JP2023053667A - Vehicle guiding device, on-vehicle device, method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle guiding device capable of parking a vehicle in a parking frame of a size corresponding to the size of the vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle guiding device according to the present invention, comprises an identification unit, a first determination unit, and a guiding unit. The identification unit identifies a size of a vehicle on the basis of an image of the vehicle or size information received from the vehicle. The first determination unit determines the size of a parking frame where the vehicle is to be parked in a parking space where vehicles can be parked in accordance with the size of the vehicle identified by the identification unit. The guiding unit guides the vehicle to the parking frame.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle guidance device, an in-vehicle device, a method, and a program.

Conventionally, the technology of automatic valet parking, in which a vehicle is automatically parked under the control of a management device installed in a parking lot, and the technology of parking a vehicle in a parking lot, such as parking assistance, using an in-vehicle device installed in the vehicle are known. ing.

JP 2008-195357 A

A conventional technique for parking a vehicle in a parking lot is based on the premise that the vehicle is parked in one of the parking lots in which a plurality of parking slots are determined in advance. In such parking lots, since the size of the parking space is predetermined, there are cases where it is difficult to efficiently use the parking space, such as even a small vehicle occupying a parking space of the specified size. there were.

The present disclosure provides a vehicle guidance device, an in-vehicle device, a method, and a program that can park a vehicle in a parking frame having a size corresponding to the size of the vehicle.

A vehicle guidance device according to the present disclosure includes an identification unit, a first determination unit, and a guidance unit. The specifying unit specifies the size of the vehicle based on the image of the vehicle or the size information received from the vehicle. The first determining unit determines the size of the parking frame in which the vehicle is parked in the parking space in which the vehicle can be parked, according to the size of the vehicle specified by the specifying unit. The guiding unit guides the vehicle to the parking frame.

According to the vehicle guidance device, in-vehicle device, method, and program according to the present disclosure, the vehicle can be parked in a parking frame having a size corresponding to the size of the vehicle.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle equipped with an in-vehicle device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration near the driver's seat of the vehicle according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a parking space in which the vehicle guidance system according to the first embodiment is installed. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an in-vehicle device according to the first embodiment; FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an in-vehicle device according to the first embodiment; FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of functions of the vehicle guidance system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of markers used for calibration of vehicle size measurement by image recognition according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a parking frame according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the arrangement of parking frames according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing another example of the arrangement of parking frames according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing still another example of the arrangement of parking frames according to the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an example of functions of the in-vehicle device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of parking assistance processing executed by the in-vehicle device and the vehicle guidance device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the process flow of rearrangement of parked vehicles executed by the vehicle guidance system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing an example of functions of the vehicle guidance system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing an example of functions of an in-vehicle device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of parking assistance processing executed by the in-vehicle device and the vehicle guidance device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing an example of functions of the vehicle guidance system according to the third embodiment. FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing an example of functions of an in-vehicle device according to the third embodiment. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a map image displayed on the display device according to the third embodiment. FIG. 21 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of parking assistance processing executed by the in-vehicle device and the vehicle guidance device according to the third embodiment. FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of a place where the vehicle guidance device and the in-vehicle device can be applied. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a parking space where vehicles of different sizes are parked on weekdays and holidays.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle guidance device, an in-vehicle device, a method, and a program according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle 1 equipped with an in-vehicle device 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 includes a vehicle body 12 and two pairs of wheels 13 arranged on the vehicle body 12 along a predetermined direction. The two pairs of wheels 13 have a pair of front tires 13f and a pair of rear tires 13r.

The front tire 13f shown in FIG. 1 is an example of a first wheel in this embodiment. Also, the rear tire 13r is an example of a second wheel in this embodiment. Although the vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1 has four wheels 13, the number of wheels 13 is not limited to this. For example, vehicle 1 may be a two-wheeled vehicle.

The vehicle body 12 is coupled to wheels 13 and is movable by the wheels 13 . In this case, the predetermined direction in which the two pairs of wheels 13 are arranged is the running direction of the vehicle 1 . The vehicle 1 can move forward or backward by switching gears (not shown) or the like. In addition, the vehicle 1 can be turned right or left by steering.

Further, the vehicle body 12 has a front end portion F, which is the end portion on the front tire 13f side, and a rear end portion R, which is the end portion on the rear tire 13r side. The vehicle body 12 has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above, and the four corners of the substantially rectangular shape may be called end portions. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 includes a display device, a speaker, and an operation unit.

A pair of bumpers 14 are provided near the lower end of the vehicle body 12 at the front and rear ends F and R of the vehicle body 12 . Of the pair of bumpers 14, the front bumper 14f covers the entire front surface near the lower end of the vehicle body 12 and part of the side surface. Of the pair of bumpers 14, the rear bumper 14r covers the entire rear surface and part of the side surfaces of the vehicle body 12 near the lower end.

