Parking Support Device and Parking Support Method

Abstract

To provide a parking support device and a parking support method for improving user's convenience by improving a generation rate of a parking route.SOLUTION: A parking support device 100 includes a retreat position determination part 136 for changing a start position of a retreat route R1B to a stop position at which the travel of an own vehicle 1A stops when a notification that the travel of the own vehicle 1A stops in a forward advance route R1A is inputted, and specifying a retreat position for enabling the own vehicle 1A to retreat in the case that the own vehicle 1A moves along the retreat route R1B obtained by changing the start point to the stop position, a control information generation part 137 for generating control information for making the own vehicle 1A move from the stop position to the retreat position, and a route generation part 135 for generating a second parking route for moving the own vehicle 1A to a parking position on the basis of an ambient situation acquired by a situation acquisition part 132 when the own vehicle 1A moves to the retreat route.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] There is known a technique of stopping the running of a vehicle in the middle of a parking route and recalculating the parking route when an obstacle exists in the middle of the parking route. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a parking assistance device including a route re-setting unit that calculates a parking route from the stop position of the host vehicle to the parking space and re-sets it as a new parking route when an obstacle exists in the middle of the parking route.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when the vehicle stops running in the middle of the parking route, there are cases where the parking route cannot be generated depending on the stopped position.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a parking assistance device and a parking assistance method that improve the generation rate of the parking route and improve the convenience for the user.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above object, the parking assistance device of the present invention is connected to an external device, and includes an input / output interface for acquiring information from the external device or outputting information to the external device, a situation acquisition unit for acquiring the surrounding situation of the vehicle and the position information of the vehicle via the input / output interface, a parking position determination unit for determining a parking position where the vehicle parks based on the acquired surrounding situation of the vehicle, a route generation unit for generating a first parking route including a forward route and a backward route, and for the vehicle to move to the parking position determined by the parking position determination unit, a control information generation unit for generating control information for the vehicle to travel corresponding to the first parking route and outputting the generated control information to the input / output interface, and when a notification that the vehicle has stopped traveling is input via the input / output interface in the forward route, the starting point of the backward route is changed to the stop position where the vehicle has stopped traveling, and when the vehicle moves along the backward route with the starting point of the backward route changed to the stop position, a backward position determination unit for determining a backward position where the vehicle can move backward. The control information generation unit generates control information for the vehicle to move from the stop position to the backward position, and when the vehicle moves to the backward position, the route generation unit executes generation of a second parking route for moving the vehicle to the parking position based on the surrounding situation acquired by the situation acquisition unit. Position When the vehicle moves to the backward position, the route generation unit executes generation of a second parking route for moving the vehicle to the parking position based on the surrounding situation acquired by the situation acquisition unit.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, the generation rate of the parking route can be improved, and the convenience for the user can be improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the in-vehicle device 3. Hereinafter, the vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device 3 is denoted as the host vehicle 1A. The in-vehicle device 3 includes a position detection unit 10, a detection device 20, a display unit 50, a vehicle control unit 70, a drive device 80, and a parking support device 100.

[0010] The position detection unit 10 detects the position of the host vehicle 1A. The position detection unit 10 includes a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver and a processor (both not shown). The GNSS receiver receives signals transmitted from satellites. The processor calculates the latitude and longitude, which are the position information of the host vehicle 1A, and the azimuth of the host vehicle 1A based on the difference in the calculated position information from the signals received by the GNSS receiver. The position detection unit 10 outputs the position information and azimuth information of the host vehicle 1A obtained by the calculation to the parking support device 100.

[0011] The detection device 20 includes a plurality of sensors. The detection device 20 of the present embodiment includes a photographing unit 30 having a plurality of cameras and a sonar unit 40 as sensors. In this embodiment, a case where the detection device 20 includes a camera and a sonar will be described. However, the sensors of the detection device 20 are not limited to a camera and a sonar. For example, a radar or a lidar (LiDAR: Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) capable of measuring the distance to an object using radio waves, light, or the like may be mounted on the detection device 20. The detection device 20 outputs the captured image of the imaging unit 30 and the sensor data of the sonar unit 40 to the parking support device 100 as surrounding information indicating the surrounding situation.

[0012] The imaging unit 30 includes a front camera 31 that captures the front of the host vehicle 1A, a rear camera 32 that captures the rear of the host vehicle 1A, a left side camera 33 that captures the left side of the host vehicle 1A, and a right side camera 34 that captures the right side of the host vehicle 1A. These cameras each include an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor), and a data processing circuit that generates an image from the light reception state of the image sensor. The imaging unit 30 has an angle of view adjusted so that a range of 360° can be captured centering on the host vehicle 1A by four cameras. The front camera 31, the rear camera 32, the left side camera 33, and the right side camera 34 capture their respective imaging ranges at a predetermined frame rate to generate a captured image. The front camera 31, the rear camera 32, the left side camera 33, and the right side camera 34 output the generated captured image to the parking support device 100.

