Parking assistance device and parking assistance method

Abstract

This parking assistance device (5) is provided with a path generation unit (57) which, on the basis of the vehicle travel path of a driver performing a parking operation of a vehicle (V), and on the basis of the surroundings of the vehicle on the travel path, generates a target path to be taken by a vehicle during vehicle parking. Further, the parking assistance device is provided with a following control unit (60) which causes the vehicle to move automatically along the target path to the planned parking position. Under prescribed conditions, the following control unit temporarily stops the vehicle in a position other than the planned parking position when automatically moving the vehicle along the target path to the planned parking position.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-119473 filed on July 20, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Technical field]

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a parking assistance device and a parking assistance method. [Background technology]

[0003] Conventionally, a parking assistance device that automatically parks a vehicle in a specified parking space is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). When the driver parks the vehicle in a parking space, the parking assistance device described in Patent Document 1 learns the vehicle's travel route from a reference start position to the parking position, and automatically parks the vehicle in the parking space using the learning result. As a result, the vehicle is parked in the same parking position as the parking position in the parking space where the vehicle was parked in the learning mode. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2013-530867 Summary of the Invention

[0005] As described above, the parking assistance device described in Patent Document 1 performs driving assistance based on a pre-stored driving route from a reference start position to a parking position. For this reason, for example, if the parking space at home is narrow, the driver may not be able to secure space to open the vehicle door at the parking position, and may have to manually redo the parking operation. This is undesirable because it increases the burden on the driver. An object of the present disclosure is to provide a parking assistance device and a parking assistance method that can reduce the burden on a driver when assisting with parking.

[0006] According to one aspect of the disclosure, The parking assistance device is a route generating unit that generates a target route that the vehicle should take when parking the vehicle based on a driving route of the vehicle and a surrounding situation of the vehicle on the driving route when a parking operation of the vehicle is performed by a driver; A tracking control unit that automatically moves the vehicle to a planned parking position along the target route, The following control unit temporarily stops the vehicle at a position different from the planned parking position under a predetermined condition when automatically moving the vehicle along the target route to the planned parking position.

[0007] This allows passengers to disembark and unload cargo before the vehicle arrives at the planned parking position, making it less likely that the driver will have to manually redo the parking operation after arriving at the planned parking position. This reduces the burden on the driver when assisting with parking the vehicle.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, Parking assistance methods include: generating a target route that the vehicle should take when parking the vehicle based on a driving route of the vehicle and a surrounding situation of the vehicle on the driving route when a parking operation of the vehicle (V) is performed by a driver; automatically moving the vehicle along the target route to a planned parking position; When the vehicle is automatically moved to a planned parking position along a target route, the vehicle is temporarily stopped at a position different from the planned parking position under a predetermined condition.

[0009] This reduces the burden on the driver when assisting with parking the vehicle.

[0010] The reference symbols in parentheses attached to each component indicate an example of the correspondence between the component and specific components described in the embodiments described below. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1]1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic parking system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a driving route when parking a vehicle. [Diagram 3] 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of a learning process executed by a parking control unit of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of a following control process executed by a parking control unit of the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of assistance processing executed by a parking control unit in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of temporary stop processing executed by a parking control unit of the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a temporary stop of a vehicle. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of assistance processing executed by a parking control unit in a second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a plurality of candidate positions that are candidates for a stop position. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart showing a flow of temporary stop processing executed by a parking control unit of the third embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the priority order for selecting a plurality of candidate positions. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart showing a flow of temporary stop processing executed by a parking control unit of the fourth embodiment. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of assistance processing executed by a parking control unit of the fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the same reference numerals are used for parts that are the same as or equivalent to those described in the preceding embodiments, and the description thereof may be omitted. In addition, in the embodiments, when only a part of the components is described, the components described in the preceding embodiments can be applied to the other parts of the components. In the following embodiments, each embodiment can be partially combined with each other, even if not specifically stated, as long as it does not cause any trouble in combination.

[0013] (First embodiment) This embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 7. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the parking assistance device 5 and parking assistance method disclosed herein are applied to an automatic parking system 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the automatic parking system 1 has a perimeter monitoring sensor 3, various ECUs 4, and a parking assistance device 5. The parking assistance device 5 is communicatively connected to the perimeter monitoring sensor 3 and the various ECUs 4 directly or via an in-vehicle LAN (Local Area Network).

[0014] The perimeter monitoring sensor 3 is an autonomous sensor that monitors the surrounding environment of the vehicle V. For example, the perimeter monitoring sensor 3 detects obstacles OB consisting of three-dimensional objects around the vehicle, such as moving dynamic targets such as pedestrians and other vehicles, stationary static targets such as road structures, and parking assistance marks showing parking information, which is information about a parking lot PL, as detection objects. Here, the perimeter monitoring sensor 3 includes a perimeter monitoring camera 31 that captures an image of a predetermined range around the vehicle, a sonar 32 that transmits a search wave to a predetermined range around the vehicle, a millimeter wave radar 33, a LiDAR (abbreviation for Light Detection and Ranging) 34, and other search wave sensors.

[0015] The periphery monitoring camera 31 corresponds to an imaging device, captures an image of the periphery of the vehicle, and outputs the captured image data as sensing information to the parking assistance device 5. Here, the periphery monitoring camera 31 is exemplified by a front camera 31a, a rear camera 31b, a left side camera 31c, and a right side camera 31d, which capture images in front of, behind, and to the left and right sides of the vehicle, but is not limited to this.

[0016] The exploration wave sensor outputs exploration waves and sequentially outputs measurement results such as the relative speed and distance to the target and the azimuth angle at which the target is located, obtained by acquiring the reflected waves, to the parking assistance device 5 as sensing information. The sonar 32 performs measurements using ultrasonic waves as exploration waves, and is provided at multiple locations on the vehicle V, for example, multiple units are arranged in the left and right directions of the vehicle on the front and rear bumpers, and performs measurements by outputting exploration waves around the vehicle. The millimeter wave radar 33 performs measurements using millimeter waves as exploration waves. The LiDAR 34 performs measurements using laser light as exploration waves. Both the millimeter wave radar 33 and the LiDAR 34 output exploration waves within a predetermined range, for example, in front of the vehicle V, and perform measurements within the output range.

[0017] In this embodiment, the perimeter monitoring sensor 3 is exemplified by a perimeter monitoring camera 31, a sonar 32, a millimeter wave radar 33, and a LiDAR 34, but it is sufficient if perimeter monitoring can be performed using one or a combination of more of these, and it is not necessary to include all of them.

[0018] The parking assistance device 5 constitutes an ECU (i.e., an electronic control device) for performing various controls to realize the parking assistance method in the automatic parking system 1, and is composed of a microcomputer equipped with a CPU, a memory unit 50, I / O, etc.

[0019] The storage unit 50 includes a ROM, a RAM, an EEPROM, etc. That is, the storage unit 50 has a volatile memory such as a RAM, and a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM. The storage unit 50 is configured as a non-transferable tangible recording medium.

[0020] The parking assistance device 5 generates a target route that the vehicle V should take when parking the vehicle V, based on the driving route of the vehicle V when the driver performs a parking operation of the vehicle V and the surrounding conditions of the vehicle V on the driving route. The "surrounding conditions of the vehicle V" are, for example, dynamic landmarks such as people and other vehicles around the vehicle V, static landmarks such as curbs and buildings around the vehicle V, various signs, road markings such as guide lines, and the like. During parking assistance, the parking assistance device 5 automatically moves the vehicle V from the assistance start position STP to the planned parking position SEP along the target route. The planned parking position SEP is a position that is the end point of the target route. The planned parking position SEP is registered in advance by the driver as a parking space in front of his / her home H.

[0021] Specifically, when the driver parks the vehicle V, the parking assistance device 5 stores sensing information, which is the detection result of the periphery monitoring sensor 3, in a non-volatile memory of the storage unit 50. Then, the parking assistance device 5 performs various controls for generating a target route and parking assistance based on the sensing information stored in the storage unit 50 and the sensing information of the periphery monitoring sensor 3 during parking assistance.

[0022] The learning process for storing the driving route during manual driving by the driver and the surrounding conditions of the vehicle V is executed when an instruction to execute the learning process is given, for example, when a learning switch (not shown) is operated by the driver. Also, the parking assistance is executed when an instruction to execute parking assistance is given by the driver.

[0023] When the parking assistance device 5 executes the learning process, it recognizes targets, free spaces where parking is possible, parking positions, and the like on the driving route of the vehicle V based on the sensing information of the periphery monitoring sensor 3. These recognition results are stored in the non-volatile memory of the storage unit 50 and are used during parking assistance.

[0024] In addition, when a parking assistance instruction is issued by the driver, the parking assistance device 5 generates a target route based on the sensing information stored in the storage unit 50 and the sensing information of the surrounding monitoring sensor 3 during parking assistance, and performs route tracking control according to the route. Specifically, the parking assistance device 5 is configured to have a recognition processing unit 51, a vehicle information acquisition unit 52, and a parking control unit 53 as functional units that execute various controls.

[0025] The recognition processing unit 51 receives sensing information from the surroundings monitoring sensor 3, and recognizes the surrounding environment of the vehicle to be parked, the scene of the parking scene, and objects present around the vehicle based on the sensing information. Here, the recognition processing unit 51 is composed of an image recognition unit 51a, a space recognition unit 51b, and a free space recognition unit 51c.

[0026] The image recognition unit 51a includes a scene recognition unit 51aa, a three-dimensional object recognition unit 51ab, and a landmark / marker recognition unit 51ac. These units input image data from the surrounding surveillance camera 31 as sensing information, and perform scene recognition, three-dimensional object recognition, and landmark / marker recognition by performing image analysis of the image data.

