Driving assistance device, update control method for driving assistance device, and update control program for driving assistance device

Abstract

To provide an operation assistance device, an update control method of the same, and an update control program of the same which can stop an own vehicle for each parking place at a desired position.SOLUTION: A control device 30 operates an automatic brake using a detection result of a detector 20 so that an own vehicle stops when a distance between the own vehicle and a target at a depth side of a parking space in a parking place becomes a target value specified corresponding to the parking place. The control device 30 associates, when the own vehicle is stopped and parked by brake operation of an operator, the parking place with the distance between the own vehicle and the target at the depth side of the parking space using the detection result of the detector 20 to store the parking place with the distance as detection values into a storage 30D. The control device 30 updates the target value to optimize the target value on the basis of the detection value stored in the storage 30D.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving assistance device, an update control method for a driving assistance device, and an update control program for a driving assistance device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 below discloses a technology related to vehicle driving assistance. Briefly, this prior art is characterized by learning the timing at which the driver of the vehicle stops operating the accelerator pedal as the vehicle's braking timing during manual driving, and then operating the brakes during autonomous driving so that the timing at which the driver feels the brake operation is earlier than the learned braking timing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6838657 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with the above-described prior art, it is not possible to stop the vehicle at a desired position for each parking location, such as a home parking lot, a workplace parking lot, etc.

[0005] Taking the above facts into consideration, the present invention aims to provide a driving assistance device that can stop a vehicle at a desired position for each parking space, an update control method for a driving assistance device, and an update control program for a driving assistance device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The driving assistance device of the present invention described in claim 1 includes a detection unit that detects the position and surrounding conditions of the host vehicle; a memory unit that stores a target value and a detected value for the distance between the parked host vehicle and a target object at the back of the parking space, in association with the parking location; an automatic brake control unit that uses the detection result by the detection unit to activate an automatic brake so that the host vehicle stops when the distance between the host vehicle and the target object at the back of the parking space in the parking location reaches the target value set in association with the parking location; a memory control unit that uses the detection result by the detection unit to store the parking location and the distance between the host vehicle and the target object at the back of the parking space in association with the detected value in the memory unit when the host vehicle is stopped and parked by a brake operation by the driver; and an update unit that updates the target value so that the target value is optimized based on the detected value stored in the memory unit. The updating unit updates the target value to a larger value when the host vehicle enters an area where the detection unit can detect a target object at the back of the parking space and the number of times the host vehicle has entered the area is equal to or greater than a predetermined first predetermined number of times, and when the host vehicle has been parked in a parking space in front of the target object before the target parking position determined by the target value in a parking space in front of the target object is equal to or greater than a predetermined second predetermined number of times, and updates the target value to a smaller value when the host vehicle enters an area where the detection unit can detect a target object at the back of the parking space and the number of times the host vehicle has entered the area is equal to or greater than the predetermined first predetermined number of times, and when the number of times the automatic brake has been activated in the area is equal to or greater than a predetermined third predetermined number of times, and further when the host vehicle has been stopped in the area by the activation of the automatic brake and then approached the target object at the back of the parking space by an operation of the driver, stopped, and parked is equal to or greater than a predetermined fourth predetermined number of times. Note that "the area" in claim 1 refers to the area into which the host vehicle entered at that time (the same applies throughout this specification).

[0007] According to the above configuration, the detection unit detects the position and surrounding conditions of the host vehicle. The memory unit stores a target value and a detected value for the distance between the parked host vehicle and a target object at the back of the parking space, each corresponding to a parking location. The automatic brake control unit uses the detection result by the detection unit to activate the automatic brake so that the host vehicle stops when the distance between the host vehicle and the target object at the back of the parking space in the parking location reaches the target value set for the parking location. Furthermore, when the host vehicle is stopped and parked by the driver's brake operation, the memory control unit uses the detection result by the detection unit to associate the parking location with the distance between the host vehicle and the target object at the back of the parking space and store the detected value in the memory unit. Furthermore, the update unit updates the target value based on the detected value data stored in the memory unit so that the target value is optimized. This makes it possible to stop the host vehicle at a desired position for each parking location.

