Parking support system

Abstract

To improve convenience by simplifying operation.SOLUTION: A parking support system, which memorizes, as a registered moving route, a moving route on which a vehicle on which the vehicle is made to enter a predetermined parking section or to leave from the parking section, and can execute automatic parking control of enabling the vehicle to automatically run on the basis of the registered moving route, when making the vehicle enter the parking section or leave from the parking section next time and thereafter, comprises a determining part that determines whether the registered moving route should be memorized as either of a route for entering and a route for leaving, on the basis of a state of the vehicle at the time when a registration of the moving route is requested, and determines which of moving routes on which the vehicle has run just before there registration is requested and on which the vehicle has run just after the registration is requested should be memorized.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a parking assistance system that stores the location information of parking spaces where vehicles frequently park as target parking spaces for parking assistance, and when it detects that a vehicle is approaching a target parking space, it automatically controls parking assistance to park the vehicle in the target parking space. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-125795 Summary of the Invention

[0004] In recent years, so-called route-memory parking assistance systems have been put into practical use. These systems not only register the location information of parking spaces, but also store the route traveled by the vehicle when the driver parks in the parking space, and automatically drive the vehicle along the stored route when the vehicle is parked in the same parking space from the next time onward. In such parking assistance systems, when storing a route, it is necessary to specify whether the route is for entering or leaving the parking space, or whether the route to be registered is the route traveled most recently or the route to be traveled in the future. If these specifications are made to be performed by the driver through a selection operation, the operation becomes complicated, causing a problem of being bothersome to the driver. In other words, there is room for improvement in convenience.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to improve convenience by simplifying the operation of route memory type parking assistance.

[0006] The parking assistance system of the present disclosure comprises: A parking assistance system capable of executing automatic parking control, which stores a movement route of a vehicle when the vehicle is caused to enter or leave a predetermined parking space as a registered movement route, and causes the vehicle to automatically travel based on the registered movement route when the vehicle is caused to enter or leave the parking space from the next time onwards, The system includes a determination unit that determines whether the registered movement route is to be stored as an entry route or an exit route based on the state of the vehicle when a registration request for storing the registered movement route is made, and also determines whether the movement route immediately before or after the movement route of the vehicle when the registration request is made is to be stored. It is characterized by: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a software configuration of the control device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a registration confirmation screen according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a registration confirmation screen according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a registration confirmation screen according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a registration confirmation screen according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a routine for determining a warehousing / return status and a registration confirmation process according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, the parking assistance system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] [Hardware configuration] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the hardware configuration of a vehicle VH according to this embodiment. The vehicle VH has an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10. The ECU 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, and an interface device 14. The CPU 11 is a processor that executes various programs stored in the ROM 12. The ROM 12 is a non-volatile memory that stores data and the like required for the CPU 11 to execute the various programs. The RAM 13 is a volatile memory that provides a working area into which the various programs are expanded when the CPU 11 executes them. The interface device 14 is a communication device for communicating with external devices.

[0010] The ECU 10 is a central device that performs automatic entry control, which automatically enters the vehicle VH into a parking space, and automatic exit control, which automatically exits the vehicle VH from the parking space (hereinafter, these automatic entry control and automatic exit control may be collectively referred to as "automatic parking control"). In this embodiment, the automatic parking control is performed for parking spaces that the driver has registered in advance, such as parking spaces that are used relatively frequently. Hereinafter, registered parking spaces will be referred to as "registered parking spaces." Target parking spaces include not only parking spaces with parking frames defined by white lines or the like, but also parking spaces that have sufficient space for the vehicle VH to enter. Registered parking spaces are registered by manually acquiring a travel route taken by the driver when entering or exiting the parking space, and storing the acquired travel route in association with the location information of the parking space.

[0011] The automatic entry control of the vehicle VH into a registered parking space and the automatic exit control of the vehicle VH from a registered parking space are performed by automatically driving the vehicle VH along a pre-stored travel route. To this end, the ECU 10 is communicatively connected to a drive unit 20, a steering unit 21, a braking unit 22, a transmission 23, an internal sensor unit 30, an external sensor unit 40, a position information acquisition unit 50, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 60, an automatic parking switch 70, and the like.