Wave transmitting/receiving sections 15f and 15r for transmitting and receiving sound waves such as ultrasonic waves are arranged at predetermined end portions of the vehicle body 12 . For example, one or more wave transmitting/receiving units 15f are arranged on the front bumper 14f, and one or more wave transmitting/receiving units 15r are arranged on the rear bumper 14r. Hereinafter, when the wave transmitting/receiving units 15f and 15r are not particularly limited, they are simply referred to as the wave transmitting/receiving unit 15. FIG. Also, the number and positions of the wave transmitting/receiving units 15 are not limited to the example shown in FIG. For example, the vehicle 1 may include the wave transmitting/receiving units 15 on the left and right sides.

In the present embodiment, a sonar using ultrasonic waves will be described as an example of the wave transmitting/receiving unit 15, but the wave transmitting/receiving unit 15 may be a radar that transmits/receives electromagnetic waves. Alternatively, vehicle 1 may be equipped with both sonar and radar. Also, the wave transmitting/receiving unit 15 may be simply referred to as a sensor.

The wave transmitting/receiving unit 15 detects obstacles around the vehicle 1 based on the result of transmitting/receiving sound waves or electromagnetic waves. Further, the wave transmitting/receiving unit 15 measures the distance between the obstacles around the vehicle 1 and the vehicle 1 based on the transmission/reception result of the sound wave or the electromagnetic wave.

In addition, the vehicle 1 has a first on-board camera 16a that captures the front of the vehicle 1, a second on-board camera 16b that captures the rear of the vehicle 1, a third on-board camera 16c that captures the left side of the vehicle 1, and A fourth in-vehicle camera that captures the right side of the vehicle 1 is provided. Illustration of the fourth in-vehicle camera is omitted.

Hereinafter, the first vehicle-mounted camera 16a, the second vehicle-mounted camera 16b, the third vehicle-mounted camera 16c, and the fourth vehicle-mounted camera are simply referred to as the vehicle-mounted camera 16 when not distinguished from each other. The positions and number of onboard cameras are not limited to the example shown in FIG. For example, the vehicle 1 may also include only two cameras, the first on-board camera 16a and the second on-board camera 16b. Alternatively, the vehicle 1 may have another vehicle-mounted camera in addition to the above example.

The in-vehicle camera 16 is capable of capturing an image of the surroundings of the vehicle 1, and is a camera that captures a color image, for example. The image captured by the in-vehicle camera 16 may be a moving image or a still image. In-vehicle camera 16 may be a camera built into vehicle 1, or may be a camera of a drive recorder retrofitted to vehicle 1, or the like.

An in-vehicle device 100 is mounted on the vehicle 1 . The in-vehicle device 100 is an information processing device that can be mounted in the vehicle 1, and is, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) provided inside the vehicle 1 or an OBU (On Board Unit). Alternatively, the in-vehicle device 100 may be an external device installed near the dashboard of the vehicle 1 . Note that the in-vehicle device 100 may also serve as a car navigation device or the like. The in-vehicle device 100 is an example of the in-vehicle device in this embodiment.

Next, the configuration near the driver's seat of the vehicle 1 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration near the driver's seat 130a of the vehicle 1 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 1 has a driver's seat 130a and a passenger's seat 130b. A windshield 180, a dashboard 190, a steering wheel 140, a display device 120, and operation buttons 141 are provided in front of the driver's seat 130a.

The display device 120 is a display provided on the dashboard 190 of the vehicle 1 . The display device 120 is, for example, located in the center of the dashboard 190 as shown in FIG. The display device 120 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. Moreover, the display device 120 may also serve as a touch panel. The display device 120 is an example of a display section in this embodiment.

A steering wheel 140 is provided in front of the driver's seat 130a and can be operated by the driver. The rotation angle of the steering wheel 140, that is, the steering angle, is electrically or mechanically interlocked with changes in the direction of the front tires 13f, which are the steering wheels. The steered wheels may be the rear tires 13r, or both the front tires 13f and the rear tires 13r may be steered wheels.

The operation button 141 is a button that can accept a user's operation. In addition, in this embodiment, the user is, for example, the driver of the vehicle 1 . The position of the operation button 141 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 2, and may be provided on the steering wheel 140, for example. The operation button 141 is an example of an operation unit in this embodiment. Further, when the display device 120 also serves as a touch panel, the display device 120 may be an example of an operation unit. An operation terminal capable of transmitting a signal to the vehicle 1 from outside the vehicle 1, such as a tablet terminal, a smartphone, a remote controller, or an electronic key (not shown), may also be used as an example of the operation unit.

The in-vehicle device 100 of this embodiment has a function of automatically running based on a control signal from a vehicle guidance device, which will be described later. At this time, the driver of the vehicle 1 may get off the vehicle 1 .

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a parking space 90 in which the vehicle guidance system 200 according to the first embodiment is installed.

The parking space 90 is a space in which a predetermined parking frame is not provided in advance, and has a size in which a plurality of vehicles can be parked. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the parking space 90 is a flat land converted from a playground into a temporary parking lot.

