Vehicle guidance device and automatic valet parking system

Abstract

To provide a vehicle guide device capable of guiding an automatic driving vehicle to a movement destination in a parking lot in a relatively simple configuration without requiring a number of sensor devices.SOLUTION: A vehicle guide device 2 provided in a parking lot P comprises a radio communication unit 21, a memory unit 22, a projection unit 23, an instruction input unit 24 and a control unit 25. The control unit 25 performs radio communications with an automatic driving vehicle V via the radio communication unit 21, grasps a position of the automatic driving vehicle V, identifies a movement destination of the automatic driving vehicle V and controls the projection unit 23 to project, on a vehicle road surface, guide information for guiding the automatic driving vehicle V to the movement destination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle guiding device for guiding an autonomous vehicle in a parking lot, and more particularly to a vehicle guiding device that can be suitably used in an automatic valet parking system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a parking method called valet parking has been known. Valet parking refers to a parking method in which a professional attendant or the like performs the parking operation of an automobile on behalf of the driver, and is adopted in some facilities such as hotels and restaurants. In recent years, it has been studied to automate valet parking by utilizing the automatic driving technology of vehicles (automobiles). In automated valet parking (hereinafter referred to as "automatic valet parking"), an autonomous vehicle is automatically driven to perform the entry and exit of the autonomous vehicle.

[0003] As a conventional technique for automatically driving an autonomous vehicle to perform the entry and exit of the autonomous vehicle, for example, there are an automatic driving parking system described in Patent Document 1 and a mechanical parking device described in Patent Document 2.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Incidentally, in automatic valet parking, the autonomous vehicle automatically drives within the parking lot and moves to a designated destination (such as the passenger compartment). At this time, it is necessary to accurately recognize the position of the host vehicle. Here, the autonomous vehicle is equipped with various sensor devices such as a GNSS receiver, a camera, and a LiDAR. It is possible to estimate the position of the host vehicle based on the positioning information from the GNSS, or to estimate the position of the host vehicle using the scan data of the LiDAR.

[0006] However, when the parking lot is an underground parking lot or an indoor parking lot, it is often not possible to use the positioning information of the GNSS. In addition, there may be missing parts in the LiDAR scan data due to occlusion by other vehicles in the parking lot. Therefore, the estimation accuracy of the position of the host vehicle by the autonomous vehicle decreases, and as a result, there is a risk of accidents such as the autonomous vehicle in automatic driving contacting other vehicles in the parking lot.

[0007] On the other hand, it is also conceivable for the parking lot side to detect the position of the autonomous vehicle and provide the detection result to the autonomous vehicle. In that case, a large number of sensor devices must be appropriately arranged to cover the entire parking lot while considering the influence of other vehicles, which is extremely time-consuming.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle guidance device that can guide an autonomous vehicle to a destination with a relatively simple configuration in a parking lot without requiring a large number of sensor devices.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle guiding device provided in a parking lot having a roadway and a plurality of vehicle compartments. The vehicle guiding device is configured to grasp the position of an autonomous vehicle, specify the destination of the autonomous vehicle, and project guiding information for guiding the autonomous vehicle to the destination onto the roadway. The guiding information includes a pair of left and right outer lines that are respectively arranged on the roadside of the roadway and extend from a predetermined position in front of the autonomous vehicle to the destination or its vicinity. The guiding information includes a plurality of images each including position information indicating a position where the image itself is projected, and the plurality of images include an image located at the terminal end of the guiding line. Alternatively, it is configured to end the projection of the guiding information that has come to be located behind the automated vehicle due to the movement of the automated vehicle.

[0010] Preferably, the vehicle guiding device includes a wireless communication unit for performing wireless communication with the autonomous vehicle, a projection unit capable of projecting information onto the roadway in a manner recognizable by the autonomous vehicle, and a control unit that performs wireless communication with the autonomous vehicle through the wireless communication unit, grasps the position of the autonomous vehicle, specifies the destination of the autonomous vehicle, and controls the projection unit to project the guiding information onto the roadway.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle guiding device that can guide an autonomous vehicle to a destination with a relatively simple configuration in a parking lot without requiring a large number of sensor devices.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an automatic valet parking system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram (plan view) showing an example of a parking lot P used in the automatic valet parking system according to the embodiment.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the automatic valet parking system 1 according to the embodiment is mainly realized by a vehicle guiding device 2 provided in a parking lot P and an autonomous vehicle V. The parking lot P has a vehicle path 11 on which the autonomous vehicle V travels and a plurality of parking spaces (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle compartments") 12 where the autonomous vehicle V can park. The autonomous vehicle V is equipped with an autonomous driving device 3. In addition, a getting-off location 13 for a user to get off the autonomous vehicle V and a getting-on location 14 for a user to get on the autonomous vehicle V are provided inside or near the parking lot P.

[0016] Note that hereinafter, the case where the parking lot P is mainly an indoor parking lot or an underground parking lot will be mainly described. However, it is not limited to this, and the parking lot P may be an outdoor parking lot.

