Parking assistance device and parking assistance method

Abstract

To provide a parking support device and a parking support method which reduce a processing load of obstacle determination.SOLUTION: A parking support device 100 comprises: a route generation unit 135 which generates a parking route R1; a range setting unit 136 which calculates a movement range of an own vehicle 1A when the own vehicle 1A is moved along the parking route R1 respectively in two directions of an X-axis and a Y-axis and sets a search range W where an obstacle is searched on the basis of the calculated movement range of the X-axis and the Y-axis; and a determination unit 137 which detects the object that may be an obstruction of movement of the own vehicle 1A on the basis of a peripheral situation of the own vehicle 1A, determines whether the detected object is the obstruction of movement of the own vehicle 1A along the parking route R1 when the detected object is located within the search range W, and does not determine whether the detected object is the obstruction when the detected object is located at outside the search range W.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a parking assistance device and a parking assistance method. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art When a vehicle is driven autonomously, there is known a device that detects an obstacle present on a driving route and notifies the driver of the obstacle. For example, Patent Document 1 includes a moving obstacle detection unit that detects moving obstacles within a specified monitoring area, a first calculation unit that calculates a predicted movement path of the moving obstacle, a second calculation unit that calculates a predicted movement path of the host vehicle, a setting unit that sets an alarm execution area within the monitoring area in which an alarm is to be issued based on the predicted movement path of the host vehicle, an exclusion unit that excludes moving obstacles that are unlikely to reach the alarm execution area based on the predicted movement path of the moving obstacle and the predicted movement path of the host vehicle from moving obstacles to be warned about, and an alarm unit that issues an alarm to the moving obstacle to be warned about. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-180909 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, if the monitoring area is not set appropriately, obstacles that do not impede the vehicle's travel may be detected, and contact or collision predictions with the vehicle must be performed for the detected obstacles, resulting in an increased processing load.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a parking assistance device and a parking assistance method that reduce the processing load for obstacle determination. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the obstacle detection device of the present invention includes an input / output interface connected to an external device, a situation acquisition unit that acquires the surrounding situation of the vehicle detected by the detection device via the input / output interface, a parking position determination unit that determines a parking position at which to park the vehicle based on the acquired surrounding situation of the vehicle, a path generation unit that generates a parking path for moving the vehicle to the parking position, and a range setting unit that calculates the movement range of the vehicle when moved along the parking path in a first direction and in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and sets a search range in which to search for obstacles based on the calculated movement ranges in the first direction and the second direction. While the vehicle is traveling along the parking path, and a determination unit that detects an object that may hinder the movement of the vehicle based on the acquired surrounding conditions of the vehicle, and, if the detected object is located within the search range, determines whether the detected object is an obstacle that will hinder the movement of the vehicle along the parking path, and, if the detected object is located outside the search range, does not determine whether the detected object is an obstacle, wherein the range setting unit sets the search range based on a range defined by a maximum and minimum value of the movement range in the first direction and a maximum and minimum value of the movement range in the second direction. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, the processing load for obstacle determination can be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a parking route. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a plurality of division points set on a parking route. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the range of the host vehicle when the host vehicle is located at an initial position. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the range of the host vehicle when the host vehicle is located at a division point. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the range of the host vehicle when the host vehicle is located at a division point. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the range of the host vehicle when the host vehicle is located at a division point. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the range of the host vehicle when the host vehicle is located in a parking position. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing coordinates indicating the range of the host vehicle at the initial position, division points, and parking position. [Figure 10] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the parking assistance device. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a search range when the parking mode is parallel parking. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a search range when the parking mode is angled parking. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a notification range. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a guidance display displayed on a display device. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a search range when the X-axis and Y-axis are rotated 45 degrees to the right. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] [First embodiment] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle device 3 mounted on a vehicle. In the following, the vehicle on which the in-vehicle device 3 is mounted is referred to as a host vehicle 1A. The in-vehicle device 3 includes a position detection unit 10, a detection device 20, a wireless communication device 50, a display device 60, a vehicle control unit 70, a driving device 80, and a parking assistance device 100.

[0011] The position detection unit 10 detects the position of the vehicle 1A. The position detection unit 10 includes a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver and a processor (both not shown). The GNSS receiver receives signals transmitted from satellites. The processor calculates the latitude and longitude, which are position information of the vehicle 1A, based on the signals received by the GNSS receiver, and the orientation of the vehicle 1A based on the difference in the calculated position information. The position detection unit 10 outputs the calculated position information and orientation information of the vehicle 1A to the parking assistance device 100.

[0012] The detection device 20 includes a plurality of sensors. The detection device 20 of the present embodiment includes an imaging section 30 having a plurality of cameras and a sonar unit 40 as sensors. In this embodiment, the case where the detection device 20 includes a camera and a sonar will be described, but the sensor of the detection device 20 is not limited to a camera and a sonar. For example, the detection device 20 may be equipped with a radar or a LiDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) that can measure the distance to an object using radio waves, light, or the like. The detection device 20 outputs the captured image of the imaging unit 30 and the sensor data of the sonar unit 40 to the parking assistance device 100 as surrounding information indicating the surrounding situation.

[0013] The photographing unit 30 includes a front camera 31 that photographs the front of the vehicle 1A, a rear camera 32 that photographs the rear of the vehicle 1A, a left side camera 33 that photographs the left side of the vehicle 1A, and a right side camera 34 that photographs the right side of the vehicle 1A. Each of these cameras includes an image sensor such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS), and a data processing circuit that generates an image based on the light receiving state of the image sensor. The photographing unit 30 has an angle of view adjusted so that the four cameras can photograph a 360° range centered on the vehicle 1A. The front camera 31, the rear camera 32, the left side camera 33, and the right side camera 34 photograph their respective photographing ranges at a predetermined frame rate to generate photographed images. The front camera 31, the rear camera 32, the left side camera 33, and the right side camera 34 output the generated photographed images to the parking assistance device 100.

