Parking assistance method and parking assistance device

Abstract

A processor 10 of this parking assistance device 200: acquires, when a host vehicle V1 enters a parking facility PA, one or more first waiting positions AW1 to AW7 where vehicles, including the host vehicle V1 and other vehicles V2 and V3, waited in the past after entering the parking facility PA before reaching a target parking position, from waiting information 52 stored in a storage device 5; calculates driving difficulty degree for the host vehicle V1 in moving to the first waiting position; determines the first waiting position as a target waiting position, in a case where the driving difficulty degree is less than a prescribed evaluation value; displays the first waiting position on an output device, receives a setting command for a second waiting position different from the first waiting position via an input device, and determines the second waiting position based on the setting command as the target waiting position, in a case where the driving difficulty degree is equal to or greater than the prescribed evaluation value; outputs the target waiting position to the host vehicle V1; and causes the host vehicle V1 to move to the target waiting position, stop, and wait until it is possible to move to the target parking position, and then move to the target parking position TP1 / TP2.

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 a stop area where an autonomous vehicle can wait is set in front of a parking space in a mechanical parking system, and the autonomous vehicle waits in the stop area when other autonomous vehicles enter or exit the parking system (Patent Document 1).

[0003] Patent No. 6785582

[0004] However, the prior art only targets autonomous vehicles and does not take into account the coexistence of autonomous and manually driven vehicles. The routes and waiting positions of manually driven vehicles from the time they enter a parking facility until they exit vary depending on the driver, and a uniformly determined waiting position may not meet the user's preferences.

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to appropriately set the waiting position of the vehicle in a parking facility according to the user's preferences, regardless of whether the vehicle is being driven manually or autonomously.

[0006] The present invention solves the above problem by assisting parking control in such a way that, when the vehicle enters a parking facility, one or more first waiting positions where the vehicle has previously waited from entering the parking facility until reaching the target parking position are obtained from stored waiting information for the parking facility, and if the driving difficulty level is less than a predetermined evaluation value, the first waiting position is determined to be the target waiting position, and if the driving difficulty level is equal to or greater than the predetermined evaluation value, a setting command for a second waiting position different from the first waiting position is received from the user of the vehicle, the second waiting position set in accordance with the setting command is determined to be the target waiting position, the target waiting position is output to the vehicle, the vehicle is moved to the target waiting position, stopped, and waits until it is possible to move to the target parking position, and then the vehicle is moved to the target parking position.

[0007] According to the present invention, in a parking facility, the waiting position of the vehicle can be appropriately set according to the user's preferences, regardless of whether the vehicle is being driven manually or autonomously.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a parking assistance system, Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a control procedure for parking assistance, and Fig. 3 is a diagram explaining the control procedure for parking assistance.

[0009] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a parking assistance system 100 according to this embodiment, which includes a parking assistance device 200 mounted on a vehicle and a server 300 located remotely therefrom. A communication device 40 of the parking assistance device 200 and a communication device 340 of the server 300 are equipped with wireless communication capabilities, and they exchange information with each other via a communication network 400. The parking assistance device 200 assists in parking control, moving and stopping the host vehicle at a determined target waiting position or target parking position. The parking assistance control includes executing autonomous parking control, which autonomously moves the host vehicle to the target waiting position or target parking position and autonomously stops it at the target waiting position or target parking position, and executing presentation control, which presents, via an output device 30, to a manually driven driver of the host vehicle, one or more parking assistance information, including the target waiting position, the target parking position, the location of obstacles including other vehicles, and map information about parking facilities. The autonomous parking control includes autonomous parking control using a so-called memory function, which refers to reference features 53 stored in advance as features of the target waiting position or target parking position and their surroundings, identifies the reference features 53 to match with captured features detected around the parking facility, calculates the target waiting position or target parking position using the position, size, and arrangement (including the positional relationship between the features) of one or more features of the reference features 53 as landmarks, and autonomously moves the vehicle to the target waiting position or target parking position.

[0010] The parking assistance device 200 assists in parking control to park the vehicle at a target waiting position or target parking position provided in a parking facility. The parking assistance device 200 includes a control device 1, a sensor 2, a navigation device 3, a vehicle controller 4, and a storage device 5. Each device is connected via a CAN (Controller Area Network) or other wired / wireless in-vehicle LAN, and exchanges information with each other. Each device may be a device mounted on the vehicle, or may be a portable terminal device that can be brought into the vehicle and connected to the in-vehicle LAN. A parking assistance device is provided in each vehicle. The parking assistance device 200 provided in the vehicle and the parking assistance devices 200-1 to 200-n (hereinafter referred to as 200n) provided in the other vehicles have the same functions.

[0011] Sensor 2 acquires detection information of the surroundings, including the target waiting or parking position where the vehicle will be parked. Sensor 2 includes one or more cameras 21 mounted on the vehicle. The cameras 21 include image sensors with imaging elements such as CCDs, ultrasonic cameras, and infrared cameras, and capture images of the vehicle's surroundings in all directions. Sensor 2 also includes a radar device 22 that detects (measures) the presence, position, and position changes of objects around the vehicle. The radar device 22 measures the distance and direction to the object by emitting electromagnetic waves toward the object and measuring the reflected waves. The radar device 22 includes laser radar, millimeter-wave radar (LRF), a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) unit, ultrasonic radar, and sonar. Sensor 2 acquires detection information of objects present in the parking facility, including the target parking position and each target waiting position. The target parking position is the location where the user wishes to park. The target waiting position is one or more positions where the vehicle will stop and wait between the entrance to the parking facility and the target parking position. When the position of the vehicle obtained from the position detection device 31 of the navigation device 3 approaches within a predetermined distance to a parking facility or a target parking position, the sensor 2 starts acquiring detection information and continues to do so until parking control is completed, acquiring detection information of the parking facility including the target parking position and the target waiting position.