Generally, in permanent parking lots, individual parking spaces are partitioned by white lines, blocks, poles, or the like. On the other hand, when a playground or the like is used as a temporary parking lot, the parking frame is not defined in the initial state. For this reason, for example, the administrator may have to physically draw a new white line. Alternatively, if each vehicle parks freely without setting any parking slots, it may be difficult for some vehicles to leave the parking lot, or the space in the parking space may not be effectively utilized. The vehicle guidance system 200 of the present embodiment can manage parking spaces for vehicles in parking spaces where such parking spaces are not defined, even if a manager or the like does not physically set parking spaces with white lines or the like. can.

A place that can be used as the parking space 90 is not limited to the playground. For example, the parking space 90 may be an open space, a riverbed, an event site, a port, a space inside a ship, a road, or the like. When the road is used as the parking space 90, it is assumed that a side road or a one-way lane is used as the parking space 90, for example. The arrangement of the parking frames in the parking space 90 is not limited to the arrangement in which the vehicles are parallel to each other, and may be arranged for diagonal parking or parallel parking. In addition, ``there is no predetermined parking space'' means not only when there is no parking space mark such as a white line, but also when the parking space is marked with a white line or the like. A case of ignoring the mark in using the space 90 is also included.

Vehicle guidance device 200 is, for example, a server device or a PC (Personal Computer), and is connected to camera 5 in parking space 90 by wired or wireless means. Note that the installation location of the vehicle guidance device 200 is not particularly limited. For example, the vehicle guidance device 200 may be provided in the parking space 90 or may be provided in a management facility or the like near the parking space 90 .

A camera 5 is installed in the parking space 90 . The camera 5 may be a fixed camera that was originally installed in the parking space 90, or may be a camera newly installed temporarily to use a playground or the like as the parking space 90. Note that the camera 5 may also serve as a security camera, a surveillance camera, or the like.

The camera 5 is installed at a position capable of photographing the entire parking space 90 and the vehicle 1 positioned at the entrance of the parking space 90 . Although one camera 5 is illustrated in FIG. 3 , a plurality of cameras 5 may be installed in one parking space 90 .

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle guidance device 200 and the camera 5 are connected by a cable 3 so as to be communicable. The communication method between the vehicle guidance device 200 and the camera 5 is not limited to a direct wired connection, and wireless communication may be used, or an indirect connection may be made via another information processing device or the like. .

FIG. 3 shows the vehicle 1 stopped at the entrance of the parking space 90 . Further, in the parking space 90, there are already parked other vehicles 1a to 1d. Vehicle guidance system 200 determines the size of a parking frame in which each vehicle 1, 1a-1d is parked according to the size of vehicle 1 and other vehicles 1a-1d. In the present embodiment, the parking frame determined by the vehicle guidance system 200 is not an area physically demarcated by white lines or the like, but an area virtually defined as position coordinates within the parking space 90 . Therefore, the size of the parking frame is not uniform, but varies according to the size of each vehicle 1, 1a-1d. The parking frame determined by the vehicle guidance system 200 may be referred to as a virtual parking frame. Further, in this embodiment, in addition to the size of the parking frame, the position of the parking frame is also variable according to the sizes of the vehicle 1 and the other vehicles 1a to 1d. The position of the parking frame does not necessarily have to be variable according to the size of the vehicle, and at least the size of the parking frame should be variable according to the size of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle guidance system 200 stores, as map information 9, information indicating the sizes and positions of parking frames 900a-900d set for each of the vehicles 1a-1d. The positions of the parking frames 900 a to 900 d are the position coordinates of the parking frames 900 a to 900 d within the parking space 90 . Hereinafter, the individual parking frames 900a to 900d are simply referred to as the parking frame 900 when not distinguished.

The vehicle guidance system 200 of this embodiment uses the map information 9 to guide the vehicle 1 to the parking frame. In this embodiment, automatic valet parking technology is employed as a method of guidance. The vehicle guidance device 200 guides the vehicle 1 to the parking frame 900 by transmitting the driving route information indicating the driving route to the parking frame 900 to the in-vehicle device 100 mounted on the vehicle 1 .

Next, hardware configurations of the in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle guidance device 200 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the in-vehicle device 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the in-vehicle device 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11A, a ROM 11B, a RAM 11C, a device I/F (interface) 11D, a CAN (Controller Area Network) I/F 11E, and a NW (NetWork) I/F 11F. , HDD 11G, etc. are interconnected by a bus 11H, and the hardware configuration is such that a normal computer is used.

The CPU 11A is an arithmetic device that controls the entire ECU. Note that the CPU 11A is an example of a processor in the in-vehicle device 100 of this embodiment, and another processor or processing circuit may be provided instead of the CPU 11A.

The ROM 11B, RAM 11C, and HDD 11G function as storage units. For example, the ROM 11B stores programs and the like for realizing various processes by the CPU 11A. The RAM 11C is, for example, a main storage device of the in-vehicle device 100, and stores data required for various processes by the CPU 11A.