[0014] The sonar unit 40 is mounted at multiple locations on the vehicle 1A, such as the front, rear, left side, and right side, and uses ultrasonic waves to detect objects present around the vehicle 1A. Specifically, the sonar unit 40 detects the position of the object and the distance to the object.

[0015] The wireless communication device 50 performs wireless communication according to a wireless communication standard such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) under the control of the parking assistance device 100.

[0016] The display device 60 includes a touch panel 65. The touch panel 65 includes a display panel 61 and a touch sensor 63. For example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display is used for the display panel 61. For the touch sensor 63, a sensor of a generally known type such as a resistive film type or a capacitive type is used. The touch sensor 63 detects a touch operation performed on the display panel 61, and generates a position signal indicating the operation position of the detected touch operation. The touch sensor 63 outputs operation information including the generated position signal to the parking assistance device 100.

[0017] The vehicle control unit 70 is, for example, a computer device such as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit), and is a unit that controls a traveling drive device 80 mounted on the host vehicle 1A. The traveling drive device 80 includes a steering device 81, a drive device 83, a braking device 85, and a transmission device 87. The vehicle control unit 70 is connected to the steering device 81, the drive device 83, the braking device 85, the transmission device 87, and the parking assistance device 100 via a communication bus 5 that complies with a standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark), CAN (Controller Area Network), or LIN (Local Interconnect Network). The vehicle control unit 70 controls the steering device 81, the drive device 83, the braking device 85, and the transmission device 87 in accordance with control information input from the parking assistance device 100.

[0018] The steering device 81 is a device including an actuator that steers the steering wheels of the host vehicle 1A. The drive device 83 is a device including an actuator that adjusts the drive force of the drive wheels of the host vehicle 1A. If the power source of the host vehicle 1A is an engine, this actuator corresponds to a throttle actuator, and if the power source is a motor, this actuator corresponds to the motor. The braking device 85 is a device that controls a brake system provided in the host vehicle 1A based on information from the parking assistance device 100, and includes an actuator that controls the braking force applied to the wheels of the host vehicle 1A. The transmission 87 is a device including a transmission and an actuator. The transmission 87 drives the actuator to control the shift position of the transmission, and switches the gear ratio of the transmission and the forward and reverse motion of the host vehicle 1A.

[0019] The parking assistance device 100 is a computer device including an input / output interface 110, a memory 120, and a processor 130. In addition to these devices, the parking assistance device 100 may be configured to include a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD).

[0020] The input / output interface 110 is connected to the communication bus 5 and performs data communication with external devices connected to the communication bus 5. The external devices include the position detection unit 10, the detection device 20, the wireless communication device 50, the display device 60, and the vehicle control unit 70.

[0021] The memory 120 is configured with a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The memory 120 may also be configured with a non-volatile semiconductor memory such as a flash memory. The memory 120 stores computer programs executed by the processor 130, data processed when the processor 130 executes the computer programs, and data resulting from the processing. The memory 120 also stores images captured by the imaging section 30 and sensor data output from the sonar unit 40. The processor 130 is configured with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Microprocessor Unit), and the like.

[0022] The parking assistance device 100 includes, as functional components, a position acquisition unit 131, a situation acquisition unit 132, a surrounding map generation unit 133, a parking position determination unit 134, a route generation unit 135, a range setting unit 136, a determination unit 137, a display control unit 138, and a control information generation unit 139. These functional components are functions realized by the processor 130 executing a computer program and performing calculations.

[0023] The position acquisition unit 131 receives position information and orientation information of the vehicle 1A calculated by the position detection unit 10. The position acquisition unit 131 corrects the position information and orientation information input from the position detection unit 10 using a well-known dead reckoning method. The position acquisition unit 131 outputs the corrected position information and orientation information to the surrounding map generation unit 133 and the route generation unit 135.

[0024] The situation acquisition section 132 causes the photographing section 30 to perform photographing, and acquires, as surrounding information, the photographed image generated by the photographing section 30. The situation acquisition section 132 causes the memory 120 to temporarily store the acquired photographed image. Furthermore, the situation acquisition unit 132 causes the sonar unit 40 to execute sensing, and acquires, as ambient information, sensor data that is the detection result of the sonar unit 40. The situation acquisition unit 132 causes the memory 120 to temporarily store the acquired sensor data.

[0025] The surrounding map generating unit 133 generates a surrounding map showing the situation around the vehicle 1A based on the position information and direction information input from the position acquiring unit 131, and the captured images and sensor data stored in the memory 120. The surrounding map records the positions of objects present around the vehicle 1A, the distances to the objects, and the positions of parking spaces such as white lines painted on the road surface of the parking lot. Objects recorded in the surrounding map include, for example, other vehicles parked in parking spaces and structures such as pillars in the parking lot. Hereinafter, these objects are referred to as targets. Since parking spaces are painted on the road surface with a predetermined thickness, intervals corresponding to the thickness of the white lines are detected as periodic features.

[0026] The parking position determination unit 134 determines a parking frame in which the host vehicle 1A is to be parked, with reference to the surrounding map generated by the surrounding map generation unit 133. For example, the parking position determination unit 134 selects a parking frame in which no object is detected and the distance from the host vehicle 1A is equal to or less than a preset distance from among the parking frames recorded in the surrounding map. The parking position determination unit 134 determines the parking position P by setting a position and an angle at which the host vehicle 1A is to be parked within the selected parking frame.

[0027] The route generating unit 135 generates a plurality of parking routes R1 for parking the host vehicle 1A according to the parking position P determined by the parking position determining unit 134. The parking route R1 is a route for moving the host vehicle 1A from the position of the host vehicle 1A to the parking position P. The position of the host vehicle 1A is a position indicated by the position information acquired by the position acquiring unit 131. A known means is used for the process of generating the parking route R1.

