Parking lot detection device, vehicle control device, parking lot detection method, and program

Abstract

Even when the in-vehicle camera is not activated, the system effectively recognizes whether the vehicle is located within the parking lot. [Solution] A parking lot determination device comprising: a parking row acquisition unit that detects surrounding parking spaces and / or parked vehicles based on image data acquired by an in-vehicle camera, and acquires a predetermined number or more of the detected parking spaces and / or parked vehicles adjacent to each other in a predetermined direction; and a parking lot determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is in a parking lot having a parking row. The parking lot determination unit determines that the vehicle is in a parking lot, and after a first condition is met in which the activation switch is turned off, if a second condition is met in which the in-vehicle camera is not activated when the activation switch is turned on, the parking lot determination unit determines that the vehicle is in a parking lot as long as the specific conditions are met, namely that the distance traveled since the second condition was met is less than a predetermined first threshold and the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined second threshold.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to a parking lot detection device, a vehicle control device, a parking lot detection method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a device that recognizes a collection of parking spaces and / or parked vehicles as a parking row when a predetermined number or more of them are consecutive, based on surrounding image data captured by an in-vehicle camera, and determines whether or not the vehicle itself is located in a parking lot having said parking row. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-154553 [Overview of the Initiative]

[0004] When a vehicle enters a parking space within a parking lot, the field of view of the on-board camera may include the parking space and other parked vehicles, making it possible to perform parking lot determination based on image data, as described in Patent Document 1. However, when exiting a parking lot, after the vehicle has entered a parking space and the ignition switch (ignition switch or power switch) has been turned off and then turned on again, the on-board camera remains inactive for a predetermined period after the ignition switch is turned on. Therefore, when exiting a parking lot, there is a problem in that parking lot determination based on image data cannot be performed until the on-board camera is activated. Furthermore, even after the on-board camera has been activated, when the vehicle is stationary, the vehicle's parking space and surrounding parking spaces may not be within the field of view of the on-board camera, making it impossible to perform parking lot determination.

[0005] One of the purposes of this disclosure is to effectively recognize whether the vehicle is present in a parking lot, even when the onboard camera is not activated, after the activation switch has been turned off and then on again within the parking lot.

[0006] The technology disclosed herein is A parking row acquisition unit detects parking spaces and / or parked vehicles around the vehicle based on image data acquired by an on-board camera that photographs the area around the vehicle, and acquires a predetermined number or more of the detected parking spaces and / or parked vehicles that are adjacent to each other in a predetermined direction. A parking lot determination device comprising: a parking lot determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is located within a parking lot having the parking rows, The aforementioned parking lot determination unit is After determining that the vehicle is located within the parking lot, if the first condition is met in which the vehicle's start switch is turned off, and then the second condition is met in which the in-vehicle camera is not activated when the start switch is turned on, As long as the specific conditions are met, namely the distance traveled by the vehicle since the second condition was met is less than a predetermined first threshold and the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined second threshold, the vehicle is determined to be in the parking lot. When the specific conditions are no longer met, the vehicle is determined to be no longer in the parking lot. It is characterized by the following: [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing the hardware and software configuration of the vehicle according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing parking space lines and parked vehicles viewed from above. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the determination of parking rows according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram illustrating this embodiment and a comparative example. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart illustrating the routine for determining whether a vehicle is located within a parking lot according to this embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart illustrating the routine for determining whether a vehicle is located within a parking lot according to this embodiment. [Figure 7] This flowchart illustrates the routine for detecting accelerator misoperation and controlling driving force according to this embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the first modified example. [Figure 9] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the second variation. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] The parking lot determination device, vehicle control device, parking lot determination method, and program according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0009] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the hardware configuration of vehicle 1 in this embodiment. Hereafter, vehicle 1 may be referred to as "our vehicle" when it is necessary to distinguish it from other vehicles, etc.

[0010] Vehicle 1 has an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10. The ECU 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and an interface device. The CPU is a processor that executes various programs stored in ROM. ROM is a non-volatile memory that stores data necessary for the CPU to execute various programs. RAM is a volatile memory that provides a work area that is expanded when various programs are executed by the CPU. The interface device is a communication device for communicating with external devices.

[0011] The ECU10 is a central control unit that provides driver assistance. Driver assistance is a concept that includes autonomous driving. The ECU10 is connected to the drive unit 20, steering unit 21, braking unit 22, internal sensor device 30, external sensor device 40, start switch 50, etc., in a communication manner.

[0012] The drive device 20 generates a driving force transmitted to the drive wheels of the vehicle 1. Examples of the drive device 20 include an electric motor and an engine. The steering device 21 applies a steering force to the wheels of the vehicle 1. The braking device 22 applies a braking force to the wheels of the vehicle 1.