The device I/F 11D is an interface connectable with various devices. For example, the device I/F 11D connects with the GPS device 11l and acquires position information indicating the current position of the vehicle 1 from the GPS device 11l. The position information is, for example, latitude and longitude values indicating the absolute position of the vehicle 1 .

The GPS device 11l is a device that specifies GPS coordinates representing the position of the vehicle 1 based on the GPS signal received by the GPS antenna 11J. The GPS antenna 11J is an antenna capable of receiving GPS signals.

Further, the device I/F 11D acquires images, detection results, and the like from the vehicle-mounted camera 16 and the wave transmitting/receiving unit 15 .

The CAN I/F 11E is an interface for transmitting and receiving information to and from other ECUs mounted on the vehicle 1 via the CAN within the vehicle 1 . Note that a communication standard other than CAN may be adopted.

The NW I/F 11F is a communication device capable of communicating with an external information processing device such as the vehicle guidance device 200 via a network such as the Internet. Wireless communication between the vehicle guidance device 200 and the in-vehicle device 100 includes, for example, a public line such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) (registered trademark), and a proximity network such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark). Distance communication or the like may be employed. In addition, the NW I/F 11F of the in-vehicle device 100 may wirelessly communicate with the vehicle guidance device 200 directly, or may wirelessly communicate with the vehicle guidance device 200 indirectly via another device such as an information processing device. You may

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the vehicle guidance system 200 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle guidance system 200 includes a CPU 21A, a ROM 21B, a RAM 21C, a device I/F 21D, a NW I/F 21E, an HDD 21F, etc., which are interconnected via a bus 21G. It is configured.

Note that the hardware configurations of the in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle guidance device 200 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are examples, and the present invention is not limited to this.

Next, functions of the vehicle guidance system 200 of this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of functions of the vehicle guidance system 200 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6 , the vehicle guidance system 200 includes a communication section 201 , an acquisition section 202 , an identification section 203 , a parking frame determination section 204 , a travel route determination section 205 and a storage section 250 .

The storage unit 250 is configured by, for example, the ROM 21B, the RAM 21C, or the HDD 21F. Although one storage unit 250 is included in the vehicle guidance system 200 in FIG. 6 , a plurality of storage media may function as the storage unit 250 .

The communication unit 201, the acquisition unit 202, the identification unit 203, the parking frame determination unit 204, and the travel route determination unit 205 are functions executed by the CPU 21A reading a program stored in the ROM 21B or the HDD 21F, for example. Alternatively, a wordware circuit having these functions may be provided in the vehicle guidance system 200. FIG.

The communication unit 201 communicates with the in-vehicle device 100 via the NW I/F 21E. For example, the communication unit 201 receives vehicle information of the vehicle 1 from the in-vehicle device 100 mounted on the vehicle 1 when the vehicle 1 enters the communication range of the vehicle guidance device 200 . Vehicle information includes identification information, such as ID which can specify the vehicle 1, for example.

Further, the communication unit 201 transmits, to the in-vehicle device 100 mounted on the vehicle 1, the travel route information indicating the travel route to the parking frame determined by the parking space determination unit 204, which will be described later. The vehicle 1 is driven along. In this embodiment, transmitting the travel route information to the in-vehicle device 100 is an example of guiding the vehicle 1 to the parking frame. The communication unit 201 is an example of a guiding unit in this embodiment.

Acquisition unit 202 acquires an image captured by camera 5 from camera 5 .

The specifying unit 203 specifies the size of the vehicle 1 based on the image of the vehicle 1 captured by the camera 5 . For example, the identifying unit 203 recognizes the vehicle 1 depicted in the image and estimates the size of the recognized vehicle 1 by an image recognition method. In this embodiment, the size of the vehicle 1 is at least the vertical and horizontal lengths of the vehicle body 12 of the vehicle 1 . Also, the size of the vehicle 1 may include the height of the vehicle 1 . For example, when the parking space 90 is indoors, information on the height of the vehicle 1 may be useful in determining parking slots.

Further, in order to estimate the size of the vehicle 1, the identifying unit 203 may perform calibration of the measurement reference in advance before starting actual operation.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a marker 600 used for calibration of measurement of the size of the vehicle 1 by image recognition according to the first embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 7, a marker 600 is installed on the upper surface of a vehicle 60 for calibration. The marker 600 is a plate or the like having a specified size. After the camera 5 is installed in the parking space 90, the camera 5 photographs the vehicle 60 on which the marker 600 is placed. At this time, the vehicle 60 stops at a position where the vehicle 1 is photographed during actual operation, such as the entrance of the parking space 90, for example. In this embodiment, an image in which the marker 600 is captured is called a reference image.

Returning to FIG. 6, the specifying unit 203 recognizes the scale relationship between the length on the image and the actual length based on the reference image. With such calibration, the identifying unit 203 can identify the size of the vehicle 1 based on the image of the vehicle 1 captured. Note that this calibration method is just an example, and other methods may be used to identify the size of the vehicle 1 .

