Parking assistance device and parking assistance method

Abstract

The present invention provides a parking assistance device and a parking assistance method that can improve the sense of security of vehicle occupants in automatic parking control. [Solution] The parking assistance device is a parking assistance device that provides parking assistance based on the vehicle's programmed path during programmed driving, and comprises a determination unit that determines whether the vehicle's current position is outside the programmed path based on the vehicle's current position and the programmed path, and an output unit that outputs a command to notify the vehicle's occupants if the vehicle's current position is outside the programmed path.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] As one of the parking assistance for vehicles, a technique is known in which a driving route based on a teaching run by a driver is memorized, and parking assistance for automatic parking is performed based on the memorized driving route. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration for determining a parking route that merges with a memorized reference route.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when the driving route of the vehicle during automatic parking control deviates from the memorized driving route, the driving route is a route with no past passing record, and attention may be required. Therefore, in this case, a configuration for improving the sense of security of the vehicle occupants is desired.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a parking assistance device and a parking assistance method capable of improving the sense of security of vehicle occupants in automatic parking control.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The parking assistance device according to the present disclosure is a parking assistance device that performs parking assistance based on a teaching route of a vehicle during teaching driving, a storage unit that stores the teaching route of the vehicle during the teaching driving, An output unit that outputs a command to notify the occupant of the vehicle when the vehicle's current position is outside the teacher's route, Equipped with, The aforementioned teacher route is the route taken by the driver during the teacher run, and is the route taken by the vehicle during the teacher run. The output unit displays information about the route the vehicle is scheduled to travel in the automatic parking control system on a display medium.

[0007] The parking assistance method related to this disclosure is: A parking assistance method for a parking assistance device that provides parking assistance based on a trained path of a vehicle during a trained driving test, A step of storing the teacher route of the vehicle during the teacher run, The steps include: outputting a command to notify the occupants of the vehicle if the vehicle's current location is outside the teacher's route; It has, The aforementioned teacher route is the route taken by the driver during the teacher run, and is the route taken by the vehicle during the teacher run. In automatic parking control, information about the route the vehicle is scheduled to travel is displayed on a display medium. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, it is possible to improve the sense of security of vehicle occupants in automatic parking control. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This figure shows a vehicle equipped with a parking assist device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of a display on the display unit. [Figure 3] This flowchart shows an example of the operation of the notification command output control during automatic driving control in a parking assist system. [Figure 4A] This figure shows an example of how objects around the planned route are displayed on the display unit. [Figure 4B] This figure shows an example of the object in Figure 4A being highlighted. [Figure 5A] This is a diagram showing an example of displaying an object around the teacher's path on the display unit. [Figure 5B] This is a diagram showing an example of displaying the object in Fig. 5A with a reduced degree of attention-grabbing.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] (Embodiment) 8>Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail based on the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle equipped with a parking assistance device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle 1 has a function of automatically parking in a predetermined parking space, and includes an operation unit 10, a display unit 20, a detection unit 30, a position estimation unit 40, and a parking assistance device 100.

[0012] The operation unit 10 includes a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, etc. for a driver (user) to perform a driving operation of the vehicle 1. The driving operation of the vehicle 1 is, for example, an operation related to the driving of the vehicle 1, such as a steering operation, an accelerator operation, a brake operation, etc. of the vehicle 1.

[0013] The display unit 20 is, for example, a display medium such as a car navigation device. The display unit 20 displays, for example, a planned path of the vehicle 1 during automatic parking control in the parking assistance device 100.

[0014] The detection unit 30 is a detection device such as a camera, a radar, a sonar, etc. that detects an object around the vehicle 1. The object detected by the detection unit 30 is displayed on the display unit 20, etc. during automatic parking control in the parking assistance device 100, for example.

[0015] The position estimation unit 40 is a device (for example, an ECU of the vehicle 1, etc.) that estimates the current position of the vehicle 1, and estimates the current position of the vehicle 1 by a known technique based on, for example, a map information storage unit not shown, the detection result of the detection unit 30, etc.

[0016] The parking support device 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an input / output circuit, which are not shown in the figure, and is a device that performs automatic parking control to automatically park in a predetermined parking space. The parking support device 100 may be incorporated into other devices such as a car navigation device, for example.

[0017] The parking support device 100 includes a storage unit 140, and stores, as teaching driving data, the path when parked in a predetermined parking space and the operation of the operation unit 10 by the user in the storage unit 140 based on the driving operation of the user. Then, when the vehicle 1 parks in a predetermined parking space next time, it performs control (automatic parking control) to automatically park based on the teaching driving data.