[0017] The vehicle guiding device 2 is a device that grasps the position of the autonomous vehicle V, specifies the destination of the autonomous vehicle V, and guides the autonomous vehicle V to the destination. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the vehicle guiding device 2 is configured to project guiding information for guiding the autonomous vehicle V to the destination onto the vehicle path 11 in a manner recognizable by the autonomous vehicle V.

[0018] Here, the destination can be any place inside or outside the parking lot P. However, in the present embodiment, mainly any one of the plurality of vehicle compartments 12 or the getting-on location 14 corresponds to the destination. Also, mainly information for guiding the autonomous vehicle V from the getting-off location 13 to any one of the plurality of vehicle compartments 12 or information for guiding the autonomous vehicle V from any one of the plurality of vehicle compartments 12 to the getting-on location 14 corresponds to the guiding information. Further, "projecting onto the vehicle path 11 in a manner recognizable by the autonomous vehicle V" includes projecting onto the vehicle path 11 in a state having a manner (such as shape, size, and color) that can be recognized by the autonomous driving device 3 mounted on the autonomous vehicle V by using a sensor device and / or an application mounted on the autonomous vehicle V.

[0019] Referring to FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the vehicle guidance device 2 includes a wireless communication unit 21, a memory unit 22, a projection unit 23, an instruction input unit 24, and a control unit 25. The control unit 25 is electrically connected to each of the wireless communication unit 21, the memory unit 22, the projection unit 23, and the instruction input unit 24.

[0020] The wireless communication unit 21 is composed of a plurality (here, four) of wireless stations 21A to 21D respectively installed at appropriate positions in the parking lot P (see FIG. 2). Note that the wireless communication unit 21 (the plurality of wireless stations) only needs to be provided so that its communication area covers the parking lot P, the getting-off location 13, and the getting-on location 14, and the number and arrangement of the wireless stations constituting the wireless communication unit 21 can be arbitrarily set.

[0021] The memory unit 22 is arranged, for example, in a management room M provided in the parking lot P as a storage device. The memory unit 22 stores map data of the parking lot P including the position information of the vehicle road 11, each of the plurality of passenger compartments 12, the getting-off location 13, and the getting-on location 14, and the guidance information to be projected on the projection unit 23. In the present embodiment, the guidance information includes a guidance line and an image including position information.

[0022] The guidance line is a line for guiding the autonomous vehicle V to the destination, and is composed of, for example, a white line. In the present embodiment, a pair of left and right outer lines respectively arranged on the roadside side of the vehicle road 11 are used as the guidance line. However, it is not limited thereto. In addition to or instead of the pair of outer lines, a center line projected substantially at the center in the width direction of the vehicle road 11 may be used as the guidance line. Also, the color and type of the guidance line can be arbitrarily selected according to the color of the vehicle road 11 and the like.

[0023] The image including the position information is, for example, an image including position information indicating the position where itself is projected. In the present embodiment, a code image in which the position information indicating the position where itself is projected is encoded is adopted as the image including the position information. The code image is, for example, a bar code or a QR code (registered trademark). The color and type of the image including the position information can be arbitrarily selected according to the color of the vehicle lane 11 or the like, similar to the guiding line.

[0024] Further, in the memory unit 22, an area for storing information indicating the parking status of a plurality of vehicle compartments 12, that is, whether the autonomous vehicle V is parked in each of the plurality of vehicle compartments 12 is secured.

[0025] The projection unit 23 is composed of a plurality (here, 12) of projectors 23A to 23L installed at intervals above the vehicle lane 11 (for example, the ceiling) of the parking lot P (see the broken line in FIG. 2). The projection unit 23 (projectors 23A to 23L) is configured to be able to project predetermined information (mainly images) on the vehicle lane 11. Here, the area surrounded by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 2 is the projectable area of each of the projectors 23A to 23L. In the present embodiment, the plurality of projectors 23A to 23L are arranged such that the projectable areas of adjacent projectors partially overlap. Note that the number and arrangement of the projectors constituting the projection unit 23 can be arbitrarily set according to the shape, size, and arrangement of the vehicle lane 11 and the like.

[0026] In the present embodiment, each of the projection unit 23, that is, the projectors 23A to 23L, is configured to project the guiding line (a pair of outer lines) and / or the code image (QR code (registered trademark)) stored in the memory unit 22 on the vehicle lane 11 in a manner recognizable by the autonomous vehicle V under the control of the control unit 25 as shown in FIG. 3.

[0027] The instruction input unit 24 is installed, for example, as an input device near the boarding location 14. An outgoing instruction for causing the automated driving vehicle V to leave the parking lot P is input to the instruction input unit 24 by a user who intends to board the automated driving vehicle V. However, it is not limited to this. The outgoing instruction may be input to the instruction input unit 24 by an administrator of the automated valet parking system 1 or the like. In this case, the instruction input unit 24 does not necessarily have to be installed near the boarding location 14. The outgoing instruction input to the instruction input unit 24 is transferred to the control unit 25.

