Parking support system, parking support method, and computer program

Abstract

To accurately recognize a pallet without imposing a load.SOLUTION: Parking support systems PS1 and PS2 comprise control devices 100 and 100a installed on a vehicle V1 and server devices 500 and 500a. The control device includes a position notification unit 11, and a pallet recognition unit 12 that executes a recognition process to recognize at least the position and orientation of a pallet p1 in a mechanical parking facility. The server device includes: a position receiving unit 511; parking lot databases 561 and 561a that map and store the location of the mechanical parking facility and a recognition processing parameter; a specific parameter specifying unit 512 which specifies a specific parking lot, and the recognition processing parameters mapped to the specific parking lot by referencing the parking lot databases; and a parameter transmission unit 513 which transmits the recognition processing parameters to the control device. The pallet recognition unit performs recognition processing using a detection result from a sensor 410 that detects the ambient environment of a vehicle and the recognition processing parameters it receives.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to vehicle parking assistance. [Background technology]

[0002] Various systems have been proposed that use the detection results of sensors such as cameras and radars mounted on vehicles to recognize pallets on which vehicles are to be loaded in mechanical parking lots and provide assistance with parking on the pallets. Patent Document 1 discloses a mechanical parking system that makes it easier to recognize pallets in mechanical parking lots by adding section lines that run in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle to the road surface at both widthwise ends of the outer periphery of the pallet. Patent Document 2 discloses an automatic parking assistance system that provides a white line frame, which serves as a landmark when parking a vehicle, on the road surface in front of the entrance / exit door of a mechanical parking facility. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-199925 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2020-051116 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the systems of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, a partition line or a white line frame must be painted or the like near the mechanical parking facility, which imposes a burden on the manager of the parking facility. Here, the size and shape of the pallet to be recognized may differ among multiple mechanical parking facilities. However, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 do not take into account such differences in size and shape of the pallet, so there is a problem that the pallet cannot be recognized accurately and parking assistance cannot be performed. Therefore, a technology that can recognize the pallet accurately without imposing a burden is desired. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] As one embodiment of the present disclosure, a parking assistance system (PS1, PS2) is provided that assists in parking a vehicle (V1) in a mechanical parking lot (MP). The parking assistance system includes a control device (100, 100a) mounted on the vehicle, and a server device (500, 500a) capable of communicating with the control device. The control device includes a position notification unit (11) that acquires and transmits a host vehicle position, which is the position of the vehicle, and a pallet recognition unit (12) that executes recognition processing to recognize at least the position and orientation of a pallet (p1) in the mechanical parking lot. The server device includes a location receiving unit (511) that receives the vehicle location, a parking lot database (561, 561a) that stores, for one or more mechanical parking lots, the location of the mechanical parking lot and a recognition processing parameter that is a parameter used to recognize the pallet of the mechanical parking lot by the recognition processing in association with each other, a parameter specifying unit (512) that specifies a specific parking lot among the one or more mechanical parking lots that is a mechanical parking lot that satisfies a predetermined condition related to the vehicle location, and specifies the recognition processing parameter associated with the specific parking lot by referring to the parking lot database, and a parameter transmitting unit (513) that transmits the specified recognition processing parameter to the control device. The pallet recognition unit executes the recognition processing by using the detection result of a sensor (410) that detects the surrounding environment of the vehicle and the received recognition processing parameter.

[0006] According to this form of parking assistance system, the vehicle transmits its own vehicle position, and the server device uses the received vehicle position to identify a mechanical parking lot (specific parking lot) that satisfies predetermined conditions related to the vehicle's position, and recognition processing parameters corresponding to the specific parking lot are transmitted to the control device. The vehicle's pallet recognition unit performs recognition processing to recognize at least the position and orientation of the pallet using the sensor detection results and the received recognition processing parameters, so that the pallet can be recognized with high accuracy without imposing the burden of placing dividing lines or white line frames on the road surface near the parking facility.

[0007] As another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a parking assistance method for assisting a vehicle (V1) in parking in a mechanical parking lot (MP) using a control device (100, 100a) mounted on the vehicle (V1) and a server device (500, 500a) capable of communicating with the control device. This parking assistance method includes the steps of: acquiring and transmitting, in the control device, a vehicle position, which is the position of the vehicle; receiving, in the server device, the vehicle position; storing, in the server device, a parking lot database (561, 561a) in which, for one or more mechanical parking lots, the positions of the mechanical parking lots are associated with recognition processing parameters, which are parameters used to recognize pallets in the mechanical parking lots by recognition processing; identifying, in the server device, a specific parking lot, which is a mechanical parking lot that satisfies predetermined conditions related to the vehicle position, among the one or more mechanical parking lots, and identifying the recognition processing parameters associated with the specific parking lot by referring to the parking lot database; transmitting, in the server device, the identified recognition processing parameters to the control device; and executing, in the control device, the recognition processing using the detection results of a sensor (410) that detects the surrounding environment of the vehicle and the received recognition processing parameters, to recognize at least the position and orientation of a pallet (p1) in the mechanical parking lot.

[0008] According to this form of parking assistance method, the vehicle transmits its own vehicle position, and the server device uses the received vehicle position to identify a mechanical parking lot (specific parking lot) that satisfies predetermined conditions related to the vehicle position, and recognition processing parameters corresponding to the specific parking lot are transmitted to the control device. The control device then performs recognition processing using the sensor detection results and the received recognition processing parameters to recognize at least the position and orientation of the pallet, thereby enabling the pallet to be recognized with high accuracy without imposing the burden of placing dividing lines or white line frames on the road surface near the parking facility.

[0009] As another embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer program is provided for assisting parking of a vehicle in a mechanical parking lot (MP) using a control device (100, 100a) mounted on a vehicle (V1). This computer program causes a computer included in the control device to realize a function of acquiring and transmitting a host vehicle position, which is the position of the vehicle, and a function of executing the recognition process using a detection result of a sensor (410) that detects the surrounding environment of the vehicle and a recognition process parameter received from a server device (500, 500a), which is a parameter used to recognize a pallet in the mechanical parking lot by the recognition process, thereby recognizing at least the position and orientation of a pallet (p1) in the mechanical parking lot.

[0010] According to this form of computer program, recognition processing parameters are transmitted from the server device to the control device, and the control device performs recognition processing to recognize at least the position and orientation of the pallet using the sensor detection results and the received recognition processing parameters, thereby enabling the pallet to be recognized with high accuracy without imposing the burden of placing dividing lines or white line frames on the road surface near the parking facility.

