Parking assistance device, parking assistance method, and computer program

Abstract

To appropriately avoid obstacles during parking assistance. [Solution] The parking assist device 100 includes a path storage unit 21 that stores a parking path R1, an accuracy evaluation unit 11 that evaluates the accuracy of obstacle detection by a detection device 200 for detecting the presence or absence of an obstacle OB and the distance from the vehicle to the obstacle, and an avoidance instruction unit 13 that instructs the vehicle control device 400 to perform an avoidance operation. When an obstacle is detected on the parking path by the detection device, the avoidance instruction unit instructs the execution of an avoidance operation if (i) the distance is within a predetermined first threshold distance L1 and the detection accuracy satisfies predetermined accuracy conditions, and (ii) the avoidance instruction unit does not instruct the execution of an avoidance operation if the distance is greater than the first threshold distance, or if predetermined non-execution conditions are met, including the distance being within the first threshold distance and the detection accuracy being evaluated not satisfying the accuracy conditions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a parking assist apparatus, a parking assist method, and a computer program.

Background Art

[0002] Parking assist apparatuses that support a parking operation when parking a vehicle in a predetermined parking area such as a home garage have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In a system where a driver actually drives a vehicle from a specific start position to a parking area, the travel route of the vehicle at this time is registered, and the vehicle is moved along the registered parking route from the next parking operation onward, an obstacle may be temporarily present on the parking route.

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] As described above, in a system for moving a vehicle along a registered parking route, when an obstacle exists on the parking route, it is assumed that the obstacle is detected by a sensor such as a camera or a millimeter wave radar, and the own vehicle is operated to avoid the obstacle. However, if such an avoidance operation is performed at a position very close to the obstacle, sudden steering will be performed, so that occupants of the vehicle will feel a sense of discomfort. On the other hand, when an obstacle is detected and an avoidance operation is performed at a position far away from the obstacle, the sensor may erroneously detect the obstacle due to the long distance, which may result in an unnecessary avoidance operation or an inappropriate avoidance route that avoids the obstacle excessively greatly. Therefore, a technology that can appropriately avoid obstacles during parking assist is desired.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0005] As one embodiment of the present disclosure, a parking assistance device is provided to assist in parking a vehicle. This parking assistance device includes a route storage unit for storing a parking route, an accuracy evaluation unit for evaluating the accuracy of obstacle detection by a detection device mounted on the vehicle for detecting the presence or absence of obstacles and the distance from the vehicle to the obstacles, and an avoidance instruction unit for instructing a vehicle control device that controls the operation of the vehicle to perform an avoidance operation to avoid the obstacle. The avoidance instruction unit, when the detection device detects an obstacle on the parking route, instructs the execution of the avoidance operation if (i) the distance is within a predetermined first threshold distance and the detection accuracy evaluated by the accuracy evaluation unit satisfies predetermined accuracy conditions, and (ii) does not instruct the execution of the avoidance operation if the distance is greater than the first threshold distance, or if predetermined non-execution conditions are met, including the distance being within the first threshold distance and the detection accuracy evaluated by the accuracy evaluation unit not satisfying the accuracy conditions.

