Parking support device and parking support method

Abstract

To provide a parking support device and a parking support method which can start automatic parking from a position different from an end position of delivery in teaching travel.SOLUTION: A parking support device includes a recording processing part, an estimation part, a generation part, and a travel control part. The recording processing part records a first path based on teaching travel of moving a vehicle from a parking position to a delivery position by manual operation of a driver. The estimation part estimates the position of the vehicle. The generation part generates a second path on which a vehicle is traveled from a first position where the vehicle is positioned to a merging point to the first path. The travel control part automatically travels the vehicle from the first position to the parking position, on the basis of the first path and the second path.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a parking assistance device and a parking assistance method. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART A route memory type automatic parking technique is known in the art, in which a driving route is recorded based on a teacher driving performed by a driver, and a vehicle is automatically driven based on the recorded driving route.

[0003] In addition, since it is generally easier to leave a parking lot than to enter it when driving manually, in vehicles that perform this type of route-memory type automatic parking, the vehicle may be exited from the parking lot during teacher driving, and then entered during operation by replaying the teacher driving route in reverse. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-124898 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in operation, there are cases where the user wants to start automatic parking from a position different from the end position of the exit from the supervisor driving. In such cases, there is a problem that the reverse playback of the supervisor driving route that performed the exit operation cannot be used.

[0006] The present disclosure provides a parking assistance device and a parking assistance method that can start automatic parking from a position different from the end position of departure during supervised driving. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A parking assistance device according to the present disclosure includes a recording processing unit, an estimation unit, a generation unit, and a driving control unit. The recording processing unit records a first route based on supervised driving, in which a vehicle moves from a parking position to an exit position under manual driving by a driver. The estimation unit estimates the position of the vehicle. The generation unit generates a second route for driving the vehicle from the first position where the vehicle is located to a junction with the first route. The driving control unit automatically drives the vehicle from the first position to the parking position based on the first route and the second route. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the parking assistance device and parking assistance method of the present disclosure, automatic parking can be started from a position different from the end position of departure during teacher driving. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle equipped with a parking assistance device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration near the driver's seat of the vehicle according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the parking assistance device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of functions provided in the parking assistance device according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of teacher running according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of reverse playback of a travel route according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an additional route according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the difference between the first orientation and the second orientation according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example of the difference between the first orientation and the second orientation according to the embodiment. [Figure 10]FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the parking assistance process executed by the parking assistance device according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of an added route according to the first modification. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a route generated by a generating unit according to the fifth modification. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a guidance screen according to the fifth modification. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of a parking assistance method and a parking assistance device according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] (Embodiment) Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle 1 equipped with a parking assistance device 100 according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle 1 includes a vehicle body 12 and two pairs of wheels 13 arranged along a predetermined direction on the vehicle body 12. The two pairs of wheels 13 include a pair of front tires 13f and a pair of rear tires 13r.

[0012] The front tire 13f shown in FIG. 1 is an example of a first wheel in this embodiment. The rear tire 13r is an example of a second wheel in this embodiment. The two front tires 13f and the two rear tires 13r of the vehicle 1 are collectively referred to as wheels 13. Note that although the vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1 has four wheels 13, the number of wheels 13 is not limited to this. For example, the vehicle 1 may be a two-wheeled vehicle.

[0013] The vehicle body 12 is coupled to wheels 13 and can move by the wheels 13. In this case, the predetermined direction in which the two pairs of wheels 13 are arranged is the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 can move forward or backward by switching gears (not shown) or the like. The vehicle 1 can also turn right or left by steering.

[0014] The vehicle body 12 has a front end F, which is the end on the front tire 13f side, and a rear end R, which is the end on the rear tire 13r side. The vehicle body 12 has a generally rectangular shape when viewed from above, and the four corners of the generally rectangular shape are sometimes called "ends." The vehicle 1 also has a display device, a speaker, a microphone, and an operation unit, which are not shown in FIG.

[0015] A pair of bumpers 14 are provided at the front and rear ends F, R of the vehicle body 12 near the lower end of the vehicle body 12. Of the pair of bumpers 14, the front bumper 14f covers the entire front surface and part of the side surface near the lower end of the vehicle body 12. Of the pair of bumpers 14, the rear bumper 14r covers the entire rear surface and part of the side surface near the lower end of the vehicle body 12.

[0016] Wave transmitting and receiving units 15f, 15r that transmit and receive sound waves such as ultrasonic waves are disposed at predetermined ends of the vehicle body 12. For example, one or more wave transmitting and receiving units 15f are disposed on the front bumper 14f, and one or more wave transmitting and receiving units 15r are disposed on the rear bumper 14r. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the wave transmitting and receiving units 15f, 15r will be simply referred to as the wave transmitting and receiving unit 15. Furthermore, the number and positions of the wave transmitting and receiving units 15 are not limited to the example shown in FIG. 1. For example, the vehicle 1 may be provided with wave transmitting and receiving units 15 on both the left and right sides.

[0017] In this embodiment, sonar using ultrasonic waves will be described as an example of the wave transmitting and receiving unit 15, but the wave transmitting and receiving unit 15 may also be radar that transmits and receives electromagnetic waves. Alternatively, the vehicle 1 may be equipped with both sonar and radar. Furthermore, the wave transmitting and receiving unit 15 may simply be referred to as a sensor.

[0018] The wave transmitting and receiving unit 15 detects obstacles around the vehicle 1 based on the results of transmitting and receiving sound waves or electromagnetic waves. The wave transmitting and receiving unit 15 also measures the distance between the vehicle 1 and obstacles around the vehicle 1 based on the results of transmitting and receiving sound waves or electromagnetic waves.

[0019] Vehicle 1 is also equipped with a first vehicle-mounted camera 16a that takes pictures of the area in front of vehicle 1, a second vehicle-mounted camera 16b that takes pictures of the area behind vehicle 1, a third vehicle-mounted camera 16c that takes pictures of the area to the left of vehicle 1, and a fourth vehicle-mounted camera that takes pictures of the area to the right of vehicle 1. The fourth vehicle-mounted camera is not shown in the figure.

[0020] Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the first on-board camera 16a, the second on-board camera 16b, the third on-board camera 16c, and the fourth on-board camera, they will be simply referred to as on-board cameras 16. The locations and number of on-board cameras are not limited to the example shown in FIG. 1. For example, the vehicle 1 may also be equipped with only two on-board cameras, the first on-board camera 16a and the second on-board camera 16b. Alternatively, the vehicle 1 may have other on-board cameras in addition to those in the above example.