[0012] The navigation device 3 includes a position detection device 31 and map information 32. The position detection device 31 includes a receiver for signals from a GPS (Global Positioning System) or a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), a gyro sensor, and a vehicle speed sensor, and uses these to detect the position of the vehicle. The map information 32 includes locations including parking facilities. The navigation device 3 may store parking facility information 51 and map information MP.

[0013] The vehicle controller 4 includes a steering control device 41 and a drive control device 42. The vehicle controller 4 calculates a travel path to a target waiting position or a target parking position, autonomously moves the vehicle along the travel path, and realizes an autonomous parking control function that parks the vehicle at the target waiting position or the target parking position. The autonomous parking control function can also be realized by remote operation. The vehicle controller 4 acquires command values ​​for autonomous parking control and causes the vehicle to travel along a parking path according to the command values. Based on the command values, the vehicle controller 4 inputs longitudinal and lateral forces that control the traveling position of the vehicle to the drive control device 42. Based on these inputs, the drive control device 42 controls the behavior of the vehicle body and the behavior of the wheels so that the vehicle autonomously travels along a path to the target waiting position or the target parking position. Based on these controls, at least one of the drive actuator and the brake actuator of the vehicle body's drive mechanism and the steering actuator of the steering control device 41, which is activated as needed, operate autonomously, thereby executing autonomous parking control that causes the vehicle to autonomously travel along a target path. The command values ​​for parking control are generated by the vehicle controller 4 or the processor 10. The vehicle controller 4 can perform manual parking in accordance with command values ​​based on manual operations of the driver input via the input device 20. When the processor 10 requests manual driving, the vehicle controller 4 performs parking in accordance with manual operations of the driver input via the input device 20, such as the steering, accelerator, and brake, without performing autonomous parking control.

[0014] The storage device 5 of the parking assistance device 200 stores parking information 50. The parking information 50 includes parking facility information 51, map information MP, waiting information 52, and reference features 53. This information may be stored in the storage device 305 of the server 300 as parking information 350, parking facility information 351, map information MP, waiting information 352, and reference features 353, and the parking assistance device 200 may acquire this information from the server 300 via the communication device 40. The parking facility information 51 includes the target parking position (the position of the transport pallet) of the parking facility, each waiting position, an area in which the vehicle can move (a vehicle pool area), the positions (ranges) of facility structures (obstacles such as pillars and walls), and the positions of other vehicles. The parking facility information 51 also includes map information MP that indicates the status of these parking facilities. 3, the map information MP is information that indicates the area of ​​the parking facility PA based on coordinate axes (X, Y) such as latitude and longitude, and associates the target parking position TP, waiting positions AW1 to AW7 (hereinafter also referred to as AW), positions of facility structures, positions of other vehicles V21 to V22 (hereinafter also referred to as V2), V31 to V33 (hereinafter also referred to as V3), positions of moving objects such as pedestrians, and the position of the host vehicle V1. The parking facility information 51 includes specific information on prohibited areas where vehicles are prohibited from waiting. The prohibited area includes one or more of the following: the entrance area of ​​the parking facility entrance IN (e.g., RO1 in FIG. 3 ), the area from the entrance IN to the target parking position TP1 / TP2 (hereinafter also referred to as TP) (e.g., RO5 and RO6 in FIG. 3 ), the entry / exit area of ​​the target parking position TP (e.g., RO3 and RO4 in FIG. 3 ), the area from the target parking position TP to the parking facility exit EX (e.g., RO7 in FIG. 3 ), the parking facility exit area (e.g., RO2 in FIG. 3 ), and the area on the predicted vehicle movement trajectory (e.g., RO1 to RO7 in FIG. 3 ). The map information MP may be two-dimensional information as shown in FIG. 3 , or three-dimensional information. The waiting information 52 includes one or more first waiting positions where vehicles, including the subject vehicle and other vehicles, have previously waited after entering the parking facility and before reaching the target parking position. The waiting information 52 is set based on the positions where each vehicle has previously stopped in the parking facility. If the layout of the parking facilities is the same, it is assumed that each vehicle will stop while maintaining an appropriate distance from other vehicles and structures, so the waiting position where the vehicle actually stopped is stored as the first waiting position.The waiting information 52 includes the number of times the vehicle has actually stopped in association with the first waiting position, and the position where the number of times the vehicle has stopped may be designated as the first waiting position. The waiting information 52 includes first waiting positions associated with location information or identification information of the parking facility and identification information of the target parking position of the parking facility. Each first waiting position is assigned an order in which the vehicle stops from entering the parking facility until reaching the target parking position. The vehicle moves through the first waiting positions according to the stopping order and heads toward the target parking position. The waiting information 52 also includes first waiting positions associated with an order of waiting for the target parking position of the parking facility. For example, a first waiting position close to the target parking position is assigned an earlier order, which is relatively closer to 1, and a first waiting position farther from the target parking position is assigned a later order. Each time parking at the target parking position is completed, a process of moving up the waiting order is performed. Furthermore, the waiting information 52 may include the parking mode (forward parking, backward parking) and the type of parking control (remote parking, manned autonomous parking, manned manual parking) of the parking control that parked the vehicle at the target parking position. The parking mode or type of parking control may be associated with the target parking position where the vehicle was parked and the first waiting position where the vehicle stopped.