[0013] The internal environment sensor device 30 is sensors that acquire the state of the vehicle 1. Specifically, the internal environment sensor device 30 includes a vehicle speed sensor 31, an accelerator sensor 32, a brake sensor 33, a steering angle sensor 34, etc.

[0014] The vehicle speed sensor 31 detects the traveling speed (vehicle speed V) of the vehicle 1. The accelerator sensor 32 detects the operation amount of an accelerator pedal (acceleration operator) not shown by the driver. The brake sensor 33 detects the operation amount of a brake pedal not shown by the driver. The steering angle sensor 34 detects the steering angle of a steering wheel (or a steering shaft) not shown. The vehicle state acquisition device 30 transmits the state of the vehicle 1 detected by each of the sensors 31 to 34 to the ECU 10 at a predetermined cycle.

[0015] The external environment sensor device 40 is sensors that acquire target information regarding targets around the vehicle 1. Specifically, the external environment sensor device 40 includes a camera sensor 41. Here, examples of the target information include surrounding vehicles, surrounding buildings, intersections, traffic signals, signs, parking lot demarcation lines, road white lines, stop lines, temporary stop lines, etc. The target information around the vehicle 1 acquired by the external environment sensor device 40 is transmitted to the ECU 10.

[0016] The camera sensor 41 is an example of an in-vehicle imaging device of the present disclosure, which photographs the area around the vehicle 1 and processes the captured image data to obtain an image of the area around the vehicle 1. The camera sensor 41 is, for example, a stereo camera or a monocular camera, and a digital camera having an image sensor such as a CMOS or CCD can be used. In this embodiment, the camera sensor 41 includes a front camera 41A that photographs the area in front of the vehicle 1, a rear camera 41B that photographs the area behind the vehicle 1, a left-side camera 41C that photographs the left-side area of ​​the vehicle 1, and a right-side camera 41D that photographs the right-side area of ​​the vehicle 1. Hereinafter, the multiple cameras 41A to 41D will be simply referred to as "camera sensor 41", and the image data captured by each of the cameras 41A to 41D will be collectively referred to as "image data".

[0017] The start switch 50 is an ON / OFF switch that allows the driver to start the vehicle system (ECU 10, etc.), and is also called an ignition switch or power switch. When the vehicle system is stopped (start switch 50 is in the OFF position), the vehicle system starts when the driver turns on the start switch 50. Also, when the vehicle system is started (start switch 50 is in the ON position) and vehicle 1 is stopped, the vehicle system stops when the driver turns off the start switch 50.

[0018] Next, the software configuration of the ECU10 will be described. The ECU10 has a parking space acquisition unit 11, a parked vehicle acquisition unit 12, a parking lane determination unit 13, a driving trajectory prediction unit 15, a parking lot determination unit 16, an error detection unit 17, and a driving force suppression control unit 18 as some of its functional elements. These functional elements will be described as being included in the ECU10, which is a single piece of hardware, but any part of these can also be provided in an ECU separate from the ECU10. Furthermore, all or part of each functional element of the ECU10 can also be provided in an information processing device of a facility (for example, a management center) that can communicate with the vehicle 1.

[0019] The parking space acquisition unit 11 acquires a parking space within the parking lot based on image data of the area surrounding the vehicle 1 captured by the camera sensor 41. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of parking space lines 200 drawn on the road surface of the parking lot P. In Figure 2, the symbol 300 indicates a parked vehicle parked in the parking lot P, and the symbol R indicates the passage R for the vehicle 1 to travel on after entering the parking lot P. The parking space acquisition unit 11 extracts the parking space lines 200 from the image data by performing image analysis processing such as edge extraction, pattern matching, and feature point extraction on the image data captured by the camera sensor 41, and acquires a parking space PL based on the extracted parking space lines 200. Here, the parking space lines 200 refer to white lines, etc., drawn on the road surface of the parking lot P to demarcate a parking space PL for parking one vehicle. Whether or not the extracted parking space lines 200 demarcate a parking space PL can be determined, for example, by comparing the dimensions of the area defined by the parking space lines 200 with the standard parking space dimensions (width, depth) of a general public parking lot.

[0020] In the example shown in Figure 2, the parking space lines 200 are drawn on the road surface as solid lines in the shape of a roughly rectangular frame. In this case, the parking space acquisition unit 11 extracts the parking space line 210 on the aisle R side as the front boundary line PL1 and the parking space line 220 which is further away from aisle R than the parking space line 210 as the rear boundary line PL2, from a pair of parking space lines 210 and 220 that extend roughly parallel to the direction of extension of the aisle R. The parking space acquisition unit 11 also extracts the parking space line 230 on the left side as the left boundary line PL3 and the parking space line 240 on the right side as the right boundary line PL4, from a pair of parking space lines 230 and 240 that intersect the parking space lines 210 and 220 at roughly right angles.

