JP2009175962A - Parking support system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a parking support system leading a vehicle trying to park to a vacant parking space by distinguishing between a travel road and the vacant parking space without preparing a parking lot map. <P>SOLUTION: This parking support system has: a space map creation part 32 creating a space map of a parking lot including the vehicle travel road prescribed by the vehicle during traveling based on lateral distance information showing a measurement distance to an external object beside the vehicle in the vehicle during the traveling in the parking lot; a parking state information creation part 33 creating parking state information wherein the vehicle travel road, the parking vacant space, and already parked space are divided based on the space map; and a parking state information provision part 34 providing the parking state information to the vehicle trying to park. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a parking support system for finding a parking space in a parking lot and guiding a vehicle to the parking space.

  For example, road information including parking facilities such as parking meters and road width is prepared in advance, the side distance to an object on the side of the vehicle traveling on the road is measured, the current position of the vehicle is detected, and stored in advance. New road information including the shape of the environment for each location of the road is obtained based on the measured vehicle width, the measured lateral distance, and the detected current position. A technique is known in which the availability of parking facilities is determined by exchanging information on the Internet (see Patent Document 1). In this technique, it is necessary to prepare in advance for each vehicle, road information including information on where and what parking facilities are present and road width. Collecting such road information is very expensive. In addition, in a parking facility or the like, the layout or the like tends to be frequently changed, so that information prepared in advance becomes obsolete immediately. Because of these problems, the practical application of this technique involves a considerable cost and technical burden.

  In addition, the vehicle information indicating the surrounding image, the position, and the direction acquired by another vehicle parked in the parking lot where the host vehicle is to be parked is acquired by inter-vehicle communication, and based on the acquired vehicle information, A technique for generating a top view image viewed from an upper virtual viewpoint and presenting an empty space by the top view image is also known (see Patent Document 2). With this technology, even in a parking lot that does not have personnel to guide the vehicle, the driver can see the top view image displayed on the monitor screen of the vehicle, so that the driver can use the free space for parking the vehicle. Can be easily grasped. However, this technology is based on image data transmission and image data processing between a large number of parked vehicles and vehicles to be parked, and requires a large-capacity data transmission technology and a computer with high computing capacity. To do. In particular, it is practically difficult from the viewpoint of power consumption to cause the parked vehicle to perform such high-load processing.

  Further, as a system for guiding parking spaces in the parking lot, communication means for communicating with other vehicles, display means for providing guidance information to the user, and information instructed by the user are input to each vehicle. Information input means, position detection means for detecting the position of the vehicle, distance detection means for detecting distances to obstacles in the left and right directions with respect to the direction of the vehicle, and data received from other vehicles On the basis of this, there is known one equipped with mapping means for performing mapping processing on the position of the other vehicle in the parking lot and the arrangement of the empty space (see Patent Document 3). In this system, the vehicle width data of the host vehicle is transmitted from the host vehicle that is parked for parking purposes to a plurality of other vehicles that are already parked. In response to this data, the position data of the other vehicle detected by the position detection means and the left and right directions of the other vehicle detected by the distance detection means sent from the other vehicle to the host vehicle. Mapping means processing is performed based on the distance data. Further, a free space that can be parked is searched from the mapping result, and information of the searched free space is displayed on the screen of the display means. Thereby, the user can recognize where the parking space is in the parking lot, and can guide the host vehicle to the parking space. However, in this system, in order to find a parking space in a crowded parking lot, it is highly likely that distance data from a large number of parked vehicles is required, and the communication load increases. This imposes a burden on power consumption, which is a problem for parked vehicles. In addition, since only one distance data of the area adjacent to the vehicle can be obtained from one parked vehicle, if there are few parked vehicles equipped with this parking support system, it is impossible to search for a wide parking space. Become. Furthermore, when extracting the free space which can be parked from the distance data, it is difficult to distinguish from the traveling road, and the calculation processing load is large.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-288895 (paragraph number 0012-0037, FIG. 11) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-326956 (paragraph numbers 0048-0058, FIG. 6) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-240805 (paragraph numbers 0013-0015, FIG. 2)

    In view of the above situation, an object of the present invention is to determine where there is a parking space that can be parked by distinguishing between a traveling road and a parking space without preparing a parking map in advance. And it is providing the parking assistance system which can guide the vehicle which is going to park to a parking empty space.

