Parking assistance system and parking assistance program

Abstract

To suppress a driver from feeling uneasy when performing automatic parking.SOLUTION: A parking support device comprises: a prediction part 334 which predicts whether a distance between a vehicle 1 and an obstacle around a vehicle is a reference distance or less while the vehicle performs automatic parking; and a notification part 335 which notifies, when the prediction part predicts that the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle is the reference distance or less, a crewman of a notification that the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle may be shorter during parking.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when performing automatic parking control to automatically park a vehicle, a parking assistance device is known in which, when the distance between the parking path and surrounding obstacles falls below a predetermined threshold, automatic parking parameters for a narrow space are selected (Patent Document 1). In particular, in Patent Document 1, when the distance between the parking path and surrounding obstacles falls below a predetermined threshold, the value of the stop determination distance parameter, which causes the vehicle to automatically stop by automatic braking when an obstacle is detected, is changed to a smaller value compared to when the threshold is exceeded.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When the automatic parking parameters for a very narrow space are selected as described above, the vehicle approaches surrounding obstacles during parking, so the driver may feel uneasy.

[0005] In view of the above problems, an object of the present disclosure is to suppress the driver from feeling uneasy when performing automatic parking.

Means for Solving the Problems

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

[0007] (1) A prediction unit that predicts whether the distance to an obstacle around the vehicle becomes less than or equal to a reference distance while automatically parking the vehicle, A parking assistance device comprising: a notification unit that, when it is predicted that the distance to the obstacle will be less than or equal to the reference distance, notifies the occupant that the distance to the obstacle may become shorter during parking. (2) The parking assistance device according to (1) above, wherein the prediction unit predicts that if the spacing between the openings in the target parking space is less than or equal to a predetermined standard spacing, the distance to obstacles around the vehicle will be less than or equal to a standard distance while the vehicle is automatically parked. (3) The vehicle further comprises an automatic parking unit that automatically drives the vehicle until it reaches a target parking position, The automatic parking unit automatically drives the vehicle until it reaches the target parking configuration, using either a narrow mode in which the distance to obstacles around the vehicle is less than or equal to a standard distance when the vehicle is automatically parked, or a normal mode in which the distance to obstacles around the vehicle is not less than or equal to a standard distance when the vehicle is parked. The prediction unit predicts that when the vehicle is operated in the narrow-space mode, the distance to obstacles around the vehicle will be less than or equal to a reference distance while the vehicle is automatically parked. The parking assist device according to (1) above, wherein the notification indicating that the distance to an obstacle may become shorter during parking is a notification indicating that the vehicle will be parked in a narrow space mode. (4) The automatic parking unit, when the distance between the openings in the target parking space is less than or equal to a predetermined standard distance, automatically drives the vehicle in the narrow mode until it reaches the target parking position, and when the distance between the openings is wider than the standard distance, automatically drives the vehicle in the normal mode until it reaches the target parking position, as described in (3) above. (5) The parking assistance device according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein the notification unit provides the notification by displaying it on the vehicle's display and / or by sound from the vehicle's speaker. (6) Parking assistance program, To predict whether the distance to obstacles around a vehicle will be less than or equal to a reference distance while the vehicle is automatically parking. When it is predicted that the distance to the aforementioned obstacle will be less than or equal to the aforementioned reference distance, the occupants shall be notified that the distance to the obstacle may decrease while the vehicle is parked. A parking assistance program that instructs the processor to execute. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, driver anxiety during automatic parking is reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a vehicle on which a parking assist 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 illustrating the flow of the automatic parking process using the parking assistance system. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the parking patterns of other vehicles (obstacles) around the target parking space and the spacing between the openings. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a flowchart similar to Figure 3, illustrating the flow of the automatic parking process by the parking assist system. [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] First Embodiment <Vehicle Configuration> FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing a vehicle 1 in which a parking assistance device according to the first embodiment is implemented. The parking assistance device performs automatic driving of the vehicle 1 so that the vehicle 1 is automatically parked in a target parking space. In the present embodiment, the vehicle 1 includes an external camera 11, a distance measuring sensor 12, a vehicle information sensor 13, a human machine interface (hereinafter referred to as "HMI") 14, a vehicle actuator 21, and an electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as "ECU") 30.

