Parking assistance system and parking assistance program

Abstract

To improve convenience of a driver when performing parking support.SOLUTION: A parking support device supporting parking of a vehicle 100 comprises: a position storage part 331 which stores positional information of a parking place where the vehicle is parked to a storage part 32; and a proposal part 334 which proposes to a crewman of the vehicle that automatic parking of the vehicle to a high frequency parking place is performed when the vehicle is determined to be parked at the high frequency parking place where the vehicle has parked at a prescribed frequency or more among parking places corresponding to the positional information stored in the storage part based on the current positional information of the vehicle detected by a positioning sensor of the vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when a driver makes an automatic parking request during manual driving, it is searched whether there is an empty parking space in the planned parking area of the own vehicle. When an empty parking space is searched, a parking route from the parking start position to within the empty parking space is generated, and a parking availability determination is made based on whether such a parking route can be generated (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In Patent Document 1, it is necessary for a driver to make an automatic parking request when starting to generate a parking route in automatic parking. However, for example, even in a frequently used parking lot, if it is necessary to make an automatic parking request every time, the driver may feel bothered.

[0005] In view of the above problems, an object of the present disclosure is to improve the convenience of the driver in performing parking assistance.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The gist of the present disclosure is as follows.

[0007] (1) In a parking assistance device that assists parking of a vehicle, A location storage unit that stores location information of the parking spot when the aforementioned vehicle is parked in a storage unit, Based on the vehicle's current location information detected by the vehicle's positioning sensor, the system has a suggestion unit that proposes to the vehicle's occupants that the vehicle start automatic parking of the vehicle in the high-frequency parking location when it is determined that the vehicle is located in a high-frequency parking location among the parking locations stored in the storage unit where the vehicle has been parked at a predetermined frequency or more in the past, based on the vehicle's current location information detected by the vehicle's positioning sensor. (2) The high-frequency parking space is a parking space in which the vehicle has been parked a predetermined number of times or more between the present and a predetermined period prior to the present. (3) The high-frequency parking spaces are parking spaces stored in the memory unit in which the vehicle has been automatically parked at a predetermined frequency or higher in the past. (4) When the vehicle is parked, the location storage unit stores information on the orientation in which the vehicle is parked in the parking space. When the suggestion unit proposes the start of automatic parking of the vehicle in the high-frequency parking space, it proposes the orientation in which the vehicle should be parked in the high-frequency parking space, based on information about the orientation in which the vehicle was parked in the high-frequency parking space in the past. (5) In the parking assistance program, When a vehicle is parked, the location information of that parking spot is stored in the memory unit. Based on the vehicle's current location information detected by the vehicle's positioning sensor, when it is detected that the vehicle is located in a high-frequency parking location among the parking locations stored in the memory unit where the vehicle has been parked at a predetermined frequency or more in the past, the system proposes to the occupant of the vehicle that it begin automatic parking of the vehicle in the high-frequency parking location. Make the processor execute it. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, driver convenience can be improved when providing parking assistance. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a parking assistance system in which a parking assistance device according to one embodiment is implemented. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the ECU's processor. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of the parking location memory processing. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of the position determination process. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the automatic parking process. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an example of a display screen that suggests starting automatic parking. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, similar components will be given the same reference numeral.

[0011] <Configuration of the parking assistance system> Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a parking assistance system 1 on which a parking assistance device according to one embodiment is implemented. The parking assistance system 1 is mounted on a vehicle 100 and performs automatic driving of the vehicle 100 so that the vehicle 100 automatically parks in a target parking space. In particular, the parking assistance system 1 of this embodiment is mounted on a vehicle 100 that can be driven manually by a driver except for parking. In this embodiment, the parking assistance system 1 includes an external camera 11, a distance measuring sensor 12, a positioning sensor 13, a driving state sensor 14, an external communication module 15, a human-machine interface (hereinafter referred to as "HMI") 16, a vehicle actuator 21, and an electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as "ECU") 30.

[0012] However, the parking assist system 1 does not necessarily have to have all of these. For example, if the vehicle 100 has an external camera 11, it does not need to have a distance measuring sensor 12.

[0013] The external camera 11, the distance measuring sensor 12, the positioning sensor 13, the driving state sensor 14, the external communication module 15, the HMI 16, and the ECU 30 are communicably connected via the in-vehicle network 25. The in-vehicle network 25 is a network compliant with a standard such as CAN (Controller Area Network). Further, the ECU 30 is connected to the vehicle actuator 21 via a signal line.