The parking frame determining unit 204 determines the size of the parking frame 900 in which the vehicle 1 is parked in the parking space 90 according to the size of the vehicle 1 specified by the specifying unit 203 . In this embodiment, the parking frame determination unit 204 also determines the position of the parking frame 900 in which the vehicle 1 is parked in the parking space 90 according to the size of the vehicle 1 specified by the specifying unit 203 . The parking frame determination unit 204 is an example of a first determination unit according to this embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of parking frames 900a to 900e according to the first embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the parking frame determination unit 204 has already determined parking frames 900a to 900d for the vehicles 1a to 1d. As shown in FIG. 8, the parking frames 900a-900d have different sizes according to the sizes of the vehicles 1a-1d.

In addition, the parking space determination unit 204 identifies the range of the parking space 90 before allocating the parking spaces 900a-900d to the respective vehicles 1a-1d. For example, the parking frame determination unit 204 identifies the range of the parking space based on the image of the parking space 90 captured by the camera 5 . The parking frame determination unit 204 may identify the range of the parking space 90 by, for example, recognizing the outline of a plane used as the parking space 90 by image recognition. For example, when the entire playground is used as the parking space 90 , the fence provided around the playground serves as the outline of the parking space 90 . Alternatively, a prescribed pole, white line, pylon (traffic cone), or the like may be provided at the outer edge of the area used as the parking space 90 . In this case, the parking frame determining unit 204 identifies the range of the parking space 90 by recognizing such prescribed poles, white lines, pylons, or the like. Note that the method of specifying the range of the parking space 90 is not limited to these examples.

In addition, the parking frame determination unit 204 determines an area in which the parking frame 900 is not provided in the identified parking space 90 . The area where the parking frame 900 is not provided is an area where obstacles such as trees and other objects exist. The parking frame determination unit 204 may also determine the area 950 for the travel route of the vehicles 1, 1a to 1d as an area in which the parking frame 900 is not provided. The parking frame determination unit 204 stores the specified range of the parking space 90 and the area in the range where the parking frame 900 is not provided in the storage unit 250 as the map information 9 . The parking frame determination unit 204 stores the determined parking frame 900 in the map information 9 every time it determines the parking frame 900a to 900e for each vehicle 1, 1a to 1d. In addition, for the travel route area 950 of the vehicles 1, 1a to 1d, the parking frame determination unit 204, for example, temporarily determines the travel route area 950 before the start of operation, and each vehicle 1, 1a to 1d. The position and size of the travel route area 950 may be changed according to the positions and sizes of the parking frames 900a to 900e.

When the vehicle 1 newly enters the parking space 90 as shown in FIG. For example, the parking frame determination unit 204 determines the size of the parking frame 900e according to the vertical and horizontal lengths of the vehicle 1 specified by the specifying unit 203 . The size of the parking frame 900 e may be the same as the size of the vehicle 1 or may have a specified margin from the size of the vehicle 1 . For example, the parking frame determination unit 204 determines the length obtained by adding the specified margin length to the vertical and horizontal lengths of the vehicle 1 as the vertical and horizontal lengths of the parking frame 900e. When the parking space 90 is indoors and the height of the ceiling varies depending on the location, the parking frame determining unit 204 determines the height of the parking frame 900e according to the height of the vehicle 1 specified by the specifying unit 203. You can decide.

Then, the parking frame determination unit 204 determines the position of the parking frame 900e in a region other than the parking spaces 900a to 900d and not in the area where the obstacle exists in the parking space 90. At this time, the parking frame determination unit 204 determines the position of the parking frame 900e so that the empty space of the parking space 90 can be effectively used.

In addition, the parking frame determination unit 204 may determine the size and position of the parking frame 900e not only based on the size of the vehicle 1, but also based on other factors. For example, the parking frame determination unit 204 may determine the size and position of the parking frame 900e by taking into consideration any or all of the scheduled time of leaving the vehicle 1, the order of leaving the parking lot, the application, and the characteristics.

The scheduled leaving time of the vehicle 1 is, for example, information indicating "how many hours after the time the vehicle 1 leaves the parking lot" or "what time it leaves the parking lot". For example, the driver of the vehicle 1 inputs the information indicating the scheduled leaving time to the in-vehicle device 100 . The vehicle information transmitted from the in-vehicle device 100 to the vehicle guidance device 200 may include information indicating the scheduled leaving time.

The delivery order is, for example, an estimated delivery order on the assumption that the vehicles 1, 1a to 1d leave the parking space 90 in the order in which they entered.

The usage is, for example, transportation of luggage. For example, when the parking space 90 is an event site, a parking frame for a vehicle carrying luggage for setting up an event has a working space for loading and unloading luggage in addition to the size of the vehicle body 12 of the vehicle. 900 is required. Therefore, the parking frame determination unit 204 changes the size of the parking frame 900 according to the application of the vehicle 1 . Vehicle information transmitted from the in-vehicle device 100 to the vehicle guidance device 200 may include information indicating the application. The parking frame determining unit 204 allocates, for example, the size of the parking frame 900 for the cargo-carrying vehicle to be 1.5 times the size of the parking frame 900 for the small passenger car.

