Parking assist device

Abstract

Provided is a parking assist device capable of executing appropriate automatic parking control. A parking assist device (1) is provided with a parking assist ECU (10) configured so as to be capable of storing, as a registered route, a route through which a host vehicle (100) travels until the host vehicle (100) is parked at a predetermined parking position by a manual parking operation. And performs automatic parking control for parking the own vehicle (100) at a predetermined parking position by causing the own vehicle (100) to travel along the registered route. The parking assist ECU (10) is configured so as to be able to execute an update process for updating the registered route on the basis of information relating to a manual parking operation when the own vehicle (100) is parked at a predetermined parking position by the manual parking operation after the registered route has been stored.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a parking assistance device. Background Art

[0002] There is known a parking assistance device that can perform an automatic parking control in which a parking operation performed by a driver's manual driving (hereinafter referred to as a manual parking operation) and a path on which the own vehicle travels until it parks at a predetermined parking position are stored as a registered path, and the own vehicle travels along the stored registered path to park the own vehicle at the predetermined parking position (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). An existing parking assistance device (hereinafter sometimes also referred to as an existing device) that can perform such automatic parking control assists the driving and parking of the own vehicle in a manner of reproducing the stored registered path when performing the automatic parking control. In addition, in association with the parking assistance device, in ISO20900 (Partially automated parking systems: PAPS, partially automatic parking system) and ISO16787 (Assisted parking systems: APS, assisted parking system) as standard specifications, vehicle control related to vehicle parking is stipulated.

[0003] Prior Art Documents

[0004] Patent Documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-530867 Summary of the Invention

[0006] According to the existing device, even if the stored registered path is inappropriate, the automatic parking control is executed in a manner of reproducing the inappropriate path. For example, when an inappropriate path due to a driver's driving mistake is stored as the registered path, when performing the automatic parking control, the own vehicle is always controlled to reproduce the inappropriate path caused by the driver's driving mistake. Therefore, there is a problem that the driver of the own vehicle may feel that the appropriate automatic parking control is not performed by this device, and thus the frequency of using this device is reduced.

[0007] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a parking assistance device that can solve the above problems. That is, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a parking assistance device that can perform appropriate automatic parking control.

[0008] The parking assistance device according to the present disclosure is a parking assistance device (1) having a control unit (10). The control unit (10) is configured to be able to store, as a registered path, the path traveled by the host vehicle (100) until the host vehicle (100) parks at a predetermined parking position through a manual parking operation, and to execute automatic parking control for parking the host vehicle (100) at the predetermined parking position by causing the host vehicle (100) to travel along the registered path. The control unit (10) is configured to be able to execute an update process, which is to update the registered path based on information related to the manual parking operation (the manual parking operation after storing the registered path) when the host vehicle (100) parks at the predetermined parking position through a manual parking operation after storing the registered path.

[0009] According to the parking assistance device of the present disclosure, even if the stored registered path is an inappropriate path, since the registered path is updated based on information related to the manual parking operation after storing the registered path, the registered path can be made closer to an appropriate path. Thereby, appropriate automatic parking control can be executed.

[0010] In one aspect of the parking assistance device according to the present disclosure, when the host vehicle (100) parks at the predetermined parking position through a manual parking operation after storing the registered path, the control unit (10) stores, as a post-registration manual parking path, the path traveled by the host vehicle (100) until the host vehicle (100) parks at the predetermined parking position through this manual parking operation, and in the update process, uses the post-registration manual parking path to update the registered path.

[0011] Further, in another aspect of the parking assistance device according to the present disclosure, the control unit (10) stores the post-registration manual parking path each time the host vehicle (100) parks at the predetermined parking position through a manual parking operation after storing the registered path, thereby accumulating the post-registration manual parking paths, and in the update process, uses the accumulated post-registration manual parking paths to update the registered path.

[0012] When a manual parking operation is performed after storing the registered path, the driver of the host vehicle may be aware that the registered path is inappropriate. Thus, it is highly likely that the path traveled by the host vehicle until it parks at the predetermined parking position through the manual parking operation after storing the registered path, that is, the post-registration manual parking path, is a more appropriate path than the registered path. Therefore, by using the post-registration manual parking path to update the registered path, the registered path can be made closer to an appropriate path.

[0013] In another aspect of the parking assistance device according to the present disclosure, during the update process, the control unit (10) calculates an updated path by averaging the registered path and the post-registration manual parking path, and updates the registered path to the calculated updated path. Accordingly, a relatively simple method can be used to make the registered path closer to an appropriate path.

[0014] In another aspect of the parking assistance device according to the present disclosure, the control unit (10) is configured to be able to perform an exclusion process, which is to delete abnormal data determined to be inappropriate as data used in the update process from the data representing the post-registration manual parking path. Accordingly, by using the post-registration manual parking path from which inappropriate data has been excluded to update the registered path, the registered path can be made to approach an appropriate path more quickly.

[0015] In another aspect of the parking assistance device according to the present disclosure, the abnormal data includes data representing a path generated by a driving operation for avoiding an obstacle. When a driving operation for avoiding an obstacle such as a pedestrian is performed during the manual parking operation, the path deviates significantly from an appropriate path. Therefore, by using the post-registration manual parking path from which data representing a path obtained in such a situation has been excluded to update the registered path, the registered path can be made to approach an appropriate path more quickly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a parking assistance device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the installation position of a sonar sensor.

[0018] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the installation position of a camera sensor.

[0019] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a recommended image.

[0020] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of a registered path.

[0021] Figure 6 is a diagram showing another example of a registered path.

[0022] Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of a post-registration manual parking path stored by executing a background storage process.

[0023] Figure 8 is a diagram showing both the registered path and the post-registration manual parking path.

[0024] Figure 9This is a diagram showing both the forward path of the registration path and the forward path of the manual parking path after registration.

[0025] Figure 10 This is a diagram showing both the backward path of the registration path and the backward path of the manual parking path after registration.

[0026] Figure 11 This is a diagram showing the update path.

[0027] Figure 12 This is a flowchart showing an example of the program executed by the CPU for the parking assistance ECU to perform normal storage processing.

[0028] Figure 13 This is a flowchart showing an example of the program executed by the CPU for the parking assistance ECU to perform automatic parking control.

[0029] Figure 14 This is a flowchart showing an example of the program executed by the CPU for the parking assistance ECU to perform background storage processing.

[0030] Figure 15 This is a flowchart showing an example of the program executed by the CPU for the parking assistance ECU to perform update processing.

[0031] Figure 16 This is a diagram showing an example of an inappropriate manual parking path after registration stored by executing background storage processing.

[0032] Figure 17 This is a flowchart showing an example of the program executed by the CPU for the parking assistance ECU to perform exclusion processing.

[0033] Figure 18 This is a flowchart showing an example of the program executed by the CPU for the parking assistance ECU to perform notification processing.

[0034] Description of Reference Numerals

[0035] 1... Parking assistance device, 10... Parking assistance ECU (control unit), 20... Vehicle-mounted sensor, 21... Peripheral information detection sensor, 211... Sonar sensor, 212... Camera sensor, 30... Driving device, 40... Braking device, 50... Steering device, 60... Gear shift device, 70... Display device, 80... Navigation device, 100... Own vehicle. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0036] The parking assistance device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is mounted on a vehicle. Hereinafter, the vehicle on which the parking assistance device according to the present embodiment is mounted may also be referred to as the own vehicle. As Figure 1As shown in the figure, the parking assistance device 1 includes a parking assistance ECU 10, an in-vehicle sensor 20, a drive device 30, a braking device 40, a steering device 50, a gear shifting device 60, a display device 70, and a navigation device 80.

[0037] The parking assistance ECU 10 is a control unit mainly composed of "a microcomputer including a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, and an interface 14". The parking assistance ECU 10 is configured to be able to execute various controls including automatic parking control by the CPU 11 executing instructions, programs, or routines stored in the ROM 12. The automatic parking control is a control for parking the own vehicle 100 at a predetermined parking position by controlling at least one of the drive device 30, the braking device 40, and the steering device 50 of the own vehicle 100 by the parking assistance device 1. Therefore, the control for the parking assistance device 1 to execute all the controls of the drive device 30, the braking device 40, and the steering device 50 also belongs to the automatic parking control, and the control for the parking assistance device 1 to execute the control of a part of the devices, for example, only the control of the steering device 50, also belongs to the automatic parking control.

[0038] The parking assistance ECU 10 may also be composed of multiple ECUs. In addition, the parking assistance ECU 10 is connected to other multiple ECUs via a CAN (Controller Area Network). For example, as Figure 1 shown, the parking assistance ECU 10 is connected to a drive ECU 31, a braking ECU 41, a steering ECU 51, an SBW-ECU 61, a display ECU 71, and a navigation ECU 81, and can grant and receive the required information with each of the ECUs in the connection relationship.

