CN109747635B

CN109747635B - Vehicle control device and parking system

Info

Publication number: CN109747635B
Application number: CN201811319711.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 田中优; 久野耕嗣; 日与川丰治
Original assignee: Aisin Co Ltd
Current assignee: Aisin Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-11-08
Filing date: 2018-11-07
Publication date: 2022-06-03
Anticipated expiration: 2038-11-07
Also published as: JP2019087112A; JP6922671B2; CN109747635A

Abstract

Provided are a vehicle control device and a parking system capable of accurately grasping the position of a parking area as a starting point of automatic delivery thereafter even when a vehicle movement occurs after completion of automatic parking. The vehicle control device includes: a travel control unit that controls a travel state of a vehicle so as to realize automatic parking in which the vehicle parked in a first area is automatically moved to a second area and parked in accordance with a predetermined instruction in a parking lot including the first area, the second area, and a parking area, and automatic garage-out in which the vehicle is taken out from the parking area and automatically moved to the second area and parked in accordance with a predetermined call after the automatic parking is completed; a storage processing unit that stores the changed parking area in a storage device when the parking area is changed by moving the vehicle between automatic parking and automatic delivery; and a delivery position estimating unit that acquires the parking area from the storage device and estimates a delivery position that is a starting point of delivery from the acquired parking area.

Description

Vehicle control device and parking system

Technical Field

Embodiments of the invention relate to a vehicle control device and a parking system.

Background

In recent years, techniques have been studied for realizing automatic parking for a passenger including automatic parking for parking a vehicle by automatically moving the vehicle from a get-off area to an empty parking area and parking the vehicle in accordance with a predetermined instruction after the passenger gets off the vehicle in a predetermined get-off area in a parking lot and automatic parking for parking a vehicle by automatically moving the vehicle from the parking area to a predetermined riding area in accordance with a predetermined call after the automatic parking is completed.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2015-41348

Problems to be solved by the invention

In order to realize the automatic delivery as described above, it is important to grasp the position of the parking area as the starting point of the automatic delivery. In this regard, after parking of the vehicle to a certain parking area is completed by automatic parking performed before automatic garage exit, if the vehicle does not move again, the position of the parking area, which is the starting point of automatic garage exit thereafter, can be grasped as long as the parking area where the vehicle was located at the time of completion of automatic parking is stored in advance by any means.

However, even after the parking area is temporarily determined by the automatic parking, the following situation may occur: for convenience in parking lot management (e.g., maintenance, etc.), a manager of a parking lot, etc., manually restarts and moves a vehicle, which has completed automatic parking with the engine (and power supply) turned off. In this situation, since the parking area where the vehicle is located at the time of completion of automatic parking is different from the parking area where the vehicle is located at the time of start of automatic delivery, if only the parking area where the vehicle is located at the time of completion of automatic parking is stored in advance, appropriate automatic delivery cannot be realized.

Disclosure of Invention

Accordingly, one of the problems of the embodiments is to provide a vehicle control device and a parking system that can accurately grasp the position of a parking area that is the starting point of automatic delivery after completion of automatic parking even when the vehicle moves after the completion of automatic parking.

Means for solving the problems

A vehicle control device according to an embodiment is mounted on a vehicle, and includes: a travel control unit that controls a travel state of a vehicle so as to realize automatic parking in a parking lot including a first area, a second area, and a parking area, the automatic parking being a state in which the vehicle parked in the first area is automatically moved to the parking area and parked in accordance with a predetermined instruction, and the automatic parking being a state in which the vehicle is automatically moved from the parking area to the second area and parked in accordance with a predetermined call after the automatic parking is completed; a storage processing unit that, when the parking area is changed by moving the vehicle between automatic parking and automatic delivery, stores the changed parking area in a storage device; and a delivery position estimating unit that acquires the parking area from the storage device and estimates a delivery position that is a starting point of delivery from the acquired parking area.

According to the above configuration, even when the parking area is changed between automatic parking and automatic delivery, the latest parking area after the change is stored in the storage device. Therefore, according to the above configuration, even when the vehicle moves after the completion of the automatic parking, the position of the parking area, which is the starting point of the automatic garage after that, can be accurately grasped by referring to the storage device.

The vehicle control device further includes an image data acquisition unit that acquires image data obtained by an in-vehicle camera that captures an image of a situation around the vehicle, and the delivery position estimation unit specifies a current position of the vehicle within the parking area based on the image data acquired by the image data acquisition unit and estimates the specified current position as the delivery position. According to this configuration, it is possible to estimate a more detailed delivery position in the parking area from the image data obtained by the vehicle-mounted camera.

Further, in the vehicle control device described above, the delivery position estimating section detects, from the image data, mark data relating to a mark provided at a predetermined position in the periphery of the parking area, and determines the current position of the vehicle from the detected mark data and map data of the parking lot including information relating to the mark. According to this configuration, the marker data is detected from the image data, and the detected marker data is compared with information related to the marker (that is, information including the authorized position of the marker) included in the map data, whereby the current position of the vehicle can be easily specified.

Further, in the vehicle control device described above, the delivery position estimating section detects data relating to a dividing line provided as a marker at a boundary of the parking area as marker data from the image data, and determines the current position of the vehicle from the detected marker data and the map data. According to this configuration, the current position of the vehicle can be easily determined by using a generally provided dividing line as a method of indicating the boundary of the parking area.

In the vehicle control device, when the vehicle moves between the automatic parking and the automatic delivery and the parking area is changed, the storage processing unit communicates with a control device which manages the parking area and is configured to be able to communicate with the vehicle control device, acquires the changed parking area, and stores the acquired parking area in the storage device. According to this configuration, the parking area after the change can be easily acquired by the control device that manages the parking area without the need to specify the parking area after the change by the vehicle control device itself.

Further, in the vehicle control device, the garage exit position estimating unit estimates the garage exit position when the garage is removed from the parking area in the automatic garage exit. With this configuration, the retrieval position can be estimated at an appropriate timing when the retrieval position needs to be estimated.

A parking system as another example of the embodiment includes: a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle and including a travel control unit that controls a travel state of the vehicle so as to realize automatic parking in a parking lot including a first area, a second area, and a parking area, the automatic parking being performed by automatically moving the vehicle parked in the first area to the parking area and parking in accordance with a predetermined instruction, and the automatic parking being performed by automatically moving the vehicle out of the parking area and parking in accordance with a predetermined call after completion of the automatic parking and parking in accordance with a predetermined call; and a control device that manages a parking area and is configured to be able to communicate with the vehicle control device, wherein the control device includes a storage processing unit that stores the changed parking area in the storage device when the vehicle moves between automatic parking and automatic delivery, and the vehicle control device includes a delivery position estimation unit that acquires the parking area from the control device by communication and estimates a delivery position that is a starting point of delivery from the acquired parking area.

