Automated valet parking system and automated valet parking method

The system addresses malfunctions in automatic valet parking by setting speed plans based on previous paths when stopping, ensuring stable vehicle control and smooth transitions.

WO2026048267A1PCT designated stage Publication Date: 2026-03-05TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
View PDF 3 Cites 0 Cited by

Patent Information

Application Number
PCT/JP2025/023245
Authority / Receiving Office
WO · WO
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2024-08-29
Filing Date
2025-06-27
Publication Date
2026-03-05

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing automatic valet parking systems face issues when a vehicle is required to accelerate just before stopping, leading to malfunctions during autonomous driving.

Method used

The system intermittently receives driving paths from a management device and sets a speed plan based on previous paths when the vehicle is about to stop, ensuring smooth transitions and avoiding acceleration requirements during critical stops.

Benefits of technology

This approach prevents malfunctions by maintaining stable vehicle control during stops, allowing seamless automatic valet parking operations.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

Smart Images

  • Figure JP2025023245_05032026_PF_FP_ABST
    Figure JP2025023245_05032026_PF_FP_ABST
Patent Text Reader

Abstract

A control device according to the present invention performs vehicle control for automated valet parking on the basis of a travel path intermittently received from a management device. The travel path includes a plurality of path points. Each of the plurality of path points includes information pertaining to a target position of a vehicle. The vehicle control includes: a process for setting a velocity plan for the vehicle on the basis of the information pertaining to the target position of the vehicle included in the travel path received from the management device; and a process for, when a travel state of the vehicle corresponds to a state immediately before stopping and the most recent travel path has been received from the management device, applying to the vehicle control a velocity plan that has been set on the basis of a past travel path received from the management device before the most recent travel path.
Need to check novelty before this filing date? Find Prior Art

Description

Automatic valet parking system and automatic valet parking method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to automated valet parking (AVP) of a vehicle within a predetermined area, such as a parking lot.

[0002] Patent Literature 1 discloses a method for guiding a vehicle in a parking lot. In this method, an external device identifies a driving path for remotely controlling a vehicle to be guided and transmits the path to the vehicle. In the method, the external device also divides the identified driving path into sections and transmits the sections to the vehicle.

[0003] Japanese Patent No. 6756828

[0004] Although Patent Document 1 does not specifically mention this, position information is conceivable as information included in the driving path. The position information is information indicating a target position through which the guided vehicle should pass, and is given, for example, in a two-dimensional coordinate system. When receiving a driving path including position information, the guided vehicle sets a driving plan (for example, a speed plan) for autonomous driving within the parking lot based on the position information and information on the vehicle's current position and driving speed.

[0005] When an external device divides a travel path into subsections and transmits them, the vehicle to be guided receives the travel path sequentially. In this case, the following problem can be expected when the vehicle to be guided is in a state where it is about to stop. That is, when the vehicle to be guided receives information about a new subsection and the information about the new subsection includes position information that requires the vehicle to accelerate, it becomes difficult for the vehicle to autonomously travel along the travel path.

[0006] One object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that can avoid malfunctions when a vehicle receives a driving path that requires acceleration just before stopping, when automatic valet parking of the vehicle is performed based on a driving path that is sequentially received from an external device.

[0007] A first aspect of the present disclosure is a system for performing automatic valet parking of a vehicle within a predetermined area, having the following features: The system includes a management device and a control device. The management device manages the automatic valet parking. The control device is mounted on the vehicle. The control device also performs vehicle control for the automatic valet parking based on a driving path intermittently received from the management device. The driving path includes a plurality of path points. Each of the plurality of path points includes information on a target position of the vehicle. The vehicle control includes a process of setting a speed plan for the vehicle based on information on the vehicle's driving speed, information on the vehicle's current position, and information on the target position included in the driving path received from the management device, and a process of applying to the vehicle control, when the driving state of the vehicle corresponds to a state immediately before stopping and the latest driving path is received from the management device, a speed plan set based on a previous driving path received from the management device before the latest driving path.

