Parking Support Method and Parking Support Device

Abstract

To provide a parking assistance method and a parking assistance device that enable preparations for parking assistance to be started smoothly before a vehicle arrives near a target parking position.SOLUTION: A parking assistance method according to the present disclosure is a parking assistance method in which autonomous travel of a vehicle is performed based on a travel route generated using teaching travel by a driver. The parking assistance method includes: a first acquisition step in which an absolute position and an azimuth in a travel direction of the vehicle are acquired; and a determination step in which whether or not the vehicle is located oriented with a prescribed azimuth in a prescribed position registered in association with the travel route is determined based on the absolute position and the azimuth in the travel direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a parking assistance method and a parking assistance device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a parking assistance technology for moving a vehicle by automatic driving when parking the vehicle is known. One such parking assistance is a technology that learns a driving route based on a teacher drive by a driver and uses the learning result to perform parking assistance. This technology is used, for example, when repeatedly parking at a fixed parking position such as a parking lot at the user's home or workplace.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When a user uses such parking assistance, after the vehicle reaches near the target parking position, the parking assistance function is started and a procedure for starting automatic parking is performed. Therefore, it takes time until actual automatic parking starts. For example, Japanese Patent No. 6022447 describes notifying whether it is possible to park in a parking space based on sensor data, and the driver receiving the notification and starting or stopping the parking process.

[0005] In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-137158 mentions starting preparations for parking support in advance, such as guiding the user that automatic parking becomes possible when the distance between the target parking position and the vehicle is equal to or less than a threshold value. However, in this case, actually, even when the user has no intention of parking, the guidance on parking support may start, which may cause annoyance to the user.

[0006] The present disclosure provides a parking support method and a parking support device that can smoothly start preparations for parking support before the vehicle reaches the vicinity of the target parking position.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The parking support method according to the present disclosure is based on a driving route generated by a teacher drive by a driver, When it is determined that the vehicle is positioned at a specified position and facing a specified direction, the parking support device A parking support method for performing automatic driving of a vehicle, When it is determined that the vehicle is positioned at a specified position and facing a specified direction, the parking support device A first acquisition step of acquiring the absolute position of the vehicle and the azimuth of the traveling direction, When it is determined that the vehicle is positioned at a specified position and facing a specified direction, the parking support device A determination step of determining whether the vehicle is positioned at a specified azimuth facing a specified position registered in association with the driving route based on the absolute position and the azimuth of the traveling direction outputs a first output step of outputting a notification prompting the user to start parking support, and outputs a first output step of outputting a notification prompting the user to start parking support, includes.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the parking support method and the parking support device according to the present disclosure, preparations for parking support can be smoothly started before the vehicle reaches the vicinity of the target parking position.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

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[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the parking support method and the parking support device according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle 1 including a parking support device 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 includes a vehicle body 12 and two pairs of wheels 13 arranged along a predetermined direction on the vehicle body 12. The two pairs of wheels 13 include a pair of front tires 13f and a pair of rear tires 13r.

[0012] The front tire 13f shown in FIG. 1 is an example of the first wheel in the present embodiment. The rear tire 13r is an example of the second wheel in the present embodiment. Although the vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes four wheels 13, the number of wheels 13 is not limited thereto. For example, the vehicle 1 may be a two-wheeled vehicle.

[0013] The vehicle body 12 is coupled to the wheels 13 and is movable by the wheels 13. In this case, the predetermined direction in which the two pairs of wheels 13 are arranged becomes the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 can move forward or backward by switching a gear (not shown) or the like. The vehicle 1 can also turn right or left by steering.

[0014] The vehicle body 12 also has a front end F which is the end on the front tire 13f side and a rear end R which is the end on the rear tire 13r side. The vehicle body 12 is substantially rectangular in top view, and the four substantially rectangular corners may also be referred to as ends. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 includes a display device, a speaker, an operation unit, a direction sensor, a GPS (Global Positioning System) antenna, and a GPS device.

[0015] At the front and rear ends F and R of the vehicle body 12, near the lower end of the vehicle body 12, a pair of bumpers 14 are provided. Among the pair of bumpers 14, the front bumper 14f covers the entire front surface and a part of the side surface near the lower end of the vehicle body 12. Among the pair of bumpers 14, the rear bumper 14r covers the entire rear surface and a part of the side surface near the lower end of the vehicle body 12.

[0016] Transmitting and receiving units 15f and 15r for transmitting and receiving sound waves such as ultrasonic waves are arranged at a predetermined end of the vehicle body 12. For example, one or more transmitting and receiving units 15f are arranged on the front bumper 14f, and one or more transmitting and receiving units 15r are arranged on the rear bumper 14r. Hereinafter, when the transmitting and receiving units 15f and 15r are not particularly limited, they are simply referred to as the transmitting and receiving unit 15. Also, the number and position of the transmitting and receiving unit 15 are not limited to the example shown in FIG. 1. For example, the vehicle 1 may be provided with the transmitting and receiving unit 15 on the left and right sides.

[0017] In the present embodiment, a sonar using ultrasonic waves will be described as an example of the transmitting and receiving unit 15, but the transmitting and receiving unit 15 may be a radar that transmits and receives electromagnetic waves. Alternatively, the vehicle 1 may be provided with both a sonar and a radar. Also, the transmitting and receiving unit 15 may be simply referred to as a sensor.

[0018] The transmitting and receiving unit 15 detects obstacles around the vehicle 1 based on the transmission and reception results of sound waves or electromagnetic waves. Also, the transmitting and receiving unit 15 measures the distance between the obstacles around the vehicle 1 and the vehicle 1 based on the transmission and reception results of sound waves or electromagnetic waves.

[0019] In addition, the vehicle 1 includes a first imaging device 16a that images the front of the vehicle 1, a second imaging device 16b that images the rear of the vehicle 1, a third imaging device 16c that images the left side of the vehicle 1, and a fourth imaging device that images the right side of the vehicle 1. The fourth imaging device is not shown.

[0020] Hereinafter, when the first imaging device 16a, the second imaging device 16b, the third imaging device 16c, and the fourth imaging device are not particularly distinguished, they are simply referred to as the imaging device 16. The position and number of the imaging devices are not limited to the example shown in FIG. 1. For example, the vehicle 1 may include only two imaging devices, i.e., the first imaging device 16a and the second imaging device 16b. Alternatively, in addition to the above example, the vehicle 1 may further include other imaging devices.

[0021] The imaging device 16 can image the video around the vehicle 1 and is, for example, a camera that images a color image. Note that the captured image captured by the imaging device 16 may be a moving image or a still image. Further, the imaging device 16 may be a camera built into the vehicle 1 or a camera of a drive recorder retrofitted to the vehicle 1.

[0022] In addition, a parking support device 100 is mounted on the vehicle 1. The parking support device 100 is an information processing device that can be mounted on the vehicle 1 and is, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) provided inside the vehicle 1 or an OBU (On Board Unit). Alternatively, the parking support device 100 may be an external device installed near the dashboard of the vehicle 1. Note that the parking support device 100 may also serve as a car navigation device or the like.

[0023] Next, the configuration near the driver's seat of the vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration near the driver's seat 130a of the vehicle 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 1 includes a driver's seat 130a and a passenger seat 130b. Further, in front of the driver's seat 130a, a windshield 180, a dashboard 190, a steering wheel 140, a display device 120, and operation buttons 141 are provided.

[0025] The display device 120 is a display provided on the dashboard 190 of the vehicle 1. As an example, the display device 120 is located at the center of the dashboard 190 as shown in FIG. 2. The display device 120 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. Further, the display device 120 may also serve as a touch panel. The display device 120 is an example of the display unit in the present embodiment.

[0026] Also, the steering wheel 140 is provided in front of the driver's seat 130a and is operable by the driver. The rotation angle of the steering wheel 140, that is, the steering angle, is electrically or mechanically linked to the change in the direction of the front tire 13f which is the steering wheel. Note that the steering wheel may be the rear tire 13r, or both the front tire 13f and the rear tire 13r may be the steering wheels.

