the processing of S05.

[0114] In Figure 7 S05, the parking lot control server 10 determines the parking area through the parking area determination unit 16 (parking area determination step). As an example of the processing of S05, specifically, the parking lot control server 10 executes Figure 9 the processing. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing Figure 7 an example of the parking area determination process.

[0115] As Figure 9 shown, as S21, the parking lot control server 10 determines whether there is a parking area with a priority of 1 through the parking area determination unit 16 (priority determination step). When the parking lot control server 10 determines that there is a parking area with a priority of 1 (S21: Yes), it proceeds to the processing of S22. In S22, the parking lot control server 10 determines through the parking area determination unit 16 to park the autonomous driving vehicle 2 in the parking area with a priority of 1 (parking area determination step). After the processing of S22, the parking lot control server 10 ends the current Figure 9 processing and returns to Figure 7 the processing of S06.

[0116] When the parking lot control server 10 determines that there is no parking area with a priority of 1 (S21: No), it proceeds to the process of S23. As S23, the parking lot control server 10 determines whether there is a parking area with a priority of 2 through the parking area determination unit 16 (priority determination step). When the parking lot control server 10 determines that there is a parking area with a priority of 2 (S23: Yes), it proceeds to the process of S24. In S24, the parking lot control server 10 makes a decision to park the autonomous driving vehicle 2 in the parking area with a priority of 2 through the parking area determination unit 16 (parking area decision step). After the process of S24, the parking lot control server 10 ends the current Figure 9 process and returns to Figure 7 the process of S06 of

[0117] When the parking lot control server 10 determines that there is no parking area with a priority of 2 (S23: No), it proceeds to the process of S25. In S25, the parking lot control server 10 makes a decision to park the autonomous driving vehicle 2 in the parking area with a priority of 3 through the parking area determination unit 16 (parking area decision step). After the process of S25, the parking lot control server 10 ends the current Figure 9 process and returns to Figure 7 the process of S06 of

[0118] In S06, the parking lot control server 10 generates a parking plan through the parking plan generation unit 17 (parking plan generation step). The parking plan generation unit 17 generates a parking plan as a driving plan related to the parking of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 based on the parking area determined by the parking area determination unit 16 and the vehicle information obtained by the vehicle information acquisition unit 11.

[0119] In S07, the parking lot control server 10 gives an instruction to the autonomous driving vehicle 2 through the vehicle instruction unit 18 (vehicle instruction step). The vehicle instruction unit 18 causes the autonomous driving vehicle 2 (the vehicle to be automatically parked) to preferentially park in the parking frame of the parking area with a higher priority. The vehicle instruction unit 18 distributes the target route and the target vehicle speed for the autonomous driving vehicle 2 (the vehicle to be automatically parked) to reach the target parking space of the parking area determined by the parking area determination unit 16 according to the parking plan generated by the parking plan generation unit 17. After that, the parking lot control server 10 ends Figure 7 the process.

[0120] According to the automatic parking system 1 described above, the free space number threshold is calculated based on the vertical number by the threshold calculation unit 14. The priority calculation unit 15 calculates the priority of the parking area in such a way that the priority of the parking area with the free space number above the free space number threshold is higher than that of the parking area with the free space number less than the free space number threshold. In the column where the vehicle exiting the garage is located, at most the same number of other autonomous vehicles 2 as the vertical number can be located in the exiting direction (here, in front of the vehicle). By calculating the free space number threshold based on such a vertical number, it is possible to compare the free space number threshold with the free space number and calculate the priority of the parking area according to the number of parking frames in the evasion destination for evading other vehicles located in the column where the vehicle exiting the garage (autonomous vehicle 2Z) is located. Therefore, by preferentially parking the autonomous vehicle 2X in the parking frame of such a high-priority parking area, it is possible to reduce the time required for vehicle swapping accompanied by the evasion of other vehicles when the vehicle exiting the garage (autonomous vehicle 2Z) exits the garage.

[0121] In the automatic parking system 1, the free space number threshold is the vertical number. The priority calculation unit 15 calculates the priority in such a way that the priority of the parking area with the free space number above the vertical number is higher than that of the parking area with the free space number less than the vertical number. Thus, for example, the autonomous vehicle 2X can be parked in the following parking area: other vehicles located in the exiting direction of the vehicle exiting the garage (in front of the autonomous vehicle 2Z) can be evaded to other columns of the parking area where the autonomous vehicle 2Z is parked.

