Parking assistance device, parking assistance method, and program

Abstract

Provide sufficient parking assistance. [Solution] The parking assist device includes: a start determination means for determining the start of vehicle parking assist based on driver operation information; an area detection means for detecting a parking area around the vehicle when the start determination means determines the start of vehicle parking assist; a calculation means for calculating the amount and direction of rotation of the steering wheel and the direction and distance of movement of the vehicle required when the vehicle parks in the parking area, based on the relative position of the vehicle with respect to the parking area detected by the area detection means; and a tactile stimulus generating means for generating tactile stimuli on the steering wheel or the seat surface of the seat on which the driver sits, based on the amount and direction of rotation of the steering wheel and the direction and distance of movement of the vehicle calculated by the calculation means.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a parking assistance device, a parking assistance method, and a program for performing parking assistance for a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a parking assistance device that generates a tactile stimulus such as vibration on a steering wheel to inform the rotation direction of the steering wheel so that the direction of the wheels faces the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body during a parking operation (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the above-described parking assistance device only provides assistance for informing the rotation direction of the steering wheel so that the direction of the wheels faces the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. In reality, parking a vehicle requires a complex operation of the steering wheel, and it can be said that the above-described parking assistance is insufficient.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of such problems, and a main object thereof is to provide a parking assistance device, a parking assistance method, and a program capable of sufficiently performing parking assistance.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is start determination means for determining the start of parking assistance for a vehicle based on the operation information of a driver, and area detection means for detecting a parking area around the vehicle when the start determination means determines the start of parking assistance for the vehicle. A calculation means calculates, based on the relative position of the vehicle with respect to the parking area detected by the area detection means, the amount and direction of rotation of the steering wheel required when the vehicle parks in the parking area, and the direction and distance of movement of the vehicle. A tactile stimulus generating means generates tactile stimuli on the steering wheel or the seat surface of the seat on which the driver sits, based on the amount and direction of rotation of the steering wheel calculated by the calculation means and the direction and distance of movement of the vehicle. Equipped with, Parking assist system That is the case. One aspect of the present invention for achieving the above objective is: A step of determining when to start parking assistance for the vehicle based on the driver's operation information, When it is determined that parking assistance for the vehicle has started, the steps include detecting the parking area around the vehicle, A step of calculating, based on the relative position of the vehicle with respect to the detected parking area, the amount and direction of rotation of the steering wheel required for the vehicle to park in the parking area, and the direction and distance of movement of the vehicle. Based on the calculated amount and direction of rotation of the steering wheel and the direction and distance of movement of the vehicle, the step of generating tactile stimulation on the steering wheel or the seat surface on which the driver sits, including, Parking assistance methods That is the case. One aspect of the present invention for achieving the above objective is: A process that determines when to start parking assistance for the vehicle based on the driver's operation information, When it is determined that parking assistance for the vehicle has started, the process of detecting the parking area around the vehicle is performed, Based on the relative position of the vehicle with respect to the detected parking area, a process is performed to calculate the amount and direction of steering wheel rotation required for the vehicle to park in the parking area, as well as the direction and distance of movement of the vehicle. Based on the calculated amount and direction of rotation of the steering wheel, and the direction and distance of movement of the vehicle, a process is performed to generate tactile stimuli on the steering wheel or the seat surface on which the driver sits. Make the computer execute it. program That is the case. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a parking assistance device, a parking assistance method, and a program that can adequately assist with parking. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This block diagram shows a schematic system configuration of the parking assistance device according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This block diagram shows a schematic hardware configuration of the parking assistance device according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of a steering wheel. [Figure 4] This is a diagram illustrating the parking assistance method according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a diagram illustrating the parking assistance method according to this embodiment. [Figure 6] This diagram shows the case when an obstacle is detected by the sensor. [Figure 7] This block diagram shows a schematic system configuration of the parking assistance device according to this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiment 1 Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As an assist function when the vehicle is parked, for example, in the case of visual perception with an around view monitor or the like and parking assistance that only generates a warning sound with a corner sensor, it cannot be said to be sufficient in terms of assistance. Also, when parking in reverse, due to issues such as warning sounds, it is necessary to lower the volume of music or the like, which also lacks convenience. In particular, guidance by warning sounds is difficult for the hearing-impaired and the like to understand, and is insufficient as parking assistance.