[0027] The operation button 141 is a button that can receive an operation by the user. In the present embodiment, the user is, for example, the driver of the vehicle 1. The operation button 141 receives a push from the driver and thereby receives an operation for starting, for example, parking assistance from the driver. Note that the position of the operation button 141 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 2 and may be provided, for example, on the steering wheel 140. The operation button 141 is an example of the operation unit in the present embodiment. Also, when the display device 120 also serves as a touch panel, the display device 120 may be an example of the operation unit. Further, an operation terminal capable of transmitting a signal to the vehicle 1 from outside the vehicle 1, such as a tablet terminal, a smartphone, a remote controller, or an electronic key (not shown), may be used as an example of the operation unit.

[0028] Next, the hardware configuration of the parking support device 100 will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the parking support device 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 3, the parking support device 100 has a hardware configuration in which a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11A, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 11B, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 11C, an I / F (interface) 11D, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 11E, etc. are interconnected by a bus 11F, and uses a normal computer.

[0030] The CPU 11A is an arithmetic unit that controls the entire ECU. Note that the CPU 11A is an example of the processor in the parking support device 100 of the present embodiment, and another processor or processing circuit may be provided in place of the CPU 11A.

[0031] The ROM 11B stores programs and the like for realizing various processes by the CPU 11A.

[0032] The RAM 11C is, for example, the main storage device of the parking support device 100, and stores data necessary for various processes by the CPU 11A.

[0033] The I / F 11D is an interface for transmitting and receiving data. The I / F 11D transmits and receives data to and from other devices provided in the vehicle 1, such as the display device 120. Also, the I / F 11D acquires the azimuth of the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 from the azimuth sensor 21.

[0034] The azimuth sensor 21 is, for example, a sensor that measures the azimuth of the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 from the rotational difference between the left and right wheels 13 of the vehicle 1, geomagnetism, a gas rate gyro, and an optical fiber gyro. Note that a known method can be adopted for obtaining the azimuth of the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, and it is not particularly limited.

[0035] Further, I / F11D acquires position information indicating the current position of vehicle 1 from GPS device 22. The position information is, for example, values of latitude and longitude indicating the absolute position of vehicle 1.

[0036] GPS device 22 is a device that identifies GPS coordinates representing the position of vehicle 1 based on GPS signals received by GPS antenna 23. Further, GPS antenna 23 is an antenna capable of receiving GPS signals.

[0037] Further, I / F11D may transmit and receive information to and from other ECUs mounted on vehicle 1 via a CAN (Controller Area Network) or the like within vehicle 1, or may communicate with an information processing device outside vehicle 1 via a network such as the Internet.

[0038] In FIG. 3, azimuth sensor 21, GPS device 22, and GPS antenna 23 are illustrated as not being included in parking support device 100, but a part or all of these may be included in parking support device 100. Further, in FIGS. 1 to 3, display device 120 is illustrated as a device separate from parking support device 100, but display device 120 may be included in parking support device 100.

[0039] The parking support device 100 of the present embodiment learns a driving route based on a teacher drive by the driver, and performs parking support using the learning result. In other words, the parking support method executed by the parking support device 100 is a method of automatically driving vehicle 1 based on a driving route generated by a teacher drive by the driver. Such a parking support method is effective for reducing the driver's parking effort when repeatedly parking at a fixed parking position, such as the driver's home garage, the contract parking position in an apartment building, or the specified parking position in a parking lot at the workplace. Such parking support is called home zone parking.

[0040] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an environment to which home zone parking according to the first embodiment is applied. In the example shown in FIG. 4, a parking space 910 located near the home 70 of the driver of the vehicle 1 is the parking position of the vehicle 1. In FIG. 4, the orientation is indicated with the upper side being north, the lower side being south, the right side being east, and the left side being west.

[0041] The parking space 910 faces the road 40a. Also, there is a road 40b as another road connected to the road 40a. Further, there is a road 40c near the parking space 910, but the road 40c is not connected to the parking space 910.

[0042] In the example shown in FIG. 4, the driving routes along which the vehicle 1 can park in the parking space 910 are a first driving route 80a starting from the west side of the parking space 910 and a second driving route 80b starting from the east side of the parking space 910. The first driving route 80a and the second driving route 80b are driving routes recorded by the parking support device 100 based on the teaching driving by the user. Hereinafter, when the first driving route 80a and the second driving route 80b are collectively referred to, they are simply called the driving route 80.

[0043] The first driving route 80a is a route along which the vehicle 1 travels from a first start position 900a on the road 40a to the parking space 910. Also, the second driving route 80b is a route along which the vehicle 1 travels from a second start position 900b on the road 40a to the parking space 910. Hereinafter, when the first start position 900a and the second start position 900b are collectively referred to, they are simply called the start position 900. Note that the number and shape of the driving routes 80 shown in FIG. 4 are an example and are not limited thereto.

[0044] In the present embodiment, the details of the functions of the parking support device 100 will be specifically described using the environment shown in FIG. 4 as an example.

[0045] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the functions provided in the parking support device 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 5, the parking support device 100 of the present embodiment includes an acquisition unit 101, a reception unit 102, a travel history recording unit 103, a registration processing unit 104, a change processing unit 105, a determination unit 106, an output control unit 107, an extraction unit 108, an estimation unit 109, a vehicle control unit 110, a route recording unit 111, and a storage unit 112.

[0047] The storage unit 112 is constituted by, for example, a ROM 11B, a RAM 11C, or an HDD 11E. Although FIG. 5 shows that one storage unit 112 is included in the parking support device 100, a plurality of storage media may function as the storage unit 112.

[0048] The storage unit 112 stores programs and data used in various processes executed by the parking support device 100. For example, the program executed by the parking support device 100 of the present embodiment has a module configuration including the above-described respective functional units (acquisition unit 101, reception unit 102, travel history recording unit 103, registration processing unit 104, change processing unit 105, determination unit 106, output control unit 107, extraction unit 108, estimation unit 109, vehicle control unit 110, route recording unit 111). As actual hardware, the CPU 11A reads the program from the storage unit 112 and executes it, whereby the above-described respective units are loaded onto the RAM 11C, and the acquisition unit 101, reception unit 102, travel history recording unit 103, registration processing unit 104, change processing unit 105, determination unit 106, output control unit 107, extraction unit 108, estimation unit 109, vehicle control unit 110, and route recording unit 111 are generated on the RAM 11C. Note that the processes realized by the respective functional units of the parking support device 100 are also referred to as steps.

[0049] The program executed by the parking support device 100 of the present embodiment is recorded and provided in a file in an installable format or an executable format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a flash memory, a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

[0050] Alternatively, the program executed by the parking support device 100 of the present embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. Further, the program executed by the parking support device 100 of the present embodiment may be configured to be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet. Further, the program executed by the parking support device 100 of the present embodiment may be configured to be provided by being pre-installed in a ROM 11B or the like.

[0051] The acquisition unit 101 acquires the absolute position of the vehicle 1 and the azimuth of the traveling direction. The acquisition process is an example of the first acquisition step in the present embodiment. More specifically, the acquisition unit 101 acquires the absolute position of the vehicle 1 from the GPS device 22 via the I / F 11D. Further, the acquisition unit 101 acquires the azimuth of the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 from the azimuth sensor 21 via the I / F 11D.

[0052] Further, the acquisition unit 101 acquires an image obtained by imaging the periphery of the vehicle 1. Since the captured image is an image obtained by imaging the periphery of the vehicle 1, it is referred to as a peripheral image in the present embodiment. The acquisition process is an example of the second acquisition step in the present embodiment. Further, in the second acquisition step, the acquisition unit 101 may further acquire information regarding the distance between the vehicle 1 and an object around the vehicle 1 during the teacher driving.

