Parking assistance method and parking assistance device

Abstract

A controller (10) of this parking assistance device (100): is positioned outside a host vehicle (1), and acquires parking information from a cloud server that stores in advance parking information including the surrounding environment of a parking position affiliated with a destination; when the host vehicle (1) arrives near the destination, identifies the current position of the host vehicle (1) in the surrounding environment of the parking position, on the basis of the parking information and vehicle surroundings information which includes the surrounding environment of the host vehicle (1) and which is acquired by the detection unit (102) of the host vehicle (1); calculates a parking route from the current position of the host vehicle (1) to a target parking position; and assists with parking of the host vehicle (1) on the basis of the parking route.

Description

Parking assistance method and parking assistance device

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

[0002] A technology is known in which parking request information is acquired that requests that a vehicle be parked at a parking target position based on a map including the vehicle's parking target position and surrounding conditions, and the vehicle's current position, and the vehicle is guided from its current position to the parking target position in accordance with the parking request information (Patent Document 1).

[0003] JP 2017-67466 A

[0004] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 performs parking assistance based on the current position of the vehicle, which is determined based on information from GPS satellites, and map information, so there is a problem in that the accuracy of determining the current position of the vehicle relative to the target parking position is low, making it impossible to provide accurate parking assistance.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a parking assistance method and a parking assistance device that can more accurately perform parking assistance.

[0006] The present invention solves the above problem by obtaining parking information from a cloud server located outside the vehicle and storing parking information in advance, including the surrounding environment of a parking position that belongs to the destination, and when the vehicle arrives near the destination, identifying the current position of the vehicle in the surrounding environment of the parking position based on the parking information and vehicle surrounding information including the surrounding environment of the vehicle obtained by a detection unit of the vehicle, calculating a parking route from the current position of the vehicle to the target parking position, and performing parking assistance for the vehicle based on the parking route.

[0007] According to the present invention, parking assistance can be performed more accurately.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a parking assistance system including a parking assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart of control processing of a parking assistance method executed by the parking assistance device according to the embodiment. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart of control processing of a parking assistance method executed by the parking assistance device according to the embodiment.

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a parking assistance system 2 including a parking assistance device 100 for a host vehicle 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the parking assistance system 2 includes the parking assistance device 100, a cloud server 200, and a network 300. The cloud server 200 is a device located remotely from the host vehicle 1. The parking assistance device 100 and the cloud server 200 communicate wirelessly via the network 300, allowing them to exchange information with each other.

[0010] The network 300 refers to a telecommunications network such as the Internet or a LAN, and is not particularly limited as long as it can exchange information between the parking assistance device 100 and the cloud server 200, and any known network can be used.

[0011] The parking assistance system 2 also includes a parking assistance device 100, a storage device 101, a detection device 102, a vehicle position acquisition device 103, a communication device 104, an input device 105, an output device 106, and a drive control device 107. These devices are mounted on the vehicle 1, are connected via a CAN (Controller Area Network) or other in-vehicle LAN, and can exchange information with each other. When the vehicle 1 arrives at its destination, the parking assistance device 100 uses the controller 10 to assist the vehicle 1 in parking at a target parking position among parking positions belonging to the destination.

[0012] The storage device 101 is a storage medium that stores various types of information. The information stored in the storage device 101 is, for example, information about the destination of the vehicle 1. In this embodiment, when the operator sets a destination using a navigation device (not shown) that guides the vehicle 1 to the destination, the parking assistance device 100 acquires the destination information from the navigation device and stores it in the storage device 101. The information stored in the storage device 101 is also information acquired from the cloud server 200. The parking assistance device 100 acquires parking information about the destination from the cloud server 200 based on the destination information. The parking information includes information about a parking position that belongs to the destination. The parking information may also include information about a parking route for parking at the parking position.

[0013] The parking locations belonging to the destination include parking locations located within the premises or parking lot of the destination. The parking locations belonging to the destination may also be parking locations located near the destination. If there are multiple parking locations belonging to the destination, the parking information includes a corresponding parking route for each parking location. The parking route is, for example, a route from a parking start location to a parking location. The parking start location is, for example, the entrance to the premises or parking lot of the destination.

[0014] The parking information also includes the surrounding environment of the parking position, such as the surrounding environment of the entire lot or parking lot. When a target parking position where the host vehicle 1 is to be parked is selected from the parking positions, the storage device 101 may store information on the selected target parking position. In this embodiment, the controller 10 acquires the parking information from the storage device 101 when the host vehicle 1 arrives near the destination.

