Information processing apparatus, parking assistance method, and non-transitory computer-readable medium

Abstract

The invention provides an information processing device, a parking assistance method, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium which improve an assistance technology for a parking operation of a vehicle. This information processing device (10) is provided with: a control unit (11) that detects a parking space of a destination where parking is performed as a rectangular region having a long-side direction and a short-side direction; guide information relating to an angular difference between a longitudinal direction of the rectangular region and a front-rear direction of the vehicle is displayed on a screen of a rear view angle through the display unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, a parking assistance method, and a program. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a parking assistance device that guides a vehicle to a set target parking position to assist with the vehicle's parking operation (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Prior Art Documents

[0004] Patent Documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-118878 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] A parking space for an automobile is demarcated by white lines or the like provided on a road surface and has a rectangular shape with a long side direction corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the automobile and a short side direction corresponding to the lateral direction of the automobile. When the longitudinal direction of the parked automobile and the long side direction of the parking space are not substantially parallel, the automobile may not be accommodated within the parking space. In order to accommodate the automobile within the parking space, it is desirable to park the automobile such that the longitudinal direction of the automobile and the long side direction of the parking space are substantially parallel. Thus, there is still room for improvement in the auxiliary technology for the parking operation of a vehicle.

[0008] An object of the present disclosure, which has been made in view of the actual situation involved, is to improve the auxiliary technology for the parking operation of a vehicle.

[0009] Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] An information processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure

[0011] includes a control unit and a display unit, and the control unit performs the following control:

[0012] detects a parking space at a destination for parking as a rectangular area having a long side direction and a short side direction,

[0013] and displays guidance information related to the angle difference between the long side direction of the rectangular area and the longitudinal direction of the vehicle on a rear view screen via the display unit.

[0014] A parking assistance method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure

[0015] is a parking assistance method executed by an information processing device, and the method includes the following:

[0016] Detect the parking space at the destination where parking is to be performed as a rectangular area having a long side direction and a short side direction;

[0017] Display guidance information related to the angle difference between the long side direction of the rectangular area and the front-rear direction of the vehicle on the rear view screen.

[0018] A program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure,

[0019] which causes a computer to execute the following:

[0020] Detect the parking space at the destination where parking is to be performed as a rectangular area having a long side direction and a short side direction;

[0021] Display guidance information related to the angle difference between the long side direction of the rectangular area and the front-rear direction of the vehicle on the rear view screen.

[0022] Advantageous Effects of the Invention

[0023] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the auxiliary technology for parking operation of a vehicle is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 A block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 2 A block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing device.

[0026] Figure 3 A flowchart showing the operation of the information processing device.

[0027] Figure 4 A diagram showing an example of a guidance image.

[0028] Figure 5 A diagram showing the angle difference between the long side direction of the rectangular area and the front-rear direction of the vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0029] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

[0030] (Summary of the Embodiment)

[0031] Refer to Figure 1 , and a summary of the technology according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The technology according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes a vehicle 1 and an information processing device 10 mounted on the vehicle 1.

[0032] Although the vehicle 1 is, for example, an automobile, it is not limited thereto and can be any vehicle. Although the automobile is, for example, a gasoline vehicle, an electric vehicle (EV), a hybrid vehicle (HV), a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHV), or a fuel cell vehicle (FCV), etc., it is not limited thereto.

[0033] The information processing device 10 is any device used by the occupant of the vehicle 1. For example, a dedicated in-vehicle device can be adopted as the information processing device 10.

[0034] First, an overview of this embodiment will be described, and the detailed content will be described later. The information processing device 10 detects the parking space at the destination of parking as a rectangular area having a long side direction and a short side direction. In addition, the information processing device 10 displays guidance information related to the angle difference between the long side direction of the rectangular area and the front-rear direction of the vehicle on the rear-view screen.

[0035] In this way, according to this embodiment, the parking space at the destination of parking is detected as a rectangular area having a long side direction and a short side direction, and guidance information related to the angle difference between the long side direction of the rectangular area and the front-rear direction of the vehicle is presented. Therefore, in terms of being able to provide such guidance information that can assist in making the front-rear direction of the vehicle and the long side direction of the parking space be substantially parallel, the auxiliary technology for the parking operation of the vehicle is improved.