  In order to solve the above problems, a parking support system according to the present invention includes a side distance information acquisition unit that sequentially acquires side distance information indicating a measurement distance to an external object on the side of a vehicle in a vehicle traveling in a parking lot, A spatial map creation unit that creates a spatial map of the parking lot including a vehicle travel path defined by the traveling vehicle based on the side distance information; and the vehicle travel path based on the spatial map; A parking state information creating unit that creates parking state information that divides a parking space and a parked space, and a parking state information providing unit that provides the parking state information to a vehicle to be parked.

  According to this configuration, since the measurement distance information indicating the measurement distance to the external object present on the side of the vehicle in the vehicle traveling on the road in the parking lot is sequentially acquired, the measurement distance information is expanded on a two-dimensional plane. Then, a scan image such as a laser search screen is obtained with reference to the travel locus of the vehicle. Therefore, when the vehicle travel path is removed from the scan image based on the travel locus of the vehicle and an area necessary for parking is allocated, parking state information that can grasp the parking empty space and the parked pace can be created. . That is, in the parking assistance system according to the present invention, the distance to an external object such as an obstacle or a reflector in the side area of the vehicle traveling on the traveling path in the parking lot is measured, so the vehicle traveling path is determined, The object search image around it can be created. Thus, without preparing a parking lot map in advance, a distinction is made between a road and a parking space, and it is determined where there is a parking space that can be parked in the parking lot, and a vehicle to be parked is determined. Can lead to parking space.

  Further, in the parking support system according to the present invention, the parking state information creation unit further creates parking state information based on a spatial map based on the side distance information from a plurality of different traveling vehicles, and the same is used at that time. When there is a difference in the information in the area, priority is given to the information with the later measurement time of the side distance information. According to this feature, a wide range of space that cannot be obtained from a single traveling vehicle by superimposing spatial maps created based on side distance information obtained along different vehicle travel paths. Expand the possibilities of creating maps. In addition, when different search results are shown in the same area (unit section) at the time of overlaying such spatial maps, the latest parking state can be created by giving priority to the later measurement point.

  Further, in the parking support system according to the present invention, the parking state information providing unit creates parking support information based on the parking state information, and the parking based on the length information and width information of the vehicle to be parked. The support information is reported. According to this feature, it is possible to extract and notify a parking empty space suitable for parking of the vehicle to be parked based on the parking state information obtained by dividing the vehicle traveling path, the parking empty space, and the parked space. it can. At this time, if the parking state information providing unit is configured to be able to use the own vehicle position information, it is possible to notify the parking empty space that is the shortest distance from the own vehicle, Even without a parking lot map, optimal parking guidance is realized.

  Furthermore, in the parking support system according to the present invention, the space map creation unit of the vehicle to be parked creates the space map based on the side distance information sent from another vehicle, and The parking state information creation unit of the vehicle to be parked creates the parking state information based on the basis. According to this feature, the vehicle to be parked performs a process other than the process of creating the lateral distance information, so that the vehicle that travels in the parking lot without requiring parking assistance, for example, exits the parking lot. Therefore, the processing burden on the traveling vehicle can be minimized. Of course, the vehicle receives side distance information when entering the parking lot, and creates side distance information and gives it to other vehicles when leaving the parking lot. Therefore, from the standpoint that the vehicles share the calculation burden, the parking state information creation unit of the vehicle to be parked creates the parking state information based on a spatial map sent from another vehicle. The form is also preferred. At that time, a spatial map created by the vehicle leaving the parking lot may be received at some relay station, accumulated, and the accumulated spatial map sent to the next vehicle entering the parking lot. Convenient. In this case, since the relay station absorbs the time difference between the vehicle leaving the parking lot and the vehicle entering the parking lot, the parking support system is more effectively operated.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a vehicle employing a parking support system according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the parking support system. The parking support system includes a sensor system 1 composed of various sensors, a measurement system 2 that performs various measurements based on signals from the sensor system 1, and an evaluation system 3 that performs desired data evaluation based on the measurement results of the measurement system 2. And a communication system 4 that performs data transmission. In this embodiment, each vehicle (automobile) is equipped with this set of parking assistance systems. As will be described in detail later, the vehicle exiting the parking lot is the obstacle search information around the side of the vehicle in the traveling process from the parking position to the parking lot exit using the functions of the sensor system 1 and the measurement system 2. Generate some lateral distance information. By using the communication system 4, this lateral distance information is given to the approaching vehicle in response to a request from the vehicle that has entered the parking lot. The approaching vehicle processes the given side distance information using the function of the evaluation system 3, and creates parking state information indicating where a parking space is available. The approaching vehicle can travel to a parking space based on the parking state information and park there.