[0039] The drive device 30 generates a driving force and applies the driving force to the drive wheels of the own vehicle 100. The drive device 30 includes a drive ECU 31, a drive actuator 32, a drive source 33, a transmission 34, and a driving force transmission mechanism (not shown) that transmits the driving force to the drive wheels. The drive ECU 31 is electrically connected to the drive actuator 32 in a manner capable of controlling the operation of the drive actuator 32. The drive actuator 32 is configured to be able to adjust the driving force of the drive source 33 by working.

[0040] The drive ECU 31 controls the driving force generated by the drive source 33 by controlling the operation of the drive actuator 32. The driving force generated by the drive source 33 is transmitted to the drive wheels of the own vehicle 100 via the transmission 34 and the driving force transmission mechanism. Therefore, the drive ECU 31 can control the driving force of the own vehicle 100 by controlling the drive actuator 32. In addition, during the execution of the automatic parking control, the parking assist ECU 10 can control the drive actuator 32 via the drive ECU 31 so that the driving force matches the target driving force by sending a drive control signal including information indicating the target driving force to the drive ECU 31. In addition, the drive device 30 can also generate a driving force by the driver operating the accelerator pedal provided in the own vehicle 100.

[0041] In addition, when the drive source 33 is an internal combustion engine, the drive ECU 31 controls the driving force generated by the internal combustion engine. In addition, when the own vehicle 100 is a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), the drive ECU 31 controls the driving force generated by either or both of the internal combustion engine and the electric motor as the drive source 33. When the own vehicle 100 is a battery electric vehicle (BEV), the drive ECU 31 controls the driving force generated by the electric motor as the drive source 33.

[0042] The braking device 40 applies a braking force to the wheels of the own vehicle 100. The braking device 40 includes a brake ECU 41, a brake actuator 42, and a brake mechanism 43. The brake ECU 41 is connected to the brake actuator 42 in a manner capable of controlling the operation of the brake actuator 42. The brake actuator 42 includes a known hydraulic circuit including a reservoir, an oil pump, and various valve devices (not shown). The brake mechanism 43 includes a brake disc, a caliper, a piston, and brake pads, and generates a frictional braking force by pressing the brake pads against the brake disc using the hydraulic pressure (i.e., the brake pressure) supplied from the brake actuator 42. The own vehicle 100 is braked by the frictional braking force generated by the brake mechanism 43.

[0043] The brake actuator 42 adjusts the hydraulic pressure (brake pressure) supplied to the brake mechanism 43 according to an instruction from the brake ECU 41. According to the brake pressure, the frictional braking force generated by the brake mechanism 43 changes. Therefore, the brake ECU 41 can control the braking force of the own vehicle 100 by controlling the brake actuator 42. In addition, during the execution of the automatic parking control, the parking assist ECU 10 can control the brake actuator 42 via the brake ECU 41 so that the braking force matches the target braking force by sending a brake control signal including information indicating the target braking force to the brake ECU 41. In addition, the braking device 40 can also apply a braking force to the wheels of the own vehicle 100 by the driver operating the brake pedal provided in the own vehicle 100.

[0044] The steering device 50 is a device for steering the host vehicle 100. The steering device 50 includes a steering ECU 51, a steering actuator 52, and a steering mechanism 53. The steering ECU 51 is electrically connected to the steering actuator 52 in a manner capable of controlling the operation of the steering actuator 52. The steering mechanism 53 includes a steering wheel 53a, a steering shaft 53b, a steering gearbox (not shown), tie rods (not shown), etc. The steering mechanism 53 is configured to be able to steer the steered wheels of the host vehicle 100 by rotating the steering wheel 53a. The steering actuator 52 is, for example, an electric motor, and is connected to the steering mechanism 53 in a manner capable of applying power for steering the steered wheels to the steering mechanism 53. The steering actuator 52 may also be configured to generate a steering assist force for assisting the driver in operating the steering wheel 53a. The steering ECU 51 controls the operation of the steering mechanism 53 by controlling the operation of the steering actuator 52. Therefore, the steering ECU 51 can control the steering angle (actual steering angle) of the steered wheels of the host vehicle 100 by controlling the steering actuator 52. In addition, during the execution of the automatic parking control, the parking assist ECU 10 can control the steering actuator 52 via the steering ECU 51 so that the actual steering angle coincides with the target steering angle by sending a steering control signal including information indicating the target steering angle to the steering ECU 51.

[0045] The gear shift device 60 switches the gear (shift position) of the transmission 34. In this example, the gear includes at least a parking position, a neutral position, a forward position, and a reverse position. When the gear is in the parking position, the gear shift device 60 does not transmit the driving force to the drive wheels and mechanically locks the wheels so that they cannot rotate. Specifically, when the gear becomes the parking position, the output shaft of the transmission 34 is locked so that the output shaft does not rotate. Such a state is also referred to as a parking lock (P-lock) state. When the gear is in the neutral position, the gear shift device 60 does not transmit the driving force to the drive wheels. However, when the gear is in the neutral position, the gear shift device 60 does not mechanically lock the wheels. When the gear is in the forward position, the gear shift device 60 transmits the driving force for moving the host vehicle 100 forward to the drive wheels. When the gear is in the reverse position, the gear shift device 60 transmits the driving force for moving the host vehicle 100 backward to the drive wheels.

[0046] The gear shift device 60 includes an SBW-ECU 61, an SBW actuator 62, a gear shift mechanism 63, etc. In addition, SBW is the abbreviation of shift-by-wire. The SBW-ECU 61 is electrically connected to the SBW actuator 62. The SBW-ECU 61 controls the SBW actuator 62 based on the operation position of the shift lever provided on the own vehicle 100. In addition, the shift lever is an operating member for operating the gears of the transmission 34 and is operated by the driver of the own vehicle 100. The shift lever is configured to be movable to the operation positions corresponding to the respective gears. The SBW actuator 62 operates the gear shift mechanism 63 according to an instruction from the SBW-ECU 61 and switches the gear of the transmission 34 to one of a plurality of gears (parking position, neutral position, forward position, and reverse position). In addition, during the execution of the automatic parking control, the parking assist ECU 10 can control the SBW actuator 62 via the SBW-ECU 61 by sending a shift control signal including information indicating the target gear so that the gear coincides with the target gear.

[0047] The display device 70 includes a display ECU 71 and a touch panel type display 72. The display ECU 71 is electrically connected to the display 72 in a manner capable of controlling the display 72. As the display 72, for example, a display mounted on the instrument panel provided in the front of the driver's seat of the own vehicle 100 can be exemplified. The display 72 can also be a navigation display that normally displays a map screen. In addition, the parking assist ECU 10 can control the display device 70 by sending a predetermined display control signal to the display ECU 71 so that predetermined information is displayed on the display 72. The display device 70 has a function as a notification device for notifying predetermined information via the display 72. In addition, the display device 70 has a function as an input device for inputting predetermined information via the display 72.

[0048] The navigation device 80 includes a navigation ECU 81 and a GPS receiver 82. The GPS receiver 82 receives GPS signals for detecting the latitude and longitude of the current position of the own vehicle 100. In addition, the navigation device 80 includes a map database storing map information. The navigation ECU 81 performs various arithmetic processes based on the latitude and longitude of the own vehicle 100 obtained from the GPS signals received by the GPS receiver 82, the map information, etc., and determines the position of the own vehicle 100 on the map. The determined position of the own vehicle 100 is sent to the parking assist ECU 10 for automatic parking control.

[0049] The vehicle-mounted sensor 20 includes a surrounding information detection sensor 21, a vehicle speed sensor 22, an acceleration sensor 23, a steering torque sensor 24, a steering rotation angle sensor 25, a shift lever sensor 26, an accelerator pedal operation amount sensor 27, and a brake pedal operation amount sensor 28. The surrounding information detection sensor 21 detects information related to the surrounding environment of the own vehicle 100, i.e., surrounding information. In the present embodiment, the surrounding information detection sensor 21 includes a sonar sensor 211 and a camera sensor 212.

[0050] The sonar sensor 211 is electrically connected to the parking assistance ECU 10. The sonar sensor 211 intermittently emits ultrasonic waves to the surrounding area of the own vehicle 100 and receives the ultrasonic waves (reflected waves) reflected by a solid object (object). The sonar sensor 211 obtains the distance between the own vehicle 100 and the object, the relative positional relationship between the own vehicle 100 and the object, etc. based on the time from when the ultrasonic wave is sent to when the reflected wave is received. The sonar sensor 211 sends the information representing the distance and the positional relationship thus obtained to the parking assistance ECU 10. The parking assistance ECU 10 obtains information on the relationship between the object existing around the own vehicle 100 and the own vehicle 100 based on the information received from the sonar sensor 211.