[0021] The parking space acquisition unit 11 acquires the position information of the extracted boundary lines PL1 to PL4 relative to the vehicle 1 (for example, coordinates in an xy plane coordinate system with the vehicle 1's position as the origin). The parking space acquisition unit 11 also transmits the acquired position information of boundary lines PL1 to PL4 to the parking space determination unit 13 at a predetermined interval. The type of parking space lines 200 drawn on the road surface of the parking lot P is not limited to the example in Figure 2, and may be two parallel lines, etc. In the case of two parallel lines, the parking space acquisition unit 11 can extract virtual lines connecting the ends of each parallel line as the front boundary line PL1 and the rear boundary line PL2. In addition, the parking space lines 200 may be not only solid lines, but also dashed lines, or lines that are a mixture of solid and dashed lines, etc.

[0022] The parked vehicle acquisition unit 12 acquires the vehicle contour line (hereinafter referred to as the parked vehicle contour line) that forms the boundary between the parked vehicle 300 and the road surface, based on image data of the area around the vehicle 1 captured by the camera sensor 41. In Figure 2, the symbol VL indicates the parked vehicle contour line. Although the actual parked vehicle contour line VL has a complex shape including side mirrors, etc., in the following description, the parked vehicle contour line VL will be described as the smallest rectangular frame that can accommodate the outer circumference of the parked vehicle 300.

[0023] First, the parked vehicle acquisition unit 12 performs image analysis processing such as edge extraction, pattern matching, and feature point extraction on the image data captured by the camera sensor 41 to determine whether or not a parked vehicle 300 is captured in the image data. If the parked vehicle acquisition unit 12 determines that a parked vehicle 300 is captured in the image data, it identifies the smallest rectangular frame that can contain the parked vehicle 300 within the image data and extracts the identified rectangular frame as the parked vehicle contour line VL. The parked vehicle acquisition unit 12 extracts the portion of the identified frame corresponding to the front end of the parked vehicle 300 as the front boundary line VL1, the portion corresponding to the rear end of the parked vehicle 300 as the rear contour line VL2, the portion corresponding to the left end of the parked vehicle 300 as the left contour line VL3, and the portion corresponding to the right end of the parked vehicle 300 as the right contour line VL4. The parking vehicle acquisition unit 12 acquires the position information of each extracted contour line VL1 to VL4 relative to its own vehicle 1 (for example, coordinates in an xy plane coordinate system with the position of vehicle 1 as the origin), and transmits the acquired position information to the parking lane determination unit 13 at a predetermined interval.

[0024] The parking row determination unit 13 determines whether the parking row PL and the parking vehicle contour line VL form a continuous parking row based on the position information of the parking row PL transmitted from the parking row acquisition unit 12 and the position information of the parking vehicle contour line VL transmitted from the parking vehicle acquisition unit 11B. In the following explanation, the longitudinal direction of the parking row PL and the parking vehicle contour line VL is defined as the "vertical direction," and the direction approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is defined as the "horizontal direction." Furthermore, the following explanation describes an example in which the parking row PL and the parking vehicle contour line VL are adjacent in the horizontal direction, but the same process applies when they are adjacent in the vertical direction, so the explanation is omitted.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3(A), when adjacent parking spaces PL are obtained from image data, the parking space determination unit 13 calculates the vertical separation distance DH1 of their front boundary lines PL1 and determines whether the first condition is met, which is that the separation distance DH1 is less than or equal to a predetermined first threshold. The first condition may also be determined based on the separation distance of the rear boundary line PL2. The parking space determination unit 13 also calculates the horizontal separation distance DH2 of the left and right boundary lines PL3 and PL4 of adjacent parking spaces PL and determines whether the second condition is met, which is that the separation distance DH2 is less than or equal to a predetermined second threshold. The first and second thresholds are not particularly limited, but they may be set based on standard values ​​for general public parking lots. If both the first and second conditions are met, the parking space determination unit 13 considers these adjacent parking spaces PL to be continuous in the horizontal direction.

[0026] As shown in Figure 3(B), when adjacent parking vehicle contour lines VL are obtained from image data, the parking row determination unit 13 calculates the vertical separation distance DH3 of their front contour lines VL1 and determines whether the third condition is met, which is that the separation distance DH3 is less than or equal to a predetermined third threshold. The third condition may also be determined based on the separation distance of the rear contour line VL2. The parking row determination unit 13 also calculates the lateral separation distance DH4 of the left and right contour lines VL3 and VL4 of adjacent parking vehicle contour lines VL and determines whether the fourth condition is met, which is that the separation distance DH4 is less than or equal to a predetermined fourth threshold. The third and fourth thresholds are not particularly limited, but it is preferable that at least the fourth threshold be set to a value greater than the second threshold mentioned above. If both the third and fourth conditions are met, the parking row determination unit 13 considers these adjacent parking vehicle contour lines VL to be continuous in the lateral direction.