[0015] The waiting information 52 includes a driving difficulty level associated with each first waiting position when moving to the first waiting position. The driving difficulty level is defined as an evaluation value indicating the difficulty of driving. The driving difficulty level is defined based on the size of the first waiting position. The driving difficulty level based on the size of the first waiting position is defined by one or more of the vertical length (length) of the first waiting position, the horizontal length (width) of the first waiting position, the area of ​​the first waiting position, and the distance from the boundary of the first waiting position to an obstacle. Obstacles include walls of parking facilities, pillars, fire hydrants, other vehicles, and pedestrians. The driving difficulty level is defined by one or more of the number of turns of the movement trajectory when the vehicle moves to the first waiting position, the curvature or radius of curvature of the movement trajectory, and the distance from the movement trajectory to an obstacle. The waiting information 52 includes statistical values ​​such as the number of turns of the movement trajectory, the curvature of the movement trajectory, and the maximum, minimum, average, and median of the distance from the movement trajectory to an obstacle, based on the history of past movements to each waiting position. The width of the first waiting position, the curvature or curvature radius of the movement trajectory, and the distance from the movement trajectory to an obstacle are parameters used to calculate the driving difficulty level. The processor 10 may also associate the driving difficulty level associated with the first waiting position with the driving skill of the user who moved to the first waiting position and store the associated driving difficulty level in the waiting information 52. Since driving skills vary from user to user, a user identifier associated with driving skills such as advanced, normal, or beginner may be associated with the first waiting position. The user's driving skill may be input based on a declaration from the user, or may be determined based on the user's driving years, driving frequency, or driving distance. Alternatively, it may be determined based on the time (smooth movement / movement with many retakes) or the movement distance (compact trajectory / starting a large detour) of the previous movement to the first waiting position. Furthermore, the waiting information 52 stores the waiting order of the target parking position in association with the first waiting position. Waiting order number 1 is the first waiting position where the first waiting vehicle to move to the target parking position waits. The first waiting position associated with waiting order number 1 is the waiting position that is closest to the target parking position or the easiest to move to. It is preferable that the first waiting position in the waiting order is a position that allows the vehicle to enter the target parking position by going straight ahead.The first waiting position for waiting order number 2, which follows waiting order number 1, is the waiting position that is second closest or second easiest to move to from the target parking position. Similarly, first waiting positions are defined according to waiting orders from number 3 onwards. The waiting order of the host vehicle using the parking facility is determined based on the order of entry to the parking facility. A first waiting position is suggested according to the host vehicle's waiting order. Since the first waiting position where the host vehicle should wait can be determined according to the host vehicle's waiting order, overtaking and cutting in can be suppressed, and each vehicle can be smoothly guided to the target parking position.

[0016] The reference features 53 are information referenced by the processor 10 when performing parking control using the memory function. The reference features 53 are stored for each target parking position or target waiting position. The processor 10 performs parking control or movement control using the memory function using the reference features 53 stored in the storage device 5. The reference features 53 are features recognized from the detection information of each sensor 2, including each target parking position or target waiting position where the host vehicle has previously stopped. The features are features recognized from image information and / or features recognized from radar measurement information. The acquired features are feature vectors including feature elements recognized from the detection information of each sensor 2 and their quantities. The processor 10 reads the reference features 53 when performing parking control or movement control using the memory function and identifies reference features 53 having features that match the acquired features. There is a high probability that the location where the identified reference features 53 were obtained will match the location where the acquired features were obtained. The processor 10 compares each feature of the reference features 53 with each feature of the acquired features and calculates the current position of the host vehicle and the target parking position or waiting position in the reference features 53. The processor 10 corrects the current position if there is a discrepancy between the positions of the captured feature and the reference feature 53, calculates a target parking position or a target waiting position, and calculates a target route from the current position of the vehicle to the target parking position or the target waiting position. The vehicle controller 4 moves the vehicle along the target route and stops it at the target parking position or the target waiting position.

[0017] The parking assistance method is used in a processor 10. The processor 10 included in the control device 1 of the parking assistance device 200 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12 storing a program for assisting in the execution of manual parking control or autonomous parking control, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 that executes the program stored in the ROM 12, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13 that functions as accessible memory. The processor 10 may use an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) instead of a CPU, or may be configured with an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The processor 10 implements the parking assistance method using each piece of hardware in the parking assistance system 100. The processor 10 assists in parking control by moving the host vehicle to a target waiting position, stopping the host vehicle, waiting until it is possible to move to the target parking position, and then moving the host vehicle to the target parking position.

[0018] The parking assistance device 200 includes an input device 20 and an output device 30. The input device 20 has an input function for accepting user information input, and the output device 30 has an output function for presenting the processor 10's judgment and the surrounding situation. The input device 20 includes a touch panel display, a pointer or cursor switch for moving an object, a microphone, a steering wheel, an accelerator, and a brake. The output device 30 includes a display, a touch panel display, and a speaker. A touch panel display may also be used as an input / output device with input and output functions. Input information includes designation of a waiting position, change of waiting position, approval of a target waiting position, approval of a target parking position, a manual parking command, an autonomous parking command, and a remote parking command. Output information includes parking facility information including map information MP, a first waiting position, a second waiting position, a target waiting position, a target parking position, a surrounding image, a parking route, and a travel route. The communication device 40 exchanges information with each device in the parking assistance device 200 and the server 300.

[0019] In this embodiment, the server 300 is a parking information device 301 installed in a parking facility. The parking information device 301 includes multiple sensors 302 installed in the parking facility and detects the number of vehicles entering and exiting the parking facility, the order in which each vehicle entered, and the location of each vehicle. The sensors 302 include a camera 321 similar to the previously described camera 21 and a radar device 322 similar to the previously described radar device 22, and monitor the location and movement (position changes) of each object. The storage device 305 includes parking information 350 similar to the previously described parking information 50, parking facility information 351 similar to the previously described parking facility information 51, waiting information 352 similar to the previously described waiting information 52, and reference features 353 similar to the previously described reference features 53. Since the information content is common, redundant explanations will be omitted and the previous explanations will be incorporated herein by reference. The communication device 340 communicates with the communication device 40 of the parking assistance device 100 and provides one or more of the detection information from the sensor 302, parking information 350, parking facility information 351, waiting information 352, and reference features 353 to the parking assistance device 100.