[0051] In the present embodiment, a plurality of sonar sensors 211 are provided on the own vehicle 100. The plurality of sonar sensors 211 are provided on the own vehicle 100 in such a manner as to be able to emit ultrasonic waves to almost the entire periphery of the own vehicle 100. For example, the plurality of sonar sensors 211 may be as Figure 2As shown, it includes front sonar sensors 211a and 211b, rear sonar sensors 211c and 211d, right sonar sensors 211e and 211f, left sonar sensors 211g and 211h, right front sonar sensor 211i, left front sonar sensor 211j, right rear sonar sensor 211k, and left rear sonar sensor 211l. The front sonar sensors 211a and 211b respectively emit ultrasonic waves forward from the right and left parts of the front end of the own vehicle 100. The rear sonar sensors 211c and 211d respectively emit ultrasonic waves backward from the right and left parts of the rear end of the own vehicle 100. The right sonar sensors 211e and 211f respectively emit ultrasonic waves to the right from the front and rear parts of the right end of the own vehicle 100. The left sonar sensors 211g and 211h respectively emit ultrasonic waves to the left from the front and rear parts of the left end of the own vehicle 100. The right front sonar sensor 211i emits ultrasonic waves obliquely to the right front from the right front end of the own vehicle 100. The left front sonar sensor 211j emits ultrasonic waves obliquely to the left front from the left front end of the own vehicle 100. The right rear sonar sensor 211k emits ultrasonic waves obliquely to the right rear from the right rear end of the own vehicle 100. The left rear sonar sensor 211l emits ultrasonic waves obliquely to the left rear from the left rear end of the own vehicle 100.

[0052] The camera sensor 212 is electrically connected to the parking assist ECU 10. The camera sensor 212 includes a camera device and an image analysis device. The camera device is, for example, a digital camera with a built-in lens and a shooting element composed of a CCD (charge coupled device) or a CIS (CMOS image sensor). The camera device respectively shoots the peripheral area of the own vehicle 100 at a predetermined frame rate and respectively obtains image data. The camera device sends each piece of image data to the image analysis device. The image analysis device analyzes the obtained image data and obtains information related to the objects and markings existing around the own vehicle 100. For example, the image analysis device recognizes the markings or patterns, shapes of the driving road surface, the shapes, colors of the wall parts and fences of the parking space, the parking frame lines displayed on the road surface, etc., and sends the image information representing the recognition results to the parking assist ECU 10. The parking assist ECU 10 obtains information related to the objects and markings existing around the own vehicle 100 based on the image information received from the image analysis device.

[0053] The camera sensor 212 has a plurality of camera devices to be able to shoot the entire periphery of the own vehicle 100. For example, the plurality of camera devices can be as Figure 3As shown, it includes a front camera device 212a, a rear camera device 212b, a right-side camera device 212c, and a left-side camera device 212d. The front camera device 212a captures the front area of the host vehicle 100. The rear camera device 212b captures the rear area of the host vehicle 100. The right-side camera device 212c captures the right-side area of the host vehicle 100. The left-side camera device 212d captures the left-side area of the host vehicle 100. The field of view angle of each camera device can be about 180° or more so as to be able to capture the entire periphery of the host vehicle 100. In addition, the plurality of camera devices may also include an infrared camera device so as to be able to capture the periphery of the host vehicle 100 even at night.

[0054] In addition, the surrounding information detection sensor 21 may also include a radar sensor. The radar sensor is configured to be able to use millimeter-waveband radio waves to detect objects existing around the host vehicle 100. In this case, the radar sensor may include a front radar sensor that emits radio waves forward of the host vehicle 100, a rear radar sensor that emits radio waves rearward of the host vehicle 100, a right-side radar sensor that emits radio waves to the right side of the host vehicle 100, and a left-side radar sensor that emits radio waves to the left side of the host vehicle 100.

[0055] The vehicle speed sensor 22 is electrically connected to the parking assistance ECU 10. The vehicle speed sensor 22 detects information indicating the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 100 and sends the detected information indicating the vehicle speed to the parking assistance ECU 10. The parking assistance ECU 10 obtains the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 100 based on the information received from the vehicle speed sensor 22. The vehicle speed sensor 22 may also be a wheel speed sensor that detects information indicating the rotational speed of the wheels of the host vehicle 100.

[0056] The acceleration sensor 23 is electrically connected to the parking assistance ECU 10. The acceleration sensor 23 detects information indicating the acceleration (longitudinal acceleration) acting in the longitudinal direction of the host vehicle 100 and sends the detected information indicating the acceleration to the parking assistance ECU 10. The parking assistance ECU 10 obtains the acceleration acting in the longitudinal direction of the host vehicle 100 based on the information received from the acceleration sensor 23.

[0057] The steering torque sensor 24 detects information representing the torque (steering torque) input when the driver of the host vehicle 100 steers the steering wheel 53a. The steering torque sensor 24 is mounted, for example, on the steering shaft 53b that rotates integrally with the steering wheel 53a, and detects the torsional torque generated by the rotation of the steering wheel 53a as the steering torque. The steering torque sensor 24 is electrically connected to the parking assist ECU 10, and transmits the detected information representing the steering torque to the parking assist ECU 10. The parking assist ECU 10 obtains the steering torque based on the information received from the steering torque sensor 24.

[0058] The steering rotation angle sensor 25 detects the rotation angle of the steering shaft 53b relative to the neutral position. The steering rotation angle sensor 25 can detect the angle by which the steering shaft 53b has rotated from the neutral position in one direction (for example, the right direction) as a positive angle, and the angle of rotation in the other direction (for example, the left direction) as a negative angle. The steering rotation angle sensor 25 is electrically connected to the parking assist ECU 10, and transmits the detected information representing the rotation angle of the steering shaft 53b to the parking assist ECU 10. The parking assist ECU 10 obtains the steering rotation angle based on the information received from the steering rotation angle sensor 25.

[0059] The shift lever sensor 26 detects information representing the operation position of the shift lever. The shift lever sensor 26 is electrically connected to the parking assist ECU 10, and transmits the detected information representing the operation position of the shift lever to the parking assist ECU 10. The parking assist ECU 10 obtains the gear position of the transmission 34 based on the information received from the shift lever sensor 26. In addition, the information detected by the shift lever sensor 26 is also received by the SBW-ECU 61.

[0060] The accelerator pedal operation amount sensor 27 is electrically connected to the parking assist ECU 10, and detects information representing the operation amount (stroke amount) of the accelerator pedal provided in the host vehicle 100. The accelerator pedal operation amount sensor 27 transmits the detected information representing the operation amount of the accelerator pedal to the parking assist ECU 10. The parking assist ECU 10 obtains the operation amount of the accelerator pedal based on the information received from the accelerator pedal operation amount sensor 27.

[0061] The brake pedal operation amount sensor 28 is electrically connected to the parking assist ECU 10, and detects information representing the operation amount (stroke amount) of the brake pedal provided in the host vehicle 100. The brake pedal operation amount sensor 28 transmits the detected information representing the operation amount of the brake pedal to the parking assist ECU 10. The parking assist ECU 10 obtains the operation amount of the brake pedal based on the information received from the brake pedal operation amount sensor 28.

[0062] The in-vehicle sensor 20 includes sensors other than the sensors described above. For example, a yaw rate sensor that detects the yaw rate of the host vehicle 100 and a traveling direction detection sensor that detects the lighting state of a direction indicator (winker) provided in the host vehicle 100 are included in the in-vehicle sensor 20.

[0063] (Outline of operation)

[0064] 1. Normal storage process

[0065] The parking assist device 1 having the above configuration is configured to be able to execute the following normal storage process: When the host vehicle 100 is parked at a predetermined parking position by the manual driving operation of the driver, the parking position and the path traveled by the host vehicle 100 until it is parked at the parking position (hereinafter also sometimes referred to as the parking path) are stored. The parking path includes the path traveled by the host vehicle 100 until the "host vehicle 100 reaches a position near the parking position" and the path traveled by the host vehicle 100 through the executed parking operation until the "host vehicle 100 that has reached a position near the parking position is parked at the parking position". The manual driving operation performed by the driver until the host vehicle 100 travels on the parking path and is parked at the parking position is called a manual parking operation. Therefore, in the normal storage process, the path traveled by the host vehicle 100 until it is parked at a predetermined parking position by the manual parking operation is stored. This normal storage process will be described.