[0014] The external camera 11 is a device that photographs the surroundings of the vehicle 100. In the present embodiment, the parking support system 1 has a plurality of external cameras 11. Among these, two external cameras 11 are attached, for example, inside the vehicle 100 so as to face the front and rear of the vehicle 100 and photograph the front and rear of the vehicle 100, respectively. The other two external cameras 11 are attached outside the vehicle (for example, side mirrors) so as to face the left and right sides of the vehicle 100 and photograph the left and right sides of the vehicle 100, respectively. Note that the external camera 11 may be a monocular camera or a stereo camera. When a stereo camera is used as the external camera 11, the external camera 11 also functions as the distance measuring sensor 12. The external camera 11 outputs an image photographed at a predetermined cycle to the ECU 30 via the in-vehicle network 25.

[0015] The distance measuring sensor 12 is a sensor that measures the distance to an object existing around the vehicle 100. In the present embodiment, the distance measuring sensor 12 can also measure the azimuth of an object existing around the vehicle 100. The distance measuring sensor 12 is, for example, a radar such as a millimeter wave radar, a lidar (LiDAR), or a sonar. In the present embodiment, the distance measuring sensor 12 measures the distance to an object existing in all four directions of the vehicle. The distance measuring sensor 12 outputs the measurement result of the distance to the surrounding objects to the ECU 30 at a predetermined cycle via the in-vehicle network 25.

[0016] The positioning sensor 13 is a sensor that measures the self-position of the vehicle 100. The positioning sensor 13 is, for example, a GNSS receiver. The GNSS receiver receives GNSS signals from a plurality of GNSS satellites and measures the self-position of the vehicle 100 based on the received GNSS signals. The positioning sensor 13 outputs the self-position information of the vehicle 100 to the ECU 30 via the in-vehicle network 25 at a predetermined cycle. Note that the positioning sensor 13 may be a receiver compliant with another satellite positioning system as long as it can measure the self-position of the vehicle 100.

[0017] The driving state sensor 14 is a sensor that detects the driving state of the vehicle 100. The driving state sensor 14 detects, for example, the speed of the vehicle 100, the acceleration of the vehicle 100, the rate of change of the yaw angle (yaw rate) when the vehicle 100 is turning, and the like. The driving state sensor 14 outputs the detection result of the driving state of the vehicle to the ECU 30 via the in-vehicle network 25.

[0018] The vehicle-to-outside communication module 15 communicates with devices outside the vehicle. The vehicle-to-outside communication module 15 is a device that performs wireless communication with a wireless base station in accordance with a predetermined mobile communication standard. The vehicle-to-outside communication module 15 receives, for example, vacancy information of each parking location from an external server. Here, a parking location represents an area for parking and its vicinity. Therefore, for example, at home, it means one parking space and the area around the parking space, and at a shopping center, for example, it means the entire parking lot.

[0019] The HMI 16 is a user interface for exchanging information between the vehicle's ECU 30 and the occupants of the vehicle 100. The HMI 16 includes an input device 161 that receives input from the occupants of the vehicle 100 and an output device 162 that notifies the occupants of the vehicle 100. The input device 161 is a device that receives input from the occupants, either physical or voice, and includes, for example, one of a touch panel, switch, button, or microphone. On the other hand, the output device 162 is a device that notifies the occupants through their five senses (e.g., sight, hearing, touch, etc.) and includes, for example, one of a display device (e.g., liquid crystal display, head-up display, warning light, etc.), speaker, or vibration unit.

[0020] The HMI 16 receives input from the occupant via the input device 161 and transmits it to the ECU 30 via the in-vehicle network 25. The HMI 16 also notifies the occupant of information corresponding to the signals received from the ECU 30 via the in-vehicle network 25 through the output device 162.

[0021] The vehicle actuator 21 is an actuator used to control the operation of the vehicle 100. Specifically, the vehicle actuator 21 includes, for example, a drive actuator that controls an internal combustion engine or electric motor for driving the vehicle 100, a braking actuator that controls brakes for braking the vehicle 100, and a steering actuator that controls the steering of the vehicle 100. The vehicle actuator 21 controls the acceleration, braking, and steering of the vehicle 100 according to control signals transmitted from the ECU 30 via signal lines.