[0027] As shown in Figure 3(C), when the parking space determination unit 13 obtains the parking space PL and the parked vehicle contour VL from the image data, it calculates the vertical separation distance DH5 between the front boundary line PL1 of the parking space PL and the front contour line VL1 of the parked vehicle contour VL, and determines whether the fifth condition is met, which is that the separation distance DH5 is less than or equal to a predetermined fifth threshold. The fifth condition may also be determined based on the separation distance between the rear boundary line PL2 and the rear contour line VL2. The parking space determination unit 13 also calculates the lateral separation distance DH6 between the left and right boundary lines PL3 and PL4 of the parking space PL and the left and right contour lines VL3 and VL4 of the parked vehicle contour VL, and determines whether the sixth condition is met, which is that the separation distance DH6 is less than or equal to a predetermined sixth threshold. The fifth and sixth thresholds are not particularly limited, but it is preferable that at least the sixth threshold be set to a value greater than the second threshold and smaller than the fourth threshold. The parking row determination unit 13 considers the adjacent parking spaces PL and the parking vehicle contour line VL to be continuous in the lateral direction if both the fifth and sixth conditions are met.

[0028] The parking queue determination unit 13 determines that the smallest rectangular frame containing a collection of consecutive parking spaces PL, consecutive parking vehicle contour lines VL, or consecutive parking spaces PL and parking vehicle contour lines VL in any order is a parking queue PR if the number of consecutive parking spaces PL, consecutive parking vehicle contour lines VL, or consecutive parking spaces PL and parking vehicle contour lines VL are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold number (for example, 3 to 5). In this way, by determining a collection of consecutive parking spaces PL, consecutive parking vehicle contour lines VL, or consecutive parking spaces PL and parking vehicle contour lines VL as a parking queue PR when the number of such collections is equal to or greater than the threshold number, it is possible to effectively prevent misidentification of road markings such as stop lines and pedestrian crossings on public roads, or other vehicles stopped around vehicle 1 while waiting at a traffic light, etc., as a parking queue PR.

[0029] The parking lane determination unit 13 extracts a rectangular frame defining the parking lane PR from the image data and acquires positional information (for example, coordinates in an xy plane coordinate system with the vehicle 1's position as the origin) for each straight line PR1 to PR4 that form the extracted rectangular frame relative to the vehicle 1. The parking lane determination unit 13 also transmits the acquired positional information for each straight line PR1 to PR4 to the parking lot determination unit 16 at a predetermined interval. Hereinafter, the straight line PR1 facing the aisle R of the parking lane PR (rectangular frame) will be referred to as the "front parking lane line".

[0030] The driving trajectory prediction unit 15 calculates a predicted driving trajectory for vehicle 1 based on the driving state of vehicle 1 acquired by the vehicle state acquisition device 30. Here, the predicted driving trajectory refers to the trajectory that vehicle 1 is predicted to travel if the current driving state of vehicle 1 is maintained. The predicted driving trajectory can be calculated, for example, based on the vehicle speed V acquired by the vehicle speed sensor 31 and the steering angle acquired by the steering angle sensor 34. The driving trajectory prediction unit 15 transmits the calculated predicted driving trajectory to the parking lot determination unit 16 at a predetermined interval.

[0031] The parking lot determination unit 16 determines whether vehicle 1 is in parking lot P based on the position information for vehicle 1 in parking lane PR transmitted from the parking lane determination unit 13 and the predicted driving trajectory of vehicle 1 transmitted from the driving trajectory prediction unit 15. First, the parking lot determination unit 16 determines whether the predicted driving trajectory of vehicle 1, represented in a planar coordinate system, intersects with the front parking lane line PR1 of parking lane PR. If it determines that they intersect, the parking lot determination unit 16 calculates the predicted arrival time TA for vehicle 1 to reach the intersection point where the predicted driving trajectory and the front parking lane line PR1 intersect from its current position. The predicted arrival time TA can be obtained, for example, by dividing the distance D along the predicted driving trajectory from the vehicle 1's current position to the intersection point by the vehicle 1's current vehicle speed V (TA = D / V). If the predicted arrival time TA is less than or equal to a predetermined time (for example, a few seconds), the parking lot determination unit 16 determines that vehicle 1 is in parking lot P. On the other hand, the parking lot determination unit 16 determines that vehicle 1 is not present in parking lot P if the predicted arrival time TA exceeds a predetermined time.