[0028] The control unit 25 is arranged in the management room M together with the memory unit 22 (storage device), for example, as a management device. The control unit 25 can perform wireless communication with the in-vehicle communication unit 31 (to be described later) of the automated driving device 3 mounted on the automated driving vehicle V via the wireless communication unit 21 (wireless stations 21A to 21D).

[0029] In addition, the control unit 25 controls the projection unit 23 to project the guidance information (guidance line, code image) stored in the memory unit 22 onto the roadway 11, thereby guiding the automated driving vehicle V from the disembarking location 13 to any one of the plurality of vehicle compartments 12 and guiding the automated driving vehicle V from any one of the plurality of vehicle compartments 12 to the boarding location 14.

[0030] Furthermore, when the control unit 25 guides the automated driving vehicle V from the disembarking location 13 to a predetermined vehicle compartment 12, it associates the identification information (vehicle ID) of the guided automated driving vehicle V with the identification information (compartment ID) of the predetermined vehicle compartment 12 and stores it in the memory unit 22, and when the control unit 25 guides the automated driving vehicle V from any one of the plurality of vehicle compartments 12 to the boarding location 14, it is configured to erase the vehicle ID (i.e., the vehicle ID associated with the compartment ID) of the guided automated driving vehicle V from the memory unit 22.

[0031] Returning to FIG. 1, the automated driving device 3 mounted on the automated driving vehicle V is a device that acquires information from various sensor devices and the like mounted on the automated driving vehicle V together with itself, and controls the running of the automated driving vehicle V while estimating the position of the automated driving vehicle V.

[0032] Referring to FIG. 1, the automatic driving device 3 is electrically connected to an in-vehicle communication unit 31 that performs wireless communication with the outside and an in-vehicle memory 32 that stores various types of information. Further, the automatic driving device 3 includes, as the various sensor devices mounted on the autonomous vehicle V, a camera 51 and a LiDAR 52 for acquiring surrounding information (particularly information in front of the autonomous vehicle V) of the autonomous vehicle V, a GNSS receiver 53 for acquiring positioning information, an inertial sensor 54 such as an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity sensor for acquiring the behavior of the autonomous vehicle V, and a speed sensor 55 for acquiring the speed of the autonomous vehicle V, etc., are electrically connected. Furthermore, the output of an on-off detection sensor 56 that detects that a user has gotten off or gotten on the autonomous vehicle V is input to the automatic driving device 3.

[0033] The in-vehicle communication unit 31 can perform wireless communication with the wireless communication unit 21 of the vehicle guidance device 2, that is, each of the wireless stations 21A to 21D installed in the parking lot P.

[0034] The in-vehicle memory 32 stores various types of information and various applications necessary for the driving control of the autonomous vehicle V. In the present embodiment, the various applications include a following driving application having a function of extracting the guiding line from the road surface image in front of the autonomous vehicle V acquired by the camera 51 and driving the autonomous vehicle V along the extracted guiding line, and a reading application having a function of reading information (here, position information) from the code image included in the road surface image in front of the autonomous vehicle V acquired by the camera 51. In addition, an area for storing a preset moving route of the autonomous vehicle V and the like is secured in the in-vehicle memory 32.

[0035] In the present embodiment, the automatic driving device 3 has, as operation modes, in addition to a normal driving mode for driving the autonomous vehicle V on a general road or the like, a warehousing mode and a shipping mode, and is configured to be operable in each operation mode.

[0036] When operating in the normal driving mode, the automatic driving device 3 estimates the position of the autonomous vehicle V using known position estimation techniques and recognizes the surrounding situation of the autonomous vehicle V using known surrounding recognition techniques, while driving the autonomous vehicle V along the travel route stored in the in-vehicle memory 32.

[0037] When operating in the warehousing mode or the outbound mode, the automatic driving device 3 drives the autonomous vehicle V in accordance with the guidance of the vehicle guidance device 2. Specifically, the automatic driving device 3 activates the following driving application and the reading application, estimates the position of the autonomous vehicle V using the position information read by the reading application, and drives the autonomous vehicle V along the guiding line on the road 11 by the following driving application. Further, the automatic driving device 3 transmits the estimated position of the autonomous vehicle V and the vehicle ID of the autonomous vehicle V to the vehicle guidance device 2 by the in-vehicle communication unit 31 as the position information of the autonomous vehicle V.

[0038] Next, the operation of the automatic valet parking system 1 will be described. Here, the warehousing process of parking the autonomous vehicle V that has arrived at the drop-off location 13 in one of the plurality of compartments 12 in the parking lot P and the outbound process of moving the autonomous vehicle V parked in one of the plurality of compartments 12 in the parking lot P to the pick-up location 14 will be described. In the following, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the autonomous vehicle V that is the target of the warehousing process is referred to as "the first autonomous vehicle V1", and the autonomous vehicle V that is the target of the outbound process is referred to as "the second autonomous vehicle V2".

