JP2011230762A - Parking support device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a parking support device for allowing an occupant to easily set a reverse travel start position when parking a vehicle.SOLUTION: The parking support device images a scene ahead of a vehicle 1, and displays a screen based on the captured image on a display part. The parking support device includes a superimposing part for displaying a marker showing a reverse travel start position S2 which is located ahead of a predetermined stop position S1 of the vehicle 1, where the vehicle to be parked starts its reverse travel to a target parking position S4, in a superimposed manner on the screen. The position of the marker on the screen is adjusted by occupant's steering operation.

Description

  The present invention relates to a parking assistance device that assists a driving operation when a vehicle is parked.

  As such a parking assistance device, there is an automatic steering device for a vehicle described in Patent Document 1 which is cited below. By this automatic steering device, the vehicle moves forward from the start position, moves backward through the turn-back position, and is guided to the target position. When the target position is set while the vehicle is stopped, the automatic steering device sets the stop position as the start position. Thus, since the start position and the target position are determined, the automatic steering apparatus sets the turn-back position and calculates the forward movement path and the reverse movement path. The current position of the vehicle, the parking target position, the turn-back position, the movement path from the start position to the parking position, and the like are displayed on the liquid crystal monitor.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-1177 (see paragraphs 35 to 42, FIG. 2, etc.)

  When the automatic steering device determines the start position, the occupant can smoothly park the vehicle only by creeping the vehicle. However, since the turning position is also left to the automatic steering device, automatic steering is used when there are obstacles on the forward movement path or when the forward movement path cannot be secured in a narrow parking lot. I can't. The parking assist device including such an automatic steering device is necessary for a passenger who is not particularly good at parking driving. For such passengers, there is a strong demand for using a parking assistance device only in a narrow parking lot.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a parking assist device in which a vehicle occupant can easily set a position at which to start retreating for parking.

In order to achieve the above object, a parking assistance apparatus according to the present invention includes:
A shooting unit for shooting a scene in front of the vehicle;
A display unit that displays a screen based on the captured image;
A superimposition unit that is positioned in front of the vehicle from a predetermined stop position, and that superimposes and displays a marker indicating a retreat start position at which the vehicle starts retreating for parking at a parking target position on the screen;
The position of the marker on the screen is adjusted by an occupant operating a steering wheel.

  According to this configuration, the occupant can set the reverse start position on the screen based on the captured image on which the marker indicating the reverse start position is superimposed and displayed. Accordingly, the reverse start position can be easily set in consideration of passengers, obstacles, the size of the parking lot, etc., and can be easily set without impairing convenience.

  In the parking assistance device according to the present invention, the color of the marker is further changed by the occupant operating the steering.

  According to this configuration, the occupant can easily recognize that the reverse start position has been appropriately set by his / her own operation. Therefore, it is possible to provide a convenient parking assistance device.

A perspective view of the driver's seat with a part of the vehicle cut out Perspective view of the front of the vehicle Illustration in front of the driver's seat A plan view schematically showing the configuration of each part of the vehicle The block diagram which shows typically the structure of the parking assistance apparatus of this invention The figure which shows the course which guides a vehicle to a parking position, and the position of guide information Figure showing a display example of the monitor screen Figure showing a display example of the monitor screen Figure showing a display example of the monitor screen The figure which shows the standard of stop position, reverse start position and parking target position The figure explaining the calculation method for detecting the position of the own vehicle Figure showing a display example of the monitor screen Figure showing a display example of the monitor screen Figure showing a display example of the monitor screen Figure showing a display example of the monitor screen

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 show a basic configuration of the vehicle 1.
The steering 4 of the driver's seat 3 is linked to a power steering unit PS that transmits a rotational operation force to the front wheels 2f to perform drive steering. An engine E and a speed change mechanism T composed of a torque converter, CVT, or the like are arranged at the front of the vehicle body to shift the power from the engine E and transmit it to the front wheels 2f. In the vicinity of the driver's seat 3, an accelerator pedal 7 as an accelerator operation member for controlling the traveling speed and a brake device BK for the front wheel 2f and the rear wheel 2r are operated to apply a braking force to the front wheel 2f and the rear wheel 2r. The brake pedal 8 is arranged in parallel.

  A monitor 10 (display unit) having a touch panel 10T formed on the display surface is provided at the upper position of the console near the driver's seat 3. The monitor 10 is provided with a speaker 11. The speaker 11 may be provided on the panel 5 or inside the door. A front camera 12 (photographing unit) is provided at the front end of the vehicle 1, and a rear camera 13 is provided at the rear end of the vehicle 1. The monitor 10 is a liquid crystal type equipped with a backlight. Of course, a plasma display type or a CRT type may be used. The touch panel 10T is a pressure-sensitive type or an electrostatic type, and outputs a contact position of a finger or the like as location data. The monitor 10 may also be used as a display device for a navigation system.