[0032] Now, suppose vehicle 1 enters a designated parking space PL and the driver turns off the start switch 50. If the driver then turns on the start switch 50 to exit the parking space, it will take some time from the time the start switch 50 is turned on until the camera sensor 41 is activated and functions effectively (see times t1 to t2 in Figure 4(B)). Therefore, until the camera sensor 41 functions effectively, it is not possible to acquire the parking space PL and the parked vehicle contour line VL around vehicle 1 based on the detection results of the camera sensor 41. Furthermore, even if the camera sensor 41 is activated, when vehicle 1 is stopped, it is possible that the parking space PL of vehicle 1 and the surrounding parking spaces PL are not within the field of view of the camera sensor 41 (see times t2 to t3 in Figure 4(B)). In other words, as shown in Figure 4(B), it may not be possible to perform a parking space determination based on the detection results of the camera sensor 41 until a predetermined period t1 to t3 has elapsed from the time the start switch 50 is turned on. If the surrounding image data acquired by the camera sensor 41 when vehicle 1 enters the parking lot were to be saved even after the start switch 50 is turned off, it would consume a large amount of memory capacity.

[0033] After the parking lot detection unit 16 determines that vehicle 1 is located in parking lot P, if the first condition is met, which is that the start switch 50 is turned off, the unit stores the determination result that vehicle 1 is located in parking lot P in the memory unit (e.g., RAM) of the ECU 10 even after the start switch 50 is turned off. Furthermore, after the parking lot detection unit 16 stores the determination result that vehicle 1 is located in parking lot P, if the second condition is met, which is that the camera sensor 41 is not activated when the start switch 50 is turned on, the unit retains the determination result that vehicle 1 is located in parking lot P, that is, it determines that vehicle 1 is located in parking lot P, as long as the following specific conditions (1) and (2) are met. Specific condition (1): The distance traveled by vehicle 1 after the second condition is met is less than the predetermined first threshold. Release condition (2): The vehicle speed V of vehicle 1 after the second condition is met is less than the predetermined second threshold.

[0034] The first threshold is not particularly limited, but it can be set based on the average distance (e.g., a few meters to several tens of meters) from the parking position until the vehicle 1 exits the parking lot, using the size of a typical parking area (site) as a reference. The second threshold is also not particularly limited, but it can be set based on, for example, the lower limit of vehicle speed at which a vehicle would not typically travel within a parking lot (e.g., 20 km / h). In this way, after storing the determination result that vehicle 1 is in parking lot P, when the start switch 50 is turned on, the determination result that vehicle 1 is in parking lot P is maintained as long as specific conditions (1) and (2) are met. This makes it possible to appropriately recognize whether vehicle 1 is in parking lot P even during periods when the camera sensor 41 is not functioning effectively (see times t1 to t2 in Figure 4(A)), and even during periods when vehicle 1 may be stopped even after the camera sensor 41 has been activated (see times t2 to t3 in Figure 4(A)).

[0035] If, after the second condition is met, at least one of the specific conditions (1) or (2) ceases to be met, the parking lot determination unit 16 determines that vehicle 1 is not in the parking lot P, that is, is outside the parking lot P.

[0036] The error detection unit 17 determines whether the driver of vehicle 1 has made an accelerator error by mistakenly pressing the accelerator pedal. Specifically, the error detection unit 17 determines whether the vehicle speed V of vehicle 1 is a predetermined vehicle speed threshold V Min The first determination condition is that the accelerator pedal operation amount (accelerator operation amount) AP is less than a predetermined operation amount threshold AP. Max The second determination condition is as described above, where the accelerator pedal operating speed APV is equal to a predetermined operating speed threshold APV. Max If all three conditions are met—the third condition being as described above, the fourth condition being that no brake operation was performed, and the fifth condition being that the turn signal was not operated—it is determined that an accelerator malfunction occurred. On the other hand, if at least one of the first to fifth conditions is not met, the malfunction determination unit 17 determines that no accelerator malfunction occurred by the driver. Note that any of the first to fifth conditions may be omitted, or other conditions may be added, to determine whether an accelerator malfunction occurred.

[0037] The drive force suppression control unit 18, when the parking lot determination unit 16 determines that the vehicle 1 is in the parking lot P, and the error determination unit 17 determines that the driver has made an error with the accelerator, sets the actual acceleration GA of the vehicle 1 to a predetermined limit acceleration G. Lim The following driving force suppression control is performed to control the operation of the drive unit 20. In this way, if the driver misoperates the accelerator, the actual acceleration GA of the vehicle 1 is limited to the acceleration G. Lim By implementing the following force suppression control, it becomes possible to effectively suppress sudden acceleration of vehicle 1 that is not intended by the driver. Furthermore, by making the determination that vehicle 1 is located in parking lot P a condition for executing force suppression control, it becomes possible to effectively prevent unnecessary activation of force suppression control on public roads, etc. After starting force suppression control, when the accelerator operation amount AP decreases to below a predetermined termination threshold APE, the force suppression control unit 18 terminates the force suppression control (limiting acceleration G Lim (This is released.) Note that in vehicles capable of autonomous driving, this type of drive force suppression control may be applied when transitioning from autonomous driving to driver-operated (manual driving).