The characteristic is, for example, that a wheelchair is placed. When the vehicle 1 is loaded with a wheelchair, a parking frame 900 with a space for putting in and out the wheelchair is required in addition to the size of the vehicle body 12 of the vehicle. Vehicle information transmitted from the in-vehicle device 100 to the vehicle guidance device 200 may include information indicating characteristics.

Further, when it is predetermined that the vehicle 1 is parked in the parking space 90, the storage unit 250 of the vehicle guidance device 200 stores the identification information of the vehicle 1, the scheduled time of leaving the vehicle 1, the order of leaving the vehicle, the purpose of use, and so on. and characteristics may be stored in association with each other. Alternatively, the identification unit 203 described above recognizes a wheelchair mark affixed to the vehicle body 12 or the like of the vehicle 1, or a permit for a vehicle for transporting luggage, etc., from the image captured by the camera 5, so that the purpose or A characteristic may be specified.

In FIG. 8, the parking frame determination unit 204 arranges the parking frames 900a to 900e in the same direction, but the arrangement of the parking frames 900 is not limited to this. 9 to 11 are examples of variations of the arrangement of the parking frame 900. FIG.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the arrangement of parking frames 900 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, the parking frame determination unit 204 may arrange the parking frames 900f to 900m in a non-uniform vertical and horizontal direction.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing another example of the arrangement of the parking frame 900 according to the first embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the vehicle 1e carries a wheelchair. Therefore, the parking frame determination unit 204 makes the parking frame 900n for the vehicle 1e larger than the other parking frames 900f to 900i and 900k to 900m.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing still another example of the arrangement of the parking frame 900 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, the parking frame determination unit 204 may determine parking spaces 900o to 900v and parking spaces 950a to 950h for vehicles parked in the parking spaces 900o to 900v as a set.

Further, when one of the plurality of vehicles 1a to 1d parked in the parking space 90 leaves the parking space 90, the parking frame determination unit 204 rearranges the remaining vehicles. For example, when the vehicle 1b leaves the parking lot, the parking frame determination unit 204 determines at least one of the sizes of the remaining vehicles 1a, 1c, and 1d that have not left the parking lot, the positional relationship, the scheduled time to leave the parking lot, the order of leaving the parking lot, the application, and the characteristics. According to one, the position of the parking frame 900a, 900c, 900d set to each of the remaining parked vehicles 1a, 1c, 1d is changed.

Returning to FIG. 6 , the travel route determining unit 205 determines a travel route for parking the vehicle 1 in the parking frame 900 . The travel route determination unit 205 is an example of a second determination unit in this embodiment.

For example, in the example shown in FIG. 8, the travel route determining unit 205 determines a travel route 800 for moving the vehicle 1 from the entrance of the parking space 90 to the parking frame 900e. The travel route determination unit 205 sends the determined travel route 800 to the communication unit 201 . The communication unit 201 transmits travel route information indicating the travel route 800 to the in-vehicle device 100 .

Next, the functions of the in-vehicle device 100 of this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an example of functions of the in-vehicle device 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12 , in-vehicle device 100 includes communication unit 101 , acquisition unit 102 , reception unit 103 , display control unit 104 , travel control unit 105 , and storage unit 150 .

The storage unit 150 is configured by, for example, a ROM 11B, a RAM 11C, or an HDD 11G. Although one storage unit 150 is included in the in-vehicle device 100 in FIG. 12 , multiple storage media may function as the storage unit 150 .

The communication unit 101, the acquisition unit 102, the reception unit 103, the display control unit 104, and the running control unit 105 are functions executed by the CPU 11A reading programs stored in the ROM 11B or the HDD 11G, for example. Alternatively, a wordware circuit having these functions may be provided in the in-vehicle device 100 .

The communication unit 101 directly or indirectly communicates with the vehicle guidance device 200 via the NW I/F 11F. For example, the communication unit 101 may broadcast vehicle information around the vehicle 1 . In this case, when the vehicle 1 enters the communication range of the vehicle guidance device 200 , the vehicle information of the vehicle 1 is received by the vehicle guidance device 200 . Alternatively, the communication unit 101 may transmit vehicle information according to the operation of the driver of the vehicle 1 .

The communication unit 101 receives travel route information indicating a travel route 800 to the parking frame 900ae determined according to the size of the vehicle 1 from the vehicle guidance device 200 .

Acquisition unit 102 via device I/F and CAN I/F. Get various information. For example, the acquisition unit 102 acquires an image of the surroundings of the vehicle 1 from the in-vehicle camera 16 via the device I/F 11D. The acquisition unit 102 also acquires the detection result of the obstacles around the vehicle 1 from the wave transmission/reception unit 15 via the device I/F 11D.