[0012] However, the vehicle 1 does not necessarily have all of these. For example, if the vehicle 1 has the external camera 11, it may not have the distance measuring sensor 12.

[0013] The external camera 11, the distance measuring sensor 12, the vehicle information sensor 13, the HMI 14, and the ECU 30 are communicably connected via an 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. The external camera 11 includes a two-dimensional detector (such as a CCD or a C-MOS) composed of an array of photoelectric conversion elements sensitive to visible light, and an imaging optical system that forms an image of an area to be photographed on the two-dimensional detector. In the present embodiment, the vehicle 1 has a plurality of external cameras 11. Two of these external cameras 11 are attached inside the vehicle 1, for example, so as to face the front and rear of the vehicle 1 and photograph the front and rear of the vehicle 1 respectively. The other two external cameras 11 are attached outside the vehicle 1 (for example, on the side mirrors) so as to face the left and right sides of the vehicle 1 and photograph the left and right sides of the vehicle 1 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 a distance measuring sensor 12.

[0015] The distance measurement sensor 12 is a sensor that measures the distance to an object existing around the vehicle 1. In the present embodiment, the distance measurement sensor 12 can also measure the orientation of an object existing around the vehicle 1. The distance measurement 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 measurement sensor 12 measures the distance to an object existing on all four sides of the vehicle. The distance measurement 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 vehicle information sensor 13 is a sensor that acquires information regarding the vehicle 1. The vehicle information sensor 13 includes a driving state sensor that detects the driving state of the vehicle 1 and a positioning sensor that measures the self-position of the vehicle 1. The driving state sensor detects, for example, the speed of the vehicle 1, the acceleration of the vehicle 1, the rate of change of the yaw angle (yaw rate) when the vehicle 1 is turning, and the like. The positioning sensor is, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver. The GNSS receiver receives signals with time information from a plurality of positioning satellites and measures the self-position of the vehicle 1 based on the received signals. The vehicle information sensor 13 outputs information regarding the vehicle 1 to the ECU 30 via the in-vehicle network 25.

[0017] The HMI 14 is a user interface for exchanging information between the ECU 30 of the vehicle and the passengers of the vehicle 1. The HMI 14 has an input device 141 that receives inputs from the passengers of the vehicle 1 and an output device 142 that notifies the passengers of the vehicle 1. The input device 141 is a device that receives physical operations or voice operations by the passengers as inputs, and includes, for example, any one of a touch panel, a switch, a button, a microphone, and the like. On the other hand, the output device 142 is a device that notifies the passengers through the five senses of the passengers (for example, vision, hearing, touch, etc.), and includes, for example, any one of a display device (for example, a liquid crystal display, a head-up display, etc.), a lighting device such as a warning light, a speaker, a vibration unit, and the like.

[0018] The HMI 14 receives input from the occupant via the input device 141 and transmits it to the ECU 30 via the in-vehicle network 25. The HMI 14 also notifies the occupant of notification information corresponding to the signal received from the ECU 30 via the in-vehicle network 25 via the output device 142. Specifically, the HMI 14 displays such notification information on a display device and outputs notification audio information from a speaker.

[0019] In this embodiment, the HMI 14 is pre-installed in the vehicle 1. However, a terminal owned by the occupants of the vehicle 1 (for example, a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer) may be connected to the ECU 30 by wire or wireless connection and used as the HMI 14.

[0020] The vehicle actuator 21 is an actuator used to control the operation of the vehicle 1. Specifically, the vehicle actuator 21 includes, for example, a drive actuator that controls an internal combustion engine or electric motor for driving the vehicle 1, a braking actuator that controls brakes for braking the vehicle 1, and a steering actuator that controls the steering of the vehicle 1. The vehicle actuator 21 controls the acceleration, braking, and steering of the vehicle 1 according to control signals transmitted from the ECU 30 via signal lines.

[0021] The ECU 30 functions as a parking assist device that assists in parking the vehicle 1. In this embodiment, the ECU 30 assists in setting a target parking pattern, such as a target parking space and the direction of parking into the target parking space, and controls the vehicle actuator 21 to automatically drive the vehicle 1 so that the vehicle 1 is parked according to the set target parking pattern. The ECU 30 may be composed of multiple ECUs 30, each 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.