[0036] (Structure of the information processing device)

[0037] Next, each structure of the information processing device 10 will be described in detail. The information processing device 10 is any device used by the user.

[0038] As Figure 2 shown, the information processing device 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an input unit 13, a display unit 14, a communication unit 15, and a photographing unit 16.

[0039] In the control unit 11, it includes at least one processor, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination of them. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (central processing unit) or a GPU (graphics processing unit), or a dedicated processor dedicated to specific processing. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). While controlling each part of the information processing device 10, the control unit 11 performs processing related to the operation of the information processing device 10.

[0040] In the storage unit 12, it includes at least one semiconductor memory, at least one magnetic memory, at least one optical memory, or a combination of at least two of them. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a RAM (random access memory) or a ROM (read only memory). The RAM is, for example, an SRAM (static random access memory) or a DRAM (dynamic random access memory). The ROM is, for example, an EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read only memory). The storage unit 12 functions as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. In the storage unit 12, data used in the operation of the information processing device 10 and data obtained through the operation of the information processing device 10 are stored.

[0041] In the input unit 13, there is included at least one input interface. The input interface is, for example, a physical key, a capacitive key, a pointing device, or a touch screen provided integrally with the display. In addition, the input interface may also be, for example, a sound sensor that accepts voice input, or a camera that accepts gesture input. The input unit 13 accepts an operation of inputting data used in the operation of the information processing device 10. The input unit 13 may also be provided outside the information processing device 10 instead and connected to the information processing device 10 as an external input device. As a connection method, for example, any method such as USB (Universal Serial Bus), HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface), or Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be used.

[0042] In the display unit 14, there is included at least one display output interface. The display output interface is, for example, a display that displays a rear view angle or the like. The rear view angle refers to image information representing the scenery outside the vehicle at the rear of the vehicle. The display is, for example, an LCD (liquid crystal display) or an organic EL (electroluminescence) display. The display unit 14 performs display output of data obtained through the operation of the information processing device 10. The display unit 14 may also be provided outside the information processing device 10 instead and connected to the information processing device 10 as an external output device. As a connection method, for example, any method such as USB, HDMI (registered trademark), or Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be used.

[0043] The communication unit 15 is equipped with a communication interface for connecting to a network. The communication unit 15 may also be equipped with a communication interface for connecting to a CAN. Although the communication interface for connecting to a network corresponds to a mobile communication standard or the like, it is not limited thereto and may correspond to any communication standard. In the present embodiment, the information processing device 10 possessed by a certain moving body is wirelessly connected to the information processing device possessed by another moving body via the communication unit 15 and the network. The communication unit 15 receives data used in the operation of the information processing device 10 and also transmits data obtained through the operation of the information processing device 10.

[0044] The imaging unit 16 includes an in-vehicle camera that generates an image of the external scenery behind the imaging vehicle 1. In the present embodiment, the "image" may be either a still image or a moving image. The in-vehicle camera included in the imaging unit 16 may be a monocular camera or a stereo camera. The imaging unit 16 is provided on the vehicle 1 so as to be able to image the external scenery behind the vehicle 1. By imaging the external scenery behind the vehicle 1 with the imaging unit 16, the aforementioned rear view can be displayed on the display unit 14.

[0045] The functions of the information processing device 10 are implemented by a processor equivalent to the information processing device 10 executing the program according to the present embodiment. That is, the functions of the information processing device 10 are implemented by software. The program causes a computer to execute the operations of the information processing device 10, thereby causing the computer to function as the information processing device 10. That is, the computer functions as the information processing device 10 by executing the operations of the information processing device 10 according to the program.

