Parking position determination device, control method, program and storage medium

Abstract

To provide a parking position determining device capable of appropriately guiding a parking position in a parking lot according to a situation.SOLUTION: A data storage unit 31 of a navigation device 1 stores a recommended parking position table 33 related to a recommended parking position in a parking lot. A system controller 20 identifies a target situation, which is a current situation, based on an output of a sensor group 10 or an input to an input device 60, and the like. Then, the system controller 20 determines a recommended parking position corresponding to the target situation based on the recommended parking position table 33, and displays a layout image for clearly indicating the determined recommended parking position on the display 44.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for providing guidance on parking locations in a parking lot. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known techniques for guiding a vehicle to a parking lot. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a navigation device that, based on destination information and information indicating the location of vacant spaces in the parking lot, preferentially displays vacant spaces in the parking lot that are closest to a selected destination as a parking space for the vehicle. Another technique related to the present invention is disclosed in Patent Document 2. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-042221 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2004-325181 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In parking lots with many parking spaces, such as parking lots in large facilities, it may be difficult for users to instantly determine a suitable parking position. In addition, in such parking lots, following vehicles enter the parking lot one after another, so there is often no time to check the layout of the parking lot and decide on a parking position. Patent Documents 1 and 2 do not disclose any of these problems.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its main object is to provide a parking position determination device that can provide appropriate guidance on parking positions within a parking lot depending on the situation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention described in claim 1 is a parking position determination device having a memory unit that stores parking position information, which is information regarding parking positions within a parking lot that are recommended for each situation, a situation acquisition unit that acquires a current situation, a parking position determination unit that determines a parking position that corresponds to the current situation based on the parking position information, and an output unit that outputs information on the parking position determined by the parking position determination unit.

[0007] The invention described in claim 9 is a control method executed by a parking position determination device having a memory unit that stores parking position information, which is information regarding parking positions in a parking lot recommended for each situation, and includes a situation acquisition step of acquiring a current situation, a parking position determination step of determining a parking position corresponding to the current situation based on the parking position information, and an output step of outputting information on the parking position determined in the parking position determination step.

[0008] The invention described in claim 10 is a program executed by a computer that references a memory unit that stores parking position information, which is information regarding parking positions within a parking lot that are recommended for each situation, and causes the computer to function as a situation acquisition unit that acquires the current situation, a parking position determination unit that determines a parking position that corresponds to the current situation based on the parking position information, and an output unit that outputs information about the parking position determined by the parking position determination unit. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration of a navigation device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 shows the layout of parking lot A based on parking lot layout information. [Diagram 3] 13 is a diagram showing the data structure of a recommended parking position table and an overview of parking lot A. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing the process of determining a recommended parking position performed by the navigation device. [Diagram 5] 13 is a display example of a parking lot layout image showing recommended parking positions. [Figure 6] 13 shows a schematic configuration of a parking location guidance system according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a parking position determination device includes a memory unit that stores parking position information, which is information regarding parking positions within a parking lot that are recommended for each situation, a situation acquisition unit that acquires a current situation, a parking position determination unit that determines a parking position that corresponds to the current situation based on the parking position information, and an output unit that outputs information on the parking position determined by the parking position determination unit.

[0011] The parking position determination device includes a storage unit, a situation acquisition unit, a parking position determination unit, and an output unit. The storage unit stores parking position information. Here, the parking position information is information on a recommended parking position in a parking lot, and corresponds to each situation. The situation acquisition unit acquires a current situation. Here, the "current situation" is a situation that is a reference when determining a parking position, and refers to a current situation regarding any event that may affect the determination of a parking position, such as weather conditions and a driver's psychological state. The parking position determination unit determines a parking position corresponding to the current situation based on the parking position information. The output unit outputs information on the parking position determined by the parking position determination unit. In this aspect, the parking position determination device can suitably output a parking position suitable for the current situation by referring to parking position information related to a parking position in a parking lot that is recommended for each situation.