[0012] The drive unit 20 generates a drive force to be transmitted to the drive wheels of the vehicle VH. Examples of the drive unit 20 include an electric motor and an engine. In this embodiment, the vehicle VH may be a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), an electric vehicle (BEV), or an engine vehicle. The steering unit 21 applies a steering force to the wheels of the vehicle VH. The braking unit 22 applies a braking force to the wheels of the vehicle VH. The transmission 23 is configured to be selectively switchable among a parking range that locks the rotation of the drive wheels, a reverse range that drives the vehicle VH backward, a neutral range that cuts off the transmission of power, and a drive range that drives the vehicle VH forward.

[0013] The internal sensor device 30 is a group of sensors that detect the state of the vehicle VH. Specifically, the internal sensor device 30 includes a vehicle speed sensor 31, an accelerator sensor 32, a brake sensor 33, a steering angle sensor 34, a shift sensor 35, and the like. The vehicle speed sensor 31 detects the traveling speed of the vehicle VH, i.e., the vehicle speed. The accelerator sensor 32 detects the amount of operation of an accelerator pedal (not shown) by the driver. The brake sensor 33 detects the amount of operation of a brake pedal (not shown) by the driver. The steering angle sensor 34 detects the rotation angle of a steering wheel or steering shaft (not shown), i.e., the steering angle. The shift sensor 35 detects the shift position (parking P, reverse R, neutral N, drive D, etc.) of the transmission 23. The internal sensor device 30 transmits the state of the vehicle VH detected by each of the sensors 31 to 35 to the ECU 10 at a predetermined interval.

[0014] The external sensor device 40 is a type of sensor that recognizes target information related to targets around the vehicle VH. Specifically, the external sensor device 40 includes a radar sensor 41, a sonar sensor 42, a camera sensor 43, and the like. The radar sensor 41 includes a millimeter-wave radar and / or a lidar. The millimeter-wave radar emits millimeter-wave radio waves and receives the waves reflected by targets within its emission range to obtain the relative distance, relative speed, and the like between the vehicle VH and the target. The lidar sequentially scans pulsed laser light with a wavelength shorter than millimeter waves in multiple directions and receives the reflected light from the target to obtain the shape of the target, the relative distance, relative speed, and the like between the vehicle VH and the target. The sonar sensor 42 emits ultrasonic waves and receives the waves reflected by targets within its emission range to obtain the relative distance, relative speed, and the like between the vehicle VH and the target. The camera sensor 43 is, for example, a stereo camera or a monocular camera, and a digital camera with an imaging element such as a CMOS or CCD can be used. The camera sensor 43 processes the captured image data to acquire the shape of the target, the relative distance between the vehicle VH and the target, the relative speed, etc. The external sensor device 40 transmits the acquired target information to the ECU 10 at a predetermined cycle. Note that the external sensor device 40 does not necessarily need to include all of the radar sensor 41, the sonar sensor 42, and the camera sensor 43, and may include, for example, only the camera sensor 43.

[0015] The position information acquisition device 50 acquires current position information of the vehicle VH. For example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) or a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) provided in a navigation device (not shown) can be used as the position information acquisition device 50. The position information acquisition device 50 transmits the acquired current position information of the vehicle VH to the ECU 10 at a predetermined interval.

[0016] The HMI 60 is an interface for inputting and outputting information between the ECU 10 and the driver, and includes an input device and an output device. Examples of the input device include a touch panel liquid crystal display, a switch, and a voice pickup microphone. Examples of the output device include a display device 61 and a speaker 62. The display device 61 is, for example, a center display or a multi-information display. The speaker 62 is, for example, a speaker of an audio system or a navigation system.

[0017] The automatic parking switch 70 is provided, for example, on the center console or instrument panel of the vehicle VH, and is a switch that is turned on by an occupant of the vehicle VH (for example, the driver). When the automatic parking switch 70 is turned on, the ECU 10 receives an automatic parking start request. Note that the automatic parking switch 70 is not limited to a physical switch, and may be a touch-type switch image displayed on the display device 61. The automatic parking start request may also be acquired by voice recognition using a voice pickup microphone, or by gesture recognition using a driver camera.

[0018] [Software configuration] 2 is a schematic diagram showing the software configuration of the ECU 10 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the ECU 10 includes functional elements such as a travel path acquisition unit 100, a parking entry / exit status determination unit 110, a registration confirmation processing unit 120, a parking space storage processing unit 130, a parking space notification processing unit 140, and an automatic parking control unit 150. These functional elements 100 to 150 are realized by the CPU 11 of the ECU 10 reading a program stored in the ROM 12 into the RAM 13 and executing the program. Note that all or part of the functional elements 100 to 150 may be provided in another ECU separate from the ECU 10, or in an information processing device in a facility (such as a management center) that can communicate with the vehicle VH.