[0028] The range setting unit 136 calculates the movement range of the host vehicle 1A when the host vehicle 1A is moved along the parking route R1. The range setting unit 136 calculates the movement range in two directions, the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, as the movement range of the host vehicle 1A. The range setting unit 136 calculates the maximum value and the minimum value in the two directions, the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, as the movement range. The range setting unit 136 sets the search range W based on the calculated maximum value and minimum value in the two directions. The X-axis corresponds to the first direction and is a direction parallel to the vehicle width direction of the host vehicle 1A when the host vehicle 1A is located at the parking position P. The Y-axis corresponds to the second direction and is a direction parallel to the vehicle length direction of the host vehicle 1A when the host vehicle 1A is located at the parking position P. Note that the vehicle 1A is not actually parked at the parking position P, but rather the vehicle 1A is moved to the parking position P according to the parking route generated by the parking assistance device 100, and the vehicle width and length directions of the vehicle 1A are those in which it is assumed that the vehicle 1A is parked at the parking position P.

[0029] Here, the procedure by which range setting section 136 sets search range W will be described with reference to FIGS. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a parking route R1. The route shown by a dashed line in Fig. 2 is the parking route R1. The parking route R1 shown in Fig. 2 is a route generated by the route generating unit 135, and is a route for moving the host vehicle 1A from the position of the host vehicle 1A to a parking position P. The position of the host vehicle 1A is hereinafter referred to as an initial position S.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a plurality of division points D set on the parking route R1. When the parking route R1 is generated by the route generating unit 135, the range setting unit 136 sets a plurality of division points D on the parking route R1. The number of division points D set on the parking route R1 is arbitrary. For example, the range setting unit 136 sets division points D for each preset distance. FIG. 3 shows an example in which three division points D, D1, D2, and division point D3, are set on the parking route R1.

[0031] When the range setting unit 136 sets multiple division points D, it assumes that the vehicle 1A is located at each of the initial position S, the parking position P, and the division points D1, D2, and D3, and calculates the range of the vehicle 1A when the vehicle 1A is located at each of these positions.

[0032] The range setting unit 136 first sets a coordinate system. When the vehicle 1A is positioned at the parking position P, the range setting unit 136 sets a coordinate system in which the point where the preset reference position of the vehicle 1A is located is the origin, the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 1A is the X axis, and the vehicle length direction is the Y axis. The set coordinate system is hereinafter referred to as a parking coordinate system. The preset reference position of the vehicle 1A is a preset position of the vehicle 1A, and may be, for example, the center position in the vehicle length direction and the vehicle width direction, or the center of gravity position of the vehicle 1A.

[0033] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the range of the host vehicle 1A when the host vehicle 1A is located at the initial position S. As shown in FIG. Next, based on the position information and direction information of the host vehicle 1A acquired by the position acquisition unit 131, the range setting unit 136 calculates the range of the host vehicle 1A when the host vehicle 1A is located at the initial position S using coordinate values ​​in the parking coordinate system. 4 is a figure that indicates the range of the host vehicle 1A when the host vehicle 1A is located at the initial position S. The length of the rectangular figure Q1 corresponds to the length of the host vehicle 1A in the vehicle length direction, and the width of the rectangular figure Q1 corresponds to the length of the host vehicle 1A in the vehicle width direction including the side mirrors. The range setting unit 136 calculates the coordinates of the four vertices of the rectangular figure Q1 as the range of the host vehicle 1A.

[0034] The range setting unit 136 first converts the latitude and longitude, which are the position information acquired by the position acquisition unit 131, into coordinate values ​​in the parking coordinate system. After converting the latitude and longitude into the coordinate values ​​in the parking coordinate system, the position acquisition unit 131 calculates coordinate values ​​indicating the positions of the four vertices of the rectangular figure Q1 based on the converted coordinate values ​​of the initial position S, the orientation information of the vehicle 1A, and a preset setting value. The preset setting value is a value that converts the reference position of the vehicle 1A into the four vertices of the rectangular figure Q1 when the azimuth angle of the vehicle 1A is 0 degrees, that is, when the orientation of the vehicle 1A faces north, and there are four values ​​corresponding to the four vertices of the rectangular figure Q1. Therefore, the range setting unit 136 corrects the four preset setting values ​​based on the orientation information of the vehicle 1A acquired by the position acquisition unit 131. After correcting the four set values, the range setting unit 136 adds or subtracts the corrected set values ​​from the coordinate values ​​of the initial position S to obtain the coordinates of the four vertices of the rectangular shape Q1 when the host vehicle 1A is located at the initial position S. The four vertices of the rectangular shape are denoted as T1, T2, T3, and T4, and the coordinates of the four vertices calculated by the range setting unit 136 are assumed to be T1(X1,Y1), T2(X2,Y2), T3(X3,Y3), and T4(X4,Y4), respectively.

[0035] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the range of the host vehicle 1A when the host vehicle 1A is located at division point D1, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the range of the host vehicle 1A when the host vehicle 1A is located at division point D2. 7 is a diagram showing the range of the host vehicle 1A when the host vehicle 1A is located at division point D3, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the range of the host vehicle 1A when the host vehicle 1A is located at parking position P. The range setting unit 136 calculates the range of the vehicle 1A when the vehicle 1A is located at division points D1, D2, D3 and parking position P, in the same manner as when the range of the vehicle 1A is calculated when the vehicle 1A is located at the initial position S.