[0053] The reception unit 102 receives various operations from the user. For example, when the operation button 141 is pressed in a state where the travel route 80 is registered, the reception unit 102 receives an operation to start parking support by the user. The reception process is an example of the first reception step in the present embodiment.

[0054] In addition, the reception unit 102 receives, for example, a registration operation of a calling point and a specified orientation by the user via the display device 120 and the I / F 11D. The calling point and the specified orientation will be described later. Further, the reception unit 102 receives an operation of the user for modifying the calling point and the specified orientation. This reception process is an example of the second reception step in the present embodiment.

[0055] In addition, the reception unit 102 receives, for example, an operation for starting and ending the recording of the teacher driving by the user when the operation button 141 is pressed. In the present embodiment, when collectively referring to the start operation reception step which is a process of receiving an operation for starting the recording of the teacher driving and the end operation reception step which is a process of receiving an operation for ending the recording of the teacher driving, it is called the start / end operation reception step.

[0056] Note that the means by which the reception unit 102 receives the user's operation is not particularly limited. For example, when the display device 120 is a touch panel, the reception unit 102 may receive an operation for starting and ending the recording of the teacher driving or starting the parking support when an image button on the touch panel is pressed.

[0057] The travel history recording unit 103 records the absolute position and the azimuth of the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 acquired in time series by the acquisition unit 101 in the storage unit 112 as the travel history of the vehicle 1. More specifically, when the vehicle 1 executes parking support, the travel history recording unit 103 records the time series history of the absolute position of the vehicle 1 within a specified distance from the start position 900 of the travel route 80 used in the parking support, and the azimuth of the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 at each position, in association with the travel route 80 used in the parking support.

[0058] FIG. 6 is a diagram simulating an example of a plurality of driving histories according to the first embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 6, before using the parking support along the first driving route 80a, the user manually drives through routes 81a, 82a, 83a to the first starting position 900a. The driving history recording unit 103 records, in association with the first driving route 80a, the routes 81a, 82a, 83a and the orientation of the vehicle 1 on these routes 81a, 82a, 83a as driving histories. Also, before using the parking support along the second driving route 80b, the user manually drives through routes 81b, 82b, 83b to the second starting position 900b. The driving history recording unit 103 records, in association with the second driving route 80b, the routes 81b, 82b, 83b and the orientation of the vehicle 1 on these routes 81b, 82b, 83b as driving histories.

[0059] Also, when the vehicle 1 does not execute the parking support, the driving history recording unit 103 deletes the recording of the absolute position and the azimuth of the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 without saving it.

[0060] Returning to FIG. 5, the registration processing unit 104 specifies a calling point and a specified azimuth at the calling point based on a plurality of past driving histories of the vehicle 1, and registers the specified calling point and the specified azimuth at the calling point in association with the driving route 80. This registration process is an example of the first registration step.

[0061] The calling point is a position where the output control unit 107 described later outputs a notification prompting the user to start the parking support. The calling point is located within a range of a specified distance from the starting position 900 of the driving route 80, and is a position where it is highly likely that the user will park the vehicle 1 in the parking space 910 after the vehicle 1 passes through this position. The specified distance is, for example, about 100 to 200 m, but is not limited thereto. The calling point is an example of the specified position in the present embodiment.

[0062] The specified azimuth is the azimuth of the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 at the calling point.

[0063] More specifically, the registration processing unit 104 specifies, as the calling points, the positions within a range of a specified distance from the start position of the travel route 80 among the positions that a plurality of past travel histories of the vehicle 1 have commonly passed before the execution of the automatic driving.

[0064] In FIG. 6, in the past travel history, before the vehicle 1 reaches the first start position 900a of the first travel route 80a, the first calling point 920a is exemplified as a position that has been commonly passed and is about 100 to 200 m away from the first start position 900a. Also, in the past travel history, the vehicle 1 is facing south at the first calling point 920a.

[0065] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the calling point 920 and the specified direction according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the registration processing unit 104 registers the absolute position of the first calling point 920a and the direction “south” of the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 in association with the first travel route 80a in the storage unit 112. That is, when the vehicle 1 is located at the first calling point 920a and the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is facing south, the vehicle 1 satisfies the condition for notification by the output control unit 107 described later. In this embodiment, for simplicity of explanation, the direction of the traveling direction is represented by east, west, south, and north, but actually, the registration processing unit 104 registers the direction of the traveling direction with a numerical value such as 360 degrees clockwise with the north being 0 degrees.

[0066] Also, in FIG. 6, in the past travel history, before the vehicle 1 reaches the second start position 900b of the second travel route 80b, the second calling point 920b is exemplified as a position that has been commonly passed and is about 100 to 200 m away from the second start position 900b. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, the registration processing unit 104 registers the absolute position of the second calling point 920b and the direction “west” of the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 at the second calling point 920b in association with the second travel route 80b in the storage unit 112. Hereinafter, when the first calling point 920a and the second calling point 920b are not particularly distinguished, they are simply referred to as the calling point 920.

[0067] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a call point 920 according to the first embodiment and a registration format of a specified direction. As shown in FIG. 8, the latitude and longitude representing the absolute position of the call point 920, the direction representing the specified direction, and the travel route 80 are registered in association with each other. In FIG. 8, one call point is registered for one travel route, but a plurality of call points may be registered for one travel route.

[0068] Returning to FIG. 5, the change processing unit 105 changes the registered call point 920 and the specified direction based on a user operation for modifying the call point 920 and the specified direction. The said change processing is an example of a change step. For example, when the call point 920 and the specified direction are displayed on the display device 120 by the output control unit 107 described later, the user can perform an operation of modifying the call point 920 and the specified direction by a touch operation or the like.

[0069] The determination unit 106 determines whether or not the vehicle 1 is positioned facing the specified direction at the call point 920 registered in association with the travel route 80 based on the absolute position of the vehicle 1 and the direction of the traveling direction. The said determination processing is an example of a determination step.

[0070] More specifically, the determination unit 106 determines that the vehicle 1 is positioned facing the specified direction at the call point 920 when the difference between the acquired absolute position of the vehicle 1 and the call point 920 is within a first specified range, and the difference between the acquired direction of the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 and the specified direction is within a second specified range.

[0071] For example, the determination unit 106 compares the latitude and longitude of the absolute position of the acquired vehicle 1 with the latitude and longitude of the calling point 920 registered in the storage unit 112. The range of the first specified range is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a range of about several meters. Further, the determination unit 106 compares the azimuth of the traveling direction of the acquired vehicle 1 with the specified azimuth registered in the storage unit 112. The range of the second specified range is not particularly limited, but for example, a difference in angle of several degrees may be allowed. The range of the first specified range and the range of the second specified range may be changeable by the user.

[0072] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the vehicle 1 is located at the second calling point 920b according to the first embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the absolute position of the vehicle 1 is the same as the second calling point 920b among the registered first calling point 920a and the second calling point 920b. Further, the azimuth of the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is the same as the predetermined azimuth “west” associated with the second calling point 920b. In this case, the determination unit 106 determines that the vehicle 1 is located at the second calling point 920b and is facing the specified azimuth.

[0073] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the vehicle 1 is located at the first calling point 920a according to the first embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the absolute position of the vehicle 1 is the same as the first calling point 920a among the registered first calling point 920a and the second calling point 920b. However, the azimuth of the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is “north”, which is different from the predetermined azimuth “south” associated with the first calling point 920a. In this case, the determination unit 106 determines that although the vehicle 1 is located at the first calling point 920a, it is not facing the specified azimuth. Thus, since the determination unit 106 makes a determination based not only on the position but also on the azimuth of the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, it is possible to distinguish between the case where the vehicle 1 departs from the parking space 910 and starts, and the case where the vehicle 1 returns from a destination and heads toward the parking space 910.

[0074] Returning to FIG. 5, when the determination unit 106 determines that the vehicle 1 is positioned at the calling point 920 facing the specified direction, the output control unit 107 outputs a notification prompting the user to start the parking support operation. This output process is an example of the first output step.