[0006] In this type of parking assist system, when an obstacle is detected on the parking path by the detection device, the avoidance instruction unit instructs the execution of an avoidance maneuver if (i) the distance from the vehicle to the obstacle is within a predetermined first threshold distance and the detection accuracy evaluated by the accuracy evaluation unit satisfies predetermined accuracy conditions. This allows the avoidance maneuver to be performed in situations where the possibility of false detection of an obstacle is lower compared to when the distance from the vehicle to the obstacle (hereinafter simply referred to as "distance to the obstacle") is greater than the first threshold distance. Therefore, it is possible to suppress unnecessary avoidance maneuvers or inappropriate avoidance routes caused by false detection of obstacles. Furthermore, when an obstacle is detected on the parking path by the detection device, the avoidance instruction unit does not instruct the execution of an avoidance maneuver if (ii) the distance to the obstacle is greater than the first threshold distance, or if predetermined non-execution conditions are met, including the distance to the obstacle being within the first threshold distance and the detection accuracy evaluated by the accuracy evaluation unit not meeting the accuracy conditions. This also suppresses unnecessary avoidance maneuvers or inappropriate avoidance routes caused by false detection of obstacles. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This block diagram shows a schematic configuration of a parking assistance device as one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a flowchart showing the procedure for the parking assistance process in this embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the method for setting the avoidance path in this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] A. Embodiments: A1. Equipment configuration: The parking assist device 100 of this embodiment, shown in Figure 1, is mounted on a vehicle V0 and assists in parking the vehicle V0. In this embodiment, the vehicle V0 is configured as a vehicle capable of autonomous driving. In this embodiment, "assisting with parking" means moving the vehicle V0 by autonomous driving along a predetermined route (hereinafter referred to as the "parking route") from a predetermined starting position to a predetermined parking area. The predetermined parking area refers to, for example, a parking area provided on the property of the vehicle V0 owner's home, or a predetermined parking space in a rented parking lot. The predetermined starting position refers to a position predetermined by the user of the vehicle V0 as the position from which parking assistance is to be disclosed. For example, it is a position approximately 200m away from the predetermined parking area, and is predetermined as the position from which the occupant wishes to start parking assistance. Note that it is not limited to 200m; it may be any distance away from the parking area.

[0009] The "parking route" is pre-stored in the parking assist device 100 as data consisting of various information at locations (hereinafter referred to as "waypoints") set at predetermined intervals between the starting position and the parking area. The "predetermined interval" is, for example, 500 mm (millimeters). If the total distance of the parking route is 200 m (meters), then various information for a total of 400 waypoints will be stored. Note that the "predetermined interval" is not limited to 500 mm, but may be any interval. In this embodiment, the "various information at the waypoints" includes coordinates, steering angle, and direction of movement indicating whether the movement is forward or backward. Note that in place of, or in addition to, this information may include any information necessary to automatically drive the vehicle V0 along the parking route.

[0010] Vehicle V0 may be configured as any type of vehicle, such as an engine-powered vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), an electric vehicle (EV), or a fuel cell vehicle (FCV, FCHV).

[0011] Vehicle V0 is equipped with a parking assist device 100, as well as a detection device 200, a vehicle control device 400, a drive device 410, a steering device 420, and a braking device 430.

[0012] The detection device 200 detects the presence or absence of obstacles around the vehicle V0, as well as the position and distance to such obstacles. Obstacles include, for example, other vehicles, pedestrians, buildings, structures such as guardrails and traffic lights, and white lines. In this embodiment, the detection device 200 includes a camera sensor 210, a millimeter-wave radar device 220, and a LiDAR device 230. The camera sensor 210 includes an imaging camera, which images the area around the vehicle V0 to acquire an image, and detects the presence or absence of obstacles and the distance to such obstacles based on the image. The millimeter-wave radar device 220 and the LiDAR device 230 emit electromagnetic waves of a predetermined wavelength and detect the position, orientation, and distance to such obstacles by receiving reflected waves reflected by obstacles present around the vehicle V0. Note that the "obstacles" detected by the millimeter-wave radar device 220 and the LiDAR device 230 can also be described as a collection of multiple detection points (targets).

[0013] The vehicle control device 400 assists in the parking operation by driving the vehicle V0 along a pre-stored parking path. Specifically, the vehicle control device 400 drives the vehicle V0 along a path that can be drawn as a smooth curve, passing through as many of the pre-set waypoints as possible. The vehicle control device 400 controls the drive unit 410, steering unit 420, and braking unit 430 so that the vehicle passes through such a parking path at a predetermined speed.