[0012] In another aspect of the parking position determination device, the situation acquisition unit acquires information about weather as the current situation. According to this aspect, the parking position determination device can suitably output a parking position in a parking lot that is suitable for the current weather conditions.

[0013] In another aspect of the parking position determination device, the parking position determination unit determines a parking position in the shade when the weather is above a predetermined temperature and sunny, and determines a parking position with a roof when the weather is rainy or snowy, based on the parking position information. With this aspect, the parking position determination device can output a parking position where the vehicle is not exposed to direct sunlight when it is hot outside, and can output a parking position where the vehicle is less likely to get dirty from rain or snow when it is raining or snowing.

[0014] In another aspect of the parking position determination device, the situation acquisition unit identifies the current situation based on the output of a sensor. In this aspect, the parking position determination device can accurately determine the situation that affects the determination of the parking position, such as the weather condition, based on the output of one or more sensors provided in the vehicle, and can appropriately output the parking position that is suitable for the determined situation.

[0015] In another aspect of the parking position determination device, the situation acquisition unit identifies the current situation based on an input to an input unit or setting information stored in the storage unit. In this aspect, the parking position determination device can accurately grasp the user's psychological state and the like and appropriately output a parking position suitable for the situation.

[0016] In another aspect of the parking position determination device, when the parking position determination unit determines based on the input or the setting information that the driver desires good access to the facility corresponding to the parking lot, it determines a parking position that is within a predetermined distance from the entrance of the facility. With this aspect, the parking position determination device can suitably output a parking position suitable for a situation in which the driver desires good access to the facility corresponding to the parking lot.

[0017] In another aspect of the parking position determination device, when the parking position determination unit determines based on the input or the setting information that the driver desires a parking position that is easy to park in, the parking position determination unit determines a parking position that does not have any obstacles within at least a predetermined distance. With this aspect, the parking position determination device can suitably output a parking position that is suitable for a situation in which the driver desires a parking position that is easy to park in.

[0018] In another aspect of the parking position determination device, the output unit outputs information for guiding the vehicle to the parking position determined by the parking position determination unit. With this aspect, the parking position determination device can guide the vehicle to a parking position suitable for the current situation.

[0019] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a control method is executed by a parking position determination device having a storage unit that stores parking position information, which is information about parking positions in a parking lot recommended for each situation, and includes a situation acquisition step of acquiring a current situation, a parking position determination step of determining a parking position corresponding to the current situation based on the parking position information, and an output step of outputting information about the parking position determined in the parking position determination step. By executing this control method, the parking position determination device can refer to the parking position information about parking positions in a parking lot recommended for each situation and suitably output a parking position suitable for the current situation.

[0020] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a program executed by a computer that references a storage unit that stores parking position information, which is information about parking positions in a parking lot recommended for each situation, causes the computer to function as a situation acquisition unit that acquires a current situation, a parking position determination unit that determines a parking position corresponding to the target situation based on the parking position information, and an output unit that outputs information about the parking position determined by the parking position determination unit. By executing this program, the computer can reference parking position information about parking positions in a parking lot recommended for each situation and suitably output a parking position suitable for the current situation. Preferably, this program is stored in a storage medium. EXAMPLES

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

[0022] [Navigation device configuration] Fig. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a navigation device 1 to which a calculation device of the present invention is applied. The navigation device 1 presents a recommended parking position (also called a "recommended parking position") in a target parking lot, taking into consideration the current weather, the driver's situation, etc. As shown in Fig. 1, the navigation device 1 includes a sensor group 10, a GPS receiver 18, a system controller 20, a data storage unit 31, a communication device 38, a display unit 40, an audio output unit 50, and an input device 60.