[0027] In the scene recognition, it is recognized what kind of scene the parking scene is. For example, it is recognized whether the parking scene is a normal parking scene in which there is no obstacle OB near the intended parking position SEP and the opening and closing of the vehicle door is not particularly restricted, or a special parking scene in which the opening and closing of the vehicle door is restricted by an obstacle OB. In the case of a normal parking scene, passengers can get on and off the vehicle and unload cargo at the intended parking position SEP without any particular hindrance. In contrast, in a special parking scene, passengers can get on and off the vehicle and unload cargo at the intended parking position SEP and there may be a situation in which the driver has to manually redo parking after arriving at the intended parking position SEP. For this reason, the scene recognition is performed by distinguishing a situation in which the opening and closing of the vehicle door is restricted as a special parking scene from a normal parking scene.

[0028] Since the image data input from the periphery monitoring camera 31 shows the surroundings, by analyzing the image, it is possible to determine whether the parking scene is a normal parking scene or a special parking scene. For example, the frontage of the intended parking position SEP is calculated from the image data, and if the frontage is within a predetermined range that is set in advance based on the width of the vehicle, it can be determined that the parking scene is a special parking scene. Note that the scene recognition may be performed based not only on the sensing information of the periphery monitoring camera 31 but also on the sensing information of a search wave sensor.

[0029] In the three-dimensional object recognition, obstacles OB, which are three-dimensional objects around the vehicle, such as dynamic targets and static targets, are recognized as detection objects. Based on the detection objects recognized by this three-dimensional object recognition, preferably the shapes of static targets, the above-mentioned scene recognition and the generation of a parking assistance map including the obstacles OB are performed.

[0030] In landmark / marker recognition, landmarks indicating the intended parking position SEP, graphic marks indicating the parking lot PL, graphic marks indicating the parking direction, two-dimensional barcodes indicating the parking scene and parking direction, etc. are recognized. The above-mentioned scene recognition is performed based on the marks recognized by landmark / marker recognition. In addition, for example, parking assistance marks indicating parking information such as parking scenes can be attached within or in front of the intended parking position SEP, and when a parking assistance mark is found in the captured image data, the type of parking scene indicated by the parking assistance mark can be recognized.

[0031] The space recognition unit 51b also has a three-dimensional object recognition unit 51ba. The three-dimensional object recognition unit 51ba recognizes three-dimensional objects in the space around the vehicle based on sensing information from at least one of the sonar 32, the millimeter wave radar 33, and the LiDAR 34. The three-dimensional object recognition here is similar to the three-dimensional object recognition performed by the image recognition unit 51a. Therefore, three-dimensional object recognition can be performed if either the image recognition unit 51a or the space recognition unit 51b is provided. In addition, in the case of this embodiment, the space recognition unit 51b does not perform scene recognition, but the space recognition unit 51b can also perform scene recognition based on sensing information from at least one of the sonar 32, the millimeter wave radar 33, and the LIDAR 34.

[0032] Although three-dimensional object recognition and scene recognition can be performed by either the image recognition unit 51a or the space recognition unit 51b, more accurate three-dimensional object recognition and scene recognition can be performed by using both of them. For example, three-dimensional object recognition and scene recognition by the image recognition unit 51a can be complemented by three-dimensional object recognition and scene recognition by the space recognition unit 51b, thereby making it possible to perform three-dimensional object recognition and scene recognition with higher accuracy.

[0033] The free space recognition unit 51c performs free space recognition to recognize a place that is a free space in the parking lot PL. A free space means, for example, a space in the parking lot PL that has a size and shape that allows a vehicle V to stop. There may be only one free space in the parking lot PL, not necessarily a plurality of free spaces.

[0034] The free space recognition unit 51c recognizes free spaces in the parking lot PL based on the results of scene recognition and three-dimensional object recognition by the image recognition unit 51a and the space recognition unit 51b. For example, the shape of the parking lot PL and the presence or absence of other vehicles parked therein can be ascertained from the results of scene recognition and three-dimensional object recognition, and the free space recognition unit 51c recognizes free spaces in the parking lot PL based on the results.

[0035] The vehicle information acquisition unit 52 acquires information on the operation amount of the vehicle V from other ECUs 4, etc. Specifically, the vehicle information acquisition unit 52 acquires detection signals output from each sensor mounted on the vehicle V, such as an accelerator position sensor, a brake depression force sensor, a steering angle sensor, a wheel speed sensor, a shift position sensor, etc.

[0036] The parking control unit 53 executes various controls required for parking assistance. Specifically, the parking control unit 53 includes a route storage unit 54, a temporary stop determination unit 55, a position setting unit 56, a route generation unit 57, a position estimation unit 58, a collision determination unit 59, and a following control unit 60 as functional units that execute various controls.

[0037] The route storage unit 54 stores in the storage unit 50 sensing information of the perimeter monitoring sensor 3 when the driver performs a parking operation of the vehicle V. Specifically, when the learning process is started, the route storage unit 54 stores, for example, landmarks, free spaces in which parking is possible, parking positions, and the like on the travel route of the vehicle V sequentially acquired by the recognition processing unit 51 in the storage unit 50 as route information.

[0038] The temporary stop determination unit 55 is a determination unit that determines whether or not to temporarily stop the vehicle V during parking assistance. The temporary stop determination unit 55 determines that the vehicle V needs to be temporarily stopped when a predetermined condition is satisfied. Hereinafter, the "predetermined condition" that is the condition for determining whether to temporarily stop is referred to as the temporary stop condition. Specific examples of the "temporary stop condition" will be described later.

[0039] The temporary stop determination unit 55 determines, for example, whether the door opening degree at the planned parking position SEP is limited to within a predetermined opening degree. This determination is made, for example, based on the result of object recognition when the vehicle V is parked at the planned parking position SEP, or the result of object recognition when the vehicle V is traveling along the travel route during learning processing and the target route during parking assistance. The predetermined opening degree is set, for example, to the average door opening degree when passengers get in and out of the vehicle.

[0040] The predetermined vehicle door that is the subject of this determination is one of the passenger entry and exit doors and the back door for unloading cargo, which is predicted to be opened or closed when the vehicle V stops at the intended parking position SEP. Hereinafter, the "predetermined vehicle door" that is the subject of this determination is referred to as the determination subject door.

[0041] Specifically, the door to be determined is set based on the seating position of the occupant and the presence or absence of luggage in the luggage room, etc. For example, if there is an occupant who is not in the vehicle at the time of learning processing, the door close to the seating position of the occupant and the door near the driver's seat are determined as the doors to be determined. Also, if there is luggage in the luggage room that is not present at the time of learning processing, the back door is also determined as the door to be determined.

[0042] The seating positions of occupants can be ascertained based on the detection results of seating sensors provided on each seat, detection images from an interior camera that captures the interior of the vehicle, the fastening and unfastening status of seat belts, etc. The presence or absence of luggage in the luggage room can be ascertained based on the log of the opening and closing operation of the back door, and the detection results of on-board sensors such as a height sensor that detects changes in vehicle height.

[0043] The position setting unit 56 sets a position on the target route or a position other than the target route where the vehicle door opening degree can be made larger than a predetermined opening degree as the stop position PP. The position setting unit 56 sets the stop position PP based on the result of object recognition and the result of free space recognition while the vehicle V is traveling on at least one of the travel route during the learning process and the target route during the parking assistance, for example.

[0044] The route generating unit 57 generates a route based on the results of the scene recognition, the three-dimensional object recognition, and the free space recognition. The route generating unit 57 generates a target route that the vehicle V should take when parking the vehicle V, based on the travel route of the vehicle V at the time of the learning process and the surrounding conditions of the vehicle V on the travel route. For example, the route generating unit 57 uses the travel route of the vehicle V as a reference route, and when there is a section in the reference route where the distance between the vehicle V and an obstacle OB is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the route generating unit 57 replaces the section with a route where the distance between the vehicle V and the obstacle OB exceeds the predetermined value, and generates the target route. Note that the obstacle OB is composed of a three-dimensional object recognized by the three-dimensional object recognition.

[0045] Here, the path generating unit 57 avoids the obstacle OB using the determination result of the collision determining unit 59 described later, etc. When generating the target path, the obstacle OB is avoided using the determination result of the collision determining unit 59 described later, etc., but the target path may be generated so as to avoid only static targets among them. Since dynamic targets move, the vehicle V may be moved only after there is no possibility of collision with the dynamic targets, and in that case, it is sufficient to generate a target path taking only static targets into consideration.

[0046] The position estimation unit 58 estimates the current position of the vehicle V based on the sensing information stored in the memory unit 50 and the sensing information successively acquired by the periphery monitoring sensor 3 during parking assistance. For example, the position estimation unit 58 compares the sensing information stored in the memory unit 50 with the sensing information acquired during parking assistance, and estimates the current position based on the difference therebetween.

[0047] The collision determination unit 59 measures the distance between the vehicle V and the dynamic target based on sensing information sequentially acquired by the periphery monitoring sensor 3 during parking assistance, and predicts whether or not a collision will occur between the vehicle V and the dynamic target. The collision determination unit 59 determines that a collision will occur when the distance between the vehicle V and the dynamic target is short, and determines that a collision will not occur when the distance between the vehicle V and the dynamic target is long.