[0008] A second aspect of the present disclosure is a method for performing automatic valet parking of a vehicle within a predetermined area, having the following characteristics. The method includes a process in which a control device of the vehicle intermittently receives a driving path from a management device that manages the automatic valet parking, and a process in which the control device performs vehicle control for the automatic valet parking based on the driving path. The driving path includes a plurality of path points. Each of the plurality of path points includes information on a target position of the vehicle. The vehicle control includes a process in which a speed plan for the vehicle is set based on information on the driving speed of the vehicle, information on the current position of the vehicle, and information on the target position included in the driving path received from the management device, and when the driving state of the vehicle corresponds to a state immediately before stopping and the latest driving path is received from the management device, a process in which a speed plan set based on a previous driving path received from the management device before the latest driving path is applied to the vehicle control.

[0009] According to the first or second aspect, when the driving state of a vehicle during automatic valet parking corresponds to the state immediately before stopping and the latest driving path is received from the management device, it is possible to continue automatic valet parking based on a speed plan set based on a past driving path received before the latest driving path. This makes it possible to avoid problems that occur when the vehicle receives a driving path that requires acceleration immediately before stopping.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an automatic valet parking system. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a vehicle system. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a driving path. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a problem just before stopping. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a problem just before stopping. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of application of a speed plan to vehicle control when the driving state of a vehicle corresponds to a state just before stopping. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing particularly related to the embodiment.

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be simplified or omitted.

[0012] 1. Example of Overall System Configuration The AVP system is a system that automatically parks a vehicle within a predetermined area, such as a parking lot, a factory, or the grounds of a facility. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an AVP system. FIG. 1 illustrates a parking lot PK as the predetermined area. The parking lot PK has a configuration capable of executing the AVP. The configuration capable of executing the AVP includes a boarding / exiting space PD and a parking space PS. The boarding / exiting space PD is a space for disembarking from and / or boarding a vehicle VH. The parking space PS is a space for parking the vehicle VH. The configuration capable of executing the AVP also includes markers that assist the movement of the vehicle VH within the parking lot PK, sensors (e.g., cameras, radar) that monitor the vehicle VH, and the like.

[0013] FIG. 1 also illustrates a server (hereinafter also referred to as "parking lot server") 10 that manages AVPs in the parking lot PK. The parking lot server 10 is a configuration equivalent to the "management device" of the present disclosure. The parking lot server 10 performs various processes related to the management of AVP reservations in the parking lot PK. The parking lot server 10 also performs various processes related to the management of the operating authority of the vehicle VH required for the AVP in the parking lot PK. The parking lot server 10 further acquires various information from sensors in the parking lot PK and performs various processes related to the execution of the AVP in the parking lot PK based on this information. The parking lot server 10 may be a combination of a server (local server) that performs various processes related to the execution of the AVP and a server (cloud server) that performs various processes related to the management of the AVP.

[0014] The parking lot server 10 is typically a computer including at least one processor 11, at least one storage device 12, and a communication I / F (interface) 13. The processor 11 executes various processes. Examples of the processor 11 include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), and an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The processor 11 can also be called a "circuitry" or a "processing circuitry." The "circuitry" is hardware that is programmed to realize the described function, or hardware that executes the function. The processor 11 reads various information from the storage device 12 and stores various information in the storage device 12.

[0015] Examples of the storage device 12 include volatile memory, non-volatile memory, HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and SSD (Solid State Drive). Examples of various information stored in the storage device 12 include parking lot map information, parking lot usage information, and vehicle management information. The parking lot map information indicates map information of the parking lot PK. The parking lot usage information is information regarding the usage status (vacancy information) of the boarding and disembarking spaces PD and parking spaces PS within the parking lot PK. The vehicle management information includes information such as the vehicle ID, entry and exit times, and vehicle position. The vehicle management information is managed for each vehicle VH. The vehicle ID is identification information for the vehicle VH. The entry and exit times are information regarding the entry and exit times of the vehicle VH (e.g., reservation time, actual time, etc.). The vehicle position indicates information regarding the position of the vehicle VH within the parking lot PK.

[0016] The communication I / F 13 is an interface for communicating with devices external to the parking lot server 10 to send and receive information. For example, the communication I / F 13 is made up of devices for connecting to surrounding devices via a wireless LAN, devices for connecting to a mobile communication network, devices for connecting to the Internet, etc. The parking lot server 10 sends and receives information to and from the vehicle VH (vehicle system 20) via the communication I / F 13. The parking lot server 10 also sends and receives information to and from the central server 30 via the communication I / F 13.