[0021] The in-vehicle camera 16 is capable of capturing images of the surroundings of the vehicle 1, and is, for example, a camera that captures color images. The images captured by the in-vehicle camera 16 may be videos or still images. The in-vehicle camera 16 may be a camera built into the vehicle 1, or may be a camera of a drive recorder that is retrofitted to the vehicle 1.

[0022] The vehicle 1 is also equipped with a parking assistance device 100. The parking assistance device 100 is an information processing device that can be installed in the vehicle 1, and is, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) or an OBU (On Board Unit) provided inside the vehicle 1. Alternatively, the parking assistance device 100 may be an external device installed near the dashboard of the vehicle 1. The parking assistance device 100 may also function as a car navigation device or the like.

[0023] The parking assistance device 100 of this embodiment learns a driving route based on the driver's supervised driving and provides parking assistance using the learning results. This type of parking assistance is effective in reducing the driver's parking effort when repeatedly parking in a fixed parking spot, such as the driver's garage at home, a contracted parking spot at an apartment complex, or a designated parking spot in a parking lot at work, etc. This type of parking assistance is called home zone parking or route memory type automatic parking.

[0024] 1, the vehicle 1 may also be equipped with various sensors such as a gyro sensor and a wheel speed sensor (not shown). The gyro sensor measures the rotational behavior of the vehicle 1, such as forward / backward, left / right, and turning. The wheel speed sensor measures the wheel speed of each wheel 13 of the vehicle 1.

[0025] Next, a description will be given of the configuration of the vicinity of the driver's seat of the vehicle 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the vicinity of the driver's seat 130a of the vehicle 1 according to this embodiment.

[0026] 2, the vehicle 1 has a driver's seat 130a and a passenger's seat 130b. In front of the driver's seat 130a, a windshield 180, a dashboard 190, a steering wheel 140, a display device 120, and operation buttons 141 are provided.

[0027] The display device 120 is a display provided on a dashboard 190 of the vehicle 1. For example, the display device 120 is located in the center of the dashboard 190 as shown in FIG. 2. The display device 120 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The display device 120 may also function as a touch panel. The display device 120 is an example of a display unit in this embodiment. The vehicle 1 may also be equipped with a head-up display as the display unit.

[0028] The steering wheel 140 is provided in front of the driver's seat 130a and can be operated by the driver. The rotation angle of the steering wheel 140, i.e., the steering angle, is electrically or mechanically linked to the change in the direction of the front tires 13f, which are the steered wheels. The steered wheels may be the rear tires 13r, or both the front tires 13f and the rear tires 13r may be steered wheels.

[0029] The operation button 141 is a button that can accept an operation by a user. In this embodiment, the user is, for example, the driver of the vehicle 1. The position of the operation button 141 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 2, and the operation button 141 may be provided on the steering wheel 140, for example. Although one operation button 141 is illustrated in FIG. 2, a plurality of operation buttons 141 may be provided. The operation button 141 is an example of an operation unit. In addition, if the display device 120 also functions as a touch panel, the display device 120 may be an example of an operation unit.

[0030] Next, the hardware configuration of the parking assistance device 100 will be described.

[0031] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the parking assistance device 100 according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the parking assistance device 100 has a hardware configuration using a normal computer, in which a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11A, a ROM 11B, a RAM 11C, a device I / F (Interface) 11D, a CAN (Controller Area Network) I / F 11E, a NW (Network) I / F 11F, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 11G, and the like are interconnected via a bus 11H.

[0032] The CPU 11A is a calculation device that controls the entire parking assistance device 100. The CPU 11A is an example of a processor in the parking assistance device 100 of this embodiment, and another processor or processing circuit may be provided instead of the CPU 11A.

[0033] The ROM 11B, RAM 11C, and HDD 11G function as storage units. For example, the ROM 11B stores programs and the like that implement various processes by the CPU 11A. The RAM 11C is, for example, a main storage device of the parking assistance device 100, and stores data necessary for various processes by the CPU 11A. Note that the parking assistance device 100 may include other non-volatile storage media, such as a flash memory, instead of or in addition to the HDD 11G.

[0034] The device I / F 11D is an interface that can be connected to various devices. For example, the device I / F 11D is connected to a GPS device 11l and acquires GPS position information indicating the current position of the vehicle 1 from the GPS device 11l. The GPS position information is, for example, latitude and longitude values ​​that indicate the absolute position of the vehicle 1.

[0035] The GPS device 11l is a device that identifies GPS coordinates that indicate the position of the vehicle 1 based on a GPS signal received by the GPS antenna 11J. The GPS antenna 11J is an antenna that can receive GPS signals.

[0036] The device I / F 11D also acquires images and detection results from the in-vehicle camera 16 and the wave transmitting / receiving unit 15. The device I / F 11D may also acquire measurement results from a gyro sensor and a wheel speed sensor (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 1.

[0037] The CAN I / F 11E is an interface for transmitting and receiving information to and from other ECUs mounted on the vehicle 1 via the CAN in the vehicle 1. Note that a communication standard other than CAN may be adopted.

[0038] The NW I / F 11F is a communication device capable of communicating with an information processing device outside the vehicle 1 via a network. The NW I / F 11F is capable of communicating with an information processing device outside the vehicle 1, for example, via a public line such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), or short-range communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). Note that the communication format between the vehicle 1 and an information processing device outside the vehicle 1 is not limited to these. The information processing device outside the vehicle 1 is, for example, a server, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, etc.

[0039] 1 to 3, the display device 120 is illustrated as a device separate from the parking assistance device 100, but the display device 120 may be included in the parking assistance device 100.

[0040] 3, the parking assistance device 100 may include a speaker and a microphone (not shown). Alternatively, the device I / F 11D of the parking assistance device 100 may input and output audio data to and from a speaker and a microphone (not shown) that are provided in the vehicle 1 as devices separate from the parking assistance device 100.

[0041] Next, a detailed description will be given of the functions of the parking assistance device 100 of this embodiment. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of functions provided in the parking assistance device 100 according to this embodiment.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 4, the parking assistance device 100 of this embodiment includes a reception unit 101, an acquisition unit 102, an extraction unit 103, a recording processing unit 104, an estimation unit 105, a detection unit 106, a generation unit 107, a display control unit 108, an audio output unit 109, a driving control unit 110, and a memory unit 150.

[0043] The storage unit 150 is configured by, for example, the ROM 11B, the RAM 11C, or the HDD 11G. Although one storage unit 150 is illustrated as being included in the parking assistance device 100 in FIG. 4, multiple storage media may function as the storage unit 150.