[0066] The parking assist ECU 10 of the parking assist device 1 determines whether the recording start condition is satisfied when the driver of the host vehicle 100 is manually driving the host vehicle 100. The recording start condition is determined when there is no registration position and registration path described below set in the vicinity of the host vehicle 100. The recording start condition is preset as a condition that is satisfied when it is highly likely that the driver of the host vehicle 100 parks the host vehicle 100 by a manual parking operation. For example, when the position of the driver's home of the host vehicle 100 is stored in the parking assist ECU 10, when the current position of the host vehicle 100 is near the position of the home and the speed of the host vehicle 100 is below a predetermined speed, the parking assist ECU 10 determines that it is highly likely that the driver of the host vehicle 100 is driving the host vehicle 100 in a manner to park the host vehicle 100 in the parking space of the home. In such a case, the recording start condition is satisfied.

[0067] When the recording start condition is satisfied, the parking assist ECU 10 performs path recording processing. In the path recording processing, the parking assist ECU 10 continuously records the driving information of its own vehicle 100 at a predetermined short time interval in a circular buffer area set in the RAM 13. The driving information continuously recorded at a predetermined short time interval includes information capable of determining the driving path of its own vehicle 100 and information indicating the driving state of its own vehicle 100. The information capable of determining the driving path of its own vehicle 100 includes information related to road markings, road patterns, and road shapes continuously obtained by the parking assist ECU 10 from the camera sensor 212 (surrounding image information), and information related to the position of its own vehicle 100 received by the GPS receiver 82. The information indicating the driving state of its own vehicle 100 includes information indicating the vehicle speed of its own vehicle 100 received from the vehicle speed sensor 22, information indicating the acceleration of its own vehicle 100 received from the acceleration sensor 23, information indicating the steering torque received from the steering torque sensor 24, information indicating the steering rotation angle received from the steering rotation angle sensor 25, information indicating the operation position of the shift lever (gear position of the transmission 34) received from the shift lever sensor 26, information indicating the operation amount of the accelerator pedal received from the accelerator pedal operation amount sensor 27, information indicating the operation amount of the brake pedal received from the brake pedal operation amount sensor 28, information indicating the yaw rate of its own vehicle 100 received from the yaw rate sensor, information indicating the lighting state of the direction indicator received from the traveling direction detection sensor, and so on. The information indicating the driving state of its own vehicle 100 is continuously obtained corresponding to the continuously obtained surrounding image information. By the parking assist ECU 10 performing the path recording processing, the driving information of its own vehicle 100 between the current time point and the time point back by a predetermined time is continuously recorded.

[0068] When the own vehicle 100 reaches a position near the parking position, the driver of the own vehicle 100 performs a parking action for parking the own vehicle 100 at the parking position. As a result, the own vehicle 100 is parked at a predetermined parking position by the manual operation of the driver. During the execution of the parking action of the own vehicle 100, the parking assist ECU 10 also continues to record the driving information of the own vehicle 100.

[0069] When the parking assist ECU 10 determines that the parking of the own vehicle 100 at the parking position is completed by the manual parking operation, the parking assist ECU 10 records the information capable of determining the parking position in the RAM 13. In this case, for example, information related to the shape of the parking position, the position of the parking frame line, feature points, etc. obtained by the camera sensor 212, and the position information of the parking position are recorded.

[0070] In addition, when the parking assistance ECU 10 determines that the parking of the host vehicle 100 at the parking position is completed, it controls the display device 70 to display an image for selecting whether to register the parking position and the parking path on the display 72. And, when the registration of the parking position and the parking path is selected, the parking assistance ECU 10 calculates the parking path. For example, the parking assistance ECU 10 calculates the coordinate components of a point group representing the parking path on a two-dimensional coordinate plane that takes the position of the host vehicle 100 parked at the parking position as the origin and extends horizontally from the origin. In this case, the position of the host vehicle 100 parked at the parking position and information indicating the driving state of the host vehicle 100 up to the point of parking (steering rotation angle, vehicle speed, acceleration, etc.) can be used to calculate the parking path.

[0071] Then, the parking assistance ECU 10 stores the data representing the calculated parking path, the data representing the parking position, the data of information capable of determining the parking path (surrounding image information), and the data of information related to the driving state of the host vehicle 100 that has traveled on the parking path in a predetermined storage area in the ROM 12. Thereby, the parking position and the parking path are registered. Hereinafter, the parking position stored in the ROM 12 through the normal storage process is referred to as the registered position, and the parking path stored in the ROM 12 is referred to as the registered path.

[0072] In addition, according to the above example, the path recording process is executed when the recording start condition is satisfied. However, the recording start condition can be omitted. In this case, the parking assistance ECU 10 always executes the path recording process during the travel of the host vehicle 100. And, when the parking of the host vehicle 100 is completed, an image for selecting whether to register the parking position and the parking path is displayed on the display 72. When the registration of the parking position and the parking path is selected, the parking assistance ECU 10 stores the information recorded in the RAM 13 in a predetermined storage area in the ROM 12.

[0073] 2. Automatic parking control

[0074] In addition, the parking assistance device 1 according to the present embodiment is configured to be able to execute automatic parking control. By executing this automatic parking control, the host vehicle 100 automatically or semi-automatically travels along the stored registered path, and the host vehicle 100 automatically or semi-automatically parks at the registered position. During the execution of the automatic parking control, the parking assistance ECU 10 can control all devices (drive device 30, brake device 40, steering device 50, gear shift device 60, etc.) for controlling the movement of the host vehicle 100, or can control only a part of the devices. Regarding such automatic parking control, the following description will be given.

[0075] During the driving of the host vehicle 100 under the manual driving operation of the driver, the parking assistance ECU 10 determines whether the host vehicle 100 is traveling at a speed equal to or lower than a predetermined speed (e.g., 15 km / h or lower) near the registered position or the registered path based on the current position of the host vehicle 100. When the host vehicle 100 is traveling at a speed equal to or lower than the predetermined speed near the registered position or the registered path, the parking assistance ECU 10 controls the display 72 to display a recommended image on the display 72.

[0076] Figure 4 FIG. is an example showing the recommended image. As Figure 4 shown, the recommended image G10 includes a first text image G11, a second text image G12, and a start icon C11. The first text image G11 indicates that the registered path has been detected. The second text image G12 indicates a recommendation to perform the automatic parking control.

[0077] When an occupant of the host vehicle 100 wishes to perform the automatic parking control, the start icon C11 is touched. When the start icon C11 is touched, a control start signal is sent from the display ECU 71 to the parking assistance ECU 10. When the parking assistance ECU 10 receives the control start signal, it determines that the control start condition is satisfied and starts to perform the automatic parking control. On the other hand, when the occupant of the host vehicle 100 does not wish to perform the automatic parking control, the start icon C11 is not touched. When a predetermined time (e.g., 5 seconds) has elapsed in a state where the control start signal has not been received since the recommended image G10 was displayed on the display 72, the parking assistance ECU 10 controls the display device 70 to clear the recommended image G10 from the display 72. In this case, the parking assistance ECU 10 determines that the control start condition is not satisfied and does not perform the automatic parking control.

[0078] When starting to perform the automatic parking control, the parking assistance ECU 10 determines the current position of the host vehicle 100, and then calculates a path, i.e., a merging path, until the driving path of the host vehicle 100 merges with the registered path. Here, even when the host vehicle 100 is traveling on a road where the registered path is set, there may be a situation where the driving position of the host vehicle 100 deviates from the registered path. Therefore, the parking assistance ECU 10 calculates the merging path as the path until the driving path of the host vehicle 100 coincides with the registered path.

[0079] After calculating the merging path, the parking assist ECU 10 controls one or more of the drive device 30, the braking device 40, and the steering device 50 of the host vehicle 100 so that the host vehicle 100 travels along the merging path. Accordingly, the host vehicle 100 automatically travels along the merging path at a predetermined low speed to the merging point of the registered path and the merging path. Then, starting from the merging point, the host vehicle 100 travels on the registered path. When the host vehicle 100 travels on the registered path, the parking assist ECU 10 controls the host vehicle 100 so that the information (surrounding image information) obtained from the camera sensor 212 is consistent with the information (surrounding image information) stored in the ROM 12 that can identify the registered path. For example, the parking assist ECU 10 controls the host vehicle 100 so that the position of the feature point in the surrounding image obtained from the camera sensor 212 when the host vehicle 100 passes through a certain location on the registered path by automatic parking control is consistent with the position of the feature point in the stored surrounding image that can identify the location. Accordingly, the host vehicle 100 travels along the registered path. In addition, when the host vehicle 100 travels on the registered path, the parking assist ECU 10 controls the host vehicle 100 to be in a traveling state consistent with the stored traveling state (speed, acceleration, steering angle, etc.). Accordingly, the traveling path and the traveling state until the host vehicle 100 is parked at the registered position by a manual parking operation are reproduced. Through such automatic parking control, the host vehicle 100 is automatically parked at the registered position.