[0015] The detection device 102 is a sensor of the host vehicle 1 that detects vehicle surrounding information, including the surrounding environment of the host vehicle 1. The detection device 102 is, for example, an exterior camera or a radar. The exterior camera is an image sensor, such as a CCD wide-angle camera, and is provided in front of, behind, and, if necessary, on both sides of the host vehicle 1 to capture images of the surroundings of the host vehicle 1 to acquire images (vehicle surrounding images). The exterior camera may be a stereo camera or an omnidirectional camera, and may include multiple image sensors. The detection device 102 may generate a field of view image for an around view monitor by combining images acquired by the multiple exterior cameras. Furthermore, the radar is provided in front of, behind, and, if necessary, on both sides of the host vehicle 1, and irradiates millimeter waves or ultrasonic waves around the host vehicle 1 to scan a predetermined area around the host vehicle 1. Note that the information detected by the detection device 102 includes information on surrounding feature points, which are feature points present around the host vehicle 1. In other words, the detection device 102 detects surrounding feature points. The detection device 102 is an example of the "detection section" described in the claims.

[0016] The vehicle position acquisition device 103 acquires position information indicating the current position of the vehicle 1. The vehicle position acquisition device 103 is composed of a GPS unit, a gyro sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, etc. The vehicle position acquisition device 103 detects radio waves transmitted from multiple satellite communications using the GPS unit, periodically acquires position information of the vehicle 1, and detects the current position of the vehicle 1 based on the acquired position information of the vehicle 1, angle change information acquired from the gyro sensor, and vehicle speed acquired from the vehicle speed sensor.

[0017] Communication device 104 transmits and receives information to and from communication device 21 of cloud server 200 via network 300. Communication device 104 receives parking information of the destination from cloud server 200.

[0018] The input device 105 is an input interface that accepts input from an operator. The input device 105 is composed of one or more devices. The input device 105 may be an in-vehicle device or a device mounted on a portable terminal such as a mobile phone or a tablet terminal. For example, the input device 105 is composed of a switch that allows the user to input and a microphone that allows the user to input voice. The input device 105 may be equipped with a touch panel or a keyboard. Note that, when a touch panel display is used as the input device 105, it can also be used as the output device 106. Information input to the input device 105 is, for example, instruction information to start parking assistance. In this embodiment, the information input to the input device 105 is output to the controller 10.

[0019] The output device 106 is an output interface that outputs information to the operator. The output device 106 is composed of one or more devices. The output device 106 may be an in-vehicle device, or may be a device mounted on a portable mobile terminal such as a mobile phone or a tablet terminal. For example, the output device 106 is a device that displays information, and examples thereof include a liquid crystal display and a projector. The output device 106 may also be a device that outputs audio information. For example, the output device 4 is a speaker. In this embodiment, the output device 106 notifies the operator of the vehicle 1 of notification information indicating that parking assistance will begin and notification information indicating parking assistance guidance during parking assistance.

[0020] The drive control device 107 controls the traveling of the host vehicle 1 using an autonomous control function. The autonomous control function includes an autonomous speed control function and an autonomous steering control function. Using the autonomous speed control function, the drive control device 107 controls the acceleration or deceleration, the operation of the drive mechanism for adjusting the vehicle speed (including the operation of the internal combustion engine in an engine vehicle, the operation of the traction motor in an electric vehicle, and the torque distribution between the internal combustion engine and the traction motor in a hybrid vehicle), and the brake operation. Furthermore, the drive control device 107 controls the operation of the steering actuator using an autonomous steering control function, thereby performing steering control of the host vehicle 1. In this embodiment, when a control signal is input from the parking assistance device 100, the drive control device 107 controls the parking operation of the host vehicle 1 using the autonomous control function in accordance with the control signal.

[0021] The parking assistance device 100 performs parking assistance for the host vehicle 1. The parking assistance device 100 includes a controller 10. The controller 10 includes a ROM storing a program for assisting parking of the host vehicle 1, a CPU that executes the program stored in the ROM, and a RAM that functions as an accessible storage device. Note that an MPU, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or the like can be used as the operating circuit instead of or in addition to the CPU. The controller 10 includes functional blocks, such as a host vehicle position identification unit 11, a parking path calculation unit 12, and a parking control unit 13. The controller 10 executes programs for realizing each function. Note that in this embodiment, the functions of the controller 10 are divided into three blocks, and the functions of each functional block are described. However, the functions of the controller 10 do not necessarily have to be divided into three blocks, and may be divided into two or more functional blocks, or four or more functional blocks.