[0036] The range setting unit 136 converts the azimuth of the vehicle 1A at the initial position S into the azimuth of the vehicle 1A when the vehicle 1A is located at the division point D1. The range setting unit 136 then corrects four preset values ​​based on the converted azimuth of the vehicle 1A, and calculates the coordinates of the four vertices of a rectangular figure Q2 that indicates the range of the vehicle 1A when the vehicle 1A is located at the division point D1. The four vertices of the rectangular figure Q2 are denoted as T11, T12, T13, and T14, and the coordinates of the four vertices calculated by the range setting unit 136 are denoted as T11 (X11, Y11), T12 (X12, Y12), T13 (X13, Y13), and T14 (X14, Y14), respectively.

[0037] Similarly, the range setting unit 136 calculates the coordinates of the four vertices of a rectangular figure Q3 indicating the range of the host vehicle 1A when the host vehicle 1A is located at division point D2, a rectangular figure Q4 indicating the range of the host vehicle 1A when the host vehicle 1A is located at division point D3, and a rectangular figure Q5 indicating the range of the host vehicle 1A when the host vehicle 1A is located at parking position P. The four vertices of rectangular figure Q3 are denoted as T21, T22, T23 and T24, and the coordinates of the four vertices calculated by range setting unit 136 are denoted as T21(X21,Y21), T22(X22,Y22), T23(X23,Y23) and T24(X24,Y24), respectively. The four vertices of rectangular figure Q4 are denoted as T31, T32, T33 and T34, and the coordinates of the four vertices calculated by range setting unit 136 are denoted as T31(X31,Y31), T32(X32,Y32), T33(X33,Y33) and T34(X34,Y34), respectively. The four vertices of rectangular figure Q5 are denoted as T41, T42, T43 and T44, and the coordinates of the four vertices calculated by range setting unit 136 are denoted as T41 (X41, Y41), T42 (X42, Y42), T43 (X43, Y43) and T44 (X44, Y44), respectively.

[0038] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing coordinates indicating the range of the vehicle 1A at each of the initial position S, division points D1, D2, and D3, and parking position P. As shown in FIG. Next, the range setting unit 136 selects the maximum and minimum X coordinate values ​​and the maximum and minimum Y coordinate values ​​from the coordinates indicating the range of the vehicle 1A at the initial position S, division point D1, division point D2, division point D3, and parking position P. 9, the maximum X coordinate value is the coordinate value X34 of T34, and the minimum X coordinate value is the coordinate values ​​X1 and X2 of T1 and T2. The maximum Y coordinate value is the coordinate value Y12 of T12, and the minimum Y coordinate value is the coordinate values ​​Y43 and Y44 of T43 and T44. In the following, the maximum X coordinate value is represented as Xmax and the minimum value is represented as Xmin. The maximum Y coordinate value is represented as Ymax and the minimum value is represented as Ymin.

[0039] The range setting unit 136 sets the maximum value Xmax and minimum value Xmin of the selected X coordinate value and the maximum value of the Y coordinate value. Y Max and min values Y min is set as the search range W. Range setting unit 136 sets the search range W to a rectangular range defined by a first side E1 and a second side E2 parallel to the X-axis, and a third side E3 and a fourth side E4 parallel to the Y-axis. The first side E1 has a Y coordinate value of Ymax and is parallel to the X axis. The second side E2 has a Y coordinate value of Ymin and is parallel to the X axis. The third side E3 has an X coordinate value of Xmax and is parallel to the Y axis. The fourth side E4 has an X coordinate value of Xmin and is parallel to the Y axis.

[0040] Information indicating the search range W calculated by the range setting unit 136 is input to the determination unit 137. In addition, the determination unit 137 reads out the surrounding information acquired by the situation acquisition unit 132 from the memory 120. When the vehicle 1A starts moving along the parking path, the determination unit 137 detects objects existing around the vehicle 1A based on the read surrounding information. That is, the determination unit 137 detects objects that may be obstacles based on the images captured by the image capture unit 30 and the detection results of the sonar unit 40. The objects detected by the determination unit 137 include, for example, structures such as walls and pillars in the parking lot, as well as other vehicles, people, shopping carts, etc.

[0041] When the determination unit 137 detects an object from the surrounding information, it determines whether the detected object is located within the search range W or not. When an object is located outside the search range W, the determination unit 137 does not determine whether the object is an obstacle to the traveling of the vehicle 1A. In other words, since there is no risk of an object located outside the search range W colliding with the vehicle 1A, the determination unit 137 does not determine whether the object is an obstacle. Furthermore, when the object is located inside the search range W, the determination unit 137 determines whether or not the object is likely to become an obstacle that may come into contact with or collide with the host vehicle 1A when the host vehicle 1A travels along the parking path R1. The determination unit 137 repeats this determination while the host vehicle 1A travels along the parking path R1. When the determination unit 137 determines that the object will come into contact with or collide with the vehicle 1A, the determination unit 137 determines that the object is an obstacle, and calculates an avoidance route for avoiding the contact or collision with the obstacle and parking the vehicle 1A at the parking position P. This avoidance route may be a route that uses a part of the parking route R1 that was initially generated by the route generation unit 135, or may be a route that is completely different from the parking route R1.

[0042] The display control unit 138 generates display data to be displayed on the display device 60, and outputs the generated display data to the display device 60. The display device 60 causes the touch panel 65 to display an image based on the input display data.

[0043] The control information generating unit 139 receives input of information on the parking route R1 or a part of the parking route R1 and the avoidance route generated by the route generating unit 135. The control information generating unit 139 generates control information to be executed by the vehicle control unit 70 based on the input information on the parking route R1 or a part of the parking route R1 and the avoidance route. The control information is information that causes the vehicle control unit 70 to control the steering device 81, the drive device 83, the braking device 85 and the transmission device 87 to automatically drive the host vehicle 1A to the parking position P. The control information generating unit 139 outputs the generated control information to the vehicle control unit 70 via the input / output interface 110.