[0038] Next, based on the flowchart shown in Figure 5, we will explain the routine for the parking lot determination process (hereinafter referred to as the first parking lot determination process) that the ECU 10 executes when the camera sensor 41 is activated.

[0039] In step S100, the ECU 10 searches for the parking space PL and the parked vehicle contour line VL around the vehicle 1 based on the image data captured by the camera sensor 41. Next, in step S105, the ECU 10 determines whether or not it was able to obtain at least one of the parking space PL and the parked vehicle contour line VL from the image data. If the determination result is affirmative (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process in step S110. On the other hand, if the determination result is negative (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process in step S180, determines that the vehicle 1 is not in the parking lot P, and returns to this routine.

[0040] In step S110, the ECU 10 determines whether the condition is met that the longitudinal and lateral separation distances between adjacent parking spaces PL and parked vehicle contour lines VL are below a predetermined threshold. If the condition is met (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S112, determines that the adjacent parking spaces PL and parked vehicle contour lines VL are continuous, and proceeds to step S115. On the other hand, if the condition is not met in the determination in step S110 (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S180, determines that its own vehicle 1 is not located within the parking lot P, and returns to this routine.

[0041] In step S115, the ECU 10 determines whether the number of consecutive parking spaces PL, or the number of consecutive parked vehicle contour lines VL, or the number of consecutive parking spaces PL and parked vehicle contour lines VL, is greater than or equal to a threshold number. If the condition is met (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S120, determines them to be a parking row, obtains the position information of the parking row PR, and proceeds to step S150. On the other hand, if the condition is not met in the determination in step S115 (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S180, determines that its own vehicle 1 is not in the parking lot P, and returns to this routine.

[0042] In step S150, the ECU 10 calculates the predicted driving trajectory of vehicle 1. Next, in step S155, the ECU 10 determines whether the calculated predicted driving trajectory intersects with the front parking lane line PR1 of parking lane PR. If it intersects (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S160. On the other hand, if it does not intersect (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S180, determines that vehicle 1 is not located in parking lot P, and returns to this routine.

[0043] In step S160, the ECU 10 calculates the predicted arrival time TA for vehicle 1 from its current position to the intersection point where the predicted driving trajectory and the front parking lane line PR1 intersect. Next, in step S165, the ECU 10 determines whether the predicted arrival time TA is less than or equal to a predetermined time. If the predicted arrival time TA is less than or equal to the predetermined time (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S170. On the other hand, if the predicted arrival time TA is not less than or equal to the predetermined time (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S180, determines that vehicle 1 is not in the parking lot P, and returns to this routine. In step S170, the ECU 10 determines that vehicle 1 is in the parking lot P.

[0044] In step S190, the ECU 10 determines whether the start switch 50 has been turned off. If the start switch 50 is not turned off (No), the ECU 10 repeats the process in step S180. On the other hand, if the start switch 50 is turned off (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process in step S195, stores the determination result that its own vehicle 1 is in parking lot P, and then returns to this routine.

[0045] Next, based on the flowchart shown in Figure 6, we will explain the routine for the parking lot determination process (hereinafter referred to as the second parking lot determination process) that the ECU 10 executes immediately after the start switch 50 is turned on.

[0046] In step S200, the ECU 10 determines whether the start switch 50 is turned on. If the start switch 50 is turned on (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process in step S210. On the other hand, if the start switch 50 is not turned on (No), that is, if the start switch 50 is off, the ECU 10 returns to this routine.

[0047] In step S210, the ECU 10 determines whether the camera sensor 41 is activated and whether the parking lot detection system is in a state where it can operate effectively. Here, the state where the parking lot detection system can operate effectively means that the parking space PL of the vehicle 1 and surrounding parking spaces PL are within the field of view of the camera sensor 41. If the camera sensor 41 is activated and the parking lot detection system is in a state where it can operate effectively (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S280 and executes steps S110 to S180 of the first parking lot detection process shown in Figure 5. If the camera sensor 41 is not activated or the parking lot detection system is not in a state where it can operate effectively (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S220.

[0048] In step S220, the ECU 10 determines whether it was determined that its own vehicle 1 was located in the parking lot P before the start switch 50 was turned off, that is, whether the determination result that vehicle 1 is located in the parking lot P is stored. If it was determined that vehicle 1 was located in the parking lot P (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process in step S230. On the other hand, if it was not determined that vehicle 1 was located in the parking lot P (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process in step S270, determines that vehicle 1 is not located in the parking lot P, and returns to this routine.