[0017] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle system 20. In the example shown in Fig. 2, the vehicle system 20 is installed in each vehicle VH as a system capable of executing an AVP. In the example shown in Fig. 2, the vehicle system 20 includes a control device 21, sensors 22, a communication I / F 23, and an in-vehicle device 24.

[0018] The control device 21 is communicably connected to the sensors 22, the communication I / F 23, and the in-vehicle device 24. The control device 21 is a computer that performs information processing related to the control of the vehicle VH based on various information. The control device 21 includes at least one processor 25 and at least one storage device 26. An example configuration of the processor 25 is the same as that of the processor 11 shown in FIG. 1. Furthermore, an example configuration of the storage device 26 is the same as that of the storage device 12 shown in FIG. 1. The processor 25 cooperates with the storage device 26 to realize information processing related to the control of the vehicle VH.

[0019] For example, the control device 21 is configured with one or more ECUs (Electronic Control Units). In another example, the control device 21 is configured with a kit (e.g., an AVP kit) for functions provided by the parking lot server 10. The control device 21 generates and outputs a control signal for the vehicle VH through information processing. When the vehicle VH receives an instruction INS for an AVP operation (e.g., entry operation, exit operation, etc.) from the parking lot server 10, the control device 21 generates a control signal CON for the AVP operation. The control signal CON is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 24.

[0020] The sensors 22 detect information about the surrounding environment and driving conditions of the vehicle VH. Examples of the sensors 22 include a camera, radar, LiDAR, a wheel speed sensor, an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), and a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) sensor.

[0021] The communication I / F 23 is an interface for communicating with devices external to the vehicle VH to send and receive information. The vehicle VH sends and receives information to and from the parking lot server 10 via the communication I / F 23. The vehicle VH can also send and receive information to and from the user terminal 40 via the communication I / F 23.

[0022] The in-vehicle device 24 includes lighting devices, interior lighting devices, a horn, direction indicators, wipers, doors, door windows, mirrors, drive devices, braking devices, steering devices, an HMI (Human Machine Interface), etc. Each device of the in-vehicle device 24 includes an actuator 27 that can be controlled by the control device 21. The in-vehicle device 24 acquires a control signal from the control device 21. The actuator 27 operates in accordance with the control signal, thereby controlling the in-vehicle device 24 by the control device 21. Furthermore, control of the vehicle VH is realized by controlling the in-vehicle device 24. The actuator 27 operates in accordance with a control signal CON for AVP operation, thereby realizing vehicle control for AVP operation.

[0023] Returning to FIG. 1 , the description of the overall configuration example will be continued. FIG. 1 also illustrates a central server 30. The central server 30 is a server (cloud server) that manages the entire AVP service. The central server 30 manages users who use the AVP service (hereinafter also referred to as "AVP users"), vehicles (i.e., vehicles VHs) that have the vehicle system 20, and the like. The management of AVP users includes authentication of AVP users, management of AVP reservations by AVP users, and the like. The management of vehicles VHs includes management of vehicle information of the vehicles VHs, management of operating authorities of the vehicles VHs, management of AVP operation logs of the vehicles VHs, and the like.

[0024] The central server 30 is typically a computer including at least one processor 31, at least one storage device 32, and a communication I / F 33. An example of the configuration of the processor 31 is the same as that of the processor 11. An example of the configuration of the storage device 32 is the same as that of the storage device 12.

[0025] Examples of various information stored in the storage device 32 include AVP reservation information, user information, and AVP vehicle information. The AVP reservation information is information related to the reservation of an AVP by an AVP user. The AVP reservation information includes information such as the parking lot the AVP user wishes to use and the entry and exit times. The user information includes information such as the user ID of the AVP user and the vehicle ID of the vehicle used by the AVP user. The user information is managed for each AVP user. The AVP vehicle information includes information such as the vehicle ID of the vehicle having the vehicle system 20, the IP address of the vehicle system 20, and the AVP operation log by the vehicle system 20.

[0026] The communication I / F 33 is an interface for communicating with devices external to the central server 30 to send and receive information. For example, the communication I / F 33 is made up of devices for connecting to surrounding devices via a wireless LAN, devices for connecting to a mobile communication network, devices for connecting to the Internet, etc. The central server 30 sends and receives information to and from the parking lot server 10 via the communication I / F 33. The central server 30 also sends and receives information to and from the user terminal 40 via the communication I / F 33.