[0010] On the other hand, the parking assistance device according to this embodiment supports the driver's parking operation by vibrating the steering wheel. The driver can easily park the vehicle at a desired parking position by operating the vehicle sensually according to the vibration of the steering wheel.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic system configuration of the parking assistance device according to this embodiment. The parking assistance device 1 according to this embodiment includes a start determination unit 2, an area detection unit 3, an arithmetic processing unit 4, and a vibration generation unit 5.

[0012] The parking assistance device 1 supports, for example, the parking operation when the driver performs parallel parking, perpendicular parking, or garage parking.

[0013] Note that the parking assistance device 1 has a hardware configuration of a normal computer including, for example, a processor 11 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an internal memory 12 such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory), a storage device 13 such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), an input / output I / F 14 for connecting peripheral devices such as a display, and a communication I / F 15 for communicating with devices outside the device, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0014] The start determination unit 2 is a specific example of a start determination means. The start determination unit 2 determines the start of vehicle parking assistance based on the driver's operation information. As shown in Figure 3, the steering wheel 6 may be provided with a parking confirmation button 7, which acts as a trigger for starting vehicle parking assistance.

[0015] For example, the driver stops the vehicle near an empty space in order to park. When the driver presses the parking confirmation button 7, the parking confirmation button 7 transmits an ON signal to the start determination unit 2 as driver operation information. When the start determination unit 2 receives the ON signal from the parking confirmation button 7, it determines that the vehicle's parking assistance has started and outputs a start signal to the area detection unit 3 and the vehicle's around-view system. The vehicle's position at this time is defined as the parking start position.

[0016] A vehicle's around-view system is a system that generates an overhead, vehicle-centered, bird's-eye view image of the vehicle, based on images taken by cameras installed at the front and rear of the vehicle.

[0017] When the Around View System receives a start signal from the Start Determination Unit 2, it generates an overhead view image centered on the vehicle. The Around View System outputs the generated overhead view image centered on the vehicle to the Area Detection Unit 3.

[0018] The area detection unit 3 is a specific example of an area detection means. When the area detection unit 3 receives a start signal from the start determination unit 2, it detects the parking area around the vehicle. The area detection unit 3 may also detect the parking area around the vehicle based on an overhead view image of the vehicle centered on the around-view system.

[0019] Alternatively, the area detection unit 3 may detect the parking area around the vehicle based on images of the vehicle's surroundings captured by the vehicle's camera, instead of the vehicle-centered overhead image from the around-view system, as described above.

[0020] The area detection unit 3 detects, for example, the relative positions of obstacles around the vehicle and the relative positions of the white lines indicating the vehicle's parking position, based on an overhead image centered on the vehicle. Based on the detected relative positions, the vehicle's turning radius, the vehicle's size, etc., the area detection unit 3 detects a parking area in which the vehicle can park.

[0021] If the area detection unit 3 detects at least one parking area, it may display the parking area on the vehicle's display device along with an overhead view image centered on the vehicle. The display device may be, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display.

[0022] At this time, the display device may display multiple candidate parking areas on the display image. The driver may indicate the parking location by selecting the desired parking area from among the multiple candidate parking areas on the display image of the display device using a touch operation or other selection operation. The area detection unit 3 detects the parking location indicated as described above as a parking area.

[0023] The driver may, for example, select on the display image of the display device whether to park the vehicle from the front or from the rear in the designated parking area. In this case, the area detection unit 3 may make the following decisions based on the selection result.

[0024] Furthermore, the area detection unit 3 may determine whether the vehicle can park in the designated parking area within a predetermined number of maneuvers. The area detection unit 3 calculates the number of maneuvers required for the vehicle by calculating the vehicle's trajectory when parking in the parking area, based on, for example, the relative position of the parking area with respect to the vehicle, the relative position of obstacles, the size of the vehicle, and the minimum turning radius of the vehicle.