[0039] [Warehousing Process of Autonomous Vehicle] An example of the warehousing process of the autonomous vehicle V will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 9. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the warehousing process of the autonomous vehicle V, and FIGS. 5 to 9 are diagrams for explaining an example of the warehousing process of the autonomous vehicle V.

[0040] First, the first autonomous vehicle V1 is controlled by the autonomous driving device 3 to arrive at the drop-off location 13 (see FIG. 5). When the first autonomous vehicle V1 arrives at the drop-off location 13 (step S11) and the user gets off the first autonomous vehicle V1 (step S12), the autonomous driving device 3 of the first autonomous vehicle V1 wirelessly transmits an inbound request including the vehicle ID of the first autonomous vehicle V1 by the in-vehicle communication unit 31 (step S13).

[0041] When the control unit 25 of the vehicle guidance device 2 receives the inbound request by the wireless communication unit 21, it establishes wireless communication with the autonomous driving device 3 of the first autonomous vehicle V1 and grasps the fact that the first autonomous vehicle V1 has arrived at the drop-off location 13, in other words, the current position of the first autonomous vehicle V1 (step S14).

[0042] Also, the control unit 25 of the vehicle guidance device 2 checks the parking status of the plurality of passenger compartments 12 stored in the memory unit 22. Then, the control unit 25 of the vehicle guidance device 2 designates an empty passenger compartment (any one of them if there are multiple empty passenger compartments) in which the autonomous vehicle V is not parked as the passenger compartment 12X (hereinafter referred to as the "inbound passenger compartment") for parking the first autonomous vehicle V1, in other words, specifies the destination of movement of the first autonomous vehicle V1 (step S15). If there is no empty passenger compartment, the control unit 25 of the vehicle guidance device 2 waits for an empty passenger compartment to occur (waits for an autonomous vehicle V parked in any of the plurality of passenger compartments 12 to leave the warehouse) and can specify the inbound passenger compartment 12X for parking the first autonomous vehicle V1. Here, it is assumed that the passenger compartment 12 hatched in FIG. 5 is specified as the inbound passenger compartment 12X (the destination of movement of the first autonomous vehicle V1) for parking the first autonomous vehicle V1.

[0043] When the control unit 25 of the vehicle guidance device 2 identifies the storage cabin 12X where the first autonomous vehicle V1 is to be parked, that is, the destination of the first autonomous vehicle V1, it controls the projection unit 23 to project guidance information for guiding the first autonomous vehicle V1 from the alighting location 13 (current position) to the storage cabin 12X (destination) onto the road 11 (step S16). At the same time, it transmits a storage permission signal including the position information of the storage cabin 12X (destination) to the autonomous driving device 3 of the first autonomous vehicle V1 by means of the wireless communication unit 21 (step S17).

[0044] In the present embodiment, based on the alighting location 13 (the current position of the first autonomous vehicle V1) and the storage cabin 12X (the destination of the first autonomous vehicle V1), the control unit 25 of the vehicle guidance device 2 reads out the corresponding guidance information (guidance lines, code images) from the memory unit 22 and selectively operates a part of the plurality of projectors 23A to 23L (here, projectors 23A to 23E). As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, a first guidance line L1 extending from the alighting location 13 to the storage cabin 12X or its vicinity and first to fourth code images C1 to C4 are projected onto the road 11 as the guidance information. The first guidance line L1 is composed of a pair of outer lines each arranged on the roadside side of the road 11 and extends from a predetermined position in front of the first autonomous vehicle V1 to the storage cabin 12X or its vicinity. Each of the first to fourth code images C1 to C4 is composed of a QR code (registered trademark) in which the position information of the position where it is projected is encoded. The first code image C1 is projected at a first position near the alighting location 13, the fourth code image C4 is projected at a second position near the storage cabin 12X, and the second and third code images C2 and C3 are projected at intermediate positions between the first position and the second position.

[0045] When the autonomous driving device 3 of the first autonomous vehicle V1 receives the storage permission signal by means of the in-vehicle communication unit 31, it sets its operation mode to the storage mode (step S18). Then, when the autonomous driving device 3 of the first autonomous vehicle V1 sets its operation mode to the storage mode, it operates as follows.

[0046] The automatic driving device 3 of the first autonomous vehicle V1 extracts the first code image C1 from the road surface image in front of the first autonomous vehicle V1 acquired by the camera 51, reads the position information from the extracted first code image C1, and measures the distance to the first code image C1 (see Fig. 6). Then, the automatic driving device 3 of the first autonomous vehicle V1 estimates the position of the first autonomous vehicle V1 (hereinafter referred to as the "first initial position") based on the position information read from the first code image C1 and the distance to the first code image C1 (step S19). Thereby, the automatic driving device 3 of the first autonomous vehicle V1 can accurately estimate the first initial position of the first autonomous vehicle V1 before the warehousing operation. The estimated first initial position of the first autonomous vehicle V1 is transmitted as position information to the vehicle guidance device 2 together with the vehicle ID of the first autonomous vehicle V1 (step S20). Therefore, the control unit 25 of the vehicle guidance device 2 can also accurately grasp the first initial position of the first autonomous vehicle V1 (step S21).