[0009] In addition, in this driving assistance device, the update unit updates the target value to a larger value when the host vehicle enters an area where a target object at the back of the parking space can be detected by the detection unit and the number of times that the host vehicle has entered that area is equal to or greater than a predetermined first predetermined number of times, and when the host vehicle is parked in front of the target parking position determined by the target value in a parking space in front of the target object and the number of times that this has happened is equal to or greater than a predetermined second predetermined number of times; and updates the target value to a smaller value when the host vehicle enters an area where a target object at the back of the parking space can be detected by the detection unit and the number of times that the host vehicle has entered that area is equal to or greater than a predetermined third predetermined number of times, and further when the host vehicle is stopped in the area by the operation of the automatic brake and then approaches a target object at the back of the parking space by an operation of the driver, and then stops and parks and the number of times that this has happened is equal to or greater than a predetermined fourth predetermined number of times. The target value can be updated for each parking location according to the driver's preferences.

[0010] Claim 2 The driving assistance device of the present invention described in claim 1 toIn the described configuration, an operation timing setting unit is provided that sets the operation timing of the automatic brake so that the vehicle stops when the distance between the vehicle and a target object at the back of the parking space reaches the target value set in correspondence with the parking location.

[0011] According to the above configuration, the activation timing setting unit sets the activation timing of the automatic brake so that the vehicle will stop when the distance between the vehicle and a target object at the back of the parking space reaches the target value set for the parking space. This makes it possible to activate the automatic brake at an appropriate timing for each parking space.

[0012] Claim 3 The update control method for a driving assistance device of the present invention described in is provided with a detection unit that detects the position and surrounding conditions of a vehicle, a memory unit that stores a target value and a detected value for the distance between a parked vehicle and a target object at the back of the parking space, in association with the parking location, and an automatic brake control unit that uses the detection result by the detection unit to activate an automatic brake so that the vehicle stops when the distance between the vehicle and the target object at the back of the parking space in the parking location reaches the target value set in association with the parking location, in a driving assistance device in which, when the vehicle is stopped and parked by a brake operation by the driver, the detection result by the detection unit is used to associate the parking location with the distance between the vehicle and the target object at the back of the parking space and store the detected value in the memory unit, and the target value is updated so that it is optimized based on the detected value stored in the memory unit. In this case, if the host vehicle enters an area where the target object at the back of the parking space can be detected by the detection unit and the number of times that the host vehicle has entered that area is equal to or greater than a predetermined first predetermined number of times, and if the host vehicle has been parked in front of the target parking position determined by the target value in a parking space in front of the target object and the number of times that this has happened is equal to or greater than a predetermined second predetermined number of times, the target value is updated to a larger value; if the host vehicle enters an area where the target object at the back of the parking space can be detected by the detection unit and the number of times that the host vehicle has entered that area is equal to or greater than the predetermined third predetermined number of times, and further if the host vehicle has been stopped in the area by the operation of the automatic brake and then approached the target object at the back of the parking space by an operation of the driver, and then stopped and parked and the number of times that this has happened is equal to or greater than a predetermined fourth predetermined number of times, the target value is updated to a smaller value. Therefore, similar to the invention described in claim 1, it is possible to stop the vehicle at a desired position for each parking space.