  The distance sensor 10 searches for an external object such as an obstacle around the running vehicle, such as a wall of a parking lot or a parked vehicle. The distance measuring sensor 10 may be an ultrasonic sensor or a laser, and the type thereof is not limited. As is clear from FIG. 1, the left distance measuring sensor 10 a and the right distance measuring sensor 10 b are used as the distance measuring sensor 1. The left distance measuring sensor 10a is attached to the left side surface of the vehicle body so that the vehicle left direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is the propagation center axis. Similarly, the right distance measuring sensor 10b is attached to the right side surface of the vehicle body such that the right side direction of the vehicle perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is the propagation center axis.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the sensor system 1 includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) 11, a vehicle speed sensor 12 that outputs a vehicle speed pulse, an acceleration sensor 13 that outputs acceleration information, and a vehicle direction. The gyro sensor 14 which outputs the azimuth | direction information which shows is included.

  The measurement system 2 includes a vehicle position data generation unit 21, a vehicle direction data generation unit 22, a side measurement distance data generation unit 23, and a side distance information generation unit 24. The own vehicle position data generation unit 21 generates own vehicle position data composed of a longitude value and a latitude value in response to signal inputs from the GPS 11, the vehicle speed sensor 12, the acceleration sensor 13, and the gyro sensor 14. Since the vehicle position data is used in the car navigation system, the vehicle position data generation unit 21 can also be used as a navigation system. The own vehicle direction data generation unit 22 measures the direction of the traveling direction of the vehicle based on the signal input from the GPS 11 and the gyro sensor 14, and generates the direction value.

  The lateral measurement distance data generation unit 23 exists on the right side of the vehicle and the distance from the vehicle center to the obstacle on the left side of the vehicle in response to the signal input from the left distance measurement sensor 10a and the right distance measurement sensor 10b. Measure the distance to the obstacle. Each measurement value is output as a left distance value and a right distance value, respectively. For example, in the case of the ultrasonic method, the ultrasonic pulse transmitted from the distance measuring sensor 10 collides with an obstacle, and the return time of the reflected pulse reflected is measured. Based on the measurement time and speed of sound, and the distance from each distance measuring sensor 10 to the center of the vehicle body, the left distance value from the vehicle body center to the left obstacle (reflector) and the left obstacle from the vehicle body center (reflector) ) Is calculated.

  The left distance value and the right distance value output from the side measurement distance data generation unit 23 are sequentially generated as the vehicle travels while being related to the vehicle position at the time of measurement, thereby expanding the plane. Will be used as obstacle search data. For this reason, as schematically shown in FIG. 3, the side distance information creating unit 24 converts the side distance data including the left distance value and the right distance value into a time stamp, own vehicle position data, Is related (linked) to the vehicle direction data and output as side distance information. The time stamp is used as an index indicating the temporal order of the lateral distance information, but may be omitted if it can be used for other data. The side distance information sequentially output from the side distance information creating unit 24 is temporarily stored in the memory.

  The evaluation system 3 includes a side distance information acquisition unit 31, a space map creation unit 32, a parking state information creation unit 33, and a parking state information provision unit 34. The side distance information acquisition unit 31 receives the side distance information sequentially generated by the side distance information creation unit 24 and develops it on the memory in a form convenient for later processing.

