JP2019139322A - Vehicle controller, parking lot controller, and automatic valley parking system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle controller that: is easily applicable to both general parking and automatic valley parking when an automatic valley parking system is provided in which the general parking is mixed; and can achieve more accurate automatic traveling when the automatic valley parking is performed.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device includes: a parking area data acquisition unit for acquiring parking area data capable of identifying absolute positions of zone identification characters set on a road surface in response to individual parking zones of the parking area; an image data acquisition unit for acquiring image data obtained by an on-vehicle camera for photographing a situation around a vehicle; a position estimation unit that calculates a relative position of the zone identification characters relative to the vehicle on the image data by the detection of road surface character data related to the zone identification characters from the image data and estimates an actual position of the vehicle on the basis of the calculated relative position and the absolute position of the parking area data; and a traveling control unit for making the vehicle travel automatically within the parking area, based on the estimated actual position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a vehicle control device, a parking lot control device, and an automatic valet parking system.

  In recent years, after an occupant gets off from a vehicle in a predetermined getting-off area in a parking lot, the automatic parking in which the vehicle automatically runs and parks from the getting-off area to an empty parking area according to a predetermined instruction is completed. After that, a technique for realizing automatic valet parking including a vehicle that leaves a parking area in response to a predetermined call and automatically travels to a predetermined boarding area and stops is being studied. In a technology that assumes automatic driving such as automatic valet parking, it is important to accurately grasp the current position of the vehicle during automatic driving. In this case, for example, a guidance mark or a parking mark is provided on the road surface of the parking lot, and the mark is imaged by an imaging unit mounted on the vehicle to generate a guidance command so that the vehicle can automatically travel to a target position. Such a technique has been proposed.

JP2015-41348A

  In order to realize automatic valet parking as described above, in addition to a system dedicated to automatic parking, an automatic system that mixes a general parking system in which a user searches for a parking area and parks or leaves by himself / herself. A valet parking system is also conceivable. In such a mixed type automatic valet parking system, when guidance signs and parking marks that are easy to recognize by the system are arranged everywhere on the road surface, the meaning of the sign is understood by users who use general parking. For example, it may be difficult to determine whether it is possible to travel in a place where the mark is provided or whether the mark may be parked. In addition, for the parking lot operator, it is necessary to install a mark that is used only at the time of automatic valet parking.

  Therefore, one of the problems of the embodiment is that when implementing an automatic valet parking system in which general parking is mixed, it is easy to apply to both general parking and automatic valet parking. To provide a vehicle control device, a parking lot control device, and an automatic valet parking system that can realize more accurate automatic driving.

  A vehicle control apparatus as an example of an embodiment includes a parking lot data acquisition unit that acquires parking lot data that can specify an absolute position of a zone identification character installed on a road surface corresponding to each parking zone of a parking lot, and a vehicle An image data acquisition unit that acquires image data obtained by an in-vehicle camera that captures the surrounding situation of the vehicle, and a road surface character data related to the partition identification character is detected from the image data, so that the division identification character is relative to the vehicle on the image data. A position is calculated, a position estimation unit that estimates the actual position of the vehicle based on the calculated relative position and the absolute position of the parking lot data, and the vehicle automatically travels within the parking lot based on the estimated actual position. A travel control unit.

  According to this configuration, for example, the actual position of the vehicle can be estimated using a zone identification character that is conventionally installed corresponding to each parking zone, for example, a character such as a number or alphabet, for identifying the parking zone. As a result, it is possible to provide a vehicle control device that can be easily applied to a general parking mixed automatic valet parking system without adding a new index to a conventional parking lot.

  The position estimation unit of the vehicle control device detects, for example, a reference mark arranged in the vicinity of the section identification character corresponding to the section identification character, and the section identification character within the detection region specified by the reference mark. May be detected. According to this configuration, since the block identification character is detected within the detection region specified by the reference mark, it is easy to improve the recognition accuracy of the block identification character and to reduce the recognition processing load.

  A parking lot control apparatus as an example of an embodiment includes a parking lot that holds a lot identification character installed on a road surface corresponding to each parking lot of a parking lot, and parking lot data that can specify an absolute position of the division identification character. On the image data calculated using the road surface character data related to the division identification characters detected from the image data obtained by the data holding unit and the vehicle-mounted camera that is mounted on the vehicle entering the parking lot and images the situation around the vehicle A communication unit that transmits to the vehicle parking lot data for estimating the actual position of the vehicle by comparing the relative position of the section identification character with respect to the vehicle.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to estimate the actual position of the vehicle by using a zone identification character, such as a number or alphabet, which has been conventionally installed corresponding to each parking zone to identify the parking zone. . As a result, it is possible to provide a parking control device that can be easily applied to a general parking mixed automatic valet parking system without adding a new index to the conventional parking lot. According to this parking control device, a general parking user can similarly use (recognize) a zone identification character as an identification mark of a conventional parking zone. It can be difficult to give.

  An automatic valet parking system as an example of an embodiment includes a parking lot where section identification characters are installed on a road surface so as to correspond to a plurality of parking sections, and a vehicle that can automatically travel in the parking lot. A parking lot data holding unit that holds parking data capable of specifying the absolute position of the zone identification character and parking status data indicating a parking usage status for each parking zone. And a communication unit that transmits the parking lot data and the parking situation data to the vehicle. In addition, the vehicle acquires image data obtained by a parking lot data acquisition unit that acquires parking lot data and parking status data from the parking lot side, and image data obtained by an in-vehicle camera that captures the situation around the vehicle. And detecting the road surface character data related to the block identification character from the image data, the relative position of the block identification character with respect to the vehicle on the image data is calculated, and the calculated relative position and the absolute position of the parking lot data are Based on the position estimation part which estimates the actual position of a vehicle based on the estimated actual position, and parking condition data, the travel control part which makes a vehicle drive automatically in a parking lot is provided.