[0075] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a notification prompting the start operation of parking support according to the first embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the output control unit 107 causes the display device 120 to display a message M1 as a notification prompting the start operation of parking support. The content of the message M1 includes, for example, that parking support can be started, such as "Parking support can be started. Do you want to start?", and prompts the user to operate.

[0076] In addition, the output control unit 107 may cause the display device 120 to display a start button 1201 and a cancel button 1202. When the user presses the start button 1201, the reception unit 102 receives the operation of starting the parking support by the user. When the user presses the cancel button 1202, the reception unit 102 receives the operation of canceling the start of the parking support by the user.

[0077] Note that the notification method is not limited to screen display, and may be a voice notification or the like.

[0078] In addition, the output control unit 107 causes the display device 120 to display various operation screens. For example, the output control unit 107 causes the display device 120 to display the calling point 920 and the specified direction specified by the registration processing unit 104.

[0079] In addition, when starting the parking support, the output control unit 107 causes the display device 120 to display a guidance image representing the start position 900 of the travel route 80. The user grasps the start position 900 of the travel route 80 based on the guidance image displayed on the display device 120. The display mode of the guidance image is not particularly limited. For example, it may be an image in which an image representing the start position 900 of the travel route 80 is superimposed on an overhead image including the vehicle 1 and the surroundings of the vehicle 1.

[0080] Returning to FIG. 5, the extraction unit 108 extracts feature points from the surrounding image. The method for extracting feature points by the extraction unit 108 is not particularly limited, and known methods may be applied. For example, the extraction unit 108 extracts feature points by a method such as FAST (Features from Accelerated Segment Test) or ORB (Oriented FAST and Rotated BRIEF). Further, when learning the travel route 80, the extraction unit 108 may preferentially record feature points that satisfy a specified condition among the extracted feature points. For example, among a plurality of surrounding images that are continuous in time series, feature points extracted from those in which the vehicle 1 has moved a long distance during imaging may be preferentially selected as feature points.

[0081] When the vehicle 1 performs automatic driving based on the travel route 80 by the vehicle control unit 110 described later, the estimation unit 109 estimates the position and orientation of the vehicle 1 based on the surrounding image. The said estimation process is an example of an estimation step.

[0082] For example, the estimation unit 109 estimates the position of the vehicle 1 by comparing the feature points of the surrounding image captured during the teacher driving with the feature points of the current surrounding image. The position estimated by the estimation unit 109 may be the relative positional relationship with the start position 900 of the registered travel route 80, and does not have to be the absolute position. Note that the method for estimating the position and orientation of the vehicle 1 by the estimation unit 109 is not limited to this example.

[0083] Note that the feature points of the surrounding image captured during the teacher driving are an example of the data generated from the surrounding image. The feature points of the surrounding image captured during the teacher driving are, for example, stored as a feature point map in the storage unit 112 by the route recording unit 111 described later. Specifically, the estimation unit 109 reads the feature point map from the storage unit 112 and compares it with the feature points of the current surrounding image to estimate the position of the vehicle 1.

[0084] The vehicle control unit 110 moves the vehicle 1 to the parking space 910 by means of automatic driving based on the driving route 80. The vehicle control unit 110 automatically drives the vehicle 1 along the registered driving route 80 by controlling the steering, braking, and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle 1. Such a driving control method is also referred to as reproducing the driving route 80. The process of automatic driving by the vehicle control unit 110 is an example of a driving control step.

[0085] The route recording unit 111 records the driving route 80 of the vehicle 1 during the teaching drive. The route recording unit 111 specifies the driving route 80 from the change in the time series of the position of the vehicle 1 during the teaching drive, for example, based on the change in the feature points extracted from a plurality of surrounding images and the vehicle information of the vehicle 1.

[0086] More specifically, the route recording unit 111 specifies the change in the position of the vehicle 1 based on the time series change of the feature points extracted from a plurality of surrounding images captured during the teaching drive. Further, the route recording unit 111 may correct the position of the vehicle 1 specified from the feature points based on the acquired vehicle information.

[0087] In the present embodiment, information in which the driving route 80 for automatic driving, the speed, steering angle, braking operation of the vehicle 1 traveling on the driving route 80, and the feature points extracted from a plurality of surrounding images captured along with the movement of the vehicle 1 during the teaching drive are associated with the time series is referred to as driving route information. The route recording unit 111 stores the driving route information in the storage unit 112. The driving route information is used by the vehicle control unit 110 during automatic driving described later. Note that the recording method of the driving route 80 and the definition of the driving route information are not limited to this example.

[0088] Further, the route recording unit 111 defines the environment around the vehicle 1 as a map based on the feature points extracted from the surrounding images captured during the teaching drive, and stores the map in the storage unit 112. Note that the recording process of the driving route 80 based on the teaching drive may also be referred to as a learning process.

[0089] Next, the flow of the driving history recording process executed by the parking support device 100 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.

[0090] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the driving history recording process executed by the parking support device according to the first embodiment. It is assumed that the driving route 80 based on the teaching driving has already been registered as a premise of this process.

[0091] First, the acquisition unit 101 acquires the absolute position of the vehicle 1 and the azimuth of the traveling direction (S101).

[0092] Next, the driving history recording unit 103 determines whether parking support by the vehicle control unit 110 has been executed. If parking support has been executed (S102 “Yes”), the driving history recording unit 103 records the absolute position of the vehicle 1 and the azimuth of the traveling direction acquired by the acquisition unit 101 in time series in the storage unit 112 as the driving history of the vehicle 1 (S103).

[0093] Also, when parking support has not been executed (S102 “No”), the driving history recording unit 103 does not record the absolute position of the vehicle 1 and the azimuth of the traveling direction acquired by the acquisition unit 101 in time series. Here, the processing of this flowchart ends.

[0094] Next, the flow of the calling point registration process executed by the parking support device 100 of the present embodiment will be described.

[0095] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the calling point registration process executed by the parking support device 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0096] First, the reception unit 102 determines whether it has received a calling point registration start operation by the user (S201). When it has not received a calling point registration start operation by the user (S201 “No”), the reception unit 102 repeats the process of S201 and waits.

[0097] When the reception unit 102 receives a call point registration start operation by the user (S201 “Yes”), the registration processing unit 104 identifies the call point 920 and the specified direction from a plurality of past driving histories of the vehicle 1 stored in the storage unit 112 (S202).

[0098] Then, the output control unit 107 superimposes the call point 920 and the specified direction identified by the registration processing unit 104 on, for example, a map image and displays them on the display device 120 (S203).

[0099] When the reception unit 102 receives a modification operation of the call point 920 or the specified direction by the user (S204 “Yes”), the registration processing unit 104 changes the call point 920 and the specified direction according to the user's operation (205), and registers the changed call point 920 and the specified direction in the storage unit 112 (S206).

[0100] When the reception unit 102 has not received a modification operation of the call point 920 and the specified direction by the user (S204 “No”), the registration processing unit 104 registers the call point 920 and the specified direction identified in S202 in the storage unit 112 (S207). Here, the processing of this flowchart ends.

[0101] In FIG. 13, it is assumed that a modification operation by the user is received immediately after the identification of the call point 920 and the specified direction, but the timing of the modification operation by the user is not limited to this. For example, after the start of operation according to the registered call point 920 and the specified direction, the user may modify the call point 920 and the specified direction.

[0102] Next, the flow of the notification that parking assistance can be started and the parking assistance process executed by the parking assistance device 100 of the present embodiment will be described.

[0103] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the notification that parking assistance can be started and the parking assistance process executed by the parking assistance device 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0104] First, the acquisition unit 101 acquires the absolute position of the vehicle 1 and the azimuth of the traveling direction (S301).