  The space map creation unit 32 reads the content of the side distance information developed on the memory, and creates a space map of the parking lot including the travel path on which the vehicle that generated the side distance information traveled in the parking lot. . FIG. 4 schematically shows a form in which the lateral distance information sequentially generated as the leaving vehicle exits is developed on a two-dimensional plane for creating a spatial map. As can be understood from FIG. 4, when drawing the line segment indicated by the right distance value and the left distance value in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction at the vehicle position is repeated as the vehicle travels, the radar screen is displayed. An obstacle search image like this is obtained. In this obstacle search image, the area through which the line segment passes can be regarded as an area without an obstacle. In addition, a travel locus of the vehicle can be obtained from a change in the vehicle position over time, and the area of the travel path of the vehicle can be defined when the predetermined distance on the left and right is regarded as the passage width on the basis of the travel locus. For example, since a distance value having a substantially constant value can be obtained from a parked vehicle that is parked facing the traveling road of the traveling vehicle, the distance value is used from the vehicle center to the traveling road side end. The predetermined distance can be regarded as the distance. When traveling in a parking lot that is crowded to some extent, the minimum distance value that frequently occurs as the distance value on the left and right sides is the predetermined distance. When the area of the travel route defined using such a predetermined distance is removed from the area without an obstacle, a spatial map in which only the area without an obstacle excluding the travel path in the parking lot is divided is created. In this way, when the obstacle search image is computer-processed from the side distance information, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, a coordinate system having a longitudinal axis and a horizontal axis as longitude and latitude is created, and the coordinates are A predetermined unit section is defined on the surface. First, unit sections corresponding to vehicle positions that change over time are labeled (indicated by black triangles in FIG. 5A). Further, the unit section through which the line segment defined based on the left distance value passes is labeled (indicated by pique in FIG. 5A). Similarly, a unit section through which a line segment defined based on the right distance value passes is labeled (indicated by a white circle in FIG. 5). Furthermore, as described above, when the area of the traveling road is defined, the unit section of the area may be rewritten with another code, a white square in FIG. 5B. Thereby, a spatial map can be created with matrix data having a very small data capacity.

  The parking state information creation unit 33 creates parking state information in which the vehicle travel path, the parking empty space, and the parked space are classified based on the space map created by the space map creation unit 32. In the space map, the area without obstacles other than the road can be grasped. Of the areas without obstacles, the area facing the road and having an area where this approaching vehicle can be parked is free to park. Can be considered a space. In the obstacle area, an area that is almost similar to the outline of the vehicle can be regarded as a parked space. From the parking state information created in this way, it is possible to grasp the vehicle traveling path, the parking empty space, and the parked space along the traveling locus of the specific leaving vehicle in the parking lot.

  In addition, when the side distance information is received from a plurality of leaving vehicles, a plurality of spatial maps, and consequently a plurality of parking state information can be created. By superimposing these plurality of space maps or parking state information, it is also possible to create a space map or parking state information that covers a larger area of the parking lot.

  The parking state information providing unit 34 provides the driver with the vehicle to be parked or the vehicle to be parked, the parking state information created by the parking state information creating unit 33. In this embodiment, the parking state information providing unit 34 includes a parking support information creating unit 34a and a notification unit 35b. The parking assistance information creation unit 34a uses the parking state information created by the parking state information creation unit 33 and information for guiding the vehicle using the closest parking empty space from the own vehicle position data of the approaching vehicle as the recommended parking position. create. The notification unit 34b notifies the driver of the recommended parking position in the form of image information through the monitor 8 or in the form of audio information through the speaker 9 based on the parking assistance information.

  FIG. 6 illustrates a process performed by the above-described evaluation system 3 until final parking assistance information is created based on side distance information received from a plurality of leaving vehicles. Here, the space map A is first created from the side distance information received from the leaving vehicle A. Further, a space map B is created from the side distance information received from the leaving vehicle B. Next, space map A and space map B are integrated to create space map A + B. In FIG. 6, only the side distance information is received from the two leaving vehicles A and B. However, when the side distance information is received from a larger number of leaving vehicles, a more extensive spatial map is obtained. More likely to be created. In addition, when integrating different spatial maps, if different symbols are written in the same unit section, that is, if there are areas with obstacles on the one hand and areas without obstacles on the other hand, absolute time It is preferable to give a configuration that gives priority to the later measurement point based on the time stamp using. This is because there is a high possibility that late information at the time of measurement represents the current state.