[0044] The storage unit 150 stores programs and data used in various processes executed by the parking assistance device 100. For example, the program executed by the parking assistance device 100 of this embodiment has a modular configuration including the above-mentioned functional units (reception unit 101, acquisition unit 102, extraction unit 103, recording processing unit 104, estimation unit 105, detection unit 106, generation unit 107, display control unit 108, audio output unit 109, and driving control unit 110). In actual hardware, the CPU 11A reads and executes the program from the storage unit 150, thereby loading the above-mentioned units onto the RAM 11C, and the reception unit 101, acquisition unit 102, extraction unit 103, recording processing unit 104, estimation unit 105, detection unit 106, generation unit 107, display control unit 108, audio output unit 109, and driving control unit 110 are generated on the RAM 11C. Note that the processes realized by the functional units of the parking assistance device 100 are also referred to as steps.

[0045] The program executed by the parking assistance device 100 of this embodiment is provided as a file in an installable or executable format recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a flash memory, CD-ROM, flexible disk (FD), CD-R, or DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

[0046] The program executed by the parking assistance device 100 of this embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. The program executed by the parking assistance device 100 of this embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet. The program executed by the parking assistance device 100 of this embodiment may be provided by being pre-installed in ROM 11B or the like.

[0047] The reception unit 101 receives various operations from the user. For example, when the operation button 141 or an image button on the touch panel is pressed, the reception unit 101 receives an operation to start parking assistance by the user.

[0048] The receiving unit 101 may also receive various operations by the user through the user's voice input from a microphone provided in the vehicle 1.

[0049] The acquisition unit 102 acquires, from the multiple on-board cameras 16a to 16c, multiple images of the surroundings of the vehicle 1 taken in time series as the vehicle 1 moves. Note that, since these images are images of the surroundings of the vehicle 1, they are referred to as surrounding images in this embodiment.

[0050] The acquisition unit 102 also acquires information relating to the distance between the vehicle 1 and an object around the vehicle 1. The information relating to the distance between the vehicle 1 and an object around the vehicle 1 is, for example, the presence or absence of an obstacle detected by the wave transmitting and receiving unit 15, and the length of the distance between the vehicle 1 and the detected obstacle around the vehicle 1. The presence or absence of an obstacle detected by the wave transmitting and receiving unit 15, the distance between the vehicle 1 and the obstacle around the vehicle 1 measured by the wave transmitting and receiving unit 15, and the surrounding image may be referred to as environmental information relating to the environment around the vehicle 1. Note that the environmental information is not limited to these pieces of information.

[0051] The acquisition unit 102 also acquires GPS position information from the GPS device 11l via the device I / F 11D.

[0052] The acquisition unit 102 also acquires vehicle information about the vehicle 1 from various sensors or other ECUs of the vehicle 1. The vehicle information includes, for example, information about the speed, steering angle, and braking operation of the vehicle 1. Each piece of information included in the vehicle information about the vehicle 1 is stored in the storage unit 150 in association with the time at which the information was detected. Note that the vehicle information about the vehicle 1 may further include the wheel speed or the number of rotations of the wheels 13, the acceleration of the vehicle 1 measured by a gyro sensor, etc.

[0053] The extraction unit 103 extracts feature points around the vehicle 1 from a surrounding image of the vehicle 1 captured by the onboard camera 16 or from the results of sensing the surroundings of the vehicle 1 by the wave transmitting / receiving unit 15. The method by which the extraction unit 103 extracts feature points is not particularly limited, and any known method may be applied. For example, the extraction unit 103 extracts feature points using a method such as FAST (Features from Accelerated Segment Test) or ORB (Oriented FAST and Rotated BRIEF). Furthermore, when learning the driving route 81, the extraction unit 103 may preferentially record feature points that satisfy specified conditions among the extracted feature points. For example, feature points extracted from a plurality of consecutive surrounding images in time series, in which the vehicle 1 traveled a longer distance during capture, may be preferentially selected as feature points.

[0054] The recording processing unit 104 records the driving route of the vehicle 1 during the teacher driving by the driver. The recording processing unit 104 estimates the position of the vehicle 1 during the teacher driving based on, for example, the changes in the feature points extracted by the extraction unit 103 and the vehicle information of the vehicle 1, and identifies the driving route from the time-series changes in the position.

[0055] More specifically, the recording processing unit 104 identifies changes in the position of the vehicle 1 based on time-series changes in the feature points extracted during teacher driving. The recording processing unit 104 may also correct the position of the vehicle 1 identified from the feature points based on the acquired vehicle information. The recording processing unit 104 may also estimate the position of the vehicle 1 during teacher driving from changes in the absolute position of the vehicle 1 based on the GPS position information of the vehicle 1.

[0056] In this embodiment, information that associates a driving route for automatic driving, the speed, steering angle, braking operation of the vehicle 1 traveling on the driving route, and feature points extracted during supervised driving in a time series is referred to as driving route information. Since the driving route of the vehicle 1 is defined by the driving route information, the process of collecting the driving route information is a process of recording the driving route of the vehicle 1. The recording processing unit 104 stores the driving route information in the storage unit 150. The driving route information is used by the driving control unit 110 during automatic driving, which will be described later. Note that the method of recording the driving route and the definition of the driving route information are not limited to this example.

[0057] Furthermore, the recording processing unit 104 defines the environment around the vehicle 1 as map information based on feature points extracted from the surrounding images captured during supervised driving, and stores the map information in the storage unit 150. The process of recording the driving route based on supervised driving may be referred to as a learning process. The map information is not limited to information composed of feature points, and the recording processing unit 104 may record information about the relative positions, colors, and contours of multiple objects around the vehicle 1.

[0058] 5 is a diagram showing an example of supervised driving according to the embodiment. Generally, in the case of manual driving, leaving a parking lot is easier than entering it, so in a vehicle 1 that performs route-memory type automatic parking, the vehicle 1 may be caused to leave the parking lot 9 in supervised driving, and during operation, the vehicle 1 may be caused to enter the parking lot 9 by replaying the route of the supervised driving in reverse.

[0059] In the example shown in FIG. 5, the driver of vehicle 1 manually drives vehicle 1 from parking position 910 in parking lot 9 to exit position 900. Exit position 900 is the end position of travel route 81 of supervised travel. Recording processing unit 104 records travel route 81 of the supervised travel. Recording processing unit 104 also records map information based on feature points around travel route 81. Travel route 81 is an example of a first route in this embodiment.

[0060] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of reverse playback of a driving route 81 according to the embodiment. During parking assistance operation, a driving control unit 110 (described later) moves the vehicle 1 from an exit position 900 to a parking position 910 by automatically driving the vehicle 1 along the driving route 81 recorded in the leaving operation shown in Fig. 5 in the opposite direction to that during supervised driving. The exit position 900 is the end position of the driving route 81 during supervised driving, but is the start position of the driving route 81 during parking assistance.