  The front camera 12 and the rear camera 13 are digital cameras that incorporate an image pickup device such as a charge coupled device (CCD) or a CMOS image sensor (CIS) and output captured information as moving image information. The front camera 12 is installed with a slight depression angle toward the front of the vehicle 1, and the rear camera 13 is installed with a slight depression angle toward the rear of the vehicle 1. Each camera has a capability of outputting a moving image in real time.

  A steering sensor 14 is provided in the operation system of the steering 4 and the steering operation direction and the operation amount are measured. The operation system of the shift lever 6 is provided with a shift position sensor 15 to determine the shift position. The operation system of the accelerator pedal 7 is provided with an accelerator sensor 16 to measure an operation amount. A brake sensor 17 is provided in the operation system of the brake pedal 8 to detect the presence or absence of the operation.

  As the movement distance sensor, a rotation sensor 18 that measures the amount of rotation of at least one of the front wheel 2f and the rear wheel 2r is provided. Of course, in the transmission mechanism T, the movement amount of the vehicle 1 may be measured from the rotation amount of the drive system. In addition, an ECU (electronic control unit) 20 that performs traveling control including parking assistance is disposed in the vehicle 1.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the parking assistance apparatus of the present invention. The parking assist device of the present invention is configured with the ECU 20 as a core. The ECU 20 includes an input / output interface 21 for inputting / outputting information and a microprocessor for processing information from the input / output interface 21. Of course, part or all of the input / output interface 21 may be included in the microprocessor. The ECU 20 is configured by an electronic circuit having a microprocessor as a core component.

As shown in the figure, an input system for inputting information from the touch panel 10T, the front camera 12, the rear camera 13, the steering sensor 14, the shift position sensor 15, the accelerator sensor 16, the brake sensor 17, the rotation sensor 18, and the like is formed. . Further, an output system for outputting control signals to the monitor 10, the speaker 11, the power steering unit PS, the transmission mechanism T, and the brake device BK is formed.
The front camera 12 corresponds to a photographing unit that photographs a scene in front of the vehicle 1. The monitor 10 corresponds to a display unit that displays a captured image.

The ECU 20 has each functional unit connected to the input / output interface 21. This connection is performed, for example, via a data bus, an address bus, a control bus, a memory, and the like in the microprocessor, but detailed illustration and description are omitted for ease of explanation.
As shown in the figure, the ECU 20 includes a parking target position setting unit 22, a reverse start position setting unit 23, a forward path calculation unit 24, a reverse path calculation unit 25, a superposition unit 26, and a movement state detection unit 27. And a guiding portion 28. In the present embodiment, these functional units are exemplified by the cooperation of a microprocessor and a program. However, it may be configured by hardware using a logic circuit or the like.
Hereinafter, the outline of each functional unit will be described with reference to FIG. 6 showing the course of guiding the vehicle 1 to the parking position and the position of the guide information.

The parking target position setting unit 22 sets the parking target position S4 of the vehicle 1 at a predetermined stop position S1 based on the captured image of the front camera 12.
The reverse path calculation unit 25 calculates a reverse guide path C2 from the reverse start position S2 to the parking target position S4, which is located in front of the vehicle 1 from the predetermined stop position S1 and starts to reverse for parking. To do.
The reverse start position setting unit 23 sets the reverse start position S <b> 2 within a predetermined setting range according to an instruction from the occupant of the vehicle 1 based on the image captured by the front camera 12. This “predetermined setting range” will be described later.
The forward path calculation unit 24 calculates the forward guide path C1 from the predetermined stop position S1 to the reverse start position S2.
The movement state detection unit 27 detects the movement state of the vehicle 1. The “movement state” will be described later.
The guide unit 28 guides the vehicle 1 from the predetermined stop position S1 to the reverse start position S2 based on the forward guide route C1 and the moving state. Further, the guide unit 28 guides the vehicle 1 from the reverse start position S2 to the parking target position S4 based on the reverse guide route C2 and the moving state.
The superimposing unit 26 performs a superimposing process of superimposing various messages including a marker indicating the backward start position and a guide marker on the captured image of the front camera 12. These messages and guide markers will be described later including their uses. For example, the reverse start position setting unit 23 sets the reverse start position S2 according to an instruction from the occupant of the vehicle 1 based on a marker indicating the reverse start position.