[0011] As another embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer program is provided for assisting a vehicle in parking in a mechanical parking lot (MP) using a server device (500, 500a) capable of communicating with a control device (100, 100a) mounted on a vehicle (V1). This computer program causes a computer included in the server device to realize the following functions: storing a parking lot database (561, 561a) in which, for one or more mechanical parking lots, the positions of the mechanical parking lots are associated with recognition processing parameters that are parameters used to recognize pallets in the mechanical parking lots by recognition processing; receiving a host vehicle position that is the position of the vehicle; identifying a specific parking lot that is a mechanical parking lot that satisfies a predetermined condition related to the host vehicle position among the one or more mechanical parking lots, and identifying the recognition processing parameters associated with the specific parking lot by referring to the parking lot database; and transmitting the identified recognition processing parameters to the control device.

[0012] According to this form of computer program, the computer possessed by the server device is enabled to perform the following functions: for one or more mechanical parking lots, store a parking lot database that corresponds the positions of the mechanical parking lots with recognition processing parameters; receive the vehicle position; identify a specific parking lot among the one or more mechanical parking lots that is a mechanical parking lot that satisfies predetermined conditions related to the vehicle position, and identify the recognition processing parameters associated with the specific parking lot by referring to the parking lot database; and transmit the identified recognition processing parameters to the control device.Therefore, the control device can accurately recognize the pallet without imposing the burden of placing dividing lines or white line frames on the road surface near the parking facility. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a first block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a parking assistance system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a second block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the parking assistance system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a top view showing a schematic example of a mechanical parking lot in which pallets are used. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a detailed configuration of a mechanical parking lot. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a detailed configuration of a pallet. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a top view showing a variation of the pallet. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of parking assistance processing in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a first block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a parking assistance system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a second block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the parking assistance system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of parking assistance processing in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] A. First embodiment: A-1. Overall system configuration and vehicle configuration: The parking assistance system PS1 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 assists the vehicle V1 in parking in a mechanical parking lot. Specifically, the system recognizes a pallet (for example, a pallet p1 in a mechanical parking lot MP described later) in the mechanical parking lot, and automatically drives the vehicle V1 to the pallet so that the vehicle V1 is loaded on the pallet. The parking assistance system PS1 includes a control device 100 mounted on the vehicle V1, and a server device 500 capable of communicating with the control device 100. In this embodiment, "capable of communicating with the control device 100" means that the control device 100 can be indirectly communicated with via a well-known wireless LAN (Local Area Network) and wired LAN, or a WAN (Wide Area Network). Note that the system may be configured to be capable of directly communicating with the control device 100. FIG. 1 mainly shows a detailed configuration of the control device 100 in the parking assistance system PS1, and FIG. 2 mainly shows a detailed configuration of the server device 500. Before explaining the control device 100 and the server device 500, the configuration of the vehicle V1 will be explained. The vehicle V1 may be referred to as the "own vehicle."

[0015] The vehicle V1 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 is configured to be capable of both automatic driving and manual driving. Automatic driving means driving in a state where the control device 100 controls at least a part of various processes such as lighting and wiper operation in addition to basic operations of the vehicle V1 such as running, turning, and stopping. On the other hand, manual driving means driving in a state where the occupant of the vehicle V1 controls all of the above-mentioned basic operations. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle V1 includes a sensor 410, a wireless communication unit 420, a GPS unit 430, a man-machine interface unit 150 (hereinafter also referred to as "MHI unit 150"), an operation execution unit 200, and an operation control unit 300 in addition to the control device 100. The control device 100 is configured to be capable of communicating with the sensor 410, the wireless communication unit 420, the GPS unit 430, the MHI unit 150, and the operation control unit 300 via an in-vehicle network. As the in-vehicle network, for example, a Controller Area Network (CAN), a Local Interconnect Network (LIN), Flex Ray, or Ethernet (registered trademark) may be used.

[0016] The sensor 410 detects the surrounding environment of the vehicle V1. The sensor 410 transmits the detection result to the control device 100. In this embodiment, the sensor 410 includes an imaging unit 411, a millimeter wave radar 412, and a sonic sensor 413. The imaging unit 411 captures an image of the surroundings of the vehicle V1 to obtain a captured image. The millimeter wave radar 412 and the sonic sensor 413 emit millimeter waves or sonic waves, and detect the position of an object present around the vehicle V1 and the distance to the object by receiving the reflected wave reflected by the object. Note that the "object" detected by the millimeter wave radar 412 is a collection of multiple detection points (targets).

[0017] The wireless communication unit 420 uses a mobile communication system such as 4G (Generation) and 5G to output data received from the control device 100 as a wireless signal to a network NW including a base station (not shown). The wireless communication unit 420 also receives a wireless signal from the network NW, performs processing such as demodulation and amplification, and outputs the obtained data to the control device 100. The "network NW" is not limited to a network owned by a mobile communication carrier having a system such as 4G described above, but is a broad concept including any type of network connected to such a network.

[0018] The GPS device 420 identifies the position information of the vehicle V1 and outputs it to the control device 100. Note that instead of the GPS unit 420, a functional unit capable of implementing any other type of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) may be used.

[0019] The MHI unit 150 is a functional unit for exchanging information between the control device 100 and the occupant, such as a display device (not shown) and an operation panel operated by the occupant of the vehicle V1. The MHI unit 150 may be realized, for example, by a touch panel type liquid crystal display. The occupant can use the MHI unit 150 to select from various processing menus and to check the results of execution of various processes by the control device 100 (for example, a determined parking route, which will be described later).

[0020] The operation execution unit 200 executes the operation of the host vehicle V1, i.e., running, steering, braking, and operating accessories including various lamps. The operation execution unit 200 includes an engine 210, a brake mechanism 220, and a steering mechanism 230. The brake mechanism 220 is made up of a group of devices (actuators) related to brake control, such as sensors, motors, valves, and pumps. The steering mechanism 230 is made up of a group of devices (actuators) related to steering, such as a power steering motor.

[0021] The operation control unit 300 controls the operation execution unit 200. The operation control unit 300 includes an engine ECU 310 that controls the engine 210, a brake ECU 320 that controls the brake mechanism 220, and a steering ECU 330 that controls the steering mechanism 230. The engine ECU 310 controls various actuators (not shown) to control the opening and closing operation of a throttle valve, the ignition operation of an igniter, the opening and closing operation of an intake valve, and the like. The brake ECU 320 controls the operation of actuators related to brake control. The steering ECU 330 controls the operation of actuators related to steering.