[0061] The driver of vehicle 1 may perform a supervisory run to bring vehicle 1 into parking lot 9. In this case, recording processing unit 104 records the travel route of vehicle 1 from a travel start position outside parking lot 9 to parking position 910 within parking lot 9.

[0062] In this embodiment, when the parking assistance device 100 is switched to the learning mode by the driver, the recording processing unit 104 performs the teacher driving. The switching to the learning mode is performed, for example, by the driver operating the operation button 141 or the touch panel.

[0063] Returning to Figure 4, the estimation unit 105 estimates the position and orientation of the vehicle 1 based on the feature points extracted by the extraction unit 103 when the vehicle 1 is automatically driven based on the driving route 81 by the driving control unit 110 described below, and on the map information recorded during the supervised driving.

[0064] For example, the estimation unit 105 estimates the position of the vehicle 1 by comparing feature points of a surrounding image captured by the on-board camera 16 during supervised driving with feature points of a current surrounding image. Note that the method by which the estimation unit 105 estimates the position and orientation of the vehicle 1 is not limited to this example. Furthermore, the estimation unit 105 may correct the estimated position of the vehicle 1 based on the absolute position of the vehicle 1 based on the GPS position information of the vehicle 1.

[0065] The detection unit 106 detects objects around the vehicle 1. More specifically, before the start of automatic driving by parking assistance and during automatic driving, the detection unit 106 detects objects around the vehicle 1 based on the presence or absence of obstacles detected by the wave transmitting and receiving unit 15 acquired by the acquisition unit 102, the distance between the vehicle 1 and obstacles around the vehicle 1 measured by the wave transmitting and receiving unit 15, and environmental information such as surrounding images. In this embodiment, the term "objects" includes other vehicles, buildings, trees, people, and the like.

[0066] Based on the estimation results of the position and orientation of vehicle 1 by the estimation unit 105, the generation unit 107 generates an additional route for vehicle 1 to travel from the current position of vehicle 1 to the junction with the travel route 81 recorded during the teacher travel.

[0067] The current position of the vehicle 1 is an example of a first position in this embodiment. The additional route generated by the generation unit 107 is an example of a second route in this embodiment.

[0068] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of additional routes 82a to 82c according to the embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 7, a current position 921 of the vehicle 1 is located on the near side of the parking lot 9. In general, the driver of the vehicle 1 may wish to start automatic parking from a position where the parking position 910 is visible, such as the current position 921 of the vehicle 1 shown in Fig. 7.

[0069] In contrast, the exit position 900, which is the starting position of the travel route 81, is located on the opposite side of the parking lot 9 from the current position 921 of the vehicle 1. When automatic parking starts from the exit position 900, the driver manually drives the vehicle 1 to move from the current position 921 to the exit position 900.

[0070] Therefore, the generation unit 107 of this embodiment generates additional routes 82a to 82c that can merge from the current position 921 to the travel route 81 so that automatic parking can be started without the driver having to manually drive the vehicle 1 from the current position 921 to the exit position 900. Hereinafter, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between the individual additional routes 82a to 82c, they will simply be referred to as additional routes 82. Furthermore, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between the individual junction points P1 to P3 at which the vehicle 1 merges with the travel route 81 on the additional routes 82a to 82c, they will simply be referred to as junction points P.

[0071] The generation unit 107 generates an additional route 82 that satisfies specified conditions based on the environment around the vehicle 1 and the characteristics of the vehicle 1.

[0072] The environment around the vehicle 1 is, for example, the positions of obstacles around the vehicle 1.

[0073] The characteristics of the vehicle 1 include, for example, the size of the body 12 of the vehicle 1 and the steering characteristics.

[0074] The specified conditions include, for example, that the distance between vehicle 1 traveling on driving route 81 and obstacles around vehicle 1 is greater than or equal to a specified distance, and that the turning radius of vehicle 1 on additional route 82 is greater than or equal to the minimum turning radius of vehicle 1.

[0075] Furthermore, the generation unit 107 may generate the additional path 82 according to a setting as to whether stationary steering is permitted or not. Furthermore, the generation unit 107 may generate the additional path 82 according to the specifications of the maximum acceleration and the maximum jerk.

[0076] For example, the specified conditions may include at least one of the following: the additional route 82 does not include stationary steering if the vehicle cannot be stationary; the acceleration of vehicle 1 on the additional route 82 is less than or equal to a specified acceleration; and the jerk of vehicle 1 on the additional route 82 is less than or equal to a specified jerk.

[0077] The specified distance between vehicle 1 and obstacles around vehicle 1, the minimum turning radius, the setting for whether or not stationary steering is possible, the maximum acceleration specification, and the maximum jerk specification may be predetermined as characteristics of vehicle 1 or may be set by the user.

[0078] Furthermore, the generation unit 107 generates, to the extent possible, an additional route 82 that allows the vehicle 1 to move from the current position 921 to the junction point P on the travel route 81 in one stroke. Furthermore, when it is possible to generate multiple additional routes 82a to 82c that satisfy specified conditions, the generation unit 107 adopts the additional route 82 with the fewest number of steering turns.

[0079] For example, in the example shown in FIG. 7, the generation unit 107 can generate a plurality of additional routes 82a to 82c that satisfy specified conditions and allow the vehicle 1 to move from the current position 921 to the junction points P1 to P3 on the travel route 81. In this case, the generation unit 107 adopts the route with the least number of steering turns among the plurality of additional routes 82a to 82c. Furthermore, if the number of steering turns is the same among the plurality of additional routes 82a to 82c, the generation unit 107 adopts the route among the additional routes 82a to 82c that allows the vehicle 1 to move most smoothly from the current position 921 to the junction point P. For example, the smaller the change in steering angle per unit time, the smoother the route. Note that the index for evaluating the smoothness of a route is not limited to this.

[0080] Furthermore, the generation unit 107 does not generate the additional route 82 if the orientation of the vehicle 1 is not one that allows the vehicle 1 to merge from the current position 921 of the vehicle 1 onto the travel route 81. More specifically, the generation unit 107 estimates the orientation of the vehicle 1 at a point on the travel route 81 when the vehicle 1 moves from the current position 921 of the vehicle 1 to that point. This orientation is referred to as a first orientation. The orientation of the vehicle 1 at that point during supervised travel is referred to as a second orientation. The generation unit 107 can generate the additional route 82 if the difference between the first orientation and the second orientation is equal to or less than a specified threshold. The generation unit 107 does not generate the additional route 82 if the difference between the first orientation and the second orientation is greater than the specified threshold. The specified threshold is not particularly limited, but is determined based on the steering characteristics of the vehicle 1, the distance to surrounding obstacles, etc.