[0048] The following control unit 60 automatically moves the vehicle V from the assistance start position STP to the intended parking position SEP along the target route by performing vehicle motion control such as acceleration / deceleration control and steering control of the vehicle V. Specifically, the following control unit 60 outputs control signals to the various ECUs 4 so that the current position of the vehicle V estimated by the position estimation unit 58 reaches the intended parking position SEP along the target route.

[0049] The various ECUs 4 include a steering ECU 41 that performs steering control, a brake ECU 42 that performs acceleration / deceleration control, a power management ECU 43, and a body ECU 44 that controls various electrical components such as lights and door mirrors.

[0050] Specifically, the following control unit 60 acquires detection signals output from various sensors mounted on the vehicle V, such as an accelerator position sensor, a brake depression force sensor, a steering angle sensor, a wheel speed sensor, and a shift position sensor, via the vehicle information acquisition unit 52. Then, the following control unit 60 detects the state of each part from the acquired detection signals, and outputs control signals to the various ECUs 4 to move the vehicle V by following the target route.

[0051] Here, there may be a case where a static target object that was not recognized when the target route was initially calculated exists. For this reason, the three-dimensional object recognition units 51ab and 51ba continue to recognize the three-dimensional object while the vehicle V is moving along the target route. Also, if the static target object exists in a location where it may collide with the vehicle V when the vehicle V moves along the target route, the vehicle V is guided to a route different from the target route.

[0052] Also, for example, if the parking lot PL in front of the house H is narrow as shown in Fig. 2, there may be a case where a sufficient space for opening the vehicle door cannot be secured at the planned parking position SEP. In this case, after the vehicle V reaches the planned parking position SEP, a situation may occur where the driver manually moves the vehicle V to a position different from the planned parking position SEP and redoes parking. This is undesirable because it increases the burden on the driver.

[0053] Therefore, when automatically moving the vehicle V to the planned parking position SEP along the target route, the following control unit 60 temporarily stops the vehicle V at a position different from the planned parking position SEP under predetermined conditions. The following control unit 60 of this embodiment temporarily stops the vehicle V at a position different from the planned parking position SEP when the door opening degree of the determination target door is limited within a predetermined opening degree at the planned parking position SEP.

[0054] However, if the vehicle V is stopped temporarily without confirming the driver's intention, the driver may mistakenly assume that there is a malfunction or breakdown. Taking this into consideration, the following control unit 60 of this embodiment proposes to the driver to temporarily stop the vehicle V at a position different from the intended parking position SEP before temporarily stopping the vehicle V. Then, when the driver accepts the proposal to temporarily stop the vehicle V, the following control unit 60 temporarily stops the vehicle V at a position different from the intended parking position SEP.

[0055] The "temporary stop condition" in this embodiment is a condition that is met when the door opening angle of the door to be judged at the planned parking position SEP is limited to within a predetermined opening angle and the driver agrees to the proposal to temporarily stop.

[0056] Here, for example, when the vehicle V is moved from the current position to the planned parking position SEP, a person or another vehicle may approach. For this reason, the tracking control unit 60 temporarily stops the vehicle V until the dynamic target moves out of the range of the planned movement trajectory of the vehicle V estimated from the target route and the vehicle width, so that the vehicle V does not collide with the dynamic target. Note that the above-mentioned "temporary stop condition" includes a condition that is established when a collision between the vehicle V and the dynamic target is predicted.

[0057] The following control unit 60 includes a suggestion unit 61 that suggests to the driver to temporarily stop, etc. The suggestion unit 61 makes various suggestions, including temporarily stopping the vehicle V, to the driver through the HMI (abbreviation of Human Machine Interface) 45. The HMI 45 is a device for providing various types of support to the driver. The HMI 45 includes an ECU and an alarm device. The alarm device has a display and a speaker.

[0058] The automatic parking system 1 according to this embodiment is configured as described above. Next, the operation of the automatic parking system 1 configured in this manner will be described. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, an example will be described in which a vehicle V is parked in a parking lot PL in front of a house H. The parking lot PL shown in FIG. 2 is bent in an L-shape, and there is a portion in the passage from the public road OL to the intended parking position SEP that has an aisle width that allows one vehicle V to pass through. FIG. 2 also illustrates a backward parking in which the vehicle V is moved backward to the intended parking position SEP and parked there.

[0059] First, an example of a learning process for storing a driving route and a surrounding situation of the vehicle V during manual driving by the driver will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 3. The learning process shown in Fig. 3 is executed by the parking control unit 53 at every predetermined control period when an instruction to perform the learning process is issued, such as when a learning switch (not shown) is operated by the driver. Note that each process shown in this flowchart is realized by each functional unit of the parking assistance device 5. Also, each step for realizing this process can be understood as each step for realizing a parking assistance method.

[0060] 3, the parking control unit 53 starts the recognition process in step S100. In this recognition process, the recognition processing unit 51 starts scene recognition, three-dimensional object recognition, and free space recognition based on the sensing information of the perimeter monitoring sensor 3. In addition, in the recognition process, the seating positions of occupants in the vehicle cabin, the presence or absence of luggage in the luggage room, and the open / closed states of the door mirrors are detected.

[0061] Next, the parking control unit 53 determines whether or not a learning start condition is satisfied in step S110. The learning start condition is satisfied, for example, when the vehicle V enters a learning start area around the parking lot PL that is designated in advance by the driver.

[0062] The parking control unit 53 waits until the learning start condition is satisfied, and when the learning start condition is satisfied, starts storing various information necessary for parking assistance in step S120. For example, the parking control unit 53 stores in the storage unit 50, as route information, targets on the driving route of the vehicle V, free spaces in which parking can be performed, parking positions, and the like, which are sequentially acquired by the recognition processing unit 51. The parking control unit 53 of this embodiment stores the above-mentioned route information in the storage unit 50 in association with the seating positions of occupants in the vehicle cabin, the presence or absence of luggage in the luggage room, and the open / closed states of the door mirrors.

[0063] Next, in step S130, the parking control unit 53 determines whether or not a learning stop condition is satisfied. The learning stop condition is satisfied when the vehicle V stops at or near the planned parking position SEP designated in advance by the driver. The learning stop condition may also be satisfied when the shift position is switched to a position indicating parking (for example, the P position).

[0064] Until the learning stop condition is satisfied, the parking control unit 53 continues to store the various information in the storage unit 50. On the other hand, when the learning stop condition is satisfied, the parking control unit 53 stops storing the various information in step S140.

[0065] Next, in step S150, the parking control unit 53 notifies the driver via the HMI 45 that storage of various information has been completed, and ends the learning process. In the process of step S150, for example, the driving route of the vehicle V during the learning process and the surrounding conditions on the driving route may be notified. The learning process from step S100 to step S150 is performed by the route storage unit 54 of the parking control unit 53.

[0066] Next, an example of a following control process for automatically moving the vehicle V from the assistance start position STP to the intended parking position SEP along a target route will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 4. The following control process shown in Fig. 4 is executed by the parking control unit 53 at each predetermined control period under a condition in which the learning process has been performed at least once. Note that each process shown in this flowchart is realized by each functional unit of the parking assistance device 5. Also, each step for realizing this process can be understood as each step for realizing a parking assistance method.

[0067] As shown in Fig. 4, in step S200, the parking control unit 53 uses sensing information from the perimeter monitoring sensor 3 and a GPS and a map database (not shown) to determine whether the current position of the vehicle V is near the assistance start position STP. The assistance start position STP is set near the vehicle entrance / exit B of the parking lot PL of the home H. The vehicle entrance / exit B is the boundary between the public road OL and the parking lot PL. If the result of the determination process in step S200 is that the current position of the vehicle V is near the assistance start position STP, the parking control unit 53 proceeds to the process of step S210.

[0068] In step S210, the parking control unit 53 proposes parking assistance to the driver via the HMI 45. Then, in step S220, the parking control unit 53 determines whether or not an instruction to perform parking assistance has been received from the driver via the HMI 45.

[0069] When there is no instruction from the driver to perform parking assistance, the parking control unit 53 skips the process of step S230 and exits from this process. On the other hand, when there is an instruction from the driver to perform parking assistance, the parking control unit 53 performs assistance processing in step S230. The assistance processing is processing for performing parking assistance. Details of the assistance processing in step S230 will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0070] 5, the parking control unit 53 starts the recognition process in step S300. In this recognition process, the recognition processing unit 51 starts scene recognition, three-dimensional object recognition, and free space recognition based on the sensing information of the perimeter monitoring sensor 3. In addition, in the recognition process, the seating positions of occupants in the vehicle cabin, the presence or absence of luggage in the luggage room, and the open / closed states of the door mirrors are detected.

[0071] Next, in step S310, the parking control unit 53 determines whether the seating position of the occupant in the vehicle compartment is different from the seating position of the occupant at the time of the learning process. If the seating position of the occupant is the same as that at the time of the learning process, the parking control unit 53 proceeds to step S320 to generate a target route, and if the seating position of the occupant is different from that at the time of the learning process, the parking control unit 53 proceeds to step S330.

[0072] In step S330, the parking control unit 53 determines a vehicle door near the seating position of an occupant at the intended parking position SEP as a determination target door, and determines whether or not the opening and closing of the determination target door is restricted. This determination process in step S330 is performed by the temporary stop determination unit 55 of the parking control unit 53. If the opening and closing of the determination target door is not restricted, the parking control unit 53 proceeds to the target route generation process in step S320, and if the opening and closing of the determination target door is restricted, the parking control unit 53 proceeds to step S340.

[0073] In step S340, the parking control unit 53 proposes to the driver to temporarily stop the vehicle V via the HMI 45. When making this proposal, it is preferable to notify the driver of the reason for the temporary stop. The process of step S340 is performed by the following control unit 60 of the parking control unit 53.