[0020] The processor 10 executes a parking assistance method for assisting parking control to park a vehicle at a target waiting position or target parking position provided in a parking facility. The control procedure of the parking assistance method for assisting a vehicle in parking at a target waiting position or target parking position will be described with reference to FIG. 2 . The processor 10 acquires the current position of the vehicle from the position detection device 31 and determines whether the vehicle has entered the parking facility based on the distance between the current position and the parking facility (S1). The parking facility is a parking lot where a vehicle that has entered the parking facility waits until it is possible to move to a target parking position and then moves to that target parking position. The parking facility is, for example, a multi-story tower-type mechanical parking lot with parking spaces on multiple floors. In a parking facility with such a structure, a transport pallet for moving to a parking space on another floor is provided at the target parking position. One or more vehicles that have entered the parking facility wait until it is possible to move to a target parking position and then move to that target parking position. Each vehicle moves to a target parking position in order of entry, stops there, waits until it is possible to move to the target parking position, and then moves to one target parking position. Because the number of target parking positions is fewer than the number of parking spaces available, there are often situations in which a parking facility has more vehicles than the number of target parking positions, waiting for their turn to move to a target parking position. In such a multi-layered mechanical parking facility, it is preferable to appropriately set waiting positions for multiple vehicles waiting to move to one target parking position. When the waiting vehicles include a mixture of manually driven vehicles and autonomously driven vehicles, the appropriate waiting position for each vehicle will differ. Specifically, the route and waiting position of a manually driven vehicle from entering the parking facility to exiting it will vary depending on the driver. If a manually driven vehicle freely determines its waiting position, it may get too close to the waiting position set for the autonomously driven vehicle. Therefore, when an autonomously driven vehicle is moved to a predetermined waiting position, an automatically driven vehicle may get too close to the manually driven vehicle. In addition, it may be difficult for a manually driven vehicle to move to a waiting position set for an automatically driven vehicle.

[0021] FIG. 3 shows an example of a multi-story parking facility as viewed from above. This plan view is used as the map information MP of the parking facility information 51 described above. The map information MP detects the vehicle's location based on images captured by a camera 321 installed at an elevated location in the parking facility or a camera 21 installed in each vehicle, and displays the detection results superimposed on pre-stored area information for the parking facility PA. The location of each vehicle may also be detected using measurement results from a radar device 322 installed in the parking facility or a radar device 22 installed in each vehicle. The processor 10 calculates the location of each vehicle at a predetermined interval and updates the current location of each vehicle in the map information MP of the parking facility information 51. The parking facility has an entrance (IN), an exit (EX), and multi-story tower-type parking lots TWP1 and TWP2. The tower-type parking lot has a single target parking location where a vehicle can drive itself and multiple parking locations at different heights. The multi-story structure may extend into the sky or underground. The two-dimensional positions of the target parking position and the actual parking position of the transfer destination may be the same or different. A pallet that can be transferred up and down (and also left and right) is provided at the target parking position. The pallet carries a vehicle and moves up and down (and also left and right) to move the vehicle from the target parking position to the actual parking position.

[0022] Returning to FIG. 2 , when the host vehicle V1 moves from the road to the entrance IN of the parking facility PA and determines that the host vehicle has entered the parking facility PA (S1), the processor 10 acquires detection information from the sensor 2 of the host vehicle V1 or the sensor 302 of the server 300 (S2). The processor 10 then determines whether a waiting state is occurring before moving to the target parking position TP1 / TP2 (S3). If a waiting state is not occurring (NO in S3), setting a waiting position is unnecessary, and the process returns to START. The presence or absence of waiting (necessity) is determined based on the detection information from the sensors 2 and 302 regarding the presence or absence of a vehicle at the first waiting position and whether or not moving to the target parking position TP1 / TP2 is possible. If the target parking position TP1 / TP2 is vacant and the movement trajectory can be calculated, it is determined that moving to the target parking position TP1 / TP2 is possible. If a waiting state is occurring (YES in S3), the processor 10 calculates the positions of the vehicles, including the host vehicle V1 and the other vehicles V2 / V3, based on the detection information (S4). The processor 10 refers to the map information MP included in the parking facility information 51 (S5) and calculates the positions of the host vehicle V1 and the other vehicles V2 / V3 in the parking facility (S6). The host vehicle V1, which entered the parking facility after the other vehicles V2 and V3, waits in line in a location that does not obstruct the movement of the other vehicles V2, V3, and the newly entering other vehicles until the other vehicles V2 / V3 have completed parking.

[0023] The processor 10 accesses the storage device 5 and reads the waiting information 52 stored in the storage device 5 (S7). The waiting information 52 includes a first waiting position. The first waiting position is stored in association with identification information of the target parking position at which the vehicle will wait. This is because there is a possibility that different waiting positions will be required to approach different target parking positions. The processor 10 can set the position where the closest vehicle ahead of the vehicle is located as the first waiting position. When the vehicle is waiting behind a vehicle that entered the parking facility earlier according to the waiting order, the vehicle can move to the waiting position where the previous vehicle was located, following the example of the previous vehicle, allowing the vehicle to move to the target parking position according to the waiting order without disrupting the line of waiting vehicles.

[0024] The processor 10 acquires one or more first waiting positions where vehicles, including the own vehicle and other vehicles, have previously waited after entering the parking facility and before reaching the target parking position from the waiting information 52 (S8). The first waiting positions are stopping positions of vehicles (including the own vehicle) that have previously used the parking facility. Although not particularly limited, the first waiting positions may be stopping positions where the own vehicle or other vehicles have actually waited a predetermined number of times or more.