  According to this configuration, for example, the actual position of the vehicle is estimated by using a zone identification character that is conventionally installed corresponding to each parking zone, for example, a character such as a number or alphabet, for identifying the parking zone. Can do. As a result, it is easy to configure a general parking mixed type automatic valet parking system without adding a new index to the conventional parking lot. In addition, according to this automatic valet parking system, since the user of general parking can use (recognize) the section identification character as before, it is difficult to give the user of general parking a sense of incongruity and confusion. it can.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary and schematic diagram illustrating an example of automatic parking in a general parking mixed type automatic valet parking system according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exemplary and schematic diagram illustrating an example of automatic delivery in the general parking mixed type automatic valet parking system according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exemplary schematic block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the parking lot control device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is an exemplary schematic block diagram illustrating a system configuration of a vehicle control system including the vehicle control device according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is an exemplary schematic block diagram illustrating functions of the parking lot control device and the vehicle control device according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is an exemplary schematic view of a partition marker installed in a parking lot that can be read by the vehicle control device according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is an exemplary and schematic diagram of another section marker installed in a parking lot readable by the vehicle control device according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is an exemplary and schematic diagram of another section marker installed in a parking lot that can be read by the vehicle control device according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is an exemplary and schematic diagram of another section marker installed in a parking lot readable by the vehicle control device according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is an exemplary schematic diagram for explaining an example of a current position estimation method that can be performed by the position estimation unit of the vehicle control device according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is an exemplary and schematic sequence diagram illustrating a flow of processing executed by the parking lot control device and the vehicle control device when automatic parking is executed in the embodiment. FIG. 12 is an exemplary and schematic sequence diagram illustrating a flow of processing executed by the parking lot control device and the vehicle control device when automatic delivery is executed in the embodiment. FIG. 13 is an exemplary and schematic flowchart illustrating a schematic flow of an actual position estimation process executed by the vehicle control device according to the embodiment during automatic traveling. FIG. 14 is an exemplary schematic flowchart showing a detailed flow of an actual position estimation process executed by the vehicle control device according to the embodiment during automatic traveling.

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

  First, with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the outline of the general parking mixed type automatic valet parking system concerning embodiment is demonstrated. Here, the general parking is, for example, a general parking system in which a user searches for a parking area by himself / herself, and parks or leaves by himself / herself. In addition, the automatic valet parking system refers to automatic parking and automatic delivery as described below in a parking lot P having one or more parking areas R (parking areas) partitioned by a predetermined lane line L such as a white line. It is a system for realizing automatic valet parking. And a general parking mixed type automatic valet parking system is a system which can select the mode of general parking and the mode of automatic valet parking according to a user's request, and can be applied to either mode. In the following description, a general parking mixed type automatic valet parking system may be simply referred to as an “automatic valet parking system”.

  FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic diagram illustrating an example of automatic parking in the automatic valet parking system according to the embodiment, and FIG. 2 illustrates an example of automatic delivery in the automatic valet parking system according to the embodiment. It is an exemplary and schematic diagram.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the automatic valet parking, after the passenger X gets off from the vehicle V in the predetermined getting-off area P1 in the parking lot P, the vehicle V is free from the getting-off area P1 according to a predetermined instruction. Automatic parking (see arrow C1 in FIG. 1) is executed in which the vehicle moves (runs) and parks automatically to the parking area R (for example, the division marker M (the division identification character is “7”)). In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, after automatic parking is completed, the vehicle V exits the parking area R in response to a predetermined call, automatically moves to the predetermined boarding area P2, and stops (see FIG. 2). 2 (see arrow C2). The predetermined instruction and the predetermined call are realized by the operation of the terminal device T by the occupant X. In addition, on the road surface of the parking lot P, for example, a division marker M including a division identification character corresponding to each parking region R is installed. In the example of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a section marker M in which section identification characters (for example, “1” to “28”) are surrounded by a square frame is provided in numerical order near the entrance center of each parking area R on the traveling road side. ing. A user of general parking can recognize and store a parking position by using the section marker. In the automatic valet parking, the actual position of the vehicle V (own vehicle) is estimated using the division marker M, and more accurate automatic traveling is realized. In addition, the detail regarding the division marker M (division identification character) utilized by automatic valet parking is mentioned later.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the automatic valet parking system includes a control device 101 (parking lot control device) provided in the parking lot P and a vehicle control system 102 (vehicle control) mounted on the vehicle V. Device). 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 has image data obtained from one or more monitoring cameras 103 that capture the situation in the parking lot P, and data output from various sensors (not shown) provided in the parking lot P. Is received, the situation in the parking lot P is monitored, and the parking area R is managed based on the monitoring result. Below, the information which the control apparatus 101 receives in order to monitor the condition in the parking lot P may be named generically and may be described as sensor data.

  In the embodiment, the number and arrangement of the getting-off area P1, the boarding area P2, and the parking area R in the parking lot P are not limited to the examples shown in FIGS. The technology of the embodiment can be applied to a parking lot having various configurations different from the parking lot P shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the structure of the control apparatus 101 and the vehicle control system 102 concerning embodiment is demonstrated. The configurations shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are merely examples, and the configurations of the control device 101 and the vehicle control system 102 according to the embodiment can be set (changed) in various ways.

  First, a hardware configuration of the control device 101 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3 is an exemplary schematic block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the control device 101 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 101 according to the 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, and a communication interface (I / F) 304 (communication). Part), an input / output interface (I / F) 305, and an SSD (Solid State Drive) 306. These hardwares are connected to each other via a data bus 350.