[0074] Next, in step S350, the parking control unit 53 determines whether or not the proposal to stop temporarily is accepted by the driver via the HMI 45. If the proposal to stop temporarily is not accepted, the parking control unit 53 proceeds to a target route generation process in step S320, and if the proposal to stop temporarily is accepted, the parking control unit 53 proceeds to step S360.

[0075] In step S360, the parking control unit 53 sets a position where the door opening degree of the determination target door can be made larger than the predetermined opening degree as the temporary stop position PP, and then proceeds to step S320. The process of step S360 is performed by the position setting unit 56 of the parking control unit 53.

[0076] For example, when the door to be determined is on one side in the width direction of the vehicle V, the parking control unit 53 sets the stop position PP so that the space on the side of the door to be determined is large. When the doors to be determined are on both sides in the width direction of the vehicle V, the parking control unit 53 sets the stop position PP at approximately the center of the aisle in the width direction. Note that it is preferable that a customization function for the stop position PP allows the user to adjust the stop position PP or specify it individually.

[0077] 2, there are few elements that may become obstacles OB near the entrance ET of the home H in the parking lot PL, and it is possible to make the vehicle door open larger than a predetermined opening degree. For this reason, the parking control unit 53 of this embodiment sets a position in the parking lot PL in front of the entrance ET of the home H as the temporary stop position PP. Note that if it is possible to make the vehicle door open larger than a predetermined opening degree at a position in the parking lot PL other than the entrance ET of the home H, the parking control unit 53 may be configured to set the other position as the temporary stop position PP.

[0078] Next, in step S320, the parking control unit 53 generates a target route that the vehicle V should take when parking the vehicle V, based on the driving route of the vehicle V at the time of the learning process and the surrounding conditions of the vehicle V on the driving route. The process of step S320 is performed by the route generation unit 57 of the parking control unit 53.

[0079] When the vehicle V is to be temporarily stopped at a position different from the planned parking position SEP, the parking control unit 53 sets a guide route to the temporary stop position PP and a final route from the guide route to the planned parking position SEP. When the temporary stop position PP is on the target route, the guide route and the final route will coincide with the target route.

[0080] Next, in step S370, the parking control unit 53 estimates the current position of the vehicle V based on the sensing information stored in the memory unit 50 and the sensing information successively acquired by the periphery monitoring sensor 3 during parking assistance. The process of step S370 is performed by the position estimation unit 58 of the parking control unit 53.

[0081] Next, in step S380, the parking control unit 53 performs vehicle motion control such as acceleration / deceleration control and steering control of the vehicle V to automatically move the vehicle V to the planned parking position SEP. Then, in step S390, the parking control unit 53 determines whether the vehicle V has reached the planned parking position SEP. If the vehicle V has not reached the planned parking position SEP, the parking control unit 53 returns to the process of step S370, and exits the assistance process when the vehicle V reaches the planned parking position SEP. The processes of steps S380 and S390 are performed by the following control unit 60 of the parking control unit 53.

[0082] Specifically, when the vehicle V is moved to the planned parking position SEP without temporarily stopping, the parking control unit 53 outputs control signals to various ECUs 4 so that the vehicle V reaches the planned parking position SEP along the target route.

[0083] On the other hand, when the vehicle V is to be temporarily stopped at a position different from the intended parking position SEP, the parking control unit 53 outputs a control signal to the various ECUs 4 so that the vehicle V is guided to the temporary stop position PP along the guide route and temporarily stopped thereafter, and then reaches the intended parking position SEP. The parking control unit 53 of this embodiment executes a temporary stop process to temporarily stop the vehicle V at the temporary stop position PP. Details of this temporary stop process will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0084] 6, the parking control unit 53 determines whether or not a temporary stop is required in step S400. If a temporary stop is required, the parking control unit 53 proceeds to the process of step S410, and if a temporary stop is not required, the parking control unit 53 skips the subsequent processes and exits from this process.

[0085] In step S410, the parking control unit 53 determines whether or not the vehicle has reached the stop position PP set in front of the entrance ET of the home H. If the vehicle has not reached the stop position PP, the parking control unit 53 waits until the vehicle reaches the stop position PP. At this time, it is preferable that the parking control unit 53 notifies the driver of information regarding the stop position PP. For example, it is preferable that the parking control unit 53 notifies the driver of the stop position PP by superimposing a mark or frame indicating the stop position PP on a camera image displayed on a display or the like of the vehicle V.

[0086] On the other hand, when the vehicle V reaches the temporary stop position PP, the parking control unit 53 stops the vehicle V temporarily in step S420. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7, the parking control unit 53 stops the vehicle V temporarily when the vehicle V reaches the temporary stop position PP. The temporary stop position PP is a position where the vehicle door opening degree can be made larger than a predetermined opening degree. Therefore, at the temporary stop position PP, the vehicle door can be opened to allow the occupants to get out of the vehicle.

[0087] Here, for example, if the passage width at the stop position PP is narrow, there is a risk that the open door mirrors may hinder the movement of passengers who have disembarked. For this reason, it is desirable that the door mirrors be automatically closed when the vehicle reaches the stop position PP. It is also desirable that the door mirrors be automatically opened when assistance is resumed so as not to hinder the driver's safety check.

[0088] Next, in step S430, the parking control unit 53 determines whether or not there is an instruction to resume parking assistance from the driver via the HMI 45. If there is no instruction to resume parking assistance, the parking control unit 53 continues the temporary suspension. On the other hand, if there is an instruction to resume parking assistance, the parking control unit 53 resumes parking assistance in step S440. That is, the parking control unit 53 automatically moves the vehicle V from the temporary stop position PP to the intended parking position SEP.

[0089] Here, for example, when the door opening angle of the vehicle door for the driver to get in and out of the vehicle at the planned parking position SEP is limited to within a predetermined opening angle, the driver's getting in and out of the vehicle at the planned parking position SEP is limited. For this reason, it is preferable that the parking assistance device 5 is configured to automatically move the vehicle V from the temporary stop position PP to the planned parking position SEP by remote parking without the driver being present. Also, it is preferable that the parking assistance device 5 is configured to automatically move the vehicle V from the planned parking position SEP to the temporary stop position PP by remote leaving without the driver being present.

[0090] The parking assistance device 5 described above generates a target route that the vehicle V should take when parking the vehicle V, based on the travel route of the vehicle V when the driver performs a parking operation of the vehicle V and the surrounding conditions of the vehicle V on the travel route. Then, the parking assistance device 5 automatically moves the vehicle V to the intended parking position SEP along the target route. In particular, when automatically moving the vehicle V to the intended parking position SEP along the target route, the parking assistance device 5 temporarily stops the vehicle V at a position different from the intended parking position SEP under predetermined conditions.

[0091] According to this, since it becomes possible for the occupants to disembark and unload the luggage before arriving at the intended parking position SEP, the situation where the driver manually redoes the parking operation after arriving at the intended parking position SEP is less likely to occur than in the past. Therefore, the burden on the driver when assisting in parking the vehicle V can be reduced.

[0092] Moreover, according to the parking assistance device 5 of this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0093] (1) The following control unit 60 of the parking assistance device 5 suggests to the driver that the vehicle V be temporarily stopped at a position different from the intended parking position SEP before temporarily stopping the vehicle V. In this way, by temporarily stopping the vehicle V after confirming the driver's intention, it is possible to reduce the discomfort felt by the driver due to the temporary stop.

[0094] (2) Specifically, when the door opening degree of the determination target door is limited to within a predetermined opening degree at the planned parking position SEP, the following control unit 60 suggests to the driver to temporarily stop the vehicle V at a position different from the planned parking position SEP. In this way, for example, when a space to open the vehicle door cannot be secured at the planned parking position SEP, it is possible to prevent the driver from having to manually redo the parking operation. This greatly contributes to reducing the burden on the driver.

[0095] (3) The parking assistance device 5 includes a recognition processing unit 51 that performs object recognition to recognize objects around the vehicle V, and a temporary stop determination unit 55 that determines whether or not to temporarily stop the vehicle V. Specifically, the temporary stop determination unit 55 determines whether or not the door opening degree is limited to within a predetermined opening degree at the planned parking position SEP. The temporary stop determination unit 55 makes the above determination based on the result of object recognition when the vehicle V is parked at the planned parking position SEP, or the result of object recognition when the vehicle V is traveling on at least one of the driving route at the time of the learning process and the target route.

[0096] According to this, it becomes possible to appropriately determine whether or not the opening and closing of the door to be determined is restricted at the planned parking position SEP. In particular, if the door opening degree of the vehicle door is predicted based on the driving route during the parking operation by the driver and the result of object recognition during driving on the target route, it becomes possible to suggest to the driver that the vehicle V should stop temporarily before arriving at the planned parking position SEP.

[0097] (4) The parking assistance device 5 includes a position setting unit 56 that sets a position where the door opening degree can be made larger than a predetermined opening degree as a stop position PP. The recognition processing unit 51 performs object recognition to recognize objects around the vehicle V, as well as free space recognition to recognize free spaces where the vehicle V can be stopped temporarily. The position setting unit 56 sets the stop position PP based on the results of object recognition and free space recognition while the vehicle V is traveling on at least one of the driving route during the learning process and the target route. The following control unit 60 suggests to the driver that the vehicle V stop temporarily at the stop position PP.

[0098] Here, it is possible to set the stop position PP from map information used in a navigation system or the like, but the map information does not include information on private roads or small obstacles OB, making it difficult to identify a position where the vehicle V can be stopped based only on the map information.