According to the above configuration, even when the parking area is changed between the automatic parking and the automatic garage, the latest parking area after the change is stored in (the storage means of) the regulating means. Therefore, according to the above configuration, even when the movement of the vehicle occurs after the completion of the automatic parking, the control device is inquired by using the communication, whereby the position of the parking area as the starting point of the automatic garage can be accurately grasped thereafter.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an exemplary and schematic diagram illustrating an example of automatic parking in the automatic valet parking system according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 2 is an exemplary and schematic diagram illustrating an example of automatic delivery in the automatic valet parking system according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 3 is an exemplary and schematic block diagram showing the hardware structure of the regulating apparatus of the first embodiment.

Fig. 4 is an exemplary and schematic block diagram showing the system configuration of the vehicle control system of the first embodiment.

Fig. 5 is an illustrative and schematic block diagram showing the functions of the regulating device and the vehicle control device of the first embodiment.

Fig. 6 is an exemplary and schematic diagram for explaining an example of a method of estimating a delivery position that can be performed by the delivery position estimating unit of the vehicle control device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 7 is an exemplary and schematic diagram for explaining an example of a method of estimating a delivery position that can be performed by the delivery position estimating unit of the vehicle control device according to the first embodiment, which is different from fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is an illustrative and schematic sequence diagram showing the flow of processing executed by the regulating means and the vehicle control means in the case where automatic parking is performed in the first embodiment.

Fig. 9 is an illustrative and schematic sequence diagram showing the flow of processing executed by the control apparatus and the vehicle control apparatus in the case where automatic shipment is performed in the first embodiment.

Fig. 10 is an exemplary and schematic sequence diagram showing the flow of processing executed by the control device and the vehicle control device in the case where the parking area is changed between automatic parking and automatic delivery in the first embodiment.

Fig. 11 is an illustrative and schematic flow chart showing the flow of processing executed by the vehicle control device when the estimation of the delivery position is performed in the first embodiment.

Fig. 12 is an exemplary and schematic block diagram showing functions of the control device and the vehicle control device of the second embodiment.

Fig. 13 is an illustrative and schematic flow chart showing the flow of processing executed by the control device in the case where the parking area is changed between automatic parking and automatic delivery in the second embodiment.

Fig. 14 is an illustrative and schematic flow chart showing the flow of processing executed by the vehicle control device when the estimation of the delivery position is performed in the second embodiment.

Description of the symbols

101. 101a control device

408 vehicle-mounted camera

410. 410a vehicle control device

522 sensor data acquiring unit (image data acquiring unit)

523 running control part

524. 1211 storage processing unit

525. 1221 delivery position estimating section

E end (Mark)

L division line (Mark)

M0-M2 notation (Mark)

P parking lot

P1 lower vehicle area (first area)

P2 riding area (second area)

R, R0-R2 parking zone

V vehicle

X passenger

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. The structure of the embodiments described below and the operation and result (effect) achieved by the structure are merely examples, and are not limited to the description below.

< first embodiment >

First, a schematic content of the automatic passenger car parking system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 1 and 2. Here, the automatic valet parking system is, for example, a system for realizing automatic valet parking including automatic parking and automatic delivery described below in a parking lot P having one or more parking areas R divided by a division line L defined by a white line or the like.

Fig. 1 is an exemplary and schematic diagram illustrating an example of automatic parking in the automatic valet parking system according to the first embodiment, and fig. 2 is an exemplary and schematic diagram illustrating an example of automatic delivery in the automatic valet parking system according to the first embodiment.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, in the automatic valet parking, automatic parking (see arrow C1 in fig. 1) for parking the vehicle V from the alighting area P1 in the parking lot P and then automatically moving the vehicle V from the alighting area P1 to the vacant parking area R in accordance with a predetermined instruction and parking the vehicle V in accordance with a predetermined call after the completion of the automatic parking (see arrow C2 in fig. 2) are performed, and automatic departure (stop) for parking the vehicle V from the parking area R in accordance with a predetermined call and automatically moving the vehicle V to the predetermined riding area P2. The predetermined instruction and the predetermined call are realized by the operation of the terminal device T by the occupant X. The lower boarding zone P1 is an example of a "first zone", and the riding zone P2 is an example of a "second zone".

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the automatic passenger parking system includes a control device 101 provided in the parking lot P and a vehicle control system 102 mounted on the vehicle V. The control device 101 and the vehicle control system 102 are configured to be able to communicate with each other by wireless communication.

Here, the control device 101 is configured to monitor the state in the parking lot P by receiving image data obtained from one or more monitoring cameras 103 that capture the state in the parking lot P and data output from various sensors (not shown) or the like provided in the parking lot P, and to manage the parking area R based on the monitoring result. Hereinafter, information received by the control device 101 to monitor the condition in the parking lot P may be collectively referred to as sensor data.

In the first embodiment, the number, arrangement, and the like of the get-off area P1, the riding area P2, and the parking area R in the parking lot P are not limited to the examples shown in fig. 1 and 2. The technique of the first embodiment can be applied to a parking lot of various configurations different from the parking lot P shown in fig. 1 and 2.

Next, the configurations of the control device 101 and the vehicle control system 102 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 3 and 4. The configurations shown in fig. 3 and 4 are merely examples, and the configurations of the control device 101 and the vehicle control system 102 according to the first embodiment can be variously set (changed).

First, a hardware configuration of the regulating apparatus 101 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is an exemplary and schematic block diagram showing the hardware structure of the regulating apparatus 101 of the first embodiment. As shown in fig. 3, the control device 101 according to the first embodiment has the same Computer resources as a general information processing device such as a PC (Personal Computer).

In the example shown in fig. 3, the control device 101 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 301, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 302, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 303, a communication interface (I/F)304, an input/output interface (I/F)305, and an SSD (Solid State Drive) 306. These pieces of hardware are connected to each other via a data bus 350.

The CPU 301 is a hardware processor that collectively controls the pipe apparatus 101. The CPU 301 reads various control programs (computer programs) stored in the ROM 302 and the like, and realizes various functions according to instructions defined in the various control programs.

The ROM 302 is a nonvolatile main storage device that stores parameters and the like necessary for executing the various control programs described above.

The RAM 303 is a main storage device providing volatility of a work area of the CPU 301.

The communication interface 304 is an interface that realizes communication between the regulation apparatus 101 and an external apparatus. For example, the communication interface 304 enables transmission and reception of signals by wireless communication between the regulating device 101 and the vehicle V (vehicle control system 102).