[0044] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the parking assistance device 100. The operation of the parking assistance device 100 will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. First, the parking assistance device 100 judges whether or not a parking assistance start operation has been received (step S1). For example, the parking assistance device 100 judges that a start operation has been received by touching and pressing a parking assistance start button displayed on the touch panel 65. If the parking assistance device 100 has not received a parking assistance start operation (step S1 / NO), the parking assistance device 100 waits to start the next process until a start operation is received.

[0045] When the parking assistance device 100 receives a parking assistance start operation (step S1 / YES), the parking assistance device 100 acquires surrounding information, which is information about the surroundings of the vehicle 1A, from the detection device 20 (step S2). Step S2 corresponds to an acquisition step. The parking assistance device 100 detects a parking frame in which the vehicle 1A can be parked based on the acquired surrounding information (step S3).

[0046] The parking assistance device 100 sets an angle and a position for parking the vehicle 1A in the detected parking frame, and determines a parking position P for parking the vehicle 1A (step S4). Step S4 corresponds to a determination step. The parking assistance device 100 generates a parking route R1 for moving the vehicle 1A from the initial position S where the vehicle 1A is located to the set parking position P (step S5). Step S5 corresponds to a generation step.

[0047] Next, the parking assistance device 100 sets a plurality of division points D on the generated parking path R1 (step S6). The parking assistance device 100 sets the division points D for each preset distance of the parking path R1. After setting the plurality of division points D, the parking assistance device 100 assumes that the host vehicle 1A is located at each of the initial position S, the plurality of division points D, and the parking position P, and calculates the coordinate values ​​of the four vertices of a rectangular shape Q1 to Q4 that indicates the range of the host vehicle 1A when the host vehicle 1A is located at each position (step S7).

[0048] Next, the parking assistance device 100 selects the maximum Xmax and minimum Xmin of the X coordinate values ​​and the maximum Ymax and minimum Ymin of the Y coordinate values ​​from the coordinates of the four vertices of the rectangular shape Q1 to Q4 at each of the initial position S, the multiple division points D, and the parking position P (step S8). Next, the parking assistance device 100 sets a search range W in which to search for an obstacle based on the selected maximum value Xmax and minimum value Xmin of the X coordinate value and the maximum value Ymax and minimum value Ymin of the Y coordinate value (step S9). Each step from step S6 to S9 corresponds to a setting step.

[0049] Next, the parking assistance device 100 generates control information for driving the host vehicle 1A along the parking path R1 generated in step S5 (step S10). The parking assistance device 100 outputs the generated control information to the vehicle control unit 70 (step S11). The vehicle control unit 70 controls the steering device 81, the drive device 83, the braking device 85, and the transmission device 87 according to the input control information, and drives the host vehicle 1A to the parking position P.

[0050] Next, the parking assistance device 100 judges whether the host vehicle 1A has started to travel (step S10). The parking assistance device 100 inquires of the vehicle control unit 70 whether the host vehicle 1A has started to travel. If the parking assistance device 100 does not receive a response from the vehicle control unit 70 that the host vehicle 1A has started to travel (step S12 / NO), the parking assistance device 100 waits for the start of processing. In addition, if the host vehicle 1A has started to travel (step S12 / YES), the parking assistance device 100 acquires surrounding information (step S13) and detects an object from the acquired surrounding information (step S14). Step S14 corresponds to a detection step.

[0051] If the parking assistance device 100 cannot detect an object from the surrounding information (step S14 / NO), it determines the position of the vehicle 1A based on the position information input from the position detection unit 10, and determines whether the vehicle 1A has arrived at the parking position P (step S15). If the vehicle 1A has arrived at the parking position P (step S15 / YES), the parking assistance device 100 ends this processing flow. If the vehicle 1A has not arrived at the parking position P (step S15 / NO), the parking assistance device 100 returns to the processing of step S13 and acquires the surrounding information again.

[0052] Furthermore, when the parking assistance device 100 detects an object from the surrounding information (step S14 / YES), it judges whether or not the detected object is located inside the search range W (step S16). When the parking assistance device 100 cannot detect an object located inside the search range W (step S16 / NO), it proceeds to the judgment of step S15 and judges whether or not the host vehicle 1A has arrived at the parking position P.

[0053] Furthermore, when the parking assistance device 100 detects an object located inside the search range W (step S16 / YES), it judges whether or not the object will be an obstacle that will collide with or come into contact with the vehicle 1A when the vehicle 1A travels along the parking path R1 (step S17). Steps S16 and S17 correspond to judgment steps. When the parking assistance device 100 judges that the object is not an obstacle that will collide with or come into contact with the vehicle 1A (step S17 / NO), it proceeds to the judgment of step S15 and judges whether or not the vehicle 1A has arrived at the parking position P.

[0054] Furthermore, when the parking assistance device 100 determines that the detected object is an obstacle that may collide with or come into contact with the vehicle 1A (step S17 / YES), the parking assistance device 100 causes the vehicle control unit 70 to stop the vehicle 1A from traveling (step S18). After that, the parking assistance device 100 generates an avoidance route that can avoid contact or collision with the detected obstacle (step S19).

[0055] When the parking assistance device 100 generates an avoidance route, the parking assistance device 100 generates control information for driving the host vehicle 1A according to the generated avoidance route (step S20). When the parking assistance device 100 generates the control information, the parking assistance device 100 outputs the generated control information to the vehicle control unit 70 (step S21).