[0081] 8 is a diagram showing an example of the difference between the first orientation and the second orientation according to the embodiment. Let us assume that the orientation of vehicle 1 when vehicle 1 moves from current position 921 to point P4 on travel route 81 is a first orientation d1. Let us also assume that the orientation of vehicle 1 at point P4 when vehicle 1 travels on travel route 81 during teacher travel is a second orientation d2. The angle θ between first orientation d1 and second orientation d2 is the difference between first orientation d1 and second orientation d2.

[0082] When there is a point P4 where the angle θ formed between the first direction d1 and the second direction d2 is equal to or smaller than a specified threshold, the generation unit 107 can generate the additional route 82. For example, even if the angle θ formed between the first direction d1 and the second direction d2 at the point P4 shown in Fig. 8 is larger than the specified threshold, the generation unit 107 can generate the additional route 82 when there is another point from the current position 921 where the angle θ formed between the first direction d1 and the second direction d2 is equal to or smaller than the specified threshold.

[0083] 9 is a diagram illustrating another example of the difference between the first orientation and the second orientation according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 illustrates a case where the vehicle 1 approaches the parking lot 9 from a direction opposite to the orientation of the vehicle 1 at the exit position 900 during supervised driving. In this case, for example, the angle θ formed between the first orientation d1 of the vehicle 1 when the vehicle 1 moves from the current position 921 to point P5 on the driving route 81 and the second orientation d2 of the vehicle 1 at point P5 during supervised driving is close to 180°. In the positional relationship shown in FIG. 9, there is no other point on the driving route 81 where the angle θ formed between the first orientation d1 and the second orientation d2 is equal to or less than the specified threshold, and therefore the generation unit 107 does not generate the additional route 82.

[0084] 8 and 9, the reference point for the position of the vehicle 1 is set to the midpoint of the two rear tires 13r of the vehicle 1, but the reference point for the position of the vehicle 1 is not limited to this.

[0085] 4, when vehicle 1 is in a position where parking assistance is possible while vehicle 1 is traveling, display control unit 108 notifies the driver that parking assistance is possible by displaying on display device 120. For example, when generation unit 107 is able to generate additional route 82 from current position 921 of vehicle 1, display control unit 108 causes display device 120 or a head-up display to display that parking assistance is possible.

[0086] The audio output unit 109 outputs sound or voice to a speaker provided in the vehicle 1. For example, when the vehicle 1 is in a position where parking assistance is possible while the vehicle 1 is traveling, the audio output unit 109 may notify the driver that parking assistance is possible by outputting a voice message from the speaker.

[0087] The driving control unit 110 automatically drives the vehicle 1 from the current position 921 to the parking position 910 based on the driving route 81 and the additional route 82. This process is called automatic parking. For example, the driving control unit 110 controls the steering, braking, and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle 1 to automatically drive the vehicle 1 along the driving route 81 and the additional route 82.

[0088] During automatic driving by the driving control unit 110, the driver may be seated in the driver's seat 130a of the vehicle 1 or may have gotten off the vehicle 1.

[0089] 4 illustrates the parking assistance device 100 as including the driving control unit 110, the driving control unit 110 may be realized by an ECU different from the parking assistance device 100.

[0090] Next, the flow of the parking assistance process executed by the parking assistance device 100 of this embodiment configured as above will be described.

[0091] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the parking assistance process executed by the parking assistance device 100 according to the embodiment. It is assumed that the travel route 81 based on the teacher travel has already been registered at the time the process of this flowchart is executed.

[0092] First, the acquisition unit 102 acquires the absolute position, peripheral image, speed, steering angle, braking operation, and distance measurement results of the vehicle 1 (S101). Although not shown in the flowchart, the acquisition unit 102 continues to acquire the absolute position, peripheral image, speed, steering angle, braking operation, and distance measurement results of the vehicle 1 while the flowchart is being executed.

[0093] Then, the extraction unit 103 extracts feature points from the acquired multiple peripheral images (S102).

[0094] The estimation unit 105 performs a self-position estimation process to estimate the position of the vehicle 1 by comparing the extracted feature points with feature points of a surrounding image captured by the in-vehicle camera 16 during supervised driving (S103). The estimation unit 105 may also perform the self-position estimation process based on the distance measurement result acquired from the wave transmitting / receiving unit 15 or GPS position information acquired from the GPS device 11l.

[0095] Based on the result of the self-position estimation, the estimation unit 105 determines whether there is a point on the travel route 81 where the angle θ between the first orientation d1 of the vehicle 1 when the vehicle 1 moves from the current position 921 to any point on the travel route 81 and the second orientation d2 of the vehicle 1 at that point during supervised travel is equal to or less than a specified threshold (S103). If there is no point on the travel route 81 where the angle θ between the first orientation d1 and the second orientation d2 is equal to or less than the specified threshold (S103 "No"), the process returns to S101. In this case, the vehicle 1 continues to move by manual driving, and the processes of S101 to S103 are repeated until there is a point on the travel route 81 where the angle θ between the first orientation d1 and the second orientation d2 is equal to or less than the specified threshold.

[0096] Furthermore, if there is a point on the travel route 81 where the angle θ between the first direction d1 and the second direction d2 is equal to or less than a specified threshold value (S103 "Yes"), the generation unit 107 generates the additional route 82 (S104).

[0097] Then, the display control unit 108 causes the display device 120 to display a message indicating that parking assistance is possible (S105). At this time, the display control unit 108 may also display on the display device 120 an image button that can accept an operation to start parking assistance by the user.

[0098] Then, the reception unit 101 receives an operation to start parking assistance (S106 "Yes") when, for example, the user presses an image button displayed on the display device 120. On the other hand, if the reception unit 101 does not receive an operation to start parking assistance (S106 "No"), automatic parking does not start and the system enters a standby state.

[0099] When an operation to start parking assistance is accepted, the traveling control unit 110 moves the vehicle 1 from the current position 921 to the parking position 910 along the additional route 82 and the traveling route 81 by automatic parking (S107). Here, the processing of this flowchart ends.

[0100] In this way, the parking assistance device 100 of this embodiment generates an additional route 82 for driving the vehicle 1 from the current position 921 of the vehicle 1 to the junction point P with the driving route 81 based on the leaving operation during supervised driving, and automatically drives the vehicle 1 from the current position 921 to the parking position 910 based on the generated additional route and the driving route 81. Therefore, the parking assistance device 100 of this embodiment can start automatic parking from a position different from the ending position of leaving during supervised driving.