[0025] The processor 10 calculates the driving difficulty level when moving to one or more first waiting positions in the parking facility where the vehicle can wait. As described above, the driving difficulty level is calculated based on the size of the first waiting position and / or the movement trajectory when moving to the first waiting position. The driving difficulty level may be calculated based on only one of the evaluation values, or may be calculated as a sum of all or some of the index values ​​of the evaluation values. The processor 10 determines whether the driving difficulty level at the first waiting position is less than a predetermined evaluation value (S9). If the driving difficulty level is low and less than the predetermined evaluation value, it is evaluated as easy to drive to the first waiting position. If the driving difficulty level is high and equal to or greater than the predetermined evaluation value, it is evaluated as difficult to drive to the first waiting position. If the driving difficulty level at the first waiting position is less than the predetermined evaluation value (YES in S9), the processor 10 determines the first waiting position obtained in S8 as the target waiting position (S13). On the other hand, if the driving difficulty level of the first waiting position is equal to or greater than the predetermined evaluation value (NO in S9), the processor 10 presents the first waiting position acquired in S8 on the display of the output device 30 (S10). The acquired first waiting position is presented in a more emphasized manner (by illuminating, flashing, or coloring) than the other waiting positions so that the user can identify it. The processor 10 determines that the driving difficulty level is less than the predetermined evaluation value if the size of the first waiting position is equal to or greater than the first predetermined evaluation value, and determines that the driving difficulty level is higher than the predetermined evaluation value if the size of the first waiting position is less than the first predetermined threshold. The predetermined evaluation value is a value that can quantitatively evaluate the size of the waiting position. The predetermined evaluation value can be experimentally determined based on the size of the vehicle. The first predetermined threshold as the predetermined evaluation value can be any one or more of the length of the first waiting position, the width of the first waiting position, the area of ​​the first waiting position, and the distance from the first waiting position to an obstacle (maximum distance, minimum distance, or average value). The processor 10 may calculate a driving difficulty level higher the narrower the first waiting position is, and may calculate a driving difficulty level lower the wider the first waiting position is. Generally, moving to a narrow waiting position is associated with a high driving difficulty level. In consideration of the user's preference of not wanting to move to a narrow waiting position, in this embodiment, a change of the waiting position is accepted only when the waiting position is narrow.The processor 10 calculates a driving difficulty level higher the more times the vehicle makes turns on the trajectory when moving to the first waiting position, and determines that the driving difficulty level is lower than the predetermined evaluation value if the number of turns is lower than a second predetermined evaluation value. The second predetermined threshold as the predetermined evaluation value can be experimentally determined based on the number of turns on the trajectory. The processor 10 also calculates a driving difficulty level higher the greater the curvature of the trajectory, and determines that the driving difficulty level is lower than the predetermined evaluation value if the curvature of the trajectory is lower than a third predetermined evaluation value. The radius of curvature of the trajectory is converted to curvature. The third predetermined threshold as the predetermined evaluation value can be experimentally determined based on the curvature of the trajectory. The processor 10 also calculates a driving difficulty level higher the shorter (closer) the distance from the trajectory to the obstacle, and determines that the driving difficulty level is lower than the predetermined evaluation value if the distance from the trajectory to the obstacle is equal to or greater than a fourth predetermined evaluation value. The fourth predetermined threshold as a predetermined evaluation value can be experimentally determined based on the distance (maximum distance, minimum distance, or average value) from the trajectory of the movement trajectory to the obstacle. In parking facilities, waiting positions are sometimes set in recessed locations near pillars or walls. Even if such waiting positions have a large area, they are difficult to navigate. Driving to waiting positions that require frequent turns, a highly curvilinear trajectory, or a short distance to an obstacle is determined to be highly difficult. In this embodiment, taking into consideration user preferences for not wanting to drive a trajectory requiring high driving skills, the waiting position is changed if the driving difficulty of the trajectory leading to the waiting position is high. For the same first waiting position or the same trajectory, the driving difficulty perceived by a skilled driver is lower than that perceived by a less skilled user. Therefore, the driving difficulty is calculated by setting a difference between users with high driving skills and users with low driving skills. The processor 10 determines the driving skill of the user of the vehicle and calculates the driving difficulty level when a user with high driving skill moves to the first waiting position to be lower than the driving difficulty level when a user with low driving skill moves to the first waiting position.By calculating the driving difficulty level according to the difference in driving skill, if the driving difficulty level exceeds the level that each user with different driving skill actually feels difficult, the first waiting position can be presented on the output device 30 and input of a second waiting position different from the first waiting position can be accepted.

[0026] The processor 10 receives a command from the user via the input device 20 to set a second waiting position different from the first waiting position (S11). The command to set the second waiting position may be input by the user touching a waiting position displayed on a touch panel display equipped with an input function with a finger to specify the waiting position, or by moving the vehicle to the desired second waiting position. The processor 10 determines the second waiting position based on the input command as the target waiting position (S14). This allows the user to set a waiting position according to the user's preferences in the parking facility, regardless of whether the vehicle is being driven manually or autonomously. The positioning of the waiting position at which the vehicle stops between the entrance to the parking facility and the target parking position varies depending on the user's preferences. Specifically, some users prefer to wait as close to a boundary (e.g., a wall) as possible, while others prefer to wait as far away from the boundary (e.g., a wall) as possible, with ample space. Having to wait in a standard waiting position can be stressful for users. In particular, in multi-story parking facilities where waiting occurs, it is preferable for users to be able to determine the desired waiting position themselves based on the situation of obstacles. In this embodiment, when the movement difficulty level when moving to the stored first standby position based on past performance is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold and is determined to be high, a setting command for the second standby position is accepted. This allows an appropriate target standby position to be set according to the user's preferences and the movement difficulty level to the standby position. Furthermore, when the movement difficulty level when moving to the first standby position is less than a predetermined threshold and is determined to be low, the first standby position is automatically determined, and a setting command from the user is requested only when the movement difficulty level is high, thereby reducing the input burden on the user.