[0018] During automatic parking control, the parking support device 100 generates a path that the vehicle 1 is scheduled to travel based on the current position of the vehicle 1 based on the estimation result of the position estimation unit 40 and the operation state (such as the steering angle) of the operation unit 10. The generated path is displayed on the display unit 20 or the like.

[0019] In addition, when the path that the vehicle 1 travels during automatic parking control deviates from the teaching path, which is the path according to the teaching driving data, the parking support device 100 controls the travel of the vehicle 1 so as to merge into the teaching path.

[0020] For example, when the start position of the automatic parking control is different from the start position in the teaching driving, after the automatic parking control is started, the path that the vehicle 1 travels becomes different from the path of the teaching driving. Therefore, in the automatic parking control, the parking support device 100 controls the travel of the vehicle 1 so as to gradually approach and merge into the teaching path from the traveling path.

[0021] The control by the parking assist device 100 to merge the vehicle 1 from its current path to the teacher path may be based on the vehicle position estimation result by the position estimation unit 40, for example, a known control. If the path the vehicle 1 is traveling on during automatic parking control deviates from the teacher path, the control may be performed on the vehicle 1 without merging it to the teacher path. For example, the control may not generate a path that the vehicle 1 is scheduled to travel on, but instead displays the driving tube and areas outside the teacher path calculated from the steering angle calculated from the path following error described later on the display unit 20.

[0022] Furthermore, the parking assistance device 100 notifies the occupants of vehicle 1 of any warning information if the current position of vehicle 1 during automatic parking control deviates from the teacher path. Specifically, the parking assistance device 100 highlights the portion of the path that vehicle 1 is scheduled to travel on the display unit 20 that deviates from the teacher path. The parking assistance device 100 includes a determination unit 110, a calculation unit 120, and an output unit 130.

[0023] The determination unit 110 determines whether the current position of vehicle 1 is outside the teacher route, based on the current position of vehicle 1 and the teacher route. More specifically, the determination unit 110 determines the degree of deviation between the current position of vehicle 1 during automatic parking control and the route of vehicle 1 during teacher driving (teacher route). Specifically, the determination unit 110 compares the current position of vehicle 1 estimated by the position estimation unit 40 with the teacher route stored as teacher driving data to determine the degree of deviation between the current position of vehicle 1 and the teacher route. Furthermore, the determination unit 110 may also determine whether the path following error between the current position of vehicle 1 and the teacher route is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

[0024] The path-following error is, for example, the amount of difference between the current position of the vehicle 1 and the position of the training path, as determined by the position estimation unit 40, and may be at least one of the lateral displacement and the angular displacement.

[0025] The predetermined value can be set to any value.

[0026] The determination unit 110 may also determine the degree of deviation between the planned route of the vehicle 1 generated by the parking assistance device 100 and the teacher route based on at least one of the lateral deviation and angular deviation.

[0027] The calculation unit 120 calculates the area to be highlighted on the route that the vehicle 1 is scheduled to travel, based on the determination result of the determination unit 110.

[0028] For example, the calculation unit 120 calculates the area to be highlighted on the route that vehicle 1 is scheduled to travel, based on the route tracking error determined by the determination unit 110 and the width of the route that vehicle 1 will travel. Specifically, the calculation unit 120 calculates the area of ​​the route that vehicle 1 is scheduled to travel that deviates from the teacher route (the part that does not overlap with the teacher route). In other words, the calculation unit 120 calculates the area of ​​the route that vehicle 1 is scheduled to travel that was not traveled during the teacher run.

[0029] The output unit 130 outputs a command to notify the occupants of vehicle 1 if the vehicle 1's current position is outside the teacher's path. More specifically, based on the determination result of the determination unit 110, the output unit 130 outputs a command to the display unit 20 to notify the occupants of vehicle 1 of cautionary information. Specifically, for example, based on the area information calculated by the calculation unit 120, the output unit 130 outputs a command to display information about the path that vehicle 1 is scheduled to travel as cautionary information on a display medium such as the display unit 20 during automatic parking control.

[0030] One example of how information is displayed on a display medium is that the portion of the planned route that deviates from the teacher's route is emphasized more than the portion that overlaps with the teacher's route.

[0031] For example, as shown in Figure 2, the display unit 20 displays the route that vehicle 1 is scheduled to travel and the teacher route, and the portion of the scheduled route that deviates from the teacher route is highlighted. Figure 2 shows an example in which the portion of the scheduled route that deviates from the teacher route is displayed in color.