[0014] The drive unit 410 is a group of devices for driving the vehicle V0. The drive unit 410 includes devices that generate driving force, such as an engine and a motor generator, various actuators for driving the engine and motor generator, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) for controlling these actuators. The steering unit 420 is a group of devices for steering the vehicle V0. The steering unit 420 includes a steering wheel, a steering angle sensor, an assist hydraulic system, an actuator for generating hydraulic pressure, and an ECU for controlling steering. The braking unit 430 is a group of devices for generating braking force in the vehicle V0. The braking unit 430 includes a disc rotor, brake pads, a brake hydraulic system, an actuator for generating hydraulic pressure, and an ECU for controlling braking. The drive unit 410, steering unit 420, and braking unit 430 all communicate with the vehicle control device 400. At this time, the vehicle control device 400 transmits control signals to these devices 410 to 430, and on the other hand, receives signals from devices 410 to 430 indicating the operating status of each device. The aforementioned "signals indicating the operating status" include signals indicating the vehicle speed of the vehicle V0, whether the brakes are operated, whether the turn signals are operated, the amount of wheel rotation, the amount of steering, etc.

[0015] In this embodiment, the parking assistance device 100 is comprised of an ECU having a configuration in which a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 10 and a memory 20 can communicate with each other via an internal bus 90. The memory 20 includes a non-volatile memory, such as an EEPROM, and a route storage unit 21 is formed from this non-volatile memory. The route storage unit 21 stores various information about the aforementioned parking route, that is, a number of waypoints. In addition to the parking route, a control program is pre-stored in the memory 20. The CPU 10 functions as an accuracy evaluation unit 11, a waypoint change unit 12, and an avoidance instruction unit 13 by reading and executing the control program stored in the memory 20.

[0016] The accuracy evaluation unit 11 evaluates the accuracy of obstacle detection by the detection device 200. In this embodiment, the obstacle detection accuracy is evaluated on one of two grades: "good" or "bad". The accuracy evaluation unit 11 identifies the positional deviation (hereinafter also simply referred to as "positional deviation") of the same obstacle detected by the camera sensor 210, millimeter-wave radar device 220, and LiDAR device 230, and evaluates the obstacle detection accuracy as "good" if the largest positional deviation is within a predetermined threshold deviation amount. On the other hand, if the largest positional deviation is greater than the predetermined threshold deviation amount, the obstacle detection accuracy is evaluated as "bad". If the positional deviation of the same obstacle detected by the camera sensor 210, millimeter-wave radar device 220, and LiDAR device 230 is small, the detection accuracy of each device can be evaluated as high. On the other hand, if such a positional misalignment is large, it is highly likely that there is a malfunction in at least one of the camera sensor 210, millimeter-wave radar device 220, and LiDAR device 230, or that a decrease in detection accuracy is occurring due to weather conditions.

[0017] The waypoint changing unit 12 changes the waypoint that the vehicle V0 is preferred to pass through if an obstacle is detected on the parking path. Details of the waypoint change will be described later.

[0018] When an obstacle is detected on the parking path and predetermined conditions are met, the avoidance instruction unit 13 instructs the vehicle control device 400 to perform an action to avoid the obstacle (hereinafter referred to as "avoidance action").

[0019] In vehicle V0, the parking route is stored in the route storage unit 21 by executing the process for storing the above-mentioned parking route (hereinafter referred to as "parking route storage process"). The parking route storage process is started when the driver of vehicle V0 instructs parking route storage at the start position via a user interface unit (not shown) of vehicle V0. After such an instruction, the driver manually drives the vehicle from the start position to the parking area. At this time, every time the parking assist device 100 travels the predetermined interval of 500 mm mentioned above, it stores the "coordinates", "steering angle", and "whether the movement is forward or backward" at that position as waypoints. In this way, a parking route consisting of a large number of waypoints is stored in the route storage unit 21.

[0020] A2. Parking Assist Processing: In a state where a parking route is stored in advance in the route storage unit 21, when the driver of vehicle V0 instructs execution of a parking assist process via a user interface unit (not shown), the parking assist process shown in Figure 2 is started.

[0021] The parking assist device 100 instructs the vehicle control device 400 to drive along the parking route (step S5). Hereinafter, "step S" is simply expressed as "S".

[0022] In S10, the parking assist device 100 determines whether an obstacle on the parking route is detected by the detection device 200.