[0027] When processor 10 receives a command to set a second waiting position in S11, it presents map information MP on the output device 30, superimposing the first waiting position on the parking facility status. This allows the user to easily recognize the first waiting position in the parking facility and the positional relationship between the first waiting position and the target parking position. When processor 10 receives a command to set a second waiting position in S11, processor 10 references parking facility information 51 and presents map information MP (see FIG. 3) including the above-mentioned prohibited areas on the output device 30. The prohibited areas (RO1 to RO7 in FIG. 3) may be highlighted by illumination, flashing, color, or the like. This allows the user to confirm the location of the prohibited areas and encourages the user to set a second waiting position that avoids interference with the prohibited areas. Processor 10 determines whether the second waiting position based on the setting command received in S11 includes a prohibited area (S12). Processor 10 does not accept a command to set a second waiting position that includes a prohibited area (e.g., any one or more of RO1 to RO7 shown in FIG. 3). If the second waiting position based on the setting command includes a prohibited area (YES in S12), a correction of the setting command is requested (S13), and the corrected setting command is accepted again (S11). By preventing the vehicle from stopping in a location where multiple vehicles pass, multiple vehicles in the parking facility can move smoothly to their target parking position. As a result, the number of vehicles that can wait in the parking facility can be maintained high while keeping the user's waiting time short. If the second waiting position based on the setting command does not include a prohibited area (NO in S12), the second waiting position based on the setting command is determined as the target waiting position (S14).

[0028] The processor 10 presents (outputs) the target waiting position to the user using a display serving as the output device 30 of the parking assistance device 200 for the host vehicle (S15). The user manually drives the host vehicle V1 to the presented target waiting position (S16). The processor 10 also outputs the target waiting position to the vehicle controller 4, which executes parking control of the host vehicle (S15). The vehicle controller 4 autonomously drives the host vehicle to the target waiting position (S16). It is determined whether the target waiting position is the closest to the target parking position (S17). The target waiting position closest to the target parking position may be the entrance position of the target parking position. The target waiting position closest to the target parking position may be the waiting position with the first waiting order for the target parking position. If the target waiting position is not the closest to the target parking position (NO in S17), a waiting position closest to the target parking position is determined as the target waiting position (S18). The newly determined target waiting position is output to the output device 30 or the vehicle controller 4 (S15), and the host vehicle is moved to the newly determined target waiting position. If the target waiting position is the position closest to the target parking position (YES in S17), the processor 10 stops the host vehicle at the target waiting position and then moves the host vehicle to the target parking position (S19). The processor 10 moves the host vehicle to the target parking position by autonomous driving, autonomous driving using a memory function, or manual driving.

[0029] After the movement, when the processor 10 moves the host vehicle to the target parking position, the processor 10 stores the target waiting position, which is the second waiting position changed in accordance with the position change command, as the first waiting position in the storage device (S20). The second waiting position based on the user's position setting command and the actual location where the host vehicle is stopped are stored in the waiting information 52 as the first waiting position, so that a waiting position appropriate for the conditions of the parking facility can be provided as the first waiting position the next time the parking facility is used. The processor 10 does not store a predetermined second waiting position including a prohibited area in the storage device 5 as a first waiting position shared with other vehicles. If the processor 10 stores the second waiting position, the processor 10 stores the second waiting position in the storage device 5 as a first waiting position not shared with other vehicles. Specifically, the target waiting position including the prohibited area is not stored in the storage device 305 of the server 300 shared with other vehicles. The first waiting position including the prohibited area is associated with the identification information of the host vehicle V1 and presented to the user of the host vehicle V1 when the host vehicle V1 uses the parking facility. This prevents other vehicles from being guided to a first waiting position that includes a prohibited area. The processor 10 updates the waiting information each time the first waiting position is calculated (S21). If the same position is stored as the first waiting position, the processor 10 counts up and updates the number of times the first waiting position has been used. Furthermore, after moving to the target parking position, the processor 10 may store one or more waiting positions (including the first waiting position, the second waiting position, and the target waiting position) at which the vehicle has stopped on the way from the entrance IN to the target parking position as the first waiting position in the waiting information 52, with a stopping order. The stopping order may be stored as the waiting order. The processor 10 prioritizes second waiting positions with a relatively low level of driving difficulty and stores them as the first waiting position. The stored second waiting position is the position determined as the target waiting position. As a result, a waiting position that is wide, has a small number of turns on the movement trajectory to the waiting position, has a small curvature of the movement trajectory, or has a long (far) distance from the movement trajectory to an obstacle can be preferentially stored as the first waiting position, thereby promoting the use of waiting positions that are easy to drive.In the storage process of S21, if vehicles including the subject vehicle or other vehicles have waited at the common target waiting position a predetermined number of times or more, the processor 10 updates the first waiting position in the waiting information. This allows the processor 10 to suggest the first waiting position where the subject vehicle or other vehicles have waited a predetermined number of times or more as the first parking position the next time the parking facility is used.