[0022] 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, the distance sensor 12, the vehicle information sensor 13, and the input devices 141 of the HMI 14 to the processor 33. The communication interface 31 also transmits signals output from the processor 33 to the output devices 142 of the HMI 14 and the vehicle actuator 21.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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.

[0025] In this embodiment, the processor 33 performs automatic parking based on information about the vehicle 1's surroundings, such as images captured by the external camera 11 and the distance to surrounding objects detected by the distance measuring sensor 12, and information input by the occupant via the HMI 14's input device 141. In particular, in this embodiment, the processor 33 sets a target parking configuration (target parking space and parking orientation within the target parking space, etc.) for parking the vehicle 1 based on the information about the vehicle 1's surroundings and the occupant's input information. In addition, the processor 33 creates a driving plan for parking the vehicle 1 in the target parking configuration and causes the vehicle actuator 21 to execute driving operations related to acceleration, braking, and steering according to the created driving plan. Furthermore, the processor 33 transmits signals corresponding to notification information to the HMI 14's output device 142 as needed, and provides various notifications to the occupant of the vehicle 1 via the output device 142.

[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 target parking mode setting unit 331, an automatic parking unit 332, a surrounding image display unit 333, a prediction unit 334, and a notification unit 335. The target parking mode setting unit 331 sets the target parking mode based on information input by the occupant via the input device 141. The automatic parking unit 332 controls the vehicle actuator 21 to automatically drive the vehicle 1 until it reaches the target parking mode. The surrounding image display unit 333 displays images of the area around the vehicle 1, taken by the external camera 11, on the display device of the output device 142 while the vehicle 1 is parked. The prediction unit 334 predicts whether the distance to obstacles around the vehicle 1 will be less than or equal to a reference distance while the vehicle 1 is automatically parked. In particular, in this embodiment, the prediction unit 334 predicts whether the distance to obstacles around the vehicle 1 will be less than or equal to a predetermined reference distance during automatic parking of the vehicle 1, based on whether the vehicle 1's width in the target parking space is less than or equal to a predetermined reference distance. When the notification unit 335 predicts that the distance to obstacles around the vehicle 1 will be less than or equal to the reference distance during automatic parking of the vehicle 1, it notifies the occupants that the distance to obstacles may decrease during parking. 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] <Automatic Parking Process> Next, with reference to Figure 3, the flow of the automatic parking process by the parking assist system will be explained. Figure 3 is a flowchart that schematically shows the flow of the automatic parking process by the parking assist system. The illustrated automatic parking process is executed by the processor 33 of the ECU 30.

[0028] As shown in Figure 3, in the automatic parking process, first, the target parking mode setting unit 331 of the processor 33 determines whether or not the automatic parking switch has been pressed by an occupant (step S11). The automatic parking switch is included in the input device 141. The automatic parking switch may be a switch provided on a display device such as a touch panel display, or it may be a physical switch or button. The target parking mode setting unit 331 determines whether or not the automatic parking switch has been pressed based on a signal input from the input device 141 via the in-vehicle network 25. If it is determined in step S11 that the automatic parking switch has not been pressed, step S11 is repeated.

[0029] If it is determined in step S11 that the automatic parking switch has been pressed, the target parking pattern setting unit 331 sets the target parking pattern (step S12). Specifically, the target parking pattern setting unit 331 displays the image of the area around the vehicle 1 on the display device of the output device 142 based on the image captured by the external camera 11, and overlays the image with candidate parking spaces where the vehicle 1 should be parked. If there are multiple candidate parking spaces, the occupant selects one of the candidates as the target parking space. This selection is input, for example, via the touch panel of the input device 141 and transmitted to the ECU 30. The target parking pattern setting unit 331 also displays candidate orientations for the vehicle 1 when parking in the parking space, overlaid on the image of the area around the vehicle 1. If there are multiple candidate orientations for the vehicle 1, similar to the case where there are multiple candidate parking spaces, the occupant selects one of the candidates as the target parking direction. Therefore, in this embodiment, the setting of the target parking pattern involves selecting a target parking space and selecting the orientation of vehicle 1 when parking. However, other parameters related to the parking pattern (for example, the position of vehicle 1 within the parking space) may also be set as part of the setting of the target parking pattern.