[0027] The user terminal 40 is a terminal carried by the AVP user (e.g., a smartphone). The AVP user transmits and receives information to and from the vehicle VH (vehicle system 20) by operating the user terminal 40. The AVP user also transmits and receives information to and from the central server 30 by operating the user terminal 40. The user terminal 40 is used by the AVP user to register and reserve the use of the AVP service. The user terminal 40 is also used as appropriate for AVP in the parking lot PK. Note that, instead of operating the user terminal 40, information related to the AVP may be transmitted and received by operating the in-vehicle device 24 (e.g., HMI) shown in FIG. 2.

[0028] 2. Travel Path and Travel Plan When executing the AVP (entering), for example, the parking lot server 10 transmits and receives information to the central server 30 to obtain the authority to operate the vehicle VH waiting in the loading / unloading space PD. This operation authority is transferred to the parking lot server 10, allowing the parking lot server 10 (processor 11) to execute the AVP of the vehicle VH. The vehicle system 20 (processor 25) generates a control signal CON in accordance with the instruction INS for the AVP operation (entering operation) received from the parking lot server 10, and controls the in-vehicle device 24 to perform vehicle control for the AVP operation (entering operation).

[0029] When performing the AVP (leaving), for example, the vehicle system 20 (processor 25) generates a control signal CON in accordance with an instruction INS for the AVP operation (leaving operation) received from the parking lot server 10, generates the control signal CON, and controls the in-vehicle device 24 to perform vehicle control for the AVP operation (leaving operation). When the vehicle VH arrives at the boarding / alighting space PD, the parking lot server 10 transmits and receives information to and from the central server 30 and returns the authority to operate the vehicle VH. When this authority to operate is transferred to the central server 30, the execution of the AVP of the vehicle VH by the parking lot server 10 (processor 11) is completed.

[0030] The instruction INS for AVP operation includes information on the travel path PT. The travel path PT is a set of path points PP in the parking lot PK that the vehicle VH must pass through from its current location to its destination. The instruction INS is generated sequentially based on information on the surrounding environment and travel conditions of the vehicle VH obtained from sensors in the parking lot PK. Information obtained from sensors 22 of the vehicle VH may also be used to generate the instruction INS. The generated instruction INS is sequentially transmitted from the parking lot server 10 to the vehicle VH. The instruction INS transmitted at each timing includes information on the travel path PT in the direction of travel of the vehicle VH.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a travel path PT. In FIG. 3, the travel path PT is depicted ahead of the vehicle VH. The travel path PT includes section paths PT-ID1, PT-ID2, and PT-ID3. The section paths PT-ID1, PT-ID2, and PT-ID3 are each included in the instructions INS sequentially received by the vehicle VH (vehicle system 20) during AVP operation, and are identified by a unique ID assigned to each section path PT-IDk (k≧1).

[0032] Section path PT-IDk includes a path point PP (hereinafter also referred to as "path end point PPf") that indicates the end point of section path PT-IDk. In the example shown in Figure 3, section path PT-ID1 includes path end point PPf, and path points PPf-1, PPf-2, PPf-3, and PPf-4 that are located before this path end point PPf. Path point PPf-4 can also be considered as a path point PP that indicates the start point of section path PT-ID1. The configurations of the path points PP of section paths PT-ID2 and PT-ID3 are basically the same as the configuration of the path point PP of section path PT-ID1.

[0033] Each path point PP included in the section path PT-IDk includes, for example, position information, steering angle information, maximum speed information, and curvature information. The position information indicates the target position of the vehicle VH and is expressed in a two-dimensional coordinate system (x, y) of the parking lot PK. The steering angle information indicates the target steering angle of the vehicle VH at the path point PP. The maximum speed information indicates the maximum allowable speed of the vehicle VH at the path point PP. The curvature information indicates the curvature of the section path PT-IDk.