[0022] The vehicle position identification unit 11 identifies the current position of the vehicle 1. Different methods are used to identify the current position before and after the vehicle 1 arrives near the destination. After the vehicle 1 starts traveling to the destination, the vehicle position identification unit 11 identifies the current position of the vehicle 1 based on position information acquired from the vehicle position acquisition device 103 until the vehicle 1 arrives near the destination. After the vehicle 1 arrives near the destination, the current position of the vehicle 1 is identified based on parking information and vehicle surroundings information. First, when a destination is set for the vehicle 1, the vehicle position identification unit 11 acquires parking information of the destination from the cloud server 200 via the communication device 104 and stores it in the storage device 101. The process of acquiring parking information of the destination from the cloud server 200 and storing it in the storage device 101 is performed, for example, before the vehicle 1 starts traveling toward the destination. Note that the timing of acquiring parking information from the cloud server 200 is not limited to this, and may be any timing before the vehicle 1 arrives near the destination. The destination is set from map information. For example, the destination is set from among a plurality of POIs recorded in the map information.

[0023] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the vehicle position identification unit 11 transmits an acquisition request to the cloud server 200 to acquire parking information for a destination, if another vehicle also requests parking information for the same destination at the same time, the vehicle position identification unit 11 acquires parking information for a parking lot that is different from the parking information for the parking lot acquired by the other vehicle, among the parking information for multiple different parking lots belonging to the same destination. In other words, when multiple vehicles request parking information for the same destination, the cloud server 200 transmits parking information for different parking lots to each of the multiple vehicles. The same timing is not limited to the time when an acquisition request is made from one vehicle, but may be within a predetermined time period from that time.

[0024] When the vehicle 1 arrives near the destination, the vehicle position identification unit 11 reads out from the storage device 101 the parking information for the destination that is pre-stored in the storage device 101. When the vehicle 1 arrives near the destination, it means, for example, a point in time a predetermined time before the estimated arrival time at the destination, or when the vehicle 1 arrives at a point a predetermined distance away from the destination. When the vehicle 1 arrives near the destination, it may also mean a point in time when the vehicle 1 actually arrives at the destination and there is sufficient time to read out the parking information for the destination that is pre-stored in the storage device 101.

[0025] The read parking information includes a parking position belonging to the destination and information about the surrounding environment of the parking position. The information about the surrounding environment included in the parking information includes detection information obtained in advance by a detection unit. For example, the detection information includes image information about the surrounding environment captured by a camera. The surrounding environment includes road surface patterns, white lines, etc.

[0026] Furthermore, when the host vehicle 1 arrives near the destination, the host vehicle position identification unit 11 acquires vehicle surroundings information from the detection device 102. The acquisition of the vehicle surroundings information is performed at regular intervals. The host vehicle position identification unit 11 matches an image of the surrounding environment of the parking position (also referred to as a prior surroundings image) included in the parking information, which is captured in advance, with a vehicle surroundings image captured by the host vehicle, which is included in the vehicle surroundings information, to identify the current position of the host vehicle 1 in the surrounding environment. The prior surroundings image is, for example, an image captured in advance before the host vehicle 1 arrives near the destination. The vehicle surroundings image is, for example, an image of the surrounding environment of the host vehicle 1 captured at regular intervals after the host vehicle 1 arrives near the destination. For example, the host vehicle position identification unit 11 extracts feature points from each image and matches the feature points to identify the image capture position of the surrounding environment as the current position of the host vehicle 1.

[0027] Furthermore, the surrounding environment of the parking position belonging to the destination includes the surrounding environment of the destination lot or the entrance to the parking lot. In this embodiment, by identifying the current position of the vehicle 1, a determination is made as to whether the vehicle 1 has arrived at the entrance to the destination lot or the parking lot. The vehicle position identification unit 11 determines whether the vehicle 1 has arrived at the entrance to the destination lot or the parking lot, i.e., whether the current position of the vehicle 1 is the entrance to the destination lot or the parking lot, based on parking information previously acquired about the surrounding environment of the destination lot or the entrance to the parking lot and the vehicle surrounding information. If it is not determined that the vehicle 1 has arrived at the entrance, the vehicle position identification unit 11 repeatedly acquires the vehicle surrounding information and determines whether the vehicle 1 has arrived at the entrance at a regular interval.