[0030] In step S12, when a target parking space is selected and the orientation of vehicle 1 is selected to set the target parking mode, the target parking mode setting unit 331 determines whether or not the parking start switch has been pressed by an occupant (step S13). The parking start switch is included in the input device 141. The parking start switch may be a switch provided on a display device such as a touch panel display, or it may be a physical switch or button. The target parking mode setting unit 331 determines whether or not the parking start switch has been pressed based on a signal input from the input device 141 via the in-vehicle network 25. If it is determined in step S13 that the parking start switch has not been pressed, steps S12 and S13 are repeated.

[0031] If it is determined in step S13 that the parking start switch has been pressed, the prediction unit 334 calculates the width W of the target parking space based on the image captured by the external camera 11. The width W will be explained with reference to Figure 4.

[0032] Figure 4 schematically shows the relationship between the parking arrangements of other vehicles (obstacles) M and N around the target parking space X and the gap W. In particular, Figure 4 explains the case of parallel parking as an example. As shown in Figure 4, in this embodiment, the gap X basically represents the distance between the front and rear of other vehicles around the target parking space X in a direction perpendicular to them.

[0033] As shown in Figure 4(A), when other vehicles M and N are located on the same straight line, the distance between the rear of vehicle M and the front of vehicle N is defined as the opening spacing X. On the other hand, as shown in Figures 4(B) and 4(C), when other vehicles M and N are located in parallel directions with a left-right offset, the distance between the rear of vehicle M and the front of vehicle N in a direction perpendicular to these rear and front surfaces is defined as the opening spacing X. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4(D), when other vehicles M and N around the target parking space X are not located in parallel directions, the minimum distance in the average direction between the rear of vehicle M and the front of vehicle N is defined as the opening spacing X.

[0034] In step S14 of Figure 3, once the frontage spacing W is calculated, the prediction unit 334 determines whether the calculated frontage spacing W is less than or equal to a predetermined reference spacing Wref (step S15). Here, if the frontage spacing W is large, the distance to other vehicles will be maintained at a relatively long distance while vehicle 1 is automatically parked. On the other hand, if the frontage spacing W is small, the distance to other vehicles will temporarily become shorter while vehicle 1 is automatically parked. Therefore, it can be said that the prediction unit 334 predicts whether the distance to obstacles around vehicle 1 will be less than or equal to the reference distance while vehicle 1 is automatically parked.

[0035] The reference interval Wref corresponds to the interval at which the minimum distance to obstacles around vehicle 1 becomes the reference distance during automatic parking of vehicle 1. Therefore, the reference interval Wref changes depending on the target parking method, for example. For example, when performing parallel parking, the reference interval Wref is set to a larger value than when performing parallel parking.

[0036] If, in step S15, it is determined that the opening spacing W is greater than the reference spacing Wref, the automatic parking unit 332 sets the parking mode for parking the vehicle 1 to a normal mode in which the distance to obstacles around the vehicle 1 does not fall below the reference distance (step S16). In normal mode, for example, if the distance from the vehicle 1 to obstacles around the vehicle 1 falls below the reference distance, the brakes are automatically applied to prevent collision.

[0037] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S15 that the opening spacing W is less than or equal to the reference spacing Wref, the automatic parking unit 332 sets the parking mode for parking the vehicle 1 to a narrow mode in which the distance to obstacles around the vehicle 1 can be less than or equal to the reference distance (step S17). In the narrow mode, for example, even if the distance from the vehicle 1 to obstacles around the vehicle 1 is less than or equal to the reference distance, the automatic brakes for collision prevention do not activate, and the automatic brakes activate only when the distance becomes less than or equal to a predetermined distance that is shorter than the reference distance.

[0038] Next, the notification unit 335 causes the output device 142 to notify the occupants that the distance to an obstacle may become shorter during parking (step S18). For example, the notification unit 335 causes the display device to display a message indicating that the distance to an obstacle may become shorter during parking, or outputs an audio message from the speaker indicating that the distance to an obstacle may become shorter during parking. Specifically, the notification unit 335 notifies the occupants, for example, that the vehicle will be automatically parked in narrow-space mode, either by display or audio. Therefore, in this embodiment, the notification unit 335 gives the occupants a message indicating that the distance to an obstacle may become shorter during parking when it is determined that the opening spacing W is less than or equal to the reference spacing Wref, that is, when it is determined that the distance to obstacles around the vehicle 1 will be less than or equal to the reference distance during automatic parking of the vehicle 1.