[0099] In contrast, if the stop position PP is set based on the results of object recognition and free space recognition while the vehicle V is actually traveling, a position where the vehicle V can be stopped can be appropriately identified.

[0100] (5) The position setting unit 56 sets a position on the target route or outside the target route where the door opening degree can be made larger than a predetermined opening degree as the stop position PP. As a result, even if there is no position on the target route suitable for stopping the vehicle V, a position other than the target route suitable for stopping the vehicle V can be set as the stop position PP.

[0101] (6) The door to be determined is a door, among multiple doors provided on the vehicle V, that is expected to be opened or closed when the vehicle V stops at the intended parking position SEP without temporarily stopping along the way. For example, it is possible to predict the door that will be opened or closed when the vehicle V stops at the intended parking position SEP based on the passenger positions and the presence or absence of luggage in the luggage compartment.

[0102] (7) The temporary stop condition includes that the driver accepts the proposal to temporarily stop the vehicle V. In this way, it is desirable to reflect the driver's intention regarding the temporary stop of the vehicle V.

[0103] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. In this embodiment, a part of the support process is different from that in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the difference from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0104] The support process of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 8. The processes of steps S300A, S320A, S370A, S380A, and S390A shown in Fig. 8 are substantially the same as the processes of S300, S320, S370, S380, and S390 described in the first embodiment. Therefore, in this embodiment, the description of the processes of steps S300A, S320A, S370A, S380A, and S390A will be simplified or omitted.

[0105] 8, the parking control unit 53 starts the recognition process in step S300A. Then, the parking control unit 53 determines whether or not there is luggage in the luggage compartment that is not present at the time of learning in step S310A. If there is luggage in the luggage compartment that is not present at the time of learning, the parking control unit 53 proceeds to step S330A, and otherwise proceeds to the target route generation process in step S320A.

[0106] In step S330A, the parking control unit 53 determines whether the opening and closing of the target door is restricted or not by determining the back door that opens and closes the luggage compartment at the intended parking position SEP as the target door. The determination process in step S330A is performed by the temporary stop determination unit 55 of the parking control unit 53. If the opening and closing of the target door is not restricted, the parking control unit 53 proceeds to the target route generation process in step S320A, and if the opening and closing of the target door is restricted, the parking control unit 53 proceeds to step S340A.

[0107] In step S340A, the parking control unit 53 proposes to the driver to temporarily stop the vehicle V via the HMI 45. When making this proposal, it is preferable to notify the driver of the reason for the temporary stop. The process of step S340A is performed by the following control unit 60 of the parking control unit 53.

[0108] Next, in step S350A, the parking control unit 53 determines whether or not the proposal to stop temporarily is accepted by the driver via the HMI 45. If the proposal to stop temporarily is not accepted, the parking control unit 53 proceeds to a target route generation process in step S320A, and if the proposal to stop temporarily is accepted, the parking control unit 53 proceeds to step S360A.

[0109] In step S360A, the parking control unit 53 sets a position where the door opening degree of the determination target door can be made larger than a predetermined opening degree as the temporary stop position PP. Specifically, the parking control unit 53 sets a position where the opening and closing of the back door is not restricted as the temporary stop position PP. The process of step S360A is performed by the position setting unit 56 of the parking control unit 53. After setting the temporary stop position PP, the parking control unit 53 executes the target route generation process of step S320A.

[0110] The target route generation process in step S320A and each process after step S320A are the same as those described in the first embodiment. The parking assistance device 5 of this embodiment can obtain the same effects as the first embodiment, which are achieved by the configuration common to the first embodiment or the equivalent configuration.

[0111] (Modification of the second embodiment) In the determination process of step S330A, the door to be determined is the back door, but this is not limited thereto. For example, both the passenger door and the back door for unloading cargo may be determined as the doors to be determined, and whether or not the opening and closing of the door to be determined is restricted may be determined. In addition, luggage may be placed not only in the luggage room, but also in the seat where the passenger sits. For this reason, it is preferable that the process of step S310A is configured to determine whether or not luggage that was not present at the time of learning is present in the luggage room or the passenger compartment.

[0112] Third embodiment Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9 to Fig. 11. In this embodiment, a part of the pause process is different from that in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the parts different from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0113] As described in the first embodiment, the position setting unit 56 sets a position on the target route or a position other than the target route where the door opening degree can be made larger than a predetermined opening degree as the temporary stop position PP. In this case, depending on the result of the object recognition and the result of the free space recognition, a plurality of candidate positions CP that are candidates for the temporary stop position PP may be detected as shown in Fig. 9. Note that the candidate positions CP are positions where the opening and closing of the door to be determined is not restricted during a temporary stop.

[0114] When there are multiple candidate positions CP for the pause position PP, one of the multiple candidate positions CP is set as the pause position PP in the pause process. The pause process of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 10. The processes of steps S400A, S430A, S440A, S450A, and S460A shown in FIG. 10 are substantially the same as the processes of S400, S410, S420, S430, and S440 described in the first embodiment. Therefore, in this embodiment, the description of the processes of steps S400A, S430A, S440A, S450A, and S460A will be simplified or omitted.

[0115] 10, the parking control unit 53 determines whether or not a temporary stop is required in step S400A. If a temporary stop is required, the parking control unit 53 proceeds to the process of step S410A, and if a temporary stop is not required, the parking control unit 53 skips the subsequent processes and exits from this process.

[0116] In step S410A, the parking control unit 53 determines whether there are multiple candidate positions CP for the stop position PP. If there is one candidate position CP for the stop position PP, the parking control unit 53 skips step S420A. On the other hand, if there are multiple candidate positions CP for the stop position PP, the parking control unit 53 proceeds to step S420A and identifies the stop position PP from among the multiple candidate positions CP according to a predetermined priority order.

[0117] Specifically, the parking control unit 53 specifies the stop position PP from among the multiple candidate positions CP according to the priority order shown in FIG. 11. That is, the parking control unit 53 sets the stop position PP by prioritizing that the guided route to the candidate position CP does not include a turning back of the vehicle V over other matters. Next, the parking control unit 53 sets the stop position PP by prioritizing that the length of the guided route to the candidate position CP is short. Next, the parking control unit 53 sets the stop position PP by prioritizing that the final route from the candidate position CP to the planned parking position SEP does not include a turning back of the vehicle V. Next, the parking control unit 53 sets the stop position PP by prioritizing that the length of the final route from the candidate position CP to the planned parking position SEP is short.

[0118] Next, in step S430A, the parking control unit 53 determines whether or not the vehicle V has reached the stop position PP. If the vehicle V has not reached the stop position PP, the parking control unit 53 waits until the vehicle V reaches the stop position PP. On the other hand, if the vehicle V has reached the stop position PP, the parking control unit 53 stops the vehicle V in step S440A. The processes from step S440A onwards are the same as those described in the first embodiment. The parking assistance device 5 of this embodiment can obtain the same effects as the first embodiment, which are achieved by a configuration common to or equivalent to the first embodiment.

[0119] Moreover, according to the parking assistance device 5 of this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0120] (1) When there are multiple candidate positions CP for the stop position PP, the position setting unit 56 sets the stop position PP by prioritizing that the guidance route to the candidate position CP does not include a turning movement of the vehicle V over other factors. This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of a turning movement of the vehicle V due to the addition of a temporary stop of the vehicle V.

[0121] (2) When the position setting unit 56 sets the stop position PP from among the multiple candidate positions CP, the position setting unit 56 prioritizes a short length of the guided route, next to the absence of a turning point in the guided route. This makes it possible to suppress an increase in the travel distance of the vehicle V due to the addition of a stop of the vehicle V.

[0122] (3) When there are multiple candidate positions CP for the stop position PP, the position setting unit 56 prioritizes that the final route from the candidate positions CP to the stop position PP does not include a turning movement of the vehicle V, next to the length of the guide route being short. This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of a turning movement of the vehicle V due to the addition of a temporary stop of the vehicle V.

[0123] (4) When the position setting unit 56 sets the temporary stop position PP from among the multiple candidate positions CP, the position setting unit 56 prioritizes a short final route over the final route not including a turning point. This makes it possible to suppress an increase in the travel distance of the vehicle V due to the addition of a temporary stop of the vehicle V.

[0124] (Fourth embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12. In this embodiment, a part of the pause process is different from that in the third embodiment. In this embodiment, the difference from the third embodiment will be mainly described.

[0125] When multiple candidate positions CP that are candidates for the stop position PP are detected, the position setting unit 56 of this embodiment presents the multiple candidate positions CP to a user such as a driver or a passenger to prompt the user to select a position, and sets a position selected from the multiple candidate positions CP as the stop position PP. Hereinafter, the stop processing of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 12. The processes of steps S400B, S440B, S450B, and S460B shown in FIG. 12 are substantially the same as the processes of S400, S410, S420, and S440 described in the first embodiment. Therefore, in this embodiment, the description of the processes of steps S400B, S440B, S450B, and S460B will be simplified or omitted.

[0126] 12, the parking control unit 53 determines whether or not a temporary stop is required in step S400B. If a temporary stop is required, the parking control unit 53 proceeds to the process of step S410B, and if a temporary stop is not required, the parking control unit 53 skips the subsequent processes and exits from this process.

[0127] In step S410B, the parking control unit 53 determines whether there are multiple candidate positions CP for the stop position PP. If there is one candidate position CP for the stop position PP, the parking control unit 53 skips steps S415B, S420B, and S425B and proceeds to step S430B. In step S430B, the parking control unit 53 sets the candidate position CP to the stop position PP as a selected position. On the other hand, if there are multiple candidate positions CP for the stop position PP, the parking control unit 53 proceeds to step S415B and presents the multiple candidate positions CP to a user such as a driver or a passenger via the HMI 45. For example, the parking control unit 53 displays position information of each of the multiple candidate positions CP on a display.