[0032] In this way, the occupants of vehicle 1 can immediately see if the planned route deviates from the route taken by the trainer.

[0033] Furthermore, the manner in which the information is displayed on the display medium is not limited to flashing the planned route or making the planned route thicker than before the change, as long as it is noticeable enough for the occupants of vehicle 1 to immediately notice it and is more prominent than the portion that overlaps with the teacher route. Also, although the teacher route was shown as a dashed line in Figure 2, the teacher route may be displayed in a manner less conspicuous than the planned route, or the teacher route may not be displayed at all. In addition, when the teacher route is displayed on the display unit 20, the information of the planned route may be displayed on the display medium in a manner different from that of the teacher route. A different manner could be to display the planned route in a different color than the teacher route, or to display it in a manner that is more conspicuous than the teacher route.

[0034] Next, an example of the operation of the parking assist device 100 will be described. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the notification command output control during automatic driving control in the parking assist device 100.

[0035] As shown in Figure 3, the parking assist device 100 determines whether the path following error is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (step S101). If the result of the determination is that the path following error is less than the predetermined value (step S101, NO), this control is terminated.

[0036] On the other hand, if the path following error is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (step S101, YES), the parking assist device 100 calculates the area to be highlighted (step S102). Then, the parking assist device 100 outputs information about the area to be highlighted to the display unit 20 as a notification command (step S103). After step S103, this control ends.

[0037] According to this embodiment configured as described above, it is possible to make it easier for the vehicle occupants to notice when the driving path deviates from the programmed path. As a result, it is possible to make it easier for the vehicle occupants to pay attention to the surroundings of the vehicle while the vehicle is undergoing automatic parking control until it enters the parking space. Therefore, since automatic parking control is performed while the vehicle occupants are checking for safety, safety in automatic parking control is improved, and consequently, the vehicle occupants can gain a sense of security.

[0038] In the above embodiment, the warning information included an example of an area that highlights a portion of the planned route of vehicle 1 that deviates from the teacher route. However, this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, information about objects located around the travel route may also be used as warning information.

[0039] For example, as shown in Figure 4A, suppose there is an object 2 located on the planned route side of the path the train is supposed to travel.

[0040] During the training run, the vehicle was driven at a sufficient distance from object 2. However, if, for example, the starting position of the automatic parking control shifts from the training run, the planned driving path may end up closer to object 2 than the training path.

[0041] In this case, the output unit 130 outputs a command to the display unit 20 to highlight the object 2 displayed on the display unit 20. In other words, the output unit 130 highlights information about the object 2 that is closer to the route that the vehicle 1 is scheduled to travel in the automatic parking control than the teacher route, as warning information, on the display unit 20.

[0042] By doing this, as shown in Figure 4B, the object is displayed on the display unit 20, for example, with color.

[0043] This makes it easier for the occupants of vehicle 1 to notice objects located relatively close to the path being traveled. As a result, the sense of security of the occupants of vehicle 1 can be improved in automatic parking control.

[0044] Furthermore, the manner of highlighting may be any manner that is more noticeable than before the change, such as flashing object 2 or making object 2 thicker than before the change, so that the occupants of vehicle 1 can immediately notice it.

[0045] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5A, if the planned route deviates from the training route in a direction opposite to object 2, which is located around the training route, vehicle 1 and object 2 will be further apart than if they were traveling along the training route. In this case, it is considered acceptable for the occupants of vehicle 1 to reduce the degree to which they pay attention to object 2.

[0046] Therefore, the output unit 130 may output a command to the display unit 20 to lower the level of attention given to information about object 2 that is closer to the teacher path than the path that vehicle 1 is scheduled to travel, compared to before the change, in automatic parking control.

[0047] By doing this, as shown in Figure 5B, object 2 is displayed on the display unit 20, for example, as a dashed line.

[0048] Objects closer to the target path than the planned driving path are relatively less likely to require attention. By making such objects less conspicuous, it becomes easier to direct the attention of the occupants of vehicle 1 to areas close to the current driving path relative to the target driving path. As a result, the sense of security of the occupants of vehicle 1 can be improved in automatic parking control.

[0049] Furthermore, any method of reducing the level of attention required is acceptable, as long as it is less conspicuous than before the change, such as making the display on object 2 fainter than before.