  The CPU 301 is a hardware processor that comprehensively controls the control device 101. The CPU 301 reads out various control programs (computer programs) stored in the ROM 302 and implements various functions according to instructions defined in the various control programs.

  The ROM 302 is a nonvolatile main storage device that stores parameters necessary for executing the various control programs described above. The ROM 302 can also function as a parking lot data holding unit that holds parking lot data that can specify the absolute position of the division marker M (division identification character), for example.

  A RAM 303 is a volatile main storage device that provides a work area for the CPU 301.

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

  The input / output interface 305 is an interface that realizes connection between the control device 101 and an external device. As the external device, for example, an input / output device used by an operator of the control device 101 can be considered.

  The SSD 306 is a rewritable nonvolatile auxiliary storage device. In the control device 101 according to the embodiment, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) may be provided as an auxiliary storage device 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 embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4 is an exemplary schematic block diagram illustrating a system configuration of the vehicle control system 102 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle control system 102 includes a braking system 401, an acceleration system 402, a steering system 403, a transmission system 404, an obstacle sensor 405, a traveling state sensor 406, and 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 braking system 401 controls the deceleration of the vehicle V. The braking system 401 includes a braking unit 401a, a braking control unit 401b, and a braking unit sensor 401c.

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

  The braking control unit 401b is an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) configured by a computer having a hardware processor such as a CPU, for example. The braking control unit 401b controls an amount of deceleration of the vehicle V by driving an actuator (not shown) based on an instruction from the vehicle control device 410 and operating the braking unit 401a.

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

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

  The acceleration part 402a is an apparatus for accelerating the vehicle V including an accelerator pedal etc., for example.

  The acceleration control unit 402b is an ECU configured by a computer having a hardware processor such as a CPU, for example. The acceleration control unit 402b controls an acceleration degree of the vehicle V by driving an actuator (not shown) based on an instruction from the vehicle control device 410 and operating the acceleration unit 402a.

  The acceleration unit sensor 402c is a device for detecting the state of the acceleration unit 402a. For example, when the acceleration unit 402a includes an accelerator pedal, the acceleration unit sensor 402c detects the position of the accelerator pedal or the pressure acting on 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 traveling direction of the vehicle V. The steering system 403 includes a steering unit 403a, a steering control unit 403b, and a steering unit sensor 403c.

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

  The steering control unit 403b is an ECU configured by a computer having a hardware processor such as a CPU, for example. The steering control unit 403b controls an advancing direction of the vehicle V by driving an actuator (not shown) based on an instruction from the vehicle control device 410 and operating the steering unit 403a.

  The steering unit sensor 403c is a device for detecting the state of the steering unit 403a. For example, when the steering unit 403a includes a steering wheel, the steering unit sensor 403c detects the position of the steering wheel or the rotation angle of the steering wheel. When the steering unit 403a includes a handle, the steering unit sensor 403c may detect the position of the handle or the pressure acting on the handle. The steering unit sensor 403c outputs the detected state of the steering unit 403a to the in-vehicle network 450.

  The transmission system 404 controls the transmission ratio of the vehicle V. The transmission system 404 includes a transmission unit 404a, a transmission control unit 404b, and a transmission unit sensor 404c.

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

  The shift control unit 404b is an ECU configured by a computer having a hardware processor such as a CPU, for example. The shift control unit 404b drives an actuator (not shown) based on an instruction from the vehicle control device 410 and operates the shift unit 404a to control the transmission ratio of the vehicle V.

  The transmission unit sensor 404c is a device for detecting the state of the transmission unit 404a. For example, when the transmission unit 404a includes a shift lever, the transmission unit sensor 404c detects the position of the shift lever or the pressure acting on 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 a sonar for detecting the distance to the obstacle. The obstacle sensor 405 outputs the detected information to the in-vehicle network 450.

  The traveling state sensor 406 is a device for detecting the traveling state of the vehicle V. The running state sensor 406 is, for example, a wheel speed sensor that detects the wheel speed of the vehicle V, an acceleration sensor that detects the longitudinal or lateral acceleration of the vehicle V, and a gyro that detects the turning speed (angular velocity) of the vehicle V. Includes sensors. The traveling state sensor 406 outputs the detected traveling state to the in-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 / reception of signals by wireless communication between the vehicle control system 102 and the control device 101, transmission / reception of signals by wireless communication between the vehicle control system 102 and the terminal device T, and the like.

  The in-vehicle camera 408 is a device for imaging the situation around the vehicle V. For example, a plurality of in-vehicle cameras 408 are provided so as to image a region including a road surface in front, rear, and side (both left and right) of the vehicle V. The image data obtained by the in-vehicle camera 408 is used for monitoring the situation around the vehicle V (including detection of obstacles). The in-vehicle camera 408 outputs the obtained image data to the vehicle control device 410. Hereinafter, 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 provided on a dashboard in the passenger compartment of the vehicle V. The monitor device 409 includes a display unit 409a, an audio output unit 409b, and an operation input unit 409c.

  The display unit 409a is a device for displaying an image in response to an instruction from the vehicle control device 410. The display unit 409a is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD: Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL display (OELD: Organic Electroluminescent Display), or the like.

  The sound output unit 409b is a device for outputting sound in response to an instruction from the vehicle control device 410. The audio output unit 409b is configured 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 provided on the display screen of the display unit 409a, a physical operation switch, or the like. The operation input unit 409c outputs the received input to the in-vehicle network 450.

  The vehicle control device 410 is a device for comprehensively 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 410c.

  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 410f.