[0013] Claim 4The update control program for the driving support device of the present invention described in the above is configured to cause a computer included in the driving support device to perform processing including: a detection unit that detects the position and surrounding conditions of the host vehicle; a storage unit that stores target values ​​and detected values ​​for the distance between the parked host vehicle and a target object at the back of the parking space, each associated with a parking location; and an automatic brake control unit that uses the detection result by the detection unit to activate an automatic brake so that the host vehicle will stop when the distance between the host vehicle and the target object at the back of the parking space at the parking location reaches the target value set in association with the parking location; and, when the host vehicle is stopped and parked by the driver's brake operation, uses the detection result by the detection unit to associate the parking location with the distance between the host vehicle and the target object at the back of the parking space, storing the detected value in the storage unit; and updating the target value so that the target value is optimized based on the detected value stored in the storage unit. In this case, if the host vehicle enters an area where the target object at the back of the parking space can be detected by the detection unit and the number of times that the host vehicle has entered that area is equal to or greater than a predetermined first predetermined number of times, and if the host vehicle has been parked in front of the target parking position determined by the target value in a parking space in front of the target object and the number of times that this has happened is equal to or greater than a predetermined second predetermined number of times, the target value is updated to a larger value; if the host vehicle enters an area where the target object at the back of the parking space can be detected by the detection unit and the number of times that the host vehicle has entered that area is equal to or greater than the predetermined third predetermined number of times, and further if the host vehicle has been stopped in the area by the operation of the automatic brake and then approached the target object at the back of the parking space by an operation of the driver, and then stopped and parked and the number of times that this has happened is equal to or greater than a predetermined fourth predetermined number of times, the target value is updated to a smaller value. Therefore, claim 1, 3 As with the described invention, it is possible to stop the vehicle at a desired position for each parking space. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] As described above, the present invention has the excellent effect of making it possible to stop the vehicle at a desired position for each parking space. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a driving assistance device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a control device in the driving assistance device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic plan view of the distance between a parked vehicle and a target object at the back of the parking space; [Figure 4] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of an update control process performed by a control device of the driving assistance device in the first embodiment. [Figure 5]10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of an update control process performed by a control device of a driving assistance device in a second embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of an update control process performed by a control device of a driving assistance device according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] No. The first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The first embodiment is not an embodiment of the present invention but a reference example.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a driving assistance device 10 according to the first embodiment. In the following, a vehicle equipped with the driving assistance device 10 will be referred to as a host vehicle. The host vehicle includes a power unit such as an engine and a motor. In addition, the host vehicle is, for example, a vehicle capable of autonomous driving.

[0018] The driving assistance device 10 includes a control device 30 as a computer. A GPS (Global Positioning System) device 22, a surrounding condition sensor 24, a vehicle condition sensor 28, an electronically controlled throttle 40, a brake actuator 42, an EPS (Electric Power Steering) motor 44, and a user interface (abbreviated as "user I / F" in FIG. 1) 50 are connected to the control device 30.

[0019] The GPS device 22 detects the position of the vehicle. The surrounding condition sensor 24 detects the surrounding conditions of the vehicle. The surrounding condition sensor 24 includes, for example, sonar, millimeter-wave radar, and a camera unit. The sonar, millimeter-wave radar, and camera unit are all configured to detect the distance between the vehicle and an object such as an obstacle present around the vehicle, and the direction in which the object is present. The GPS device 22 and the surrounding condition sensor 24 are components of the detection unit 20, and may also be understood as external sensors.

[0020] The vehicle state sensor 28 acquires information representing the running state and operation state of the host vehicle. Note that the vehicle state sensor 28 may also be understood as an internal sensor. The vehicle state sensor 28 includes, for example, a brake pedal sensor, an accelerator position sensor, a steering angle sensor, and a vehicle speed sensor. The brake pedal sensor detects the amount of depression of the brake pedal of the host vehicle. The accelerator position sensor detects the accelerator position of the host vehicle (in other words, the opening of the throttle valve). The steering angle sensor detects the steering angle of the host vehicle. The vehicle speed sensor detects the running speed of the host vehicle.

[0021] The electronically controlled throttle 40 controls the throttle opening of the vehicle based on a control signal output from the control device 30, thereby controlling the accelerator device of the vehicle. The brake actuator 42 controls the braking force generated in each wheel of the vehicle by generating brake pressure based on a control signal output from the control device 30. The EPS motor 44 controls the steering force and steering holding force applied to the steering mechanism of the vehicle based on a control signal output from the control device 30.

[0022] The user interface 50 is an interface used by the driver when using the driving assistance device 10. The user interface 50 is configured to include a liquid crystal display and switches. The switches include a switch for switching between automatic driving and manual driving, and a switch used to activate the parking assistance system. As shown in the schematic plan view of FIG. 3, when the vehicle 60 is about to be parked in a parking space 70, if a target object 72 (e.g., a structure) to be activated is detected at the back of the parking space, the parking assistance system is a system that enables the vehicle 60 to stop at a position a target value away from the target object 72 in front of the target object 72.