[0034] The vehicle system 20 sets a driving plan for following the section path PT-IDk based on information included in each path point PP of the section path PT-IDk and information on the surrounding environment and driving conditions of the vehicle VH. The set driving plan includes a speed plan and a steering angle plan. The vehicle system 20 also controls the vehicle in accordance with the set driving plan. Specifically, the vehicle system 20 calculates the deviation (e.g., speed deviation, lateral position deviation, yaw angle deviation) between the vehicle VH and the driving plan, generates control target values ​​(e.g., target acceleration, target steering angle) that reduce the deviation, and transmits a control signal CON to the actuators 27 (e.g., drive actuator, braking actuator, and steering actuator). This causes the AVP operation along the driving path PT.

[0035] 3. The task driving plan immediately before stopping is set based on the latest section path held by the vehicle system 20. For example, consider a case where the parking lot server 10 extends the driving path PT during AVP operation based on a driving plan that follows the section path PT-IDk. In this case, the vehicle system 20 receives the section path PT-IDk+1 from the parking lot server 10, and takes into consideration information about the surrounding environment and driving conditions of the vehicle VH, sets a driving plan for following the section path PT-IDk+1, which is the latest section path, and controls the vehicle for AVP operation.

[0036] The problem here occurs when the vehicle VH is in a traveling state immediately before stopping. FIGS. 4 and 5 are diagrams illustrating the issue immediately before stopping. FIG. 4 shows an example of a speed plan V / PT-IDk that follows a section path PT-IDk. The section path PT-IDk is the latest section path at the current time. The section path PT-IDk is, for example, a traveling path PT for stopping due to the approach of a moving object to the vehicle VH. The speed plan V / PT-IDk set based on the section path PT-IDk decelerates while passing through path points PPf-2 / PT-IDk and PPf-1 / PT-IDk, and stops (speed V=0) at the path end point PPf / PT-IDk.

[0037] Assume that the position (current position) of the vehicle VH at the current time shown in FIG. 4 is between the target position (x, y) indicated by the path point PPf-2 / PT-IDk and the target position (x, y) indicated by the path point PPf-1 / PT-IDk. Under this situation, for example, if the approach of the moving object is resolved, the travel path PT is extended. The travel path PT is extended by updating the section path. Then, the vehicle system 20 sets a speed plan V / PT-IDk+1 based on the section path PT-IDk+1, which is the latest section path. FIG. 5 shows an example of the speed plan V / PT-IDk+1 (solid line) along with an example of the speed plan V / PT-IDk (dashed line).

[0038] However, if the target position (x, y) indicated by the path point PPf-i / PT-IDk+1 (i≧1) included in the section path PT-IDk+1 is closest to the current position of the vehicle VH and is far from the current position, the vehicle VH will not be able to accelerate in time and will have difficulty following the speed plan V / PT-IDk+1. In this case, the vehicle system 20 may stop the AVP operation based on the speed plan V / PT-IDk+1 and enter a stop-hold mode. Furthermore, the feedback integral term based on the deviation between the vehicle VH and the speed plan V / PT-IDk+1 may accumulate unnecessarily.

[0039] 4. Vehicle Control Processing Therefore, in this embodiment, when the traveling state of the vehicle VH corresponds to a state immediately before stopping, the vehicle system 20 discards the latest section path and does not set a speed plan V / PT based on this latest section path. Alternatively, the vehicle system 20 sets a speed plan V / PT based on the latest section path, but does not apply the set speed plan V / PT to vehicle control for AVP operation. Instead, the vehicle system 20 applies a speed plan V / PT set based on a section path (past section path) earlier than the latest section path to vehicle control for AVP operation.

[0040] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of application of the speed plan V / PT to vehicle control when the traveling state of the vehicle VH corresponds to a state immediately before stopping. FIG. 6 shows an example of the speed plan V / PT-IDk (solid line) shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 and an example of the speed plan V / PT-IDk+1 (dashed line) shown in FIG. 5. If the section path PT-IDk+1, which is the latest section path, is discarded, the speed plan V / PT-IDk+1 is not set. Alternatively, even if the section path PT-IDk+1 is not discarded and the speed plan V / PT-IDk+1 is set, this is not applied to vehicle control for AVP operation.

[0041] Instead, a speed plan V / PT set based on the past section path is applied to vehicle control for AVP operation. When the running state of the vehicle VH corresponds to the state immediately before stopping, the speed plan V / PT (speed plan V / PT-IDk in the example shown in FIG. 6) that was applied to vehicle control when the latest section path, section path PT-IDk+1, was received continues to be applied to vehicle control.