[0039] If it is set in step S16 or S17 that parking will be performed in either the narrow mode or the normal mode, the automatic parking unit 332 creates a driving plan until the target parking configuration is reached (step S19). The driving plan includes a target driving route until the vehicle 1 reaches the target parking configuration and a target speed for the vehicle 1 at each point along the target driving route.

[0040] When the parking mode is set to normal mode in step S16, the automatic parking unit 332 creates a driving plan so that the distance between the vehicle 1 and surrounding obstacles does not fall below a standard distance during parking. On the other hand, when the parking mode is set to narrow mode in step S17, the automatic parking unit 332 creates a driving plan so that the distance between the vehicle 1 and surrounding obstacles during parking may fall below a standard distance, but does not fall below a predetermined distance that is shorter than the standard distance.

[0041] Next, the surrounding image display unit 333 displays the image of the area around the vehicle 1, captured by the external camera 11, on the display device of the output device 142 (step S20). In this embodiment, the display of the image of the area around the vehicle 1 on the display device is started after the driving plan is generated, but the display of the image of the area around the vehicle 1 on the display device may be started at any timing after it has been determined in step S13 that the parking start switch has been pressed.

[0042] In step S19, once a driving plan is created, the automatic parking unit 332 automatically drives vehicle 1 according to the created driving plan, based on the output of the vehicle information sensor 13, until it reaches the target parking configuration (step S21). Specifically, the automatic parking unit 332 controls the vehicle actuator 21 so that vehicle 1 is driven according to the created driving plan. As a result, vehicle 1 is driven automatically until it reaches the target parking configuration.

[0043] <Effects> According to the above embodiment, when automatic parking is performed in narrow-space mode, the distance between the vehicle 1 and the obstacle becomes shorter during parking. Therefore, occupants may feel uneasy if they are unaware that automatic parking is being performed in narrow-space mode. In particular, in this embodiment, while automatic parking is being performed, the surrounding image display unit 333 displays an image of the area around the vehicle 1 on the display device, making it easy for occupants to feel uneasy.

[0044] In contrast, in the above embodiment, when automatic parking is performed in narrow-space mode, that is, when it is predicted that the distance to an obstacle will fall below the standard distance during parking, the occupants are notified that the distance to the obstacle may become shorter during parking. This reduces the anxiety that occupants may feel when the distance between vehicle 1 and an obstacle becomes shorter during parking.

[0045] Second Embodiment Next, with reference to Figure 5, a parking assistance device according to the second embodiment will be described. The configuration and control of the parking assistance device according to the second embodiment are basically the same as those of the parking assistance device according to the first embodiment. The following description will focus on the differences from the parking assistance device according to the first embodiment.

[0046] In the first embodiment described above, the parking mode to be used is determined based on the width of the target parking space, either the narrow mode or the normal mode, and the automatic parking unit 332 performs automatic parking according to the determined parking mode. When automatic parking is performed in the narrow mode, the occupants are notified. In contrast, in the second embodiment, after a driving plan is generated, the occupants are notified when it is expected that the minimum distance D between the vehicle 1 and an obstacle will be less than or equal to the reference distance Dref if automatic parking is performed according to that driving plan.

[0047] Referring to Figure 5, the flow of the automatic parking process by the parking assist device according to the second embodiment will be explained. Figure 5 is a flowchart similar to Figure 3, schematically showing the flow of the automatic parking process by the parking assist device. The illustrated automatic parking process is executed by the processor 33 of the ECU 30. Steps S31 to S33, S38 and S39 in Figure 5 are the same as steps S11 to S13, S20 and S21 in Figure 3, respectively, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0048] As shown in Figure 5, when it is determined in step S33 that the parking start switch has been pressed, the automatic parking unit 332 creates a driving plan to reach the target parking configuration, similar to step S19 in Figure 3 (step S34). In particular, in this embodiment, since no driving mode is set in advance, the driving plan is created independently of the driving mode.