[0025] As described above, if the area detection unit 3 cannot detect a suitable parking area, or if it determines that parking is impossible within a predetermined number of maneuvers in the parking area designated by the driver, it may display a warning to the driver via a display device or the like. This allows the vehicle to smoothly move to another parking area.

[0026] In this case, the display device may again display a list of available parking spaces on the displayed image. The driver may then indicate the parking location by selecting the desired parking space from the list of available parking spaces on the display device's displayed image.

[0027] As described above, the area detection unit 3 outputs the detected parking area to the calculation processing unit 4.

[0028] The calculation processing unit 4 is one specific example of a calculation means. Based on the relative position of the vehicle with respect to the parking area detected by the area detection unit 3, the calculation processing unit 4 calculates the amount (angle of rotation) and direction of rotation of the steering wheel 6 required when the vehicle parks in the parking area, as well as the direction and distance of movement of the vehicle. The direction of movement of the vehicle includes both forward and reverse directions.

[0029] For example, the arithmetic processing unit 4 calculates the vehicle's trajectory when parking in the parking area based on the vehicle's relative position to the parking area. This trajectory includes the vehicle's trajectory when the vehicle makes the aforementioned maneuver. For example, the arithmetic processing unit 4 calculates the vehicle's trajectory from the parking start position to the parking completion position so that, at the parking completion position, the vehicle's longitudinal central axis coincides with the longitudinal central axis of the white frame of the parking area.

[0030] Based on the calculated vehicle trajectory, the calculation processing unit 4 calculates the amount and direction of rotation of the steering wheel 6, the direction of movement and distance of movement of the vehicle, at the parking start position, the turning position, the steering wheel 6 operation position where operation of the steering wheel 6 is required, and the parking completion position.

[0031] The vibration generating unit 5 is a specific example of a means for generating tactile stimulation. The vibration generating unit 5 is configured as a haptic device installed inside the steering wheel 6, for example, as shown in Figure 3. The vibration generating unit 5 is composed of multiple vibration motors. By rotating and vibrating each vibration motor, the vibration generating unit 5 can generate vibrations as tactile stimulation at various positions in the circumferential direction of the steering wheel 6.

[0032] The vibration generating unit 5 generates vibrations in the steering wheel 6 based on the amount and direction of rotation of the steering wheel 6 calculated by the calculation processing unit 4, and the direction and distance of movement of the vehicle.

[0033] The vibration generating unit 5 vibrates the steering wheel 6 along its circumference in the direction of rotation calculated by the calculation processing unit 4. This allows the driver to intuitively recognize the direction of rotation of the steering wheel 6 that they should be operating.

[0034] For example, if the rotation direction of the steering wheel 6 calculated by the calculation processing unit 4 is to the right, the vibration generating unit 5 vibrates the steering wheel 6 in a flowing manner, moving clockwise along the circumference of the steering wheel 6.

[0035] On the other hand, if the rotation direction of the steering wheel 6 calculated by the calculation processing unit 4 is to the left, the vibration generating unit 5 vibrates the steering wheel 6 in a flowing manner, rotating counterclockwise along the circumference of the steering wheel 6.

[0036] The vibration generating unit 5 stops vibrating when the steering wheel 6 reaches the rotation amount calculated by the calculation processing unit 4. This allows the driver to intuitively recognize the amount of rotation of the steering wheel 6 that needs to be operated.

[0037] Furthermore, the vibration generating unit 5 vibrates the steering wheel 6 along its circumference in the direction of movement of the vehicle, corresponding to the direction of movement calculated by the calculation processing unit 4. This allows the driver to intuitively recognize the direction of movement of the vehicle that they should be operating.

[0038] For example, if the direction of vehicle movement calculated by the calculation processing unit 4 is the forward direction, the vibration generating unit 5 vibrates the right half and left half of the steering wheel 6 in a flowing manner from bottom to top along the circumference of the steering wheel 6.