[0023] The sensor group 10 includes an independent positioning device 11, a camera 12, a temperature sensor 13, and a raindrop sensor 14. The independent positioning device 11 includes an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration of the vehicle, an angular velocity sensor such as a vibration gyroscope that detects the angular velocity of the vehicle when the vehicle changes direction, and a distance sensor that measures a vehicle speed pulse consisting of a pulse signal generated with the rotation of the vehicle's wheels. The camera 12 is a camera that captures the scenery outside the vehicle and is pointed, for example, in the forward direction of the vehicle. The temperature sensor 13 detects the temperature around the vehicle. The raindrop sensor 14 detects the amount of rain based on the characteristic that the amount of light received by the light receiver changes when infrared rays emitted from a light-emitting diode are scattered as they pass through raindrops.

[0024] The GPS receiver 18 receives radio waves 19 carrying downlink data including positioning data from multiple GPS satellites. The positioning data is used to detect the absolute position of the vehicle from latitude and longitude information, etc.

[0025] The system controller 20 includes an interface 21, a CPU 22, a ROM 23, and a RAM 24, and controls the entire navigation device 1. For example, the system controller 20 executes route search to a destination designated by a user and route guidance for the searched route. In this embodiment, the system controller 20 identifies a current driving situation (also called a "target situation") that is a reference for determining a recommended parking position based on the output of the sensor group 10, etc., determines a recommended parking position according to the identified target situation, and provides guidance to the recommended parking position. The target situation includes weather conditions, vehicle conditions, and the psychological state of the driver. The system controller 20 is an example of a "situation acquisition unit," a "parking position determination unit," an "output unit," and a computer that executes a program in the present invention.

[0026] The interface 21 performs interface operation with the sensor group 10, such as the autonomous positioning device 11, the external sensor 12, the temperature sensor 13, and the raindrop sensor, as well as the GPS receiver 18. The interface 21 inputs these output data to the system controller 20. The CPU 22 controls the entire system controller 20. The ROM 23 has a non-volatile memory (not shown) in which a control program for controlling the system controller 20 and the like are stored. The RAM 24 readably stores various data, such as route data preset by the user via the input device 60, and provides a working area for the CPU 22.

[0027] The system controller 20 , the data storage unit 31 , the display unit 40 , the audio output unit 50 and the input device 60 are connected to each other via a bus line 30 .

[0028] The data storage unit 31 is configured with a storage medium such as a HDD, and stores various data used in navigation processing such as map data. The map data includes road data represented by links corresponding to roads and nodes corresponding to road connections (intersections), and facility information related to facilities. Facilities registered in the map data as facility information include parking lots and facilities with parking lots. Furthermore, facility information corresponding to parking lots or facilities with parking lots includes identification information for identifying the parking lots.

[0029] In this embodiment, the data storage unit 31 also stores parking lot layout information 32 and a recommended parking position table 33 as part of the map data. The parking lot layout information 32 is information for identifying the layout of each parking lot, and includes, for example, the position information of each parking space for each parking lot. The recommended parking position table 33 is a table in which information on the parking position suitable for each situation is recorded for each parking lot. The parking lots registered in the parking lot layout information 32 and the recommended parking position table 33 include independent parking lots such as paid parking lots registered in the facility information described above, as well as parking lots registered in the facility information as parking lots attached to the facility. The recommended parking position table 33 is an example of the "parking position information" in the present invention.

[0030] The communication device 38 receives traffic congestion information distributed from a VICS (Vehicle Information Communication System, registered trademark) center, traffic congestion information distributed from a server device (not shown) that distributes traffic congestion information, etc. The communication device 38 may receive information to be stored in the data storage unit 31 as map data (including the parking lot layout information 32 and the recommended parking position table 33) from a server device (not shown) under the control of the system controller 20.