[0080] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the registered path. In Figure 5 the registered path is shown by a thick solid line. Figure 5 The shown registered path is represented on a two-dimensional X-Y coordinate plane with the host vehicle 100 parked at a predetermined parking position P2 in the parking space PS as the origin, the X-axis extending along the longitudinal direction of the host vehicle 100, and the Y-axis extending along the vehicle width direction of the host vehicle 100. Figure 5 The shown registered path is composed of a forward path FR in which the host vehicle 100 travels forward from the start position P0 of the automatic parking control to the turning-back position P1, and a backward path RR in which the host vehicle 100 travels backward from the turning-back position P1 to the parking position P2 in the parking space PS. According to Figure 5 the shown example, the forward path FR is a path that gradually moves away from the parking position P2 in the X direction as it goes from the start position P0 to the turning-back position P1. In addition, the turning-back position P1 is a position that overshoots in the Y direction from the parking position P2. Furthermore, the backward path RR is a path that returns to the parking position P2 after overshooting in the Y direction (negative direction).

[0081] Figure 6 is a diagram showing another example of the registered path.Figure 6 The registration path shown is also shown in Figure 5 the two-dimensional X-Y coordinate plane shown. Figure 6 The registration path shown and Figure 5 the registration path shown are the same and are composed of a forward path FR and a reverse path RR. According to Figure 6 the example shown, the forward path FR meanders from the start position P0 to the turning-back position P1.

[0082] Figure 5 and Figure 6 In the registration path shown, from the start position P0 of the host vehicle 100 through the turning-back position P1 to the parking position P2, there are many wasted (useless) driving paths, so it is not a suitable path. However, in the existing device, when the registration path is stored and the automatic parking control is executed, the host vehicle 100 is controlled in such a way as to reproduce the registration path, so even the wasted driving paths are reproduced. In the case where the registration path is not a suitable path like this, the driver of the host vehicle 100 will feel that the appropriate automatic parking control is not executed, that is, the host vehicle 100 cannot travel on a suitable path for parking, and thereafter, the use of the automatic parking control is often restricted. Therefore, in the existing device, it is possible that the automatic parking control is not fully utilized.

[0083] Regarding this point, the parking assist ECU 10 of the parking assist device 1 according to the present embodiment is configured to be able to execute the update process of the registration path. By executing this update process, the registration path can be made closer to a suitable path. The update process is as follows: when the host vehicle 100 parks at the registration position by a manual parking operation after storing the registration path, the registration path is updated based on the information related to the manual parking operation. Here, the information related to the manual parking operation refers to the driving information obtained by the parking assist ECU 10 when the host vehicle 100 travels by the manual parking operation, and the information related to the parking path calculated based on the driving information. In order to perform such an update process, the parking assist ECU 10 executes a background storage process to store the driving information obtained until the host vehicle 100 parks at the registration position by a manual parking operation after storing the registration path and the parking path calculated using the driving information. Hereinafter, the background storage process will be described.

[0084] 3. Background Storage Process

[0085] Assume that the parking assist ECU 10 will Figure 5The path shown is stored as a registration path. During the manual driving of the host vehicle 100, the parking assistance ECU 10 determines whether the host vehicle 100 is traveling at a speed equal to or lower than a predetermined speed (e.g., 15 km / h or lower) near the registration position or registration path based on the current position of the host vehicle 100. When the host vehicle 100 is traveling at a speed equal to or lower than the predetermined speed near the registration position or registration path, the parking assistance ECU 10 controls the display 72 to display Figure 4 the recommended image G10 shown.

[0086] When a predetermined time has elapsed without the start icon C11 within the recommended image G10 displayed on the display 72 being touched, the parking assistance ECU 10 determines that the control start condition for the automatic parking control is not satisfied. Here, the case where the recommended image G10 is displayed on the display 72 is a case where the registration path and registration position have been stored and the host vehicle 100 is traveling at a reduced speed near the registration path and registration position. Therefore, it is highly likely that the driver of the host vehicle 100 intends to park the host vehicle 100 at the registration position. In the case where the driver of the host vehicle 100 does not select the automatic parking control despite this, it is highly likely that the driver of the host vehicle 100 intends to park the host vehicle 100 at the registration position by a manual parking operation. Therefore, it can be determined that the driving operation of the driver of the host vehicle 100 after a predetermined time has elapsed without the start icon C11 within the recommended image G10 being touched is a manual parking operation for parking the host vehicle 100 at the registration position. In this way, when the parking assistance ECU 10 determines that the host vehicle 100 has been parked at the registration position by a manual parking operation after storing the registration path, the path recording process is executed.

[0087] In the path recording process, the parking assistance ECU 10 continuously records the driving information of the host vehicle 100 at predetermined short intervals in a circular buffer area set in the RAM 13. And when the parking of the host vehicle 100 at the registration position is completed, the parking assistance ECU 10 calculates the parking path that the host vehicle 100 has traveled until it is parked at the registration position by the current manual parking operation. In this case, the parking path can be calculated by the same method as the method for calculating the registration path. Alternatively, the deviation amount between the registration path and the current parking path can be calculated by comparing the surrounding image information obtained in the current path recording process with the surrounding image information that can identify the registration path, and the parking path can be calculated based on this deviation amount.

[0088] After that, the parking assistance ECU 10 stores the calculated parking path together with the recorded driving information in the ROM 12. In addition, during the execution of the background storage process, the execution of the path recording process is not notified to the occupants of the host vehicle 100 including the driver. Hereinafter, the parking path stored by executing the background storage process is referred to as the post-registration manual parking path. Therefore, when the host vehicle 100 parks at the registration position by a manual parking operation after storing the registration path, the path traveled by the host vehicle 100 until it parks at the registration position by this manual parking operation is stored as the post-registration manual parking path.

[0089] In this way, after the parking assistance ECU 10 stores the registration path through the normal storage process, when it determines that the host vehicle 100 parks at the registration position by a manual parking operation, it executes the background storage process to store the post-registration manual parking path. Furthermore, after the parking assistance ECU 10 stores the registration path through the normal storage process, every time it determines that the host vehicle 100 parks at the registration position by a manual parking operation, it executes the background storage process to store the post-registration manual parking path. Thereby, the post-registration manual parking paths are accumulated in the ROM 12.

[0090] 4. Update Process

[0091] The update process is executed when the host vehicle 100 parks at the registration position by a manual parking operation after storing the registration path. Specifically, the update process is executed when the number of times the host vehicle 100 parks at the registration position by a manual parking operation after storing the registration path, that is, the number of executions of the background storage process, or in other words, the number of post-registration manual parking paths accumulated by executing the background storage process reaches a preset number (set number). The set number is an integer of 1 or more, and can be 1 or 2 or more. Hereinafter, the update process will be described.

[0092] When the update process is executed, the parking assistance ECU 10 updates the registration path using the post-registration manual parking path stored by executing the background process. In addition, when a plurality of post-registration manual parking paths are accumulated by executing the background process multiple times, in the update process, the parking assistance ECU 10 updates the registration path using the plurality of accumulated post-registration manual parking paths.

[0093] In the present embodiment, the parking assistance ECU 10 calculates an updated path based on a registered path and one or more post-registration manual parking paths, and updates the registered path with the calculated updated path. At this time, the updated path can be calculated as a path that travels in the area between the registered path and the post-registration manual parking path. For example, the updated path is calculated by averaging the registered path and the post-registration manual parking path. In other words, the updated path is calculated by performing an averaging process on the registered path and the post-registration manual parking path.

[0094] Figure 7 An example of a post-registration manual parking path stored by performing a background storage process is shown. The post-registration manual parking path is composed of a forward path FR that travels forward from the start position P0 to the turning-back position P1, and a backward path RR that travels backward from the turning-back position P1 into the parking space PS to the parking position P2.

[0095] Figure 8 is to Figure 5 the registered path shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8 the post-registration manual parking path shown in are shown together in a figure. As Figure 8 shown, the start position P01 of the registered path and the start position P02 of the post-registration manual parking path are different positions. In addition, the turning-back position P11 of the registered path and the turning-back position P12 of the post-registration manual parking path are also different positions. On the other hand, the end position of the registered path and the end position of the post-registration manual parking path are almost the same position P2. When performing the averaging process, the parking assistance ECU 10 performs it by dividing each path into a forward path and a backward path.

[0096] Figure 9 is a figure showing together the forward path of the registered path and the forward path of the post-registration manual parking path. In Figure 9 , the forward path FR1 of the registered path is shown by a dotted line, and the forward path FR2 of the post-registration manual parking path is shown by a one-dot chain line. When the parking assistance ECU 10 performs the averaging process of the forward path, it extracts m coordinate points from the plurality of point groups constituting the forward path FR1 of the registered path, and extracts m coordinate points from the plurality of point groups constituting the forward path FR2 of the post-registration manual parking path. In Figure 9 , 14 coordinate points constituting each path are extracted. These coordinate points are shown by solid dots on the X-Y coordinate plane in Figure 9 .