[0039] On the other hand, when the direction of vehicle movement calculated by the calculation processing unit 4 is in the reverse direction, the vibration generating unit 5 vibrates the right half and left half of the steering wheel 6 in a flowing manner from top to bottom along the circumference of the steering wheel 6.

[0040] The vibration generating unit 5 stops vibrating when the vehicle has traveled the distance calculated by the calculation processing unit 4. This allows the driver to intuitively recognize the distance the vehicle needs to travel.

[0041] As described above, the vibration generating unit 5 generates vibrations in the steering wheel 6 based on the amount and direction of rotation of the steering wheel 6 calculated by the calculation processing unit 4, and the direction and distance of movement of the vehicle. However, it is not limited to this. The vibration generating unit 5 may also generate vibrations on the seat surface where the driver sits based on the amount and direction of rotation of the steering wheel 6 calculated by the calculation processing unit 4, and the direction and distance of movement of the vehicle.

[0042] The vibration generating unit 5 vibrates the seat surface along the seat surface in the direction of rotation of the steering wheel 6 calculated by the calculation processing unit 4. This allows the driver to intuitively recognize the direction of rotation of the steering wheel 6 that they should be operating.

[0043] For example, if the rotation direction of the steering wheel 6 calculated by the calculation processing unit 4 is to the right, the vibration generating unit 5 vibrates the seat surface in a flowing manner to the right along the seat surface.

[0044] On the other hand, if the rotation direction of the steering wheel 6 calculated by the calculation processing unit 4 is to the left, the vibration generating unit 5 vibrates the seat surface in a flowing manner to the left along the seat surface. Then, when the steering wheel 6 reaches the amount of rotation calculated by the calculation processing unit 4, the vibration generating unit 5 stops the vibration.

[0045] Furthermore, the vibration generating unit 5 vibrates the seat surface along the seat surface in the direction of movement of the vehicle, corresponding to the direction of movement calculated by the calculation processing unit 4. This allows the driver to intuitively recognize the direction of movement of the vehicle that they need to control.

[0046] When the direction of vehicle movement calculated by the calculation processing unit 4 is the forward direction, the vibration generating unit 5 vibrates the seat surface in a way that flows forward along the seat surface.

[0047] On the other hand, if the direction of vehicle movement calculated by the calculation processing unit 4 is in the reverse direction, the vibration generating unit 5 vibrates the seat surface so that it flows backward along the seat surface. Then, the vibration generating unit 5 stops vibrating when the vehicle has moved the distance calculated by the calculation processing unit 4.

[0048] Next, a specific example of the parking assistance method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5.

[0049] For example, the driver stops the vehicle near an empty space to park (Figure 5(a)). The driver presses the parking confirmation button 7 (Figure 4(a)). The start determination unit 2 receives an ON signal from the parking confirmation button 7 and sends a start signal to the area detection unit 3.

[0050] When the area detection unit 3 receives a start signal from the start determination unit 2, it detects the parking area (dotted line area) around the vehicle (Figure 5(b)). The vibration generating unit 5 generates vibrations, for example, around the entire circumference of the steering wheel 6 (Figure 4(b)). This informs the driver that parking in the parking area is possible.

[0051] The calculation processing unit 4 calculates the amount and direction of rotation of the steering wheel 6 required for the vehicle to park in the parking area, as well as the direction and distance of movement of the vehicle, based on the relative position of the vehicle with respect to the parking area detected by the area detection unit 3.

[0052] The vibration generating unit 5 vibrates the steering wheel 6 along its circumference in the direction of rotation of the steering wheel 6 calculated by the calculation processing unit 4 (for example, to the left) (Figure 4(c)).

[0053] The driver rotates the steering wheel 6 to the left according to the direction of vibration of the steering wheel 6 (Figure 4(d)). The vibration generating unit 5 stops the vibration when the steering wheel 6 reaches the amount of rotation calculated by the calculation processing unit 4.

[0054] The driver stops the rotation of the steering wheel 6 in response to the cessation of vibration of the steering wheel 6. This allows the amount of rotation of the steering wheel 6 to be set back to the initial amount of rotation.