[0049] In step S230, the ECU 10 determines whether the following conditions are met: Specific condition (1) that the distance traveled by vehicle 1 since the start switch 50 was turned on is less than a predetermined first threshold, and Specific condition (2) that the vehicle speed V of vehicle 1 since the start switch 50 was turned on is less than a predetermined second threshold. If at least one of Specific condition (1) and Specific condition (2) is not met (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S270, determines that vehicle 1 is not in parking lot P, and returns to this routine. On the other hand, if Specific condition (1) and Specific condition (2) are met (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to step S240. In step S240, the ECU 10 determines that vehicle 1 is in parking lot P and returns to step S230.

[0050] Next, the routine for detecting accelerator misoperation and controlling driving force by the ECU 10 will be explained based on the flowchart shown in Figure 7. This routine is started, for example, when the ECU 10 determines that vehicle 1 is in a parking lot.

[0051] In step S300, the ECU10 determines whether the driver has made an error with the accelerator. If all of the above conditions 1 to 5 are met (Yes), the ECU10 determines that the driver has made an error with the accelerator and proceeds to step S310. On the other hand, if at least one of the above conditions 1 to 5 is not met (No), the ECU10 determines that the driver has not made an error with the accelerator and returns to this routine.

[0052] In step S310, the ECU10 performs drive force suppression control. Next, in step S320, the ECU10 determines whether the accelerator pedal operation amount AP has decreased to or below the termination threshold APE. If the accelerator pedal operation amount AP does not decrease to or below the termination threshold APE (No), the ECU10 repeats the determination in step S320. On the other hand, if the accelerator pedal operation amount AP decreases to or below the termination threshold APE (Yes), the ECU10 proceeds to the process in step S330, terminates the drive force suppression control, and returns to this routine.

[0053] Although the parking lot determination device, vehicle control device, parking lot determination method, and program according to this embodiment have been described above, this disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible as long as they do not depart from the purpose of the present invention.

[0054] [Example 1] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining Modification 1. In Modification 1, the first threshold value of the specific condition (1) in the above embodiment is a variable value instead of a fixed value. Specifically, when the vehicle 1 enters the parking lot (that is, when the start switch 50 is on and the camera sensor 41 is activated), the parking lot determination unit 16 (see FIG. 1) recognizes the outer periphery of the area (site) of the parking lot P having the parking row PR as the virtual outer circumference OC based on the parking row PR acquired by the parking row determination unit 13.

[0055] In the example shown in FIG. 8, the smallest rectangle that encloses the two-row parking row PR is the virtual outer circumference OC (OC1 to OC4). When the parking lot determination unit 16 recognizes the virtual outer circumference OC, the distance D from the front end of the own vehicle 1 immediately before the completion of entry (or a state before the start switch 50 in the state where the entry is completed is turned off) to the nearest virtual outer circumference OC (OC1 in the illustrated example) min is acquired and stored, and the stored distance D min is used as the first threshold value. That is, in Modification 1, in the flow of the second parking lot determination process shown in FIG. 6, the first threshold value used for the determination in step S230 is the distance D from the front end of the own vehicle 1 to the nearest virtual outer circumference OC1 min is replaced.

[0056] In this way, by replacing the first threshold value at the time of departure when the start switch 50 is turned on with the distance D min which is not a fixed value (default value), for example, when the first threshold value is set to a shorter fixed value, it is possible to effectively prevent the misjudgment that the own vehicle 1 is outside the parking lot P even though it is running inside the parking lot P, or when the first threshold value is set to a longer fixed value, it is possible to effectively prevent the misjudgment that the own vehicle 1 is running inside the parking lot P even though it has exited onto a general road. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the virtual outer circumference OC (OC1 to OC4) is described as being substantially rectangular, but other shapes may also be used.

[0057] [Modification 2] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating Modification 2. In Modification 2, when the parking lane determination unit 13 acquires a pair of parking lanes PR facing each other longitudinally around its own vehicle 1, it determines whether the area between these parking lanes PR is a parking lane passage. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a top view of a pair of parking lanes facing each other with a gap in the longitudinal direction.

[0058] The parking row determination unit 13 first calculates the angle θ (preferably the angle formed by the front parking row line PR1) between the longitudinal lines PR1 and PR2 of the opposing parking row lines PR1 to PR4. The parking row determination unit 13 also calculates the longitudinal separation distance between the opposing parking rows. Specifically, the parking row determination unit 13 calculates the separation distances DR1 and DR2 as the lengths of the lines L1 and L2 connecting the ends of the opposing front parking row lines PR1, in other words, the lengths of the lines L1 and L2 connecting the corners on the opposing sides of each parking row PR.