[0030] Specifically, the parking assistance process of this embodiment will be described based on the state shown in FIG. 3. The host vehicle V1 moves from the driveway to the entrance IN of the parking facility PA and enters the parking facility PA. The parking information providing device 301 determines the order in which the vehicles will enter the parking facility PA based on the detection information and detection time of the sensors 2 and 302. The processor 10 calculates the waiting order from the entry order. In this example, six other vehicles have already entered the parking facility PA in the order of other vehicle V21, other vehicle V31, other vehicle V22, other vehicle V32, other vehicle V23, and other vehicle V33, and the host vehicle V1 will enter the parking facility PA seventh, following other vehicle V33. The processor 10 advances the waiting order when a vehicle moves to a target parking position and is transferred to another level. In the parking lot TWP1 of the parking facility PA in FIG. 3, the other vehicle V21 is moving to another level above or below, and the other vehicles V22 and V23 are waiting. In parking lot TWP2 of parking facility PA, another vehicle V31 is moving to target parking position TP2, and other vehicles V32 and V33 are waiting. Excluding two other vehicles V21 and V31 moving to parking positions on other levels, the host vehicle V1's waiting order is fifth. The entry order determination result is provided to processor 10. Furthermore, when the host vehicle enters parking facility PA, processor 10 obtains, from waiting information 52 stored in storage device 5, one or more first waiting positions AW1-AW7 where vehicles, including the host vehicle V1 and other vehicles V2 and V3, have previously waited after entering parking facility PA and before reaching target parking position TP. At this time, processor 10 may obtain first waiting positions AW5-AW7 where other vehicles are already waiting, excluding first waiting positions AW1-AW4 where other vehicles are already waiting. The first waiting positions AW1-AW7 are stored for each parking facility PA, each parking facility TWP1 / TWP2, and each target parking position TP1 / TP2. The first waiting positions AW1 to AW7 are stored in association with a waiting order based on the entry order to the parking facility PA. As an example, the first waiting position AW1 is number 1 in the waiting order, the first waiting position AW3 is number 2 in the waiting order, the first waiting position AW2 is number 3 in the waiting order, the first waiting position AW4 is number 4 in the waiting order, the first waiting position AW5 is number 5 in the waiting order, the first waiting position AW6 is number 6 in the waiting order, and the first waiting position AW7 is number 7 in the waiting order.The processor 10 determines that the host vehicle V1 is number 5 in the waiting order and acquires the first waiting position AW5 and first waiting positions AW6 and AW7 where the host vehicle V1 can wait (where no other vehicles are waiting). By assigning waiting orders to the first waiting positions in this way, the processor 10 can select a first waiting position according to the waiting order of the host vehicle V1 when the host vehicle V1 enters the parking facility PA. The processor 10 prepares a parking plan including a movement trajectory for the host vehicle V1 to move to one of the waiting positions AW5 to AW7 where the host vehicle V1 will wait before moving to the target parking position TP1, stop the host vehicle V1, and wait for the preceding other vehicles V21, V22, and V23 to complete parking, and then move to the target parking position TP1 after the preceding other vehicles V21, V22, and V23.

[0031] In the example of FIG. 3 , the processor 10 acquires a first waiting position AW5 corresponding to the waiting order (number 5). The processor 10 calculates the driving difficulty level when the host vehicle V1 moves to the first waiting position AW5. The first waiting position AW5 is an area sandwiched between an obstacle OB1, which is a structure in front, and an obstacle OB2, which is a structure in rear. The distance from both obstacles OB1 and OB2 is short, and the area available for movement is small. Furthermore, in order to move to the first waiting position AW5, the host vehicle V1 must avoid the obstacles OB1 and OB2, and the movement path includes multiple turning points or has a high curvature. The processor 10 determines that the driving difficulty level when moving the host vehicle V1 to the first waiting position AW5 is equal to or greater than a predetermined evaluation value. The processor 10 receives a command to set a second waiting position AW6, which is different from the first waiting position AW5, via the input device 20. The processor 10 presents the first waiting position AW5 on the output device 30. At this time, processor 10 presents map information MP (see FIG. 3 ) of the parking facility PA, including first waiting position AW5. This allows the user to confirm the relative positional relationship of first waiting position AW5 with respect to the target parking position TP, the positions of other vehicles V2 and V3, the positions of obstacles OB1 and OB2, and other waiting positions AW6 and AW7 in the parking facility PA. The user recognizes that the driving difficulty level when moving to first waiting position AW5 is high. The user selects second waiting position AW6, which is larger in area than first waiting position AW5, has a straight movement trajectory from the entrance, and is easy to drive, and inputs a setting command to wait at second waiting position AW6 via input device 20. Processor 10 may highlight first waiting position AW6, which has the shortest movement distance from first waiting position AW5 and the lowest driving difficulty level, as the recommended second waiting position AW6 by illuminating, flashing, coloring, or the like. The user may input a setting command by touching the position of the second standby position AW6 with a finger via the output device 30, which is a touch panel display equipped with an input function. The processor 10 determines the second standby position AW6 specified by the setting command as the target standby position. The processor 10 outputs position information of the second standby position AW6 determined as the target standby position to the vehicle controller 4, and causes the vehicle V1 to move to the target standby position AW6 by autonomous driving using the vehicle controller 4.The processor 10 may move the host vehicle V1 to the target waiting position AW6 through autonomous parking control using a memory function. In the case of manual driving, the user manually drives the host vehicle V1 to the target waiting position AW6 displayed on the display. If the processor 10 subsequently determines that the target waiting position AW6 is not the closest position to the target parking position TP, the processor 10 moves the host vehicle V1 to another target waiting position AW that is closer to the target parking position TP. When the preceding other vehicles V21 and V22 move to parking positions on other levels, the processor 10 moves the host vehicle V1, which is waiting at the target waiting position AW6, to the target waiting position AW1 that is closest to the target parking position TP. The host vehicle V1 moves from the target waiting position AW5 to the target waiting position AW1 via waiting positions V11, V12, and V13. The user may input a command to set the second waiting position AW6 by moving the host vehicle V1 to the second waiting position AW6 displayed on the output device 30 and stopping it. The processor 10 may determine the second waiting position AW6 to which the host vehicle V1 has moved as the target waiting position. The processor 10 stops the host vehicle at the target waiting position AW1 and then moves the host vehicle to the target parking position TP1. The processor 10 outputs the target waiting position to the host vehicle, stops the host vehicle at the target waiting position, and then supports parking control to move the host vehicle V1 to the target parking position.