The input/output interface 305 is an interface for connecting the control device 101 to an external device. As the external device, for example, an input/output device used by an operator of the control device 101 is considered.

SSD 306 is a non-volatile secondary storage device that is readable and writable. In addition, in the regulating apparatus 101 of the first embodiment, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) may be provided as an auxiliary storage apparatus instead of the SSD 306 (or in addition to the SSD 306).

Next, a system configuration of the vehicle control system 102 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is an exemplary and schematic block diagram showing the system configuration of the vehicle control system 102 of the first embodiment. As shown in fig. 4, the vehicle control system 102 includes a brake system 401, an accelerator system 402, a steering system 403, a transmission system 404, an obstacle sensor 405, a running state sensor 406, a communication interface (I/F)407, an in-vehicle camera 408, a monitor device 409, a vehicle control device 410, and an in-vehicle network 450.

The brake system 401 controls deceleration of the vehicle V. The brake system 401 includes a brake unit 401a, a brake control unit 401b, and a brake unit sensor 401 c.

The brake unit 401a is a device for decelerating the vehicle V, including a brake pedal, for example.

The brake Control Unit 401b is, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) configured by a computer having a hardware processor such as a CPU. The brake control unit 401b drives an actuator (not shown) in response to an instruction from the vehicle control device 410 to operate the brake unit 401a, thereby controlling the degree of deceleration of the vehicle V.

The brake section sensor 401c is a device for detecting the state of the brake section 401 a. For example, when the brake unit 401a includes a brake pedal, the brake unit sensor 401c detects a position of the brake pedal or a pressure applied to the brake pedal as a state of the brake unit 401 a. The brake unit sensor 401c outputs the detected state of the brake unit 401a to the in-vehicle network 450.

The acceleration system 402 controls acceleration of the vehicle V. The acceleration system 402 includes an acceleration unit 402a, an acceleration control unit 402b, and an acceleration unit sensor 402 c.

The accelerator 402a is a device for accelerating the vehicle V, including an accelerator pedal and the like, for example.

The acceleration control unit 402b is, for example, an ECU configured by a computer having a hardware processor such as a CPU. The acceleration control unit 402b drives an actuator (not shown) in response to an instruction from the vehicle control device 410 to operate the acceleration unit 402a, thereby controlling the degree of acceleration of the vehicle V.

The acceleration section sensor 402c is a device for detecting the state of the acceleration section 402 a. For example, when the accelerator 402a includes an accelerator pedal, the accelerator sensor 402c detects a position of the accelerator pedal or a pressure applied to the accelerator pedal. The acceleration unit sensor 402c outputs the detected state of the acceleration unit 402a to the in-vehicle network 450.

The steering system 403 controls the direction of travel of the vehicle V. The steering system 403 includes a steering unit 403a, a steering control unit 403b, and a steering unit sensor 403 c.

The steering unit 403a is a device that steers a steering wheel of the vehicle V including a steering wheel, a handlebar, and the like, for example.

The steering control unit 403b is, for example, an ECU configured by a computer having a hardware processor such as a CPU. The steering control unit 403b drives an actuator (not shown) in response to an instruction from the vehicle control device 410 to operate the steering unit 403a, thereby controlling the traveling direction of the vehicle V.

The steering section sensor 403c is a device for detecting the state of the steering section 403 a. For example, when the steering portion 403a includes a steering wheel, the steering portion sensor 403c detects the position of the steering wheel or the rotation angle of the steering wheel. In addition, in the case where the steering portion 403a includes a handle, the steering portion sensor 403c may detect a position of the handle or a pressure applied to the handle. The steering section sensor 403c outputs the detected state of the steering section 403a to the in-vehicle network 450.

The transmission system 404 controls the gear ratio of the vehicle V. The shifting system 404 has a shifting portion 404a, a shifting control portion 404b, and a shifting portion sensor 404 c.

The transmission unit 404a is a device for changing the gear ratio of the vehicle V including, for example, a shift lever.

The shift control unit 404b is, for example, an ECU configured by a computer having a hardware processor such as a CPU. The shift control unit 404b drives an actuator (not shown) in response to an instruction from the vehicle control device 410 to operate the shift unit 404a, thereby controlling the speed ratio of the vehicle V.

The transmission unit sensor 404c is a device for detecting the state of the transmission unit 404 a. For example, when the shift portion 404a includes a shift lever, the shift portion sensor 404c detects the position of the shift lever or the pressure applied to the shift lever. The transmission unit sensor 404c outputs the detected state of the transmission unit 404a to the in-vehicle network 450.

The obstacle sensor 405 is a device for detecting information related to obstacles that may exist around the vehicle V. The obstacle sensor 405 includes a distance measuring sensor such as sonar that detects a distance to an obstacle, for example. The obstacle sensor 405 outputs the detected information to the in-vehicle network 450.

The running state sensor 406 is a device for detecting the running state of the vehicle V. The traveling state sensor 406 includes, for example, a wheel speed sensor that detects a wheel speed of the vehicle V, an acceleration sensor that detects an acceleration in the front-rear direction or the left-right direction of the vehicle V, a gyro sensor that detects a turning speed (angular velocity) of the vehicle V, and the like. The running state sensor 406 outputs the detected running state to the on-vehicle network 450.

The communication interface 407 is an interface that realizes communication between the vehicle control system 102 and an external device. For example, the communication interface 407 realizes transmission and reception of signals by wireless communication between the vehicle control system 102 and the regulation device 101, transmission and reception of signals by wireless communication between the vehicle control system 102 and the terminal device T, and the like.

The vehicle-mounted camera 408 is a device for capturing an image of the surrounding of the vehicle V. For example, the plurality of vehicle-mounted cameras 408 are provided to capture images of areas including the front, rear, and side (both right and left) road surfaces of the vehicle V. The image data obtained by the in-vehicle camera 408 is used for monitoring the surrounding condition of the vehicle V (including detection of an obstacle). The in-vehicle camera 408 outputs the obtained image data to the vehicle control device 410. In the following description, the image data obtained from the in-vehicle camera 408 and the data obtained from the various sensors provided in the vehicle control system 102 may be collectively referred to as sensor data.

The monitor device 409 is installed in an instrument panel or the like in the vehicle cabin of the vehicle V. The monitor device 409 includes a display unit 409a, an audio output unit 409b, and an operation input unit 409 c.

The display unit 409a is a device for displaying an image in accordance with an instruction from the vehicle control device 410. The Display unit 409a is formed of, for example, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), an Organic EL Display (OELD), or the like.

The sound output unit 409b is a device for outputting sound in accordance with an instruction from the vehicle control device 410. The sound output unit 409b is constituted by a speaker, for example.