[0028] In this embodiment, the host vehicle position identifying unit 11 repeatedly executes the process of identifying the current position of the host vehicle 1 based on the parking information and the vehicle surroundings information even during parking assistance.

[0029] The parking path calculation unit 12 calculates a parking path from the current position of the vehicle 1 to the target parking position. The target parking position is a parking position where the vehicle 1 is to be parked among parking positions belonging to the destination. When it is determined that the vehicle 1 has arrived at the entrance, the parking path calculation unit 12 calculates a parking path. In other words, the calculated parking path is a path from the entrance of the destination lot or parking lot to the target parking position. Depending on whether the destination parking lot is a parking lot for forward parking or a parking lot for reverse parking, the parking path calculation unit 12 may calculate a parking path for parking the vehicle forward to the target parking position, or a parking path for parking the vehicle backward to the target parking position.

[0030] In the parking path calculation process, the parking position may be the position of a parking space defined by a white line. The position of the parking space is represented, for example, by the coordinates of the four corners of the white line defining the parking space. The parking path calculation unit 12 may calculate the parking path using the position of one of the parking spaces where the vehicle 1 is to be parked as the target parking position. If the parking information includes a parking path to the target parking position, the parking path calculation unit 12 may read out the parking path from the parking information. This eliminates the need for time required to calculate the parking path, and allows parking assistance based on the parking path to be started more quickly.

[0031] The parking information may also include vacancy information indicating the availability of parking spaces. The vacancy information is information acquired by an infrastructure sensor (not shown) installed at the destination. The infrastructure sensor is a sensor that acquires the surrounding environment within the destination site or parking lot, including the parking location. In this embodiment, the infrastructure sensor acquires vacancy information at regular intervals and updates the parking information stored in the storage device 22 of the cloud server 200 with the acquired vacancy information. The parking path calculation unit 12 selects an available parking space among the parking spaces as the target parking position based on the vacancy information of parking spaces at the destination. The parking information may also include the location of a building at the destination. Based on the location of the building, the parking path calculation unit 12 selects a parking position close to the building as the target parking position.

[0032] The parking control unit 13 performs parking assistance for the host vehicle 1 based on the calculated parking path. First, the parking control unit 13 causes the output device 106 to output proposal information indicating whether or not to start parking assistance. The parking control unit 13 starts parking assistance when it receives instruction information to start parking control input by the operator from the input device 105. In parking assistance, the parking control unit 13 performs parking control so that the host vehicle 1 follows the parking path. Specifically, the parking control unit 13 calculates a target steering angle for the host vehicle 1 to follow the target parking path based on information about the parking path and the identified current position of the host vehicle 1. The current position of the host vehicle 1 is identified by the host vehicle position identification unit 11 based on the parking information and vehicle surrounding information. The parking control unit 13 calculates a target steering angle at predetermined time intervals according to the current position of the host vehicle 1. The parking control unit 13 generates a control signal for controlling a steering actuator of the host vehicle 1 based on the target steering angle. The parking control unit 13 outputs a control signal to the drive control device 107 to execute a parking operation so that the host vehicle 1 follows the parking path.

[0033] Furthermore, the parking control unit 13 causes the output device 106 to output notification information indicating that parking assistance will begin. For example, when the host vehicle 1 arrives at an entrance, the parking control unit 13 notifies the operator of the host vehicle 1 of the notification information indicating that parking assistance will begin via the output device 106. Furthermore, the parking control unit 13 may cause the output device 106 to output notification information indicating parking assistance guidance during parking assistance from the current position of the host vehicle 1 to the target parking position.

[0034] The cloud server 200 is located outside the vehicle 1. The cloud server 200 includes a controller 20, a communication device 21, and a storage device 22. The cloud server 200 reads out parking information stored in the storage device 22 and transmits the read parking information to the communication device 104 via the communication device 21. The communication device 21 is a communication device. The communication device 21 transmits and receives information to and from the communication device 104 via the network 300.