[0013] The sonar unit 40 is mounted at a plurality of locations such as the front, rear, left side, and right side of the host vehicle 1A, and detects an object existing around the host vehicle 1A using ultrasonic waves. Specifically, the sonar unit 40 detects the position of the object and the distance to the object.

[0014] The display unit 50 includes a display panel 51 and a touch sensor 53. For the display panel 51, for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like is used. As the touch sensor 53, a generally known sensor such as a resistive film type or a capacitance type is used. The touch sensor 53 detects a touch operation performed on the display panel 51 and generates a position signal indicating the operation position of the detected touch operation. The touch sensor 53 outputs operation information including the generated position signal to the parking support device 100.

[0015] The vehicle control unit 70 is a computer device such as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit), for example, and is a unit that controls a drive device 80 mounted on the host vehicle 1A. The drive device 80 includes a steering device 81, a power device 83, a braking device 85, and a transmission device 87. The vehicle control unit 70 is connected to the steering device 81, the power device 83, the braking device 85, the transmission device 87, and the parking support device 100 via a communication bus 5 conforming to a standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark), CAN (Controller Area Network), or LIN (Local Interconnect Network). The vehicle control unit 70 controls the steering device 81, the power device 83, the braking device 85, and the transmission device 87 according to the control information input from the parking support device 100.

[0016] The steering device 81 is a device including an actuator that steers the steering wheel of the host vehicle 1A. The power device 83 is a device including an actuator that adjusts the driving force of the drive wheels of the host vehicle 1A. When the power source of the host vehicle 1A is an engine, the actuator corresponds to a throttle actuator, and when the power source is a motor, the motor corresponds to the actuator. The braking device 85 is a device including an actuator that controls the braking system provided in the host vehicle 1A and controls the braking force applied to the wheels of the host vehicle 1A based on information from the parking support device 100. The transmission device 87 is a device including a transmission and an actuator. The transmission device 87 drives the actuator to control the shift position of the transmission, and switches the gear ratio of the transmission and the forward and reverse of the host vehicle 1A.

[0017] When the vehicle control unit 70 stops the running of the host vehicle 1A in the middle of the parking route, it outputs a stop notification to the parking support device 100. When the vehicle control unit 70 stops the running of the host vehicle 1A by the driver's operation, the running of the host vehicle 1A stops. Further, the vehicle control unit 70 determines whether there is an obstacle in the traveling path of the host vehicle 1A based on the sensor data input from the detection device 20 and the captured image. When the vehicle control unit 70 determines that there is an obstacle in the traveling path of the host vehicle 1A, it controls the braking device 85 to stop the running of the host vehicle 1A. In addition, when the control of the drive device 80 according to the control information input from the parking support device 100 is completed, the vehicle control unit 70 outputs a completion notification to the parking support device 100.

[0018] The parking support device 100 is a computer device including an input / output interface 110, a memory 120, and a processor 130. In addition to these devices, the parking support device 100 may have a configuration including a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive). Hereinafter, the interface is abbreviated as I / F.

[0019] The input / output I / F 110 is connected to the communication bus 5, acquires information from an external device or outputs information to an external device by performing data communication with the external device connected to the communication bus 5. The external devices include the position detection unit 10, the detection device 20, the display unit 50, and the vehicle control unit 70.

[0020] The memory 120 is composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. Also, the memory 120 may be composed of a non-volatile semiconductor memory such as a flash memory. The memory 120 stores a computer program executed by the processor 130, data processed when the processor 130 executes the computer program, and data of processing results. Also, the memory 120 stores a captured image captured by the imaging unit 30 and sensor data output from the sonar unit 40. The processor 130 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Microprocessor Unit), etc.

[0021] The parking support device 100 includes, as a functional configuration, a position acquisition unit 131, a situation acquisition unit 132, a surrounding map generation unit 133, a parking position determination unit 134, a route generation unit 135, a reverse position determination unit 136, and a control information generation unit 137. These functional configurations are functions realized by the processor 130 executing a computer program to perform calculations.

[0022] Position information and orientation information of the host vehicle 1A calculated by the position detection unit 10 are input to the position acquisition unit 131. The position acquisition unit 131 corrects the position information and orientation information input from the position detection unit 10 using a well-known dead reckoning method. The position acquisition unit 131 outputs the corrected position information and orientation information to the surrounding map generation unit 133 and the route generation unit 135.