[0097] Then, the parking assistance ECU 10 calculates the coordinate position of the midpoint of the line segment connecting the two coordinate points of the same serial number starting from the start positions P01 and P02 of the two paths FR1 and FR2 among the extracted coordinate points. Figure 9Among them, the calculated coordinate positions are shown by hollow dots. The path represented by the line segment connecting the coordinate points calculated in this way is the updated path FR3 of the forward path. Figure 9 Among them, the updated path FR3 of the forward path is shown by a solid line.

[0098] Figure 10 It is a diagram showing the reverse path of the registered path and the reverse path of the post-registration manual parking path together. In Figure 10 Among them, the reverse path RR1 of the registered path is shown by a dotted line, and the reverse path RR2 of the post-registration manual parking path is shown by a single-dot chain line. When the parking assistance ECU10 performs the averaging process of the reverse path, m coordinate points are extracted from the multiple point groups constituting the reverse path RR1 of the registered path, and m coordinate points are extracted from the multiple point groups constituting the reverse path RR2 of the post-registration manual parking path. In Figure 10 Among them, 12 coordinate points constituting each path are extracted. These coordinate points are shown by solid dots on the Figure 10 X-Y coordinate plane.

[0099] Then, the parking assistance ECU10 calculates the coordinate position of the midpoint of the line segment connecting the two coordinate points with the same serial number starting from the turning-back positions P11 and P12 of the two paths RR1 and RR2 among the extracted coordinate points. Figure 10 Among them, the calculated coordinate positions are shown by hollow dots. The path represented by the line segment connecting the coordinate points calculated in this way is the updated path RR3 of the reverse path. Figure 10 Among them, the updated path RR3 of the reverse path is shown by a solid line.

[0100] After the parking assistance ECU10 calculates the updated path FR3 of the forward path and the updated path RR3 of the reverse path, it combines these paths. Thus, an updated path is generated. Figure 11 It is a diagram showing the updated path. Figure 11 The updated path S shown passes through the Figure 5 registered path shown and Figure 7 the central position of the post-registration manual parking path shown. As described above, the parking assistance ECU10 calculates the updated path by averaging the registered path and the post-registration manual parking path.

[0101] Even though there is a registered path stored, in the case where the driver of the host vehicle 100 parks the host vehicle 100 at the registered position through a manual parking operation, it is highly likely that the driver of the host vehicle 100 deems the registered path as an inappropriate path that wastes a lot. In this case, it can be considered that the driver of the host vehicle 100 operates the host vehicle 100 through the manual parking operation so that the host vehicle 100 travels along a path without waste. That is to say, it is highly likely that the manual parking path after registration is a more appropriate path than the registered path. Therefore, the updated path calculated by averaging the registered path and the manual parking path after registration is a path closer to the optimal path than the registered path.

[0102] The above example shows a case where, when there is one accumulated manual parking path after registration, the updated path is calculated by averaging the manual parking path after registration and the registered path. In the case where there are n (n is an integer of 2 or more) accumulated manual parking paths after registration, for example, the updated path can be calculated by averaging as follows. Let the positions of m coordinate points extracted from the a-th accumulated manual parking path La among the n manual parking paths after registration be Ca1(Xa1, Ya1), Ca2(Xa2, Ya2), …, Cam(Xam, Yam). The position of the coordinate point at the s-th position starting from the start position (or turning-back position) of the registered manual parking path La among the extracted coordinate points can be expressed as Cas(Xas, Yas). In addition, let the positions of m coordinate points extracted from the registered path be Ct1(Xt1, Yt1), Ct2(Xt2, Yt2), …, Ctm(Xtm, Ytm). The position of the coordinate point at the s-th position starting from the start position (or turning-back position) of the registered path among the extracted coordinate points can be expressed as Cts(Xts, Yts). In this case, the X component Xavs of the average position of each coordinate point at the s-th position starting from the start position (or turning-back position) of each path can be calculated by the following formula (1), and the Y component Yavs can be calculated by the following formula (2).

[0103]

[0104] The parking assist ECU 10 uses formula (1) and formula (2) to sequentially calculate the coordinate points of the m average positions. Then, by connecting the calculated coordinate points of the average positions, the updated path can be calculated.

[0105] After calculating the updated path, the parking assist ECU 10 updates the registered path to the updated path. Therefore, in the case where the update process is implemented, the newly calculated updated path will be used to perform the automatic parking control.

[0106] Here, since the updated path is a newly calculated parking path, there is no information that can determine the updated path, such as the surrounding image obtained from the camera sensor 212. Therefore, when the host vehicle 100 first travels along the updated path by automatic parking control, there is no object to compare with the surrounding image obtained from the camera sensor 212. In this regard, the parking assist ECU 10 involved in the present embodiment calculates how much the updated path (the updated registered path) deviates from the registered path before the update based on the comparison between the calculated updated path and the registered path before the update. Further, the parking assist ECU 10 corrects the position of the feature points (such as the position of the markings drawn on the road surface) in the surrounding image that can determine the registered path before the update according to the calculated deviation amount. Then, when executing the automatic parking control, the parking assist ECU 10 controls the host vehicle 100 so that the position of the feature points in the surrounding image obtained from the camera sensor 212 coincides with the corrected position. By such control, the host vehicle 100 can be made to travel along the updated path. In addition, when the host vehicle 100 has traveled along the updated path once, the updated path can be determined by storing the surrounding image information obtained from the camera sensor 212 at this time. Therefore, when the host vehicle 100 travels along the updated path by automatic parking control after the second time, the stored information (surrounding image information) that can determine the updated path can be used to control the host vehicle 100 so that the host vehicle 100 travels along the updated path.

[0107] In addition, the parking assist ECU 10 calculates the average value of the driving state, such as the average value of the speed and the average value of the acceleration, by averaging the information indicating the driving state (speed, acceleration, etc.) stored regarding the registered path before the update and the information indicating the driving state (speed, acceleration, etc.) obtained when the host vehicle 100 travels on the manually parked path after registration. And, when executing the automatic parking control in such a manner that the host vehicle 100 travels along the updated path, the parking assist ECU 10 controls the drive device 30 and the brake device 40 so that the driving state of the host vehicle 100 coincides with the calculated average value. Thereby, the host vehicle 100 can be controlled by the automatic parking control so that the host vehicle 100 travels on the updated path at a predetermined speed.

[0108] In this way, according to the present embodiment, the parking assistance ECU 10 performs background storage processing to store and accumulate the post-registration manual parking path, that is, the manual parking path after the registration path is stored. Then, the parking assistance ECU 10 uses the post-registration manual parking path to perform update processing to update the registration path. Specifically, the parking assistance ECU 10 updates the registration path based on the registration path and the post-registration manual parking path. For example, the parking assistance ECU 10 calculates the updated path by averaging the registration path and the post-registration manual parking path. Then, the parking assistance ECU 10 updates the registration path to the calculated updated path. The updated registration path in this way is a path closer to the appropriate path than the registration path before the update. That is, by performing the update processing, the registration path can be made closer to the appropriate path. Therefore, appropriate automatic parking control can be performed. As a result, it can be expected that the automatic parking control is fully utilized.

[0109] (Specific operation)

[0110] Figure 12 FIG. is a flowchart showing an example of a program executed by the CPU 11 for the parking assistance ECU 10 to perform normal storage processing. This program is repeatedly executed at regular short intervals during the running of the own vehicle 100. When starting to execute this program, the CPU 11 first Figure 12 in step (hereinafter abbreviated as S) 101, determines whether the registration position and the registration path are detected in the vicinity area of the own vehicle 100. In this case, the CPU 11 can determine whether the registration position and the registration path are detected in the vicinity area of the own vehicle 100 by comparing the position information of the registration position stored in the ROM 12 with the current position information of the own vehicle 100.

[0111] When the registration position and the registration path are detected in the vicinity area of the own vehicle 100 (S101: YES), the CPU 11 ends the execution of this program. On the other hand, when the registration parking space and the registration path are not detected in the vicinity area of the own vehicle 100 (S101: NO), the processing executed by the CPU 11 proceeds to S102.

[0112] In S102, the CPU 11 determines whether the recording start condition is satisfied. When the recording start condition is not satisfied (S102: NO), the CPU 11 ends the execution of this program. On the other hand, when the recording start condition is satisfied (S102: YES), the processing proceeds to S103.