[0022] The ECU 30 functions as a parking assist device that assists in parking the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, when the vehicle 100 is located in a parking space where the vehicle 100 has been automatically parked frequently in the past, the ECU 30 proposes to the occupants of the vehicle 100 to start automatic parking. In addition, the ECU 30 controls the vehicle actuator 21 to automatically park the vehicle 100 in the target parking space. In the example shown in Figure 1, the parking assist system 1 consists of one ECU 30, but it may consist of multiple ECUs 30 separated by function. The ECU 30 has a communication interface 31, a storage unit 32, and a processor 33. The communication interface 31, the storage unit 32, and the processor 33 may be separate circuits, or they may be configured as a single integrated circuit.

[0023] The communication interface 31 comprises a communication interface circuit and an equipment interface circuit. The communication interface circuit is for connecting the ECU 30 to the in-vehicle network 25. The equipment interface circuit is for outputting control signals to the vehicle actuator 21. The communication interface 31 transmits signals received from the external camera 11, distance sensor 12, positioning sensor 13, driving state sensor 14, external communication module 15, and input devices 161 of the HMI 16 to the processor 33. The communication interface 31 also transmits signals output from the processor 33 to the output devices 162 of the HMI 16 and the vehicle actuator 21.

[0024] The storage unit 32 stores data. The storage unit 32 includes, for example, at least one of volatile semiconductor memory, non-volatile semiconductor memory, hard disk drive (HDD), and solid state drive (SSD). The storage unit 32 stores programs executed by the processor 33 of the ECU 30. The storage unit 32 also stores data transmitted from the external camera 11, etc. In addition, the storage unit 32 stores location information of the parking spot when the vehicle 100 is parked.

[0025] The processor 33 has one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 33 may further have other arithmetic circuits such as logical operation units or numerical operation units. The processor 33 executes the program stored in the storage unit 32.

[0026] Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the processor 33 of the ECU 30. As shown in Figure 2, the processor 33 includes a location memory unit 331, a location determination unit 332, a parking preparation unit 333, a suggestion unit 334, and a parking control unit 335. The location memory unit 331 stores the location information of the parking location in the memory unit 32 when the vehicle 100 is parked. The location determination unit 332 determines, based on the current self-location information of the vehicle 100 detected by the positioning sensor 13, whether the vehicle 100 is located in a high-frequency parking location among the parking locations stored in the memory unit 32 where the vehicle has been parked at a predetermined frequency or more in the past. The parking preparation unit 333 prepares for parking the vehicle 100. When the location determination unit 332 determines that the vehicle 100 is located in a high-frequency parking location and the preparations by the parking preparation unit 333 are completed, the suggestion unit 334 suggests to the occupants of the vehicle 100 that the vehicle 100 start automatic parking. The parking control unit 335 controls the vehicle actuator 21 so that the vehicle 100 is automatically parked in the target parking space. Each of these parts of the processor 33 is, for example, a functional module realized by a computer program running on the processor 33. Alternatively, each part of the processor 33 may be a dedicated arithmetic circuit provided on the processor 33.

[0027] <Overview of Parking Assistance Processing> Next, an overview of the parking assistance process performed in the parking assistance system 1 configured as described above will be explained. In this embodiment, when the start of automatic parking is requested, the parking control unit 335 performs the automatic parking process. In the automatic parking process, an attempt is made to identify a target parking space where the vehicle 100 should be parked and to generate a parking path to the identified target parking space. Once a parking path to the target parking space is generated, a proposal to start automatic parking is made to the occupants of the vehicle 100. Then, in the automatic parking process, when the proposal to start automatic parking is accepted by the occupants, the vehicle 100 is automatically parked in the target parking space.

[0028] A request to start the automatic parking process is made, for example, by the occupant pressing the automatic parking execution button, which is one of the input devices 161. Therefore, the start of the automatic parking process is requested at the occupant's discretion. In addition, in this embodiment, a request to start the automatic parking process is made when the processor 33 determines that the vehicle 100 is located in a high-frequency parking spot. In particular, in this embodiment, when the vehicle 100 is parked, the location information of that parking spot is stored in the storage unit 32 by the parking spot memory process, and parking spots in which the vehicle 100 has been parked with a predetermined frequency or more in the past are stored as high-frequency parking spots. Then, the location determination process determines whether the vehicle 100 is located in a high-frequency parking spot based on the current location information of the vehicle 100 detected by the positioning sensor 13, and if it is determined that the vehicle 100 is located in a high-frequency parking spot, a request to start the automatic parking process is made. The parking spot memory process, location determination process, and automatic parking process performed in the parking assistance process will be described below.

[0029] <Parking location memory processing> First, the parking location memory processing will be explained with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of the parking location memory processing. The parking location memory processing is performed by the processor 33 of the ECU 30.