[0046] In the present embodiment, the program can be pre-recorded in a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium includes non-transitory computer-readable media, such as a magnetic recording device, an optical disc, a magneto-optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory. The distribution of the program is performed, for example, by selling, transferring, or lending a portable recording medium such as a DVD (digital versatile disc) or a CD-ROM (compact disc read only memory) that records the program. In addition, the distribution of the program can also be performed by pre-storing the program in a storage device of an external server and sending the program from the external server to other computers. In addition, the program can also be provided as a program product.

[0047] Part or all of the functions of the information processing device 10 can also be implemented by a dedicated circuit equivalent to the control unit 11. That is, part or all of the functions of the information processing device 10 can also be implemented by hardware.

[0048] (Operations of the Information Processing Device)

[0049] Refer to Figure 3 , and the operations of the information processing device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0050] Step S100: The control unit 11 of the information processing device 10 detects the parking space at the destination for parking as a rectangular area having a long side direction and a short side direction. In the detection of the parking space, any method can be adopted. For example, the detection process of the parking space can also be performed by image recognition of the rear image captured by the imaging unit 16.

[0051] Step S200: The control unit 11 displays, through the display unit 14, the guidance information related to the angle difference between the long side direction of the rectangular area and the front-rear direction of the vehicle on the screen of the rear view angle.

[0052] Figure 4 FIG. is an example of the user interface 100 including the above-mentioned guidance image. The user interface 100 includes a rectangular area 200 representing the parking space and guidance information 300. The rectangular area 200 is detected based on the white line 210, the white line 220, and the parking block 230. As described above, the guidance information 300 includes information related to the angle difference between the long side direction of the rectangular area and the front-rear direction of the vehicle. In Figure 4 FIG., the guidance information 300 includes the case where the involved angle difference is θ degrees.

[0053] Figure 5 FIG. is a conceptual diagram showing the angle difference between the long side direction of the rectangular area and the front-rear direction of the vehicle. As Figure 5 shown, the involved angle difference is a value defined based on the angle between the long side direction of the rectangular area 200 and the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1. Specifically, the angle difference is the angle θ formed by the auxiliary line 400 in the long side direction of the rectangular area 200 and the auxiliary line 500 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1.

[0054] The guidance information 300 may also include driving assistance information indicating a driving operation to make the angle difference approach zero. For example, in Figure 4 the guidance information 300 of FIG., the direction of the steering operation is included as the involved driving assistance information. Specifically, Figure 4 the guidance information 300 of FIG. includes the driving assistance information of "Please turn the steering wheel to the left". Thus, the driver can easily perform the driving to make the angle difference approach zero. In addition, the driving assistance information may also include the amount of the steering operation. For example, in the driving assistance information, the information on the angle of turning the steering wheel may be included as the amount of the steering operation.

[0055] As described above, the information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment detects a parking space at a destination where parking is to be performed as a rectangular area having a long side direction and a short side direction, and presents guidance information related to the angular difference between the long side direction of the rectangular area and the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Therefore, the auxiliary technique for the parking operation of the vehicle is improved in that such guidance information can be provided to assist in making the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and the long side direction of the parking space substantially parallel.

[0056] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the respective drawings and embodiments, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and changes based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and changes are all included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions and the like included in each structural part or each step can be reconfigured in a theoretically non-contradictory manner, and a plurality of structural parts or steps can be combined into one or divided.

[0057] For example, the control unit 11 may also predict the movement path during parking, and when it is determined that a steering wheel return operation is required, notify the driver of the gist.

[0058] For another example, the control unit 11 may also pre-store the actual movement trajectory and the ideal movement trajectory during parking, and display them through the display unit in a manner that can be compared afterwards.

[0059] In addition, the guidance information may also include information related to the difference between the center of the rectangular area and the center of the vehicle. Thereby, it is possible to assist the driver's parking operation of positioning the vehicle at the center of the rectangular area.

[0060] Hereinafter, a part of the embodiment of the present disclosure will be illustrated. However, it should be noted that the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0061] [Supplementary Note 1]

[0062] An information processing apparatus includes a control unit and a display unit, and the control unit performs the following control:

[0063] detects a parking space at a destination where parking is to be performed as a rectangular area having a long side direction and a short side direction,

[0064] displays, through the display unit, guidance information related to the angular difference between the long side direction of the rectangular area and the longitudinal direction of the vehicle on a rear view screen.