[0050] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the determination unit 110 determined the degree of deviation between the vehicle's current position and the training path, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the determination unit 110 may compare the vehicle's current position with the training path to determine whether the vehicle's current position is outside the training path. In this case, for example, the determination unit 110 may simply determine whether the vehicle's current position is outside the training path, regardless of the degree of deviation between the current position and the training path. Specifically, the determination unit 110 may determine that the vehicle's current position is outside the training path even if the vehicle's position partially overlaps with the training path, or it may determine that the vehicle's current position is outside the training path if the vehicle's position is outside the training path.

[0051] Furthermore, while the above embodiment displayed warning information on a display medium, this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, information such as whether the current route is deviating from the programmed route, or whether an object is located close to the planned route, may be output as warning information via voice.

[0052] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, warning information was output to draw attention to the fact that the planned route differs from the teacher route, such as by highlighting the planned route or highlighting an object, but this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, information prompting a restart of automatic parking control or information prompting the stopping of automatic parking control may be output as warning information.

[0053] Furthermore, the embodiments described above are merely examples of how this disclosure may be implemented, and the technical scope of this disclosure should not be limited by them. In other words, this disclosure can be implemented in various ways without departing from its essence or its main features. [Industrial applicability]

[0054] The parking assistance device of this disclosure is useful as a parking assistance device and parking assistance method that can improve the sense of security of vehicle occupants in automatic parking control. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0055] 1 vehicle 10 Control section 20 Display section 30 Detection unit 40 Position estimation part 100 Parking assist system 110 Judgment section 120 Calculation Unit 130 Output section

Claims

1. A parking assistance device that provides parking assistance based on the trained path of a vehicle during a trainer's run, A storage unit for storing the teacher route of the vehicle during the teacher run, An output unit that outputs a command to notify the occupant of the vehicle when the vehicle's current position is outside the teacher's route, Equipped with, The aforementioned teacher route is the route taken by the driver during the teacher run, and is the route taken by the vehicle during the teacher run. The output unit displays information about the route the vehicle is scheduled to travel in automatic parking control on a display medium. Parking assist system.

2. The output unit displays the information of the planned route on the display medium in a manner different from the route of the vehicle during the training run. The parking assistance device according to claim 1.

3. The output unit displays the planned route on the display medium in a different color from the route of the vehicle during the training run. The parking assistance device according to claim 2.

4. The output unit outputs a command to notify the occupants of the vehicle if the difference between the vehicle's current position and the training path is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. The parking assistance device according to claim 1.

5. The output unit displays information on a display medium about objects that are closer to the route the vehicle is scheduled to take in automatic parking control than to the route the vehicle is taking in the training run. The parking assistance device according to claim 1.

6. The output unit displays information on a display medium about the route that the vehicle is scheduled to travel in automatic parking control, but which it has not traveled in the training run. The parking assistance device according to claim 1.

7. The output unit notifies the occupant of the vehicle when the vehicle's current position is outside the teacher path and the distance between the vehicle and the first object in parking control is shorter than the distance between the vehicle and the first object during teacher driving. The parking assistance device according to claim 1.

8. A parking assistance method for a parking assistance device that provides parking assistance based on the trained path of a vehicle during a trainer's run, A step of storing the teacher route of the vehicle during the teacher run, The steps include: outputting a command to notify the occupants of the vehicle if the vehicle's current location is outside the teacher's route; It has, The aforementioned teacher route is the route taken by the driver during the teacher run, and is the route taken by the vehicle during the teacher run. In automatic parking control, information about the route the vehicle is scheduled to travel is displayed on a display medium. Parking assistance methods.

9. In the output step, the information of the planned route is displayed on the display medium in a manner different from the route of the vehicle in the training run. The parking assistance method according to claim 8.

10. In the output step, the planned route is displayed on the display medium in a different color from the route of the vehicle in the training run. The parking assistance method according to claim 9.

11. In the output step, if the difference between the vehicle's current position and the training path is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, a command to notify the occupant of the vehicle is output. The parking assistance method according to claim 8.

12. In the output step, information on objects that are closer to the route the vehicle is scheduled to take in automatic parking control than the route the vehicle is scheduled to take in the training run is displayed on the display medium. The parking assistance method according to claim 8.

13. In automatic parking control, information on the route that the vehicle is scheduled to travel but has not traveled during the training run is displayed on a display medium. The parking assistance method according to claim 8.

14. If the vehicle's current position is outside the teacher's path, and the distance between the vehicle and the first object during parking control is shorter than the distance between the vehicle and the first object during teacher driving, the occupant of the vehicle is notified. The parking assistance method according to claim 8.

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