[0059] The parking lane determination unit 13 determines that the area E enclosed by the opposing front parking lane lines PR1 and the straight line connecting the ends of these opposing front parking lane lines PR1 is a parking lane passage if the calculated angle θ is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold angle θV, and both the calculated separation distances DR1 and DR2 are less than or equal to a predetermined distance threshold DRV. Here, the threshold angle θV is not particularly limited, but it should be set based on an angle (for example, 10° or less) that allows the opposing front parking lane lines PR1 to be considered approximately parallel.

[0060] In the modified example 2, the parking lot determination unit 16 determines that the vehicle 1 is located within the parking lot P when the parking lane determination unit 13 determines that the area between the parking lanes is a parking lane passage, and the vehicle 1 is located within area E. In this way, by determining that the vehicle 1 is located within the parking lot P when the vehicle 1 is located within area E between opposing parking lanes PR, it becomes possible to effectively operate the driving force suppression control even in parking lots where, for example, large stores have parking lanes on both sides of the passage R, and the aforementioned predicted driving trajectory does not intersect with the front parking lane line PR1.

Claims

1. A parking row acquisition unit detects parking spaces and / or parked vehicles around the vehicle based on image data acquired by an on-board camera that photographs the area around the vehicle, and acquires a predetermined number or more of the detected parking spaces and / or parked vehicles that are adjacent to each other in a predetermined direction. A parking lot determination device comprising: a parking lot determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is located within a parking lot having the parking rows, The aforementioned parking lot determination unit is After determining that the vehicle is located within the parking lot, if the first condition is met in which the vehicle's start switch is turned off, and then the second condition is met in which the in-vehicle camera is not activated when the start switch is turned on, As long as the specific conditions are met, namely the distance traveled by the vehicle since the second condition was met is less than a predetermined first threshold and the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined second threshold, the vehicle is determined to be in the parking lot. When the specific conditions are no longer met, the vehicle is determined to be no longer in the parking lot. A parking lot detection device characterized by the following features.

2. A parking lot determination device according to claim 1, The aforementioned parking lot determination unit is Based on the parking queue information acquired by the parking queue acquisition unit, the area of ​​the parking lot having the parking queue is acquired, and based on the relative position between the vehicle and the area, the shortest distance from the vehicle to the outer perimeter of the area is acquired, and the acquired shortest distance is set as the first threshold. A parking lot detection device characterized by the following features.

3. A vehicle control device comprising a parking lot determination device according to claim 1 or 2, An error detection unit acquires the operation state of an acceleration control unit operated by the occupant of the vehicle in order to accelerate the vehicle, and determines, based on the operation state, whether the occupant has made an error by mistakenly pressing the acceleration control unit. The system includes a control unit that, when the parking lot location determination unit determines that the vehicle is located within the parking lot and the operation determination unit determines that the erroneous operation was performed by the occupant, executes a driving force suppression control to suppress the driving force of the vehicle. A vehicle control device characterized by the following features.

4. Based on image data acquired by an on-board camera that photographs the area around the vehicle, the system detects parking spaces and / or parked vehicles around the vehicle, and acquires a predetermined number or more of the detected parking spaces and / or parked vehicles that are adjacent to each other in a predetermined direction. A method for determining whether the vehicle is located within a parking lot having the aforementioned parking rows, After determining that the vehicle is located within the parking lot, if the first condition is met in which the vehicle's start switch is turned off, and then the second condition is met in which the in-vehicle camera is not activated when the start switch is turned on, As long as the specific conditions are met, namely the distance traveled by the vehicle since the second condition was met is less than a predetermined first threshold and the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined second threshold, the vehicle is determined to be in the parking lot. When the specific conditions are no longer met, the vehicle is determined to be no longer in the parking lot. A method for determining whether a parking lot is located, characterized by the features described above.

5. A parking row acquisition unit detects parking spaces and / or parked vehicles around the vehicle based on image data acquired by an on-board camera that photographs the area around the vehicle, and acquires a predetermined number or more of the detected parking spaces and / or parked vehicles that are adjacent to each other in a predetermined direction. A computer in a parking lot determination device, which includes a parking lot determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is located within the parking lot having the aforementioned parking rows, After determining that the vehicle is located within the parking lot, if the first condition is met in which the vehicle's start switch is turned off, and then the second condition is met in which the in-vehicle camera is not activated when the start switch is turned on, As long as the specific conditions are met—that the distance traveled by the vehicle since the second condition was met is less than a predetermined first threshold, and that the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined second threshold—the vehicle is determined to be in the parking lot. When these specific conditions are no longer met, the vehicle is determined to be no longer in the parking lot. A program characterized by the following features.

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