[0065] [Supplementary Note 2]

[0066] The information processing apparatus according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein

[0067] The control unit displays, via the display unit, driving assistance information indicating a driving operation for making the angle difference approach zero.

[0068] [Appendix 3]

[0069] The information processing apparatus according to Appendix 2, wherein

[0070] the driving assistance information includes the direction of a steering operation for making the angle difference approach zero.

[0071] [Appendix 4]

[0072] The information processing apparatus according to Appendix 2 or 3, wherein

[0073] the driving assistance information includes the amount of a steering operation for making the angle difference approach zero.

[0074] [Appendix 5]

[0075] The information processing apparatus according to any one of Appendix 1 to Appendix 4, wherein

[0076] the control unit predicts a movement path during parking, and when it is determined that a steering wheel returning operation is required, notifies the driver of this fact.

[0077] [Appendix 6]

[0078] The information processing apparatus according to any one of Appendix 1 to Appendix 5, wherein

[0079] the control unit prestores an actual movement locus and an ideal movement locus during parking, and displays them via the display unit in a manner that enables comparison afterwards.

[0080] [Appendix 7]

[0081] The information processing apparatus according to any one of Appendix 1 to Appendix 6, wherein

[0082] the guidance information includes information related to the difference between the center of the rectangular area and the center of the vehicle.

[0083] [Appendix 8]

[0084] A parking assistance method, which is a parking assistance method executed by an information processing apparatus, and the method includes the following steps:

[0085] detecting a parking space at a destination for parking as a rectangular area having a long side direction and a short side direction;

[0086] Display guiding information related to the angular difference between the long side direction of the rectangular area and the front-rear direction of the vehicle on the rear view screen.

[0087] [Supplementary Note 9]

[0088] The parking assistance method according to claim 8, wherein,

[0089] It further includes the following, that is, display driving assistance information indicating a driving operation to make the angular difference approach zero.

[0090] [Supplementary Note 10]

[0091] The parking assistance method according to Supplementary Note 9, wherein,

[0092] The driving assistance information includes the direction of the steering operation to make the angular difference approach zero.

[0093] [Supplementary Note 11]

[0094] The parking assistance method according to Supplementary Note 9 or Supplementary Note 10, wherein,

[0095] The driving assistance information includes the amount of the steering operation to make the angular difference approach zero.

[0096] [Supplementary Note 12]

[0097] The parking assistance method according to any one of Supplementary Notes 8 to 11, wherein,

[0098] It further includes the following, that is, predict the movement path during parking, and when it is determined that a steering wheel return operation is required, notify the driver of this main idea.

[0099] [Supplementary Note 13]

[0100] The parking assistance method according to any one of Supplementary Notes 8 to 12, wherein,

[0101] Pre-store the actual movement trajectory and the ideal movement trajectory during parking, and display them in a way that can be compared afterwards.

[0102] [Supplementary Note 14]

[0103] The parking assistance method according to any one of Supplementary Notes 8 to 13, wherein,

[0104] The guiding information includes information related to the difference between the center of the rectangular area and the center of the vehicle.

[0105] [Supplementary Note 15]

[0106] A program that causes a computer to perform the following:

[0107] The parking space of the destination where parking is to be performed is detected as a rectangular area having a long side direction and a short side direction;

[0108] Guide information related to the angle difference between the long side direction of the rectangular area and the front-rear direction of the vehicle is displayed on the rear view screen.

[0109] [Supplementary Note 16]

[0110] The program as described in Supplementary Note 15, wherein,

[0111] It further includes the following content, that is, driving assistance information indicating a driving operation for making the angle difference approach zero is displayed.

[0112] [Supplementary Note 17]

[0113] The program as described in Supplementary Note 16, wherein,

[0114] The driving assistance information includes the direction of the steering operation for making the angle difference approach zero.

[0115] [Supplementary Note 18]

[0116] The program as described in Supplementary Note 16 or Supplementary Note 17, wherein,

[0117] The driving assistance information includes the amount of the steering operation for making the angle difference approach zero.