  Hereinafter, the procedure of the parking assistance apparatus of the present invention will be described by taking as an example the case where the vehicle 1 is parked at the parking position P as shown in FIG.

[Parking target position setting process]
FIG. 7 shows a screen of the monitor 10 on which an image captured by the front camera 12 of the vehicle 1 at the position S0 shown in FIG. 6 and a message and a marker generated by the superimposing unit 26 are displayed. Here, the parking assistance apparatus has already been activated. In addition, parking support is roughly classified into a garage parking type and a parallel parking type. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the parking support of the garage type is already selected. . At this time, it is not selected whether to park in the left or right direction.

  In FIG. 7, a forward marker M2 is a reverse start position marker indicating the reverse start position S2. In this state, the reverse start position marker M2 is displayed superimposed on the initial position in the center of the screen. The left and right markers M1 are parking target position markers for setting a parking target position. In FIG. 7, it is not selected whether to park in the left or right direction. Therefore, message buttons 41 and 42 for “left garage entry” and “right garage entry” are shown on the screen of the monitor 10 including the touch pad 10T. When the occupant touches one of the message buttons 41 and 42, the direction of entering the garage is determined. Alternatively, as described later, “left garage entry” and “right garage entry” may be switched according to the steering direction of the steering 4. In the case of canceling the parking support, the parking support can be ended by touching the “stop” message button 43. The same applies to the “Cancel” message button 43.

  When the vehicle 1 reaches the predetermined stop position S1 shown in FIG. 6, the line L1 of the parking frame and the right parking target position marker M1 are displayed as shown in FIG. The occupant stops the vehicle 1 at this position. Depending on the stop position S 1 of the vehicle 1, the line L 1 and the parking target position marker M 1 may be misaligned, but this deviation can be adjusted by operating the cursor 45. If the garage direction has already been determined, a “decision” message button 46 is displayed. The parking target position S4 is set by touching the message button 46. At this time, the parking target position marker M1 on the left side may be displayed lightly or may be deleted.

[Reverse start position setting process]
When the parking target position S4 is set, the reverse start position S2 is set while the vehicle 1 is stopped. The position of the reverse start position marker M2 on the screen is adjusted by the occupant operating the steering wheel 4. In the case of the present embodiment, since the vehicle is parked on the right side in the traveling direction, the steering 4 is operated counterclockwise to set the reverse start position S2 on the left front side. As shown in FIG. 9, the reverse start position marker M <b> 2 superimposed on the front position of the vehicle 1 on the screen of the monitor 10 moves to the left as the steering 4 is operated.

  Thus, the steering direction of the steering 4 for setting the reverse start position S2 is determined by the direction of entering the garage. Therefore, as described above, the direction of the garage may be switched depending on the steering direction without using the message buttons 41 and 42 of “left garage” and “right garage”.

The reverse start position marker M2 is drawn at a position where the forward guide path C1 from the current stop position S1 can be established. The forward guide route C1 is calculated by the forward route calculation unit 24. The reverse route calculation unit 25 uses the position specified by the reverse start position marker M2 as a temporary reverse start position S2 to guide the reverse to the parking target position S4. The path C2 is calculated. If the provisional reverse start position S2 is designated as a position where the reverse guide path C2 cannot be established, it is notified that the reverse reverse start position marker M2 cannot be set.

For example, the superimposition unit 26 superimposes the “decide” message button 46 shown in FIG. 8 as a pale display. Further, even if the message button 46 is touched in this state, it cannot be accepted. Or you may alert | report via a speaker 11 with an audio | voice.
Moreover, it can also alert | report by reverse | retreat start position marker M2 itself. For example, when the parking target position marker M1 is determined in FIG. 8, the reverse start position marker M2 is displayed in red. As shown in FIG. 9, when the reverse start position marker M2 is moved by the operation of the steering 4 and reaches a position where the reverse guide path C2 can be established, the reverse start position marker M2 is displayed in green.
When the occupant touches the “determine” message button 46 in the state adjusted to the settable position in this way, the reverse start position marker M2 is set.

  Thus, the occupant can arbitrarily set the reverse start position S2 within a predetermined setting range. As is clear from the above description, the “predetermined setting range” means that the forward guide route C1 can be established from the stop position S1 and the backward guide route C2 from the set reverse start position S2 to the parking target position S4 is established. It is possible.