[0031] The display unit 40 displays various display data on a display device such as a display under the control of the system controller 20. Specifically, the system controller 20 reads map data from the data storage unit 31. The display unit 40 displays an image based on the map data read from the data storage unit 31 by the system controller 20 on a display screen such as a display. The display unit 40 includes a graphic controller 41 that controls the entire display unit 40 based on control data sent from the CPU 22 via the bus line 30, a buffer memory 42 that is a memory such as a VRAM (Video RAM) and temporarily stores image information that can be displayed immediately, a display control unit 43 that controls the display 44 such as a liquid crystal display or a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) based on image data output from the graphic controller 41, and a display 44. The display 44 is, for example, a liquid crystal display device with a diagonal size of about 5 to 10 inches, and is attached near the front panel inside the vehicle.

[0032] The audio output unit 50 is configured to include a D / A converter 51 that performs D / A conversion of audio digital data sent from the RAM 24 etc. via the bus line 30 under the control of the system controller 20, an amplifier (AMP) 52 that amplifies the audio analog signal output from the D / A converter 51, and a speaker 53 that converts the amplified audio analog signal into audio and outputs it inside the vehicle.

[0033] The input device 60 is composed of keys, switches, buttons, a remote control, a voice input device, etc. for inputting various commands and data. The input device 60 is disposed on the front panel of the main body of the in-vehicle electronic system mounted in the vehicle or around the display 44. In addition, if the display 44 is of a touch panel type, the touch panel provided on the display screen of the display 44 also functions as the input device 60.

[0034] [Data Structure] Next, the data structures of the parking lot layout information 32 and the recommended parking position table 33 will be described.

[0035] FIG. 2 is a layout diagram based on the parking lot layout information 32 of parking lot A recorded in the parking lot layout information 32. Parking lot A has a rectangular parking area with an entrance and an exit, and is marked with an identification number "P A 1" to "P A There are 40 parking spaces assigned to each vehicle.

[0036] In order to specify the layout of parking lot A as shown in FIG. 2, the parking lot layout information 32 includes position information regarding the boundaries of the entire parking area of ​​parking lot A, position information regarding the entrance and exit of parking lot A, position information regarding the entrance to the facility (store) that has parking lot A (including the boarding positions of elevators and escalators), and an identification number P A 1~P A The parking lot layout information 32 records information for grasping the layout of the parking lot for each parking lot. The position information of each parking space registered in the parking lot layout information 32 may be the position information of each of the four corners of the target parking space, or may be the position information indicating the center position of the target parking space.

[0037] FIG. 3(A) is a diagram showing a schematic data structure of the recommended parking position table 33. FIG. 3(B) is a diagram showing the characteristics of the parking lot A shown in FIG. 2. The recommended parking position table 33 shown in FIG. 3(A) has the following items: "Parking lot", "Status", and "Recommended parking position". The "Parking lot" item registers the identification information of each parking lot. The "Status" item registers a symbol corresponding to each expected situation (X to V in FIG. 3(A)). Here, the above-mentioned symbol is assigned to each expected situation, and in the example of FIG. 3(A), "X" indicates a weather situation of scorching sun, "Y" indicates a weather situation of rain or snow, "Z" indicates a situation in which the driver places importance on ease of parking, and "V" indicates a situation in which the driver places importance on good access to the facility to which the target parking lot belongs. The "Recommended parking position" item registers the identification number of the parking space corresponding to the recommended parking position.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 3A, in the recommended parking position table 33, the identification number of the parking space suitable for each situation to which a symbol is assigned is associated. For example, in the case of situation X, which indicates a scorching weather condition, the identification number corresponding to the parking space with a roof (P A 1~P A 5) and the identification number corresponding to the parking space that is mainly shaded during the day other than the parking space with a roof (P A 7~P A 14) is registered in the "recommended parking position" field. Similarly, in the case of situation Y, which indicates weather conditions of rain or snow, the identification number corresponding to the parking space with a roof (P A 1~P A 5) is registered in the "recommended parking position" field. In the case of situation Z, which indicates a situation where the driver places importance on ease of parking, the identification number corresponding to the parking space where the adjacent parking space is statistically more likely to be vacant and / or where there are no obstacles within a specified distance that may impede parking (P A 16~P A 20, P A 23~P A 27) is registered in the "recommended parking position" field. The above-mentioned predetermined distance is set, for example, to the maximum distance from the parking position where an obstacle, if any, may be an obstacle when parking. In addition, in the case of situation V, which indicates a situation in which the driver places importance on good access to the facility to which the target parking lot belongs, an identification number corresponding to a parking space within a predetermined distance from the entrance of the facility (P A 22~P A 25, P A 29~P A 35) will be registered under the "recommended parking location" category.