[0055] Next, the vibration generating unit 5 vibrates the right and left halves of the steering wheel 6 from top to bottom along the circumference of the steering wheel 6, corresponding to the direction of vehicle movement (for example, the reverse direction) calculated by the calculation processing unit 4.

[0056] The driver operates the shift lever, accelerator, etc., according to the direction of vibration of the steering wheel 6 to move the vehicle in reverse (Figure 5(c)). At this time, the driver maintains the steering wheel 6 at the above rotation amount.

[0057] Then, when the vehicle has traveled the distance calculated by the calculation processing unit 4, the vibration generating unit 5 stops the vibration of the steering wheel 6. The driver then stops the vehicle by applying the brakes or taking other actions in response to the cessation of the vibration of the steering wheel 6.

[0058] At this time, if the vehicle moves by a predetermined value or more than the above-mentioned travel distance, the vibration generating unit 5 may vibrate the steering wheel 6 in the return direction. The driver operates the shift lever and accelerator according to the direction of vibration of the steering wheel 6 to move the vehicle forward or backward, and then operates the brakes or other means to stop the vehicle when the vibration stops. In this way, even if the vehicle stops deviating from the travel distance, its position can be corrected.

[0059] Again, the vibration generating unit 5 vibrates the steering wheel 6 along its circumference in the direction of rotation of the steering wheel 6 (to the right) calculated by the calculation processing unit 4 (Figure 4(e)).

[0060] The driver rotates the steering wheel 6 to the right according to the direction of vibration of the steering wheel 6. The vibration generating unit 5 stops the vibration when the steering wheel 6 reaches the amount of rotation calculated by the calculation processing unit 4.

[0061] The driver stops the rotation of the steering wheel 6 in response to the cessation of vibration of the steering wheel 6 (Figure 4(f)). This allows the amount of rotation of the steering wheel 6 to be set to, for example, 0 degrees (straight).

[0062] Again, the vibration generating unit 5 vibrates the right and left halves of the steering wheel 6 from top to bottom along the circumference of the steering wheel 6, corresponding to the direction of vehicle movement (for example, the reverse direction) calculated by the calculation processing unit 4.

[0063] The driver operates the shift lever and accelerator in accordance with the direction of vibration of the steering wheel 6 to move the vehicle in reverse (Figure 5(d)). At this time, the driver maintains the steering wheel 6 at the above rotation amount.

[0064] Then, the vibration generating unit 5 stops the vibration of the steering wheel 6 when the vehicle has moved the distance calculated by the calculation processing unit 4. The driver then applies the brakes or takes other actions in response to the cessation of the vibration of the steering wheel 6 to stop the vehicle at the parking completion position (Figure 5(e)).

[0065] The vibration generating unit 5 generates vibrations, for example, around the entire circumference of the steering wheel 6 (Figure 4(g)). This allows the driver to be notified that parking has been completed in the parking area.

[0066] As described above, the vibration generating unit 5 repeats the vibration of the steering wheel 6 as described above from the parking start position to the parking completion position. Then, the driver can easily move the vehicle from the parking start position to the parking completion position simply by rotating the steering wheel 6, operating the brakes, operating the accelerator, and operating the shift lever in accordance with the vibration of the steering wheel 6.

[0067] According to the parking assistance method of this embodiment, the vehicle can be easily parked in a desired parking position by intuitively operating the vehicle in accordance with the vibration of the steering wheel 6. Furthermore, since the rotation operation of the steering wheel 6 is indicated by vibration only when the vehicle is stopped, even drivers who are not good at parallel parking can easily operate the steering wheel 6 by following the vibrational instructions and park the vehicle in the desired parking position. In addition, this can be easily implemented from a control standpoint by using a method in which the driver does not operate the steering wheel 6 while the vehicle is moving.

[0068] Furthermore, if the driver accidentally moves the steering wheel 6 from the set rotation amount while the vehicle is in motion, the positional error may be corrected.

[0069] For example, if the driver moves the steering wheel 6 from the set rotation amount while the vehicle is moving, the arithmetic processing unit 4 may recalculate the vehicle's trajectory relative to the parking area each time the vehicle stops.