[0019] The travel path acquisition unit 100 acquires travel paths of the vehicle VH within a predetermined distance and temporarily stores them in, for example, the RAM 13. The travel path acquisition unit 100 sequentially deletes travel paths acquired and stored in the RAM 13 before the predetermined distance as new travel paths are acquired, and deletes (resets) all travel paths stored in the RAM 13 when the power switch (or ignition switch) of the vehicle VH is turned off. The predetermined distance is not particularly limited, but may be set based on the distance (for example, several tens of meters) required for the vehicle VH to enter or exit a predetermined parking space.

[0020] Here, the movement path of the vehicle VH refers to the movement trajectory of the vehicle position that changes as the vehicle VH travels. The vehicle position is, for example, a predetermined geometric center position of the vehicle VH in a planar view. The vehicle position may also be another position of the vehicle VH (for example, the center position between the left and right front wheels, or the center position between the left and right rear wheels, etc.). The movement trajectory of the vehicle VH may be acquired, for example, by odometry based on the detection results of the vehicle speed sensor 31 and the steering angle sensor 34, or may also use position information of the vehicle VH acquired by the position information acquisition device 50, or may be acquired by optical flow based on road surface images around the vehicle VH captured by the camera sensor 43.

[0021] When receiving a registration start request from the driver, the entry / exit status determination unit 110 performs an entry / exit status determination process to determine whether the vehicle VH is in a "pre-entry state" immediately before entering a specified parking space, whether the vehicle VH is in a "pre-exit state" immediately before exiting a specified parking space, whether the vehicle VH is in a "post-entry state" immediately after entering a specified parking space, or whether the vehicle VH is in a "post-exit state" immediately after exiting a specified parking space. The driver's registration start request may be acquired, for example, by touching a switch image displayed on the display device 61, by turning on a physical switch provided on the center console or instrument panel, or by voice recognition using a voice pickup microphone. The entry / exit status determination process performed by the entry / exit status determination unit 110 will be described in detail below.

[0022] When the entry / exit status determination unit 110 receives a registration start request from the driver, the vehicle VH is determined to be in a "post-entry state" if a first specific condition is met, that is, the shift position is in parking P and there is a recent driving history (a travel route acquired by the travel route acquisition unit 100). Furthermore, when the entry / exit status determination unit 110 receives a registration start request from the driver, the vehicle VH is determined to be in a "pre-exit state" if a second specific condition is met, that is, the shift position is in parking P and there is no recent driving history (a travel route acquired by the travel route acquisition unit 100). Furthermore, when the entry / exit status determination unit 110 receives a registration start request from the driver, the vehicle VH is determined to be in a "post-exit state" if a third specific condition is met, that is, the shift position is other than parking P (for example, drive D) and the travel distance of the vehicle VH after the shift position is switched from parking P is within a predetermined threshold distance. In addition, when the entry / exit state determination unit 110 receives a registration start request from the driver, if the state of the vehicle VH satisfies a fourth specific condition that does not meet any of the first, second, or third specific conditions, specifically, if the shift position is other than parking P and the distance traveled by the vehicle VH after the shift position is switched from parking P exceeds a predetermined threshold distance, the entry / exit state determination unit 110 determines that the vehicle VH is in a ``pre-entry state.''

[0023] Here, consider a case where the driver issues a registration start request after switching the shift position to parking P. If the period between switching to parking P and the registration start request is short (e.g., a few seconds), it is assumed that the driver wants to register the route he or she just traveled as the entry route. However, if the period between switching to parking P and the registration start request is relatively long (e.g., several tens of seconds or several minutes), it is assumed that the driver does not want to register an entry route, but rather an exit route along which the vehicle VH will be driven. Examples of such a situation include when the driver restarts the vehicle VH after parking it on the shoulder of the road, or when the driver restarts the vehicle VH after parking it in a parking lot of a store or the like without turning off the power switch. The entry / exit state determination unit 110 determines that the vehicle VH is in a "pre-exit state" if a fifth specific condition is met, in which a predetermined time or more has elapsed from the time the shift position is switched to parking P to the time the driver's registration start request is received, even if the shift position is in parking P and there is a driving history (a travel route acquired by the travel route acquisition unit 100) immediately before.