[0023] If it is determined that an obstacle has been detected on the parking path (S10: YES), the parking assist device 100 determines whether the distance from the vehicle V0 to the detected obstacle (hereinafter also simply referred to as "distance to the obstacle") is less than or equal to the first threshold distance (S15). In this embodiment, "distance to the obstacle" in S15 refers to the smallest distance among the distances to the obstacle detected by the three devices constituting the detection device 200 (camera sensor 210, millimeter-wave radar device 220, LiDAR device 230). Note that the average distance or the largest distance may be used instead of the smallest distance. The "first threshold distance" is set as a distance greater than this at which the occupants would feel uncomfortable, or other vehicles or pedestrians would feel uncomfortable, if an avoidance maneuver were performed from a position further away. In this embodiment, the first threshold distance is set according to the vehicle speed of the vehicle V0. Specifically, if the vehicle speed is 10 km / h or less, the first threshold distance is set to 15 m. Furthermore, when the vehicle speed is higher than 10 km / h, a first threshold distance of 25 m is set. Note that any speed, not limited to 15 m and 25 m, may be set as long as a larger first threshold distance is set for higher vehicle speeds. This configuration allows for more appropriate suppression of discomfort among occupants and others. Note that a fixed value may be set as the first threshold distance regardless of the vehicle speed of vehicle V0.

[0024] If it is determined that the distance to the obstacle is less than or equal to the first threshold distance (S15: YES), the parking assist device 100 determines whether the distance to the obstacle is greater than or equal to the second threshold distance (S20). The second threshold distance is predetermined by experimentation or other means as the lower limit distance at which the obstacle can be avoided. In this embodiment, the second threshold distance is set according to the vehicle speed of the vehicle V0, similar to the first threshold distance. Specifically, a smaller second threshold distance is set for higher vehicle speeds. For example, if the vehicle speed is 10 km / h or less, the second threshold distance is set to 5 m. If the vehicle speed is higher than 10 km / h, the second threshold distance is set to 8 m. Note that any speed other than 5 m and 8 m may be set as long as a larger second threshold distance is set for higher vehicle speeds.

[0025] In S20, if it is determined that the distance to the obstacle is less than or equal to the second threshold distance (S20: YES), the accuracy evaluation unit 11 evaluates the detection accuracy of the detection device 200 and determines whether such detection accuracy satisfies the accuracy condition (S25). In this embodiment, "accuracy condition" means the condition that the detection accuracy is "good". S25 is also called the evaluation process.

[0026] In S25, if it is determined that the detection accuracy meets the accuracy conditions (S25:YES), the waypoint change unit 12 sets the path to be used when performing the avoidance operation (hereinafter referred to as the "avoidance path") (S30).

[0027] Figure 3 shows the parking route R1 as a dashed line and the avoidance route R2 as a dashed line. The parking route R1 includes waypoints p1 to p8. Vehicle V0 is located between waypoints p6 and p7. At this time, the distance from vehicle V0 to obstacle OB is less than the first threshold distance L1 and greater than the second threshold distance L2. The waypoint modification unit 12 changes two waypoints p2 and p3, which are consecutive with OB in between, to two waypoints p2a and p3a that do not have obstacle OB in between. These two modified waypoints p2a and p3a are set as points obtained by moving the two waypoints p2 and p3 in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of vehicle V0, in other words, in the width direction of vehicle V0. At this time, the distance to be moved is set according to the width of obstacle OB. After waypoints p2a and p3a are identified, the avoidance route R2 is set to pass through waypoints p2a and p3a as much as possible. Therefore, unlike in Figure 3, a smooth route passing near the two waypoints p2a and p3a may also be set as the avoidance route.

[0028] As shown in Figure 2, after the completion of S30, the avoidance instruction unit 13 instructs the vehicle control device 400 to drive the vehicle V0 along the avoidance path and perform the avoidance operation (S35). S35 is also called the avoidance instruction step.

[0029] In S20 described above, if it is determined that the distance to the obstacle is not greater than or equal to the second threshold distance, that is, the distance to the obstacle is less than the second threshold distance (S20:NO), then S25 described above is omitted, and S30 and S35 described above are executed. In other words, if the distance to the obstacle OB shown in Figure 3 is less than the second threshold distance L2, a avoidance path is set and the execution of an avoidance operation is instructed, regardless of the detection accuracy of the detection device 200. This is because, even if the detection accuracy is low, if an obstacle actually exists, a collision cannot be avoided unless an avoidance operation is initiated.