In the present embodiment, the initial position of the backward start position marker M2 is the center of the screen (see FIGS. 7 to 9), but may be another position. For example, the left front as shown by the solid line in FIG. 9 may be set as the initial position. If the occupant determines that there is no problem at this initial position, it is not necessary to adjust the reverse start position S2, and the reverse start position S2 can be set simply by touching the message button for determination. Even when adjustment is necessary, the reverse start position S2 can be adjusted to an appropriate position with a few operations.
In addition, when the oblique position corresponding to the parking position is set as the initial position at the time of adjusting the reverse start position S2, it is preferable to rotate the steering 4 through the power steering unit PS.

[Guidance path calculation process (forward path calculation process / backward path calculation process)]
As described above, the reverse start position S2 and the parking target position S4 are set based on the stop position S1. These are defined in the same point of the vehicle 1 in each position, as shown in FIG. Based on these defined points, the guidance route C (the forward guidance route C1 and the backward guidance route C2) is calculated.
The point V of the vehicle 1 at the stop position S1 is defined as the start point V. The same point F of the vehicle 1 at the reverse start position S2 is defined as the reverse start point F. The same point B of the vehicle 1 at the parking target position S4 is defined as the parking target point B. The guide route C is calculated based on these three points.
As described above, this guide route calculation step is appropriately performed by the forward route calculation unit 24 and the reverse route calculation unit 25 in the reverse start position setting step.

[Moving state detection process]
In the process in which the vehicle 1 moves from the stop position S1 to the reverse start position S2, and in the process in which the vehicle 1 moves from the reverse start position S2 to the parking target position S4, the calculation is performed assuming that the start point V moves.

  The position information (movement state) of the vehicle 1 in the process of moving is detected by the movement state detection unit 27. The movement state detection unit 27 detects the movement state of the vehicle 1 based on inputs from the steering sensor 14, the rotation sensor 18, the accelerator sensor 16, the shift position sensor 15, the brake sensor 17, and the like shown in FIG. Therefore, you may comprise the movement state detection part 27 including these sensors. In addition to the above, a yaw rate sensor (not shown) may be used as an input to the movement state detection unit 27.

  FIG. 11 shows an example in which a change in position (moving state) of the vehicle 1 is detected based on inputs from the steering sensor 14 and the rotation sensor 18. FIG. 11 shows the backward movement of the vehicle 1 turning at the turning radius R. A broken line in the figure indicates a trajectory of the vehicle 1 turning with a turning radius R, that is, an arc having a diameter φ of 2R. FIG.11 (b) is the elements on larger scale of Fig.11 (a). The movement state detection unit 27 detects the movement state by integrating the position change (minute movement distance) of the vehicle 1 in a minute time calculated from the turning radius R of the vehicle 1.

  In FIG. 11 and the following formulas (1) to (3), ds is a minute movement distance. This minute movement distance is calculated based on, for example, an input from the rotation sensor 18. Further, the turning radius of the vehicle 1 is calculated based on the input from the steering sensor 14. The integration range α in the equations (1) to (3) indicates the cumulative movement distance.

[Forward guidance process (guidance process)]
As described above, when the reverse start position S2 and the parking target position S4 are set, the guide unit 28 guides the vehicle 1 from the stop position S1 to the reverse start position S2. This guidance is performed based on the forward guidance route calculated in the forward route calculation step and the movement state calculated in the movement state detection step.

  An example in which the vehicle 1 is automatically driven by the guide unit 28 and reaches from the stop position S1 to the reverse start position S2 will be described below. The occupant touches the message button 46 of “determination” for the reverse start position S2 on the screen of FIG. 9, then loosens the brake pedal 8 and starts the vehicle 1. The guide unit 28 controls the power steering unit PS, the transmission mechanism T, and the like so as to follow the forward guide route C1 calculated by the forward route calculation unit 24. The initial steering angle at this time is the steering angle operated to set the reverse start position S2 in the reverse start position setting step described above. Therefore, when the vehicle 1 starts, the initial steering angle is already set, and the vehicle 1 can follow the forward guidance route C1 without time difference.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the forward guiding guide G1 is superimposed and displayed in front of the backward start position marker M2. A guidance marker M3 is also superimposed and displayed at a front position a predetermined distance from the vehicle 1. As shown in FIG. 13, when the forward guide G1 and the guide marker M3 overlap, the vehicle 1 is in the reverse start position S2. In addition to such screen display, the situation may be announced by voice.

  When the occupant confirms that the forward guide G1 and the guide marker M3 overlap, the occupant steps on the brake pedal 8 to stop the vehicle 1. Of course, the guide unit 28 may control the brake device BK and stop it automatically.