  The CPU 410a is a hardware processor that comprehensively controls the vehicle control device 410. The CPU 410a reads various control programs (computer programs) stored in the ROM 410b and realizes various functions according to instructions defined in the various control programs.

  The ROM 410b is a non-volatile main storage device that stores parameters necessary for executing the various control programs described above.

  The RAM 410c is a volatile main storage device that provides a work area for the CPU 410a.

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

  The display control unit 410e mainly performs image processing on image data obtained from the in-vehicle camera 408 and generation of image data to be output to the display unit 409a of the monitor device 409 among various processes executed by the vehicle control device 410. To manage.

  The voice control unit 410 f mainly manages generation of voice data to be output to the voice output unit 409 b of the monitor device 409 among various processes executed by the vehicle control device 410.

  The in-vehicle network 450 includes a braking system 401, an acceleration system 402, a steering system 403, a transmission system 404, an obstacle sensor 405, a running state sensor 406, a communication interface 407, and an operation input unit 409c of the monitor device 409. And the vehicle control device 410 are communicably connected.

  By the way, in order to realize automatic traveling such as automatic parking and automatic delivery in an automatic valet parking system, it is important to accurately grasp the current position of the vehicle V during automatic traveling. With respect to this point, conventionally, a method (so-called odometry) for estimating the current position of the vehicle V using a detection value of a wheel speed sensor or the like is known. However, in this method, as the moving distance of the vehicle V increases, errors in estimation results accumulate and increase, and thus the current position of the vehicle V may not be accurately grasped.

  Therefore, in the embodiment, by providing the vehicle control device 410 with the following functions, it is possible to accurately grasp the current position of the vehicle V during automatic traveling in automatic parking and automatic delivery. That is, in the embodiment, the vehicle control device 410 is an example of a “vehicle position estimation device”.

  FIG. 5 is an exemplary schematic block diagram illustrating functions of the control device 101 and the vehicle control device 410 according to the embodiment. The function shown in FIG. 5 is realized by cooperation between software and hardware. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the function of the control 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 the CPU 410 a of the ROM 410 b. This is realized as a result of reading and executing a predetermined control program stored in the above. In the embodiment, part or all of the control device 101 and the vehicle control device 410 shown in FIG. 5 may be realized only by dedicated hardware (circuit).

  As shown in FIG. 5, the control device 101 according to the embodiment includes, as a functional configuration, a communication control unit 511, a sensor data acquisition unit 512, a parking lot data management unit 513, a guidance route generation unit 514, have.

  The communication control unit 511 controls wireless communication performed with the vehicle control device 410. For example, the communication control unit 511 authenticates the vehicle control device 410 by transmitting and receiving predetermined data to and from the vehicle control device 410, and outputs from the vehicle control device 410 when automatic parking and automatic delivery are completed. The predetermined completion notification is received, or map data or a guidance route of the parking lot P, which will be described later, is transmitted to the vehicle control device 410 as necessary.

  The sensor data acquisition unit 512 acquires the above-described sensor data from the monitoring camera 103 and various sensors (not shown) provided in the parking lot P. The sensor data (especially image data obtained from the monitoring camera 103) acquired by the sensor data acquisition unit 512 is, for example, a parking region R that changes depending on the entry / exit of a vehicle V using automatic valet parking or a vehicle using general parking. It can be used for grasping the vacant state of the vehicle, and parking state data can be generated based on this sensor data.

  The parking lot data management unit 513 manages data (information) related to the parking lot P. For example, the parking lot data management unit 513 manages the map data of the parking lot P, the availability of the parking area R, and the like. For example, when automatic parking is performed, the parking lot data management unit 513 selects one parking area R from the vacant parking areas R, and selects the selected parking area R for the vehicle V in automatic parking. Designate as the target parking area that is the destination goal. Moreover, the parking lot data management part 513 is based on the sensor data acquired from the sensor data acquisition part 512, when the vehicle V moves again after automatic parking is completed, and the parking area | region R is changed. The parking area R is specified.

  The guidance route generation unit 514 generates a guidance route that instructs the vehicle control device 410 when automatic parking and automatic delivery are performed. More specifically, when the automatic parking is performed, the guidance route generation unit 514 generates a schematic route from the getting-off area P1 to the target parking area as the guidance route, and when automatic delivery is performed, A rough route from the target parking area (a parking area R where the vehicle V is currently parked when the vehicle V is moving after automatic parking) to the boarding area P2 is generated as a guidance path.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle control device 410 according to the embodiment includes, as a functional configuration, a communication control unit 521, a sensor data acquisition unit 522, a travel control unit 523, a position estimation unit 524, have.

  The communication control unit 521 functions as a parking lot data acquisition unit that controls wireless communication performed with the control device 101. For example, the communication control unit 521 authenticates the vehicle control device 410 by transmitting / receiving predetermined data to / from the control device 101, or sends a predetermined completion notification when automatic parking and automatic delivery are completed. 101, and the map data of the parking lot P, a guidance route, etc. are received from the control apparatus 101 as needed. Therefore, the communication control unit 521 also functions as a map data acquisition unit that acquires map data of the parking lot P.

  In the embodiment, the map data specifies, for example, the absolute position of a division marker M (for example, see FIGS. 1 and 2) that can be installed on the road surface of the parking lot P (a specific example of the division marker M will be described later). Contains information for. The absolute position referred to here is a concept that may include the directionality (absolute direction) of the section marker. That is, the division marker M includes a division identification character having a predetermined direction (direction), and the map data includes not only the absolute position where the division marker M is provided, but also the division identification character included in the division marker M. The absolute orientation represented can also be specified.