[0042] In this case, the vehicle VH will stop at a position corresponding to the path end point PPf / PT-IDk. If the position corresponding to the path end point PPf / PT-IDk is not the final destination of the vehicle VH, the vehicle system 20 receives the travel path PT from the parking lot server 10. In this embodiment, if the latest section path is received after the vehicle VH has stopped, the vehicle system 20 sets the speed plan V / PT based on this latest section path. The example shown in FIG. 6 illustrates a case where the section path PT-IDk+j (j≧2) is received as the latest section path after the vehicle VH has stopped. The vehicle system 20 sets the speed plan V / PT-IDk+j based on the section path PT-IDk+j and applies it to vehicle control for AVP operation. This resumes AVP operation along the travel path PT.

[0043] 5. Information Processing Example Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing example particularly related to the embodiment. The processing routine shown in Fig. 7 is repeatedly executed by the vehicle system 20 (processor 25) at a predetermined interval.

[0044] 7, information is first acquired (step S11). Examples of the information acquired in step S11 include an instruction INS transmitted from the parking lot server 10, and information on the surrounding environment and driving conditions of the vehicle VH acquired from the sensors 22. In step S11, information on the current position of the vehicle VH is also acquired. The current position of the vehicle VH is acquired, for example, by a position estimation process (localization process) of the vehicle VH performed by the parking lot server 10 or the vehicle system 20.

[0045] Following the process of step S11, it is determined whether the specified INS includes the latest section path (step S12). The process of step S12 is performed based on the unique ID of the section path included in the specified INS. If the determination result of step S12 is negative, the processing routine ends.

[0046] If the determination result of step S12 is positive, it is determined whether the traveling state of the vehicle VH corresponds to a state immediately before stopping (step S13). The processing of step S13 is performed based on, for example, whether the following conditions (1) and (2) are satisfied: (1) The distance from the current position of the vehicle VH to the target position (x, y) indicated by the path end point PPf of the traveling path PT (e.g., section path PT-IDk) used to set the speed plan (e.g., speed plan V / PT-IDk) applied to the currently executed vehicle control is equal to or less than a specified distance THd; and (2) The traveling speed of the vehicle VH is equal to or less than a specified speed THv. Note that the specified distance THd (e.g., 1-5 m) and the specified speed THv (e.g., 5-10 km / h) are set in advance. If it is determined that both conditions (1) and (2) are satisfied, it is determined that the traveling state of the vehicle VH corresponds to a state immediately before stopping.

[0047] If the determination result in step S13 is negative, a driving plan is set based on the latest section path (step S14). The processing in step S14 is performed, for example, based on the latest section path (e.g., section path PT-IDk+1) acquired in step S11, the current position of the vehicle VH, and the driving speed of the vehicle VH. Then, vehicle control is executed based on the set latest driving plan (speed plan V / PT-IDk+1) (step S15).

[0048] If the determination result in step S13 is positive, the latest section path is discarded (step S16). Alternatively, a travel plan is set based on the latest section path, but this travel plan is not applied to vehicle control. In this case, the set travel plan may be discarded or may be saved in the storage device 26. Then, vehicle control is executed based on the travel plan (e.g., speed plan V / PT-IDk) currently applied to the vehicle control being executed (step S17).

[0049] Following the processing of step S17, it is determined whether or not the vehicle VH has stopped (step S18). The processing of step S18 is performed, for example, based on the traveling speed of the vehicle VH. If the determination result of step S18 is negative, the processing of step S17 is performed. That is, the processing of steps S17 and S18 is repeated until a positive determination result is obtained in step S18.

[0050] 6. Effects According to the embodiment described above, even if the vehicle system 20 receives the latest section path, if the driving state of the vehicle VH corresponds to a state immediately before stopping, the driving plan (speed plan) currently applied to the vehicle control being executed continues to be applied to the vehicle control. Therefore, it is possible to avoid problems caused by setting a driving plan that does not allow the vehicle VH to accelerate in time immediately before stopping.

[0051] Furthermore, according to the embodiment, if the vehicle system 20 receives the latest section path after stopping at the path end point PPf, the travel plan (speed plan) can be set based on this latest section path, and therefore the AVP operation can be resumed to reach the final destination.