  Further, the vehicle 1 may be moved to the reverse start position S2 by manual operation instead of such automatic operation. In this case, the guide unit 28 performs the same display as described above on the monitor 10 and gives a steering instruction by display or sound. For example, at the start of movement, an instruction is given to maintain the steering angle at the time of setting the reverse start position S2, and an instruction is given to return to the neutral position with the movement. In addition, depending on the route setting of the forward guide route C1, an instruction is given to keep the steering angle from the start of movement to the arrival of the reverse start position S2, and the vehicle 1 is returned to the neutral position in the stop state after reaching the forward guide route C1. You may instruct.

[Retraction guidance process (guidance process)]
When the vehicle 1 is guided to the reverse start position S2, the scene displayed on the monitor 10 is changed from an image captured by the front camera 12 to an image captured by the rear camera 13. FIG. 14 shows an example of display on the monitor 10 when the camera is switched at the reverse start position S2. A guidance marker M4 is superimposed on the rear position at a predetermined distance from the vehicle 1 in the same manner as the guidance marker M3. A reverse intermediate position guide G2 is also displayed. The reverse intermediate position guide G2 is a guide for guiding the vehicle 1 to the reverse intermediate position S3 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the vehicle 1 moves backward with a turn from the reverse start position S2 to the reverse intermediate position S3. From the reverse intermediate position S3 to the parking target position S4, the vehicle 1 moves straight without turning.

  When the occupant confirms that the screen of the monitor 10 has been switched to the image from the rear camera 13, the occupant releases the brake pedal 8 and starts the vehicle 1. In the case of automatic driving, the guide unit 28 controls the power steering unit PS, the speed change mechanism T, and the like so as to follow the reverse guide route C2 calculated by the reverse route calculation unit 25.

As shown in FIG. 15, when the reverse intermediate position guide G2 and the guide marker M4 overlap, the vehicle 1 is in the reverse intermediate position S3. The point that the situation may be announced by voice other than the screen display is the same as in the forward direction.
When the occupant confirms that the reverse intermediate position guide G2 and the guide marker M4 overlap each other, the occupant steps on the brake pedal 8 to stop the vehicle 1. Of course, the guide unit 28 may control the brake device BK and stop it automatically.

  Similarly to the forward movement, the vehicle 1 may be moved to the reverse intermediate position S3 not by automatic operation but by manual operation. In this case, the guide unit 28 performs the same display as described above on the monitor 10 and gives a steering instruction by display or sound. For example, at the start of movement, the steering angle at the time of reverse is instructed, and after moving to the reverse intermediate position S3, the vehicle 1 is instructed to return to the neutral position in the stopped state. Of course, the steering angle may be instructed finely along the backward guiding route C2.

  When the reverse intermediate position guide G2 and the guide marker M4 overlap and the vehicle 1 stops, the parking position guide G3 for the parking target position S4 is displayed as shown in FIG. Of course, the parking position guide G3 may be displayed on the screen of FIG. The occupant starts the vehicle 1 by loosening the brake pedal 8 by notifying one or both of the screen and sound. In the case of automatic driving, the guide unit 28 controls the power steering unit PS, the speed change mechanism T, and the like so as to follow the reverse guide route C2. Since the backward guiding path C2 in this case is straight forward, the power steering unit PS is controlled to maintain straight travel.

When the parking position guide G3 and the guidance marker M4 overlap, the vehicle 1 is within the parking target position S4. In addition to the screen display, the situation may be announced by voice in the same manner as described above.
When the occupant confirms that the parking position guide G3 and the guide marker M4 overlap, the occupant steps on the brake pedal 8 to stop the vehicle 1. Of course, the guide unit 28 may control the brake device BK and stop it automatically. Further, manual operation may be performed in the same manner as described above.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a parking assistance device in which a vehicle occupant can easily set a position at which to start retreating for parking.

1: Vehicle 4: Steering 10: Monitor (display unit)
12: Front camera (shooting unit)
22: parking target position setting unit 23: reverse start position setting unit 24: forward path calculation unit 25: reverse path calculation unit 26: superposition unit 27: moving state detection unit 28: guidance unit S1: vehicle position (predetermined stop position) )
S2: Vehicle position (reverse start position)
S4: Vehicle position (parking target position)

Claims (2)

A shooting unit for shooting a scene in front of the vehicle;
A display unit that displays a screen based on the captured image;
A superimposition unit that is positioned in front of the vehicle from a predetermined stop position, and that superimposes and displays a marker indicating a retreat start position at which the vehicle starts retreating for parking at a parking target position on the screen;
The position of the marker on the screen is a parking assistance device that is adjusted by a passenger operating a steering wheel.   Furthermore, the parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the color of the marker is changed by the occupant operating the steering.

Images