[0047] Also, the automatic driving device 3 of the first autonomous vehicle V1 confirms the position information of the warehousing compartment 12X (destination) included in the warehousing permission signal received by the in-vehicle communication unit 31 (step S22). Then, the automatic driving device 3 of the first autonomous vehicle V1 starts the running of the first autonomous vehicle V1 toward the warehousing compartment 12X (destination) (step S23).

[0048] During the running of the first autonomous vehicle V1, the automatic driving device 3 of the first autonomous vehicle V1 extracts the first guiding line L1 from the road surface image in front of the first autonomous vehicle V1 acquired by the camera 51, and runs the first autonomous vehicle V1 along the extracted first guiding line L1 (so as not to exceed a pair of outer lines) (see Fig. 7). Therefore, the automatic driving device 3 of the first autonomous vehicle V1 can run the first autonomous vehicle V1 toward the warehousing compartment 12X while preventing the first autonomous vehicle V1 from deviating from the road 11.

[0049] During the travel of the first autonomous vehicle V1, the autonomous driving device 3 of the first autonomous vehicle V1 estimates the position of the first autonomous vehicle V1 based on the first initial position of the first autonomous vehicle V1. For example, the autonomous driving device 3 of the first autonomous vehicle V1 can estimate the position of the first autonomous vehicle V1 based on the first initial position of the first autonomous vehicle V1, the output of the inertial sensor 54, and the output of the speed sensor 55. Further, the autonomous driving device 3 of the first autonomous vehicle V1 corrects the position of the first autonomous vehicle V1 estimated based on the first initial position of the first autonomous vehicle V1 by using the position information read from the second to fourth code images C2 to C4 and the distances to the second to fourth code images C2 to C4 (step S24). Therefore, the autonomous driving device 3 of the first autonomous vehicle V1 can accurately grasp the position of the first autonomous vehicle V1 moving toward the storage compartment 12X. The estimated and / or corrected position of the first autonomous vehicle V1 is intermittently transmitted as position information to the vehicle guidance device 2 together with the vehicle ID of the first autonomous vehicle V1 (step S25). Therefore, the control unit 25 of the vehicle guidance device 2 can also accurately grasp the position of the first autonomous vehicle V1 moving toward the storage compartment 12X (step S26).

[0050] When the first autonomous vehicle V1 moves on the road 11 to a position corresponding to the storage compartment 12X (destination) (step S27), the autonomous driving device 3 of the first autonomous vehicle V1 executes an automatic parking process of parking the first autonomous vehicle V1 in the storage compartment 12X by using, for example, a known automatic parking technology as shown in FIG. 8 (step S28). Then, when the parking of the first autonomous vehicle V1 in the storage compartment 12X is completed (step S29), the autonomous driving device 3 of the first autonomous vehicle V1 transmits a storage completion signal including the vehicle ID of the first autonomous vehicle V1 to the vehicle guidance device 2 by the in-vehicle communication unit 31 (step S30), and then ends the operation in the storage mode (step S31).

[0051] When the control unit 25 of the vehicle guidance device 2 receives the warehousing completion signal via the wireless communication unit 21, it associates the vehicle ID of the first autonomous vehicle V1 with the cabin ID of the warehousing cabin 12X and stores them in the memory unit 22 (step S32), and controls the projection unit 23 to end the projection of the guidance information (step S33). Thereby, the warehousing process of the first autonomous vehicle V1 is completed.

[0052] FIG. 9 shows the guidance information projected on the road 11 by the projection unit 23 when a cabin 12 different from FIGS. 5 to 8 is specified as the warehousing cabin 12X for parking the first autonomous vehicle V1. In this case, the control unit 25 of the vehicle guidance device 2 reads out the corresponding guidance information (guidance line, code image) from the memory unit 22 and operates the projectors 23A, 23I, and 23J, whereby the second guidance line L2 and the first, fifth, and sixth code images C1, C5, and C6 are projected on the road 11 as the guidance information. Similar to the first guidance line L1, the second guidance line L2 is composed of a pair of outer lines, and each of the first, fifth, and sixth code images C1, C5, and C6 is composed of a QR code (registered trademark) in which the position information of the position where it is projected is encoded. The sixth code image C6 is projected at the third position near the warehousing cabin 12X, and the fifth code image C5 is projected at an intermediate position between the first position and the third position.

[0053] [Departure Process of Autonomous Vehicle] An example of the departure process of the autonomous vehicle V will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 15. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the departure process of the autonomous vehicle V, and FIGS. 11 to 15 are diagrams for explaining an example of the departure process of the autonomous vehicle V.