[0030] In the parking location memory processing, first, the location memory unit 331 of the processor 33 determines whether or not the vehicle 100 has been parked by automatic parking (step S11). Specifically, for example, in the automatic parking process described later, the location memory unit 331 determines that parking has been performed by automatic parking when the occupant operates the input device 161 to consent to the start of automatic parking. On the other hand, if the occupant does not operate the input device 161 to consent to the start of automatic parking, it determines that parking has not been performed by automatic parking. If it is determined in step S11 that the vehicle 100 has not been parked by automatic parking, step S11 is executed repeatedly.

[0031] In step S11, when it is determined that the vehicle 100 has been parked by automatic parking, the location storage unit 331 stores the location information of the parking space where the vehicle 100 was automatically parked and the direction of parking at that parking space in the storage unit 32 (step S12). Through steps S11 and S22, the storage unit 32 stores the location information of the parking space where the vehicle 100 was automatically parked and the direction of parking each time the vehicle 100 is automatically parked.

[0032] Subsequently, the location memory unit 331 determines whether the parking location currently stored is a location where the vehicle 100 has been parked a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined period in the past (step S13). Specifically, the location memory unit 331 extracts the parking history from the memory unit 32 for a predetermined period from the present to the past (for example, within the past 30 days from the present). The location memory unit 331 then calculates the number of times the vehicle has been parked in the same parking location as the current parking location from the extracted parking history. Subsequently, the location memory unit 331 determines whether the number of parking times calculated in this way is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (for example, 10 times).

[0033] In step S13, if it is determined that the parking location currently stored is not a place where the vehicle 100 has been parked more than a predetermined number of times within a predetermined period in the past, the location storage unit 331 terminates the parking location storage process without performing any special processing. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S13 that the parking location currently stored is a place where the vehicle 100 has been parked more than a predetermined number of times within a predetermined period in the past, the location storage unit 331 stores the currently stored parking location as a high-frequency parking location (step S14). Therefore, in this embodiment, a place where the vehicle 100 has been automatically parked more than a predetermined number of times within a predetermined period in the past is set as a high-frequency parking location where the vehicle 100 has been parked more than a predetermined number of times in the past.

[0034] In this embodiment, the location memory unit 331 determines in step S11 whether or not the vehicle 100 was parked by automatic parking. However, the location memory unit 331 may determine whether or not the vehicle 100 was parked regardless of whether it was parked by automatic or manual parking. Specifically, the location memory unit 331 may determine that the vehicle 100 was parked when the ignition switch is turned off, for example. In this case, when the vehicle 100 is parked, the location memory unit 331 stores the location information of the parking spot in the memory unit 32. Therefore, in this case, a location where the vehicle 100 has been parked a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined period in the past is set as a high-frequency parking location where the vehicle has been parked a predetermined number of times or more in the past.

[0035] <Position detection process> Next, the position determination process will be explained with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of the position determination process. The position determination process is executed by the processor 33 of the ECU 30 at regular time intervals.

[0036] In the location determination process, first, the location determination unit 332 of the processor 33 acquires the current self-location information of the vehicle 100 from the positioning sensor 13 (step S21). Next, the location determination unit 332 determines whether or not the vehicle 100 is located in a high-frequency parking area based on the current self-location information of the vehicle 100 acquired in step S21 (step S22). Specifically, the location determination unit 332 determines whether or not the vehicle 100 is located in a high-frequency parking area based on the location information of one or more high-frequency parking areas stored in the storage unit 32 in step S14 of Figure 3 and the current self-location information of the vehicle 100. For example, the location determination unit 332 determines that the vehicle 100 is located in a high-frequency parking area if the position of the vehicle 100, represented by the self-location information, is within the area represented by the location information of any high-frequency parking area.

[0037] If it is determined in step S22 that the vehicle 100 is located in a high-frequency parking area, the position determination unit 332 requests the start of the automatic parking process (step S23). When the position determination unit 332 requests the start of the automatic parking process, the automatic parking process shown in Figure 5 is started. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S22 that the vehicle 100 is not located in a high-frequency parking area, the position determination process is terminated without the position determination unit 332 requesting the start of the automatic parking process.

[0038] <Automatic Parking Process> Next, the automatic parking process will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the automatic parking process. The automatic parking process is performed by the processor 33 of the ECU 30. The automatic parking process shown in Figure 5 is started when the start of the automatic parking process is requested in step S23 of Figure 4, or when the automatic parking switch, which is one of the input devices 161, is pressed by the occupant.