[0022] A-2.Controller configuration: The control device 100 is configured as a computer in which a CPU 10, a ROM 20, and a RAM 30 are capable of communicating with each other via an internal bus 90. The CPU 10 functions as a position notification unit 11, a palette recognition unit 12, a path determination unit 13, and a path following control unit 14 by expanding a computer program pre-stored in the ROM 20 into the RAM 30 and executing it.

[0023] The position notification unit 11 acquires the position of the vehicle V1 (hereinafter also referred to as "vehicle position") from the GPS unit 430, and transmits it to the outside via the wireless communication unit 420. In this embodiment, the destination of the vehicle position is the server device 500.

[0024] The pallet recognition unit 12 recognizes the position and orientation of pallets in the mechanical parking lot. In this embodiment, the pallet recognition unit 12 executes a process (hereinafter also simply referred to as "recognition process") of recognizing the position and orientation of pallets present in the detection results of the captured image, etc., by inputting the detection results by the sensor 410 into a detection model that utilizes artificial intelligence. In this embodiment, the above-mentioned detection model is a DNN (deep neural network).

[0025] In FIG. 3, an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis that are orthogonal to each other are shown. The X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis shown in FIG. 4 and subsequent figures correspond to the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis in FIG. 3. The +Z direction corresponds to the vertically upward direction. In FIG. 3, the vehicle V1 is parked on the road Rd, and for ease of understanding, the vehicle V1 is shown in a broken line loaded on a pallet p1. In FIG. 3, a parking route R1 from the current position of the vehicle V1 to a position on the pallet p1 is shown in a broken line. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the vehicle V1 is parked on the pallet p1.

[0026] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the mechanical parking lot MP is arranged at a corner of the road Rd with the entrance / exit E1 facing the road Rd. The mechanical parking lot MP has a configuration in which a plurality of pallets p1 configured to be movable up and down by an elevator (not shown) are arranged in a building B1. A pair of demarcation lines L1 are provided on the left and right outer sides of the pallet p1 so as to sandwich the pallet p1. The demarcation lines L1 are provided in a direction parallel to the vehicle length direction of the vehicle V1 loaded on the pallet p1 (i.e., the Y-axis direction). The demarcation lines L1 separate the pallet p1 from the floor surface.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 5, the pallet p1 has a substantially plate-like external shape. The pallet p1 includes a main plate portion pa, a pair of guard portions g1, and a protruding portion h1. The main plate portion pa is a main member on which the vehicle V1 is placed. The main plate portion pa is a steel plate-like member. The longitudinal direction of the main plate portion pa coincides with the Y-axis direction, and the longitudinal length is greater than the size of the vehicle V1 in the vehicle length direction. The pair of guard portions g1 are provided on both ends of the upper surface of the main plate portion pa in the X-axis direction. The pair of guard portions g1 protrude upward (in the +Z direction) from the upper surface of the main plate portion pa. The vehicle V1 is placed on an area Ar1 (hereinafter referred to as the "inner portion Ar1") of the upper surface of the main plate portion pa sandwiched between the pair of guard portions g1. The pair of guard portions g1 have a function of positioning the vehicle V1 when it is placed on the pallet p1, and a function of suppressing the positional deviation of the vehicle V1 placed on the pallet p1 in the X-axis direction. The protrusion h1 is provided in the center of the inner portion Ar1 in the vehicle width direction (X-axis direction) over the entire length direction (Y-axis direction) of the main plate portion pa. The protrusion h1 protrudes upward from the upper surface of the main plate portion pa, similar to the pair of guard portions g1. The width of the protrusion h1 in the X-axis direction is smaller than the width of the inner portion Ar1 in the X-axis direction. Therefore, on the upper surface of the main plate portion pa, a pair of groove portions s1 are provided between each guard portion g1 and the protrusion h1, the pair of groove portions s1 extending in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) of the main plate portion pa with the upper surface of the main plate portion pa as its bottom surface. The tires of the vehicle V1 are placed in the pair of groove portions s1 when parked.

[0028] In this embodiment, the pallet recognition unit 12 executes semantic segmentation as a recognition process. Note that semantic segmentation is merely an example, and any other type of recognition process may be executed. In addition, by identifying the position and orientation of the inner part Ar1 in the pallet p1, in particular, a parking path for positioning the vehicle V1 in the inner part Ar1 is accurately identified.

[0029] 1 determines a driving route of the vehicle V1 until the vehicle V1 is loaded onto the pallet recognized by the pallet recognition unit 12. The route following control unit 14 controls the driving of the vehicle V1 so that the vehicle V1 travels along the route determined by the route determination unit 13.

[0030] A-3. Server configuration: 2 is configured by a computer, and includes a CPU 510, a ROM 520, a RAM 530, an input / output interface unit (input / output I / F unit) 540, a communication device 550, and a large-capacity storage device 560. The CPU 510, the ROM 520, the RAM 530, and the input / output I / F unit 540 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via an internal bus 590. The communication device 550 and the large-capacity storage device 560 are each connected to the input / output I / F unit 540.

[0031] The CPU 510 loads a computer program pre-stored in the ROM 520 onto the RAM 530 and executes the program, thereby functioning as a position receiving unit 511, a parameter specifying unit 512, and a parameter transmitting unit 513.

[0032] The position receiving unit 511 receives the vehicle position transmitted from the vehicle V1. The parameter identifying unit 512 identifies a mechanical parking lot (hereinafter referred to as a "specific parking lot") that satisfies a predetermined condition related to the vehicle position, and identifies the recognition processing parameters associated with the specific parking lot by referring to the parking lot database 561 described later. The "recognition processing parameters" refer to parameters used to recognize the pallets of the mechanical parking lot by the recognition processing executed by the pallet recognition unit 12 of the control device 100. More specifically, in this embodiment, the recognition processing parameters are the "weights" (coefficients) of the DNN used in the recognition processing by the pallet recognition unit 12, and each value of the kernel (filter) used in the convolution operation. Note that the recognition processing parameters are not limited to the "weights" of the DNN described above, and may be parameters according to the type of recognition processing to be adopted. Note that the conditions used when identifying the specific parking lot will be described later. The parameter transmitting unit 513 transmits the recognition processing parameters identified by the parameter identifying unit 512 to the control device 100 via the communication device 550.

[0033] The input / output I / F unit 540 provides an interface for connecting the communication device 550 and the mass storage device 560 to the internal bus 590. Examples of such an interface include a Universal Serial Bus (USB), a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), and a Serial ATA (SATA).