The reception unit 103 receives various operations from the driver of the vehicle 1 via the operation buttons 141 . Moreover, when the display device 120 includes a touch panel, the reception unit 103 receives various operations from the driver of the vehicle 1 input to the touch panel.

The display control unit 104 causes the display device 120 to display various images and a GUI (Graphical User Interface).

The travel control unit 105 automatically travels the vehicle 1 to the parking frame 900 e based on the travel route information transmitted from the vehicle guidance device 200 . The travel control unit 105 controls steering, braking, and acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle 1 . Further, the travel control unit 105 controls the travel of the vehicle 1 based on the image captured by the vehicle-mounted camera 16 around the vehicle 1 and the distance from the obstacles around the vehicle 1 detected by the wave transmitting/receiving unit 15. . Further, the travel control unit 105 may estimate the self-position based on the image captured by the vehicle-mounted camera 16 around the vehicle 1 and the GPS position information, and correct the positional deviation from the travel route 800 . Note that the self-position estimation method is not limited to this. For example, the travel control unit 105 performs self-position estimation based on the radio wave intensity of Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and self-position estimation based on the size of surrounding vehicles or the relative position of the vehicle 1 with respect to surrounding vehicles. good too.

Next, the flow of processing executed by the in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle guidance device 200 configured as described above will be described.

FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of parking assistance processing executed by the in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle guidance device 200 according to the first embodiment. As a premise of the processing of this sequence diagram, it is assumed that the vehicle 1 is stopped at the entrance of the parking space 90 .

First, the communication unit 101 of the in-vehicle device 100 transmits vehicle information of the vehicle 1 (S1). Then, the communication unit 201 of the vehicle guidance device 200 receives the vehicle information of the vehicle 1 transmitted from the vehicle 1 .

Then, the acquiring unit 202 of the vehicle guidance device 200 acquires an image of the vehicle 1 captured by the camera 5 (S2).

The specifying unit 203 of the vehicle guidance device 200 specifies the size of the vehicle 1 from the image of the vehicle 1 captured by the camera 5 (S3).

Then, the parking frame determining unit 204 of the vehicle guidance device 200 determines the size and position of the parking frame 900e in which the vehicle 1 is parked in the parking space 90 according to the size of the vehicle 1 specified by the specifying unit 203 ( S4). The parking frame determination unit 204 adds the determined size and position of the parking frame 900 e to the map information stored in the storage unit 250 .

Then, the travel route determination unit 205 of the vehicle guidance device 200 determines the travel route 800 for moving the vehicle 1 from the entrance of the parking space 90 to the parking frame 900e (S5).

The communication unit 201 transmits travel route information indicating the travel route 800 determined by the travel route determination unit 205 to the in-vehicle device 100 (S6). The communication unit 101 of the in-vehicle device 100 receives travel route information from the vehicle guidance device 200 .

Then, the travel control unit 105 of the in-vehicle device 100 automatically travels the vehicle 1 to the parking frame 900e based on the travel route information transmitted from the vehicle guidance device 200 (S7). When the vehicle 1 automatically runs and parks in the parking frame 900e, the processing of this sequence diagram ends.

Moreover, when another vehicle newly arrives at the entrance of the parking space 90, the process is repeatedly executed. When another vehicle newly enters the parking space 90, the parking frame determination unit 204 of the vehicle guidance device 200 determines the other vehicle to park in the parking space 90 according to the size of the other vehicle. The size and position of the parking frame are determined, and the map information 9 stored in the storage unit 250 is updated with the other determined size and position of the parking frame.

Next, the flow of processing for rearranging the parked vehicles executed by the vehicle guidance system 200 of this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the process flow of rearrangement of parked vehicles executed by the vehicle guidance system 200 according to the first embodiment. The processing is continuously executed while the parking space 90 is operated.

The specifying unit 203 of the vehicle guidance device 200 determines whether or not any of the vehicles 1, 1a to 1d has left the parking space 90 based on the image captured by the camera 5 (S401). The means for determining whether the vehicles 1, 1a to 1d have left the parking lot is not limited to image recognition. .

When none of the vehicles 1, 1a-1d leaves the parking space 90 (S401 "No"), the process of S401 is repeated.

If any of the vehicles 1, 1a to 1d has left the parking space 90 (S401 "Yes"), the parking frame determination unit 204 determines whether or not the remaining vehicles need to be replaced (S402). For example, when the vehicle 1b leaves the parking space 90 with the vehicles 1, 1a to 1d parked in the parking space 90, the parking frame determination unit 204 determines the sizes of the remaining vehicles 1, 1a, 1c, and 1d that have not left the parking space. Depending on the positional relationship, the scheduled departure time, the order of departure, the usage, and the characteristics, at least one, the parking frame set for each of the remaining vehicles 1,1a, 1c, and 1D that are not opened is 900A, 900c, It is determined whether or not the positions of 900d and 900e need to be replaced (S402).