The operation input unit 409c is a device for receiving an input from an occupant in the vehicle V. The operation input unit 409c is configured by, for example, a touch panel, a physical operation switch, and the like provided on the display screen of the display unit 409 a. The operation input unit 409c outputs the received input to the in-vehicle network 450.

The vehicle control device 410 is a device for collectively controlling the vehicle control system 102. The vehicle control device 410 is an ECU having computer resources such as a CPU 410a, a ROM 410b, and a RAM 410 c.

More specifically, the vehicle control device 410 includes a CPU 410a, a ROM 410b, a RAM 410c, an SSD 410d, a display control unit 410e, and an audio control unit 410 f.

CPU 410a is a hardware processor that collectively controls vehicle control device 410. CPU 410a reads various control programs (computer programs) stored in ROM 410b and the like, and realizes various functions in accordance with instructions defined in the various control programs.

The ROM 410b is a nonvolatile main storage device in which parameters and the like necessary for executing the various control programs described above are stored.

The RAM 410c is a main storage device providing volatility of the work area of the CPU 410 a.

The SSD 410d is a read-write nonvolatile secondary storage device. In the vehicle control device 410 according to the first embodiment, an HDD may be provided as an auxiliary storage device instead of the SSD 410d (or in addition to the SSD 410 d).

Among various processes executed by the vehicle control device 410, the display control unit 410e mainly manages image processing of image data obtained from the in-vehicle camera 408, generation of image data to be output to the display unit 409a of the monitor device 409, and the like.

Among various processes executed by the vehicle control device 410, the audio control unit 410f mainly manages generation of audio data to be output to the audio output unit 409b of the monitor device 409.

The in-vehicle network 450 is connected to be able to communicate with the brake system 401, the accelerator system 402, the steering system 403, the transmission system 404, the obstacle sensor 405, the travel state sensor 406, the communication interface 407, the operation input unit 409c of the monitor device 409, and the vehicle control device 410.

However, in order to realize the automatic garage release as described above, it is important to grasp the position of the parking area R as a start point of the automatic garage release. In this regard, after parking of the vehicle V to a certain parking region R is completed by automatic parking performed before automatic delivery, if the vehicle V is not moved again, the position of the parking region R, which is the starting point of automatic delivery thereafter, can be grasped as long as the parking region R where the vehicle V was located at the time of completion of automatic parking is stored by any means.

However, even after the parking region R is temporarily determined by the automatic parking, the following situation may occur: for convenience in management of the parking lot P (e.g., maintenance, etc.), a manager of the parking lot P, etc., manually restarts and moves the vehicle V, which has completed the automatic parking with the engine (and power supply) turned off. In this situation, the parking region R where the vehicle V is located at the time of completion of the automatic parking is different from the parking region R where the vehicle V is located at the time of start of the automatic delivery, and therefore, only the parking region R where the vehicle V is located at the time of completion of the automatic parking is stored, and appropriate automatic delivery cannot be realized.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, the vehicle control device 410 has the following functions to realize: even when the movement of the vehicle V occurs after the completion of the automatic parking, the position of the parking region R, which is the starting point of the automatic garage discharging thereafter, is accurately grasped.

Fig. 5 is an exemplary and schematic block diagram showing functions of the regulating apparatus 101 and the vehicle control apparatus 410 of the first embodiment. The functions shown in fig. 5 are implemented by cooperation of software and hardware. That is, in the example shown in fig. 5, the function of the regulation device 101 is realized as a result of the CPU 301 reading and executing a predetermined control program stored in the ROM 302 or the like, and the function of the vehicle control device 410 is realized as a result of the CPU 410a reading and executing a predetermined control program stored in the ROM 410b or the like. In the first embodiment, a part or all of the control device 101 and the vehicle control device 410 shown in fig. 5 may be realized by only dedicated hardware (circuit).

As shown in fig. 5, the control device 101 according to the embodiment has a functional configuration including a communication control unit 511, a sensor data acquisition unit 512, a parking lot data management unit 513, and a guidance route generation unit 514.

The communication control unit 511 controls wireless communication performed between the communication control unit 511 and the vehicle control device 410. For example, the communication control unit 511 performs authentication of the vehicle control device 410 by transmitting and receiving predetermined data between the communication control unit 511 and the vehicle control device 410, receives a predetermined completion notification output from the vehicle control device 410 at the time of completion of automatic parking and automatic delivery, and transmits map data of a parking lot P, a guidance route, and the like described later to the vehicle control device 410 as necessary.

The sensor data acquisition unit 512 acquires the sensor data from the monitoring camera 10, various sensors (not shown), and the like provided in the parking lot P. The sensor data (particularly, the image data obtained from the monitoring camera 103) acquired by the sensor data acquiring unit 512 can be used to specify the changed parking area R when the vehicle V moves and the parking area R changes after the automatic parking is completed, for example.

The parking lot data management section 513 manages data (information) related to the parking lot P. For example, the parking lot data management section 513 manages map data of the parking lot P, the vacant condition of the parking area R, and the like. For example, when performing automatic parking, the parking lot data management section 513 selects one parking area R from the vacant parking areas R and designates the selected one parking area R as a target parking area that is an arrival target of the vehicle V in automatic parking. Further, when the vehicle V moves again and the parking area R changes after the automatic parking is completed, the parking lot data management section 513 determines the parking area R after the change based on the sensor data acquired from the sensor data acquisition section 512.

When automatic parking and automatic delivery are performed, the guide route generation unit 514 generates a guide route instructed to the vehicle control device 410. More specifically, the guide route generator 514 generates a rough route from the get-off area P1 to the target parking area as the guide route when the vehicle is parked automatically, and the guide route generator 514 generates a rough route from the target parking area (the parking area R where the vehicle V is currently parked when the vehicle V moves after the vehicle is parked automatically) to the riding area P2 as the guide route when the vehicle is delivered automatically.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 5, the vehicle control device 410 according to the embodiment has a functional configuration including a communication control unit 521, a sensor data acquisition unit 522, a travel control unit 523, a storage processing unit 524, and a delivery position estimation unit 525.

The communication control unit 521 controls wireless communication performed between the communication control unit 521 and the control apparatus 101. For example, the communication control unit 521 performs authentication of the vehicle control device 410 by transmitting and receiving predetermined data between the communication control unit 521 and the control device 101, transmits a predetermined completion notification to the control device 101 when automatic parking and automatic delivery are completed, and receives map data of the parking lot P, a guidance route, and the like from the control device 101 as necessary.