[0023] The situation acquisition unit 132 causes the imaging unit 30 to perform imaging, and acquires the captured image generated by the imaging unit 30 as surrounding information via the input / output I / F 110. The situation acquisition unit 132 temporarily stores the captured image acquired from the imaging unit 30 in the memory 120. Further, the situation acquisition unit 132 causes the sonar unit 40 to perform sensing, and acquires sensor data, which is the detection result of the sonar unit 40, as surrounding information via the input / output I / F 110. The situation acquisition unit 132 temporarily stores the sensor data acquired from the sonar unit 40 in the memory 120.

[0024] The surrounding map generation unit 133 generates a surrounding map showing the situation around the host vehicle 1A based on the position information and orientation information input from the position acquisition unit 131, and the captured image and sensor data stored in the memory 120. In the surrounding map, the positions of objects existing around the host vehicle 1A, the distances to the objects, the positions of parking frames such as white lines painted on the road surface of the parking lot, etc. are recorded. The objects recorded in the surrounding map include, for example, other vehicles 1B parked in the parking frame, structures such as pillars in the parking lot, etc. Since the parking frame is painted on the road surface with a predetermined thickness, an interval corresponding to the thickness of the white line is detected as a periodic feature.

[0025] The parking position determination unit 134 refers to the surrounding map generated by the surrounding map generation unit 133, and determines the parking frame in which the host vehicle 1A parks as the parking position P. For example, the parking position determination unit 134 selects a parking frame in which no obstacle is detected and the distance from the host vehicle 1A is equal to or less than a preset distance from among the parking frames recorded in the surrounding map. The parking position determination unit 134 determines the parking position P by setting the position and angle at which the host vehicle 1A parks within the selected parking frame.

[0026] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the first parking route R1. The route generation unit 135 executes a route generation process to generate a first parking route R1, which is the route for the host vehicle 1A to park at the parking position P. Known means are used for the route generation process. The first parking route R1 generated by the route generation unit 135 is the route to the parking position P determined by the parking position determination unit 134, and as shown in FIG. 2, includes a forward route R1A, an intermediate position S2, and a reverse route R1B. The forward path R1A is the path along which the host vehicle 1A moves forward and includes at least one of a forward straight path and a forward turning path. The forward straight path is the path along which the host vehicle 1A moves straight forward. The forward turning path is the path along which the host vehicle 1A moves forward while turning. The reverse path R1B is the path along which the host vehicle 1A moves backward and includes at least one of a reverse straight path and a reverse turning path. The reverse straight path is the path along which the host vehicle 1A moves straight backward. The reverse turning path is the path along which the host vehicle 1A moves backward while turning. The intermediate position S2 is the position at which the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1A is switched from forward to reverse, and is the position at which the running of the host vehicle 1A is once stopped and a shift operation is performed to change the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1A from forward to reverse. Also, the position S1 shown in FIG. 2 is the position at which the parking support device 100 generates the first parking path R1 and starts the automatic driving along the first parking path R1. Hereinafter, the position S1 is referred to as the initial position S1.

[0027] The reverse position determination unit 136 determines the reverse position. The reverse position is the position at which the path generation unit 135 executes the path generation process and the second parking path R2 is generated. The second parking path R2 is a parking path that is generated again when the host vehicle 1A acquires information that the running has stopped in the middle of the first parking path R1 via the input / output I / F 110. The reverse position determination unit 136 determines the reverse position when the following conditions A to C are satisfied. Condition A: While the host vehicle 1A is running along the first parking path R1, an obstacle is detected based on the operation of the driver or the detection result of the detection device 20, and the host vehicle 1A has stopped in the middle of the first parking path R1. Condition B: The stop position S3 (see FIG. 4) at which the host vehicle 1A has stopped is the forward path R1A or the intermediate position S2. Condition C: Although a new parking path, the second parking path R2, is searched for at the stop position S3, the second parking path R2 cannot be searched for.

[0028] When the host vehicle 1A stops in the middle of the forward path R1A, the second parking path R2 may not be generated depending on the stop position S3. First, when the host vehicle 1A stops in the middle of the forward path R1A, it is not possible to generate, as the second parking path R2, a path for the host vehicle 1A to move forward. This is because the driver has determined that there is an obstacle in front of the host vehicle 1A, or the detection device 20 has determined that there is an obstacle in front of the host vehicle 1A.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a path not adopted as the second parking path. Also, assume that another vehicle 1B is parked in a parking space adjacent to the parking position P and there is a passenger in the other vehicle 1B. FIG. 3 shows a case where the other vehicle 1B is parked on the right side of the parking position P in a top view. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, if a path is generated to bring the rear of the vehicle 1A closer to the front of the other vehicle 1B, there is a concern that the host vehicle 1A may not recognize the other vehicle 1B and may collide with the other vehicle B, which may cause the passenger in the other vehicle 1B to have doubts. For this reason, it is not possible to generate the second parking path R2 that brings the rear of the host vehicle 1A closer to the front of the other vehicle 1B.