[0035] The controller 20 is a computer having hardware and software. The controller 20 includes a ROM storing a program for transmitting parking information to the parking assistance device 100, a CPU that executes the program stored in the ROM, and a RAM that functions as an accessible storage device. Note that an MPU, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or the like can be used as an operating circuit instead of or in addition to the CPU. The controller 20 realizes each function of the cloud server 200 by having the CPU execute the program stored in the ROM. For example, when the controller 20 receives an acquisition request for acquiring parking information of a destination from the parking assistance device 100 via the communication device 21, the controller 20 reads the parking information of the destination from the storage device 22. The controller 20 transmits the read parking information to the parking assistance device 100 via the communication device 21.

[0036] The storage device 22 is a storage medium that stores various types of information. In this embodiment, the storage device 22 stores parking information for each destination in advance. For example, parking information registered in advance by a business such as a parking assistance service provider is stored. The parking information is different from the map information used for navigation by the navigation device, and is information prepared individually for each destination. The destination is, for example, a plurality of POIs recorded in the map information. The POI is a specific location such as a public facility, a commercial facility, or a tourist spot. The commercial facility is, for example, a sales outlet such as a vehicle dealer. In addition to the parking information, the storage device 22 may also store map information in advance.

[0037] The parking information includes information on a parking position belonging to the destination and information on a parking route for parking at the parking position. The parking position belonging to the destination includes a parking position located within the destination's premises or parking lot. The parking position may be the position of a parking space demarcated by a white line drawn on the road surface. The parking route is the route for parking the vehicle from the parking start position of the vehicle to the parking position. The parking route is calculated and stored in advance for each parking position. Note that it is not essential that the parking route be stored, and it may be configured appropriately as needed.

[0038] The parking location information includes information about the surrounding environment of the parking location. That is, the cloud server 200 pre-stores parking information for each of multiple destinations, including the surrounding environment of the parking location belonging to the destination. The surrounding environment of the destination parking location is the surrounding environment within the destination's lot or parking lot. The destination's lot or parking lot includes the entrance to the destination's lot or parking lot. A business such as a service provider uses a detection unit such as a camera to detect the surrounding environment of the parking location in advance, and stores the detected detection information in the cloud server 200 together with the parking information. The detection information is, for example, image information including the surrounding environment acquired by a camera. More specifically, a business such as a service provider may acquire images of the surrounding environment within the lot or parking lot including the destination's parking location by 3D scanning and generate a 3D map of the lot or parking lot including the destination's parking location. The parking information of the destination's lot or parking lot is not included in the map information used for navigation, or if it is included, the information is not detailed. In this embodiment, the parking information of the destination's lot or parking lot includes more detailed information about the surrounding environment than the map information used for navigation.

[0039] Next, the procedure of the control process of the parking assistance method executed by the parking assistance device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart of the control process of the parking assistance method executed by the parking assistance device according to this embodiment. In Fig. 2, when the host vehicle 1 arrives near the destination, the controller 10 starts the flow from step S101.

[0040] First, in step S101, the controller 10 identifies the current position of the host vehicle 1. Specifically, the controller 10 identifies the current position of the host vehicle 1 in the surrounding environment of the parking position based on parking information including the surrounding environment of the parking position belonging to the destination and vehicle surrounding information including the surrounding environment of the host vehicle 1 acquired by the detection device 102. In step S102, the controller 10 calculates a parking path from the current position of the host vehicle 1 to the target parking position. Specifically, the controller 10 acquires the current position of the host vehicle 1 and selects a target parking position where the host vehicle 1 will be parked from the parking positions included in the parking information. Then, the controller 10 calculates a parking path from the current position of the host vehicle 1 to the target parking position. In step S103, the controller 10 performs parking assistance based on the parking path. Specifically, the controller 10 performs parking control of the host vehicle 1 along the parking path.

[0041] Next, the procedure of the control process of the parking assistance method executed by the parking assistance device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart of the control process of the parking assistance method executed by the parking assistance device according to this embodiment. In Fig. 3, when the operator starts the navigation device and inputs the destination of the host vehicle 1, the controller 10 starts the flow from step S201.