[0024] The registration confirmation processing unit 120 performs registration confirmation processing to display a registration confirmation screen of a registration form according to the determination result of the inventory status determination unit 110 on the display device 61. Details of the registration confirmation processing performed by the registration confirmation processing unit 120 will be described below.

[0025] When the entry / exit status determination unit 110 determines that the vehicle is in a post-entry state (i.e., when the first specific condition is met), the registration confirmation processing unit 120 displays a post-entry registration confirmation screen G1 shown in FIG. 3 on the display device 61. This post-entry registration confirmation screen G1 includes, for example, an entry route R1 that schematically shows the portion of the most recent travel route stored by the travel route acquisition unit 100 in the RAM 13 or the like that is necessary for entry, an entry registration confirmation button B1, and a switching button B2. When the driver touches the entry registration confirmation button B1, the registration confirmation processing unit 120 sends a registration command to the parking space storage processing unit 130 to associate the entry route R1 with the position information of the parking space and store it. On the other hand, when the driver touches the switching button B2, the registration confirmation processing unit 120 displays a registration confirmation screen for another registration format on the display device 61. The registration confirmation screens for other registration types are, for example, a post-shipment registration confirmation screen G2, a pre-shipment registration confirmation screen G3A, and a pre-entry registration confirmation screen G4A, which will be described later.

[0026] In this way, when the entry / exit status determination unit 110 determines that the vehicle is in a post-entry state, the display device 61 displays the post-entry registration confirmation screen G1 including the entry registration confirmation button B1 and the entry route R1. This allows the driver to easily perform entry registration without having to select whether the registration operation is before or after entry, or whether the travel route is the entry route or the exit route. In other words, the operations required for entry registration are simplified, thereby reliably improving convenience. Furthermore, even when the entry / exit status determination unit 110 determines that the vehicle is in a post-entry state, there may be cases where the driver's actual intention differs, such as when the driver plans to restart the vehicle VH. In such cases, by displaying a registration confirmation screen for another registration form on the display device 61 in response to the driver's touch operation of the switch button B2, it is possible to present a registration form that suits the driver's intention.

[0027] When the entry / exit status determination unit 110 determines that the vehicle is in a post-exit status (i.e., when the third specific condition is met), the registration confirmation processing unit 120 displays a post-exit registration confirmation screen G2 shown in FIG. 4 on the display device 61. This post-exit registration confirmation screen G2 includes, for example, an exit route R2 that schematically shows the portion of the most recent travel route stored by the travel route acquisition unit 100 in the RAM 13 or the like that is necessary for exit, an exit registration confirmation button B3, and a switching button B2. When the driver touches the exit registration confirmation button B3, the registration confirmation processing unit 120 transmits a registration command to the parking space storage processing unit 130 to associate the exit route R2 with the position information of the parking space and store it. On the other hand, when the driver touches the switching button B2, the registration confirmation processing unit 120 displays registration confirmation screens G1, G3A, and G4A of other registration types on the display device 61.

[0028] In this way, when the entry / exit status determination unit 110 determines that the vehicle is in a post-exit state, the display device 61 displays the post-exit registration confirmation screen G2 including the exit registration confirmation button B3 and the exit route R2. This allows the driver to easily perform the exit registration without having to select whether the registration operation is before or after exit, or whether the travel route is the entry route or the exit route. This simplifies the operations required for the exit registration, thereby reliably improving convenience. Even when the entry / exit status determination unit 110 determines that the vehicle is in a post-exit state, there may be cases where the driver's actual intention differs, such as when the driver plans to re-enter the vehicle. In such cases, by displaying a registration confirmation screen for another registration mode on the display device 61 in response to a touch operation of the switch button B2, it is possible to present a registration mode that suits the driver's intention.

[0029] When the entry / exit status determination unit 110 determines that the vehicle is in a pre-exit status (i.e., when the second specific condition or the fifth specific condition is met), the registration confirmation display processing unit 120 displays a pre-exit registration confirmation screen G3A shown in FIG. 5(A) on the display device 61. This pre-exit registration confirmation screen G3A includes, for example, an exit registration start button B4 and a switching button B2. When the driver touches the exit registration start button B4, the registration confirmation processing unit 120 transmits a command to the travel route acquisition unit 100 to acquire a travel route and store it in the RAM 13 or the like. On the other hand, when the driver touches the switching button B2, the registration confirmation processing unit 120 displays registration confirmation screens G1, G2, G4A of other registration types on the display device 61.