[0039] In the automatic parking process, first, the parking preparation unit 333 of the processor 33 detects available parking spaces in the high-frequency parking area where the vehicle 100 is located in step 22 of Figure 4, or around the vehicle 100 (step S31). Specifically, the parking preparation unit 333 detects available parking spaces around the vehicle 100 by performing image processing on the image of the area around the vehicle 100 captured by the external camera 11. Furthermore, for example, if the parking location of the vehicle 100 is a large parking lot with a server that transmits information on available parking spaces, the parking preparation unit 333 detects available parking spaces in the parking location by receiving information on available parking spaces from this server via the external communication module 15.

[0040] The parking preparation unit 333 then determines whether or not there are any parking space candidates based on the information of the empty parking space detected in step S21 (step S32). For example, if no empty parking space is detected in step S21, the parking preparation unit 333 determines that there are no parking space candidates. Also, if an empty parking space is detected in step S21 but that parking space does not meet the parking conditions, the parking preparation unit 333 determines that there are no parking space candidates. Specifically, for example, the parking preparation unit 333 calculates the size of the empty parking space from an image of the empty parking space taken by the external camera 11, and if the calculated size of the empty parking space is too small for the size of the vehicle 100, it determines that there are no parking space candidates. On the other hand, if an empty parking space is detected in step S21 and that parking space meets the parking conditions, the parking preparation unit 333 determines that there are parking space candidates. If it is determined in step S32 that there are no suitable parking spaces, steps S31 and S32 are repeated until a suitable parking space becomes available, for example, when another parked vehicle leaves the parking space.

[0041] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S32 that there is a parking space candidate, the parking preparation unit 333 attempts to generate a parking path for the vehicle 100 to park in the parking space candidate (step S33). The parking preparation unit 333 attempts to generate a parking path based, for example, on the relative positional relationship between the vehicle 100 and the parking space candidate, and on obstacles located between the vehicle 100 and the parking space candidate (for example, other vehicles or buildings). In particular, the parking preparation unit 333 attempts to generate a parking path such that the vehicle 100 is parked in the parking space candidate from its current position in an arbitrary orientation while maintaining a certain distance or more from surrounding obstacles. When the automatic parking process is started based on the request in step S23 of Figure 4, the arbitrary orientation at this time is the parking orientation stored in the memory unit 32 corresponding to the high-frequency parking location where the vehicle 100 was determined to be located in step S22 of Figure 4. Furthermore, if the parking preparation unit 333 cannot generate a parking route from the current position to the candidate parking space position without making U-turns, it attempts to generate a parking route that includes U-turns.

[0042] Next, the parking preparation unit 333 determines whether or not it was possible to generate a parking path by attempting to generate a parking path in step S33 (step S34). If it is determined in step S34 that it is not possible to generate a parking path, the process returns to step S31, and other parking space candidates are detected again.

[0043] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S34 that a parking path has been generated, the suggestion unit 334 of the processor 33 suggests to the occupants of the vehicle 100 that automatic parking be started (step S35). In this embodiment, considering that the automatic parking process is started when the position determination process determines that the vehicle 100 is located in a high-frequency parking space, the suggestion unit 334 suggests starting automatic parking when it is determined that the vehicle 100 is located in a high-frequency parking space AND that a parking path has been generated.

[0044] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the suggestion unit 334 may also suggest the orientation in which the vehicle 100 should be parked in a candidate parking space at the parking location. In this case, when the automatic parking process is started based on the request in step S23 of Figure 4, the parking orientation is the parking orientation stored in the storage unit 32 corresponding to the high-frequency parking location where the vehicle 100 is located in step S22 of Figure 4. Therefore, the suggestion unit 334 suggests the parking orientation of the vehicle 100 based on information about the orientation in which the vehicle 100 has been parked in the high-frequency parking location in the past.

[0045] Specifically, the suggestion unit 334 displays, for example, a message on the display device of the output device 162 suggesting the start of automatic parking. Figure 6 shows an example of a display screen 200 that suggests the start of automatic parking. In the example shown in Figure 6, the display screen 200 includes a suggestion screen 210 that suggests the start of automatic parking to the occupant, and a surrounding display screen 220 that displays the area around the vehicle 100, including parking space candidates. The suggestion screen 210 displays YES and NO buttons to select whether or not to start automatic parking. The surrounding display screen 220 displays an icon 100' of the vehicle 100 and icons 101' and 102' of other vehicles (obstacles) around the vehicle 100. The surrounding display screen 220 also displays an icon 110 of a parking space candidate along with the direction of parking in that parking space candidate, so that the occupant can understand where and in what direction the vehicle 100 will be parked when automatic parking is started. Furthermore, the proposal unit 334 may, in lieu of or in addition to displaying information on the display device, propose the start of automatic parking by voice using the speaker of the output device 162 or the like.