[0122] In the automatic parking system 1, the free space number acquisition unit 13 acquires, for each of the plurality of parking areas, the adjacent number which is the number of adjacent free parking frames. The priority calculation unit 15 calculates the priority in such a way that the higher the adjacent number, the higher the priority. Thus, for example, other vehicles located in the exiting direction of the vehicle exiting the garage (in front of the autonomous vehicle 2Z) can be evaded to adjacent free parking frames, so it is easy to save the effort of moving other vehicles.

[0123] According to the control method of the automatic parking system 1, through the threshold calculation step, the free number threshold is calculated based on the longitudinal number. Through the priority calculation step, the priority of the parking area for the automatic parking target vehicle is calculated in such a way that the priority of the parking area with the free number above the free number threshold is higher than the priority of the parking area with the free number less than the free number threshold. In the column where the outgoing vehicle is located, at most the same number of other autonomous vehicles 2 as the longitudinal number can be located in the outgoing direction (here, in front of the vehicle). Based on such a longitudinal number, the free number threshold is calculated. Therefore, by comparing the free number threshold and the free number, the priority can be calculated according to the number of parking frames in the evasion destination for other vehicles to evade in the column where the outgoing vehicle (autonomous vehicle 2Z) is located. Therefore, the autonomous vehicle 2X is preferentially parked in the parking frame of such a high-priority parking area, so that when the outgoing vehicle (autonomous vehicle 2Z) exits the warehouse, the time required for vehicle swapping accompanied by the evasion of other vehicles can be reduced.

[0124] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The present invention can be implemented in various forms represented by the above embodiments and variously modified by applying the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0125] In the above embodiment, the threshold calculation unit 14 calculates the value of the longitudinal number itself as the free number threshold. However, the free number threshold is not limited thereto. For example, the threshold calculation unit 14 may also calculate the value obtained by adding a preset specified adjustment number to the longitudinal number or subtracting a preset specified adjustment number from the longitudinal number as the free number threshold.

[0126] In the above embodiment, the free number acquisition unit 13 acquires the adjacent number, and the threshold calculation unit 14 calculates the adjacent threshold. However, the acquisition of the adjacent number and the calculation of the adjacent threshold may be omitted.

[0127] In the above embodiment of Figure 4 and Figure 5 example, the autonomous vehicle 2X represented by the dashed line may also park in a column different from the Figure 4 and Figure 5 example.

[0128] In the above-described embodiment, an example of automated valet parking of a first-type autonomous driving vehicle has been described, in which the autonomous driving vehicle automatically travels on a target route according to instructions from the parking lot side and automatically parks in a target parking space. However, it is not limited to this example. That is to say, it is not necessary for the automated valet parking object vehicle itself to travel automatically through autonomous driving. More specifically, the automated valet parking of an autonomous driving vehicle may also include a second type, in which the parking lot control server 10 controls a transport robot having the autonomous driving function of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 to transport the automated valet parking object vehicle through autonomous driving, thereby realizing the automated valet parking of transporting the automated valet parking object vehicle to the target parking space and parking the vehicle. In the second type, a vehicle other than the autonomous driving vehicle 2 becomes the automated valet parking object vehicle. That is to say, the autonomous driving vehicle 2 may also include a transport robot, which is configured to be capable of performing autonomous driving control by the parking lot control server 10 and is configured to be capable of transporting the automated valet parking object vehicle. In this case, the automated valet parking object vehicle may not have the autonomous driving function of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. Such a transport robot may, for example, be provided with a lifting mechanism capable of lifting and holding the automated valet parking object vehicle.

[0129] In the automated valet parking of the second type, the autonomous driving and automated parking of the transport robot as the autonomous driving vehicle 2 are performed. In the autonomous driving of the second type, for example, the transport robot as the autonomous driving vehicle 2 is caused to travel along the target route toward the target parking space on the travel route in the parking lot while holding the automated valet parking object vehicle. In the automated parking of the second type, the transport robot as the autonomous driving vehicle 2 parks the held automated valet parking object vehicle relative to the target parking space.