  The sensor data acquisition unit 522 is an example of an image data acquisition unit that acquires image data indicating a situation around the vehicle V obtained by the in-vehicle camera 408, and the image data and various sensors provided in the vehicle control system 102. And sensor data including the data output from. The sensor data acquired by the sensor data acquisition unit 522 includes, for example, generation of an actual travel route (including a parking route and a delivery route) based on the guidance route received from the control device 101, and along the travel route. Thus, it can be used for various types of traveling control of the vehicle V executed by the traveling control unit 523 such as setting various parameters (vehicle speed, rudder angle, traveling direction, etc.) necessary for actual traveling. .

  The traveling control unit 523 controls the braking system 401, the acceleration system 402, the steering system 403, the transmission system 404, and the like, so that the start control from the getting-off area P1 in the parking lot P and the getting-off area P1 to the parking area R are performed. The automatic traveling control (including automatic parking control) is executed based on the actual position of the vehicle V estimated by the position estimating unit 524. Similarly, the travel control unit 523 executes automatic travel control (including automatic delivery control) from the parking area R to the boarding area P2 in the parking lot P based on the actual position of the vehicle V estimated by the position estimation unit 524. .

  The position estimation unit 524 estimates the current position of the vehicle V by the above-described odometry during automatic traveling of the vehicle V in automatic parking and automatic delivery. Then, the position estimation unit 524 corrects the estimation result by the odometry based on the image data acquired by the sensor data acquisition unit 522 so as to cancel the accumulated error, thereby the current position (actual position) of the vehicle V. ). Note that the actual position referred to here is a concept including the direction (actual direction) of the vehicle V.

  That is, in the embodiment, the position estimation unit 524 first performs the section identification character included in the section marker M located around the vehicle V from the image data acquired by the sensor data acquisition unit 522 during the automatic traveling. For example, the relative position of the division marker M (division identification character) with respect to the vehicle V on the image data is calculated by detecting the road surface character data using the well-known character recognition technique. And the position estimation part 524 is the normal position of the division marker M based on the absolute position on the calculation of the division marker M specified based on the relative position of the division marker M, and the parking lot data acquired by the communication control part 521. Based on the difference from the absolute position, the estimation result based on odometry is corrected, and the corrected value is set as a normal estimated value of the current position (actual position) of the vehicle V. The relative position referred to here is a concept that may include the relative orientation of the section marker M with respect to the vehicle V. For example, the relative orientation of the division marker M with respect to the vehicle V can be detected by detecting the arrangement order of the plurality of division markers M.

  6 to 9 are exemplary schematic diagrams of the partition marker M. FIG. The section marker M illustrated in FIG. 6 is, for example, a section identification character N (for example, a number N1) indicating the location of the parking section. As the partition identification character N (number N1) which is the partition marker M, for example, a character (number) indicating a parking partition that can be provided in a conventional general parking type parking lot can be used. That is, the section marker M can be used for recognizing a parking section of a user who uses general parking as in the past, and is used when estimating the actual position of the vehicle V in automatic valet parking as described above. can do. As a result, it is possible for a parking lot operator to introduce an automatic valet parking system without newly providing an identification mark for automatic valet parking. Moreover, since the identification mark for automatic valet parking is not added, the user of general parking can use a parking lot, referring to the conventional simple block identification number.

  The division marker M shown in FIG. 7 is an example configured by combining numbers N1 and alphabets N2, which are different types of division identification characters N. In this case, the parking spaces can be grouped by alphabet N2 (discrimination of parking areas), and the number of parking spaces can be easily increased by combining the numbers N1 and alphabet N2.

  The division marker M shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 is a modification of the division marker M in FIGS. 6 and 7 and makes it easy to recognize the division identification character N in the vicinity of the division identification character N (number N1 or alphabet N2). This is an example in which a reference mark K is arranged. A reference mark K of the division marker M shown in FIG. 8 is a frame-shaped mark formed so as to surround the division identification character N. The position estimation unit 524 first detects the reference mark K from the image data acquired by the sensor data acquisition unit 522. Then, the position estimation unit 524 improves the recognition accuracy of the partition identification character N by setting the vicinity of the detected reference mark K, in the case of FIG. 8, the inner region of the frame of the reference mark K as a detection region (recognition range). And the recognition load (image processing load) can be reduced.

  The reference mark K of the division marker M shown in FIG. 9 is a rectangular mark that is formed in the vicinity of the division identification character N, for example, on the upper left shoulder, and is smaller than the size of the division identification character N. By using the small fiducial mark K, it is easy to add to the letters (numbers and alphabets) indicating the parking area provided in the conventional parking lot, and there is little change from the conventional mode. It is possible to make it difficult for the parking user to feel uncomfortable. Note that the reference mark K shown in FIG. 9 is configured with, for example, striped patterns of different colors (black portion Ka and white portion Kb) so as to be easily identified. In this way, by making the reference mark K difficult to exist on the normal road surface, the recognition accuracy of the reference mark K is improved, and also in this respect, the recognition load of the position estimation unit 524 can be reduced. Also in the case of FIG. 9, the position estimation unit 524 first detects a rectangular reference mark K from the image data acquired by the sensor data acquisition unit 522. And the position estimation part 524 can improve the recognition accuracy of the division identification character N by making the area | region (mainly right diagonally far direction) of the detected reference mark K into a detection area (recognition range). The recognition load can be reduced.

  The shape of the reference mark K described above is an example, and can be appropriately changed as long as it is a shape that is easy to detect prior to the detection of the division marker M. For example, the shape of the parenthesis mark, circle mark, triangle mark, character Etc. In addition, the reference mark K may have a shape common to each section marker M, or may be a mark that is different for each parking area, for example.

  The division marker M shown in FIGS. 6 to 9 is an example, and the combination and arrangement of a plurality of division identification characters N and the shape and arrangement of the reference mark K can be changed as appropriate, and a plurality of patterns can be formed. Thus, the same effect can be obtained.