[0101] That is, with the parking assistance device 100 of this embodiment, such a configuration can improve the degree of freedom in the start position of automatic parking, thereby improving user convenience.

[0102] Furthermore, the parking assistance device 100 of this embodiment can generate an additional route 82 that can smoothly merge from the current position 921 of the vehicle 1 into the driving route 81 by setting specified conditions regarding the turning radius, whether or not stationary steering is possible, acceleration, jerk, and number of steering turns of the vehicle 1 on the additional route 82. If a user is in the vehicle 1 during automatic parking, a smooth additional route 82 can reduce stress felt by the user due to the automatic driving.

[0103] (Variation 1) In the above embodiment, the parking assistance device 100 has been described as generating the additional route 82 during automatic parking. Furthermore, the parking assistance device 100 may record the generated additional route 82 and use it for subsequent automatic parking.

[0104] For example, when the vehicle 1 is driven automatically by the driving control unit 110 based on the driving route 81 and the additional route 82, the recording processing unit 104 records the route of the automatic driving as a combined route having the current position 921 of the vehicle 1 at the time of generating the additional route 82 as the start point and the parking position 910 as the end point. The combined route is an example of a third route in this modified example.

[0105] The recording processing unit 104 also records the feature points around the connection route as map information. The connection route and the map information to which the feature points have been added are stored in the storage unit 150.

[0106] The generation unit 107 generates an additional route for driving the vehicle 1 from the current position of the vehicle 1 to a junction point with the combined route when automatic parking is performed after the automatic driving in which the combined route was recorded.

[0107] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an added route according to Modification 1. In the example shown in Fig. 11, it is assumed that a combined route 83 has already been registered in the previous or previous automatic parking, which combines a driving route 81 during teacher driving with an added route 82 generated in the previous or previous automatic parking.

[0108] The estimation unit 105 estimates the position and orientation of the vehicle 1 based on the feature points extracted by the extraction unit 103 and the map information recorded together with the additional route 82.

[0109] The generation unit 107 generates an additional route 84 for the vehicle 1 to travel from the current position 922 of the vehicle 1 to a junction P6 where the combined route 83 joins, based on the estimation result of the position and orientation of the vehicle 1 by the estimation unit 105.

[0110] 11, the current position 922 is farther from the travel route 81 based on the supervised travel than the current position 921 of the vehicle 1 at the time of generating the combined route 83. In other words, the generation unit 107 can expand the area that can be used as the starting point of the additional route 84 compared to when the combined route 83 was generated.

[0111] The current position 922 of the vehicle 1 at the time of generating the current additional route 84 is an example of the second position in this modified example. Also, the additional route 84 from the current position 922 of the vehicle 1 at the time of generating the current additional route 84 to the junction P6 with the combined route 83 is an example of the fourth route.

[0112] The driving control unit 110 automatically drives the vehicle 1 from the current position 922 at the time of generating the current additional route 84 to the parking position 910 based on the combined route 83 and the additional route 84.

[0113] In this way, the parking assistance device 100 of this modified example can expand the area that can be used as the starting point of the additional route 84 during automatic parking from the next time onwards, by recording a combined route 83 that combines the driving route 81 based on the teacher driving with the additional route 82 that has been generated by stepping aside.

[0114] The recording processing unit 104 may record a second bond path by adding the current additional path 84 to the bond path 83. In this case, it is possible to further expand the area that can be used as the starting point of the additional path.

[0115] (Variation 2) In the above embodiment, the parking assistance device 100 generates the additional route 82 having the current position 921 of the vehicle 1 as the starting point, but the starting point of the additional route 82 is not limited to this.

[0116] For example, if the generation unit 107 cannot generate an additional route 82 that can merge with the driving route 81 in one stroke from the current position 921 of the vehicle 1, the display control unit 108 may display a notification on the display device 120 or the head-up display to guide the driver to manually drive the vehicle 1 to a position where the additional route 82 can merge with the driving route 81 in one stroke.

[0117] In addition, not only when the generation unit 107 is unable to generate an additional route 82 that can merge with the driving route 81 in one stroke from the current position 921 of the vehicle 1, but also when the generation unit 107 is unable to generate an additional route 82 that satisfies the specified conditions described in the above embodiment, the display control unit 108 may display a notification on the display device 120 or the head-up display to guide the driver to manually drive the vehicle 1 to a position where an additional route 82 that satisfies the specified conditions can be generated.

[0118] (Variation 3) In the above embodiment, when the generation unit 107 of the parking assistance device 100 can generate a plurality of additional routes 82 that satisfy the specified conditions, the generation unit 107 of the parking assistance device 100 adopts the additional route 82 with the fewest number of steering turns among the plurality of additional routes 82, but the criteria for determining the additional route 82 are not limited to this. For example, when the generation unit 107 of the parking assistance device 100 of this modified example can generate a plurality of additional routes 82 that satisfy the specified conditions, the generation unit 107 may adopt the additional route 82 with the fewest number of steering turns among the plurality of additional routes 82.

[0119] (Variation 4) Furthermore, as another example of the criterion for determining the additional route 82, the generation unit 107 of the parking assistance device 100 may use an evaluation score. For example, when the generation unit 107 can generate a plurality of additional routes 82 that satisfy a specified condition, the generation unit 107 may calculate an evaluation score for each of the plurality of additional routes 82.

[0120] For example, the generation unit 107 calculates the evaluation score using at least one of the following calculation rules: "The fewer the number of turns on the route, the smaller the evaluation score," "The smaller the curvature change rate on the route, the smaller the evaluation score," "The smaller the jerk on the route, the smaller the evaluation score," and "The shorter the distance of the route, the smaller the evaluation score." The combination of calculation rules may be set in advance in the parking assistance device 100 or may be selected by the user.

[0121] Then, the generation unit 107 adopts the additional route 82 with the smallest evaluation score, or the additional route 82 with an evaluation score equal to or less than a specified threshold, from among the multiple additional routes 82 that satisfy the specified conditions.

[0122] Specifically, the generation unit 107 may calculate evaluation scores for all of the multiple additional routes 82 that satisfy the specified conditions, and then adopt the additional route 82 that corresponds to the smallest evaluation score among the calculated evaluation scores.

[0123] Alternatively, the generation unit 107 may calculate the evaluation scores of the multiple additional routes 82 that satisfy the specified conditions one by one, and when an evaluation score that is equal to or less than a specified threshold is calculated, adopt the additional route 82 that corresponds to that evaluation score. In this case, the generation unit 107 ends the calculation of the evaluation scores when an evaluation score that is equal to or less than a specified threshold is calculated, so there is no need to calculate evaluation scores for all of the multiple additional routes 82 that satisfy the specified conditions, and the calculation process time is reduced.