The sensor data acquisition unit 522 is an example of an image data acquisition unit that acquires image data obtained by the in-vehicle camera 408, and the sensor data acquisition unit 522 acquires sensor data including the image data and data output from various sensors provided in the vehicle control system 102. The sensor data acquired by the sensor data acquisition unit 522 can be used for various kinds of travel control of the vehicle V performed by the travel control unit 523, based on, for example, generation of an actual travel route (including a parking route and a delivery route) of the guidance route received from the control device 101, setting of various parameters (vehicle speed, steering angle, traveling direction, and the like) required for actual travel along the travel route, and the like.

The travel control unit 523 controls the traveling state of the vehicle V by controlling the brake system 401, the accelerator system 402, the steering system 403, the transmission system 404, and the like, to execute various kinds of travel control for realizing automatic parking and automatic garage-out, such as start control from the alighting area P1, travel control (including parking control) from the alighting area P1 to the parking area R, travel control (including garage-out control) from the parking area R to the riding area P2, and stop control to the riding area P2.

When the administrator or the like of the parking lot P manually restarts the vehicle V whose automatic parking has been completed and the engine (and the power supply) is turned off, and moves the vehicle V so that the parking area R is changed, the storage processing unit 524 stores the changed parking area R in the nonvolatile storage device (for example, SSD 410 d). That is, when the vehicle V moves again and the parking area R changes after the parking at the parking area R is completed, the storage processing portion 524 acquires the changed parking area R from the regulating device 101 by communicating with the regulating device 101, and stores the acquired parking area R in the SSD 410 d.

The delivery position estimation unit 525 acquires the parking area R where the vehicle V is currently located from the SSD 410d at the start of automatic delivery, and estimates a delivery position as a start point of automatic delivery from the acquired parking area R. The delivery position mentioned here is not a rough position expressed in units of the parking region R, but a detailed position within the parking region R.

That is, when the vehicle is delivered from the parking area R corresponding to a predetermined call, the delivery position estimating unit 525 further acquires the image data obtained by the in-vehicle camera 408, specifies the current position of the vehicle V in the parking area R from the acquired image data, and estimates the specified current position as the delivery position.

For example, as described below, the delivery position estimating unit 525 detects, from the image data obtained by the in-vehicle camera 408, mark data on a mark provided at a predetermined position in the periphery of the parking area R, specifies the current position of the vehicle V in the parking area R from the detected mark data and the map data of the parking lot P, and specifies the specified current position as the delivery position.

Fig. 6 is an exemplary and schematic diagram for explaining an example of a method of estimating a delivery position that can be performed by the delivery position estimating unit 525 of the vehicle control device 410 according to the first embodiment. In the example shown in fig. 6, three adjacent parking regions R0 to R2 are provided as an example of the parking region R, and the vehicle V is parked in the parking region R0 in the middle. In the example shown in fig. 6, the end E of the dividing line L provided at the boundary between the parking regions R0 to R2 is used as the mark.

As shown in fig. 6, when the vehicle V is located in the parking area R0, an end portion (tip end portion) E of a dividing line L located at a boundary between the parking area R0 (and the parking areas R1 and R2) is generally reflected in an imaging range (see a chain line) of the vehicle-mounted camera 408 provided at a side portion (e.g., a side view mirror) of the vehicle V. Therefore, the delivery position estimating unit 525 detects, as marker data, the position of the end E of the dividing line L located on both sides of the vehicle V, the direction in which the dividing line L extends, and the like, from the image data obtained from the in-vehicle camera 408 provided on the side portion of the vehicle V by image recognition.

Since the position of the end E of the dividing line L, the direction in which the dividing line L extends, and the like are predetermined, regular tag data that is a comparison target of the tag data detected from the image data can be included in the map data of the parking lot P managed by the regulating device 101. Therefore, the delivery position estimating unit 525 acquires the map data of the parking lot P from the control device 101, and compares the acquired map data with the mark data detected from the image data relating to the dividing line L (end portion E), thereby specifying the detailed current position (including the direction) of the vehicle V in the parking area R0 and estimating the specified current position as the delivery position.

In the example shown in fig. 6, a U-shaped dividing line L having rounded end portions E is shown. However, in the first embodiment, the dividing line L having the end portion E formed in a rectangular shape may be used. In the first embodiment, in the detection of the dividing line L (end E), not only the in-vehicle camera 408 provided on the side portion of the vehicle V but also the in-vehicle camera 408 provided on the front portion (e.g., front bumper) of the vehicle V may be used.

In the first embodiment, a portion other than the end E of the dividing line L may be used for estimation of the retrieval position as long as at least a part of the dividing line L is used. However, in this case, it is a precondition that the position of at least a part of the dividing line L can be determined from the relationship between the at least a part of the dividing line L and the map data or the like.

In the first embodiment, as described below, as a marker for estimating the bin position, a marker other than the dividing line L may be used.

Fig. 7 is an exemplary and schematic diagram for explaining an example of a method of estimating a delivery position that can be performed by the delivery position estimating unit 525 of the vehicle control device 410 according to the first embodiment, which is different from fig. 6. In the example shown in fig. 7, as in the example shown in fig. 6, three adjacent parking regions R0 to R2 are provided as an example of the parking region R, and the vehicle V is parked in the parking region R0 in the middle. In the example shown in fig. 7, marks M0 to M2 provided corresponding to the parking regions R0 to R2 are used as the marks. The shapes of the marks M0 to M2 are not limited to the example shown in fig. 7.

As shown in fig. 7, when the vehicle V is located in the parking area R0, the marks M1 and M2 corresponding to the adjacent parking areas R1 and R2 are generally reflected in the imaging range (see chain line) of the in-vehicle camera 408 provided on the side of the vehicle V. Therefore, the delivery position estimating unit 525 detects the positions of the markers M1 and M2 from the image data obtained from the in-vehicle camera 408 provided at the side of the vehicle V.

The information on the positions of the markers M1 and M2 can be included in the map data of the parking lot P managed by the control apparatus 101. Therefore, the delivery position estimation unit 525 acquires the map data of the parking lot P from the control device 101, and compares the acquired map data with the detection result based on the image data on the marks M1 and M2, thereby specifying the detailed current position of the vehicle V in the parking region R0 and estimating the specified current position as the delivery position.

Next, a process executed by the automatic passenger car park system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 8 to 11.

Fig. 8 is an exemplary and schematic sequence diagram showing the flow of processing executed by the regulating device 101 and the vehicle control device 410 in the case where automatic parking is performed in the first embodiment. The processing sequence shown in fig. 8 is started when the passenger X operates the terminal device T in the alighting area P1 to give a predetermined instruction as a trigger for automatic parking.