[0030] In this way, when the entry / exit status determination unit 110 determines that the vehicle is in a pre-exit state, the display device 61 displays the pre-exit registration confirmation screen G3A including the exit registration start button B4, allowing the driver to easily start the exit registration without having to select whether the registration operation is to be performed before or after leaving the vehicle. In other words, the operations required to start the exit registration are simplified, thereby reliably improving convenience. Furthermore, even when the entry / exit status determination unit 110 determines that the vehicle is in a pre-exit state, there may be cases where this determination differs from the driver's actual intention. In such cases, by displaying a registration confirmation screen for another registration form on the display device 61 in response to a touch operation of the switch button B2, it is possible to present a registration form that suits the driver's intention.

[0031] When the exit completion condition for the vehicle VH is met, the registration confirmation processing unit 120 displays the exit completion confirmation screen G3B shown in FIG. 5B on the display device 61. This exit completion confirmation screen G3B includes, for example, an exit route R2 that schematically shows the portion of the most recent travel route stored by the travel route acquisition unit 100 in the RAM 13 or the like that is necessary for exit, and an exit registration confirmation button B3. The exit completion condition may be met, for example, when the travel distance from the start of exit of the vehicle VH reaches a predetermined threshold distance, or when the driver touches an exit completion button (not shown) that appears on the display device 61 after the vehicle VH starts leaving. When the driver touches the exit registration confirmation button B3 on the exit completion confirmation screen G3B, the registration confirmation processing unit 120 transmits a registration command to the parking space storage processing unit 130 to store the exit route R2 in association with the position information of the parking space.

[0032] In this way, when the entry / exit status determination unit 110 determines that the vehicle is in a pre-exit state and the exit completion condition is met, the exit completion confirmation screen G3B including the exit registration confirmation button B3 and the exit route R2 is displayed on the display device 61, allowing the driver to easily register the exit without having to select whether the travel route is the entry route or the exit route. In other words, the operations required for the exit registration are simplified, and convenience can be reliably improved.

[0033] When the entry / exit status determination unit 110 determines that the vehicle is in a pre-entry state (i.e., when the fourth specific condition is met), the registration confirmation processing unit 120 displays a pre-entry registration confirmation screen G4A shown in FIG. 6(A) on the display device 61. This pre-entry registration confirmation screen G4A includes, for example, an entry registration start button B5 and a switching button B2. When the driver touches the entry registration start button B5, the registration confirmation processing unit 120 sends a command to the travel route acquisition unit 100 to acquire a travel route and store it in the RAM 13. On the other hand, when the driver touches the switching button B2, the registration confirmation processing unit 120 displays a registration confirmation screen for another registration format on the display device 61.

[0034] In this way, when the entry / exit status determination unit 110 determines that the vehicle is in a pre-entry state, the display device 61 displays the pre-entry registration confirmation screen G4A including the entry registration start button B5, allowing the driver to easily start the entry registration without having to select whether the registration operation is to be performed before or after entry. In other words, the operations required to start the entry registration are simplified, thereby reliably improving convenience. Furthermore, even when the entry / exit status determination unit 110 determines that the vehicle is in a pre-entry state, there may be cases where this does not match the driver's actual intention. In such cases, by displaying a registration confirmation screen for another registration mode on the display device 61 in response to a touch operation of the switch button B2, it is possible to present a registration mode that suits the driver's intention.

[0035] When the entry completion condition for the vehicle VH is met, the registration confirmation processing unit 120 displays the entry completion confirmation screen G4B shown in FIG. 6(B) on the display device 61. This entry completion confirmation screen G4B includes, for example, an entry route R1 that schematically shows the portion of the most recent travel route stored by the travel route acquisition unit 100 in the RAM 13 or the like that is necessary for entry, and an entry registration confirmation button B1. The entry completion condition may be met, for example, when the shift position of the vehicle VH is switched to parking P. When the driver touches the entry registration confirmation button B1 on the entry completion confirmation screen G4B, the registration confirmation processing unit 120 sends a registration command to the parking space storage processing unit 130 to store the entry route R2 in association with the position information of the parking space.