[0030] Also, as shown in FIG. 2, when the forward path R1A is a path for the host vehicle 1A to make a forward turn, the stop position S3 may be farther from the parking position P than the initial position S1. In this case, the sensor data of the sonar unit 40 detected at the stop position S3 may have a lower detection accuracy than the sensor data detected at the initial position S1. This is because the sonar unit 40 has a higher detection accuracy for the parking position P and the surrounding obstacles as the distance to the target parking position P is closer. When the host vehicle 1A is farther from the initial position S1, the detection accuracy of the sonar unit 40 decreases, and there may be a case where the parking path cannot be generated.

[0031] When the above conditions A to C are satisfied, the reverse position determination unit 136 determines the reverse position at which the path generation unit 135 executes the path generation process. The reverse position determination unit 136 determines the reverse position using the reverse path R1B included in the first parking path R1. By using the reverse path R1B to determine the reverse position, the labor of calculating a new path can be saved, and the time required until parking is completed can be shortened. Also, by moving the host vehicle 1A near the parking position P using the reverse path R1B, the detection accuracy of the sonar unit 40 can be improved. In particular, the detection accuracy of an obstacle detected based on the sensor data of the sonar unit 40 is higher at the rear of the host vehicle 1A than on the side of the host vehicle 1A. This is the case due to such a design from the viewpoint of the safety of the rear of the host vehicle 1A. For this reason, by moving the host vehicle 1A so that the rear of the host vehicle 1A faces the parking position P using the reverse path R1B, the detection accuracy of an obstacle can be improved.

[0032] First, the reverse position determination unit 136 sets the reverse path R1B in the surrounding map. The reverse position determination unit 136 changes the start point of the reverse path R1B from the intermediate position S2 to the stop position S3. As the surrounding map, the one generated at the initial position S1 may be used, or the surrounding information may be acquired again at the stop position S3 and generated.

[0033] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a plurality of division points Q set on the reverse path R1B. When the reverse position determination unit 136 sets the reverse path R1B in the surrounding map with the stop position S3 as the start point, the reverse position determination unit 136 sets a plurality of division points Q on the reverse path R1B. For example, the reverse position determination unit 136 sets the division point Q at a preset interval of the reverse path R1B. Also, when the reverse path R1B includes a straight path and a turning path, the reverse position determination unit 136 sets the division point Q at the interval set for the straight path for the straight path, and sets the division point Q at the interval set for the turning path for the turning path. FIG. 4 shows a state where seven division points Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6, and Q7 are set on the reverse path R1B.

[0034] When the reverse position determination unit 136 sets the division point Q, it selects the division points Q in ascending order of the distance from the stop position S3, which is the current position of the host vehicle 1A, as the processing targets. When the host vehicle 1A moves to the selected division point Q, it determines whether the distance from the obstacles existing around the host vehicle 1A is equal to or less than a preset set distance. That is, the reverse position determination unit 136 determines whether the position of the host vehicle 1A on the surrounding map moves to the position of the selected division point Q and whether the distance between the moved host vehicle 1A and the obstacle is equal to or less than the set distance. This set distance may be 0 cm, that is, the distance at which the host vehicle 1A contacts or collides with the obstacle.

[0035] When the reverse position determination unit 136 determines that the distance from an obstacle becomes equal to or less than the set distance at any of the multiple set division points Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6, and Q7, it sets the division point Q immediately before the division point Q for which this determination was made as the reverse position. The division point immediately before is the division point Q adjacent to the division point Q to be processed and closer to the stop position S3 than the division point Q to be processed. Also, when the reverse position determination unit 136 determines that the distance from an obstacle does not become equal to or less than the set distance at any of the multiple set division points Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6, and Q7, it sets the position at the end of the reverse path R1B, that is, the position of Q7, as the reverse position.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state where the host vehicle 1A that has moved to the division point Q3 has collided with an obstacle. Also, FIG. 6 shows a state where the division point Q2, which is the division point immediately before the division point Q3 where the distance from the obstacle becomes equal to or less than the set distance, is set as the reverse position. When the reverse position determination unit 136 determines the reverse position, it generates a movement path for the host vehicle 1A to move from the stop position S3 to the division point Q2, which is the reverse position, and outputs the information of the generated movement path to the control information generation unit 137. At least a part of the reverse path R1B is used for this movement path. In this specification, the path for the host vehicle 1A to move to the parking position P is referred to as the parking path, and the path for the host vehicle 1A to move to a position other than the parking position P is referred to as the movement path.