[0046] Next, the suggestion unit 334 determines whether the suggestion to start automatic parking has been accepted by the occupant (step S36). Specifically, the suggestion unit 334 determines whether the YES button on the suggestion screen has been pressed by the occupant, that is, whether the parking start switch has been pressed by the occupant. If it is determined in step S36 that the suggestion to start automatic parking has not been accepted, for example, if it is determined that the NO button on the suggestion screen has been pressed, the process returns to step S31 and other parking space candidates are searched for. Alternatively, if it is determined in step S36 that the NO button on the suggestion screen has been pressed, the system may determine that automatic parking is unnecessary and terminate the automatic parking process.

[0047] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S36 that the proposal to start automatic parking has been accepted, the parking control unit 335 executes automatic parking control (step S37). That is, the parking control unit 335 automatically drives the vehicle 100 along the parking path generated in step S33, based on the outputs of the external camera 11, the distance measuring sensor 12, and the driving state sensor 14, until it reaches a candidate parking space. Specifically, the parking control unit 335 controls the vehicle actuator 21 so that the vehicle 100 is driven along the generated parking path. As a result, the vehicle 100 is automatically driven until it reaches a target parking space corresponding to the candidate parking space proposed in step S35.

[0048] <Effects> According to the above embodiment, when the vehicle 100 approaches a frequently used parking spot, the automatic parking process is initiated and the start of automatic parking is proposed without any input from the occupants. Therefore, the start of automatic parking is proposed without the occupants having to press an automatic parking switch to initiate the automatic parking process near the desired parking space. This enhances driver convenience when providing parking assistance.

[0049] Furthermore, if the automatic parking process is initiated only after the automatic parking switch is pressed, the detection of available parking spaces and the attempt to generate a parking route are performed after the automatic parking switch is pressed. Therefore, in this case, it takes time before the start of automatic parking is proposed. In contrast, in the above embodiment, the automatic parking process is automatically initiated when the vehicle 100 approaches a high-frequency parking location, even if the automatic parking switch is not pressed. Therefore, the proposal to start automatic parking is made quickly, thereby improving the convenience for the driver when providing parking assistance.

[0050] While preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1. Parking Assist System 11. Exterior car camera 12 Distance measuring sensors 16 HMI 21 Vehicle Actuators 30 ECU 33 processors

Claims

1. A parking assist device that assists in parking a vehicle, A location storage unit that stores in the storage unit the location information of the parking space and the orientation in which the vehicle is parked when the vehicle is parked, The system includes a suggestion unit that, based on the vehicle's current location information detected by the vehicle's positioning sensor, when it is determined that the vehicle is located in a high-frequency parking location among the parking locations stored in the storage unit where the vehicle has been parked at a predetermined frequency or more in the past, suggests to the vehicle's occupants that the vehicle start automatic parking of the vehicle in the high-frequency parking location. The suggestion unit, when suggesting the start of automatic parking of the vehicle in the high-frequency parking space, suggests the orientation in which the vehicle should be parked in the high-frequency parking space based on information about the orientation in which the vehicle was parked in the high-frequency parking space in the past.

2. The parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the high-frequency parking location is a parking location where the vehicle has been parked a predetermined number of times or more between the present and a predetermined period prior.

3. The parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the high-frequency parking location is a parking location among the parking locations stored in the memory unit where the vehicle has been automatically parked at a predetermined frequency or more in the past.

4. It is a parking assistance program, When a vehicle is parked, the location information of the parking spot and the orientation in which the vehicle is parked in that spot are stored in the storage unit. Based on the vehicle's current location information detected by the vehicle's positioning sensor, when it is detected that the vehicle is located in a high-frequency parking location among the parking locations stored in the memory unit where the vehicle has been parked at a predetermined frequency or more in the past, the system proposes to the occupant of the vehicle that it begin automatic parking of the vehicle in the high-frequency parking location. When proposing the initiation of automatic parking of the vehicle in the aforementioned high-frequency parking space, the orientation in which the vehicle was parked in the high-frequency parking space in the past is proposed. A parking assistance program that instructs the processor to execute.

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