[0054] First, the above-described departure instruction is input to the instruction input unit 24 by a user (not shown) who intends to board the autonomous vehicle V. When the departure instruction is input to the instruction input unit 24 (step S51), the control unit 25 of the vehicle guidance device 2 selects, as a target for departure processing (second autonomous vehicle V2), an autonomous vehicle V parked in any one of the plurality of passenger compartments 12 (step S52). Here, it is assumed that the autonomous vehicle V parked in the passenger compartment 12Y (hereinafter referred to as the "departure passenger compartment") hatched in FIG. 11 is selected as the second autonomous vehicle V2 that is the target for departure processing.

[0055] When the control unit 25 of the vehicle guidance device 2 selects the second autonomous vehicle V2 parked in the departure passenger compartment 12Y as the target for departure processing, it grasps the current position of the second autonomous vehicle V2 by checking the position information of the departure passenger compartment 12Y (step S53), and specifies the boarding location 14 as the destination of movement of the second autonomous vehicle V2 (step S54).

[0056] Then, the control unit 25 of the vehicle guidance device 2 controls the projection unit 23 to project, onto the road 11, guidance information for guiding the second autonomous vehicle V2 from the departure passenger compartment 12Y (current position) to the boarding location 14 (destination of movement) (step S55), and transmits, by means of the wireless communication unit 21, a departure command including the position information of the boarding location 14 (destination of movement) to the autonomous driving device 3 of the second autonomous vehicle V2 (step S56).

[0057] In this embodiment, the control unit 25 of the vehicle guidance device 2 reads out corresponding guidance information (guidance line, code image) from the memory unit 22 based on the departure passenger compartment 12Y (the current position of the second autonomous vehicle V2) and the boarding location 14 (the destination of the second autonomous vehicle V2), and selectively operates a part of the plurality of projectors 23A to 23L (here, projectors 23F to 23H). As a result, as shown in FIG. 12, the third guidance line L3 extending from the departure passenger compartment 12Y to the boarding location 14 or its vicinity and the seventh to ninth code images C7 to C9 are projected onto the road 11. Similar to the first and second guidance lines L1 and L2, the third guidance line L3 is composed of a pair of outer lines and extends from a predetermined position in front of the second autonomous vehicle V2 to the boarding location 14 or its vicinity. Each of the seventh to ninth code images C7 to C9 is composed of a QR code (registered trademark) in which the position information of the position where it is projected is encoded. The seventh code image C7 is projected at the fourth position near the departure passenger compartment 12Y, the ninth code image C9 is projected at the fifth position near the boarding location 14, and the eighth code image C8 is projected at an intermediate position between the fourth position and the fifth position.

[0058] When the automatic driving device 3 of the second autonomous vehicle V2 receives the departure command by the in-vehicle communication unit 31, it sets its driving mode to the departure mode (step S57). When the automatic driving device 3 of the second autonomous vehicle V2 sets its operation mode to the departure mode, it operates as follows.

[0059] The automatic driving device 3 of the second autonomous vehicle V2 extracts the seventh code image C from the image in front of the second autonomous vehicle V2 acquired by the camera 51, reads the position information from the extracted seventh code image C7, and measures the distance to the seventh code image C7 (see Fig. 12). Then, the automatic driving device 3 of the second autonomous vehicle V2 estimates the position of the second autonomous vehicle V2 (hereinafter referred to as the "second initial position") based on the position information read from the seventh code image C7 and the distance to the seventh code image C7 (step S58). Thereby, the automatic driving device 3 of the second autonomous vehicle V2 can accurately estimate the second initial position of the second autonomous vehicle V2 before the warehousing operation. The estimated second initial position of the second autonomous vehicle V2 is transmitted to the vehicle guidance device 2 together with the vehicle ID of the second autonomous vehicle V2 (step S59). For this reason, the control unit 25 of the vehicle guidance device 2 can also accurately grasp the second initial position of the second autonomous vehicle V2 (step S60).

[0060] Also, the automatic driving device 3 of the second autonomous vehicle V2 confirms the position information of the boarding location 14 (destination) included in the warehousing command received by the in-vehicle communication unit 31 (step S61). Thereafter, the automatic driving device 3 of the second autonomous vehicle V2 starts the second autonomous vehicle V2 running toward the boarding location 14 (destination) (step S62).

[0061] During the running of the second autonomous vehicle V2, the automatic driving device 3 of the second autonomous vehicle V2 extracts the third guiding line L3 from the road surface image in front of the second autonomous vehicle V2 acquired by the camera 51, and runs the second autonomous vehicle V2 along the extracted third guiding line L3 (see Fig. 13). For this reason, the automatic driving device 3 of the second autonomous vehicle V2 can run the second autonomous vehicle V2 toward the boarding location 14 while preventing the second autonomous vehicle V2 from deviating from the road 11.