[0034] The communication device 550 has a functional unit for communicating with the vehicle V1 via the network NW. Examples of the communication device 550 include a wireless LAN communication device that performs wireless LAN communication, a wired LAN communication device that performs wired LAN communication, and a communication device for communicating using a mobile communication system such as 4G or 5G.

[0035] The mass storage device 560 has a predetermined interface for connecting to the input / output I / F unit 540. The mass storage device 560 stores a parking lot database 561 in advance. The parking lot database 561 stores the locations of the mechanical parking lots in association with the recognition processing parameters. Specifically, as shown in the upper right of FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the parking lot database 561 stores the parking lot ID, the coordinates indicating the locations of the mechanical parking lots, and the recognition processing parameters in association with each other. The "parking lot ID" is an identifier for distinguishing one or more mechanical parking lots from other parking lots. In FIG. 2, the coordinates (latitude, longitude) of each mechanical parking lot are stored as the "location of the mechanical parking lot". As described above, the "recognition processing parameters" are the weights of the DNN, and are represented by schematic values ​​in FIG. 2. Here, a variation of pallets adopted in the mechanical parking lots will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

[0036] FIG. 6 shows three pallets p2, p3, and p4 having different structures. The pallet p2 differs from the pallet p1 shown in FIG. 5 in that the inner part Ar2 corresponding to the inner part Ar1 of the pallet p1 does not have a convex part h1. Since the upper surface of the main plate part pa does not have the convex part h1, the pallet p2 has a single relatively wide groove part s2. Therefore, by using the pallet p2, the degree of freedom of the orientation of the vehicle in the parked state can be increased, and there is an advantage that excessively precise parking control is not required when loading the vehicle onto the pallet p2. The dimension of the inner part Ar2 of the pallet p2 in the X-axis direction is the same as the dimension of the inner part Ar1 of the pallet p1 in the X-axis direction.

[0037] The pallet p3 differs from the pallet p1 shown in FIG. 5 in that it does not have a pair of guard parts g1. Since there is no pair of guard parts g1 on the upper surface of the main plate part pa, the pair of groove parts s3 corresponding to the pair of groove parts s1 in the pallet p1 has a larger dimension in the X-axis direction than the groove parts s1. Therefore, by using the pallet p3, for example, it is possible to obtain the advantage that a vehicle having wide tires can be easily mounted on the pallet p3. Note that the dimension in the X-axis direction of the inner part Ar3 in the pallet p3 is larger than the dimension in the X-axis direction of the inner part Ar1 in the pallet p1.

[0038] The pallet p4 differs from the pallet p1 shown in FIG. 5 in that it has a pair of guard parts g4 instead of the pair of guard parts g1, and a pair of groove parts s4 instead of the pair of groove parts s1. The guard parts g4 have a larger dimension in the X-axis direction than the guard parts g1. Therefore, the groove parts s4 have a smaller dimension in the X-axis direction than the groove parts s1. Therefore, according to the pallet p4, in the parked state, the dimension of the gap along the X-axis direction between the side of the tire of the vehicle V1 and the protruding parts h1 or the guard parts g4 can be made smaller, and the positional deviation of the vehicle in the parked state can be suppressed. Note that the dimension in the X-axis direction of the inner part Ar4 of the pallet p4 is smaller than the dimension in the X-axis direction of the inner part Ar1 of the pallet p1.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 6, various pallets can be used in a mechanical parking lot. The weight of the DNN suitable for recognizing each pallet also differs for each pallet. Therefore, in this embodiment, for each pallet used in each mechanical parking lot existing in a predetermined area, the weight of the DNN for accurately recognizing the pallet by the recognition process is obtained in advance by learning or the like, and the weight is stored in the parking lot database 561 in association with the position (coordinates) of the mechanical parking lot. In this embodiment, the above-mentioned "predetermined area" is the entire country of Japan. Instead of the entire country of Japan, it may be an area of ​​any size in any position, such as an area spanning multiple prefectures, the entire area of ​​a single prefecture, the entire area of ​​a single city, town, or village (for example, a city, town, or village including the address of the owner of the vehicle V1), a part of an area within a single city, town, or village, or even the entire territory of another country.

[0040] A-4.Parking Assistance Processing: The parking assistance process shown in Fig. 7 is executed by the control device 100 and the server device 500 in cooperation with each other. In Fig. 7, the flowchart on the left side shows the procedure in the control device 100, and the flowchart on the right side shows the procedure in the server device 500. In this embodiment, the parking assistance process is started in the control device 100 when an occupant (e.g., the driver) of the vehicle V1 uses the MHI unit 150 to select a parking assistance menu and instructs the start of the process. On the other hand, the parking assistance process is started in the server device 500 when the power of the server device 500 is turned on.

[0041] In the control device 100, the position notification unit 11 acquires the vehicle position from the GPS unit 430 (step S105). In the control device 100, the position notification unit 11 transmits the acquired vehicle position to the control device 100 via the wireless communication unit 420 (step S110).

[0042] In the server device 500, the position receiving unit 511 receives the vehicle position transmitted from the control device 100 (step S205).

[0043] In the server device 500, the parameter specification unit 512 refers to the parking lot database 561 based on the received vehicle position, and extracts mechanical parking lots within a predetermined distance range from the current position of the vehicle V1 as candidate parking lots (step S210). In this embodiment, the "predetermined distance range" in step S210 is a range with a radius of 500 m (meters) centered on the current position of the vehicle V1. Note that it is not limited to 500 m, and may be a circular range with a radius of any size. Also, it is not limited to a circle, and may be a range (area) of any shape. In the server device 500, the parameter specification unit 512 specifies the parking lot closest to the vehicle V1 as the specified parking lot among the candidate parking lots (step S215). As can be understood from steps S210 and S215, in this embodiment, the condition for specifying the specified parking lot is that both of the following two conditions (a) and (b) are satisfied. (a) It is a mechanical parking lot within a predetermined distance from the current location of vehicle V1. (b) It is the mechanical parking lot closest to vehicle V1.

[0044] In the server device 500, the parameter identification unit 512 identifies the recognition processing parameters of the identified specific parking lot by referring to the parking lot database 561 (step S220). For example, when the current position of the vehicle V1 is the position shown in Fig. 3, the recognition processing parameters (weights) suitable for recognizing the pallet p1 stored in association with the mechanical parking lot MP in the parking lot database 561 are identified.

[0045] In the server device 500, the parameter transmission unit 513 transmits the recognition processing parameters identified in step S220 to the control device 100 via the communication device 550 (step S225).

[0046] In the control device 100, the palette recognition unit 12 receives the recognition processing parameters transmitted from the server device 500 (step S115).