[0113] In S103, the CPU 11 starts the execution of the path recording process. As a result, data of driving information including information capable of determining the driving path of the own vehicle 100 and information indicating the driving state is recorded in the circular buffer area of the RAM 13. Next, the process proceeds to S104.

[0114] In S104, the CPU 11 determines whether the parking completion condition is satisfied. The parking completion condition is preset as a condition that is satisfied when the own vehicle 100 has completed parking at an arbitrary position. For example, when the vehicle speed of the own vehicle 100 is 0, the gear position of the transmission 34 is in the parking position, and the parking brake provided in the own vehicle 100 is operating, the parking completion condition is satisfied.

[0115] When the parking completion condition is not satisfied (S104: No), the CPU 11 repeatedly executes the process of S104. In this case, the path recording process continues. On the other hand, when the parking completion condition is satisfied (S104: Yes), the own vehicle 100 has parked at a predetermined parking position. In this case, the process proceeds to S105. In S105, the CPU 11 ends the path recording process and determines the current position of the own vehicle 100 as the parking position. Next, the process proceeds to S106. In S106, the CPU 11 outputs a control signal to the display ECU 71 to display a registration screen on the display 72. The registration screen is a screen for inputting an idea of whether to register the parking position where the own vehicle 100 is parked and the path (parking path) traveled by the own vehicle 100 through a manual parking operation until the own vehicle 100 is parked at the parking position. Therefore, on the registration screen, a string for asking whether to register the parking position and the parking path, an affirmative icon for inputting the idea of "perform registration", and a negative icon for inputting the idea of "do not perform registration" are displayed.

[0116] Next, the CPU 11 determines whether to register the parking position and the parking path (S107). In this case, the CPU 11 determines that registration is to be performed when the affirmative icon on the registration screen is touched, and determines that registration is not to be performed when the negative icon is touched.

[0117] When the parking position and the parking path are not registered (S107: No), the recorded information (data) is erased (S109), and then the program ends. On the other hand, when the parking position and the parking path are registered (S107: Yes), the process proceeds to S108. In S108, the CPU 11 calculates the parking path based on the recorded driving information and the parking position. In this case, for example, the CPU 11 can calculate the coordinate components of a point group representing the parking path on an X-Y coordinate plane where the own vehicle 100 at the parking position is used as the origin, the X-axis passes through the origin and extends in the front-rear direction of the own vehicle 100, and the Y-axis passes through the origin and extends in the width direction of the own vehicle 100. After calculating the parking path, the process proceeds to S109.

[0118] In S109, the CPU 11 stores the information (data) representing the calculated parking path, the information (peripheral image data) capable of identifying the parking path, the information (data) representing the driving state of the own vehicle 100, and the information (data) representing the parking position in a predetermined area of the ROM 12. Thereby, the parking path is stored as a registered path, and the parking position is stored as a registered position. Then, the CPU 11 ends the program.

[0119] Executed by the CPU 11 Figure 12 the program shown, the parking assistance ECU 10 performs normal storage processing. Thereby, the registered path and the registered position are stored.

[0120] Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a program executed by the CPU 11 for the parking assistance ECU 10 to perform automatic parking control. This program is repeatedly executed during the driving of the own vehicle 100. When starting to execute Figure 13 the program shown, in Figure 13 S201, the CPU 11 determines whether the control start condition for automatic parking control is satisfied. The control start condition is, for example, as described above, satisfied when a control start signal is sent from the recommended image displayed on the display 72. In addition, the control start condition is not limited to this, and various conditions can also be used for judgment.

[0121] When the control start condition is not satisfied (S201: No), the CPU 11 ends the execution of the program. On the other hand, when the control start condition is satisfied (S201: Yes), the process proceeds to S202.

[0122] In S202, the CPU 11 reads the registered path detected in the vicinity of the own vehicle 100. Next, the CPU 11 determines the current position of the own vehicle 100 (S203). Then, the CPU 11 calculates a merging path from the current driving position of the own vehicle 100 until it travels along the registered path (S204).

[0123] After calculating the merging path, the CPU 11 performs merging path driving control (S205). Thereby, the drive device 30, the braking device 40, the steering device 50, etc. of the own vehicle 100 are controlled so that the own vehicle 100 travels along the merging path.

[0124] Next, the CPU 11 determines whether the own vehicle 100 has reached the merging point of the merging path and the registered path (S206). When the own vehicle 100 has not reached the merging point (S206: No), the process returns to S205. In this case, the merging path driving control is continued. On the other hand, when the own vehicle 100 has reached the merging point (S206: Yes), the process advances to S207.

[0125] When the own vehicle 100 has reached the merging point, thereafter, the own vehicle 100 travels along the registered path. Therefore, in S207, the CPU 11 performs registered path driving control. Thereby, the drive device 30, the braking device 40, the steering device 50, and the gear shifting device 60, etc. of the own vehicle 100 are controlled so that the own vehicle 100 travels along the registered path and parks at the registered position.

[0126] Next, the CPU 11 determines whether the parking of the own vehicle 100 at the registered position has been completed (S208). When the parking at the registered position has not been completed (S208: No), the process returns to S207. In this case, the registered path driving control is continued. On the other hand, when the parking at the registered position has been completed (S208: Yes), after the CPU 11 performs a predetermined end process, this program ends.

[0127] By the CPU 11 executing Figure 13 the program shown, the parking assist ECU 10 performs automatic parking control. Thereby, the own vehicle 100 automatically travels along the registered path and parks at the registered position.

[0128] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing an example of a program executed by the CPU 11 for the parking assist ECU 10 to perform background storage processing. Figure 14 The program shown, for example, at Figure 13It is executed when it is determined in S201 of the shown program that the control start condition is not satisfied, but the start condition of this program is not limited to this. This program is executed when it is determined that after storing the registration path, the own vehicle 100 is parked at the registration position by a manual parking operation.

[0129] When starting to execute this program, the CPU 11 starts the path recording process in Figure 14 S301. Thereby, data of travel information including information capable of identifying the travel path of the own vehicle 100 and information indicating the travel state is recorded in the circular buffer area of the RAM 13.

[0130] Next, the CPU 11 determines whether the parking completion condition is satisfied (S302). The parking completion condition is preset as a condition that is satisfied when the own vehicle 100 is parked at the registration position. The parking completion condition is satisfied, for example, when the own vehicle 100 is at the registration position or a position extremely close to the registration position, the vehicle speed of the own vehicle 100 is 0, the gear of the transmission 34 is in the parking position, and the parking brake provided in the own vehicle 100 is operating.

[0131] When the parking completion condition is not satisfied (S302: No), the process proceeds to S306. In S306, the CPU 11 determines whether the recording end condition is satisfied. The recording end condition is preset as a condition that is satisfied when it can be determined that the travel state of the own vehicle 100 is not the travel state for parking the own vehicle 100 at the registration position. For example, the recording end condition is satisfied when the travel position of the own vehicle 100 significantly deviates from the registration path.

[0132] When the recording end condition is not satisfied (S306: No), the process returns to S302. In this case, the path recording process continues. On the other hand, when the recording end condition is satisfied (S306: Yes), the process proceeds to S307. In S307, the CPU 11 ends the path recording. Next, the CPU 11 erases the data of the travel information of the own vehicle 100 that has been stored (S308), and then ends this program.

[0133] Further, when the CPU 11 determines in S302 that the parking completion condition is satisfied (S302: Yes), it ends the path recording process and calculates the parking path (post-registration manual parking path) that the host vehicle 100 has traveled until the host vehicle 100 parks at the registered position (S303). Next, the CPU 11 stores the information (data) indicating the calculated parking path, the information (peripheral image data) capable of identifying the parking path, and the information (data) indicating the driving state of the host vehicle 100 at a predetermined storage location in the ROM 12 (S304). Thereby, the post-registration manual parking paths are accumulated. After that, the CPU 11 increments the accumulated data count (S206). The accumulated data count is the number of post-registration manual parking paths accumulated for one registered position. In addition, the initial value of the accumulated data count is 0. After that, the CPU 11 ends this program.

[0134] The program shown is executed by the CPU 11 Figure 14 to perform the background storage process. And the data indicating the parking path (post-registration manual parking path) from the manual parking operation after storing the registration path until the host vehicle 100 parks at the registered position is stored and accumulated.

[0135] Figure 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the program executed by the CPU 11 for the parking assist ECU 10 to perform the update process. This program is executed whenever a post-registration manual parking path is stored by performing the background storage process. When starting to execute this program, the CPU 11 Figure 15 in S401, determines whether the accumulated data count, that is, the number of post-registration manual parking paths accumulated by performing the background storage process, is equal to or more than the set number n. The set number n is an integer of 1 or more, and can be set in advance, set by the driver of the host vehicle 100, or set by the CPU 11.