[0070] The calculation processing unit 4 calculates the amount and direction of rotation of the steering wheel 6, as well as the direction and distance of movement of the vehicle, based on the recalculated vehicle trajectory. This allows the vehicle to be parked more accurately in the parking area.

[0071] Furthermore, whether or not the driver has moved the steering wheel 6 from its set rotational position may be detected by a rotation sensor or the like, which is installed on the rotation axis of the steering wheel 6.

[0072] While the vehicle is in motion, sensors installed on the vehicle may detect obstacles such as people, animals, or other vehicles that are within a predetermined distance from the vehicle. Examples of such sensors include ultrasonic sensors installed on the vehicle's bumper.

[0073] As shown in Figure 6, the vehicle's control device may, when an obstacle is detected by a sensor, use a warning device to warn the driver, or activate the braking device to brake and stop the vehicle, or a combination of both may be used as desired. The warning device may include, for example, a vibration generating unit 5, a speaker, a display device, etc.

[0074] Furthermore, when the vibration generating unit 5 issues the above warning through vibration of the steering wheel 6, it is preferable that it generates a different type of vibration than the vibration used during parking assistance. A different type of vibration would be, for example, a vibration with a different frequency, vibration pattern, or magnitude. In addition, the vibration generating unit 5 may increase the vibration of the steering wheel 6 as the distance to the obstacle decreases.

[0075] Embodiment 2 Figure 7 is a block diagram showing a schematic system configuration of the parking assist device according to this embodiment. In the above embodiment, the tactile stimulus generating means is configured as a vibration generating unit 5 and generates vibrations as tactile stimuli on the steering wheel 6, but is not limited to this.

[0076] The tactile stimulus generating means is configured as a reaction force generating unit 8, and may generate a reaction force as a tactile stimulus on the steering wheel 6. As shown in Figure 7, the parking assist device 20 according to this embodiment is equipped with a reaction force generating unit 8 instead of a vibration generating unit 5.

[0077] The reaction force generating unit 8 can generate reaction forces at various positions in the circumferential direction of the steering wheel 6 by driving an actuator such as a motor.

[0078] The reaction force generating unit 8 generates a reaction force on the steering wheel 6 based on the amount and direction of rotation of the steering wheel 6 calculated by the calculation processing unit 4, and the direction and distance of movement of the vehicle.

[0079] The reaction force generating unit 8 generates a reaction force on the steering wheel 6 along its circumference in the direction of rotation calculated by the calculation processing unit 4. This allows the driver to intuitively recognize the direction of rotation of the steering wheel 6 that needs to be operated. The reaction force generating unit 8 stops the reaction force when the steering wheel 6 reaches the amount of rotation calculated by the calculation processing unit 4. This allows the driver to intuitively recognize the amount of rotation (rotation angle) of the steering wheel 6 that needs to be operated.

[0080] The reaction force generating unit 8 applies a reaction force to the steering wheel 6 along its circumference in the direction of rotation, corresponding to the direction of vehicle movement calculated by the calculation processing unit 4. This allows the driver to intuitively recognize the direction of vehicle movement that they should be controlling.

[0081] The reaction force generating unit 8 stops the reaction force when the vehicle has moved the distance calculated by the calculation processing unit 4. This allows the driver to intuitively recognize the distance the vehicle needs to move.

[0082] The reaction force generating unit 8, similar to the vibration generating unit 5, repeats the generation of reaction force at the steering wheel 6 from the parking start position to the parking completion position. The driver can then move the vehicle from the parking start position to the parking completion position by rotating the steering wheel 6, operating the brakes, operating the accelerator, and operating the shift lever in accordance with the reaction force of the steering wheel 6.

[0083] Furthermore, the reaction force generating unit 8 may generate a reaction force as a tactile stimulus on the seat surface of the driver, similar to the steering wheel 6 described above. For example, multiple reaction force actuators are arranged in the left-right and front-rear directions of the seat surface. The reaction force generating unit 8 may use the reaction force actuators to generate a reaction force that flows along the seat surface in the left-right or front-rear direction.