[0052] 10...Parking lot server, 11, 25, 31...Processor, 12, 26, 32...Storage device, 13, 23, 33...Communication interface, 20...Vehicle system, 24...In-vehicle device, 27...Actuator, 30...General server, 40...User terminal, PK...Parking lot, PD...Pick-up and drop-off space, PS...Parking space, PT...Travel path, VH...Vehicle, PPf, PPf-1, PPf-2, PPf-3, PPf-4, PPf-i...Path point, PT-ID1, PT-ID2, PT-ID3, PT-IDk, PT-IDk+1, PT-IDk+j...Section path, V / PT, V / PT-IDk, V / PT-IDk+1, V / PT-IDk+j...Speed ​​plan

Claims

1. A system for performing automatic valet parking of a vehicle within a specified area, comprising: a management device that manages the automatic valet parking; and a control device that is mounted on the vehicle and controls the vehicle for the automatic valet parking based on a driving path intermittently received from the management device, wherein the driving path includes a plurality of path points, each of which includes information on a target position of the vehicle, and the vehicle control includes: a process for setting a speed plan for the vehicle based on information on the vehicle's driving speed, information on the vehicle's current position, and information on the target position included in the driving path received from the management device; and when the vehicle's driving state corresponds to a state immediately before stopping and the latest driving path is received from the management device, a process for applying to the vehicle control a speed plan that was set based on a previous driving path received from the management device before the latest driving path.

2. An automatic valet parking system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle control further includes a process for determining whether the driving state corresponds to the state immediately before stopping, and when the distance from the current position to the target position included in the path end point of the past driving path is less than a specified distance and the driving speed is less than a specified speed, the driving state is determined to correspond to the state immediately before stopping.

3. An automatic valet parking system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vehicle control further includes: a process of setting a speed plan for the vehicle based on information about the target position included in the latest driving path received from the management device after the vehicle has stopped due to application of a speed plan based on the past driving path to the vehicle control; and a process of applying the speed plan based on the latest driving path received from the management device to the vehicle control after the vehicle has stopped.

4. An automatic valet parking system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the vehicle control further includes a process of discarding the latest driving path when the latest driving path is received from the management device when the driving state corresponds to the state immediately before the stop.

5. A system as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the speed plan based on the past driving path includes a speed plan that is applied to the vehicle control being executed at the time the latest driving path is received from the management device when the driving state of the vehicle corresponds to the state immediately before the stop.

6. A method for performing automatic valet parking of a vehicle within a specified area, comprising: a process in which a control device of the vehicle intermittently receives a driving path from a management device that manages the automatic valet parking; and a process in which the control device controls the vehicle for the automatic valet parking based on the driving path, wherein the driving path includes a plurality of path points, each of which includes information on a target position of the vehicle, and the vehicle control process sets a speed plan for the vehicle based on information on the driving speed of the vehicle, information on the current position of the vehicle, and information on the target position included in the driving path received from the management device, and when the driving state of the vehicle corresponds to a state immediately before stopping and the latest driving path is received from the management device, a process in which the speed plan set based on a past driving path received from the management device before the latest driving path is applied to the vehicle control.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the vehicle control further includes a process for determining whether the driving state corresponds to the state immediately before stopping, and when the distance from the current position to the target position included in the path end point of the past driving path is less than a specified distance and the driving speed is less than a specified speed, the driving state is determined to correspond to the state immediately before stopping.

8. A method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the vehicle control further includes: a process of setting a speed plan for the vehicle based on information about the target position included in the latest driving path received from the management device after the vehicle has stopped due to application of a speed plan based on the past driving path to the vehicle control; and a process of applying the speed plan based on the latest driving path received from the management device to the vehicle control after the vehicle has stopped.

9. A method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the vehicle control further includes a process of discarding the latest driving path when the latest driving path is received from the management device when the driving state corresponds to the state immediately before the stopping.

10. A method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the speed plan based on the past driving path includes the speed plan applied to the vehicle control being executed at the time the latest driving path is received from the management device when the driving state of the vehicle corresponds to the state immediately before the stop.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Parking assist apparatus

    JP2004299475A

  • Parking support device

    JP2019131042A

  • Information processing device, information processing method, and program

    WO2022196082A1