[0037] The control information generation unit 137 receives information on the parking route and the moving route. The information on the parking route includes the information on the first parking route R1 described above and the information on the second parking route R2 described later. The control information generation unit 137 generates control information for the vehicle control unit 70 to execute based on the input information on the first parking route R1 or the moving route. When the information on the first parking route R1 is input from the route generation unit 135, the control information generation unit 137 generates control information for the host vehicle 1A to travel along the first parking route, and outputs the generated control information to the input / output I / F 110. The control information is information for the vehicle control unit 70 to control the steering device 81, the power device 83, the braking device 85, and the transmission device 87. Also, when the information on the moving route is input from the reverse position determination unit 136, the control information generation unit 137 generates control information for the host vehicle 1A to travel along the moving route, and outputs the generated control information to the input / output I / F 110. The control information generation unit 137 outputs the generated control information to the vehicle control unit 70 via the input / output I / F 110.

[0038] When the vehicle control unit 70 controls the drive device 80 with the control information corresponding to the moving route, the host vehicle 1A moves from the stop position S3 to the reverse position. When the control of the drive device 80 according to the control information is completed, the vehicle control unit 70 outputs a control completion notification to the parking support device 100.

[0039] When the completion notification is input from the vehicle control unit 70, the route generation unit 135 determines whether or not the host vehicle 1A has arrived at the reverse position based on the position information and the azimuth information input from the position detection unit 10. When the route generation unit 135 determines that the host vehicle 1A has arrived at the reverse position, the route generation unit 135 executes a route generation process based on the surrounding map newly generated by the surrounding map generation unit 133, and generates a second parking route R2. When the route generation unit 135 can generate the second parking route R2 through the route generation process, it outputs the information of the generated second parking route R2 to the control information generation unit 137. When the route generation unit 135 cannot generate the second parking route R2 even after executing the route generation process, it causes the display unit 50 to display that the parking route cannot be generated.

[0040] FIGS. 7 and 8 are flowcharts showing the operations of the parking support device 100. The operations of the parking support device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. First, the parking support device 100 determines whether it has received a start operation for parking support by a touch operation on the display unit 50 (step S1). When the parking support device 100 has not received the start operation for parking support (step S1 / NO), it waits for the start of the next process until it receives the start operation.

[0041] When the parking support device 100 has received the start operation for parking support by a touch operation on the display unit 50 (step S1 / YES), it acquires surrounding information, which is information around the host vehicle 1A, from the detection device 20 (step S2). Step S2 corresponds to an acquisition step. The parking support device 100 detects a parking frame in which the host vehicle 1A can be parked based on the acquired surrounding information (step S3).

[0042] The parking support device 100 sets the angle and position when the host vehicle 1A parks within the detected parking frame, and determines the parking position P where the host vehicle 1A parks (step S4). Step S4 corresponds to a determination step. The parking support device 100 generates a first parking route R1 for the host vehicle 1A to move from the initial position S1 where the host vehicle 1A is located to the set parking position P (step S5). Step S5 corresponds to a route generation step.

[0043] Next, the parking support device 100 generates control information corresponding to the generated first parking route R1, and outputs the generated control information to the vehicle control unit 70 (step S6). Step S6 corresponds to a control information generation step and an output step.

[0044] Next, the parking support device 100 determines whether a stop notification notifying that the travel of the host vehicle 1A has stopped during the first parking route R1 has been input from the vehicle control unit 70 (step S7). When no stop notification is input (step S7 / NO), the parking support device 100 determines whether parking at the parking position P has been completed (step S8). The parking support device 100 determines whether parking at the parking position P has been completed based on the completion notification input from the vehicle control unit 70 when parking at the parking position P is completed, the position information and the azimuth information input from the position acquisition unit 131. The parking support device 100 determines that parking is completed when a completion notification is input from the vehicle control unit 70 and the position information input from the position acquisition unit 131 is the parking position P.

[0045] When parking at the parking position P is completed (step S8 / YES), the parking support device 100 ends this processing flow. If parking at the parking position P has not been completed (step S8 / NO), the parking support device 100 returns to the determination in step S7 and determines whether a stop notification has been input from the vehicle control unit 70 (step S7).

[0046] When a stop notification is input from the vehicle control unit 70 (step S7 / YES), the parking support device 100 determines whether the host vehicle 1A has passed through the intermediate position S2 (step S9). When the host vehicle 1A has passed through the intermediate position S2 and stopped (step S9 / YES), the parking support device 100 executes a route generation process to generate a second parking route R2 (step S16), and determines whether the second parking route R2 has been generated (step S17).

[0047] When the parking support device 100 cannot generate the second parking route R2 (step S17 / NO), it causes the display unit 50 to display that the second parking route R2 cannot be generated. Also, when the parking support device 100 can generate the second parking route R2 (step S17 / YES), it generates control information corresponding to the generated second parking route R2 and outputs the generated control information to the vehicle control unit 70 (step S18). Then, the parking support device 100 proceeds to the determination in step S7.