[0118] [Supplementary Note 19]

[0119] The program as described in any one of Supplementary Notes 15 to 18, wherein,

[0120] It further includes the following content, that is, the moving path during parking is predicted, and when it is determined that a steering wheel return operation is required, this main idea is notified to the driver.

[0121] [Supplementary Note 20]

[0122] The program as described in any one of Supplementary Notes 15 to 19, wherein,

[0123] The actual moving trajectory and the ideal moving trajectory during parking are stored in advance and displayed in a manner that can be compared afterwards.

[0124] Symbol Explanation

[0125] 1. Vehicle;

[0126] 10. Information processing device;

[0127] 11. Control unit;

[0128] 12. Storage unit;

[0129] 13. Input unit;

[0130] 14. Display unit;

[0131] 15. Communication unit;

[0132] 16. Shooting unit;

[0133] 100. User interface;

[0134] 200. Rectangular area;

[0135] 210, 220. White lines;

[0136] 230. Parking block;

[0137] 300. Guidance information;

[0138] 400, 500. Auxiliary lines.

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising a control unit and a display unit, wherein the control unit performs the following control: The parking space at the destination for parking is detected as a rectangular area having a long side direction and a short side direction. The guide information related to the angular difference between the long side direction of the rectangular area and the front-rear direction of the vehicle is displayed on the screen of the rear view through the display unit.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit displays, via the display unit, driving assistance information indicating a driving operation for bringing the angle difference close to zero.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein: The driving assistance information includes the direction of the steering operation that makes the angle difference close to zero.

4. The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein: The driving assistance information includes an amount of steering operation that brings the angle difference close to zero.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit predicts a movement path during parking and, when determining that a turning operation is necessary, notifies the driver of the need.

6. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit stores in advance an actual movement trajectory and an ideal movement trajectory during parking, and displays them on the display unit so that they can be compared later.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein: The guide information includes information related to a difference between a center of the rectangular area and a center of the vehicle.

8. A parking assistance method, which is a parking assistance method executed by an information processing device, the method comprising the following contents, namely: The parking space at the destination for parking is detected as a rectangular area having a long side direction and a short side direction; Guidance information related to the angular difference between the long side direction of the rectangular area and the front-rear direction of the vehicle is displayed on the rear-view screen.

9. The parking assistance method according to claim 8, wherein: The method further includes displaying driving assistance information indicating a driving operation for bringing the angle difference close to zero.

10. The parking assistance method according to claim 9, wherein: The driving assistance information includes the direction of the steering operation that makes the angle difference close to zero.

11. The parking assistance method according to claim 10, wherein: The driving assistance information includes an amount of steering operation that brings the angle difference close to zero.

12. The parking assistance method according to claim 8, wherein: The method also includes predicting a movement path during parking and, if it is determined that a turning operation is necessary, notifying the driver of the need.

13. The parking assistance method according to claim 8, wherein: The actual movement trajectory and the ideal movement trajectory during parking are stored in advance and displayed in a manner that allows for subsequent comparison.

14. The parking assistance method according to claim 8, wherein: The guide information includes information related to a difference between a center of the rectangular area and a center of the vehicle.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a program for causing a computer to execute the following content, the content being: The parking space at the destination for parking is detected as a rectangular area having a long side direction and a short side direction; Guidance information related to the angular difference between the long side direction of the rectangular area and the front-rear direction of the vehicle is displayed on the rear-view screen.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein: The method further includes displaying driving assistance information indicating a driving operation for bringing the angle difference close to zero.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein: The driving assistance information includes the direction of the steering operation that makes the angle difference close to zero.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein: The driving assistance information includes an amount of steering operation that brings the angle difference close to zero.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein: The method also includes predicting a movement path during parking and, if it is determined that a turning operation is necessary, notifying the driver of the need.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein: The actual movement trajectory and the ideal movement trajectory during parking are stored in advance and displayed in a manner that allows for subsequent comparison.

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