[0128] Next, in step S420B, the parking control unit 53 requests the selection of a plurality of candidate positions CP. For example, the parking control unit 53 displays a comment or makes an announcement to prompt the selection of one of the plurality of candidate positions CP.

[0129] Next, the parking control unit 53 determines whether or not the user has selected a candidate position CP in step S425B. This determination process is performed based on operation information of the HMI 45 by the user, etc.

[0130] If the user selects a candidate position CP, the parking control unit 53 sets the selected position selected by the user as the stop position PP in step S430B. On the other hand, if the user does not select a candidate position CP, the parking control unit 53 returns to step S420B and requests the selection of multiple candidate positions CP again. Note that, if the user does not select a candidate position CP, the parking control unit 53 may set the stop position PP based on a predetermined priority order as in the third embodiment.

[0131] Next, in step S435B, the parking control unit 53 determines whether or not the vehicle V has reached the stop position PP, which is the selected position. If the vehicle V has not reached the stop position PP, the parking control unit 53 waits until the vehicle V reaches the stop position PP. On the other hand, if the vehicle V has reached the stop position PP, the parking control unit 53 stops the vehicle V in step S440B. The processes from step S440B onwards are the same as those described in the first embodiment. The parking assistance device 5 of this embodiment can obtain the effects achieved by the configuration common to or equivalent to the first embodiment, in the same way as the first embodiment.

[0132] Moreover, according to the parking assistance device 5 of this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0133] (1) When multiple candidate positions CP that are candidates for the stop position PP are detected, the position setting unit 56 presents the multiple candidate positions CP to prompt the user to select one, and sets a position selected from the multiple candidate positions CP as the stop position PP. This makes it possible to reflect the user's intention in the temporary stop of the vehicle V. In this way, reflecting the user's intention is effective in improving the usability of the parking assistance.

[0134] Fifth embodiment Next, a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 13. In this embodiment, a part of the support processing is different from that in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the parts different from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0135] The support process of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 13. The processes of steps S300B, S320B, S370B, S380B, and S390B shown in Fig. 13 are substantially the same as the processes of S300, S320, S370, S380, and S390 described in the first embodiment. Therefore, in this embodiment, the description of the processes of steps S300B, S320B, S370B, S380B, and S390B will be simplified or omitted.

[0136] 13, the parking control unit 53 starts the recognition process in step S300B. Then, the parking control unit 53 executes a position designation process in step S305B. This position designation process includes a position reception process for receiving a designation of a position where the vehicle V is to be temporarily stopped, and a registration process for registering the designated position received in the position reception process. This position designation process is executed by the following control unit 60.

[0137] For example, as the position reception process, the parking control unit 53 presents a planar map or a three-dimensional map of the vicinity of the intended parking position SEP on the display via the HMI 45, and displays a comment or makes an announcement to encourage the user to specify a position to temporarily halt the vehicle V. In this embodiment, the HMI 45 constitutes a position reception unit that receives the specification of the position to temporarily halt the vehicle V. Furthermore, as the registration process, the parking control unit 53 stores the specified position specified by the user in the storage unit 50. Note that if there is no response operation from the user in the position reception process, the parking control unit 53 exits the position specification process without registering the specified position.

[0138] Next, in step S310B, the parking control unit 53 judges whether or not a designated position is registered. This judgment process judges whether or not a designated position is stored in the storage unit 50. As a result, if a designated position is not registered, the parking control unit 53 proceeds to a target route generation process in step S320B. Also, if a designated position is registered, the parking control unit 53 proceeds to step S330B and proposes to the driver to temporarily stop the vehicle V via the HMI 45. When making this proposal, it is desirable to notify the driver of the reason for the temporary stop. The process in step S330B is performed by the following control unit 60 of the parking control unit 53.

[0139] Next, in step S340B, the parking control unit 53 determines whether or not the proposal to stop temporarily is accepted by the driver via the HMI 45. If the proposal to stop temporarily is not accepted, the parking control unit 53 proceeds to a target route generation process in step S320B, and if the proposal to stop temporarily is accepted, the parking control unit 53 proceeds to step S350B.

[0140] The parking control unit 53 sets the set position as the temporary stop position PP in step S350B. Then, after setting the temporary stop position PP, the parking control unit 53 executes the target route generation process in step S320A.

[0141] The target route generation process in step S320B and each process after step S320B are the same as those described in the first embodiment. The parking assistance device 5 of this embodiment can obtain the effects achieved by the common configuration or the equivalent configuration to the first embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment. Note that the "temporary stop condition" in this embodiment is a condition that is met when the position where the vehicle V is to be temporarily stopped is registered and the driver agrees to the proposal to temporarily stop.

[0142] Moreover, according to the parking assistance device 5 of this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0143] (1) The parking assistance device 5 includes an HMI 45 as a position receiving unit that receives a designation of a position where the vehicle V is to be temporarily stopped, and a storage unit 50 that stores the designated position received by the HMI 45. The following control unit 60 temporarily stops the vehicle V at the designated position when automatically moving the vehicle V to the planned parking position SEP along the target route. In this way, by allowing the user to adjust or individually designate the temporary stop position PP and configuring the system to reflect the user's intention, the usability of the parking assistance can be improved.

[0144] (2) When automatically moving the vehicle V to the planned parking position SEP along the target route, the following control unit 60 proposes to the driver that the vehicle V stop temporarily at a designated position, and if the driver accepts the proposal to stop temporarily at the designated position, the following control unit 60 causes the vehicle V to stop temporarily at the designated position. In this way, it is desirable to confirm the driver's intention not only regarding the position at which the vehicle V will stop, but also regarding the timing.

[0145] Here, the support process of this embodiment sets the stop position PP only when a designated position is registered, but is not limited to this. For example, when a designated position is not registered, the support process may be configured to execute steps S330, S340, S350, and S360 of the first embodiment, or execute steps S330A, S340A, S350A, and S360A of the second embodiment.

[0146] (Other embodiments) Representative embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified in various ways, for example, as described below.

[0147] In the above embodiment, the detailed configuration of the parking assistance device 5, the detailed contents of the learning process, and the detailed contents of the following control process have been described, but the present invention is not limited to these, and some of these may be different.

[0148] The parking assistance device 5 of the above embodiment is configured to propose parking assistance to the driver via the HMI 45 and start parking assistance when the driver agrees to the proposal, but is not limited to this. The parking assistance device 5 may be configured to start parking assistance when, for example, a parking assistance switch is pressed.

[0149] As in the above embodiment, it is desirable to suggest to the driver that the vehicle V be temporarily stopped at a position different from the planned parking position SEP before the vehicle V is temporarily stopped, but the parking assistance device 5 does not have to be configured in this way. Furthermore, the suggestion to the driver to temporarily stop is not limited to the case where the door opening degree of a predetermined vehicle door is limited to within a predetermined opening degree at the planned parking position SEP. The suggestion to the driver to temporarily stop may be made, for example, when the vehicle V was temporarily stopped at a position different from the planned parking position SEP during a parking operation of the vehicle V by the driver in the past. In such a case, the temporary stop position PP may be set to the position where the vehicle V was temporarily stopped in the past.

[0150] The parking assistance device 5 of the above embodiment temporarily stops the vehicle V when the door opening degree is limited to within a predetermined opening degree at the intended parking position SEP, but is not limited to this. For example, the parking assistance device 5 may be configured to temporarily stop the vehicle V when the vehicle V was temporarily stopped during the previous parking operation of the driver.

[0151] Although the parking assistance device 5 in the above embodiment sets the position where the door opening degree can be made larger than the predetermined opening degree as the temporary stop position PP, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0152] The parking assistance device 5 may be configured to, for example, identify a position where the door opening degree can be made larger than a predetermined opening degree from map information used in a navigation system or the like, and set this position as the temporary stop position PP. Also, the parking assistance device 5 may be configured to, for example, set a position designated by a dedicated marker as the temporary stop position PP.

[0153] As in the above embodiment, it is preferable to set a position on the target route or outside the target route where the door opening degree can be made larger than the predetermined opening degree as the stop position PP, but this is not limited thereto. The parking assistance device 5 may be configured to set the stop position PP on the target route, for example.

[0154] In the parking assistance device 5 of the above embodiment, when there are multiple candidate positions CP for the stop position PP, the parking assistance device 5 sets the stop position PP according to the priority order shown in Fig. 11, but is not limited to this. The parking assistance device 5 may also set the stop position PP according to a priority order different from that shown in Fig. 11.

[0155] In the above embodiment, the "temporary stop condition" is exemplified as a condition that is satisfied when the door opening degree of the determination target door at the intended parking position SEP is limited to within a predetermined opening degree and the driver agrees to the temporary stop proposal, but is not limited thereto and may be other conditions. The "temporary stop condition" may be, for example, a condition that is satisfied when the driver issues an instruction to perform parking assistance.

[0156] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the parking assistance device 5 of the present disclosure is applied to parking assistance in a small parking lot PL in front of one's home H, but the application is not limited to this, and the application can also be made to parking assistance in other areas other than the parking lot PL in front of one's home H.

[0157] In the above-described embodiments, it goes without saying that the elements constituting the embodiments are not necessarily essential, except in cases where it is particularly expressly stated that they are essential or where they are clearly considered to be essential in principle.