In the processing sequence shown in fig. 8, first, in S801, the control device 101 establishes communication with the vehicle control device 410. In S801, authentication by transmitting and receiving identification Information (ID), assignment of an operation authority for realizing automatic traveling under monitoring by the control apparatus 101, and the like are executed.

When the communication is established in S801, the control device 101 transmits the map data of the parking lot P to the vehicle control device 410 in S802.

Then, in S803, the regulating device 101 confirms the idleness of the parking regions R, and designates one of the parking regions R that is idle as a target parking region assigned to the vehicle V.

Then, in S804, the control device 101 generates a (approximate) guide route from the get-off area P1 to the target parking area designated in S803.

Then, in S805, the regulation device 101 transmits the guidance route generated in S804 to the vehicle control device 410.

On the other hand, in S806 after receiving the map data transmitted from the control device 101 in S802, the vehicle control device 410 estimates the initial position in the get-off area P1. The initial position is a current position of the vehicle V in the get-off region P1 as a starting point for starting from the get-off region P. The method of estimating the initial position may be the same as the method of estimating the position of the warehouse. In addition, in the example shown in fig. 8, the process of S806 is executed before the process of S805, but the process of S806 may be executed after the process of S805.

When the initial position is estimated in S806 and the guidance route transmitted from the controller 101 is received in S805, the vehicle controller 410 generates a travel route having higher accuracy than the guidance route, which should be followed in actual automatic parking, in S807.

Then, in S808, the vehicle control device 410 executes the start control from the get-off region P1.

Then, in S809, vehicle control device 410 executes travel control along the travel path generated in S807.

Then, in S810, vehicle control device 410 executes parking control to the target parking area.

Then, when the parking control in S810 is completed, in S811 vehicle control device 410 transmits a notification of the completion of parking to regulation device 101.

As described above, the automatic parking in the automatic valet parking is realized.

Fig. 9 is an illustrative and schematic sequence diagram showing the flow of processing executed by the regulating apparatus 101 and the vehicle control apparatus 410 in the case where automatic shipment is performed in the first embodiment. The processing sequence shown in fig. 9 is started when the passenger X operates the terminal device T in the riding area P2 to make a predetermined call as a trigger for automatic delivery.

In the processing sequence shown in fig. 9, first, in S901, the control device 101 establishes communication with the vehicle control device 410. In S901, authentication by transmitting and receiving identification Information (ID), assignment of an operation authority for realizing automatic traveling under monitoring by the control apparatus 101, and the like are executed as in S801 of fig. 8 described above.

When communication is established in S901, the control device 101 transmits the map data of the parking lot P to the vehicle control device 410 in S902.

Then, in S903, the control device 101 confirms the parking area R where the vehicle V of the communication partner having the vehicle control device 410 mounted thereon is currently located. In the first embodiment, the processing of S903 is executed based on image data obtained by the monitoring camera 103 and the like.

Then, in S904, the control device 101 generates a (approximate) guidance route from the parking area R confirmed in S903 to the riding area P2.

Then, in S905, the regulation device 101 transmits the guidance route generated in S904 to the vehicle control device 410.

On the other hand, in S906 after receiving the map data transmitted from the regulating device 101 in S902, the vehicle control device 410 estimates the delivery position in the parking area P where the vehicle V is currently located. The delivery position is a current position of the vehicle V in the parking region R as a starting point of delivery from the parking region R. The processing of S906 will be described in more detail later, and therefore, unnecessary description thereof will be omitted here. In the example shown in fig. 9, the process of S906 is executed before the process of S905, but the process of S906 may be executed after the process of S905.

When the delivery position is estimated in S906 and the guidance route transmitted from the control device 101 is received in S905, the vehicle control device 410 generates a travel route having higher accuracy than the guidance route to be followed in actual automatic delivery in S907.

Then, in S908, vehicle control device 410 executes the garage exit control from parking area R.

Then, in S909, the vehicle control device 410 executes travel control along the travel path generated in S907.

Then, in S910, the vehicle control device 410 executes parking control to the boarding site P2.

Then, when the parking control in S910 is completed, in S911, the vehicle control device 410 transmits a notification of the completion of the garage exit to the control device 101.

As described above, automatic delivery in automatic passenger-substitute parking is realized.

However, in the first embodiment, as described above, between the automatic parking and the automatic delivery, the manager or the like of the parking lot P may manually move the vehicle V and change the parking area R in which the vehicle V is located. In this case, in the automatic valet parking system according to the first embodiment, the following process is executed.

Fig. 10 is an illustrative and schematic sequence diagram showing the flow of processing executed by the regulating device 101 and the vehicle control device 410 in the case where the parking region R is changed between automatic parking and automatic delivery in the first embodiment. The processing flow shown in fig. 10 may be executed at a timing between the automatic parking and the automatic garage exit, and may be executed, for example, when the vehicle V is parked, or may be executed after the parking area R is changed, triggered by an operation performed by a manager or the like of the parking lot P.

In the processing sequence shown in fig. 10, first, in S1001, the control device 101 establishes communication with the vehicle control device 410. In S1001, in addition to the above authentication and the like, a request to confirm the changed parking area R from the vehicle control device 410 to the regulating device 101 may be executed.

When communication is established in S1001, the control device 101 confirms the parking area R (changed parking area R) where the vehicle V equipped with the vehicle control device 410 of the communication partner is currently located in S1002. The processing of S1002 is executed based on image data or the like obtained by the monitoring camera 103.

Then, in S1003, the regulating device 101 transmits the changed parking region R confirmed in S1002 to the vehicle control device 410.

Then, when the changed parking area R transmitted from the regulating device 101 is received in S1003, the vehicle control device 410 stores the received changed parking area R in a nonvolatile storage device (for example, SSD 410d) provided in the vehicle control device 410 in S1004.

As described above, even when the parking area R is changed between the automatic parking and the automatic delivery, the vehicle control device 410 can store the latest parking area R in which the vehicle V is located, which is included in the automatic delivery to be executed in the future.

Fig. 11 is an illustrative and schematic flow chart showing the flow of processing executed by the vehicle control device 410 when the estimation of the delivery position is performed in the first embodiment. The processing flow shown in fig. 11 describes the processing of S906 of the processing sequence shown in fig. 9 described above in more detail.

In the processing flow shown in fig. 11, first, in S1101, the vehicle control device 410 acquires the latest parking area R where the vehicle V is located from the nonvolatile storage device (for example, the SSD 410 d).

Then, in S1102, the vehicle control device 410 acquires image data from the in-vehicle camera 408. In this case, the vehicle control device 410 may simultaneously acquire sensor data other than the image data, more specifically, data from various sensors provided in the vehicle control system 102, and use the acquired data for the subsequent processing.