[0023] 1 controls the operation of the electronically controlled throttle 40, the brake actuator 42, and the EPS motor 44 based on information acquired from the GPS device 22, the surrounding condition sensor 24, and the vehicle condition sensor 28. Furthermore, when the parking assistance system is activated, the control device 30 performs a collision determination based on the information acquired from the GPS device 22, the surrounding condition sensor 24, and the vehicle condition sensor 28, calculates a brake control amount, and transmits the calculation result to the brake actuator 42 to control the brake actuator 42.

[0024] The control device 30 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit: processor) 30A, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 30B, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 30C, a storage 30D as a memory unit, a communication interface (abbreviated as "communication I / F" in FIG. 1) 30E, and an input / output interface (abbreviated as "input / output I / F" in FIG. 1) 30F. Each component is connected to each other via a bus 30Z so that they can communicate with each other.

[0025] The CPU 30A is a central processing unit that reads a program from the ROM 30B or the storage 30D and executes the program using the RAM 30C as a work area. The CPU 30A controls the above components and performs various arithmetic processing in accordance with the program recorded in the ROM 30B or the storage 30D.

[0026] The ROM 30B stores various programs and various data. The RAM 30C temporarily stores programs or data as a work area. The storage 30D is configured with a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and stores various programs and various data. The storage 30D stores, for example, map information data. In this embodiment, the ROM 30B or the storage 30D also stores an automatic driving control program, a parking assistance program, an update control program for parking assistance, and the like.

[0027] Furthermore, storage 30D stores a target value and a detected value for the distance L (see FIG. 3) between the parked vehicle 60 and a target object 72 at the back of the parking space, in association with each parking space 70. Storage 30D can store a plurality of detected values ​​for each parking space 70. Note that data on the detected values ​​may be automatically or manually deleted after a certain period of time.

[0028] The communication interface 30E is an interface for communicating with other devices such as a mobile terminal (not shown), etc. The input / output interface 30F is an interface for communicating with each device mounted on the vehicle.

[0029] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 30. As shown in Fig. 2, the control device 30 has, as its functional configuration, an operation timing setting unit 301, an automatic brake control unit 302, a memory control unit 303, and an update unit 304. Each functional configuration shown in Fig. 2 is realized by the CPU 30A shown in Fig. 1 in the control device 30 reading and executing a program (a parking assistance program for the automatic brake control unit 302, and an update control program for parking assistance for the other units) stored in the ROM 30B or the storage 30D.

[0030] The activation timing setting unit 301 shown in Figure 2 sets the activation timing of the automatic brake so that the vehicle 60 stops when the distance L between the vehicle 60 and a target 72 at the back of the parking space at the parking space 70 reaches a target value set in correspondence with the parking space 70.

[0031] Using the detection result by the detection unit 20, the automatic brake control unit 302 activates the automatic brake so that the host vehicle 60 stops when the distance L between the host vehicle 60 and the target object 72 at the back of the parking space at the parking spot 70 reaches a target value set in correspondence with the parking spot 70. As for the automatic brake when the host vehicle 60 is parking, as an example, control is performed so that the host vehicle 60 decelerates at a preset deceleration rate.

[0032] When the vehicle 60 is stopped and parked by the driver's brake operation, the memory control unit 303 uses the detection results from the detection unit 20 to associate the parking location 70 with the distance L between the vehicle 60 and the target 72 at the back of the parking space, and stores the association results as detection values ​​in the storage 30D (memory unit).

[0033] The update unit 304 updates the target value so as to optimize the target value based on the detection value stored in the storage 30D (memory unit) (i.e., the detection value stored in association with the parking location 70 for the distance L between the parked vehicle 60 and the target 72 at the back of the parking space). As an example, the updated value of the target value is calculated using a formula that uses the detection value.

[0034] Next, an update control method of the driving assistance device 10 will be described as an example of the operation of the driving assistance device 10. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of update control processing by the control device 30 of the driving assistance device 10. The update control processing by the control device 30 is performed by the CPU 30A executing an update control program for parking assistance. As an example, when the user interface 50 is operated by the driver to start the parking assistance system and the surrounding situation sensor 24 detects a target object 72 at the back of the parking space, execution of the update control processing shown in Fig. 4 is started. Note that when the surrounding situation sensor 24 detects the target object 72 at the back of the parking space, this corresponds to a case where the host vehicle 60 has entered an area where the surrounding situation sensor 24 can detect the target object 72 at the back of the parking space.