[0158] In the above-described embodiments, when numerical values ​​such as the number, values, amounts, ranges, etc. of components of the embodiments are mentioned, they are not limited to the specific numbers unless it is specifically stated as required or unless it is clearly limited to a specific number in principle.

[0159] In the above-described embodiments, when referring to the shapes, positional relationships, etc. of components, etc., there is no limitation to those shapes, positional relationships, etc., unless specifically stated or in principle limited to a specific shape, positional relationship, etc.

[0160] The control unit and the method of the present disclosure may be implemented in a special-purpose computer provided by configuring a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions embodied in a computer program. The control unit and the method of the present disclosure may be implemented in a special-purpose computer provided by configuring a processor with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. The control unit and the method of the present disclosure may be implemented in one or more special-purpose computers configured by a combination of a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions and a processor configured with one or more hardware logic circuits. The computer program may also be stored in a computer-readable non-transitory tangible recording medium as instructions executed by a computer.

[0161] [Features of this disclosure] The present disclosure discloses the following technical features.

[0162] [Disclosure 1] A parking assistance device, a route generating unit (57) that generates a target route that the vehicle should take when parking the vehicle based on a driving route of the vehicle and a surrounding situation of the vehicle on the driving route when a parking operation of the vehicle is performed by a driver; a tracking control unit (60) that automatically moves the vehicle along the target route to a planned parking position, The following control unit temporarily stops the vehicle at a position different from the planned parking position under a predetermined condition when automatically moving the vehicle along the target route to the planned parking position.

[0163] [Disclosure 2] The parking assistance device according to Disclosure 1, wherein the following control unit suggests to the driver to temporarily stop the vehicle at a position different from the planned parking position before temporarily stopping the vehicle.

[0164] [Disclosure 3] The parking assistance device according to Disclosure 1 or 2, wherein the following control unit suggests to the driver to temporarily stop the vehicle at a position different from the planned parking position when a door opening angle of a predetermined vehicle door at the planned parking position is limited to within a predetermined opening angle.

[0165] [Disclosure 4] A recognition processing unit (51) that performs object recognition for recognizing objects around the vehicle; a determination unit (55) that determines whether or not to temporarily stop the vehicle, The parking assistance device described in Disclosure 3, wherein the determination unit determines whether or not the door opening degree is limited to within the predetermined opening degree at the planned parking position based on a result of the object recognition when the vehicle is parked at the planned parking position, or a result of the object recognition when the vehicle is traveling on at least one of the driving path and the target route.

[0166] [Disclosure 5] a recognition processing unit (51) that performs object recognition for recognizing objects around the vehicle and free space recognition for recognizing a free space in which the vehicle can be temporarily stopped; a position setting unit (56) that sets a position where the door opening degree can be made larger than the predetermined opening degree as a temporary stop position, the position setting unit sets the stop position based on a result of the object recognition and a result of the free space recognition while the vehicle is traveling on at least one of the travel route and the target route; The parking assistance device according to Disclosure 3, wherein the following control unit suggests to the driver to temporarily stop the vehicle at the temporary stop position.

[0167] [Disclosure 6] The parking assistance device according to Disclosure 5, wherein the position setting unit sets a position on the target route or outside the target route where the door opening degree can be made larger than the predetermined opening degree as the temporary stop position.

[0168] [Disclosure 7] The parking assistance device according to Disclosure 6, wherein when there are multiple candidate positions for the stop position, the position setting unit sets the stop position by prioritizing that a guide route to the candidate positions does not include a turning movement of the vehicle over other factors.

[0169] [Disclosure 8] The parking assistance device according to Disclosure 7, wherein, when setting the stop position from among the plurality of candidate positions, the position setting unit gives priority to the length of the guided route being short, next to the guided route not including the turning circle.

[0170] [Disclosure 9] The parking assistance device according to Disclosure 5 or 6, wherein, when there are multiple candidate positions for the stop position, the position setting unit presents the multiple candidate positions to prompt a selection, and sets a position selected from the multiple candidate positions as the stop position.

[0171] [Disclosure 10] The parking assistance device according to any one of Disclosures 3 to 9, wherein the predetermined vehicle door is one of a plurality of doors provided on the vehicle that is expected to be opened or closed when the vehicle stops at the intended parking position without temporarily stopping along the way.

[0172] [Disclosure 11] 11. The parking assistance device according to any one of Disclosures 2 to 10, wherein the predetermined condition includes a proposal to stop the vehicle being accepted by the driver.

[0173] [Disclosure 12] a position receiving unit (65) that receives a designation of a position where the vehicle is to be temporarily stopped; a storage unit (50) that stores the designated position accepted by the position acceptance unit, The parking assistance device according to any one of Disclosures 1 to 11, wherein the following control unit temporarily stops the vehicle at the designated position when automatically moving the vehicle along the target route to the planned parking position.

[0174] [Disclosure 13] The parking assistance device described in Disclosure 12, wherein the following control unit suggests to the driver that the vehicle should temporarily stop at the designated position when automatically moving the vehicle along the target route to the planned parking position, and causes the vehicle to temporarily stop at the designated position if the driver accepts the suggestion to temporarily stop at the designated position.

[0175] [Disclosure 14] A parking assistance method, comprising: generating a target route that the vehicle should take when parking the vehicle based on a driving route of the vehicle and a surrounding situation of the vehicle on the driving route when a parking operation of the vehicle is performed by a driver; automatically moving the vehicle along the target route to a planned parking position; the parking assistance method comprising: when automatically moving the vehicle along the target route to the planned parking position, temporarily stopping the vehicle at a position different from the planned parking position under a predetermined condition.

Claims

1. A parking assistance device, a route generating unit (57) that generates a target route that the vehicle should take when parking the vehicle based on a driving route of the vehicle and a surrounding situation of the vehicle on the driving route when a parking operation of the vehicle is performed by a driver; A following control unit (60) that automatically moves the vehicle along the target route to a planned parking position; A recognition processing unit (51) that performs object recognition for recognizing objects around the vehicle; a determination unit (55) that determines whether or not to temporarily stop the vehicle, the following control unit temporarily stops the vehicle at a position different from the planned parking position under a predetermined condition when automatically moving the vehicle along the target route to the planned parking position, and before temporarily stopping the vehicle, suggests to the driver that the vehicle be temporarily stopped at a position different from the planned parking position, and when the suggestion is accepted by the driver, temporarily stops the vehicle at a position different from the planned parking position, and further suggests to the driver that the vehicle be temporarily stopped at a position different from the planned parking position when a door opening degree of a predetermined vehicle door is limited within a predetermined opening degree at the planned parking position; The determination unit determines whether or not the door opening degree at the planned parking position is limited to within the predetermined opening degree based on the result of the object recognition when the vehicle is parked at the planned parking position and the result of the object recognition when the vehicle is traveling on at least one of the driving path and the target route, and detects a plurality of candidate positions that are candidates for stopping positions for the vehicle.

2. A parking assistance device, a route generating unit (57) that generates a target route that the vehicle should take when parking the vehicle based on a driving route of the vehicle and a surrounding situation of the vehicle on the driving route when a parking operation of the vehicle is performed by a driver; A following control unit (60) that automatically moves the vehicle along the target route to a planned parking position; a recognition processing unit (51) that performs object recognition for recognizing objects around the vehicle and free space recognition for recognizing a free space in which the vehicle can be temporarily stopped; a position setting unit (56) that sets a position where a door opening degree of a predetermined vehicle door can be made larger than a predetermined opening degree as a temporary stop position of the vehicle, the following control unit temporarily stops the vehicle at a position different from the planned parking position under a predetermined condition when automatically moving the vehicle along the target route to the planned parking position, and before temporarily stopping the vehicle, suggests to the driver that the vehicle be temporarily stopped at a position different from the planned parking position, and when the suggestion is accepted by the driver, temporarily stops the vehicle at a position different from the planned parking position, and further suggests to the driver that the vehicle be temporarily stopped at a position different from the planned parking position when the door opening degree at the planned parking position is limited to within the predetermined opening degree; a parking assistance device, wherein the position setting unit detects a plurality of candidate positions for the stop position based on a result of the object recognition and a result of the free space recognition while the vehicle is traveling on at least one of the driving route and the target route.

3. A parking assistance device, a route generating unit (57) that generates a target route that the vehicle should take when parking the vehicle based on a driving route of the vehicle and a surrounding situation of the vehicle on the driving route when a parking operation of the vehicle is performed by a driver; A following control unit (60) that automatically moves the vehicle along the target route to a planned parking position; a position receiving unit (65) for receiving a designation from a user regarding a position where the vehicle is to be temporarily stopped; a storage unit (50) for storing the designated position accepted by the position acceptance unit; A recognition processing unit (51) that performs object recognition for recognizing objects around the vehicle; a determination unit (55) that determines whether or not to temporarily stop the vehicle, the following control unit temporarily stops the vehicle at a position different from the planned parking position under a predetermined condition when automatically moving the vehicle to the planned parking position along the target route, temporarily stops the vehicle at the designated position when automatically moving the vehicle to the planned parking position along the target route, and further suggests to the driver to temporarily stop the vehicle at a position different from the planned parking position when a door opening degree of a predetermined vehicle door is limited within a predetermined opening degree at the planned parking position; The determination unit determines whether or not the door opening degree at the planned parking position is limited to within the predetermined opening degree based on the result of the object recognition when the vehicle is parked at the planned parking position and the result of the object recognition when the vehicle is traveling on at least one of the driving path and the target route, and detects a plurality of candidate positions that are candidates for stopping positions for the vehicle.