  The section marker M can be drawn on the road surface with, for example, a general paint, like the section number of a general parking lot. In this case, the section marker M may be deteriorated (such as fading, dirt, shaving, etc.), but as described above, the combination of the reference mark K and the section identification character N improves the detection accuracy of the section marker M. Thus, it is possible to cope with the deterioration of the partition marker M, and it is possible to estimate the actual position. It is possible to improve the detection accuracy of the reference mark K and the section identification character N by making the colors of the reference mark K and the section identification character N different, for example, yellow and white. Can contribute.

  FIG. 10 is an exemplary schematic diagram for explaining an example of a current position estimation method that can be performed by the position estimation unit 524 of the vehicle control device 410 according to the embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the vehicle V is traveling so as to intersect with three lane markings L61 to L63 located on the left side of the vehicle V.

  Here, in the example shown in FIG. 10, as the division marker M, two division markers M61 and M62 are arranged in the two parking areas R61 and R62 divided by the three division lines L61 to L63. Each of the division markers M61 and M62 is arranged in a form of a division identification character N (numerals N1 = 12, N1 = 13) surrounded by the reference mark K.

  In the example shown in FIG. 10, the imaging range of the in-vehicle camera 408 provided on the left side (for example, side mirror) of the vehicle V corresponds to a region A61 including two division markers M61 and M62. Therefore, after detecting the reference mark K for the side image data obtained by the in-vehicle camera 408 provided on the left side of the vehicle V, an image such as character recognition processing is detected for the detection region surrounded by the reference mark K. If the recognition process is performed, the positions of the section markers M61 and M62, that is, the positions of the section identification characters N (numerals N1) (relative positions with respect to the vehicle V) can be calculated. Further, the relative orientation of the vehicle V can be calculated based on the arrangement relationship (positional relationship) between the division marker M61 and the division marker M62. For example, in the image data acquired by the sensor data acquisition unit 522, when the division marker M62 is reflected on the front side of the vehicle, the vehicle V is parked with the vehicle front facing in the direction from the division marker M61 toward the division marker M62. P will be present. Then, if the calculated relative position and relative azimuth and the estimation result of the position and azimuth of the vehicle V based on odometry are used, the calculated absolute position and absolute azimuth of the division marker M61 and the division marker M62 are specified. Can do.

  Here, since the relative positions (and relative orientations) of the division marker M61 and the division marker M62 in the calculation are specified by using the estimation result based on the odometry, the influence of the accumulated error due to the odometry may be included. . On the other hand, as described above, the map data of the parking lot P managed by the control device 101 includes information for specifying the normal absolute position (and the absolute direction) of the road marking. Marker data for specifying the normal absolute positions (and absolute orientations) of the section marker M61 and the section marker M62 as road markings are included.

  Therefore, in the embodiment, the communication control unit 521 acquires marker data as map data from the control device 101. Then, the position estimation unit 524 calculates the absolute position of the division marker M61 and the division marker M62 specified based on the relative position (including the relative direction) and the division marker M61 specified based on the marker data. And the normal absolute position (including the absolute azimuth) of the section marker M62, the deviation of the estimation result by odometry is corrected based on the difference, and the corrected value is used as the actual position of the vehicle V ( Including actual orientation).

  In the embodiment, the example in which the side image data obtained by the in-vehicle camera 408 provided on the side of the vehicle V is used for detection of the relative position of the division marker M has been described. Front image data obtained by an in-vehicle camera 408 provided in the front part (for example, front bumper), rear image data obtained by an in-vehicle camera 408 provided in the rear part (for example, rear bumper), or the like may be used.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 11-14, the process performed with the automatic valet parking system concerning embodiment is demonstrated.

  FIG. 11 is an exemplary and schematic sequence diagram illustrating a flow of processing executed by the control device 101 and the vehicle control device 410 when automatic parking is executed in the embodiment. The processing sequence shown in FIG. 11 starts when the occupant X operates the terminal device T in the getting-off area P1 to give a predetermined instruction that triggers automatic parking.

  In the processing sequence shown in FIG. 11, first, in S701, the control device 101 and the vehicle control device 410 establish communication. In S701, authentication based on transmission / reception of identification information (ID), transfer of operation authority for realizing automatic traveling under the monitoring of the control device 101, and the like are executed.

  When communication is established in S701, the control apparatus 101 transmits map data of the parking lot P to the vehicle control apparatus 410 in S702.

  In step S <b> 703, the control device 101 confirms the vacant parking area R and designates one vacant parking area R as a target parking area to be given to the vehicle V.

  In step S704, the control apparatus 101 generates a (schematic) guidance route from the getting-off area P1 to the target parking area specified in step S703.

  In step S <b> 705, the control device 101 transmits the guidance route generated in step S <b> 704 to the vehicle control device 410.

  On the other hand, the vehicle control device 410 estimates an initial position in the getting-off area P1 in S706 after receiving the map data transmitted from the control device 101 in S702. The initial position is the current position of the vehicle V in the getting-off area P1, which is the starting point for starting from the getting-off area P1. For estimation of the initial position, a method using image data obtained by the in-vehicle camera 408 can be used, similar to the estimation of the current position described above. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the process of S706 is performed before the process of S705, but the process of S706 may be performed after the process of S705.

  When the initial position is estimated in S706 and the guidance route transmitted from the control device 101 is received in S705, the vehicle control device 410, in S707, performs actual automatic parking based on the initial position estimated in S706. A travel route with higher accuracy than the guidance route to be followed at the time of generation is generated.

  Then, the vehicle control device 410 executes start control from the getting-off area P1 in S708.