The flow of processing in the parking assistance system configured as described above will be described below using the flowcharts shown in FIGS.
First, it is checked whether the vehicle is in a parking lot (including an access road to the parking lot). This check may be based on a result of automatic determination by car navigation or the like, or may be based on a manual operation by a driver instructing that the vehicle is in a parking lot. If it is determined in this check that the vehicle is out of the parking lot (# 01 No branch), the parking support control is not performed and the process ends. If it is determined that the vehicle is in the parking lot (# 01 Yes branch), it is checked whether the vehicle is in the entry mode for entering the parking lot or the exit mode for leaving the parking lot. This check may also be based on a manual operation by the driver through an operation button or the like, or based on a result automatically determined from the vehicle driving situation. In the exit mode, an exit routine (# 10) as shown in FIG. 8 is executed, and in the approach mode, an entrance routine (# 20) as shown in FIG. 9 is executed.

  In the exit routine, first, it is checked whether or not the exit vehicle has already left the parking lot (# 11). In the parking lot (# 11 No branch), the vehicle side distance measurement is performed using the left and right distance measuring sensors 10, and the side distance data is output from the side distance data generating unit 23 (# 13). Further, at the time of measurement of the side distance data, the vehicle position data generation unit 21 outputs the vehicle position data, and the vehicle direction data generation unit 22 outputs the vehicle direction data (# 14). The output side distance data, own vehicle position data, and own vehicle direction data are mutually linked together with a time stamp as shown in FIG. 3, and are created as side distance information (# 15). The created side distance information is temporarily stored in the memory (# 16). The process of creating side distance information from step # 13 to step # 16 and storing it in the memory is performed at predetermined time intervals or at predetermined travel distances.

  However, when the approaching vehicle to be parked in the parking lot is requested to transmit the lateral distance information, the lateral distance information stored in the memory is transmitted to the approaching vehicle. Therefore, during the process of creating the side distance information and storing it in the memory, it is checked whether a side distance information transmission request from the approaching vehicle is generated periodically or at a predetermined interval (# 17). If there is no request (# 17 No branch), the process returns to step # 11 again and the above-described processing is repeated. If there is a request (# 17 Yes branch), the request source management list for managing the transmission contents of the side distance information for each request source is updated (# 18), and necessary side distance information is transmitted to the request source. (# 19). When the transmission of the lateral distance information is completed, the process returns to step # 11 again.

  When this leaving vehicle goes out of the parking lot (# 11 Yes branch), it is no longer necessary to transmit side distance information to the approaching vehicle, so the contents of the request source management list are deleted (# 12). ) This exit routine is terminated.

  In the approach routine, it is checked, for example, by a button operation by the driver whether the approaching vehicle requests execution of parking assistance by the parking assistance system (# 21). If this parking assistance is not desired (# 21 No branch), this entry routine is terminated. When execution of this parking assistance is requested (# 21 Yes branch), parking assistance using side distance information created and sent by the leaving vehicle is executed as follows. First, a side distance information request for the leaving vehicle is made by vehicle-to-vehicle communication via the communication system 4, and side distance information acquisition processing is performed (# 22). When the lateral distance information is received from at least one leaving vehicle, the space map creating process is subsequently performed by the space map creating unit 32 (# 23). Further, parking state information creation processing is performed by the parking state information creation unit 33 (# 24). When the parking state information is created, from this parking state information, it is possible to grasp the arrangement of the travel path, the parking space, and the parked space within a certain area of the parking lot to be used. Therefore, the parking assistance information creation unit 34a uses the own vehicle position obtained from the own vehicle position data generation unit 21 of the own vehicle to guide to the shortest parking empty space or a parking empty space with sufficient space. Information is created as parking support information (# 25). The parking support information created by the parking support information creation unit 34a is handled by the notification unit 34b, and a notification process for guiding the approaching vehicle to an appropriate parking space through voice guidance or visual guidance is performed (# 26). . If the amount of side distance information received from the leaving vehicle is insufficient, only a local spatial map is created and sufficient parking assistance cannot be performed, so the process returns to step # 21 and parking assistance execution is stopped. The above processing is repeated until