4. A parking assistance device, a route generating unit (57) that generates a target route that the vehicle should take when parking the vehicle based on a driving route of the vehicle and a surrounding situation of the vehicle on the driving route when a parking operation of the vehicle is performed by a driver; A following control unit (60) that automatically moves the vehicle along the target route to a planned parking position; a position receiving unit (65) for receiving a designation from a user regarding a position where the vehicle is to be temporarily stopped; a storage unit (50) for storing the designated position accepted by the position acceptance unit; a recognition processing unit (51) that performs object recognition for recognizing objects around the vehicle and free space recognition for recognizing a free space in which the vehicle can be temporarily stopped; a position setting unit (56) that sets a position at the intended parking position where a door opening degree of a predetermined vehicle door can be made larger than a predetermined opening degree as a temporary stop position of the vehicle, the following control unit temporarily stops the vehicle at a position different from the planned parking position under a predetermined condition when automatically moving the vehicle to the planned parking position along the target route, temporarily stops the vehicle at the designated position when automatically moving the vehicle to the planned parking position along the target route, and further suggests to the driver to temporarily stop the vehicle at a position different from the planned parking position when the door opening degree is limited to within the predetermined opening degree at the planned parking position; a parking assistance device, wherein the position setting unit detects a plurality of candidate positions for the stop position based on a result of the object recognition and a result of the free space recognition while the vehicle is traveling on at least one of the driving route and the target route.

5. 5. The parking assistance device according to claim 2, wherein the position setting unit sets, as the temporary stop position, a position on the target route or a position other than the target route where the door opening degree can be made larger than the predetermined opening degree.

6. A parking assistance device, a route generating unit (57) that generates a target route that the vehicle should take when parking the vehicle based on a travel route of the vehicle and a surrounding situation of the vehicle on the travel route; A following control unit (60) that automatically moves the vehicle along the target route to a planned parking position; a position setting unit (56) that sets a position where a door opening degree of a predetermined vehicle door can be made larger than a predetermined opening degree as a temporary stop position of the vehicle, A parking assistance device, wherein when there are multiple candidate positions for the stop position, the position setting unit sets the stop position by prioritizing that a guide route to the candidate positions does not include a turning movement of the vehicle over other factors.

7. 7. The parking assistance device according to claim 6, wherein, when setting the stop position from among the plurality of candidate positions, the position setting unit prioritizes a short length of the guide route, second only to a lack of a turning point on the guide route.

8. A parking assistance device, a route generating unit (57) that generates a target route that the vehicle should take when parking the vehicle based on a travel route of the vehicle and a surrounding situation of the vehicle on the travel route; A following control unit (60) that automatically moves the vehicle along the target route to a planned parking position; a position setting unit (56) that sets a position where a door opening degree of a predetermined vehicle door can be made larger than a predetermined opening degree as a temporary stop position of the vehicle, The position setting unit sets the stop position by prioritizing, when there are multiple candidate positions for the stop position, that the final route from the candidate positions to the planned parking position does not include a turning movement of the vehicle over other factors.

9. 9. The parking assistance device according to claim 8, wherein, when the position setting unit sets the stop position from among the plurality of candidate positions, a short length of the final route is given priority next to a fact that the final route does not include the turning movement.

10. 5. The parking assistance device according to claim 2, wherein when there are a plurality of the candidate positions, the position setting unit presents the plurality of the candidate positions to prompt a selection, and sets a position selected from the plurality of the candidate positions as the stop position.

11. 5. The parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined vehicle door is one of a plurality of doors provided on the vehicle that is expected to be opened or closed when the vehicle stops at the intended parking position without temporarily stopping along the way.

12. 5. The parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition includes a proposal to stop the vehicle being accepted by the driver.

13. a position receiving unit (65) that receives a designation of a position where the vehicle is to be temporarily stopped; A storage unit (50) that stores the designated position accepted by the position acceptance unit, The parking assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the following control unit temporarily stops the vehicle at the designated position when automatically moving the vehicle along the target route to the planned parking position.

14. 14. The parking assistance device according to claim 13, wherein the following control unit suggests to the driver that the vehicle should temporarily stop at the designated position when automatically moving the vehicle along the target route to the planned parking position, and causes the vehicle to temporarily stop at the designated position when the suggestion to temporarily stop at the designated position is accepted by the driver.

15. A parking assistance method, comprising: generating a target route that the vehicle should take when parking the vehicle based on a driving route of the vehicle and a surrounding situation of the vehicle on the driving route when a parking operation of the vehicle is performed by a driver; automatically moving the vehicle along the target route to a planned parking position; performing object recognition to recognize objects around the vehicle; determining whether to perform a temporary stop of the vehicle; When automatically moving the vehicle along the target route to the planned parking position, the vehicle is temporarily stopped at a position different from the planned parking position under a predetermined condition; Before temporarily stopping the vehicle, a proposal is made to the driver to temporarily stop the vehicle at a position different from the planned parking position, and when the proposal is accepted by the driver, the vehicle is temporarily stopped at the position different from the planned parking position; Furthermore, when a door opening angle of a predetermined vehicle door is limited to within a predetermined opening angle at the planned parking position, the system proposes to the driver to temporarily stop the vehicle at a position different from the planned parking position, a parking assistance method for detecting a plurality of candidate positions for a temporary stop of the vehicle, the parking assistance method determining whether or not the door opening degree at the planned parking position is limited to within the predetermined opening degree based on the result of the object recognition when the vehicle is parked at the planned parking position and the result of the object recognition when the vehicle is traveling on at least one of the driving path and the target route, when determining whether or not to temporarily stop the vehicle, and detecting a plurality of candidate positions for a temporary stop of the vehicle.

16. A parking assistance method, comprising: generating a target route that the vehicle should take when parking the vehicle based on a driving route of the vehicle and a surrounding situation of the vehicle on the driving route when a parking operation of the vehicle is performed by a driver; automatically moving the vehicle along the target route to a planned parking position; performing object recognition for recognizing objects around the vehicle and free space recognition for recognizing a free space in which the vehicle can be temporarily stopped; setting a position where a door opening degree of a predetermined vehicle door can be made larger than a predetermined opening degree as a temporary stop position of the vehicle, When automatically moving the vehicle along the target route to the planned parking position, the vehicle is temporarily stopped at a position different from the planned parking position under a predetermined condition; Before temporarily stopping the vehicle, a proposal is made to the driver to temporarily stop the vehicle at a position different from the planned parking position, and when the proposal is accepted by the driver, the vehicle is temporarily stopped at the position different from the planned parking position; Furthermore, when the door opening degree is limited to within the predetermined opening degree, a suggestion is made to the driver to temporarily stop the vehicle at a position different from the planned parking position, a parking assistance method for detecting a plurality of candidate positions for the stop position based on a result of the object recognition and a result of the free space recognition while the vehicle is traveling on at least one of the driving route and the target route, when setting a position where the door opening degree can be made larger than the predetermined opening degree as the stop position;

17. A parking assistance method, comprising: generating a target route that the vehicle should take when parking the vehicle based on a driving route of the vehicle and a surrounding situation of the vehicle on the driving route when a parking operation of the vehicle is performed by a driver; automatically moving the vehicle along the target route to a planned parking position; When automatically moving the vehicle along the target route to the planned parking position, the vehicle is temporarily stopped at a position different from the planned parking position under a predetermined condition; receiving a designation from a user regarding a position where the vehicle is to be temporarily stopped, and storing the designated position received; performing object recognition to recognize objects around the vehicle; determining whether to perform a temporary stop of the vehicle; temporarily stopping the vehicle at the designated position when automatically moving the vehicle along the target route to the planned parking position; Furthermore, when a door opening angle of a predetermined vehicle door is limited to within a predetermined opening angle at the planned parking position, the system proposes to the driver to temporarily stop the vehicle at a position different from the planned parking position, a parking assistance method for detecting a plurality of candidate positions for a temporary stop of the vehicle, the parking assistance method determining whether or not the door opening degree at the planned parking position is limited to within the predetermined opening degree based on the result of the object recognition when the vehicle is parked at the planned parking position and the result of the object recognition when the vehicle is traveling on at least one of the driving path and the target route, when determining whether or not to temporarily stop the vehicle, and detecting a plurality of candidate positions for a temporary stop of the vehicle.

18. A parking assistance method, comprising: generating a target route that the vehicle should take when parking the vehicle based on a driving route of the vehicle and a surrounding situation of the vehicle on the driving route when a parking operation of the vehicle is performed by a driver; automatically moving the vehicle along the target route to a planned parking position; performing object recognition for recognizing objects around the vehicle and free space recognition for recognizing a free space in which the vehicle can be temporarily stopped; setting a position where a door opening degree of a predetermined vehicle door can be made larger than a predetermined opening degree as a temporary stop position of the vehicle, When automatically moving the vehicle along the target route to the planned parking position, the vehicle is temporarily stopped at a position different from the planned parking position under a predetermined condition; receiving a designation from a user regarding a location where the vehicle is to be temporarily stopped, and storing the designated location that has been received; temporarily stopping the vehicle at the designated position when automatically moving the vehicle along the target route to the planned parking position; Furthermore, when the door opening degree is limited to within the predetermined opening degree, a suggestion is made to the driver to temporarily stop the vehicle at a position different from the planned parking position, a parking assistance method for detecting a plurality of candidate positions for the stop position based on a result of the object recognition and a result of the free space recognition while the vehicle is traveling on at least one of the driving route and the target route, when setting a position where the door opening degree can be made larger than the predetermined opening degree as the stop position;

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