[0035] The CPU 30A determines whether the total number of times that the vehicle 60 has entered the area that the vehicle 60 has currently entered is equal to or greater than N (N is a preset value) (step S100). If the total number of times that the vehicle 60 has entered the area is not equal to or greater than N (step S100: N), the CPU 30A stores information about the entry of the vehicle 60 into the area in the storage 30D (step S101), and ends the update control process shown in FIG.

[0036] If the cumulative number of times that the vehicle 60 has entered the area is N times or more (step S100: Y), the CPU 30A uses the detection result of the vehicle state sensor 28 to determine whether the brake pedal was operated to park the vehicle before the automatic brake of the parking assistance system was activated (i.e., whether the vehicle 60 was stopped and parked by the driver's brake operation) (step S102). After making the determination in step S100, the CPU 30A makes the determination in step S102 at an appropriate timing.

[0037] If the parking situation does not correspond to the case where the brake pedal was operated to park the vehicle before the automatic braking of the parking assistance system was activated (step S102: N), the CPU 30A proceeds to the process of step S103. If the parking situation corresponds to the case where the brake pedal was operated to park the vehicle before the automatic braking of the parking assistance system was activated (step S102: Y), the CPU 30A stores in the storage 30D information about the location (the area, the parking location) obtained from the map information using the GPS device 22, operation information acquired by the brake pedal sensor of the vehicle state sensor 28, and information about the surrounding conditions detected by the surrounding conditions sensor 24 (step S105). Also, in step S105, the CPU 30A uses the detection results of the GPS device 22 and the surrounding conditions sensor 24 to store in the storage 30D the parking location 70 and the distance L between the host vehicle 60 and the target object 72 at the back of the parking space in association with each other.

[0038] In step S106 after the process of step S105, the CPU 30A updates the target value of the distance L between the parked vehicle 60 and the target object 72 at the back of the parking space in the current parking space 70 to a larger value so that the target value is optimized based on the detected value stored in the storage 30D (more specifically, the detected value of the distance L between the parked vehicle 60 and the target object 72 at the back of the parking space in the current parking space 70). Furthermore, in step S106, the CPU 30A sets the activation timing of the automatic brake to be advanced so that the vehicle 60 stops when the distance L between the vehicle 60 and the target object 72 at the back of the parking space in the current parking space 70 reaches the target value set in association with the current parking space 70. After the process of step S106, the CPU 30A ends the update control process shown in FIG. 4.

[0039] On the other hand, in step S103, the CPU 30A uses the detection results from the vehicle state sensor 28 to determine whether the driver operated the pedal to park the vehicle 60 after the vehicle 60 was stopped by the activation of the automatic brake of the parking assistance system.

[0040] If the case does not correspond to the case where the host vehicle 60 was parked by the driver operating the pedal after the host vehicle 60 was stopped by the operation of the automatic brake of the parking assistance system (N in step S103), the CPU 30A ends the update control process shown in Fig. 4. If the case corresponds to the case where the host vehicle 60 was parked by the driver operating the pedal after the host vehicle 60 was stopped by the operation of the automatic brake of the parking assistance system (Y in step S103), the CPU 30A uses the detection result of the vehicle state sensor 28 to determine whether the host vehicle 60 was parked by the driver operating the pedal after approaching the target object 72 (step S104).

[0041] If the host vehicle 60 moves away from the target object 72 and then stops and parks (step S104: N), the CPU 30A proceeds to the process of step S105. If the host vehicle 60 approaches the target object 72 and then stops and parks (step S104: Y), the CPU 30A stores in the storage 30D information about the location (the area, the parking location, and the location where the automatic brake was activated) obtained from map information using the GPS device 22, operation information acquired by the accelerator position sensor, brake pedal sensor, etc. of the vehicle state sensor 28, and information about the surrounding conditions detected by the surrounding conditions sensor 24 (step S107). Also, in step S107, the CPU 30A uses the detection results of the GPS device 22 and the surrounding conditions sensor 24 to associate the parking location 70 with the distance L between the host vehicle 60 and the target object 72 at the back of the parking space and stores them in the storage 30D.