[0030] After the completion of S35, the parking assist device 100 determines whether the vehicle V0 has reached the parking area and parking is complete (S40). If it is determined that parking is not complete (S40: NO), the process returns to S5. On the other hand, if it is determined that parking is complete (S40: YES), the parking assist process is completed.

[0031] If it is determined in S10 above that no obstacle is detected on the parking path (S10:NO), and if it is determined in S15 that the distance to the obstacle is not less than or equal to the first threshold distance (S15:NO), the process moves to S40. Therefore, in these cases, the execution of an avoidance maneuver is not instructed. Accordingly, satisfying either (i) or (ii) below corresponds to a non-execution condition of this disclosure. And when this non-execution condition is satisfied, the execution of an avoidance maneuver is not instructed. (i) The distance to the obstacle is greater than the first threshold. (ii) The distance to the obstacle is within the first threshold distance, and the detection accuracy of the detection device 200 evaluated by the accuracy evaluation unit 11 does not satisfy the accuracy condition (detection accuracy is "good").

[0032] As described above, with respect to the parking assistance device 100 of this embodiment, when the detection device 200 detects an obstacle OB on the parking path R1, the avoidance instruction unit 13 instructs the execution of an avoidance operation if (i) the distance from the vehicle V0 to the obstacle OB is within a predetermined first threshold distance L1, and the detection accuracy of the detection device 200, as evaluated by the accuracy evaluation unit 11, satisfies predetermined accuracy conditions. Therefore, the avoidance operation can be performed in a situation where the possibility of false detection of the obstacle OB is lower compared to when the distance from the vehicle V0 to the obstacle OB (distance to the obstacle) is greater than the first threshold distance L1. As a result, it is possible to suppress unnecessary avoidance operations and inappropriate avoidance routes R2 caused by false detection of obstacle OB. Furthermore, when the detection device 200 detects an obstacle OB on the parking path R1, the avoidance instruction unit 13 will not instruct the execution of an avoidance action if (ii) the distance to the obstacle OB is greater than the first threshold distance L1, or if the distance to the obstacle OB is within the first threshold distance L1 and the detection accuracy evaluated by the accuracy evaluation unit 11 does not meet the accuracy conditions, among other predetermined non-execution conditions are met. This prevents unnecessary avoidance actions from being performed due to false detection of obstacle OB and prevents the avoidance path R2 from becoming an inappropriate path.

[0033] Furthermore, the accuracy evaluation unit 11 evaluates that the accuracy conditions are met when the difference in positions between obstacles OB detected by multiple sensors (camera sensor 210, millimeter-wave radar device 220, LiDAR device 230) is within a predetermined threshold difference. Therefore, the avoidance instruction unit 13 can instruct the execution of an avoidance operation when the possibility of false detection of obstacles OB is low.

[0034] Furthermore, the non-execution conditions include the condition that the distance to the obstacle OB is shorter than the first threshold distance L1 and greater than a predetermined second threshold distance L2. The avoidance instruction unit 13 executes an avoidance instruction when the detection device 200 detects an obstacle OB on the parking path R1 and the distance to the obstacle OB is less than or equal to the second threshold distance L2, thereby preventing the vehicle V0 from colliding with the obstacle OB.

[0035] Furthermore, by replacing the two waypoints p2 and p3 that sandwich the obstacle OB with two waypoints p2a and p3a that do not sandwich the obstacle OB, and instructing the vehicle control device 400 to move the vehicle V0 through the two waypoints p2a and p3a as an avoidance maneuver, it is possible to suppress the setting of a route for the avoidance maneuver that deviates significantly from the parking route stored in the route memory unit 21. As a result, the route for the avoidance maneuver (avoidance route R2) can be easily set, and discomfort for the occupants of the vehicle V0 can be suppressed.