[0036] In this way, when the entry / exit status determination unit 110 determines that the vehicle is in a pre-entry state and the entry completion condition is met, the entry completion confirmation screen G4B including the entry route R1 is displayed on the display device 61, allowing the driver to easily register entry without having to select whether the route is an entry route or an exit route. In other words, the operations required for entry registration are simplified, and convenience can be reliably improved.

[0037] When the parking space storage processor 130 receives a registration command from the registration confirmation processor 120, it executes a parking space storage process to associate the position information of the parking space with the entrance route R1 and the exit route R2 and store the information as a registered parking space in a storage medium such as the ROM 12. The position information of the vehicle VH acquired by the position information acquisition device 50 may be used as the position information of the parking space, for example.

[0038] The parking space notification processing unit 140 executes a notification process to notify the occupant of the vehicle VH that the registered parking space has been detected when the distance between the current position of the vehicle VH and the registered parking space becomes equal to or less than a predetermined distance based on the detection result of the position information acquisition device 50. The notification to the occupant may be performed, for example, by displaying on the display device 61 or by sound from the speaker 62.

[0039] When the parking space notification processing unit 140 executes the notification process and an occupant (e.g., the driver) of the vehicle VH turns on the automatic parking switch 70, the automatic parking control unit 150 sets the entrance route R1 or exit route R2 associated with a registered parking space as a target movement route and drives the vehicle VH along the target movement route, thereby executing automatic parking control to automatically enter or exit the registered parking space. The automatic parking control is executed, for example, by feedback control of the operation of the drive unit 20, the steering unit 21, etc., based on the deviation between the target movement route and the actual movement trajectory of the vehicle VH. The actual movement trajectory of the vehicle VH may be acquired, for example, by odometry based on the detection results of the vehicle speed sensor 31 and the steering angle sensor 34, or may be acquired in combination with position information of the vehicle VH acquired by the position information acquisition unit 50, or may be acquired by optical flow based on road surface images around the vehicle VH captured by the camera sensor 43.

[0040] Next, a routine for the inventory entry / exit status determination process and the registration confirmation process executed by the CPU 11 of the ECU 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 7. For convenience, the following description will be given taking as an example a case where the driver does not touch the switching button B2 of the registration confirmation screen displayed on the display device 61.

[0041] In step S100, the ECU 10 determines whether or not a registration start request has been received from the driver. If the registration start request has been received (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to processing in step S110. On the other hand, if the registration start request has not been received (No), the ECU 10 returns from this routine.

[0042] In step S110, the ECU 10 determines whether the shift position is in parking P. If the shift position is in parking P (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process of step S120. On the other hand, if the shift position is not in parking P (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process of step S160.

[0043] When the process proceeds from step S110 to step S120, the ECU 10 determines whether or not there is a travel history (a travel route acquired by the travel route acquisition unit 100). If there is a travel history (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process of step S130. On the other hand, if there is no travel history (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process of step S150.

[0044] When the process proceeds from step S120 to step S150, the ECU 10 determines that the vehicle VH is in a "pre-exit state" immediately before leaving a predetermined parking space (the second specific condition is met). Next, in step S152, the ECU 10 displays a pre-exit registration confirmation screen G3A on the display device 61. When the driver touches the exit registration start button B4, the ECU 10 proceeds to step S154 and determines whether the exit completion condition is met. If the exit completion condition is not met (No), the ECU 10 returns to step S154. On the other hand, if the exit completion condition is met (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S156.

[0045] In step S156, the ECU 10 displays the leaving completion confirmation screen G3B on the display device 61. When the driver touches the leaving registration confirmation button B3, the ECU 10 proceeds to the processing of step S158, performs a registration process to associate the leaving route R2 with the position information of the parking space and store it, and then returns this routine.

[0046] When the process proceeds from step S120 to step S130, the ECU 10 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed from when the shift position was switched to parking P until the driver's registration start request was accepted. If the predetermined time has elapsed (Yes), that is, if the fifth specific condition is met, the ECU 10 proceeds to step S150. On the other hand, if the predetermined time has not elapsed (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S140.

[0047] When the process proceeds from step S130 to step S140, the ECU 10 determines that the vehicle VH is in a "post-entry state" immediately after entering a predetermined parking space (the first specific condition is met). Next, in step S142, the ECU 10 displays a post-entry registration confirmation screen G1 on the display device 61. When the driver touches the entry registration confirmation button B1, the ECU 10 proceeds to step S144, performs a registration process to associate the entry route R1 with the position information of the parking space and store it, and then returns from this routine.