[0042] In step S108 after the process of step S107, the CPU 30A updates the target value of the distance L between the parked vehicle 60 and the target object 72 at the back of the parking space in the current parking space 70 to a smaller value so that the target value is optimized based on the detected value stored in the storage 30D (more specifically, the detected value of the distance L between the parked vehicle 60 and the target object 72 at the back of the parking space in the current parking space 70). Furthermore, in step S108, the CPU 30A sets the activation timing of the automatic brake to be delayed so that the vehicle 60 stops when the distance L between the vehicle 60 and the target object 72 at the back of the parking space in the current parking space 70 reaches the target value set in association with the current parking space 70. After the process of step S108, the CPU 30A ends the update control process shown in FIG. 4.

[0043] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to stop the vehicle 60 at a desired position for each parking space 70.

[0044] Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5 while also using Figs. 1 to 3. The hardware configuration of the driving assistance device of the second embodiment is the same as the hardware configuration of the driving assistance device 10 of the first embodiment (see Fig. 1). Furthermore, the functional configuration of the control device 30 of the driving assistance device 10 of the second embodiment is the same as the functional configuration of the control device 30 of the driving assistance device 10 of the second embodiment (see Fig. 2). The second embodiment is not an embodiment of the present invention but a reference example.

[0045] In the second embodiment, the ROM 30B or the storage 30D stores an update control program for parking assistance, instead of the update control program for parking assistance in the first embodiment.

[0046] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of update control processing by the control device 30 of the driving assistance device 10 in the second embodiment. The update control processing of the second embodiment is performed by the control device 30 as a result of the CPU 30A executing an update control program for parking assistance in the second embodiment.

[0047] The flowchart shown in Fig. 5 differs from the flowchart of the first embodiment (see Fig. 4) in that steps S102A, S103A, and S104A are provided instead of steps S102, S103, and S104 (all of which are shown in Fig. 4), and in that the update control process shown in Fig. 5 is terminated if a negative determination is made in step S104A. In other respects, the flowchart shown in Fig. 5 is similar to the flowchart of the first embodiment (see Fig. 4).

[0048] In step S102A, CPU 30A determines whether or not the current case is one in which the brake pedal has been operated to park host vehicle 60 before the automatic braking of the parking assistance system has been activated, and the cumulative number of times that the brake pedal has been operated to park host vehicle 60 before the automatic braking of the parking assistance system has been activated in the same area is X or more. Note that X is a preset numerical value, and X≦N. If the determination in step S102A is positive, CPU 30A proceeds to processing in step S105, and if the determination in step S102A is negative, CPU 30A proceeds to processing in step S103A.

[0049] In step S103A, CPU 30A determines whether the automatic brake of the parking assistance system has been activated and whether the cumulative number of times the automatic brake of the parking assistance system has been activated in the same area is now H or more. H is a preset value, and H≦N. If the determination in step S103A is negative, CPU 30A terminates the update control process shown in FIG. 5, and if the determination in step S103A is positive, CPU 30A proceeds to the process in step S104A. Incidentally, for example, if target 72 at the far side of the parking space has moved before the automatic brake is activated or if a cancel operation (such as a gear shift) is performed on the parking assistance process of the parking assistance system, the automatic brake will not be activated and the determination in step S103A will be negative.

[0050] In step S104A, CPU 30A determines whether or not the current case is one in which, after host vehicle 60 has been stopped by the operation of the automatic brake of the parking assistance system, the driver operates the pedal to cause host vehicle 60 to approach target object 72, stop, and park, and the cumulative number of times host vehicle 60 has parked in this manner in the same area is Y times or more. Y is a preset numerical value, and Y≦H. If the determination in step S104A is negative, CPU 30A ends the update control process shown in FIG. 5, and if the determination in step S104A is positive, CPU 30A proceeds to the process of step S107.

[0051] According to the second embodiment described above, it is also possible to stop the vehicle 60 at a desired position for each parking space.

[0052] Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6 while also using Fig. 1 to Fig. 3. The hardware configuration of the driving assistance device of the third embodiment is the same as the hardware configuration of the driving assistance device 10 of the first embodiment (see Fig. 1). The third embodiment is an embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] In the third embodiment, the ROM 30B or the storage 30D stores an update control program for parking assistance, instead of the update control program for parking assistance in the first embodiment.