[0048] Also, when the parking support device 100 determines that the host vehicle 1A has not passed through the intermediate position S2 (step S9 / NO), it executes route generation processing to generate the second parking route R2 (step S10), and determines whether the second parking route R2 can be generated (step S11). When the parking support device 100 can generate the second parking route R2 (step S11 / YES), it generates control information corresponding to the generated second parking route R2 and outputs the generated control information to the vehicle control unit 70 (step S18). Then, the parking support device 100 proceeds to the determination in step S7.

[0049] Also, when the parking support device 100 cannot generate the second parking route R2 (step S11 / NO), it executes reverse position determination processing (step S12). Details of step S12 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 8. Step S12 corresponds to a specific step. When the parking support device 100 determines the reverse position by the reverse position determination processing, it generates a movement route for the host vehicle 1A to move to the determined reverse position (step S13). At least a part of the reverse route R1B is used for this movement route. Then, the parking support device 100 generates control information corresponding to the generated movement route and outputs the generated control information to the vehicle control unit 70 (step S14). Step S14 corresponds to a control information generation step.

[0050] Next, the parking support device 100 determines whether the movement of the host vehicle 1A to the determined reverse position has been completed (step S15). The parking support device 100 determines that the movement to the reverse position has been completed when a completion notification of completion of movement is input from the vehicle control unit 70 and the position indicated by the position information input from the position acquisition unit 131 is the reverse position. When the movement of the host vehicle 1A to the reverse position has not been completed (step S15 / NO), the parking support device 100 does not move to the next step until it determines that the movement of the host vehicle 1A has been completed.

[0051] When the movement to the reverse position is completed (step S15 / YES), the parking support device 100 acquires the surrounding information again at the moved reverse position, and executes a path generation process to generate a second parking path R2 based on the acquired surrounding information (step S16). Step S16 corresponds to a path generation step. Then, the parking support device 100 determines whether the second parking path R2 has been generated (step S17). When the second parking path R2 cannot be generated (step S17 / NO), the parking support device 100 causes the display unit 50 to display that the second parking path R2 cannot be generated (step S19). When the second parking path R2 can be generated (step S17 / YES), the parking support device 100 generates control information corresponding to the generated second parking path R2, and outputs the generated control information to the vehicle control unit 70 (step S18). Thereafter, the parking support device 100 proceeds to the determination in step S7.

[0052] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing details of step S12. First, the parking support device 100 sets a reverse path R1B on the surrounding map (step S121). At this time, the parking support device 100 changes the start point of the reverse path R1B from the intermediate position S2 to the stop position S3. Next, the parking support device 100 sets a plurality of division points Q on the reverse path R1B set on the surrounding map (step S122).

[0053] Next, the parking support device 100 selects one of the set division points Q as the processing target (step S123). The parking support device 100 selects the division points Q as the processing target in the order of increasing distance from the stop position S3. When the parking support device 100 selects a division point Q, it determines whether the distance between the host vehicle 1A and an obstacle becomes equal to or less than a preset set distance when the host vehicle 1A moves to the position of the selected division point Q (step S124).

[0054] When the distance between the host vehicle 1A and the obstacle does not become equal to or less than the set distance (step S124 / NO), the parking support device 100 determines whether all the division points Q set on the reverse path R1B have been selected as the processing target (step S126). When the parking support device 100 determines that all the division points Q have been selected as the processing target (step S126 / YES), it determines the end position of the reverse path R1B set in the surrounding map as the reverse position (step S127).

[0055] Also, when not all the division points Q have been selected as the processing target (step S126 / NO), the parking support device 100 selects the next division point Q to be selected as the processing target (step S123). The parking support device 100 selects a division point Q adjacent to the selected division point Q and having a distance from the stop position S3 that is next farthest from the selected division point Q. When the parking support device 100 selects a division point Q, it determines whether the distance between the host vehicle 1A and an obstacle becomes equal to or less than a preset set distance when the host vehicle 1A moves to the position of the selected division point Q (step S124).

[0056] Also, when the parking support device 100 determines that the distance between the division point Q being processed and the obstacle is equal to or less than the set distance (step S124 / YES), it sets, as the reverse position, a division point Q adjacent to this division point Q being processed and having a distance from the stop position S3 that is one closer than the division point Q being processed (step S125).