[0062] Also, during the travel of the second autonomous vehicle V2, the autonomous driving device 3 of the second autonomous vehicle V2 estimates the position of the second autonomous vehicle V2 based on the second initial position of the second autonomous vehicle V2, and uses the position information read from the seventh and eighth code images C7, C8 and the distances to the seventh and eighth code images C7, C8 to correct the position of the second autonomous vehicle V2 estimated based on the second initial position of the second autonomous vehicle V2 (step S63). Therefore, the autonomous driving device 3 of the second autonomous vehicle V2 can accurately grasp the position of the second autonomous vehicle V2 moving toward the boarding location 14. The estimated and / or corrected position of the second autonomous vehicle V2 is intermittently transmitted as position information together with the vehicle ID of the second autonomous vehicle V2 to the vehicle guidance device 2 (step S64). Therefore, the control unit 25 of the vehicle guidance device 2 can also accurately grasp the position of the second autonomous vehicle V2 moving toward the boarding location 14 (step S65).

[0063] When the second autonomous vehicle V2 moves on the road 11 to the boarding location 14 (destination) (step S66), as shown in FIG. 14, the autonomous driving device 3 of the second autonomous vehicle V2 stops the second autonomous vehicle V2 at the boarding location 14 (step S67). Then, the autonomous driving device 3 of the second autonomous vehicle V2 transmits a warehousing completion signal including the vehicle ID of the second autonomous vehicle V2 to the vehicle guidance device 2 by the in-vehicle communication unit 31, and then ends the operation in the warehousing mode (steps S68, S69). Note that the autonomous driving device 3 of the second autonomous vehicle V2 that has ended the operation in the warehousing mode starts traveling in the normal driving mode, for example, when a user boards the second autonomous vehicle V2 and a travel route is set.

[0064] When the control unit 25 of the vehicle guidance device 2 receives the shipment completion signal via the wireless communication unit 21, it erases the vehicle ID of the second autonomous driving vehicle V2 stored in association with the number of the shipment cabin 12Y in the memory unit 22 (step S70). As a result, the shipment cabin 12Y will be recognized as an empty cabin. Further, the control unit 25 of the vehicle guidance device 2 controls the projection unit 23 to end the projection of the guidance information (step S71). Thereby, the shipment process of the second autonomous driving vehicle V2 is completed.

[0065] Note that FIG. 15 shows a guidance image projected onto the roadway 11 by the projection unit 23 when the autonomous driving vehicle V parked in a shipment cabin 12Y different from FIGS. 11 to 14 is selected as the second autonomous driving vehicle V2 that is the target of the shipment process. In this case, the control unit 25 of the vehicle guidance device 2 reads out the corresponding guidance information (guidance lines, code images) from the memory unit 22 and operates the projectors 23H, 23J, 23K, and 23L to project the fourth guidance line L4 and the ninth to eleventh code images C9 to C11 as the guidance information onto the roadway 11. Similar to the first to third guidance lines L1 to L4, the fourth guidance line L4 is composed of a pair of outer lines, and each of the ninth to eleventh code images C9 to C11 is composed of a QR code (registered trademark) in which the position information of the position where it is projected is encoded. The tenth code image C10 is projected at the sixth position near the shipment cabin 12Y, and the eleventh code image C11 is projected at an intermediate position between the sixth position and the fifth position.

[0066] As described above, in the automatic valet parking system 1 according to the embodiment, the vehicle guidance device 2 provided in the parking lot P grasps the position of the autonomous driving vehicle V (such as the getting-off location 13 or one of the plurality of cabins 12, etc.) and specifies the moving destination of the autonomous driving vehicle V (one of the plurality of cabins 12 or the boarding location 14, etc.). Then, the vehicle guidance device 2 is configured to project the guidance information for guiding the autonomous driving vehicle V to the moving destination onto the roadway 11 in a manner recognizable by the autonomous driving vehicle V (more specifically, the autonomous driving device 3 of the autonomous driving vehicle V).

[0067] Therefore, according to the vehicle guidance device 2 in this embodiment, without requiring a large number of sensor devices, the automated driving vehicle V can be guided to the destination in a relatively simple configuration in the parking lot P.

[0068] Specifically, in this embodiment, the vehicle guidance device 2 projects, onto the road 11, as the guidance information, a guidance line extending from a predetermined position in front of the automated driving vehicle V to the destination or its vicinity, and an image (code image) including position information indicating the position where the device itself is projected.

[0069] Therefore, the automated driving device 3 of the automated driving vehicle V can cause the automated driving vehicle V to travel along the guidance line. Accordingly, the automated driving vehicle V is prevented from deviating from the road 11. Further, the automated driving device 3 of the automated driving vehicle V can use the position information extracted from the image (code image) including the position information for estimating the position of the automated driving vehicle V. Accordingly, the accuracy of estimating the position of the automated driving vehicle V by the automated driving device 3 can be improved.

[0070] In the above-described embodiment, the vehicle guidance device 2 projects, onto the road 11, a guidance line extending from a predetermined position in front of the automated driving vehicle V to the destination or its vicinity, and an image (code image) including position information indicating the position where the device itself is projected. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The vehicle guidance device 2 may be configured to project either the guidance line or the image (code image) including the position information onto the road 11.