[0042] In step S201, the controller 10 sets a destination for the host vehicle 1. The controller 10 acquires information about the destination input to the navigation device and sets the destination. In step S202, the controller 10 determines whether the host vehicle 1 has arrived near the destination. If it is determined that the host vehicle 1 has arrived near the destination, the controller 10 proceeds to step S203. If it is determined that the host vehicle 1 has not arrived near the destination, the controller 10 returns to step S202 and repeats the subsequent steps. In step S203, the controller 10 acquires parking information about the destination. The parking information includes a parking position belonging to the destination and information about the surrounding environment of the parking position. In step S204, the controller 10 identifies the current position of the host vehicle 1. Specifically, the controller 10 identifies the current position of the host vehicle 1 in the surrounding environment of the parking position based on the parking information including the surrounding environment of the parking position belonging to the destination and the vehicle surrounding information including the surrounding environment of the host vehicle 1.

[0043] In step S205, the controller 10 determines whether the host vehicle 1 has arrived at the entrance of the destination. If it is determined that the host vehicle 1 has arrived at the entrance of the destination, the controller 10 proceeds to step S206. If it is determined that the host vehicle 1 has not arrived at the entrance of the destination, the controller 10 returns to step S205 and repeats the subsequent steps. In step S206, the controller 10 calculates a parking route from the current position of the host vehicle 1 (the entrance of the destination) to the target parking position. Specifically, the controller 10 selects a target parking position where the host vehicle 1 will be parked from the parking positions included in the parking information acquired in step S203, and calculates a parking route to the selected target parking position. In step S207, the controller 10 proposes parking assistance to the operator. Specifically, the controller 10 causes the output device 106 to output proposal information indicating whether or not to start parking assistance. In step S208, the controller 10 executes parking assistance based on the parking route. For example, when the controller 10 acquires instruction information input by the operator to start parking assistance, the controller 10 autonomously controls the vehicle 1 so that the vehicle 1 performs parking operations along a parking path.

[0044] As described above, in the parking assistance method and parking assistance device according to this embodiment, the controller acquires parking information from a cloud server located outside the host vehicle and storing parking information including the surrounding environment of a parking position belonging to the destination in advance, and when the host vehicle arrives near the destination, identifies the host vehicle's current position in the surrounding environment of the parking position based on the parking information and vehicle surrounding information including the surrounding environment of the host vehicle acquired by the host vehicle's detection unit, calculates a parking path from the identified host vehicle's current position to a target parking position among the parking positions where the host vehicle will be parked, and performs parking assistance for the host vehicle based on the calculated parking path. This allows for more accurate parking assistance.

[0045] Furthermore, in the parking assistance method and parking assistance device according to this embodiment, when a destination is set from map information by the occupant of the vehicle, the controller acquires parking information from the cloud server before the vehicle arrives near the destination. This allows the occupant to simply set the destination on the map, and automatically acquire parking information for the destination before the vehicle arrives near the destination. The cloud server pre-stores parking information including the surrounding environment of the parking position along with map information.

[0046] In the parking assistance method and parking assistance device according to this embodiment, the controller identifies the current position of the vehicle by matching images of the surrounding environment of the parking position captured in advance, which are included in the parking information, with vehicle surroundings images acquired by the vehicle itself, which are included in the vehicle surroundings information. This allows the current position of the vehicle to be identified based on the images of the surrounding environment captured in advance and the images of the surrounding environment acquired by the vehicle itself after the vehicle 1 has arrived near the destination.

[0047] In the parking assistance method and the parking assistance device according to the present embodiment, the controller notifies the operator of the vehicle of notification information indicating that parking assistance will begin when the vehicle arrives at the entrance to the destination lot or parking lot, thereby enabling the user to understand that parking assistance will begin when the user arrives at the entrance to the destination lot or parking lot.

[0048] In the parking assistance method and parking assistance device according to this embodiment, the controller determines whether the vehicle has arrived at the entrance based on the parking information obtained in advance by the detection unit regarding the surrounding environment of the entrance and the vehicle surrounding information, thereby enabling more accurate determination that the vehicle has arrived at the entrance.

[0049] In the parking assistance method and the parking assistance device according to the present embodiment, the parking information includes the location of a parking space within the destination site or parking lot, and the controller calculates the parking path by setting the location of the parking space where the vehicle will be parked as the target parking position. This allows for more accurate parking assistance to be performed for a parking space within the destination site or parking lot.

[0050] In the parking assistance method and the parking assistance device according to the present embodiment, the parking information includes vacancy information indicating the availability of parking spaces, and the controller selects an available parking space as the target parking position. This allows the driver to automatically select an available parking space as the target parking position without having to select a parking space.