[0054] Similar to the first embodiment, the control device 30 of the third embodiment has, as functional components, an operation timing setting unit 301, an automatic brake control unit 302, a storage control unit 303, and an update unit 304, all of which are shown in Fig. 2. Each functional component is realized by the CPU 30A of the control device 30, shown in Fig. 1, reading and executing the program of the third embodiment (a parking assistance program for the automatic brake control unit 302, and an update control program for parking assistance for the other units) stored in the ROM 30B or storage 30D.

[0055] The update unit 304 of the third embodiment has the functions described in the first embodiment. When the host vehicle 60 enters an area where the target object 72 at the back of the parking space can be detected by the detection unit 20 and the number of times the host vehicle 60 has entered that area is equal to or greater than a first predetermined number of times, and when the host vehicle 60 has been parked in front of the target parking position determined by the target value in a parking space 70 in front of the target object 72 and the number of times this has occurred is equal to or greater than a second predetermined number of times, the update unit 304 of the third embodiment updates the target value to a larger value. Furthermore, the update unit 304 of the third embodiment updates the target value to a smaller value when the host vehicle 60 enters an area where the target object 72 at the back of the parking space can be detected by the detection unit 20, and the number of times the host vehicle 60 has entered the area is equal to or greater than the first predetermined number of times, and the number of times the automatic brake has been activated within the area is equal to or greater than a preset third predetermined number of times, and further when the host vehicle 60 has been stopped within the area by activation of the automatic brake and then approached the target object 72 at the back of the parking space by operation of the driver, and then stopped and parked, and the number of times this has occurred is equal to or greater than a preset fourth predetermined number of times.

[0056] 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of update control processing by the control device 30 of the driving assistance device 10 in the third embodiment. The update control processing of the third embodiment is performed by the control device 30 as a result of the CPU 30A executing an update control program for parking assistance in the third embodiment.

[0057] The flowchart shown in Fig. 6 differs from the flowchart of the second embodiment (see Fig. 5) in that step S102B is provided instead of step S102A (see Fig. 5). In other respects, the flowchart shown in Fig. 6 is similar to the flowchart of the second embodiment (see Fig. 5).

[0058] In step S102B, CPU 30A determines whether the number of times that vehicle 60 has been parked in front of the parking target position determined by the target value within the same area is a preset X or more times. Note that X is a preset numerical value similar to X in step S102A of the second embodiment, and X≦N. If the determination in step S102B is positive, CPU 30A proceeds to processing in step S105, and if the determination in step S102B is negative, CPU 30A proceeds to processing in step S103A.

[0059] According to the third embodiment described above, it is also possible to stop the vehicle 60 at a desired position for each parking space.

[0060] In the first to third embodiments, the automatic braking when parking the vehicle 60 is controlled, as an example, so that the vehicle 60 decelerates at a predetermined deceleration rate, but the automatic braking when parking the vehicle may also be controlled so that the deceleration rate changes depending on the vehicle speed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 10 Driving assistance devices 20 Detector 30 Control device (computer) 30D Storage (memory section) 60 Vehicle 70 parking spaces 72 Parking space rear landmark 301 Operation timing setting unit 302 Automatic brake control unit 303 Memory control unit 304 Update Department L Distance between the vehicle and the target at the back of the parking space