[0056] As described above, the parking assistance device 100 of this embodiment calculates the movement range of the vehicle 1A in two directions, the X-axis and the Y-axis, which are perpendicular to each other, when the vehicle 1A is moved along the generated parking path R1, and sets a search range W in which to search for obstacles based on the calculated movement ranges of the X-axis and the Y-axis. Then, the parking assistance device 100 detects an object that may be an obstacle to the movement of the vehicle 1A, and if the detected object is located within the search range W, it determines whether or not the detected object is an obstacle that will be an obstacle to the movement of the vehicle 1A along the parking path R1. If the detected object is located outside the search range W, the determination unit 137 does not determine whether or not the detected object is an obstacle. Therefore, objects located outside the search range W are not determined to be obstacles that would hinder the movement of the vehicle 1A, thereby reducing the processing load of determining whether a detected object is an obstacle to the vehicle. In addition, since the search range W is set based on the movement range of the vehicle 1A in the X-axis and Y-axis directions, the search range W can be set easily, and the search range W for objects that may become obstacles when moving along the parking path R1 can be optimally set.

[0057] The range setting unit 136 sets an X-axis in the vehicle width direction of the host vehicle 1A and a Y-axis in the vehicle length direction of the host vehicle 1A when the host vehicle 1A is located at the parking position P. The range setting unit 136 sets a rectangular range defined by the movement range of the host vehicle 1A in the X-axis direction and the movement range of the host vehicle 1A in the Y-axis direction as a search range W. Therefore, the search range W can be easily set, and the search range W for objects that may become obstacles when moving along the parking path R1 can be set more optimally.

[0058] In addition, the range setting unit 136 sets a plurality of division points D at each predetermined distance of the parking route R1. The range setting unit 136 calculates coordinate values ​​indicating the range of the vehicle in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, assuming that the vehicle is located at the position of the vehicle 1A, the positions of the plurality of set division points D, and each of the parking positions. The range setting unit 136 sets a search range W based on the maximum and minimum values ​​of the coordinate in the X-axis direction and the maximum and minimum values ​​of the coordinate in the Y-axis direction among the coordinate values ​​calculated at each position. Therefore, by limiting the positions for which the position of the vehicle 1A is calculated to the position of the vehicle 1A, the position of the division point D, and the parking position, the processing load for calculating the movement range of the vehicle 1A in the X-axis and Y-axis directions can be reduced.

[0059] When the determination unit 137 determines that the object is an obstacle that will hinder the movement of the vehicle 1A along the parking path R1, the path generation unit 135 re-generates the parking path R1 that moves the vehicle 1A to the parking position P while avoiding contact with the obstacle. Therefore, the host vehicle 1A can be driven along a parking path that can avoid contact with the detected obstacle, and the host vehicle 1A can be parked in the parking position P.

[0060] [Variations] In the above embodiment, the parking style of the parking position P selected by the parking assistance device 100 is perpendicular parking. The parking style of the parking lot where the host vehicle 1A is parked is not limited to perpendicular parking, and may be parallel parking or diagonal parking. Parallel parking is a parking style in which the vehicle 1A and other vehicles are arranged in the vehicle length direction of the vehicle 1A. Diagonal parking is a parking style in which the vehicle is parked in a parking space that is diagonally arranged with respect to the passage in front of or behind the parking space.

[0061] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a search range W when the parking style is parallel parking. A curved line R2 shown in Fig. 11 by a solid line indicates a parking path R2 generated by the parking assistance device 100 in the case of parallel parking. Fig. 11 also shows the coordinates of four vertices of a rectangular shape indicating the range of the host vehicle 1A at each of the initial position S, which is the position of the host vehicle 1A, three division points D1, D2, D3, and the parking position P. As explained with reference to Figures 4 to 8, the four vertices of the rectangular shape when the host vehicle 1A is located at the initial position S are T1 (X1, Y1), T2 (X2, Y2), T3 (X3, Y3), and T4 (X4, Y4), and the four vertices of the rectangular shape when the host vehicle 1A is located at the division point D1 are T11 (X11, Y11), T12 (X12, Y12), T13 (X13, Y13), and T14 (X14, Y14). The four vertices of the rectangular shape when the host vehicle 1A is located at division point D2 are T21 (X21, Y21), T22 (X22, Y22), T23 (X23, Y23), and T24 (X24, Y24), and the four vertices of the rectangular shape when the host vehicle 1A is located at division point D3 are T31 (X31, Y31), T32 (X32, Y32), T33 (X33, Y33), and T34 (X34, Y34). In addition, the four vertices of the rectangular shape when the host vehicle 1A is located at parking position P are T41 (X41, Y41), T42 (X42, Y42), T43 (X43, Y43), and T44 (X44, Y44).

[0062] The parking assistance device 100 calculates the maximum Xmax and minimum Xmin of the X coordinate values ​​and the maximum Ymax and minimum Ymin of the Y coordinate values ​​in the same manner as in the case of perpendicular parking. Y Select min and 11, the maximum X coordinate value is the coordinate value X12 of T12, the minimum X coordinate value is the coordinate values ​​X41 and X43 of T41 and T43, the maximum Y coordinate value is the coordinate value Y1 of T1, and the minimum Y coordinate value is the coordinate values ​​Y43 and Y44 of T43 and T44. The parking assistance device 100 calculates the maximum value Xmax and the minimum value Xmin of the X coordinate value, and the maximum value Ymax and the minimum value Ymin of the Y coordinate value. Y When min is selected, a search range W is set based on the selected four coordinate values. The search range W is a rectangular range consisting of four sides E1, E2, E3, and E4, as shown in FIG. E1 is a line segment that is parallel to the X-axis and has a Y coordinate value of Y11 at its intersection with the Y-axis. E2 is a line segment that is parallel to the X-axis and has a Y coordinate value of Y43 or Y44 at the intersection with the Y-axis. E3 is a line segment that is parallel to the Y-axis and has an X-coordinate value of X12 at its intersection with the X-axis. E4 is a line segment that is parallel to the Y-axis and has an X coordinate value of X41 or X43 at its intersection with the X-axis.