  The space map process, the parking state information creation process, and the parking support information creation process executed based on the received side distance information are as described with reference to FIG. 6 illustrating the process. Here, an example of the spatial map process, which is also an important feature of the present invention, will be described in more detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  The side distance information received from the leaving vehicle is taken in the order of early time series, and first, the own vehicle position data and direction data are read (# 31). The vehicle position is labeled on a map having a coordinate system with longitude and latitude as the vertical and horizontal axes (# 32). Further, the left distance value is read (# 33). The read left distance value is compared with the preset maximum value (# 34), and for the left distance value exceeding the maximum value (# 34 Yes branch), the left distance value is limited to the maximum value. Adjustment is performed (# 35). This is to avoid handling a distance value that is too large for a spatial map defined with a limited size. Next, using the left distance value, an area without an obstacle (reflector) in the left direction orthogonal to the direction of vehicle travel is labeled starting from the vehicle position at the time of distance measurement (# 36). This labeling process is schematically illustrated in FIG. When the labeling of the obstacle-free area in the left direction is completed, the labeling of the obstacle-free area in the right direction is performed. Read the right distance value (# 37), compare the read right distance value with the preset maximum value (# 38), and for the right distance value exceeding the maximum value (# 38 Yes branch), Adjustment is performed to limit the right distance value to the maximum value (# 39). This right distance value is used to label a region without obstacles (reflectors) in the right direction orthogonal to the direction of vehicle travel (# 40). The processes from step # 31 to # 40 are performed until all the received side distance information is processed (# 41). However, when the side distance information is received from a plurality of leaving vehicles, or when the same leaving vehicle travels over the same travel route, a plurality of types of side distance information can be obtained at the same vehicle position. . Therefore, a configuration may be adopted in which the latest information is preferentially taken in with reference to the time stamp in advance.

When the labeling of the vehicle position and the labeling of the obstacle-free area in the left-right direction along the vehicle locus (trajectory of the own vehicle position) are completed, the width of the traveling path is calculated from the vehicle locus (# 42). A preset value may be used as the width of the travel path, but when a more accurate value is required, the distance value on the left and right of the spatial map created by the processing from steps # 31 to # 40 is used. It is good to estimate. In other words, when the distance between the left and right frequently occurring that approximates the reference value is extracted with a ½ width of a general parking lot traveling path as a reference value, the extracted left and right distance values are the vehicle position. It can be considered that the distance from the parked vehicle to the parked vehicle, that is, the travel path is a width. When the width of the travel path is determined, the area of the vehicle travel path is labeled along the vehicle trajectory using the width of the travel path with respect to the spatial map (# 43). Thereby, a space map as schematically shown in FIG. 5B is created.
[Another embodiment]

(1)
In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the side distance information includes the data of the vehicle position, the vehicle direction, and the side distance in a linked form. However, when the vehicle position is presented in longitude and latitude, it is possible to calculate the direction of vehicle travel by plotting the vehicle travel locus from the vehicle position over time. For this reason, the vehicle direction can be omitted from the side distance information as another embodiment of the present invention.

(2)
The spatial map creation procedure using FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 also uses the lateral distance data measured when the exiting vehicle is traveling in a curve to change the direction. In order to handle the data, an accurate measurement value of the vehicle body direction during traveling is required. If side distance data from a plurality of leaving vehicles can be expected, it is possible to create a satisfactory spatial map even if only the side distance data measured during a straight run is handled. For this reason, as another embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to employ a configuration in which a spatial map is created using only the lateral distance data measured during straight running.

(3)
In the above-described embodiment, the parking support system is mounted on each vehicle, and the functional elements that are operated by the leaving vehicle and the entering vehicle are separated. That is, the leaving vehicle leaving the parking lot operates each component of the sensor system 1 and the measuring system 2 in the parking assistance system, and transmits the lateral distance information to the approaching vehicle via the communication system 4. It was. In addition, the approaching vehicle to be parked receives side distance information from the leaving vehicle, operates each component of the evaluation system 3, and assists parking. However, the functional elements to be operated by the leaving vehicle and the approaching vehicle may be considered other than the above. For example, not only the sensor system 1 and the measurement system 2 but also the functions of the side distance information acquisition unit 31 and the space map creation unit 32 of the evaluation system 3 operate, and the created space map is used as the entry vehicle. You may transmit via the communication system 4. Further, the leaving vehicle may operate from the space map to the function of the parking state information creation unit 33 and transmit the created parking state information to the approaching vehicle via the communication system 4. In either case, the approaching vehicle generates information for parking assistance by performing only the remaining processing.

(4)
In the explanation so far, only the leaving vehicle has created side distance information etc. and sent it to the approaching vehicle to be parked.Of course, the approaching vehicle itself also used the side distance information while traveling in the parking lot. You may employ | adopt the structure which produces and uses the information for the own vehicle or another approaching vehicle to park.