[0057] As described above, the parking support device 100 of the present embodiment includes an input / output I / F 110, a situation acquisition unit 132, a parking position determination unit 134, a route generation unit 135, a control information generation unit 137, and a reverse position determination unit 136. The input / output I / F 110 is connected to a position detection unit 10, a detection device 20, and a vehicle control unit 70, which are external devices. The input / output I / F 110 acquires information from these external devices or outputs information to the external devices. The situation acquisition unit 132 acquires the surrounding situation of the host vehicle 1A and the position information of the host vehicle 1A via the input / output I / F 110. The parking position determination unit 134 determines a parking position P at which the host vehicle 1A parks based on the acquired surrounding situation of the host vehicle 1A. The route generation unit 135 generates a first parking route R1 that includes a forward route R1A and a reverse route R1B and along which the host vehicle 1A moves to the parking position P determined by the parking position determination unit 134. The control information generation unit 137 generates control information for the host vehicle 1A to travel along the first parking route R1 and outputs the generated control information to the input / output I / F 110. When a notification that the travel of the host vehicle 1A has stopped is input via the input / output I / F 110 in the forward route R1A, the reverse position determination unit 136 changes the start point of the reverse route R1B to the stop position S3 where the travel of the host vehicle 1A has stopped, and determines a reverse position at which the host vehicle 1A can reverse when the host vehicle 1A moves along the reverse route R1B with the start point changed to the stop position S3. The control information generation unit 137 generates control information for moving the host vehicle 1A from the stop position S3 to the reverse position. When the host vehicle 1A moves to the reverse route R1B, the route generation unit 135 executes generation of a second parking route R2 along which the host vehicle 1A moves to the parking position P based on the surrounding situation acquired by the situation acquisition unit 132.

[0058] Therefore, when the second parking route R2 cannot be generated at the stop position S3, the host vehicle 1A moves to the reverse position and the generation of the second parking route R2 is executed, so that the generation rate of the second parking route R2 can be increased. In addition, by using at least a part of the reverse path R1B that has been generated as the first parking path R1 on the path along which the host vehicle 1A moves, the time required for the movement of the host vehicle 1A can be shortened without performing arithmetic processing such as path calculation.

[0059] The reverse position determination unit 136 sets a plurality of division points Q at predetermined intervals on the reverse path R1B with the starting point changed to the stop position S3, and determines whether or not the host vehicle 1A collides with an obstacle when the host vehicle 1A moves to the set division point Q. When a division point Q determined to collide with an obstacle is detected, the reverse position determination unit 136 specifies, as the reverse position, a division point Q that is adjacent to the detected division point Q and is set at a position closer to the stop position S3 than the detected division point Q.

[0060] The sensor data of the sonar unit 40 acquired by the situation acquisition unit 132 as the surrounding situation of the host vehicle 1A can have higher detection accuracy when approaching as close as possible to the parking position P. Therefore, by approaching the rear of the host vehicle 1A to the parking position P without the host vehicle 1A contacting an obstacle, information on the parking position and its surroundings can be detected with high accuracy, and the generation rate of the second parking path R2 can be increased. In addition, the sonar unit 40 has higher detection accuracy for the sonar provided at the rear of the host vehicle 1A than for the sonar provided on the side of the host vehicle 1A. Therefore, by approaching the rear of the host vehicle 1A to the parking position P, information on the parking position and its surroundings can be detected with higher accuracy.

[0061] When a division point Q determined to collide with an obstacle is not detected, the reverse position determination unit 136 determines the end position of the reverse path R1B as the reverse position. By approaching the rear of the host vehicle 1A to the parking position P without the host vehicle 1A contacting an obstacle, information on the parking position and its surroundings can be detected with high accuracy, and the generation rate of the second parking path R2 can be increased.

[0062] The path generation unit 135 generates the second parking path R2 at the stop position S3. When the path generation unit 135 inputs a notification that it cannot generate the second parking path R2 at the stop position S3, the reverse position determination unit 136 starts determining the reverse position. Therefore, when the second parking path R2 cannot be generated at the stop position S3, the reverse position where the host vehicle 1A reverses can be determined.

[0063] The above-described embodiments merely illustrate one aspect of the present invention, and can be arbitrarily modified and applied without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, when the second parking path R2 cannot be generated at the stop position S3, the reverse position determination unit 136 determines the stop position S3, and the host vehicle 1A moves to the determined stop position S3. When the host vehicle 1A stops during the forward path R1A, the parking support device 100 may determine the stop position S3 without executing the generation of the second parking path R2 at the stop position S3, move the host vehicle 1A to the determined stop position S3, and then generate the second parking path R2. Since the reverse position can bring the rear of the host vehicle 1A closer to the parking position P than the stop position S3, high-precision data on obstacle detection by the sonar unit 40 can be obtained. For this reason, the generation rate of the second parking path R2 can be increased, and the parking accuracy when parking at the parking position P can be increased.

[0064] In addition, the block diagram showing the configuration of the parking support device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram in which components are classified according to their main processing contents for easy understanding of the present invention, and the components can be further classified into more components according to their processing contents. Also, one component can be classified so as to execute more processes.