[0039] In this way, information regarding parking positions suitable for each anticipated situation is preregistered as recommended parking positions for each parking lot in the recommended parking position table 33. The facility information in the map data corresponding to a parking lot or a facility to which a parking lot is attached includes, for example, identification information for identifying the parking lot in the parking lot layout information 32 and the recommended parking position table 33. As a result, when a facility that is a destination is specified, the system controller 20 identifies the target parking lot from the parking lots registered in the parking lot layout information 32 and the recommended parking position table 33 by referring to the facility information of the facility.

[0040] [Identifying the target situation] Next, a method of identifying target situations required to determine a recommended parking position will be described with reference to the recommended parking position table 33. In general, the system controller 20 identifies target situations related to parking based on information input to the input device 60, setting information stored in the data storage unit 36, information received by the communication device 38, or output information from the sensor group 10, etc. A specific example of these will be described with reference to the example in FIG. 3(A).

[0041] For example, the system controller 20 determines that the target situation is a scorching weather situation when the temperature output by the temperature sensor 13 is a predetermined temperature (e.g., 30 degrees or more), the average brightness of the image generated by the camera 12 is a predetermined value or more, or the illuminance output by an illuminance sensor (not shown) is a predetermined degree or more. Therefore, in this case, when referring to the recommended parking position table 33, the system controller 20 determines the recommended parking position by referring to the record corresponding to the situation X. Note that instead of using the output of the temperature sensor 13, etc., the system controller 20 may determine whether the target situation is a scorching weather situation by acquiring weather information around the current position from a server device (not shown) based on the current position information output by the GPS receiver 18. In this case, the system controller 20 determines that the target situation is a scorching weather situation when it determines that the maximum temperature is a predetermined temperature or more and the weather is sunny based on the weather information received from the server device.

[0042] Similarly, when the amount of rain output by the raindrop sensor 14 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, the system controller 20 determines that the target situation is a weather situation in which rain or snow will occur. Therefore, in this case, when referring to the recommended parking position table 33, the system controller 20 determines the recommended parking position by referring to the record corresponding to the situation Y. Note that instead of using the output of the raindrop sensor 14, the system controller 20 may determine whether the target situation is a weather situation in which rain or snow will occur by acquiring weather information around the current position from a server device (not shown) based on the current position information output by the GPS receiver 18. In this case, when the system controller 20 determines that the weather around the current position is rain or snow based on the weather information received from the server device, the system controller 20 determines that the target situation is a weather situation in which rain or snow will occur. Also, the system controller 20 may determine that the target situation is a weather situation in which rain or snow will occur when the system controller 20 recognizes the presence of rain or snow in the scenery outside the vehicle based on an image generated by the camera 12 using a known image recognition technology.

[0043] In yet another example, when a parking lot or a facility with a parking lot is set as the destination, the system controller 20 specifies the target situation by receiving an input specifying the target situation from the input device 60. In this case, for example, the system controller 20 displays a plurality of items such as "emphasis on ease of parking," "emphasis on proximity to the entrance to the facility," and "emphasis on proximity to the exit" on the display 44 so that the items can be selected by a touch panel. Then, for example, when the item "emphasis on ease of parking" is selected, the system controller 20 determines that the target situation is a situation in which the driver places importance on ease of parking. Also, when the item "emphasis on proximity to the entrance to the facility" is selected, the system controller 20 determines that the target situation is a situation in which the driver places importance on proximity to the entrance to the facility.