[0130] In the second type, the vehicle information may include the vehicle type of the automated valet parking object vehicle, or may include a vehicle number separately from the identification information. The vehicle information may include reservation information for entry such as the reservation time of entry of the automated valet parking object vehicle, or may include the scheduled time of departure. In the second type, it may also be that the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 does not necessarily continuously acquire vehicle information from the automated valet parking object vehicle during the automated valet parking. The vehicle information acquisition unit 11 may also acquire vehicle information from the automated valet parking object vehicle at the start of the automated valet parking, store and use the vehicle information. In the second type, the parking plan generation unit 17 may also generate a parking plan for the transport robot that parks the automated valet parking object vehicle based on the parking area determined by the parking area determination unit 16 and the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 11, and the parking plan is a travel plan related to the autonomous driving and automated parking of the transport robot as the autonomous driving vehicle 2.

Claims

1. An automatic parking system for parking vehicles by sequentially filling in vehicles starting from the parking spaces inside the parking area, comprising: A parking lot control server is configured to park an automated parking target vehicle in a parking space in a parking lot having a parking area with a plurality of parking spaces arranged at least in a longitudinal direction, where the longitudinal direction is a direction corresponding to the direction in which a vehicle enters or exits with respect to the parking space in the parking area; And A parking lot sensor, arranged in the parking lot, configured to capture an image and send it to the parking lot control server to determine the position of each autonomous vehicle in the parking lot, and configured to detect whether there is a parked vehicle in the parking frame and send relevant data to the parking lot control server, The parking lot control server includes: A longitudinal number acquisition unit, for each of the plurality of parking areas, acquires the longitudinal number which is the number of the parking spaces arranged in the longitudinal direction; An available number acquisition unit, for each of the plurality of parking areas, based on whether there is a parked vehicle detected by the parking lot sensor in the parking frame, acquires the available number which is the number of available parking spaces; A threshold calculation unit, calculates an available number threshold based on the longitudinal number, and this available number threshold is the threshold of the available number used to calculate the priority of the parking area for the vehicle to be automatically parked; A priority calculation unit, calculates the priority in such a way that the priority of the parking area where the available number is equal to or greater than the available number threshold is higher than the priority of the parking area where the available number is less than the available number threshold; And A vehicle indication unit, makes the vehicle to be automatically parked preferentially park in the parking space of the parking area with a higher priority.

2. The automatic parking system according to claim 1, wherein The available number threshold is the longitudinal number, The priority calculation unit calculates the priority in such a way that the priority of the parking area where the available number is equal to or greater than the longitudinal number is higher than the priority of the parking area where the available number is less than the longitudinal number.

3. The automatic parking system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The available number acquisition unit, for each of the plurality of parking areas, acquires the adjacent number which is the number of adjacent available parking spaces, The priority calculation unit calculates the priority in such a way that the higher the adjacent number, the higher the priority.

4. A control method of an automatic parking system, this automatic parking system is used to park vehicles by sequentially filling in vehicles starting from the parking spaces inside the parking area, and includes a parking lot control server, and this parking lot control server in a parking lot having a plurality of parking areas with a plurality of parking spaces arranged at least in the longitudinal direction, makes the vehicle to be automatically parked park in the parking space by instructing the autonomous vehicle, and the longitudinal direction is the direction corresponding to the direction in which the vehicle enters or exits the parking space in the parking area, The control method of the automatic parking system is executed by the parking lot control server, and includes: A longitudinal number acquisition step, for each of the plurality of parking areas, acquires the longitudinal number which is the number of the parking spaces arranged in the longitudinal direction; Idle number acquisition step: For each of the multiple parking areas, obtain the idle number, which is the number of parking spaces that are available, through a parking lot sensor installed in the parking lot and configured to detect whether there is a parked vehicle in a parking frame and send relevant data to the parking lot control server; Threshold calculation step: Calculate an idle number threshold based on the longitudinal number, where the idle number threshold is the threshold of the idle number used to calculate the priority of the parking area for the automatic parking target vehicle to park; Priority calculation step: Calculate the priority such that the priority of the parking area where the idle number is greater than or equal to the idle number threshold is higher than the priority of the parking area where the idle number is less than the idle number threshold; Parking plan generation step: Set a target parking space, where the target parking space is obtained through a parking lot sensor configured to capture an image and send it to the parking lot control server; and Vehicle instruction step: Instruct the automatic parking target vehicle to park preferentially in the parking space of the parking area with a higher priority.

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