[0063] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a search range W when the parking style is oblique parking. The curve R3 shown by a solid line in FIG. 12 indicates the parking path R3 generated by the parking assistance device 100 in the case of oblique parking. 2 2 shows the coordinates of the four vertices of a rectangular shape indicating the range of the vehicle 1A at each of the initial position S, which is the position of the vehicle 1A, the three division points D1, D2, D3, and the parking position P. The coordinate values ​​of the four vertices of the rectangular shape at each position are the same as those explained with reference to FIG.

[0064] The parking assistance device 100 selects the maximum value Xmax and minimum value Xmin of the X coordinate value, and the maximum value Ymax and minimum value Xmin of the Y coordinate value, in the same manner as in the case of parallel parking. 12, the maximum X coordinate value is the coordinate value X4 of T4, the minimum X coordinate values ​​are the coordinate values ​​X21, X31, X23, X33, X41, and X43 of T21, T31, T23, T33, T41, and T43, the maximum Y coordinate values ​​are the coordinate values ​​Y21 and Y22 of T21 and T22, and the minimum Y coordinate values ​​are the coordinate values ​​Y43 and Y44 of T43 and T44. When the parking assistance device 100 selects the maximum value Xmax and minimum value Xmin of the X coordinate value and the maximum value Ymax and minimum value Xmin of the Y coordinate value, it sets a search range W based on the selected four coordinate values. The search range W is a rectangular range consisting of four sides E1, E2, E3, and E4, as shown in FIG. E1 is a line segment that is parallel to the X-axis and has a Y coordinate value of Y21 or Y22 at the intersection with the Y-axis. E2 is a line segment that is parallel to the X-axis and has a Y coordinate value of Y43 or Y44 at the intersection with the Y-axis. E3 is a line segment that is parallel to the Y-axis and has an X-coordinate value of X4 at its intersection with the X-axis. E4 is a line segment that is parallel to the Y-axis and has an X-coordinate value of X21, T31, T23, T33, T41, or T43 at the intersection with the X-axis.

[0065] [Second embodiment] A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Since the configuration of the parking assistance device 100 of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, a detailed description of the configuration of the parking assistance device 100 will be omitted. The parking assistance device 100 of the second embodiment sets a notification range H outside the search range W. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing the notification range H. The notification range H is indicated by hatching in Fig. 13. When the parking assistance device 100 sets the search range W, it sets a notification range H outside of it. The notification range H is set by adding a preset value to the maximum value Xmax and minimum value Xmin of the X coordinate value and the maximum value Ymax and minimum value Ymin of the Y coordinate value selected when setting the search range W. This setting value will be described as α (α is an arbitrary natural number).

[0066] The area defining the inside of notification range H is defined by the four sides E1, E2, E3, and E4 of search range W, and the outside of notification range H is defined by the four sides: the first side F1, the second side F2, the third side F3, and the fourth side F4. The first side F1 has a Y coordinate value of Ymax+α and is parallel to the X axis. The second side F2 has a Y coordinate value of Ymin-α and is parallel to the X axis. The third side F3 has an X coordinate value of Xmax+α and is parallel to the Y axis. The fourth side F4 has an X coordinate value of Xmin-α and is parallel to the Y axis. Also, among the notification range H, the range X1 on the +X axis is Xmax < X1 ≦ Xmax + α, and the range X2 on the -X axis is Xmin - α ≦ X2 < Xmin. Also, among the notification range H, the range Y1 on the +Y axis is Ymax < Y1 ≦ Ymax + α, and the range Y2 on the -Y axis is Ymin - α ≦ Y2 < Ymin.

[0067] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a guidance display displayed on the display device 60. When an obstacle is detected in the notification range H, the parking support device 100 does not determine whether or not this obstacle will contact or collide with the host vehicle 1A, but causes the display device 60 to display guidance information 67. This guidance information 67 includes guidance 67a such as the direction in which the detected obstacle exists as seen from the driver seated in the driver's seat of the host vehicle 1A, and that the host vehicle 1A will not contact or collide with this detected obstacle. Further, as the guidance information 67, a photographed image photographed by the photographing unit 30 may be included, and an image 67b of the obstacle detected in the notification range H.

[0068] The parking support device 100 according to the second embodiment includes a display control unit 138 that causes a display device 60 connected via an input / output interface 110 to display an image. The range setting unit 136 sets the notification range H outside the search range W. When the detected object is outside the search range W and inside the notification range H, the display control unit 138 causes the display device 60 to display guidance information 67 for guiding that the detected object will not become an obstacle to the movement of the host vehicle 1A on the display device 60. Therefore, it is possible to notify the occupant that an object has been detected and that it will not become an obstacle to the host vehicle 1A when moving to the parking position P, and provide a sense of security to the occupant.

[0069] The above-described embodiments are merely examples of one aspect of the present invention, and can be arbitrarily modified and applied without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the first and second embodiments described above, the vehicle width direction when the vehicle 1A is parked in the parking position P is set as the X-axis, and the vehicle length direction is set as the Y-axis, and the movement range of the vehicle 1A in these two directions is calculated. Fig. 15 shows a case where the X-axis and the Y-axis are set by rotating the X-axis set in the vehicle width direction and the Y-axis set in the vehicle length direction shown in Fig. 9 by 45 degrees clockwise. In this way, the two directions for calculating the movement range of the host vehicle 1A are not limited to the vehicle width direction and the vehicle length direction when the host vehicle 1A is parked in the parking position P, but can be set in any direction.

[0070] In addition, the search range W shown in FIG. 9, FIG. 11, FIG. 12, and FIG. 15 shows a case where the X coordinate and the Y coordinate are set with the parking position P as the origin, but the position of the origin is not limited to the parking position P. For example, the origin may be set at the initial position S or at the position of the division point D. In addition, in Figures 9, 11, 12, and 15, a coordinate system consisting of two orthogonal axes, the X axis and the Y axis, is set to set the search range W, but the coordinate system does not have to be a rectangular coordinate system.