[0047] In the control device 100, the pallet recognition unit 12 executes the recognition process using the detection result of the sensor 410 and the received recognition process parameters (step S120). Specifically, the pallet recognition unit 12 inputs the captured image obtained by the imaging unit 411 and the point cloud information obtained by the millimeter wave radar 412 to the DNN using the weights of the DNN, which are the received recognition process parameters, and recognizes the position and orientation of the pallet. As described above, for example, in the example of Fig. 3, the recognition process is executed by the DNN to which weights (kernels) suitable for recognizing the pallet p1 are applied, so that the position and orientation of the pallet p1 are identified with high accuracy.

[0048] In the control device 100, the palette recognition unit 12 determines whether or not the position and orientation of the palette have been recognized by the recognition process at predetermined time intervals after the recognition process is started (step S125). If the position and orientation of the palette cannot be recognized (step S125: NO), the process returns to step S120.

[0049] When the position and orientation of the pallet are recognized (step S125: YES), the route determination unit 13 in the control device 100 generates a parking route based on the recognized position and orientation of the pallet (step S130). In the example of FIG. 3, the route determination unit 13 generates a parking route R1.

[0050] In the control device 100, the path following control unit 14 automatically drives the vehicle V1 along the parking path generated in step S130 (step S135).

[0051] According to the parking assistance system PS1 of the first embodiment described above, the vehicle V1 transmits its own vehicle position, and the server device 500 uses the received vehicle position to identify a mechanical parking lot (specific parking lot) that satisfies predetermined conditions related to the vehicle position, and recognition processing parameters corresponding to the specific parking lot are transmitted to the control device 100. The pallet recognition unit 12 of the vehicle V1 performs recognition processing to recognize at least the position and orientation of the pallet p1 using the detection results of the sensor 410 and the received recognition processing parameters, so that the pallet p1 can be recognized with high accuracy without imposing the burden of placing dividing lines or white line frames on the road surface near the parking lot (parking facility).

[0052] In addition, the control device 100 further includes a route determination unit 13 that determines a parking route R1 from the current position of the vehicle V1 to the pallet p1 of the specific parking lot by using the position and orientation of the pallet p1 recognized by the recognition process, so that the parking route R1 to the pallet p1 of the specific parking lot can be accurately determined.

[0053] B. Second embodiment: B-1. System configuration: 8 differs from the control device 100 of the first embodiment in that a control device 100a is provided instead of the control device 100, and a server device 500a is provided instead of the server device 500. Other configurations of the parking assistance system PS2 of the second embodiment are similar to those of the parking assistance system PS1 of the first embodiment, so similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0054] The control device 100a of the second embodiment differs from the control device 100 of the first embodiment in that the CPU 10 also functions as the recognition evaluation unit 15. Since other components in the control device 100a of the second embodiment are similar to those in the control device 100, the same reference numerals are used for similar components and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The recognition evaluation unit 15, like the other functional units 11 to 15, is a functional unit that is realized by the CPU 10 executing a computer program stored in the ROM 20. The recognition evaluation unit 15 evaluates the validity of the processing result of the recognition process by the pallet recognition unit 12. A specific evaluation method by the recognition evaluation unit 15 will be described later.

[0055] 9 differs from the server device 500 of the first embodiment in that the mass storage device 560 stores a parking lot database 561a instead of the parking lot database 561. The other components of the server device 500a of the second embodiment are similar to those of the server device 500 of the first embodiment, so the same reference numerals are used for the similar components and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0056] In the parking lot database 561a, as in the parking lot database 561 of the first embodiment, the "parking lot ID", the "position of the mechanical parking lot", and the "recognition processing parameters" are stored in association with each other, and in addition to these pieces of information, "dimension information" is also stored in association with each other. The "dimension information" is information related to the dimensions of the pallet of the mechanical parking lot. Specifically, in this embodiment, the dimension information includes the outer dimensions of the pallet, that is, the length of the outer shape of the pallet in the vehicle width direction (X-axis direction), the length of the vehicle length direction (Y-axis direction), and the length of the vehicle height direction (Z-axis direction). Furthermore, the dimension information includes the length of the inner parts Ar1 to Ar4 in the vehicle width direction, the length of the inner parts Ar1 to Ar4 in the vehicle length direction, the length of the convex part h1 in the vehicle width direction, the length of the convex part h1 in the vehicle length direction, and the length of the convex part h1 in the vehicle height direction. In FIG. 9, the schematic values ​​"a1" and "b1" are shown as the "dimension information" in the parking lot database 561a.

[0057] B-2.Parking Assistance Processing: 10 differs from the parking assistance process of the first embodiment in that steps S115a and S125a are executed instead of steps S115 and S125 as the procedure in the control device 100a, and steps S126, S127, and S128 are additionally executed. Also, it differs from the parking assistance process of the first embodiment in that steps S220a and S225a are executed instead of steps S220 and S225 as the procedure in the server device 500a.

[0058] In the server device 500a, the parameter specifying unit 512, after completing step S215, specifies the recognition processing parameters of the specific parking lot as well as the dimensional information of the specific parking lot (step S220a). The parameter transmitting unit 513 transmits the recognition processing parameters and the dimensional information specified in step S220a to the control device 100 via the communication device 550 (step S225a).

[0059] In the control device 100a, the pallet recognition unit 12 receives the recognition process parameters and the dimensional information transmitted from the server device 500 (step S115a). After completing the above-mentioned step S120, the pallet recognition unit 12 determines whether or not the position, orientation, and dimensional information of the pallet have been recognized by the recognition process (step S125a). In this embodiment, the recognition process identifies the position and orientation of the pallet, and also identifies dimensional information about the identified pallet. The identified dimensional information is similar to the dimensional information stored in the parking lot database 561a. That is, the information includes the outer dimensions of the pallet, various dimensions of the inner parts Ar1 to Ar4, and various dimensions of the protruding part h1.

[0060] The recognition evaluation unit 15 executes a process (hereinafter referred to as a "comparison process") of comparing the pallet dimensions recognized in step S120 with the dimensions indicated in the dimensional information received from the server device 500a in step S115a (step S126). Specifically, the recognition evaluation unit 15 compares the value recognized by the pallet recognition unit 12 with the value of the dimensional information received from the server device 500a for each item included in the "dimensional information", and calculates the difference between them.