In S1103, the vehicle control device 410 detects, from the image data acquired in S1102, mark data relating to a mark (for example, the end E of the dividing line L shown in fig. 6, the marks M1 and M2 shown in fig. 7, and the like) provided at a predetermined position in the periphery of the parking region R.

Then, in S1104, vehicle control device 410 specifies the current position of vehicle V in parking area R based on the detection result in S1103, and estimates the specified current position as the delivery position.

As described above, estimation of the delivery position in S906 of the processing procedure shown in fig. 9 is realized.

As described above, the vehicle control device 410 according to the first embodiment includes the travel control unit 523 that controls the traveling state of the vehicle V so as to realize automatic valet parking in the parking lot P including the get-off area P1, the riding area P2, and the parking area R, the automatic valet parking including automatic parking in which the vehicle V is automatically moved from the parking area P1 to the parking area R and parked in accordance with a predetermined instruction after the passenger X gets off the vehicle V in the get-off area P1, and automatic departure in which the vehicle V is automatically moved from the parking area R to the riding area P2 and parked in accordance with a predetermined call after the automatic parking is completed. Further, vehicle control device 410 includes: a storage processing unit 524, when the vehicle V moves between the automatic parking and the automatic delivery and the parking area R is changed, the storage processing unit 524 stores the changed parking area R in a nonvolatile storage device (for example, SSD 410 d); and a delivery position estimating unit 525 configured to acquire the parking area R from the nonvolatile storage device when a delivery from the parking area R is performed in the automatic delivery, and to estimate a delivery position as a starting point of the delivery based on the acquired parking area R.

According to the first embodiment, according to the above configuration, even when the parking area R is changed between the automatic parking and the automatic garage, the latest parking area R after the change is stored in the nonvolatile storage device. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, even when the vehicle V moves after the completion of the automatic parking, the position of the parking area R, which is the starting point of the subsequent automatic delivery, can be accurately grasped by referring to the nonvolatile storage device.

In the first embodiment, the vehicle control device 410 includes the sensor data acquisition unit 522, the sensor data acquisition unit 522 acquires the image data obtained by the in-vehicle camera 408, the in-vehicle camera 408 captures the situation around the vehicle V, and the delivery position estimation unit 525 specifies the current position of the vehicle V in the parking area R based on the image data acquired by the sensor data acquisition unit 522 and estimates the specified current position as the delivery position when the vehicle is delivered from the parking area R in the automatic delivery. According to this configuration, it is possible to estimate a more detailed delivery position in the parking region R, rather than an approximate delivery position in units of the non-parking region R, from the image data obtained by the in-vehicle camera 408.

Further, in the first embodiment, the delivery position estimating section 525 detects, from the above-described image data, mark data relating to a mark provided at a predetermined position in the periphery of the parking region R (for example, data relating to the position of the end E of a dividing line L provided at the boundary of the parking region R, the direction in which the dividing line L extends), and determines the current position of the vehicle V from the detected mark data and the map data of the parking lot P. Here, the map data of the parking lot P includes, as the information relating to the mark, legitimate information (for example, legitimate data indicating the position of the end E of the dividing line L, the direction in which the dividing line L extends, and the like) which can be collated with the mark data. Therefore, according to this configuration, the marker data is detected from the image data, and the detected marker data is compared with the normal data related to the marker included in the map data, whereby the current position of the vehicle V can be easily specified. Further, the current position of the vehicle V can be easily determined using the dividing line L that is generally provided as a way of indicating the boundary of the parking area V.

In the first embodiment, when the vehicle V moves between the automatic parking and the automatic delivery and the parking area R is changed, the storage processing unit 524 communicates with the control device 101 to acquire the changed parking area R and stores the acquired parking area R in the nonvolatile storage device (for example, SSD 410d), and the control device 101 manages the parking area R and is configured to be able to communicate with the vehicle control device 410. According to this configuration, the parking region R after the change can be easily acquired by the control device 101 that manages the parking region R without the need to specify the parking region R after the change by the vehicle control device 410 itself.

In the first embodiment, when the parking area R is changed between the automatic parking and the automatic delivery, it is also considered that the following configuration is adopted instead of the configuration in which the latest parking area R after the change is acquired from the control device 101: the changed parking area is acquired by the vehicle control device 410 itself without depending on the control device 101 by image recognition or the like of the image data obtained from the in-vehicle camera 408.

< second embodiment >

In the first embodiment described above, the configuration in which the parking region R after the change is stored on the vehicle control device 410 side when the change of the parking region R occurs between the automatic parking automatic delivery is exemplified. However, as in the second embodiment described below, the parking region R after the change may be stored on the regulating device 101a side. In the following, substantially the same components in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

Fig. 12 is an exemplary and schematic block diagram showing functions of the control device 101a and the vehicle control device 410a of the second embodiment.

As shown in fig. 12, the control device 101a according to the second embodiment includes a communication processing unit 511, a sensor data acquisition unit 512, a parking lot data management unit 513, a guidance route generation unit 514, and a storage processing unit 1211. The vehicle control device 410a according to the second embodiment includes a communication processing unit 521, a sensor data acquisition unit 522, a travel control unit 523, and a delivery position estimation unit 1221.

In the second embodiment, when the parking area R is changed between the automatic parking and the automatic delivery, the changed parking area R is stored to the regulating device 101a side by the storage processing unit 1211 of the regulating device 101 a. Then, when the automatic garage exit is performed, the garage exit position estimation unit 1221 of the vehicle control device 410a acquires the parking area R where the vehicle V is currently parked from the control device 101a by communication, and estimates the garage exit position from the acquired parking area R. As a method of estimating the shipment location, the same method as in the first embodiment (see fig. 6 and 7) can be used.

With the above configuration, in the second embodiment, when the parking area R is changed between the automatic parking and the automatic delivery, the following process different from the first embodiment (fig. 10) described above is executed by the regulating device 101 a.

Fig. 13 is an illustrative and schematic flow chart showing the flow of processing executed by the regulating device 101a in the case where the parking area R is changed between automatic parking and automatic delivery in the second embodiment. The processing flow shown in fig. 13 may be executed at a timing between the automatic parking and the automatic garage exit, and may be executed, for example, when the vehicle V is parked, or may be executed after the parking area R is changed, triggered by an operation performed by a manager or the like of the parking lot P.

In the processing flow shown in fig. 13, first, in S1301, the regulating device 101a confirms the state of the parking region R. The processing of S1301 is executed based on image data obtained by the monitoring camera 103, and the like. According to the process of S1301, when there is a vehicle V whose parking area R has changed, the changed parking area R of the vehicle V can be grasped.