[0036] B. Other embodiments: (B1) In the above embodiment, the accuracy evaluation unit 11 evaluated the detection accuracy of the detection device 200 based on whether the maximum value of the positional deviation of the same obstacle detected by each of the camera sensor 210, millimeter-wave radar device 220, and LiDAR device 230 is within a threshold deviation amount. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the detection accuracy of the detection device 200 may be evaluated based on whether the maximum value of the distance deviation to the same obstacle is within a threshold deviation amount. Alternatively, for example, the size of an obstacle having a predetermined size, such as a sign or traffic light, may be detected by each of the camera sensor 210, millimeter-wave radar device 220, and LiDAR device 230, and the detection accuracy of the detection device 200 may be evaluated based on whether the maximum value of the size deviation detected is within a threshold deviation amount. Alternatively, for example, the detection accuracy of the detection device 200 may be evaluated based on whether the maximum value of the positional deviation of the same obstacle detected by each of the camera sensor 210, millimeter-wave radar device 220, and LiDAR device 230 has been within a threshold deviation amount for a predetermined period of time.

[0037] (B2) In the above embodiment, S20 may be omitted. Even in this configuration, avoidance operations can be performed in situations where the possibility of false detection of the obstacle OB is lower compared to when the distance to the obstacle OB is greater than the first threshold distance L1.

[0038] (B3) In the above embodiment, the waypoint changing unit 12 changed two waypoints p2 and p3, which are consecutive with the obstacle OB in between, from among the waypoints p1 to p8, to two waypoints p2a and p3a that do not have the obstacle OB in between, in order to set up an avoidance route, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. Instead of two waypoints p2 and p3, which are consecutive with the obstacle OB in between, any two waypoints that have the obstacle OB in between may be changed. For example, waypoints p1 and p4 shown in Figure 3 may be changed. Furthermore, as a method for determining the waypoint to be changed (changed waypoint), for example, first, a waypoint to start the avoidance operation to avoid collision with the obstacle OB may be determined, the distance from such waypoint to the obstacle OB may be determined, and a waypoint located in front of the obstacle OB along the parking route at the same or approximately the same distance as the determined distance may be determined as the waypoint to end the avoidance operation.

[0039] (B4) In the above embodiment, if the execution of S10 to S35 is remembered and the execution of S10 to S35 is performed a predetermined number of times consecutively in multiple parking assistance processes, the parking route stored in the route storage unit 21 may be overwritten with the avoidance route R2. This is because, in this case, the obstacle may not be temporarily present in the parking route R1, but rather may be permanently installed in that location.

[0040] (B5) The parking assistance devices 100 and methods described herein may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied by a computer program. Alternatively, the parking assistance devices 100 and methods described herein may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor by one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the parking assistance devices 100 and methods described herein may be implemented by one or more dedicated computers configured by a combination of a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions and a processor configured by one or more hardware logic circuits. Furthermore, the computer program may be stored as instructions executed by the computer on a computer-readable non-transitional tangible recording medium.

[0041] This disclosure can be implemented in various forms. For example, it can be implemented in the form of a parking assistance method, a driving assistance device or a computer program for implementing the driving assistance method, or a non-temporary recording medium on which such a computer program is stored.

[0042] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various configurations without departing from its spirit. For example, the technical features in each embodiment corresponding to the technical features in the embodiments described in the summary of the invention can be replaced or combined as appropriate in order to solve some or all of the above-mentioned problems, or to achieve some or all of the above-mentioned effects. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be deleted as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 10…CPU, 11…Accuracy evaluation unit, 12…Waypoint change unit, 13…Avoidance instruction unit, 20…Memory, 21…Route storage unit, 90…Internal bus, 100…Parking assist device, 200…Detection device, 210…Camera sensor, 220…Millimeter-wave radar device, 230…LiDAR device, 400…Vehicle control device, 410…Drive device, 420…Steering device, 430…Braking device, L1…First threshold distance, L2…Second threshold distance, OB…Obstacle, R1…Parking route, R2…Avoidance route, V0…Vehicle, p1~p8,p2a,p3a…Waypoints