[0061] The recognition evaluation unit 15 evaluates the validity of the recognition process using the result of the comparison process in step S126, i.e., the difference value obtained in step S126 (step S127). In this embodiment, "evaluating the validity" can be rephrased as "determining whether it is valid or not." In this embodiment, when the difference values ​​of all items included in the "dimension information" are equal to or less than a preset threshold, the recognition process is evaluated as "valid." In contrast, when the difference values ​​of at least some items included in the "dimension information" are greater than a preset threshold, the recognition process is evaluated as "invalid." Note that the above-mentioned "threshold" may be set to a value approximately equal to a preset tolerance, for example.

[0062] If the recognition process is evaluated as not valid (step S128: NO), the process returns to the above-mentioned step S120. On the other hand, if the recognition process is evaluated as valid (step S128: YES), the above-mentioned steps S130 and S135 are executed. That is, a parking path is generated, and the vehicle V1 is automatically driven along the parking path.

[0063] The parking assistance system PS2 of the second embodiment described above provides the same effects as the parking assistance system PS1 of the first embodiment.

[0064] In addition, the palette recognition unit 12 recognizes the dimensions of the palette p1 in addition to the position and orientation by executing the recognition process, and the recognition evaluation unit 15 executes a comparison process to compare the dimensions of the palette p1 recognized by the palette recognition unit 12 with the dimensions indicated by the dimension information received from the server device 500a, and evaluates the validity of the result of the recognition process by the palette recognition unit 12 using the result of the comparison process, so that the validity of the result of the recognition process by the palette recognition unit 12 can be evaluated with high accuracy. In addition, since the validity of the recognition process result is evaluated, the evaluation result can be utilized. Specifically, when the recognition process result is valid, the recognition process result is utilized, and on the other hand, when the recognition process result is not valid, the recognition process result is not utilized, so that the palette p1 can be recognized with high accuracy.

[0065] Here, the inner part Ar1 between a pair of guard parts g1 arranged on both the left and right ends of the pallet p1 is the part on which the vehicle is to be mounted. According to the parking assistance system PS2 of the second embodiment, a comparison process is performed on the dimensions of the inner part Ar1, so that it is possible to prevent erroneous recognition of a pallet on which the vehicle V1 cannot be mounted.

[0066] Furthermore, when the palette recognition unit 12 evaluates that the recognition process result is not valid, it executes the recognition process again, so that the recognition process can be executed with higher accuracy.

[0067] C. Other embodiments: (C1) In the second embodiment, if the result of the evaluation (determination) of the validity of the recognition process in step S127 indicates that the recognition process is not valid, the recognition process is simply executed again, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the recognition process may be executed again after performing a correction process on the captured image. Specifically, if the recognized dimensions are larger than the dimensions indicated by the dimension information received from the server device 500a, the recognition process may be executed again after performing a correction to emphasize shading or a correction to emphasize edges on the image. This is because when a correction to emphasize shading or a correction to emphasize edges is performed on the image, the dimensions of the palette can be specified as smaller values ​​with greater accuracy.

[0068] (C2) In each embodiment, a parking path is generated based on the position and orientation of the recognized pallet, and automatic driving of the vehicle V1 is performed along the generated parking path, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, various driving assistance may be performed for a driver who is manually driving based on the generated parking path. Specifically, the generated parking path may be displayed on a display unit provided in the MHI unit 150. With such a configuration, the driver can easily recognize what route the vehicle V1 can be loaded onto the pallet p1 by taking. Also, for example, a parking path may not be generated, and when the driver is driving, if either the left or right tire is about to run onto the convex portion h1 of the recognized pallet p1, some kind of alarm may be output from the MHI unit 150 or the brake ECU 320 may be controlled to activate the automatic brake. With such a configuration, the vehicle V1 can be easily parked in the correct position on the recognized pallet p1.

[0069] (C3) In each embodiment, the pallet recognition unit 12 recognizes the position and orientation of the pallet present in the detection result of the captured image by inputting the detection result by the sensor 410 into a detection model (DNN) using artificial intelligence, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The position and orientation of the pallet may be recognized by a rule-based image recognition process. For example, a reference image may be prepared in advance for the pallet of each mechanical parking lot, and a pattern matching technique may be used to identify which reference image the pallet contained in the captured image is most similar to, thereby recognizing the position and orientation of the pallet.

[0070] (C4) In each embodiment, the recognition processing parameters are the "weights" (coefficients) of the DNN used in the recognition processing by the palette recognition unit 12, and the values ​​of the kernels (filters) used in the convolution operation, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, parameters that define the structure of a neural network, such as the number of layers, the number of neurons, and the type of activation function, may be used as the recognition processing parameters. In addition, in a configuration in which the recognition processing by the palette recognition unit 12 is a rule-based image recognition processing, a reference image may be used as the recognition processing parameters. In addition to the recognition processing parameters, the logic of the recognition processing that uses the recognition processing parameters may be transmitted from the server device 500, 500a to the vehicle V1.

[0071] (C5) In each embodiment, the parking assistance process in the control device 100, 100a is started when an occupant (e.g., the driver) of the vehicle V1 selects a parking assistance menu using the MHI unit 150, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, it may be started when the vehicle stops within a predetermined distance range from any mechanical parking lot, or when the vehicle decelerates to a predetermined threshold speed or below within the predetermined distance range.

[0072] (C6) In each embodiment, when the server device 500, 500a receives the vehicle position from the control device 100, 100a, the server device 500, 500a identifies the recognition processing parameters and transmits them to the vehicle V1. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, when the server device 500, 500a transmits the recognition processing parameters to the vehicle V1, the server device 500, 500a stores the recognition processing parameters, and when the vehicle position is received from the vehicle V1, the server device 500, 500a identifies whether or not the recognition processing parameters have been transmitted to the vehicle V1. If the recognition processing parameters have been transmitted before, the server device 500, 500a may not transmit the recognition processing parameters, and may transmit the recognition processing parameters if the recognition processing parameters have not been transmitted yet. In addition, when the control device 100, 100a receives the recognition processing parameters from the server device 500, 500a, the server device 500, 500a may store the recognition processing parameters in the ROM 20 and generate a parking path based on the recognition processing parameters stored in the ROM 20. In this configuration, an operation menu may be prepared to instruct the storage of recognition processing parameters, and when an occupant of the vehicle V1 selects such an operation menu using the MHI unit 150, the recognition processing parameters subsequently received from the server device 500, 500a may be stored in the ROM 20.

[0073] (C7) In the parking lot database 561, 561a of each embodiment, the location of the mechanical parking lot is associated with the recognition processing parameters, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, an ID (hereinafter referred to as a "parameter ID") may be assigned to the recognition processing parameter, and the parking lot database 561, 561a of each embodiment may be configured to associate the location of the mechanical parking lot with the parameter ID. In such a configuration, a separate database is prepared that associates the parameter ID with the recognition processing parameters. In such a configuration, the database that combines the separate database and the parking lot database 561, 561a corresponds to the parking lot database of the present disclosure.