[0032] 100... parking assistance system, 200, 200n... parking assistance device, 1... control device, 10... processor, 11... CPU, 12... ROM, 13... RAM, 20... input device, 30... output device, 40... communication device, 2... sensor, 21... camera, 22... radar device, 3... navigation device, 31... position detection device, 32... map information, 4...vehicle controller, 41...steering control device, 42...drive control device, 5...storage device, 50...parking information, 51...parking facility information, MP...map information, 52...waiting information, 53...reference feature, 400...communication network, 300...server, 301...parking information providing device, 302...server sensor, 321...server camera, 322...server radar device, 340...server communication device, 305...server storage device, 350...parking information stored in server, 351...parking facility information stored in server, 3MP...map information stored in server, 352...waiting information stored in server, 353...reference feature stored in server

Claims

1. A parking assistance method used in a processor to assist parking control to park a host vehicle at a target parking position provided in a parking facility, wherein the processor, when the host vehicle enters the parking facility, obtains, from waiting information stored in a storage device, one or more first waiting positions where vehicles, including the host vehicle and other vehicles, have waited in the past after entering the parking facility and before reaching the target parking position, calculates a driving difficulty level for the host vehicle when moving to the first waiting position, and if the driving difficulty level is less than a predetermined evaluation value, determines the first waiting position as the target waiting position, and if the driving difficulty level is equal to or greater than the predetermined evaluation value, presents the first waiting position to an output device, receives via an input device a setting command for a second waiting position different from the first waiting position, and determines the second waiting position based on the setting command as the target waiting position, outputs the target waiting position to the host vehicle, and assists parking control to move the host vehicle to the target waiting position, stop the host vehicle, wait until it is possible to move the host vehicle to the target parking position, and then move the host vehicle to the target parking position.

2. The parking assistance method according to claim 1, wherein the parking facility is a parking lot in which the vehicle that has entered the parking facility waits until it is possible to move to one of the target parking positions, and then moves to that one of the target parking positions.

3. A parking assistance method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processor calculates the driving difficulty level based on the size of the first waiting position, the smaller the size of the first waiting position, the higher the driving difficulty level.

4. The parking assistance method of claim 3, wherein the size of the first waiting position is defined based on one or more of the vertical length of the first waiting position, the horizontal length of the first waiting position, the area of ​​the first waiting position, and the distance from the first waiting position to an obstacle.

5. A parking assistance method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the processor calculates the driving difficulty level based on the number of turns in the movement trajectory when moving to the first waiting position, so that the greater the number of turns, the higher the driving difficulty level.

6. A parking assistance method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the processor calculates the driving difficulty level based on the curvature of the movement trajectory when moving to the first waiting position, and the greater the curvature, the higher the driving difficulty level.

7. A parking assistance method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the processor calculates the driving difficulty level based on the distance from the trajectory of the movement trajectory when moving to the first waiting position to the obstacle, and the shorter the distance from the trajectory of the movement trajectory to the obstacle, the higher the driving difficulty level is.

8. A parking assistance method described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the processor determines the driving skill of the user of the vehicle and calculates the driving difficulty level when the user with high driving skill moves to the first waiting position to be lower than the driving difficulty level when the user with low driving skill moves to the first waiting position.

9. A parking assistance method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, when the processor receives the setting command for the second waiting position, it presents map information on the output device in which the first waiting position is superimposed on the status of the parking facility.

10. A parking assistance method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the parking facility information of the parking facility includes, as prohibited areas, one or more of the following: the entrance area of ​​the parking facility, the area from the entrance of the parking facility to the target parking position, the entry / exit area of ​​the target parking position, the area from the target parking position to the exit of the parking facility, the exit area of ​​the parking facility, and the area on the predicted movement trajectory of the vehicle; and the processor refers to the parking facility information and presents map information including the prohibited areas on the output device.

11. A parking assistance method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the processor, when moving the vehicle to the target parking position, stores the target waiting position in the storage device as the first waiting position.

12. A parking assistance method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the processor pre-sets one or more areas from the entrance area of ​​the parking facility, the area from the entrance of the parking facility to the target parking position, the entry / exit area of ​​the target parking position, the area from the target parking position to the exit of the parking facility, the exit area of ​​the parking facility, and the area on the predicted movement trajectory of the vehicle as prohibited areas, and does not store the second waiting position including the prohibited area in the storage device as the first waiting position shared with other vehicles.

13. A parking assistance method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the processor preferentially stores the second waiting position, which has a relatively low level of driving difficulty, as the first waiting position.

14. A parking assistance device comprising a processor and assisting parking control to park a host vehicle at a target parking position provided in a parking facility, wherein the processor, when the host vehicle enters the parking facility, obtains, from waiting information stored in a storage device, one or more first waiting positions where vehicles, including the host vehicle and other vehicles, have waited in the past after entering the parking facility and before reaching the target parking position, calculates a driving difficulty level when the host vehicle moves to the first waiting position, and if the driving difficulty level is less than a predetermined evaluation value, determines the first waiting position as the target waiting position, and if the driving difficulty level is equal to or greater than the predetermined evaluation value, presents the first waiting position to an output device, accepts a setting command for a second waiting position different from the first waiting position via an input device, and determines the second waiting position as the target waiting position, outputs the target waiting position to the host vehicle, and assists parking control to move the host vehicle to the target waiting position, stop the host vehicle, wait until it is possible to move the host vehicle to the target parking position, and then move the host vehicle to the target parking position.

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