Claims

1. A parking assist device (100) that assists in parking a vehicle (V0), A route memory unit (21) that stores the parking route (R1), A precision evaluation unit (11) evaluates the accuracy of detection of obstacles by a detection device (200) mounted on the vehicle for detecting the presence or absence of obstacles (OB) and the distance from the vehicle to the obstacles, A vehicle control device (400) that controls the operation of the vehicle is instructed by an avoidance instruction unit (13) to perform an avoidance operation to avoid the obstacle, Equipped with, The avoidance instruction unit, when the obstacle is detected on the parking path by the detection device, (i) If the distance is within a predetermined first threshold distance (L1) and the detection accuracy evaluated by the accuracy evaluation unit satisfies predetermined accuracy conditions, the avoidance operation is instructed to be performed. (ii) If the distance is greater than the first threshold distance, If a predetermined non-execution condition is met, including the fact that the distance is within the first threshold distance and the detection accuracy evaluated by the accuracy evaluation unit does not satisfy the accuracy condition, the avoidance operation is not instructed to be executed. Parking assist device.

2. In the parking assistance device according to claim 1, The detection device includes a plurality of sensors (210, 220, 230), The accuracy evaluation unit evaluates that the accuracy condition is met when the difference in the positions of the obstacles detected by the plurality of sensors is within a predetermined threshold difference.

3. In the parking assistance device according to claim 1, The aforementioned non-execution condition includes the condition that the distance is greater than a predetermined second threshold distance (L2) which is shorter than the first threshold distance, The avoidance instruction unit is a parking assistance device that, when the detection device detects an obstacle on the parking path and the distance is less than or equal to the second threshold distance, executes an instruction for avoidance action.

4. In a parking assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The aforementioned parking route is defined by a plurality of waypoints (p1 to p8) through which the vehicle is expected to pass. The system further includes a route point changing unit (12) that replaces the two route points (p2, p3) that sandwich the obstacle with two modified route points (p2a, p3a) that do not sandwich the obstacle, The avoidance instruction unit is a parking assistance device that, as the avoidance operation, instructs the vehicle control device to perform an action for the vehicle to pass through the two change waypoints.

5. A parking assistance method that assists in parking a vehicle, An evaluation step (S25) is performed to evaluate the accuracy of obstacle detection by a detection device mounted on the vehicle for detecting the presence or absence of obstacles and the distance from the vehicle to the obstacles, The vehicle control device that controls the operation of the vehicle is instructed to perform an avoidance operation to avoid the obstacle (S35), Equipped with, The avoidance instruction step is performed when the detection device detects the obstacle on a parking path that has been stored in advance. (i) If the distance is within a predetermined first threshold distance and the detection accuracy evaluated by the evaluation step satisfies predetermined accuracy conditions, the avoidance operation is instructed to be performed. (ii) If the distance is greater than the first threshold distance, A step of not instructing the execution of the avoidance operation when predetermined non-execution conditions are met, including the fact that the distance is within the first threshold distance and the detection accuracy evaluated by the evaluation step does not satisfy the accuracy condition, A parking assistance method having the following features.

6. A computer program for assisting with vehicle parking, A memory function that remembers the parking route, An evaluation function for evaluating the accuracy of obstacle detection by a detection device mounted on the vehicle for detecting the presence or absence of obstacles and the distance from the vehicle to the obstacles, The vehicle control device that controls the operation of the vehicle is provided with an avoidance instruction function that instructs the vehicle to perform an avoidance action to avoid the obstacle, To make this a reality on a computer, The avoidance instruction function is activated when the detection device detects the obstacle on the parking path. (i) If the distance is within a predetermined first threshold distance and the detection accuracy evaluated by the evaluation function satisfies predetermined accuracy conditions, the avoidance operation is instructed to be performed. (ii) If the distance is greater than the first threshold distance, A function that does not instruct the execution of the avoidance operation when predetermined non-execution conditions are met, including the fact that the distance is within the first threshold distance and the detection accuracy evaluated by the evaluation function does not satisfy the accuracy condition, A computer program that has [a certain characteristic].

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