Claims

1. a detection unit that detects the position and surrounding conditions of the vehicle; a storage unit that stores target values ​​and detected values ​​of the distance between the parked vehicle and a target object at the back of the parking space in association with the parking location; an automatic brake control unit that uses the detection result by the detection unit to activate an automatic brake so that the vehicle stops when the distance between the vehicle and a target at the back of the parking space in a parking location reaches the target value set in correspondence with the parking location; a storage control unit that, when the vehicle is stopped and parked by a brake operation by the driver, uses the detection result by the detection unit to associate the parking location with the distance between the vehicle and a target object at the back of the parking space, and stores the association result in the storage unit as the detection value; an update unit that updates the target value based on the detected value stored in the storage unit so that the target value is optimized; Equipped with the updating unit updates the target value to a larger value when the host vehicle enters an area where the detection unit can detect a target object at the back of the parking space and the number of times the host vehicle has entered the area is equal to or greater than a predetermined first predetermined number of times, and when the host vehicle has been parked in front of the target parking position determined by the target value in a parking space in front of the target object and the number of times this has happened is equal to or greater than a predetermined second predetermined number of times; and updates the target value to a smaller value when the host vehicle enters an area where the detection unit can detect a target object at the back of the parking space and the number of times this has happened is equal to or greater than a predetermined third predetermined number of times, and further when the host vehicle has been stopped in the area by the activation of the automatic brake and then approached the target object at the back of the parking space by an operation of the driver, and then stopped and parked and the number of times this has happened is equal to or greater than a predetermined fourth predetermined number of times.

2. 2. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, further comprising an activation timing setting unit that sets an activation timing of the automatic brake so that the host vehicle stops when a distance between the host vehicle and a target object at the back of the parking space reaches the target value that is set in association with the parking space.

3. a detection unit that detects the position and surrounding conditions of the vehicle; a storage unit that stores target values ​​and detected values ​​of the distance between the parked vehicle and a target object at the back of the parking space in association with the parking location; an automatic brake control unit that uses the detection result by the detection unit to activate an automatic brake so that the vehicle stops when the distance between the vehicle and a target at the back of the parking space in a parking location reaches the target value set in correspondence with the parking location; A driving assistance device comprising: When the vehicle is stopped and parked by the driver's brake operation, the detection result by the detection unit is used to associate the parking location with the distance between the vehicle and the target object at the back of the parking space, and the detected values ​​are stored in the storage unit. When the target value is updated so as to be optimized based on the detection value stored in the storage unit, when the vehicle enters an area where the target object at the back of the parking space can be detected by the detection unit and the number of times the vehicle has entered the area is equal to or greater than a first predetermined number of times, and when the vehicle is parked in front of the target object in the parking location in front of the target object, the number of times is set in advance. and updating the target value to a smaller value when the host vehicle has entered an area where the detection unit can detect a target object at the back of the parking space and the number of times the host vehicle has entered the area is equal to or greater than the first predetermined number of times and the number of times the automatic brake has been activated within the area is equal to or greater than a preset third predetermined number of times, and further when the host vehicle has been stopped within the area by activation of the automatic brake and then approached the target object at the back of the parking space by an operation of the driver, and then stopped and parked, the number of times is equal to or greater than a preset fourth predetermined number of times.

4. a detection unit that detects the position and surrounding conditions of the vehicle; a storage unit that stores target values ​​and detected values ​​of the distance between the parked vehicle and a target object at the back of the parking space in association with the parking location; Using the detection result by the detection unit, when the distance between the vehicle and a target at the back of the parking space in the parking space reaches the target value set in correspondence with the parking space, the vehicle is stopped. an automatic brake control unit that activates the automatic brake so that the vehicle A computer included in a driving assistance device comprising: When the host vehicle is stopped and parked by the driver's brake operation, the detection result by the detection unit is used to associate the parking location with the distance between the host vehicle and a target object at the back of the parking space, and the distance is stored in the storage unit as the detection value, and the target value is updated based on the detection value stored in the storage unit so that the target value is optimized. In this case, when the host vehicle enters an area where the target object at the back of the parking space can be detected by the detection unit, and the number of times that the host vehicle has entered the area is equal to or greater than a first predetermined number of times, and when the host vehicle is parked in front of the target object in a parking location in front of the target object, the number of times is equal to or greater than a first predetermined number of times. and updating the target value to a smaller value if the target value is equal to or greater than a second predetermined number of times set by the detection unit when the host vehicle has entered an area where the target object at the back of the parking space can be detected by the detection unit and the number of times the area has been entered is equal to or greater than the first predetermined number of times and the number of times the automatic brake has been activated within that area is equal to or greater than a third predetermined number of times, and further if the host vehicle has been stopped within that area by the activation of the automatic brake and then approached a target object at the back of the parking space by an operation of the driver, and then stopped and parked, the number of times is equal to or greater than a fourth predetermined number of times.

Images