[0071] Also, in the above-described embodiment, when the parking of the autonomous vehicle V (parking in the passenger compartment 12) is completed or when the departure of the autonomous vehicle V (movement to the boarding area 14) is completed, the vehicle guidance device 2 ends the projection of the guidance information onto the road 11. However, it is not limited to this. For example, the vehicle guidance device 2 may be configured to end the projection of the guidance information that has come to be located behind the autonomous vehicle V due to the movement of the autonomous vehicle V, so as to project the guidance information only onto the road 11 in front of the autonomous vehicle V. By doing so, it becomes possible to start the subsequent parking process and / or departure process of the following autonomous vehicle V without waiting for the completion of the parking or departure of the autonomous vehicle V, which is convenient.

[0072] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the parking lot P is a so-called flat parking lot. However, it is not limited to this, and the present invention is also applicable to multi-story parking lots, mechanical parking facilities, etc. For example, when the present invention is applied to a mechanical parking facility, the vehicle guidance device 2 projects guidance information for guiding the autonomous vehicle V from the disembarking area where the user disembarks from the autonomous vehicle V to the entrance of the mechanical parking facility onto the road between the disembarking area and the entrance, and / or projects guidance information for guiding the autonomous vehicle V from the exit of the mechanical parking facility to the boarding area where the user boards the autonomous vehicle V onto the road between the exit and the boarding area.

[0073] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, a code image including position information indicating the position where the vehicle guidance device 2 projects itself is adopted as the image including the position information projected by the vehicle guidance device 2 onto the road 11. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The image including the position information may be any image that can be used to guide the autonomous vehicle V to the destination. For example, the vehicle guidance device 2 may project a combination of letters and numbers indicating the position information of the position where the vehicle guidance device 2 projects itself onto the road 11 as the image including the position information. Alternatively, the vehicle guidance device 2 may project, as the image including the position information, a code image including the position information of the destination instead of or in addition to the position information indicating the position where the vehicle guidance device 2 projects itself, or may project a combination of letters and numbers indicating the position information of the destination onto the road 11 as the image including the position information.

[0074] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention and their modifications have been explained. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and it goes without saying that further modifications and changes are possible based on the technical idea of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0075] 1... Automatic valet parking system, 2... Vehicle guidance device, 3... Autonomous driving device, 11... Road, 12... Passenger compartment, 12X... Inbound passenger compartment, 12Y... Outbound passenger compartment, 13... Alighting location, 14... Boarding location, 21... Wireless communication unit, 21A~21D... Wireless stations, 22... Memory unit, 23... Projection unit, 23A~23L... Projectors, 24... Instruction input unit, 25... Control unit, 31... On-vehicle communication unit, 32... On-vehicle memory, C1~C11... Code images (guidance information), L1~L4... Guidance lines (guidance information), M... Management room, P... Parking lot, V... Autonomous vehicle

Claims

**Claim 1**: It is provided in a parking lot having a roadway and a plurality of vehicle compartments, grasps the position of an autonomous vehicle, identifies the destination of the autonomous vehicle, and projects guiding information for guiding the autonomous vehicle to the destination onto the roadway. The guiding information includes guiding lines each composed of a pair of left and right outer lines arranged on the roadside of the roadway and extending from a predetermined position in front of the autonomous vehicle to the destination or its vicinity. The guiding information includes a plurality of images including position information indicating the position where each image is projected, and the plurality of images include an image located at the end of the guiding line. A vehicle guiding device. **Claim 2** The vehicle guiding device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of images is a coded image in which position information indicating the position where the image is projected is coded. **Claim 3**: It is provided in a parking lot having a roadway and a plurality of vehicle compartments, grasps the position of an autonomous vehicle, identifies the destination of the autonomous vehicle, and projects guiding information for guiding the autonomous vehicle to the destination onto the roadway. The guiding information includes guiding lines each composed of a pair of left and right outer lines arranged on the roadside of the roadway and extending from a predetermined position in front of the autonomous vehicle to the destination or its vicinity. A vehicle guiding device configured to end the projection of the guiding information that has come to be located behind the autonomous vehicle as the autonomous vehicle moves. **Claim 4** The vehicle guiding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the destination is one of the plurality of vehicle compartments or a boarding location for a user to board the autonomous vehicle. **Claim 5** A wireless communication unit for performing wireless communication with the autonomous vehicle; A projection unit capable of projecting information onto the roadway in a manner recognizable by the autonomous vehicle; A control unit that performs wireless communication with the autonomous vehicle through the wireless communication unit, grasps the position of the autonomous vehicle, identifies the destination of the autonomous vehicle, and controls the projection unit to project the guiding information onto the roadway. The vehicle guiding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising the above. **Claim 6** The projection unit includes a plurality of projectors installed at intervals above the roadway. The control unit is configured to project the guiding information onto the road surface by selectively operating a part of the plurality of projectors according to the position of the automated vehicle and the destination of the automated vehicle. The vehicle guiding device according to claim 5.

7. The vehicle guiding device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, an automated vehicle whose travel is controlled by an automated driving device mounted on itself, comprising: The automated driving device is configured to control the travel of the automated vehicle based on the guiding information projected onto the road surface. An automatic valet parking system.

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