[0074] (C8) In the second embodiment, when determining the validity of the recognition process, if the difference between all items included in the "dimension information" is equal to or less than a preset threshold, the recognition process is evaluated (determined) as "valid", and if the difference between at least some of the items included in the "dimension information" is greater than a preset threshold, the recognition process is evaluated (determined) as "invalid". However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, if the difference between some items included in the "dimension information" (hereinafter referred to as "specific items") is equal to or less than a preset threshold, the recognition process may be evaluated (determined) as "valid", and if the difference between the specific items is greater than the threshold, the recognition process may be evaluated (determined) as "invalid". As the specific items, for example, various dimensions of the protrusion h1 may be used.

[0075] (C9) The control device 100, 100a, the server device 500, 500a, and the methods described in the present disclosure may be realized by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the control device 100, 100a, the server device 500, 500a, and the methods described in the present disclosure may be realized by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the control device 100, 100a, the server device 500, 500a, and the methods described in the present disclosure may be realized by one or more dedicated computers configured by a combination of a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions and a processor configured with one or more hardware logic circuits. In addition, the computer program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transitory tangible recording medium as instructions executed by a computer.

[0076] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the technical features in each embodiment corresponding to the technical features in the form described in the Summary of the Invention column can be appropriately replaced or combined in order to solve some or all of the above-mentioned problems or to achieve some or all of the above-mentioned effects. Furthermore, if the technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted.

[0077] The present disclosure may be realized in the following forms. [Form 1] A parking assistance system (PS1, PS2) that assists parking a vehicle (V1) in a mechanical parking lot (MP), A control device (100, 100a) mounted on the vehicle; A server device (500, 500a) capable of communicating with the control device; Equipped with The control device includes: a position notification unit (11) that acquires and transmits a vehicle position, which is the position of the vehicle; A pallet recognition unit (12) that executes a recognition process to recognize at least the position and orientation of a pallet (p1) of the mechanical parking lot, The server device includes: A position receiving unit (511) for receiving the vehicle position; A parking lot database (561, 561a) that stores, for one or more mechanical parking lots, the location of the mechanical parking lot and a recognition processing parameter that is a parameter used to recognize a pallet of the mechanical parking lot by the recognition processing, in association with each other; a parameter identification unit (512) that identifies a specific parking lot among the one or more mechanical parking lots that is a mechanical parking lot that satisfies a predetermined condition related to the vehicle position, and identifies the recognition processing parameters associated with the specific parking lot by referring to the parking lot database; a parameter transmission unit (513) that transmits the specified recognition processing parameters to the control device; The pallet recognition unit executes the recognition process by utilizing a detection result of a sensor (410) that detects the surrounding environment of the vehicle and the received recognition process parameters. Parking assistance system. [Form 2] In the parking assistance system according to aspect 1, The parking lot database stores, for the one or more mechanical parking lots, in addition to the recognition processing parameters, dimensional information that is information regarding the dimensions of the pallets of the mechanical parking lots, in association with the position of the mechanical parking lots; The parameter identification unit identifies the recognition processing parameters and the dimension information associated with the specific parking lot by referring to the parking lot database, the parameter transmission unit transmits the identified recognition processing parameters and the dimensional information to the control device; The pallet recognition unit recognizes the position and orientation of a pallet as well as the dimensions of the pallet by executing the recognition process, The control device further comprises a recognition evaluation unit (15) which executes a comparison process to compare the dimensions of the pallet recognized by the pallet recognition unit with the dimensions indicated by the dimension information received from the server device, and uses the result of the comparison process to evaluate the validity of the result of the recognition process by the pallet recognition unit. Parking assistance system. [Form 3] In the parking assistance system according to aspect 2, The pallet of the one or more mechanical parking lots has a pair of guard parts (g1) arranged on the left and right edges and an inner part (Ar1) sandwiched between the pair of guard parts, The dimensional information includes at least a dimension of the inner portion, the pallet recognition unit recognizes the dimensions of the inner part as the dimensions of the pallet by executing the recognition process; A parking assistance system, wherein the recognition evaluation unit performs the comparison process on the dimensions of the inner portion. [Form 4] In the parking assistance system according to the second or third aspect, A parking assistance system, wherein the pallet recognition unit executes the recognition process again when the processing result is evaluated to be invalid. [Form 5] In the parking assistance system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, The control device further includes a route determination unit (13) that determines a parking route from the current position of the vehicle to the pallet in the specific parking lot by using the position and orientation of the pallet recognized by the recognition process. [Form 6] A parking assistance method for assisting a vehicle (V1) in parking in a mechanical parking lot (MP) by using a control device (100, 100a) mounted on the vehicle (V1) and a server device (500, 500a) capable of communicating with the control device, comprising: acquiring and transmitting a vehicle position, which is a position of the vehicle, in the control device; receiving the vehicle position in the server device; Storing, in the server device, a parking lot database (561, 561a) in which the location of one or more mechanical parking lots is associated with a recognition processing parameter, which is a parameter used to recognize a pallet of the mechanical parking lot by a recognition processing; In the server device, a step of identifying a specific parking lot that is a mechanical parking lot that satisfies a predetermined condition related to the vehicle position among the one or more mechanical parking lots, and identifying the recognition processing parameters associated with the specific parking lot by referring to the parking lot database; transmitting, in the server device, the identified recognition processing parameters to the control device; In the control device, a process of executing the recognition process using the detection result of a sensor (410) that detects the surrounding environment of the vehicle and the received recognition process parameters, and recognizing at least the position and orientation of a pallet (p1) of the mechanical parking lot; A parking assistance method comprising: [Form 7] A computer program for assisting a vehicle (V1) in parking in a mechanical parking lot (MP) by using a control device (100, 100a) mounted on the vehicle (V1), A function of acquiring and transmitting a vehicle position, which is the position of the vehicle; A function of executing the recognition process using the detection result of a sensor (410) that detects the surrounding environment of the vehicle and a recognition process parameter received from a server device (500, 500a) that is a parameter used to recognize a pallet in the mechanical parking lot by the recognition process, and recognizing at least the position and orientation of the pallet (p1) in the mechanical parking lot; A computer program for causing a computer included in the control device to realize the above. [Form 8] A computer program for providing parking assistance for a vehicle in a mechanical parking lot (MP) by using a server device (500, 500a) capable of communicating with a control device (100, 100a) mounted on the vehicle (V1), A function of storing a parking lot database (561, 561a) that associates, for one or more mechanical parking lots, the location of the mechanical parking lot with a recognition processing parameter that is a parameter used to recognize a pallet of the mechanical parking lot by a recognition processing; A function of receiving a vehicle position, which is the position of the vehicle; A function of identifying a specific parking lot, which is a mechanical parking lot that satisfies a predetermined condition related to the vehicle position, among the one or more mechanical parking lots, and identifying the recognition processing parameters associated with the specific parking lot by referring to the parking lot database; a function of transmitting the identified recognition processing parameters to the control device; A computer program for causing a computer included in the server device to realize the above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 11...position notification unit, 12...pallet recognition unit, 100...control device, 100a...control device, 410...sensor, 500...server device, 500a...server device, 511...position receiving unit, 512...parameter identifying unit, 513...parameter transmitting unit, 561...parking lot database, 561a...parking lot database, MP...mechanical parking lot, PS1...parking assistance system, PS2...parking assistance system, V1...vehicle