[0124] Note that the above-described method of calculating the evaluation score is an example, and rules other than the illustrated calculation rules may be further combined. Furthermore, the above-described calculation rule "the evaluation score becomes smaller" may be changed to "the evaluation score becomes larger." In this case, the generation unit 107 uses the additional route 82 with the highest evaluation score, or the additional route 82 with an evaluation score equal to or greater than a specified threshold, among multiple additional routes 82 that satisfy the specified conditions.

[0125] (Variation 5) In the above embodiment, the generation unit 107 of the parking assistance device 100 is described as generating an additional route 82 that causes the vehicle 1 to travel from the current position of the vehicle 1 to a junction with the travel route 81 recorded during the teacher travel, but the starting position of the additional route does not have to exactly match the current position of the vehicle 1.

[0126] For example, the generation unit 107 may generate a route in which the vehicle 1 moves backward from a junction on the travel route 81 recorded by the supervised travel to a location near the current position of the vehicle 1. When the route is played back in reverse, the route starts near the current position of the vehicle 1 and ends at the junction on the travel route 81. Therefore, in this modification, the end of the route near the current position of the vehicle 1 is set as the start position of the route, and the junction on the travel route 81 is set as the end position, based on the time of reverse playback. The generation unit 107 adopts the route as an additional route if the distance between the start position of the route and the current position of the vehicle 1 and the difference between the orientation of the vehicle 1 at the start position and the current orientation of the vehicle 1 satisfy conditions.

[0127] Alternatively, the generation unit 107 may generate a route that starts from a junction on the travel route 81 recorded by supervised travel and passes near the current position of the vehicle 1. In this case, when the route is played back in reverse, it becomes a route that starts from a point farther from the travel route 81 than near the current position of the vehicle 1, passes near the current position of the vehicle 1, and ends at the junction on the travel route 81.

[0128] 12 is a diagram showing an example of a route 85 generated by the generating unit 107 according to Modification 5. The route 85 is an example of a fifth route in this modification. Note that when the route 85 is adopted as an additional route, the route 85 is also an example of a second route.

[0129] In the example shown in FIG. 12, the generation unit 107 generates a route 85 from a junction point P20 on the travel route 81 to the vicinity of the current position P11 of the vehicle 1. The route 85 starts from the start position P10 and ends at the junction point P20. The start position P10 is located near the current position P11 of the vehicle 1. The current position P11 of the vehicle 1 is an example of a first position in this modified example. The start position P10 is also an example of a third position in this modified example. The junction point P20 is not fixed in advance, but is determined by calculation by the generation unit 107 so that the start position P10 approaches the current position P11 of the vehicle 1.

[0130] In FIG. 12, route 85 is a route that connects junction P20 to the vicinity of vehicle 1's current position P11, but as described above, it may also be a route that passes from junction P20 to the vicinity of vehicle 1's current position P11.

[0131] Then, assuming that the vehicle 1 travels on the route 85, the generation unit 107 estimates the orientation d10 of the vehicle 1 at the start position P10. For example, the generation unit 107 estimates the orientation d10 of the vehicle 1 at the start position P10 by estimating the steering that the vehicle 1 will perform when backing up from the junction P20 to the start position P10, based on the orientation of the vehicle 1 at the junction P20 of the travel route 81 during instructor travel and the shape of the route 85. The orientation d10 is an example of a third orientation in this modified example. Furthermore, the orientation d11 of the vehicle 1 at the current position P11 of the vehicle 1 is an example of a fourth orientation in this modified example.

[0132] The generation unit 107 adopts the route 85 as an additional route if the distance D20 between the current position P11 of the vehicle 1 and the start position P10 of the route 85 is equal to or less than a specified distance and if the difference between the orientation d10 of the vehicle 1 at the start position P10 of the route 85 and the orientation d11 of the vehicle 1 at the current position P11 of the vehicle 1 is equal to or less than a specified angle. In the example shown in Fig. 12, if the angle θ10 formed by the straight line d111 moved while keeping the inclination of the orientation d11 of the vehicle 1 at the current position P11 of the vehicle 1 fixed and the straight line representing the orientation d10 of the vehicle 1 is equal to or less than a specified angle, the generation unit 107 determines that the difference between the orientation d10 of the vehicle 1 at the start position P10 and the orientation d11 of the vehicle 1 at the current position P11 of the vehicle 1 is equal to or less than a specified angle.

[0133] The specified distance and specified angle in this modification are not particularly limited, and may be determined, for example, according to the steering characteristics of the vehicle 1. Furthermore, the specified angle may differ according to the distance D20 between the current position P11 of the vehicle 1 and the start position P10.

[0134] Furthermore, depending on the positional relationship between the current position P11 of the vehicle 1 and the travel route 81, the generation unit 107 may not be able to generate a route 85 in which the distance D20 is equal to or less than a specified distance and the difference between the orientations d10 and d11 is equal to or less than a specified angle. In such a case, the display control unit 108 of this modified example may display the generable route 85 on the display device 120 and guide the driver to manually drive the vehicle 1 to the route 85 or near the route 85.

[0135] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a guidance screen according to Modification 5. When distance D20 is longer than a specified distance or the difference between orientations d10 and d11 is greater than a specified angle, display control unit 108 causes display device 120 to display route image 602 representing route 85. Furthermore, display control unit 108 causes range images 603, which indicate a range equivalent to the width of vehicle 1, to be displayed on both sides of route 85. In addition, in the example illustrated in FIG. 13 , as an example, a vehicle image 601 representing vehicle 1, a driving route image 630 representing driving route 81 recorded by supervised driving, a parking lot image 620 representing parking lot 9, a parking location image 610 representing parking location 910, and a guidance message M1 are displayed on the guidance screen. The guidance message M1 may, for example, prompt the driver to move or stop vehicle 1, such as "Please stop on the displayed route," but is not limited thereto. Furthermore, audio output unit 109 may cause a speaker to output guidance message M1 as audio.

[0136] According to the parking assistance device 100 of this modification, even if it is not possible to generate an additional route 82 that starts from a position that completely coincides with the current position P11 of the vehicle 1, it is possible to generate a route 85 that allows the vehicle 1 to merge with the travel route 81. Furthermore, according to the parking assistance device 100 of this modification, even if it is difficult to make the vehicle 1 merge with the travel route 81 immediately from the current position P11 of the vehicle 1, it is possible to guide the vehicle 1 to a position where the vehicle 1 can merge with the travel route 81 by prompting the driver of the vehicle 1 to move the vehicle 1.