[0071] 1 is a schematic diagram showing components classified according to main processing contents in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and the components can be further classified into more components according to the processing contents. Also, one component can be classified to perform more processes.

[0072] In addition, in FIG. 1, the parking assistance device 100 may be configured to include at least one of the position detection unit 10 and the detection device 20 as an integrated unit.

[0073] In addition, when the parking assistance method of the present invention is realized using a computer, the program executed by the computer can be configured in the form of a recording medium or a transmission medium for transmitting the program. The recording medium can be a magnetic or optical recording medium or a semiconductor memory device. Specifically, portable or fixed recording media such as a flexible disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), a compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), a DVD, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disc, a magneto-optical disk, a flash memory, and a card-type recording medium can be used. The recording medium can also be a non-volatile storage device such as a ROM or HDD provided in the parking assistance device 100.

[0074] 10 is divided according to the main processing contents in order to facilitate understanding of the processing of the parking assistance device 100, and the present invention is not limited by the manner in which the processing units are divided or the names of the processing units. The processing of the parking assistance device 100 may be divided into more processing units according to the processing contents. Furthermore, the processing of the parking assistance device 100 may be divided so that one processing unit includes more processes. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 1A Car 3 Onboard equipment 5. Communication Bus 10 Position detection unit 20 Detection device 30 Photography Department 31 Front Camera 32 Rear camera 33 Left side camera 34 Right side camera 40 Sonar Unit 50 Wireless communication equipment 60 Display device 63 Touch Sensor 65 Touch Panel 67 Guide Information 70 Vehicle Control Unit 80 Traveling drive unit 81 Steering Gear 83 Drive unit 85 Braking device 87 Gearbox 100 Parking assistance device 110 Input / Output Interface 120 Memory 130 processors 131 Position acquisition part 132 Status Acquisition Unit 133 Surrounding Area Map Generation Unit 134 Parking position determination unit 135 Route Generation Unit 136 Range setting section 137 Judgment section 139 Control Information Generation Unit H Notification range P Parking position Q1~Q5 Rectangular shapes R1, R2, R3 Parking route S initial position W Search Range

Claims

1. an input / output interface connected to an external device; a situation acquisition unit that acquires the surrounding situation of the vehicle detected by the detection device via the input / output interface; a parking position determination unit that determines a parking position for parking the vehicle based on the acquired surrounding conditions of the vehicle; a route generating unit that generates a parking route for moving the vehicle to the parking position; a range setting unit that calculates a movement range of the vehicle in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction when the vehicle is moved along the parking path, and sets a search range in which to search for an obstacle based on the calculated movement ranges in the first direction and the second direction; a determination unit that detects an object that may be an obstacle to the movement of the vehicle based on the acquired surrounding conditions of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling along the parking path, and if the detected object is located within the search range, determines whether or not the detected object is an obstacle that may be an obstacle to the movement of the vehicle along the parking path, and if the detected object is located outside the search range, does not determine whether or not the detected object is an obstacle, a range setting unit that sets the search range based on a range defined by a maximum value and a minimum value of the movement range in the first direction and a maximum value and a minimum value of the movement range in the second direction.

2. The parking assistance device described in Claim 1, characterized in that the judgment unit detects an object that may be an obstacle to the movement of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions of the vehicle when the vehicle starts moving along the parking path, and if the detected object is located outside the search range, does not judge whether the detected object is an obstacle or not.

3. the range setting unit defines a vehicle width direction of the vehicle when the vehicle is located at a parking position as the first direction and a vehicle length direction of the vehicle as the second direction; 3. The parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the search range is set to a range defined by a movement range of the vehicle in the first direction and a movement range of the vehicle in the second direction.

4. The range setting unit sets a plurality of division points for each predetermined distance of the parking path, Assuming that the vehicle is located at each of the vehicle position, the plurality of division points, and the parking position, coordinate values ​​indicating a range of the vehicle are calculated in the first direction and the second direction, respectively; 4. The parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the search range is set to a rectangular range defined by a maximum value and a minimum value of the coordinates in the first direction and a maximum value and a minimum value of the coordinates in the second direction among the coordinate values ​​calculated at each position.

5. 5. The parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein, when the determination unit determines that the object is an obstacle that will hinder the movement of the vehicle along the parking path, the path generation unit regenerates a parking path that moves the vehicle to the parking position while avoiding contact with the obstacle.

6. a display control unit that causes a display device connected via the input / output interface to display an image; The range setting unit sets a notification range outside the search range, 6. The parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein, when the detected object is located outside the search range but within the notification range, the display control unit causes the display device to display a guidance display indicating that the detected object does not hinder movement of the vehicle.

7. An acquisition step of acquiring a detected surrounding situation of the vehicle; A determination step of determining a parking position for parking the vehicle based on the acquired surrounding conditions of the vehicle; A generating step of generating a parking path for moving the vehicle to the parking position; a setting step of calculating a movement range of the vehicle in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction when the vehicle is moved along the parking path, and setting a search range in which to search for an obstacle based on the calculated movement ranges in the first direction and the second direction; a detection step of detecting an object that may be an obstacle to the movement of the vehicle based on the acquired surrounding conditions of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling along the parking path; a determining step of determining whether or not the detected object is an obstacle that will hinder movement of the vehicle along the parking path when the detected object is located within the search range, and not determining whether or not the detected object is an obstacle when the detected object is located outside the search range, a parking assistance method comprising: setting the search range based on a range defined by a maximum value and a minimum value of the movement range in the first direction and a maximum value and a minimum value of the movement range in the second direction, the setting step comprising:

Images