[0051] In the parking assistance method and parking assistance device according to this embodiment, the vacancy information is information acquired by an infrastructure sensor that is a sensor installed at the destination and that acquires information about the surrounding environment within the site or parking lot. This allows an available parking space to be automatically set as the target parking position based on the information from the infrastructure sensor, without the driver having to select a parking space.

[0052] In addition, in the parking assistance method and parking assistance device according to this embodiment, when there are requests from multiple vehicles to acquire parking information for the same destination, the controller acquires parking information for a parking lot that is different from the parking information for a parking lot acquired by the other vehicles, out of the parking information for multiple different parking lots belonging to the same destination. This makes it possible to adjust parking positions so that they do not overlap among the multiple vehicles.

[0053] In the parking assistance method and parking assistance device according to this embodiment, the parking information includes the location of the building at the destination, and the controller selects a parking location close to the building as the target parking location based on the location of the building, thereby allowing the host vehicle to be parked in a location close to the building.

[0054] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments have been described to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above-described embodiments is intended to include all design modifications and equivalents that fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0055] 2 Parking assistance system 1 Vehicle 100 Parking assistance device 10 Controller 11 Vehicle position identification unit 12 Parking path calculation unit 13 Parking control unit 101 Storage device 102 Detection device 103 Vehicle position acquisition device 104 Communication device 105 Input device 106 Output device 107 Drive control device 200 Cloud server 300 Network

Claims

1. A parking assistance method executed by a controller, wherein the controller obtains parking information from a cloud server located outside the host vehicle and storing in advance parking information including the surrounding environment of a parking position belonging to a destination, and when the host vehicle arrives near the destination, based on the parking information and vehicle surrounding information including the surrounding environment of the host vehicle acquired by a detection unit of the host vehicle, specifies the current position of the host vehicle in the surrounding environment of the parking position, calculates a parking route from the specified current position of the host vehicle to a target parking position where the host vehicle parks among the parking positions, and executes parking assistance for the host vehicle based on the calculated parking route.

2. The parking assistance method according to claim 1, wherein when the destination is set by an occupant of the host vehicle from among map information, the controller obtains the parking information from the cloud server before the host vehicle arrives near the destination.

3. The parking assistance method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the controller specifies the current position of the host vehicle by matching an image obtained in advance by imaging the surrounding environment of the parking position included in the parking information with a vehicle surrounding image acquired by the host vehicle and included in the vehicle surrounding information.

4. The parking assistance method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the host vehicle arrives at the site of the destination or the entrance of a parking lot, the controller notifies the operator of the host vehicle of notification information indicating that the parking assistance is to be started.

5. The parking assistance method according to claim 4, wherein the controller determines whether the host vehicle has arrived at the entrance based on the parking information obtained in advance by a detection unit of the surrounding environment of the entrance and the vehicle surrounding information.

6. The parking assistance method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the parking information includes the positions of parking frames within the site of the destination or within a parking lot, and the controller calculates the parking route with the position of the parking frame where the host vehicle parks among the parking frames as the target parking position.

7. The parking assistance method according to claim 6, wherein the parking information includes vacancy information indicating the vacancy status of the parking space, and the controller selects a parking space with a vacancy status among the parking spaces as the target parking position.

8. The parking assistance method according to claim 7, wherein the vacancy information is information obtained by an infra-sensor that is a sensor installed at the destination and acquires the surrounding environment within the site or within the parking lot.

9. The parking assistance method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein when there is a request to acquire the parking information of the same destination from a plurality of vehicles, the controller acquires the parking information of a parking lot different from the parking information of the parking lot acquired by other vehicles among the parking information of a plurality of different parking lots belonging to the same destination.

10. The parking assistance method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the parking information includes the position of a building at the destination, and the controller selects a parking position close to the building as the target parking position based on the position of the building.

11. A parking assistance device including a controller, wherein the controller acquires the parking information from a cloud server located outside the host vehicle and storing in advance the parking information including the surrounding environment of the parking position belonging to the destination, and when the host vehicle arrives near the destination, based on the parking information and the vehicle surrounding information including the surrounding environment of the host vehicle acquired by the detection unit of the host vehicle, identifies the current position of the host vehicle in the surrounding environment of the parking position, calculates a parking route from the identified current position of the host vehicle to the target parking position where the host vehicle parks among the parking positions, and executes parking assistance for the host vehicle based on the calculated parking route.

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