[0136] When the accumulated data count is less than n (S401: No), the CPU 11 ends this program. On the other hand, when the accumulated data count is equal to or more than n (S401: Yes), the process proceeds to S402.

[0137] In S402, the CPU 11 calculates the updated path. As described above, the updated path is calculated based on the registration path and the post-registration manual parking path. In this case, for example, the updated path can be calculated by the averaging process described above.

[0138] After calculating the updated path, the CPU 11 updates the registration path to the updated path (S403). Next, the accumulated data is erased (S404), and the accumulated data count is reset (S303). Thereby, the accumulated data count is set to 0. After that, the CPU 11 ends this program.

[0139] The above update process is executed by the CPU 11, and the update path is calculated every time the number of accumulated data reaches n. Then, the registered path is updated to the calculated update path.

[0140] The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, but the parking assistance device related to the present disclosure should not be limited to the above embodiments. For example, the following modification examples can be shown.

[0141] (Modification Example 1)

[0142] In the above embodiment, an example of calculating the update path by using the registered path and the post-registration manual parking path and performing an averaging process is shown. When performing this averaging process, the calculation is performed by assigning weights to the paths, whereby the degree of influence of a predetermined path or a part of a predetermined path on the calculation of the update path can be increased. In particular, when it can be determined that a part of a certain path in the post-registration manual parking paths accumulated by performing the background storage process is the optimal path, the weight of this part can be increased and the averaging process can be performed so that this part is more strongly reflected in the update path when calculating the update path.

[0143] (Modification Example 2)

[0144] The parking assistance ECU 10 may also be configured to perform the following exclusion process: Exclude abnormal data that is determined to be inappropriate as data used in the update process from the data representing the post-registration manual parking paths accumulated by performing the background recording process. As abnormal data, examples can include data representing a part of a path traveled by a driving operation that is not for parking the own vehicle 100 at the registered position, data representing a part of a path that can be clearly determined to be wasteful (useless), etc.

[0145] Figure 16 It is a diagram showing an example of an inappropriate post-registration manual parking path stored by performing the background storage process. Figure 16 The shown post-registration manual parking path includes parts (part A, part B) traveled by an avoidance operation for avoiding an obstacle (such as a pedestrian). In such a case, the parking assistance ECU 10 performs an exclusion process to exclude the data related to the path generated by the driving operation for avoiding the obstacle (the data representing part A and part B).

[0146] The excluded data is not limited to Figure 16A path for avoiding obstacles as shown. For example, in a case where the driver repeatedly performs a rotation operation of the steering wheel 53a unnecessarily and the resulting path is a path including meandering (serpentine), data on these paths can also be excluded.

[0147] Figure 17 is a flowchart showing an example of a program executed by the CPU 11 for the parking assistance ECU 10 to perform exclusion processing. This program starts when the registered post-manual parking path is stored through the background storage process. When this program starts to execute, the CPU 11, in Figure 17 S501, reads the data of the stored registered post-manual parking path. Next, it retrieves abnormal data from the read data of the registered post-manual parking path (S502). The abnormal data can be retrieved, for example, based on the data representing the driving state of the host vehicle 100 obtained together with the image data for determining the registered post-manual parking path, especially the acceleration, the steering rotation angle, or "whether the change amount of the steering rotation angle exceeds a threshold value".

[0148] After retrieving the abnormal data in S502, the CPU 11 determines whether abnormal data has been retrieved (S503). If no abnormal data has been retrieved (S503: No), the CPU 11 ends this program. On the other hand, if abnormal data has been retrieved (S503: Yes), the process proceeds to S504. In S504, the CPU 11 deletes the retrieved abnormal data. After that, the CPU 11 ends this program.

[0149] By the CPU 11 executing the Figure 17 program shown, the abnormal data (deviation value) is excluded from the cumulative data. Therefore, since the information related to inappropriate paths is excluded, the updated path can be made to approach the appropriate path faster by performing the update process.

[0150] In addition, the above example is an example of deleting abnormal data from the data of the registered post-manual parking path, but the weight can also be adjusted so that the abnormal data is less likely to be reflected in the update process. For example, by setting the weight of the data representing the path considered abnormal low when performing the update process, the influence of the abnormal data on the updated path can be reduced.

[0151] (Modification Example 4)

[0152] The parking assistance ECU 10 can perform a notification process of notifying "the registered path has been optimized" when the registered path is optimized to a predetermined level by performing the update process. Figure 18 is a flowchart showing an example of a program executed by the CPU 11 for the parking assistance ECU 10 to perform the notification process. This program is executed every time the update process is performed. When starting to executeFigure 18 In the case of the program shown, the CPU 11 Figure 18 reads the updated registration path in S601.

[0153] Next, the CPU 11 evaluates the read registration path (S602). Here, the CPU 11 takes the length of the path, the maximum radius, etc. as evaluation objects and assigns evaluation scores to each item. For example, it can be said that the shorter the length of the path, the better the path, so the shorter the length of the path, the higher the evaluation score. In addition, the larger the maximum radius, the smoother the path can be said to be, so the larger the maximum radius, the higher the evaluation score. The registration path is evaluated by calculating the evaluation scores for each item in this way.

[0154] Then, the CPU 11 calculates the comprehensive evaluation score Z by adding the evaluation scores calculated for each item (S603). The comprehensive evaluation score Z is a score that is higher as the registration path is better.

[0155] After calculating the comprehensive evaluation score Z, the CPU 11 determines whether the comprehensive evaluation score Z is greater than the threshold score Zth (S604). If the comprehensive evaluation score Z is less than or equal to the threshold score Zth (S604: No), the CPU 11 ends the program. On the other hand, if the comprehensive evaluation score Z is greater than the threshold score Zth (S604: Yes), the process proceeds to S605. In S605, the CPU 11 executes a notification process. In this notification process, it is notified that "the registration path has been optimized". For example, the display ECU 71 is controlled so that a string such as "the registration path has been optimized" is displayed on the display 72. Or, the speaker provided in the own vehicle 100 is controlled to play a voice such as "the assistance has become better" in the vehicle interior. After executing such notification control, the CPU 11 ends the program.

[0156] By the CPU 11 executing Figure 18 the program shown, when the registration path is optimized to a predetermined level, this is notified. Thereby, the driver of the own vehicle 100 can increase the willingness to use the parking assistance device 1 to automatically park the own vehicle 100, promoting the utilization of the parking assistance device.

[0157] (Modification Example 5)

[0158] In Modification Example 4, an example of notifying the content when the registration path is optimized to a predetermined level has been described. However, it may also be configured to notify the content when the driving state of the registration path is optimized to a predetermined level. For example, it may be configured to notify the content that "the driving state (driving condition) of the registration path has been improved" when the change amount of the vehicle speed and the change amount of the steering rotation angle become equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. In addition, it may also be configured to notify the content when the registration path and the driving state of the registration path are optimized to a predetermined level. As such, the technology according to the present disclosure can be modified within the scope not departing from its gist.

[0159] In addition, the technology of the present disclosure is a technology that can be applied to technologies based on ISO20900 (Partially automated parking systems: PAPS) and ISO16787 (Assisted parking systems: APS) as standard specifications.

Claims

1. A parking assist device having a control unit configured to store, as a registered path, a path traveled by the host vehicle until the host vehicle parks at a predetermined parking position through a manual parking operation, and to perform an automatic parking control for parking the host vehicle at the predetermined parking position by causing the host vehicle to travel along the registered path. The control unit is configured to be able to execute an update process. The update process is a process of updating the registered path based on information related to the manual parking operation when the host vehicle parks at the predetermined parking position through a manual parking operation after storing the registered path.

2. The parking assist device according to claim 1. The control unit, when the host vehicle parks at the predetermined parking position through a manual parking operation after storing the registered path, stores a path traveled by the host vehicle until the host vehicle parks at the predetermined parking position through the manual parking operation as a post-registration manual parking path. In the update process, the registered path is updated using the post-registration manual parking path.

3. The parking assist device according to claim 2. The control unit, each time the host vehicle parks at the predetermined parking position through a manual parking operation after storing the registered path, stores the post-registration manual parking path, thereby accumulating the post-registration manual parking path. In the update process, the registered path is updated using the accumulated post-registration manual parking path.

4. The parking assist device according to claim 3. The control unit, in the update process, calculates an updated path by averaging the registered path and the post-registration manual parking path, and updates the registered path to the calculated updated path.

5. The parking assist device according to any one of claims 2 to 4. The control unit is configured to be able to execute an exclusion process. The exclusion process is to delete abnormal data determined to be inappropriate as data used in the update process from the data representing the post-registration manual parking path.

6. The parking assist device according to claim 5. The abnormal data includes data representing a path generated by a driving operation for avoiding an obstacle.

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