[0049] When a driving plan is created in step S34, the prediction unit 334 calculates the minimum distance (minimum distance D) between vehicle 1 and obstacles around vehicle 1 when vehicle 1 is driven automatically according to the driving plan. Specifically, the prediction unit 334 calculates the minimum distance between the position of vehicle 1 and surrounding obstacles at each point in time when vehicle 1 is driven automatically according to the driving plan. The prediction unit 334 then calculates the smallest value among the minimum values ​​at all points in time until vehicle 1 reaches the target parking position as the minimum distance D.

[0050] In step S35, when the minimum distance D is calculated, the prediction unit 334 determines whether the calculated minimum distance D is less than or equal to a predetermined reference distance D (step S36). The reference distance D may be a predetermined fixed distance, or it may be a distance that changes depending on the target parking pattern, etc.

[0051] If, in step S36, it is determined that the minimum distance D is less than or equal to the reference distance Dref, the notification unit 335 causes the output device 142 to send a notification to the occupant indicating that the distance to an obstacle may become shorter while parked, similar to step S18 in Figure 3 (step S37). On the other hand, if, in step S36, it is determined that the minimum distance D is greater than the reference distance Dref, the notification unit 335 does not cause the output device 142 to send such a notification.

[0052] 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]

[0053] 1 vehicle 11. Exterior car camera 12 Distance measuring sensors 14 HMI 21 Vehicle Actuators 30 ECU

Claims

1. A prediction unit that predicts whether the distance to obstacles around the vehicle will be less than or equal to a reference distance while the vehicle is automatically parked, When it is predicted that the distance to the obstacle will be less than or equal to the reference distance, a notification unit provides the occupant with a notification indicating that the distance to the obstacle may decrease while the vehicle is parked. The vehicle has an automatic parking unit that automatically drives the vehicle until it reaches a target parking position, The automatic parking unit automatically drives the vehicle until it reaches the target parking configuration, using either a narrow mode in which the distance to obstacles around the vehicle is less than or equal to a standard distance when the vehicle is automatically parked, or a normal mode in which the distance to obstacles around the vehicle is not less than or equal to a standard distance when the vehicle is parked. In the normal mode, the automatic brakes are activated to prevent a collision when the distance to the obstacle falls below the reference distance, while in the narrow mode, the automatic brakes are not activated even if the distance to the obstacle falls below the reference distance, and the automatic brakes are activated when the distance falls below a predetermined distance shorter than the reference distance. The prediction unit predicts that when the vehicle is operated in the narrow-space mode, the distance to obstacles around the vehicle will be less than or equal to a reference distance while the vehicle is automatically parked. A parking assist device in which a notification indicating that the distance to an obstacle may become shorter during parking is a notification indicating that the vehicle will be parked in a narrow-space mode.

2. The automatic parking unit, when the distance between the openings in the target parking space is less than or equal to a predetermined reference distance, automatically drives the vehicle in the narrow mode until it reaches the target parking configuration, and when the distance between the openings is wider than the reference distance, automatically drives the vehicle in the normal mode until it reaches the target parking configuration, as described in claim 1.

3. It is a parking assistance program, To predict whether the distance to obstacles around a vehicle will be less than or equal to a reference distance while the vehicle is automatically parking. When it is predicted that the distance to the obstacle will be less than or equal to the reference distance, the occupants will be notified that the distance to the obstacle may decrease while the vehicle is parked. The vehicle is to be driven automatically until it reaches the target parking position, The vehicle is automatically driven until it reaches the target parking configuration, using either a narrow mode in which the distance to obstacles around the vehicle is less than or equal to a standard distance when the vehicle is automatically parked, or a normal mode in which the distance to obstacles around the vehicle is not less than or equal to a standard distance when the vehicle is parked. When the vehicle is operated in the aforementioned narrow-space mode, it is predicted that the distance to obstacles around the vehicle will be less than or equal to the reference distance while the vehicle is automatically parked. Make the processor execute it, In the normal mode, the automatic brakes are activated to prevent a collision when the distance to the obstacle falls below the reference distance, while in the narrow mode, the automatic brakes are not activated even if the distance to the obstacle falls below the reference distance, and the automatic brakes are activated when the distance falls below a predetermined distance shorter than the reference distance. A parking assistance program in which a notification indicating that the distance to an obstacle may become close during parking is a notification indicating that the vehicle will be parked in a narrow-space mode.

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