[0137] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0138] 1 vehicle 9. Parking 81 Driving Route 82, 82a~82c, 84 Additional routes 85 routes 100 Parking assistance device 101 Reception 102 Acquisition Department 103 Extraction part 104 Recording processing section 105 Estimation part 106 Detector 107 Generation part 108 Display control unit 109 Audio output section 110 Travel control unit 120 Display device 150 Storage section 900 Delivery position 910 Parking Location 921,922,P11 Current location P,P1~P3,P6,P20 Confluence point P10 starting position

Claims

1. a recording processing unit that records a first route based on a supervisor driving in which the vehicle moves from a parking position to an exit position under manual driving by a driver; an estimation unit that estimates a position of the vehicle; a generation unit that generates a second route for the vehicle to travel from a first position where the vehicle is located to a junction point with the first route; a driving control unit that automatically drives the vehicle from the first position to the parking position based on the first route and the second route; Equipped with The generation unit estimating a first orientation of the vehicle at a point on the first route when the vehicle moves from the first position to the point; determining that the second route can be generated when a difference between the first orientation and a second orientation of the vehicle at the point during the teacher driving is equal to or smaller than a specified threshold value; Parking assistance device.

2. the generation unit generates the second route that satisfies specified conditions based on an environment around the vehicle and characteristics of the vehicle. The parking assistance device according to claim 1.

3. the specified conditions include that a distance between the vehicle traveling on the second route and an obstacle around the vehicle is equal to or greater than a specified distance, and that a turning radius of the vehicle on the second route is equal to or greater than a minimum turning radius of the vehicle.

3. The parking assistance device according to claim 2.

4. The specified condition includes at least one of: when the vehicle is not capable of stationary steering, the second route does not include stationary steering; an acceleration of the vehicle on the second route is equal to or less than a specified acceleration; and a jerk of the vehicle on the second route is equal to or less than a specified jerk.

4. The parking assistance device according to claim 2 or 3.

5. When the generation unit can generate a plurality of routes that satisfy the specified condition, the generation unit selects a route with the least number of steering turns as the second route.

5. The parking assistance device according to claim 2.

6. When the generation unit can generate a plurality of routes that satisfy the specified condition, the generation unit selects a route with the fewest number of turns as the second route.

5. The parking assistance device according to claim 2.

7. When the generation unit is able to generate a plurality of routes that satisfy the specified condition, it calculates an evaluation score for each of the plurality of routes, and selects, among the plurality of routes, a route with the smallest evaluation score or a route with the evaluation score equal to or less than a specified threshold as the second route.

5. The parking assistance device according to claim 2.

8. The generation unit calculates the evaluation score according to at least one of the following calculation rules: "the fewer the number of turns on the route, the smaller the evaluation score," "the smaller the curvature change rate on the route, the smaller the evaluation score," "the smaller the jerk on the route, the smaller the evaluation score," and "the shorter the distance of the route, the smaller the evaluation score." 8. The parking assistance device according to claim 7.

9. the recording processing unit, when the vehicle automatically travels from the first position to the parking position based on the first route and the second route, records the route of the automatic travel as a third route and records feature points around the third route as map information; A parking assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. the generation unit generates a fourth route for the vehicle to travel from a second position where the vehicle is located to a junction point where the vehicle joins the third route; the driving control unit automatically drives the vehicle from the second position to the parking position based on the third route and the fourth route.

10. The parking assistance device according to claim 9.

11. the generation unit generates a fifth route that is a route from the junction on the first route to a third position near the first position or a route from the junction through the third position, estimates a third orientation of the vehicle at the third position on the fifth route, and adopts the fifth route as the second route when a distance between the first position and the third position is equal to or less than a specified distance and a difference between the third orientation and a fourth orientation of the vehicle at the first position is equal to or less than a specified angle. The parking assistance device according to claim 1.

12. a display control unit that causes a display unit to display an image representing the fifth route when a distance between the first position and the third position is longer than the specified distance or when a difference between the third orientation and the fourth orientation is larger than the specified angle; 12. The parking assistance device according to claim 11.

13. a vehicle image representing the vehicle, a parking position image representing the parking position, a driving route image representing the first route recorded by the supervised driving, and messages prompting the vehicle to move and stop; The parking assistance device according to claim 1.

14. a recording processing step of recording a first route based on teacher driving in which the vehicle moves from the parking position to the exit position by manual driving by the driver; an estimation step of estimating a position of the vehicle; a generating step of generating a second route for the vehicle to travel from a first location where the vehicle is located to a junction point with the first route; a driving control step of automatically driving the vehicle from the first position to the parking position based on the first route and the second route; Including, In the generating step, estimating a first orientation of the vehicle at a point on the first route when the vehicle moves from the first position to the point; determining that the second route can be generated when a difference between the first orientation and a second orientation of the vehicle at the point during the teacher driving is equal to or smaller than a specified threshold value; Parking assistance methods.

15. a vehicle image representing the vehicle, a parking position image representing the parking position, a driving route image representing the first route recorded by the supervised driving, and messages prompting the vehicle to move and stop; 15. The parking assistance method of claim 14.

16. recording a first route based on a training run in which the vehicle moves from the parking position to the exit position under manual driving by the driver; estimating the position of the vehicle; generating a second route for the vehicle to travel from a first location where the vehicle is located to a junction with the first route; automatically driving the vehicle from the first position to the parking position based on the first route and the second route; generating the second route when a difference between a first orientation of the vehicle at a point on the first route when the vehicle moves from the first position to the point and a second orientation of the vehicle at the point during the teacher driving is equal to or less than a specified threshold value; Parking assistance methods.

17. a vehicle image representing the vehicle, a parking position image representing the parking position, a driving route image representing the first route recorded by the supervised driving, and messages prompting the vehicle to move and stop; 17. The parking assistance method of claim 16.

18. A parking assistance method for automatically driving a vehicle based on a teacher driving performed by a driver manually, comprising: Recording the driving route based on the driver's supervised driving; estimating the position of the vehicle; Based on the travel route, the vehicle is automatically driven from a current position to a parking position on the travel route; If the current position of the vehicle is away from the travel route and the traveling direction of the vehicle is the same as the traveling direction of the vehicle at the start position of the travel route, generate a route for automatic travel from the current position of the vehicle to the parking position, passing through the start position of the travel route. Parking assistance methods.

19. a vehicle image representing the vehicle, a parking position image representing the parking position, a driving route image representing the driving route recorded by the teacher driving, and messages prompting the vehicle to move and stop; 20. The parking assistance method of claim 18.

Images