[0044] Instead of accepting an input specifying the target situation when setting a destination, the system controller 20 may accept an input related to the target situation at any timing of the user's choice. In this case, the system controller 20 stores the accepted input information in the data storage unit 31 as setting information related to the target situation. Then, when the system controller 20 determines that the target situation should be identified, it identifies the target situation by referring to the setting information stored in the data storage unit 31.

[0045] [Processing flow] 4 is a flowchart relating to the determination of a recommended parking position executed by the system controller 20. The system controller 20 repeatedly executes the process of the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0046] First, the system controller 20 judges whether or not a parking lot or a facility having a parking lot is set as the destination (step S101). If the system controller 20 judges that a parking lot or a facility having a parking lot is set as the destination (step S101; Yes), the process proceeds to step S102. On the other hand, if neither a parking lot nor a facility having a parking lot is set as the destination (step S101; No), the system controller 20 ends the process of the flowchart.

[0047] Next, in step S102, the system controller 20 identifies the target situation based on the user input to the input device 60 or the output of the sensor group 10 (step S102). Note that the system controller 20 may identify the target situation by referring to weather information received from the communication device 38 and setting information related to the target situation stored in the data storage unit 31, instead of using the user input to the input device 60 or the output of the sensor group 10.

[0048] Next, the system controller 20 determines a recommended parking position according to the target situation identified in step S102 (step S103). Specifically, first, the system controller 20 identifies identification information of the parking lot set as the destination in step S101 or the parking lot associated with the facility set as the destination based on facility information in the map data, etc. Then, based on the identification information of the identified parking lot, the system controller 20 determines a recommended parking position by referring to the recommended parking position table 33. Also, before or after steps S102 and S103, the system controller 20 searches for a route to the destination and starts route guidance for the searched route.

[0049] Then, the system controller 20 judges whether or not the destination set in step S101 has been reached (step S104). If the system controller 20 judges that the destination has been reached (step S104; Yes), it refers to the parking lot layout information 32 and causes the display 44 to display a layout image of the parking lot indicating the recommended parking position (step S105). The layout image of the parking lot displayed in step S105 will be described later with reference to FIG. 5. On the other hand, if the system controller 20 has not arrived at the destination set in step S101 (step S104; No), it performs route guidance to the destination and judges whether or not the destination has been reached based on the current position information output by the GPS receiver 18.

[0050] FIG. 5 shows an example of a layout image of a parking lot that the system controller 20 causes the display 44 to display in step S105 of FIG.

[0051] In Figure 5, the system controller 20 determines that the vehicle has arrived at parking lot A shown in Figure 2 based on the output of the GPS receiver 18 etc., and by referring to the parking lot layout information 32, displays a layout image showing an overall view of parking lot A.

[0052] In addition, the system controller 20 determines that the target situation is a weather situation in which it will be rainy or snowy (i.e., situation Y) based on the output of the sensor group 10, and determines that the parking spaces with the identification numbers PA1 to PA6 are estimated parking positions by referring to the recommended parking position table 33 shown in FIG. 3(A). A 1~P A 6 highlights the parking space No. 5 and displays an explanatory text explaining why the highlighted parking space is a recommended parking position. The explanatory text explaining why the highlighted parking space is a recommended parking position may be, for example, a standard text previously associated with each situation and stored in the data storage unit 31, or may be an explanatory text (not shown in FIG. 3(A)) registered for each record in the recommended parking position table 33. According to the layout image shown in FIG. 6, when the driver arrives at parking lot A, the system controller 20 can easily understand a parking position in parking lot A that is suitable for the current situation, and can appropriately guide the vehicle to the parking position.