[0065] Further, in FIG. 1, the parking support device 100 may be configured to integrally include at least one of the position detection unit 10 and the detection device 20.

[0066] In addition, when implementing the parking assistance method of the present invention using a computer, it is also possible to configure it in the form of a recording medium for recording a program to be executed by this computer or a transmission medium for transmitting this program. As the recording medium, a magnetic or optical recording medium or a semiconductor memory device can be used. Specifically, portable or fixed recording media such as flexible disks, HDDs (Hard Disk Drives), CD-ROMs (Compact Disk Read Only Memories), DVDs, Blu-ray (registered trademark) Discs, magneto-optical disks, flash memories, and card-type recording media can be mentioned. Further, the above recording medium may be a non-volatile storage device such as a ROM or HDD provided in the parking assistance device 100.

[0067] In addition, the processing units in the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 are divided according to the main processing contents in order to facilitate understanding of the processing of the parking assistance device 100, and the present invention is not limited by the method of dividing the processing units or their names. The processing of the parking assistance device 100 may be further divided into more processing units according to the processing contents. Also, the processing of the parking assistance device 100 may be divided such that one processing unit includes even more processing.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0068] 1A Vehicle 3 Vehicle-mounted device 5 Communication bus 10 Position detection unit 20 Detection device 30 Imaging unit 31 Front camera 32 Rear camera 33 Left side camera 34 Right side camera 40 Sonar unit 50 Display unit 51 Display panel 53 Touch sensor 70 Vehicle control unit 80 Driving device 81 Steering device 83 Power device 85 Brake device 87 Transmission 100 Parking support device 110 Input / output I / F 120 Memory 130 Processor 131 Position acquisition unit 132 Situation acquisition unit 133 Peripheral map generation unit 134 Parking position determination unit 135 Route generation unit 136 Position determination unit 137 Control information generation unit P Parking position Q Split point S1 Initial position S2 Intermediate position S3 Stop position

Claims

1. An input / output interface connected to an external device for acquiring information from or outputting information to the external device; A situation acquisition unit that acquires the surrounding situation of the vehicle and the position information of the vehicle via the input / output interface; A parking position determination unit that determines a parking position where the vehicle parks based on the acquired surrounding situation of the vehicle; A path generation unit that includes a forward path and a backward path and generates a first parking path for the vehicle to move to the parking position determined by the parking position determination unit; A control information generation unit that generates control information for the vehicle to travel corresponding to the first parking path and outputs the generated control information to the input / output interface; When a notification that the vehicle has stopped traveling is input via the input / output interface in the forward path, the starting point of the backward path is changed to the stop position where the vehicle has stopped traveling, and when the vehicle is moved along the backward path with the starting point of the backward path changed to the stop position, a backward position determination unit that determines a backward position where the vehicle can move backward; and The control information generation unit generates control information for the vehicle to move from the stop position to the backward position; The path generation unit, when the vehicle moves to the backward position, executes generation of a second parking path for moving the vehicle to the parking position based on the surrounding situation acquired by the situation acquisition unit. A parking assistance device characterized by the above.

2. The backward position determination unit sets a plurality of division points at predetermined intervals on the backward path with the starting point changed to the stop position, and determines whether the vehicle collides with an obstacle when the vehicle moves to the set division points; When a division point determined to collide with an obstacle is detected, a division point adjacent to the detected division point and set at a position closer to the stop position than the detected division point is determined as the backward position. The parking assistance device according to Claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. When a split point determined to collide with the obstacle is not detected, the backward position determination unit determines the end position of the backward path obtained by changing the starting point to the stop position as the backward position. The parking support device according to claim 2, characterized in that.

4. The path generation unit generates the second parking path at the stop position. When the backward position determination unit inputs a notification that the path generation unit cannot generate the second parking path at the stop position, the backward position determination unit starts determining the backward position. The parking support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that.

5. An acquisition step of acquiring the surrounding situation of the vehicle and the position information of the vehicle. A determination step of determining a parking position for parking the vehicle based on the acquired surrounding situation of the vehicle. A path generation step of generating a first parking path including a forward path and a backward path, and moving the vehicle to the parking position determined in the determination step. A control information generation step of generating control information for the vehicle to travel corresponding to the first parking path. An output step of outputting the generated control information. In the forward path, when a notification that the vehicle has stopped is input, the starting point of the backward path is changed to the stop position where the vehicle has stopped, and when the vehicle is moved along the backward path with the starting point changed to the stop position, a specific step of specifying a backward position where the vehicle can be moved backward. The control information generation step generates control information for moving the vehicle from the stop position to the backward position. When the vehicle moves to the backward position, the path generation step executes generation of a second parking path for moving the vehicle to the parking position based on the surrounding situation acquired in the acquisition step. A parking support method, characterized in that.

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