Claims

1. A parking assistance system (PS1, PS2) that assists parking a vehicle (V1) in a mechanical parking lot (MP), A control device (100, 100a) mounted on the vehicle; A server device (500, 500a) capable of communicating with the control device; Equipped with The control device includes: A position notification unit (11) that acquires and transmits a vehicle position, which is the position of the vehicle; A pallet recognition unit (12) that executes a recognition process to recognize at least the position and orientation of a pallet (p1) of the mechanical parking lot, The server device includes: A position receiving unit (511) for receiving the vehicle position; A parking lot database (561, 561a) that stores, for one or more mechanical parking lots, the location of the mechanical parking lot and a recognition processing parameter, which is a parameter used to recognize a pallet of the mechanical parking lot by the recognition processing, in association with each other; A parameter identification unit (512) that identifies a specific parking lot among the one or more mechanical parking lots that is a mechanical parking lot that satisfies a predetermined condition related to the vehicle position, and identifies the recognition processing parameters associated with the specific parking lot by referring to the parking lot database; a parameter transmission unit (513) that transmits the specified recognition processing parameters to the control device; The pallet recognition unit executes the recognition process by utilizing a detection result of a sensor (410) that detects the surrounding environment of the vehicle and the received recognition process parameters. Parking assistance system.

2. 2. The parking assistance system according to claim 1, The parking lot database stores, for the one or more mechanical parking lots, in addition to the recognition processing parameters, dimensional information which is information regarding the dimensions of the pallets of the mechanical parking lots, in association with the position of the mechanical parking lots; The parameter identification unit identifies the recognition processing parameters and the dimension information associated with the specific parking lot by referring to the parking lot database, the parameter transmission unit transmits the identified recognition processing parameters and the dimension information to the control device; The pallet recognition unit recognizes the position and orientation of a pallet as well as the dimensions of the pallet by executing the recognition process, The control device further comprises a recognition evaluation unit (15) which executes a comparison process to compare the dimensions of the pallet recognized by the pallet recognition unit with the dimensions indicated by the dimension information received from the server device, and uses the result of the comparison process to evaluate the validity of the result of the recognition process by the pallet recognition unit. Parking assistance system.

3. 3. The parking assistance system according to claim 2, The pallet of the one or more mechanical parking lots has a pair of guard parts (g1) arranged on the left and right edges and an inner part (Ar1) sandwiched between the pair of guard parts, The dimensional information includes at least a dimension of the inner portion, the pallet recognition unit recognizes the dimensions of the inner part as the dimensions of the pallet by executing the recognition process; A parking assistance system, wherein the recognition evaluation unit performs the comparison process on the dimensions of the inner portion.

4. 3. The parking assistance system according to claim 2, A parking assistance system, wherein the pallet recognition unit executes the recognition process again when the processing result is evaluated to be invalid.

5. The parking assistance system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The control device further includes a route determination unit (13) that determines a parking route from the current position of the vehicle to the pallet in the specific parking lot by using the position and orientation of the pallet recognized by the recognition process.

6. A parking assistance method for assisting a vehicle (V1) in parking in a mechanical parking lot (MP) using a control device (100, 100a) mounted on the vehicle (V1) and a server device (500, 500a) capable of communicating with the control device, comprising: acquiring and transmitting a vehicle position, which is a position of the vehicle, in the control device; receiving the vehicle position in the server device; Storing, in the server device, a parking lot database (561, 561a) in which the location of one or more mechanical parking lots is associated with a recognition processing parameter, which is a parameter used to recognize a pallet of the mechanical parking lot by a recognition processing; In the server device, a step of identifying a specific parking lot that is a mechanical parking lot that satisfies a predetermined condition related to the vehicle position among the one or more mechanical parking lots, and identifying the recognition processing parameters associated with the specific parking lot by referring to the parking lot database; transmitting, in the server device, the identified recognition processing parameters to the control device; In the control device, a process of executing the recognition process using the detection result of a sensor (410) that detects the surrounding environment of the vehicle and the received recognition process parameters to recognize at least the position and orientation of a pallet (p1) of the mechanical parking lot; A parking assistance method comprising:

7. A computer program for assisting a vehicle (V1) in parking in a mechanical parking lot (MP) by using a control device (100, 100a) mounted on the vehicle (V1), A function of acquiring and transmitting a vehicle position, which is the position of the vehicle; A function of executing the recognition process using the detection result of a sensor (410) that detects the surrounding environment of the vehicle and a recognition process parameter received from a server device (500, 500a) that is a parameter used to recognize a pallet in the mechanical parking lot by the recognition process, and recognizing at least the position and orientation of the pallet (p1) in the mechanical parking lot; A computer program for causing a computer included in the control device to realize the above.

8. A computer program for providing parking assistance for a vehicle in a mechanical parking lot (MP) using a server device (500, 500a) capable of communicating with a control device (100, 100a) mounted on a vehicle (V1), A function of storing a parking lot database (561, 561a) that associates, for one or more mechanical parking lots, the location of the mechanical parking lot with a recognition processing parameter that is a parameter used to recognize a pallet of the mechanical parking lot by a recognition processing; A function of receiving a vehicle position, which is the position of the vehicle; A function of identifying a specific parking lot among the one or more mechanical parking lots that is a mechanical parking lot that satisfies a predetermined condition related to the vehicle position, and identifying the recognition processing parameters associated with the specific parking lot by referring to the parking lot database; a function of transmitting the identified recognition processing parameters to the control device; A computer program for causing a computer included in the server device to realize the above.

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