  In step S709, the vehicle control device 410 executes travel control along the travel route generated in step S707. This traveling control is executed with the estimation of the current position by the method using the image data as described above. Note that the flow of processing executed at the time of estimating the current position will be described in detail later with reference to another drawing, and thus further description is omitted here.

  And vehicle control device 410 performs parking control to a target parking area in S710.

  When the parking control in S710 is completed, the vehicle control device 410 transmits a parking completion notification to the control device 101 in S711.

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

  FIG. 12 is an exemplary and schematic sequence diagram illustrating a flow of processing executed by the control device 101 and the vehicle control device 410 when automatic delivery is executed in the embodiment. The processing sequence shown in FIG. 12 starts when the occupant X operates the terminal device T in the boarding area P2 to make a predetermined call that triggers automatic shipping.

  In the processing sequence shown in FIG. 12, first, in S801, the control device 101 and the vehicle control device 410 establish communication. In S801, as in S701 in FIG. 11 described above, authentication by transmission / reception of identification information (ID), transfer of operation authority for realizing automatic traveling under the control of the control device 101, and the like are executed. .

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

  In step S <b> 803, the control device 101 confirms the parking area R in which the vehicle V on which the communication partner vehicle control device 410 is mounted is currently located. In the embodiment, the process of S803 is executed based on image data obtained by the monitoring camera 103 or the like.

  In step S804, the control apparatus 101 generates a (schematic) guidance route from the parking area R confirmed in step S803 to the boarding area P2.

  In step S <b> 805, the control device 101 transmits the guidance route generated in step S <b> 804 to the vehicle control device 410.

  On the other hand, the vehicle control device 410 estimates a delivery position in the parking lot P where the vehicle V is currently located in S806 after receiving the map data transmitted from the control device 101 in S802. The delivery position is the current position of the vehicle V in the parking area R, which is the starting point for delivery from the parking area R. For estimation of the delivery position, the same technique as the above-described estimation of the current position (a technique using predetermined road surface character data and map data detected from image data by image recognition processing) can be used. In the example illustrated in FIG. 12, the process of S806 is performed before the process of S805, but the process of S806 may be performed after the process of S805.

  When the delivery position is estimated in S806 and the guidance route transmitted from the control device 101 is received in S805, the vehicle control device 410, in S807, determines the actual automatic delivery based on the delivery position estimated in S806. A travel route with higher accuracy than the guidance route to be followed at the time of generation is generated.

  And the vehicle control apparatus 410 performs the leaving control from the parking area R in S808.

  In step S809, the vehicle control device 410 executes travel control along the travel route generated in step S807. This travel control is also executed with estimation of the current position (details will be described later) by the method using the image data as described above, similarly to the travel control in S709 of FIG.

  And vehicle control device 410 performs stop control to boarding field P2 in S810.

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

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

  FIG. 13 is an exemplary and schematic flowchart showing a schematic flow of an actual position estimation process executed by the vehicle control device 410 according to the embodiment during automatic traveling. The processing flow shown in FIG. 13 is repeatedly executed during the automatic traveling of the vehicle V in S709 shown in FIG. 11, S809 shown in FIG.

  In the processing flow shown in FIG. 13, first, in step S <b> 901, the vehicle control device 410 acquires image data (side image data) from the in-vehicle camera 408.

  In S902, the vehicle control device 410 acquires road surface character data related to the position of the division marker M (division identification character N) on the image data from the image data acquired in S901 by a predetermined image recognition process. To do.

  In step S903, the vehicle control device 410 collates the road surface character data with the map data, and estimates the actual position of the vehicle V. Then, the process ends.

  Hereinafter, the content of the actual position estimation process executed in S903 of FIG. 13 will be described in more detail.

  FIG. 14 is an exemplary and schematic flowchart showing a detailed flow of an actual position estimation process executed by the vehicle control device 410 according to the embodiment during automatic traveling.

  In the processing flow shown in FIG. 14, first, in S1001, the vehicle control device 410 adds the amount of change based on sensor data, that is, the position of the vehicle V estimated by odometry, to the previous estimated value related to the actual position of the vehicle V. The actual position in calculation of the vehicle V based on odometry is calculated by adding the amount of change.

  In S1002, the vehicle control device 410 calculates the relative position of the partition marker M based on the actual position calculated in S1001, based on the road surface character data obtained as a result of the image recognition process in S902. If the relative position of the division marker M calculated in S1002 and the actual position of the vehicle V calculated in S1001 are used, the absolute position of the division marker M in calculation can be specified.

  In step S <b> 1003, the vehicle control device 410 specifies the normal absolute position of the section marker M based on the map data acquired via the communication interface 407. For example, the vehicle control device 410 extracts, from the absolute positions of all the division markers M included in the map data, the one close to the calculated absolute position of the division marker M specified using the calculation result of S1002. In step S1004, the normal absolute position of the road marking that is the target of calculating the difference from the calculated absolute position is specified.

  In S1004, the vehicle control device 410 calculates the difference between the absolute position in calculation of the section marker M specified based on the calculation result in S1002 and the normal absolute position of the section marker M specified in S1003. Therefore, based on the difference, the calculated value of S1001, that is, the calculated value of the actual position of the vehicle V based on odometry is corrected.

  In step S <b> 1005, the vehicle control device 410 estimates the corrected value in step S <b> 1004 as the normal actual position of the vehicle V. In the embodiment, based on the estimation result of S1005, various parameters (vehicle speed, rudder angle, traveling direction, etc.) required when the vehicle V is automatically driven by the traveling control device 530 are set.