[0105] Then, based on the acquired absolute position of the vehicle 1 and the azimuth of the traveling direction, and the call point 920 registered in the storage unit 112 and the specified azimuth, the determination unit 106 determines whether the vehicle 1 is located at the call point 920 and whether the vehicle 1 is facing the specified azimuth (S302). When a plurality of call points 920 and the azimuths of the traveling directions are registered, the determination unit 106 compares each of the registered plurality of call points 920 and the azimuths of the traveling directions with the acquired absolute position of the vehicle 1 and the azimuth of the traveling direction.

[0106] If it is determined by the determination unit 106 that the vehicle 1 is not located at the call point 920 or the vehicle 1 is not facing the specified azimuth (S302 “No”), the process returns to the process of S301.

[0107] If it is determined by the determination unit 106 that the vehicle 1 is located at the call point 920 and the vehicle 1 is facing the specified azimuth (S302 “Yes”), the output control unit 107 outputs a notification prompting the start operation of the parking support (S303). By this notification, the user can grasp that the parking support device 100 is in a state where it can start the parking support.

[0108] Then, when, for example, the start button 1201 displayed on the display device 120 is pressed by the user, the reception unit 102 receives an operation instructing the start of the parking support (S304 “Yes”). In this case, the self-position estimation and the parking support process by the estimation unit 109, the vehicle control unit 110, etc. start (S305). The details of the self-position estimation and the parking support process will be described later.

[0109] Also, when the reception unit 102 does not receive an operation instructing the start of parking support, for example, when the cancel button 1202 displayed on the display device 120 is pressed by the user (S304 “No”), the self-position estimation and parking support processes are not started, and the processing of this flowchart ends.

[0110] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the self-position estimation and parking support processes executed by the parking support device 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0111] First, the acquisition unit 101 acquires a peripheral image obtained by imaging the surroundings of the vehicle 1 from the imaging device 16 (S401).

[0112] Next, the extraction unit 108 extracts feature points from the peripheral image acquired by the acquisition unit 101 (S402).

[0113] Next, the estimation unit 109 reads out the feature points of the peripheral image captured during the teaching run from the storage unit 112, and estimates the position of the vehicle 1 based on the feature points and the feature points extracted from the peripheral image by the extraction unit 108 (S403).

[0114] Also, the estimation unit 109 estimates the start position 900 of the automatic parking travel route 80 based on the travel route 80 and the feature points extracted from the peripheral image by the extraction unit 108 (S404).

[0115] Then, the estimation unit 109 determines whether the start position 900 of the travel route 80 is within a specified distance from the vehicle 1 based on the estimated position of the vehicle 1 and the start position 900 of the travel route 80 (S405).

[0116] When the estimation unit 109 determines that the start position 900 of the travel route 80 is not within the specified distance from the vehicle 1 (S405 “No”), the process returns to the process of S401.

[0117] Also, when the estimation unit 109 determines that the start position 900 of the travel route 80 is within a specified distance from the vehicle 1 (S405 “Yes”), the output control unit 107 causes the display device 120 to display the start position 900 of the travel route 80 (S406). By this display, the driver can accurately recognize the start position 900 of the travel route 80 and can move the vehicle 1 to the start position 900 of the travel route 80 by manual driving.

[0118] While the vehicle 1 is moving to the start position 900 of the travel route 80, the acquisition unit 101 continuously acquires a surrounding image from the imaging device 16. Also, the extraction unit 108 extracts feature points from the acquired surrounding image. Further, the estimation unit 109 estimates the position of the vehicle 1 that changes as the vehicle 1 travels based on the movement of the feature points extracted from the surrounding image or vehicle information.

[0119] Then, the estimation unit 109 determines whether or not the vehicle 1 has stopped at the start position 900 of the travel route 80 (S407). If the vehicle 1 has not reached the start position 900 of the travel route 80 (S407 “No”), the estimation unit 109 continues the process of estimating the position of the vehicle 1 and repeats the determination of S407.

[0120] When the vehicle 1 reaches the start position 900 of the travel route 80 and stops (S407 “Yes”), the vehicle control unit 110 starts automatic driving (S408). Then, the vehicle control unit 110 drives the vehicle 1 along the travel route 80 from the start position 900 of the travel route 80 to the parking space 910 by automatic driving. Here, the processing of this flowchart ends. Although an example in which automatic driving is started triggered by stopping near the start position 900 is described here, a predetermined operation (such as pressing a specific button or releasing the foot brake) by the user again may be used as a trigger for starting automatic driving.

[0121] Thus, in the parking assistance method executed by the parking assistance device 100 of the present embodiment, based on the absolute position of the vehicle 1 and the azimuth of the traveling direction, it is determined whether the vehicle 1 is positioned facing the specified azimuth at the calling point 920 registered in association with the traveling route 80. Therefore, in the parking assistance method of the present embodiment, before the vehicle 1 reaches near the target parking space 910, the preparation for parking assistance can be smoothly started.

[0122] Further, in the parking assistance method executed by the parking assistance device 100 of the present embodiment, when it is determined that the vehicle 1 is positioned facing the specified azimuth at the calling point 920, a notification prompting the user to start the parking assistance operation is output.

[0123] For example, after the vehicle 1 reaches near the start position 900 of the traveling route 80, if the parking assistance function is started and the vehicle 1 is manually moved to the start position 900 of the parking assistance based on the displayed screen guidance or the like, there may be unnecessary driving operations such as the waiting time for the start of the process and the adjustment of the location at a short distance to move to the start position 900. As a result, it may take time to park or the user may feel mental stress. Also, even if the process of self-position estimation by image recognition is started at a point too far from the start position 900, the feature points registered during the teaching run may not match the feature points of the surrounding image, making it difficult to estimate the position of the vehicle 1, or there is a possibility of misrecognizing other landscapes similar to the surroundings of the home 70 as the scenery around the home 70. Further, if the process of self-position estimation by image recognition is constantly executed while the vehicle 1 is traveling, the processing load may increase and the power consumption may increase.

[0124] On the contrary, in the parking assistance method of the present embodiment, by outputting a notification at the stage when the vehicle 1 reaches the calling point 920 before the vehicle 1 reaches near the start position 900, the user can perform the operation to start the parking assistance at an appropriate point, reducing the waiting time for the start of the process and enabling smooth guidance to the start position 900.

[0125] In addition, in the parking support method of the present embodiment, in order to determine whether the vehicle 1 is located at the calling point 920 by using the absolute position of the vehicle 1, compared with the position determination based on the feature points of the surrounding image, for example, when the vehicle 1 is located at a point with a different scenery similar to the scenery around the calling point 920, the occurrence of misjudgment can be reduced.

[0126] In addition, in the parking support method of the present embodiment, when the vehicle 1 is located at the calling point 920 and the azimuth of the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is the specified azimuth, a notification prompting the user to start the parking support operation is output. For this reason, in the parking support method of the present embodiment, for example, when the vehicle 1 is not on the route toward the parking space 910 such as when the vehicle 1 is traveling on the road 40c shown in FIG. 4, the notification is not output. Further, in the parking support method of the present embodiment, even when the vehicle 1 is located at the calling point 920, if the azimuth of the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is not the specified azimuth, the notification is not output. Therefore, according to the parking support method of the present embodiment, it is possible to notify the user to start the parking support operation only when the vehicle 1 is heading toward the parking space 910, and it is possible to reduce the user's annoyance caused by the notification being issued at an unnecessary timing.

[0127] In addition, in the parking support method of the present embodiment, when the operation to start the parking support is received by the user, the self-position estimation is started based on the surrounding image and the surrounding image captured during the teacher driving, and based on the position of the vehicle 1 estimated by the self-position estimation and the registered travel route 80, the vehicle 1 is moved to the parking space 910 by automatic driving. Therefore, according to the parking support method of the present embodiment, the convenience of the user can be improved by automatically parking the vehicle 1 in response to the user's operation.