(5)
In the description so far, the parking support system according to the present invention has been mounted on a vehicle. However, some components of the parking support system can be provided in, for example, a parking lot controller 100 installed in a parking lot. . Such another embodiment is shown in FIG. In this other embodiment, the vehicle includes only the sensor system 1, the measurement system 2, the notification unit 34b, and the communication system. Instead, the parking lot controller 100 includes a side distance information acquisition unit 31, a space map creation unit 32, a parking state information creation unit 3, a parking support information creation unit 34a, and a communication system 4. The leaving vehicle leaving the parking lot operates each component of the sensor system 1 and the measurement system 2 and transmits side distance information to the parking lot controller 100 via the communication system 4. The parking lot controller 100 creates a space map, parking state information, and parking assistance information based on the received side distance information. The approaching vehicle to be parked from now processes the parking support information created by the parking lot controller 100 by the notification unit 34 b and notifies the information through the monitor 8 or the speaker 9. Thereby, the approaching vehicle is parked. In this other embodiment, some components, that is, the lateral distance information acquisition unit 31, the space map creation unit 32, the parking state information creation unit 3, and the parking support information creation unit 34a are shared, and the parking lot controller 100 Since it is provided, there is an advantage that the vehicle does not need to be equipped with these components.

(6)
In addition, the parking state information, which is information obtained by dividing the vehicle traveling path, the parking empty space, and the parked space, can be used as parking assistance for a vehicle to be parked even if the image is displayed as it is. In that case, the parking assistance information creation unit 34a can be omitted. This can have special advantages in the alternative embodiment shown in FIG. That is, by connecting the large display unit 110 to the parking lot controller 100 and displaying the parking state information, it is possible to collectively perform parking support for vehicles to be parked.

The schematic diagram for demonstrating the vehicle carrying the parking assistance system by this invention Block diagram showing schematic configuration of parking support system Schematic diagram for explaining the data structure of side distance information Schematic diagram explaining how side distance information is developed on a two-dimensional plane Schematic diagram explaining the procedure for creating a spatial map Schematic diagram illustrating how parking assistance information is created based on side distance information The flowchart which shows the flow of processing in a parking assistance system Flow chart showing exit routine Flow chart showing the entry routine Flow chart showing spatial map creation process Block diagram showing schematic configuration of parking support system

Explanation of symbols

1: Sensor system 2: Measurement system 3: Evaluation system 4: Communication system 10: Ranging sensor 21: Vehicle position data generation unit 22: Vehicle direction data generation unit 23: Side distance data generation unit 24: Side distance Information creation unit 31: Side distance information acquisition unit 32: Space map creation unit 33: Parking state information creation unit 34: Parking state information provision unit 34a: Parking support information creation unit 34b: Notification unit

Claims (6)

Side distance information acquisition unit for sequentially acquiring side distance information indicating a measurement distance to an external object on the side of the vehicle in a vehicle traveling in a parking lot;
Based on the side distance information, a spatial map creation unit that creates a spatial map of the parking lot including a vehicle travel path defined by the traveling vehicle;
A parking state information creation unit that creates parking state information that divides the vehicle travel path, a parking space, and a parked space based on the space map;
A parking state information providing unit for providing the parking state information to a vehicle to be parked;
A parking assistance system comprising:   The parking state information creation unit creates parking state information based on a spatial map based on the lateral distance information from a plurality of different traveling vehicles, and when there is a difference in the information in the same area, The parking support system according to claim 1, wherein priority is given to information with a later measurement point of side distance information.   The said parking condition information provision part produces parking assistance information based on the said parking condition information, and alert | reports the said parking assistance information based on the length information and width information of the said vehicle which is going to park. Parking assistance system.   The parking state information providing unit creates parking support information based on the parking state information, and provides guidance information to a parking space based on the parking state information and position information of the vehicle to be parked. The parking assistance system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is notified as information.   The space map creation unit of the vehicle to be parked creates the space map based on the side distance information sent from another vehicle, and the parking state of the vehicle to be parked based on the space map The parking assistance system according to any one of claims 1 and 4, wherein an information creation unit creates the parking state information.   The parking assistance system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the parking state information creation unit of the vehicle to be parked creates the parking state information based on a space map sent from another vehicle.

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