  As described above, the vehicle control apparatus 410 according to the embodiment uses characters (for example, numbers and alphabets) indicating the parking area R (parking section) that can be used as usual by a user who uses general parking in automatic valet parking. It is also used as a section marker M (section identification character) for estimating the actual position of the vehicle V. As a result, general parking users can use parking as usual. Moreover, since there is substantially no new index added, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the index or the like in the parking lot gives the user a sense of incongruity or confusion. Moreover, the automatic position can be realized by accurately recognizing the actual position of the vehicle V in the automatic valet parking system without adding a new index to the conventional parking lot.

  Further, the control device 101 (parking control device) applied to the general parking mixed automatic valet parking system according to the embodiment does not require addition of a new index to the conventional parking lot, and the user of general parking In addition, the section identification character can be used as a conventional parking section identification mark. As a result, it is possible to make it difficult for a general parking user to feel uncomfortable or confused. In addition, the parking lot operator can smoothly shift from a conventional parking lot dedicated to general parking to a general parking mixed type automatic valet parking system. Furthermore, it is basically unnecessary to add a new index to the conventional parking lot, and the system transfer cost of the parking lot operator can be reduced, so that the parking system transfer can be realized at a low cost. it can.

  In the above-described embodiment, the partition marker M is mainly used for estimating the actual position of the vehicle V. For example, the vehicle can be detected by sequentially detecting a plurality of partition markers M arranged at regular intervals. V speed and moving distance can be estimated. As a result, it is possible to contribute to the improvement of automatic traveling accuracy by using the division marker M that can be used even in general parking.

  Moreover, although the example which installs the division marker M in the road surface (near entrance of the parking area R) of the parking lot P was shown in embodiment mentioned above, it is not limited to this, For example, the installation object installed in the road surface, for example, A partition marker M may be installed on an unauthorized storage prevention plate (such as a flip-up plate) that prevents unauthorized access when parked, and the partition marker M can be used as in the above-described embodiment. Thus, the same effect can be obtained.

  In the embodiment described above, a configuration in which a travel route (guidance route) is acquired from the control device 101 by communication is illustrated. However, as a modification, a configuration in which a travel route is appropriately generated only on the vehicle control device 410 side based on information obtained from various sensors provided in the in-vehicle camera 408 or the vehicle V may be obtained, and similar effects are obtained. Can do.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment and the modification of this invention were described, embodiment and the modification which were mentioned above are an example to the last, Comprising: It is not intending limiting the range of invention. The above-described novel embodiments and modifications can be implemented in various forms, and various omissions, replacements, 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 claims and the equivalents thereof.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... Control apparatus (parking lot control apparatus), 102 ... Vehicle control system, 103 ... Surveillance camera, 301, 410a ... CPU, 302, 410b ... ROM, 303, 410c ... RAM, 306, 410d ... SSD, 408 ... In-vehicle camera 409 ... monitor device 409a ... display unit 410 ... vehicle control device 410e ... display control unit 410f ... voice control unit 450 ... in-vehicle network 511 ... communication control unit 512 ... sensor data acquisition unit 513 ... parking Car park data management unit, 514 ... guidance route generation unit, 521 ... communication control unit, 522 ... sensor data acquisition unit, 523 ... travel control unit, 524 ... position estimation unit, M ... division marker, N ... division identification character, N1 ... Number, N2 ... alphabet, P ... parking lot, R ... parking area, V ... vehicle.

Claims (4)

A parking lot data acquisition unit for acquiring parking lot data capable of specifying an absolute position of a zone identification character installed on the road surface corresponding to each parking zone of the parking lot;
An image data acquisition unit that acquires image data obtained by an in-vehicle camera that captures a situation around the vehicle;
By detecting road surface character data related to the block identification character from the image data, a relative position of the block identification character with respect to the vehicle on the image data is calculated, and the calculated relative position and the parking data A position estimation unit that estimates an actual position of the vehicle based on an absolute position;
Based on the estimated actual position, a travel control unit that automatically travels the vehicle in the parking lot,
A vehicle control device comprising:   The position estimation unit detects a reference mark arranged in the vicinity of the section identification character corresponding to the section identification character, and detects the section identification character within a detection region specified by the reference mark. Item 4. The vehicle control device according to Item 1. Section identification characters installed on the road surface corresponding to each parking section of the parking lot,
A parking lot data holding unit holding parking lot data capable of specifying the absolute position of the section identification character;
The image data on the image data calculated by using road surface character data relating to the section identification character detected from image data obtained by an in-vehicle camera mounted on a vehicle entering the parking lot and capturing an image of the situation around the vehicle A communication unit that transmits the parking lot data to the vehicle for estimating the actual position of the vehicle by comparing the relative position of the section identification character with respect to the vehicle;
A parking lot control device comprising: It is an automatic valet parking system composed of a parking lot where division identification characters are installed on the road surface so as to correspond to a plurality of parking lots, and a vehicle that can automatically travel in the parking lot,
The parking lot is
A parking lot data holding unit for holding parking lot data capable of specifying the absolute position of the zone identification character, and parking status data indicating a parking usage status for each parking zone;
A communication unit that transmits the parking lot data and the parking situation data to the vehicle;
With
The vehicle is
A parking lot data acquisition unit for acquiring the parking lot data and the parking status data from the parking lot side;
An image data acquisition unit for acquiring image data obtained by an in-vehicle camera that images the situation around the vehicle;
By detecting road surface character data related to the block identification character from the image data, a relative position of the block identification character with respect to the vehicle on the image data is calculated, and the calculated relative position and the parking data A position estimation unit that estimates an actual position of the vehicle based on an absolute position;
Based on the estimated actual position and the parking status data, a travel control unit that automatically travels the vehicle in the parking lot,
An automatic valet parking system.

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