[0053] Note that the system controller 20 may display a current position mark indicating the vehicle's position in the layout image of Fig. 5, and may further display a route line tracing the route from the current position mark to the estimated parking position, instead of the display example of Fig. 5. This allows the system controller 20 to more reliably guide the vehicle to the recommended parking position.

[0054] As described above, the data storage unit 31 of the navigation device 1 according to this embodiment stores the recommended parking position table 33 related to recommended parking positions in a parking lot. The system controller 20 identifies a target situation, which is the current situation, based on the output of the sensor group 10 or the input to the input device 60. The system controller 20 then determines a recommended parking position corresponding to the target situation based on the recommended parking position table 33, and causes the display 44 to display a layout image clearly indicating the determined recommended parking position. This allows the navigation device 1 to appropriately guide the vehicle to a parking position suitable for the current situation.

[0055] [Variations] The following describes various modifications of the embodiment. These modifications may be combined and applied to the above embodiment.

[0056] (Variation 1) In the embodiment, a part of the processing executed by the navigation device 1 may be executed by a server device that communicates with the navigation device 1 via a network.

[0057] Fig. 6 shows the configuration of a parking location guidance system according to a modified example. In the example of Fig. 6, the parking location guidance system includes a navigation device 1 and a server device 3 having parking lot layout information 32 and a recommended parking location table 33.

[0058] In the configuration example of FIG. 6, for example, similar to the embodiment, when the navigation device 1 determines in step S101 of FIG. 4 that a parking lot or a facility having a parking lot is set as the destination, the navigation device 1 identifies the target situation in step S102. Then, in step S103, the navigation device 1 transmits a request signal including information on the identified target situation and the destination specified by the user to the server device 3. In this case, the server device 3 receives the request signal and determines a recommended parking position in the target parking lot by referring to the recommended parking position table 33 based on the request signal. Then, the server device 3 refers to the parking lot layout information 32 and transmits information for displaying a layout image of the parking lot showing the recommended parking positions as shown in FIG. 5 to the navigation device 1.

[0059] In this modification, the CPU and the like of the server device 3 are examples of the "situation acquisition unit", the "parking position determination unit", the "output unit" and the computer that executes the program of the present invention.

[0060] (Variation 2) In step S105 of Fig. 4, instead of displaying a layout image of the parking lot showing the recommended parking position as shown in Fig. 5, the navigation device 1 may output a guidance voice required to reach the recommended parking position from the entrance of the target parking lot through the voice output unit 50. In this case, the navigation device 1 may display the layout image of the parking lot shown in Fig. 5 and output the above-mentioned voice guidance through the voice output unit 50.

[0061] (Variation 3) In the case of a parking lot with multiple floors, information on floors suitable for parking for each expected situation may be registered in advance as recommended parking positions in the recommended parking position table 33. In this case, after identifying the target situation, the system controller 20 refers to the recommended parking position table 33, and when it determines a specific floor of the target parking lot as a recommended parking position, it displays and / or outputs audio to guide the user to that floor.

[0062] In this modification, information on floors suitable for parking for each expected situation and information on suitable parking spaces on the floors may be registered in advance as recommended parking positions in the recommended parking position table 33. In this case, after guiding the vehicle to the target floor, the system controller 20 displays and / or outputs audio to guide the vehicle to a recommended parking position on the floor. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1 Navigation devices 3. Server equipment 10 Sensor Group 12 GPS receiver 20 System Controller 22 CPU 31 Data Storage Unit 38 Communication Equipment 40 Display Unit 44 Display 50 Audio Output Unit 60 Input Devices

Claims

[Claim 1] A storage unit that stores parking position information, which is information regarding parking positions within a parking lot that are recommended for each situation; A situation acquisition unit that acquires a current situation; a parking position determination unit that determines a parking position corresponding to the current situation based on the parking position information; an output unit that outputs information on the parking position determined by the parking position determination unit; A parking position determination device having the following.

Images