[0128] In addition, in the parking support method of this embodiment, when the difference between the acquired absolute position of the vehicle 1 and the position of the calling point 920 is within a first specified range, and the difference between the azimuth of the traveling direction of the acquired vehicle 1 and a specified azimuth is within a second specified range, it is determined that the vehicle 1 is positioned at a specified position facing a specified azimuth. Generally, in manual driving by a user, errors may occur in the traveling position and the azimuth of the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. However, according to the parking support method of this embodiment, by allowing errors within a specified range, a notification can be output at an appropriate position.

[0129] In addition, in the parking support method of this embodiment, based on a plurality of past traveling histories of the vehicle 1, the calling point 920 and a specified azimuth are specified and registered in association with the traveling route 80. Therefore, according to the parking support method of this embodiment, an appropriate calling point 920 and a specified azimuth corresponding to the actual traveling position of the vehicle 1 by manual driving of the user can be registered.

[0130] In addition, in the parking support method of this embodiment, the registered calling point 920 and the specified azimuth are changed based on an operation of the user for modifying the calling point 920 and the specified azimuth. Therefore, according to the parking support method of this embodiment, the user can adjust the calling point 920 and the specified azimuth to desired positions and azimuths. Further, for example, when there is a place where the GPS signal becomes unstable due to a building or a roof, the user may avoid such a place and specify a position where the position information by GPS can be stably acquired as the calling point 920.

[0131] (Second Embodiment) In the first embodiment, when the vehicle 1 is located at the calling point 920 which is a specified position and facing a specified azimuth, the parking support device 100 outputs a notification prompting the start of parking support. In this second embodiment, when the vehicle 1 is located at a specified position and facing a specified azimuth, the parking support device 100 starts the process of self-position estimation for parking support.

[0132] The vehicle 1 of this embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Further, the hardware configuration of the parking support device 100 of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. 3.

[0133] Similar to the first embodiment, the parking support device 100 of this embodiment includes an acquisition unit 101, a reception unit 102, a travel history recording unit 103, a registration processing unit 104, a change processing unit 105, a determination unit 106, an output control unit 107, an extraction unit 108, an estimation unit 109, a vehicle control unit 110, a route recording unit 111, and a storage unit 112. The reception unit 102, the travel history recording unit 103, the registration processing unit 104, the change processing unit 105, the output control unit 107, the extraction unit 108, the vehicle control unit 110, and the route recording unit 111 have the same functions as those of the first embodiment.

[0134] In addition to having the same function as that of the first embodiment, the determination unit 106 of this embodiment determines whether the vehicle 1 is positioned facing a specified azimuth at the self-position estimation start point registered in association with the travel route 80 based on the absolute position and the azimuth of the traveling direction of the vehicle 1.

[0135] The self-position estimation start point is an example of the specified position in this embodiment. The method for registering and modifying the self-position estimation start point is the same as the method for registering and modifying the calling point 920 in the first embodiment.

[0136] In addition to having the same function as that of the first embodiment, when the determination unit 106 determines that the vehicle 1 is positioned facing a specified azimuth at the self-position estimation start point, the estimation unit 109 of this embodiment starts self-position estimation based on the surrounding image acquired by the acquisition unit 101 and the surrounding image captured during the teaching travel.

[0137] In addition to having the same function as that of the first embodiment, when it is determined that the vehicle 1 is positioned facing a specified azimuth at a specified position, the acquisition unit 101 of this embodiment acquires an image of the surroundings of the vehicle 1. This acquisition process is an example of the fourth acquisition step in this embodiment.

[0138] FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the automatic start of self-position estimation and parking support processing executed by the parking support device 100 according to the second embodiment.

[0139] The process of acquiring the absolute position of the vehicle 1 and the azimuth of the traveling direction in S501 is the same as the process of S301 in the process of the first embodiment described in FIG. 14.

[0140] Then, based on the acquired absolute position of the vehicle 1 and the azimuth of the traveling direction, and the self-position estimation start point and the specified azimuth registered in the storage unit 112, the determination unit 106 determines whether the vehicle 1 is located at the self-position estimation start point and whether the vehicle 1 is facing the specified azimuth (S502).

[0141] If it is determined by the determination unit 106 that the vehicle 1 is not located at the self-position estimation start point or the vehicle 1 is not facing the specified azimuth (S502 “No”), the process returns to the process of S501.

[0142] If it is determined by the determination unit 106 that the vehicle 1 is located at the self-position estimation start point and the vehicle 1 is facing the specified azimuth (S502 “Yes”), the self-position estimation and parking support processing by the estimation unit 109 and the vehicle control unit 110 etc. start (S503). Then, the processing of this flowchart ends.

[0143] FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of self-position estimation and parking support processing executed by the parking support device 100 according to the second embodiment.

[0144] From the acquisition of the surrounding image in S601 to the determination of whether the vehicle 1 has stopped at the start position of the travel route 80 in S607, the processes are the same as the processes of S401 to S407 of the first embodiment described in FIG. 15.

[0145] When the vehicle 1 reaches the start position 900 of the travel route 80 and stops (S607 “Yes”), the output control unit 107 notifies that the vehicle 1 is located at the start position 900 of the travel route 80 (S608). For example, the output control unit 107 may cause the display device 120 to display a start button 1201 that can receive an operation for starting parking support by the user, and a cancel button 1202 that can receive an operation for canceling the start of parking support by the user.

[0146] In the first embodiment, it was possible to confirm the presence or absence of the user's intention to use parking support at the call point 920. However, in this embodiment, regardless of the presence or absence of the user's intention, since the self-position estimation process is performed from the self-position estimation start point, before starting the automatic driving, the presence or absence of the user's intention to use parking support is confirmed.

[0147] Then, when the reception unit 102 receives an operation instructing the start of parking support, for example, when the start button 1201 displayed on the display device 120 is pressed by the user (S609 “Yes”), the vehicle control unit 110 starts the automatic driving (S610). Then, the vehicle control unit 110 drives the vehicle 1 along the travel route 80 from the start position 900 of the travel route 80 to the parking space 910 by automatic driving.

[0148] If the reception unit 102 does not receive an operation instructing the start of parking support, for example, when the cancel button 1202 displayed on the display device 120 is pressed by the user (S609 “No”), the parking support by automatic driving is not started, and the processing of this flowchart ends.

[0149] Thus, in the parking support method executed by the parking support device 100 of the present embodiment, when it is determined that the vehicle 1 is positioned facing a specified direction at the self-position estimation start point, a peripheral image obtained by imaging the surroundings of the vehicle 1 is acquired, and self-position estimation is executed based on the acquired peripheral image and the peripheral image captured during the teaching drive. Therefore, in the parking support method of the present embodiment, it is possible to smoothly start preparing for parking support before the vehicle 1 reaches the vicinity of the target parking space 910.

[0150] (Third Embodiment) In this third embodiment, the parking support device 100 further guides the user to the start position 900 of the travel route 80 before the vehicle 1 reaches the vicinity of the home 70.

[0151] The vehicle 1 of the present embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Further, the hardware configuration of the parking support device 100 of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. 3.

[0152] Similar to the first embodiment, the parking support device 100 of the present embodiment includes an acquisition unit 101, a reception unit 102, a travel history recording unit 103, a registration processing unit 104, a change processing unit 105, a determination unit 106, an output control unit 107, an extraction unit 108, an estimation unit 109, a vehicle control unit 110, a route recording unit 111, and a storage unit 112. The reception unit 102, the travel history recording unit 103, the registration processing unit 104, the change processing unit 105, the extraction unit 108, the vehicle control unit 110, and the route recording unit 111 have the same functions as those of the first embodiment.

[0153] In addition to having the same functions as those of the first embodiment, the output control unit 107 of the present embodiment causes the display device 120 to display an image indicating the start position 900 of the travel route 80 when it is determined that the vehicle 1 is positioned facing a specified direction at the calling point 920. In the present embodiment, the image indicating the start position 900 of the travel route 80 is referred to as a guidance image. The process of displaying the guidance image is an example of the second output step.