In S1302, the controller 101a stores the latest state of the parking area R confirmed in S1301. According to S1302, even when the parking area R is changed, the latest parking area R where the vehicle V is located can be stored in the controller 101 a.

In the second embodiment, when estimating the delivery position, the vehicle control device 410a executes the following processing different from the first embodiment (see fig. 11).

Fig. 14 is an illustrative and schematic flow chart showing the flow of processing executed by the vehicle control device 410a when the delivery position estimation is executed in the second embodiment.

In the processing flow shown in fig. 14, first, in S1401, the vehicle control device 410a acquires the latest parking region R where the vehicle V is located from the regulating device 101a by communication.

Then, in S1402, the vehicle control device 410a acquires image data from the in-vehicle camera 408, in S1403, detects the mark data from the image data acquired in S1402, and in S1404, determines the current position of the vehicle V within the parking area R from the detection result in S1403. The processing in S1402 to S1404 is substantially the same as the processing in S1102 to S1104 in the processing flow shown in fig. 11, and therefore, a repetitive description thereof will be omitted here.

Note that the flow of processing executed by the automatic parking and automatic delivery control device 101a and the vehicle control device 410a according to the second embodiment is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment (fig. 8 and 9), and therefore, the description thereof is omitted here. However, in the second embodiment, since the latest parking area R in which the vehicle V is located is stored on the regulating device 101a side, it is not necessary to check the image data obtained by the monitoring camera 103 in the process of S903 in the processing procedure shown in fig. 9.

The above-described process flow shown in fig. 13 is carried out after the completion of the process sequence shown in fig. 8 and before the start of the sequence shown in fig. 9, and the above-described process flow shown in fig. 14 is executed as S906 in the process sequence shown in fig. 9.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the control device 101a includes the storage processing unit 1211, and when the vehicle V moves and the parking area R changes between the automatic parking and the automatic delivery, the storage processing unit 1211 stores the parking area R after the change, and the vehicle control device 410a includes the delivery position estimating unit 1221, and when the vehicle is delivered from the parking area R in the automatic delivery, the delivery position estimating unit 1221 acquires the parking area R from the control device 101a by communication, and estimates the delivery position as the starting point of the delivery from the acquired parking area R. According to this structure, even when the parking area R is changed between automatic parking and automatic garage, the latest parking area R after the change is stored in the regulating device 101 a. Therefore, according to the second embodiment, even when the movement of the vehicle V occurs after the completion of the automatic parking, by inquiring the control device 101a by using the communication, the same effect (result) as that of the above-described first embodiment can be obtained.

< modification example >

In the first and second embodiments described above, the case where the technique of the present invention is applied to the automatic passenger car park system is exemplified. However, the technology of the present invention can be applied to a parking system other than an automatic passenger car parking system as long as automatic parking for parking a vehicle parked in a first area automatically to a parking area in accordance with a predetermined instruction and automatic parking for parking a vehicle parked in a second area automatically to the parking area in accordance with a predetermined call after completion of the automatic parking is performed.

In the first and second embodiments, the following configurations are exemplified: the state of the parking area is appropriately confirmed by the regulating means, whereby the changed parking area is stored in the storing means (of the vehicle control means or the regulating means). However, as a modification, the following configuration is also considered: the manager or the like of the parking lot who performs the change of the parking area (the movement of the vehicle) inputs the changed parking area to the control device or the like, and thereby stores the changed parking area in the storage device.

In the first embodiment, the configuration in which the changed parking area is stored in the nonvolatile storage device provided in the vehicle control device is exemplified. However, the changed parking area may be stored in the volatile storage device as long as the power supply of the vehicle is not turned off until the automatic garage-out is started after the changed parking area is stored.

Although the embodiments and the modifications of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments and the modifications are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The new embodiments and modifications described above can be implemented in various ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The above-described embodiments and modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention and are included in the invention described in the scope of claims of the invention and the equivalent scope thereof.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle, characterized by comprising:

a travel control unit that controls a travel state of the vehicle so as to realize automatic parking in a parking lot including a first area, a second area, and a parking area, the automatic parking being a state in which the vehicle parked in the first area is automatically moved to the parking area and parked in accordance with a predetermined instruction, and automatic garage-out being a state in which the vehicle is unloaded from the parking area and automatically moved to the second area and parked in accordance with a predetermined call after the completion of the automatic parking;

a storage processing unit that, when the vehicle moves between the automatic parking and the automatic delivery and the parking area is changed, stores the changed parking area in a storage device; and

a delivery position estimating unit that acquires the parking area from the storage device and estimates a delivery position that is a starting point of delivery from the acquired current position of the vehicle in the parking area,

when the vehicle moves between the automatic parking and the automatic delivery and the parking area is changed, the storage processing unit communicates with a control device configured to manage the parking area and to be able to communicate with the vehicle control device, to acquire the changed parking area, and stores the acquired parking area in the storage device.

2. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,

the vehicle control device further includes an image data acquisition unit that acquires image data obtained by an in-vehicle camera that captures an image of a situation around the vehicle,

the delivery position estimating unit specifies a current position of the vehicle in the parking area based on the image data acquired by the image data acquiring unit, and estimates the specified current position as the delivery position.

3. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 2,

the delivery position estimating section detects marker data relating to a marker provided at a predetermined position in the periphery of the parking area from the image data, and determines the current position of the vehicle from the detected marker data and map data of the parking lot including information relating to the marker.

4. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 3,

the delivery position estimating section detects data relating to a dividing line provided at a boundary of the parking area as the marker data from the image data, and determines the current position of the vehicle from the detected marker data and the map data.

5. The vehicle control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the delivery position estimating unit estimates the delivery position when the vehicle is delivered from the parking area in the automatic delivery.

6. A parking system has:

a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle and including a travel control unit that controls a travel state of the vehicle to realize automatic parking in a parking lot including a first zone, a second zone, and a parking zone, the automatic parking being performed by automatically moving the vehicle parked in the first zone to the parking zone and parking in accordance with a predetermined instruction, and the automatic parking being performed by automatically moving the vehicle out of the parking zone and parking in accordance with a predetermined call after completion of the automatic parking and parking in accordance with a predetermined call; and

a control device configured to manage the parking area and to be capable of communicating with the vehicle control device,

the control device includes a storage processing unit that stores the changed parking area in a storage device when the parking area is changed due to the vehicle moving between the automatic parking and the automatic delivery,

the vehicle control device includes a delivery position estimation unit that acquires the parking area from the control device by communication, and estimates a delivery position that is a starting point of delivery from a current position of the vehicle in the acquired parking area,