[0084] The parking assistance devices 1 and 20 according to the above embodiment may be installed, for example, in training vehicles at a driving school. This allows inexperienced drivers to easily acquire a sense of parking maneuvers, such as parallel parking, through the parking assistance provided by the parking assistance device 1 described above.

[0085] While several embodiments of this disclosure have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be carried out in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents.

[0086] This disclosure can also be implemented, for example, by having a processor execute a computer program, as shown in Figures 4 and 5.

[0087] Programs can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer-readable media. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, CD-R / Ws, and semiconductor memory (e.g., mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, RAMs (random access memory)).

[0088] Programs may be supplied to a computer by various types of transient computer-readable medium. Examples of transient computer-readable medium include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. Transitory computer-readable medium can be supplied to a computer via wired communication channels such as electric wires and optical fibers, or via wireless communication channels.

[0089] Each component of the parking assistance devices 1 and 20 according to the above-described embodiment can be implemented not only by program, but also partially or entirely by dedicated hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). [Explanation of Symbols]

[0090] 1. Parking assist system 2 Start determination section 3. Area detection unit 4. Processing Unit 5. Vibration generating part 6 Steering Wheel 7. Parking confirmation button 8. Reaction force generation section 11 processors 12 internal memory 13 Storage Devices

Claims

1. A start determination means that determines the start of vehicle parking assistance based on driver operation information, When the start determination means determines that parking assistance for the vehicle should begin, the area detection means detects the parking area around the vehicle, A calculation means calculates, based on the relative position of the vehicle with respect to the parking area detected by the area detection means, the amount and direction of rotation of the steering wheel required when the vehicle parks in the parking area, and the direction and distance of movement of the vehicle. A tactile stimulus generating means generates tactile stimuli on the steering wheel or the seat surface of the seat on which the driver sits, based on the amount and direction of rotation of the steering wheel calculated by the calculation means and the direction and distance of movement of the vehicle. Equipped with, Parking assist system.

2. A parking assistance device according to claim 1, The aforementioned tactile stimulus generating means is In accordance with the rotation direction of the steering wheel calculated by the calculation means, tactile stimulation is generated along the steering wheel or the seat surface, and when the steering wheel rotates to the amount specified, the tactile stimulation is stopped. In accordance with the direction of movement of the vehicle calculated by the calculation means, tactile stimulation is generated along the steering wheel or the seat surface, and when the vehicle moves the distance, the tactile stimulation is stopped. Parking assist system.

3. A parking assistance device according to claim 1, The tactile stimulus generating means is configured as a vibration generating unit that generates vibration as the tactile stimulus on the steering wheel or the seat surface, or a reaction force generating unit that generates a reaction force as the tactile stimulus on the steering wheel or the seat surface. Parking assist system.

4. A step of determining when to start parking assistance for the vehicle based on the driver's operation information, When it is determined that parking assistance for the vehicle has started, the steps include detecting the parking area around the vehicle, A step of calculating, based on the relative position of the vehicle with respect to the detected parking area, the amount and direction of rotation of the steering wheel required for the vehicle to park in the parking area, and the direction and distance of movement of the vehicle. Based on the calculated amount and direction of rotation of the steering wheel and the direction and distance of movement of the vehicle, the step of generating tactile stimulation on the steering wheel or the seat surface on which the driver sits, including, Parking assistance methods.

5. A process that determines when to start parking assistance for the vehicle based on the driver's operation information, When it is determined that parking assistance for the vehicle has started, the process of detecting the parking area around the vehicle is performed, Based on the relative position of the vehicle with respect to the detected parking area, a process is performed to calculate the amount and direction of steering wheel rotation required for the vehicle to park in the parking area, as well as the direction and distance of movement of the vehicle. Based on the calculated amount and direction of rotation of the steering wheel, and the direction and distance of movement of the vehicle, a process is performed to generate tactile stimuli on the steering wheel or the seat surface on which the driver sits. Make the computer execute it. program.

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