[0154] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a guidance image 600 according to the third embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 18, the output control unit 107 causes the display device 120 to display a first guidance image 600a, a second guidance image 600b, and a message M2. When the first guidance image 600a and the second guidance image 600b are collectively referred to, they are simply called the guidance image 600.

[0155] The first guidance image 600a is, for example, an overhead image depicting the surroundings of the vehicle 1 from a virtual viewpoint located directly above the vehicle 1. The overhead image is, for example, a composite image synthesized based on the peripheral image of the vehicle 1 acquired by the acquisition unit 101 during the teacher driving. The composite image may be generated by the route recording unit 111 when recording the driving route 80, or an image processing unit may be provided separately.

[0156] In addition, a vehicle image 61a representing the vehicle 1, a first frame 62a representing the start position 900 of the driving route 80, and a second frame 63a representing the parking space 910 are drawn in the first guidance image 600a. The first frame 62a and the second frame 63a shall have different display modes so that the user can easily distinguish them. Although FIG. 18 is in monochrome, for example, the first frame 62a may be green and the second frame 63a may be black, with different colors.

[0157] In addition, the second guidance image 600b is, for example, an overhead image depicting the surroundings of the vehicle 1 from a virtual viewpoint located obliquely above the vehicle 1. Similar to the first guidance image 600a, the second guidance image 600b is also a composite image synthesized based on the peripheral image of the vehicle 1 acquired by the acquisition unit 101 during the teacher driving. A vehicle image 61b representing the vehicle 1, a first frame 62b representing the start position 900 of the driving route 80, and a second frame 63b representing the parking space 910 are also drawn in the second guidance image 600b.

[0158] In addition, the message M2 guides the position of the start position 900 where the vehicle 1 should stop at the start of parking support, for example, "Please park at the position of the green frame when parking at home". In the example shown in FIG. 18, the "green frame" refers to the first frames 62a and 62b.

[0159] When a plurality of travel routes 80 are already registered, the output control unit 107 causes the start position 900 of the travel route 80 associated with the calling point 920 where the vehicle 1 is determined to be located to be displayed on the guidance image 600.

[0160] In the example shown in FIG. 18, by depicting the vehicle 1 that stops at the start position 900 in the first guidance image 600a and the second guidance image 600b from different virtual viewpoints, it is easier for the user to grasp the position where the vehicle 1 should be stopped. Note that the number and display mode of the displayed guidance images 600 are not limited to the example shown in FIG. 18.

[0161] The display timing of the guidance image 600 by the output control unit 107 is, for example, after the output of the notification prompting the start operation of the parking support described with reference to FIG. 11 and after the start button 1201 is pressed by the user. Alternatively, the output control unit 107 may display the guidance image 600 shown in FIG. 18 instead of the notification prompting the start operation of the parking support described with reference to FIG. 11.

[0162] As described above, in the parking support method executed by the parking support device 100 of the present embodiment, when it is determined that the vehicle 1 is located at the calling point 920 facing the specified direction, the guidance image 600 indicating the start position 900 of the travel route 80 is displayed on the display device 120. Therefore, according to the parking support method of the present embodiment, the user can be guided to stop the vehicle 1 at the start position 900, and the automatic parking can be started smoothly.

[0163] In the present embodiment, the parking support device 100 is configured to display the guidance image 600 when the vehicle 1 is located at the calling point 920. However, a point different from the calling point 920 may be registered as the point for displaying the guidance image 600.

[0164] (Modification Example 1) In the above-described third embodiment, when it is determined that the vehicle 1 is positioned facing the calling point 920 in the specified orientation, the guidance image 600 is displayed on the display device 120. However, the display timing of the guidance image 600 is not limited to this.

[0165] For example, when the reception unit 102 receives an operation of a user who designates his / her home as the destination of the car navigation system, the output control unit 107 may cause the display device 120 to display a guidance image 600 indicating the start position 900 of the travel route 80. Note that the reception process is an example of the fourth reception step. Also, the display process of the guidance image 600 in this modification example is an example of the third output step.

[0166] FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining an example of the display timing of the guidance image 600 according to Modification Example 1. As shown in FIG. 19, when the vehicle 1 travels from a point 930 away from the home 70 toward the home 70, the user designates the home as the destination of the car navigation system. When the reception unit 102 receives such a user operation, the output control unit 107 causes the display device 120 to display, for example, as shown in FIG. 18, a first guidance image 600a, a second guidance image 600b, and a message M2.

[0167] Note that when a plurality of travel routes 80 are registered, the output control unit 107 guides the start position 900 of the travel route 80 that is closest to the start position 900 from the absolute position of the vehicle 1 at the time when the user performs an operation of designating the home as the destination of the car navigation system. In the example shown in FIG. 19, since the first start position 900a is closer to the point 930 than the second start position 900b, the output control unit 107 causes the guidance image 600 representing the position of the first start position 900a to be displayed.

[0168] Alternatively, the output control unit 107 may cause the display device 120 to display a list of a plurality of travel routes 80, allowing the user to select a desired travel route 80. In this case, the names of the respective travel routes 80, such as "route for entering from the right side of the parking space" and "route for entering from the left side of the parking space", may be displayed so that the user can easily recognize the differences between the plurality of travel routes 80. Further, the name may be settable by the user. Also, the output control unit 107 may superimpose and display an image showing the shapes of the plurality of travel routes 80 on an overhead image or a map, enabling the user to select a travel route 80 from the displayed image.

[0169] In the parking support method executed by the parking support device 100 of this modification example, when it becomes clear that the vehicle 1 is heading toward the home 70, in order to present the start position 900 of the travel route 80 to the user, it becomes easy for the user to stop the vehicle 1 at the start position 900, and automatic parking can be smoothly started.

[0170] Note that the configuration of this modification example may be combined with the configuration of the parking support device 100 of the first embodiment, or may be combined with the configuration of the parking support device 100 of the second embodiment. Alternatively, the configuration of this modification example is applicable even when the parking support device 100 does not set the call point 920 and the self-position estimation point.

[0171] (Modification Example 2) In the above-described first embodiment, the method of registering the call point 920 based on the past travel history has been described, but the registration method of the call point 920 is not limited to this. For example, the user may register the call point 920 and a specified direction on the screen of the display device 120. The display device 120 is an example of an input device provided near the driver's seat of the vehicle 1.

[0172] More specifically, the reception unit 102 receives the input of the calling point 920 and the specified orientation by the user. This reception process is an example of the third reception step. Further, the registration processing unit 104 associates the calling point 920 and the specified orientation input by the user with the travel route 80 registered by the instructor driving and registers them in the storage unit 112. This registration process is an example of the second registration step.

[0173] Also, the output control unit 107 of this modification example causes the display device 120 to display an operation screen on which the user can specify the calling point 920 and the specified orientation on the map.

[0174] Also, for example, the user may perform a registration operation while the vehicle 1 is located at the position where the user wants to register as the calling point 920. The registration operation of the calling point 920 is, for example, pressing the operation button 141 or operating a screen button on the display device 120. In this case, the registration processing unit 104 registers the absolute position of the vehicle 1 at the time when the reception unit 102 receives the registration operation of the calling point 920 by the user as the calling point 920. Further, the registration processing unit 104 registers the orientation of the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 at the time when the reception unit 102 receives the registration operation of the calling point 920 by the user as the specified orientation.

[0175] More specifically, the acquisition unit 101 acquires the absolute position and direction of the vehicle 1 when the reception unit 102 receives the instruction to register the calling point 920 and the specified orientation by the user. This acquisition process is an example of the third acquisition step.

[0176] The registration processing unit 104 registers the absolute position of the vehicle 1 and the azimuth of the traveling direction acquired by the acquisition unit 101 as the calling point 920 and the specified azimuth in association with the traveling route 80. When a plurality of traveling routes 80 have already been registered, the output control unit 107 may display a list of the plurality of traveling routes 80 on the display device 120 so that the user can select the traveling route 80 for which the user desires to register the calling point 920. In this case, the registration processing unit 104 registers the absolute position of the vehicle 1 and the azimuth of the traveling direction acquired by the acquisition unit 101 in association with the traveling route 80 selected by the user.