[0048] When the process proceeds from step S110 to step S160, the ECU 10 determines whether the travel distance of the vehicle VH after the shift position is switched from parking P is within a predetermined threshold distance. If the travel distance is within the predetermined threshold distance (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S170. On the other hand, if the travel distance is not within the predetermined threshold distance (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S180.

[0049] When the process proceeds from step S160 to step S170, the ECU 10 determines that the vehicle VH is in a "post-exit state" immediately after leaving a predetermined parking space (the third specific condition is met). Next, in step S172, the ECU 10 displays a post-exit registration confirmation screen G2 on the display device 61. When the driver touches the exit registration confirmation button B3, the ECU 10 proceeds to step S174, where it performs a registration process of linking the exit route R2 with the position information of the parking space and storing it, and then returns this routine.

[0050] When the process proceeds from step S160 to step S180, the ECU 10 determines that the vehicle VH is in a "pre-entry state" immediately before entering a predetermined parking space (the fourth specific condition is met). Next, in step S182, the ECU 10 displays a pre-entry registration confirmation screen G4A on the display device 61. When the driver touches the entry registration start button B5, the ECU 10 proceeds to step S184 and determines whether the entry completion condition is met. If the entry completion condition is not met (No), the ECU 10 returns to step S184. On the other hand, if the entry completion condition is met (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S186.

[0051] In step S186, the ECU 10 displays the entry completion confirmation screen G4B on the display device 61. When the driver touches the entry registration confirmation button B1, the ECU 10 proceeds to the processing of step S188, performs a registration process to associate the entry route R1 with the position information of the parking space and store it, and then returns this routine.

[0052] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the object of the present invention.

[0053] For example, in the above embodiment, the registration start request is described as being made by the driver, but it is also possible to configure the system to make the registration start request. For example, the location information of the parking space into which the vehicle VH is entering or leaving may be stored, and when the vehicle VH is entering or leaving a frequently used parking space, the system may make a registration start request without requiring any operation by the driver, and the registration confirmation screen described above may be displayed on the display device 61. This configuration further reduces the operational burden on the driver regarding registration. The present disclosure may also be applied to an autonomous vehicle in which some or all of the driving operations are performed automatically.

Claims

1. A parking assistance system capable of executing automatic parking control, which stores a movement route of a vehicle when the vehicle is caused to enter or leave a predetermined parking space as a registered movement route, and causes the vehicle to automatically travel based on the registered movement route when the vehicle is caused to enter or leave the parking space from the next time onwards, The system includes a determination unit that determines whether the registered movement route is to be stored as an entry route or an exit route based on the state of the vehicle when a registration request for storing the registered movement route is made, and also determines whether the movement route immediately before or after the movement route of the vehicle when the registration request is made is to be stored. A parking assistance system characterized by:

2. 2. The parking assistance system according to claim 1, The vehicle further includes a display processing unit that performs display processing to display a confirmation screen of the registration form according to the determination result of the determination unit on a display device provided in a driver's cab of the vehicle. A parking assistance system characterized by:

3. 3. The parking assistance system according to claim 1, When the registration request is made, if the shift position of the vehicle is in parking and there is the previous movement route, the determination unit determines that the registered movement route is the warehousing route and that the previous movement route is to be stored. A parking assistance system characterized by:

4. 3. The parking assistance system according to claim 1, When the registration request is made, if the shift position of the vehicle is in parking and there is no previous movement route, the determination unit determines that the registered movement route is the departure route and stores the next movement route. A parking assistance system characterized by:

5. 3. The parking assistance system according to claim 1, When the registration request is made, if the shift position of the vehicle is other than parking and the travel distance of the vehicle after the shift position is switched from parking is within a predetermined threshold distance, the determination unit determines that the registered travel route is the departure route and that the immediately preceding travel route is to be stored. A parking assistance system characterized by:

6. 3. The parking assistance system according to claim 1, When the registration request is made, if the shift position of the vehicle is other than parking and the travel distance of the vehicle after the shift position is switched from parking exceeds a predetermined threshold distance, the determination unit determines that the registered travel route is the warehousing route and stores the travel route immediately after that. A parking assistance system characterized by:

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