[0177] Note that when the user performs the registration operation of the calling point 920, the vehicle 1 may be stopped or may be traveling.

[0178] Note that the method of registering the calling point 920 in this modification can also be adopted for the registration of the self-position estimation start point in the second embodiment.

[0179] (Modification 3) In each of the above-described embodiments, the parking support device 100 acquires the absolute position of the vehicle 1 based on the GPS signal. However, other technologies than GPS may be further used to specify the absolute position of the vehicle 1. For example, the parking support device 100 may acquire the absolute position of the vehicle 1 based on known map matching or the amount of movement of the vehicle 1 from a reference position based on the vehicle speed pulse. Specifically, a dead-reckoning (DR) technique using a wheel encoder, an inertial sensor, or the like may be adopted.

[0180] (Modification 4) In each of the above-described embodiments, the display device 120 and the operation unit are mounted on the vehicle 1, but they may be provided outside the vehicle 1. For example, the display device 120 and the operation unit may be a mobile terminal such as a tablet terminal or a smartphone that can communicate with the parking support device 100 wirelessly or by wire. Note that it is sufficient if the mobile terminal and the parking support device 100 of the vehicle 1 do not directly connect, and can indirectly transmit and receive data and control signals to and from the parking support device 100 via a server device or a cloud environment.

[0181] When the display device 120 and the operation unit are a tablet terminal or the like, the driver may use the tablet terminal or the like inside the vehicle 1, or may use the tablet terminal or the like in a state of getting out of the vehicle 1.

[0182] For example, in the above-described modification 3, the operation screen on which the user can specify the calling point 920 and the specified direction on the map may be displayed on the display of the mobile terminal. In this case, the reception unit 102 receives the calling point 920 and the specified direction input by the user from a mobile terminal that can communicate with the parking support device of the vehicle 1. For example, the user may use the mobile terminal inside the vehicle 1, or may use the mobile terminal outside the vehicle 1, for example, at home 70 or the like.

[0183] Alternatively, when the vehicle 1 includes a head-up display, the head-up display may be an example of the display unit. For example, an image may be projected on the front glass 180 of the vehicle 1 by a projection device (not shown) to form a head-up display capable of displaying an image.

[0184] (Modification 5) Also, a part of the functions of the parking support device 100 in each of the above-described embodiments and modifications may be executed by an information processing device provided outside the vehicle 1. The information processing device provided outside the vehicle 1 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a PC, a server device, or the like. Note that the information processing device may be provided on a cloud environment.

[0185] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, as well as in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0186] 1 Vehicle 12 Vehicle Body 15, 15f, 15r Transmitting / Receiving Unit 16, 16a~16d Imaging Device 21 Azimuth Sensor 22 GPS Device 23 GPS Antenna 40a~40c Road 61a, 61b Vehicle Image 62a, 62b First Frame 63a, 63b Second Frame 70 Home 80 Travel Route 80a First Travel Route 80b Second Travel Route 100 Parking Support Device 101 Acquisition Unit 102 Reception Unit 103 Travel History Recording Unit 104 Registration Processing Unit 105 Change Processing Unit 106 Determination Unit 107 Output Control Unit 108 Extraction Unit 109 Estimation Unit 110 Vehicle Control Unit 111 Route Recording Unit 112 Storage Unit 120 Display Device 141 Operation Button 600 Guidance Image 600a First Guidance Image 600b Second guide image 900 Starting position 900a First starting position 900b Second starting position 910 Parking space 920 Calling point 920a First calling point 920b Second calling point 930 Location 1201 Start button 1202 Cancel button

Claims

1. A parking assistance method in which a parking assistance device performs automatic driving of a vehicle based on a driving route generated by a driver's teaching drive, comprising: A first acquisition step of acquiring an absolute position of the vehicle and an azimuth of a traveling direction by the parking assistance device; A determination step of determining whether the vehicle is positioned at a specified position associated with the driving route and facing a specified azimuth based on the absolute position and the azimuth of the traveling direction; A first output step of outputting, by the parking assistance device, a notification prompting a user to perform an operation to start parking assistance when it is determined that the vehicle is positioned at the specified position and facing the specified azimuth; A parking assistance method including the above.

2. A first reception step of receiving, by the parking assistance device, an operation by a user to start parking assistance; A second acquisition step of acquiring, by the parking assistance device, an image obtained by imaging the periphery of the vehicle; An estimation step of estimating a self-position by the parking assistance device based on the image and a peripheral image captured during teaching driving or data generated from the peripheral image; A travel control step of moving the vehicle to a parking position by automatic driving based on the position of the vehicle estimated by the self-position estimation and the driving route by the parking assistance device; The parking assistance method according to claim 1, including the above.

3. In the determination step, the parking assistance device determines that the vehicle is positioned at the specified position and facing the specified azimuth when a difference between the acquired absolute position of the vehicle and the specified position is within a first specified range, and a difference between the acquired azimuth of the traveling direction of the vehicle and the specified azimuth is within a second specified range. The parking assistance method according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A first registration step in which the parking support device specifies the specified position and the specified orientation based on a plurality of past driving histories of the vehicle and registers them in association with the driving route. The parking support method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, including .

5. A second reception step in which the parking support device receives an operation by a user for correcting the specified position and the specified orientation, A change step in which the parking support device changes the registered specified position and the specified orientation based on the operation by the user for correcting the specified position and the specified orientation. The parking support method according to claim 4, including .

6. A third reception step in which the parking support device receives an input of the specified position and the specified orientation by the user, A second registration step in which the parking support device registers the specified position and the specified orientation input by the user in association with the driving route registered by the teaching driving. The parking support method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, including .

7. In the third reception step, the parking support device receives the specified position and the specified orientation input by the user from an input device provided near the driver's seat of the vehicle. The parking support method according to claim 6, including .

8. When the parking support device receives an instruction to register the specified position and the specified orientation by the user in the third reception step, the parking support device further includes a third acquisition step of acquiring the absolute position and the orientation of the traveling direction of the vehicle. In the second registration step, the parking support device registers the absolute position and the orientation of the traveling direction of the vehicle acquired in the third acquisition step as the specified position and the specified orientation in association with the driving route. The parking assistance method according to claim 6, including

9. In the third reception step, the parking assistance device receives the specified position and the specified orientation input by the user from a mobile terminal that can communicate directly or indirectly with the parking assistance device of the vehicle. The parking assistance method according to claim 6, including

10. When it is determined that the vehicle is positioned at the specified position facing the specified orientation, a fourth acquisition step of the parking assistance device acquiring an image of the surroundings of the vehicle, An estimation step in which the parking assistance device starts self-position estimation based on the image and the peripheral image captured during the teaching run or the data generated from the peripheral image. The parking assistance method according to claim 1, including

11. When it is determined that the vehicle is positioned at the specified position facing the specified orientation, a second output step in which the parking assistance device causes a display unit to display an image indicating the start position of the travel route. The parking assistance method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, including

12. A fourth reception step in which the parking assistance device receives an operation of a user designating home as a destination of the car navigation system, When an operation of a user designating home as a destination of the car navigation system is received, a third output step in which the parking assistance device causes a display unit to display an image indicating the start position of the travel route. The parking assistance method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, including

13. A parking assistance device that executes parking assistance for automatically driving a vehicle based on a travel route generated by a teaching run by a driver, An acquisition unit that acquires the absolute position and the azimuth of the traveling direction of the vehicle, A determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle is positioned facing a specified orientation at a specified position registered in association with the travel route based on the absolute position and the orientation of the traveling direction; An output control unit that outputs a notification prompting the user to perform an operation to start parking support when it is determined that the vehicle is positioned facing the specified orientation at the specified position; A parking support device comprising the above.

Images