For example, the parking frame determination unit 204 determines whether the positions of the parking frames 900a, 900c, 900d, and 900e are not changed, or when they are changed. , and if it is determined that changing the positions of the parking frames 900a, 900c, 900d, and 900e can make more effective use of the space in the parking space 90 or save labor in moving the vehicle when leaving the garage, It is determined that the parking frames 900a, 900c, 900d, and 900e need to be replaced. In addition, when there are multiple patterns of arrangement after the change, the parking frame determination unit 204 compares the degree of contribution to effective use of the space of the parking space 90 of each pattern or labor saving of vehicle movement at the time of leaving the garage, and compares the degree of contribution. Identify patterns with high levels of Note that the criteria for judging the necessity of replacement are not limited to the effective use of the parking space 90 and the labor saving of moving the vehicle when leaving the garage.

Then, when the parking frame determination unit 204 determines that the remaining vehicles 1, 1a, 1c, and 1d that have not left the parking lot, that is, the parking frames 900a, 900c, 900d, and 900e of the remaining vehicles need to be replaced (S403 " Yes"), the positions of the parking frames 900a, 900c, 900d, and 900e after replacement are determined (S404).

When the sizes of the plurality of parking spaces 900 are different, the parking space determination unit 204 may replace one parking space 900 with the plurality of parking spaces 900 . For example, if the size of the parking space 900 for the cargo delivery vehicle is 1.5 times the size of the parking space 900 for the small passenger car, the parking space determination unit 204 , a parking slot 900 for three small passenger cars may be set in a place where two parking slots 900 for two cargo delivery vehicles were provided, and three small passenger cars may be guided. In addition to the rearrangement process, when allocating a parking space to a vehicle newly entering the parking space 90, the parking space determining unit 204 determines that the two parking spaces 900 for two cargo loading vehicles are provided. A parking frame 900 for three small passenger cars may be set in the place where the parking lot was located, and the three small passenger cars may be guided.

The travel route determination unit 205 determines a travel route along which the vehicles 1, 1a, 1c, and 1d travel to the positions of the parking frames 900a, 900c, 900d, and 900e after the replacement (S405).

The communication unit 201 transmits the travel route information to the vehicle to be moved among the vehicles 1, 1a, 1c, and 1d (S406). Note that when the travel routes of the vehicles do not overlap, the travel route determination unit 205 may transmit the travel route information to each vehicle at once. In addition, when the travel routes of the vehicles overlap, the travel route determination unit 205 sequentially transmits the travel route information to each vehicle. If any of the vehicles 1, 1a, 1c, and 1d is not a moving target, the communication unit 201 does not transmit the travel route information to the non-moving vehicle.

When all the vehicles 1, 1a, 1c, and 1d are parked in the parking frames 900a, 900c, 900d, and 900e after the replacement, the travel route determination unit 205 determines that the replacement of the remaining vehicles has been completed (S407). The travel route determination unit 205 may determine whether or not the replacement of the remaining vehicles has been completed based on an image of the parking space 90 captured by the camera 5, or may determine whether or not each vehicle 1, 1a, 1c, 1d is parked. The determination may be made by receiving a completion signal.

The processes of S406 to S407 are repeated until the travel route determination unit 205 determines that the replacement of the remaining vehicles is completed (S407 "No").

In addition, the parking frame determining unit 204 determines whether the positions of the parking frames 900a, 900c, 900d, and 900e are changed, and the degree of effective use of the space in the parking space 90 or labor saving in moving the vehicle when exiting the parking space. If it is determined that there is no change or that it is better not to change, it is determined that the parking frames 900a, 900c, 900d, and 900e of the remaining vehicles do not need to be replaced (S403 "No"). In this case, the process returns to S401.

If the use of the parking space 90 has not ended after it is determined that the remaining vehicles have been replaced ("No" in S408), the process returns to S401. Also, when the use of the parking space 90 ends, the process ends. The end of use of the parking space 90 may be determined by the manager operating the vehicle guidance device 200, for example.

As described above, the vehicle guidance system 200 of the present embodiment specifies the size of the vehicle 1 based on the captured image of the vehicle 1, and adjusts the size of the vehicle 1 in the parking space 90 according to the specified size of the vehicle 1. determines the size of the parking frame 900e for parking. Then, the vehicle guidance device 200 guides the vehicle 1 to the parking frame 900e whose size and position have been determined. Therefore, according to the vehicle guidance system 200 of the present embodiment, the vehicle 1 can be parked in the parking frame 900e having a size corresponding to the size of the vehicle 1 .

Moreover, the vehicle guidance system 200 of this embodiment further determines the position of the parking frame 900 where the vehicle 1 parks according to the specified size of the vehicle 1 . That is, the vehicle guidance system 200 of this embodiment can change the arrangement of the plurality of parking frames 900 in the parking space 90 according to the size of the vehicle 1 . Therefore, according to the vehicle guidance system 200 of this embodiment, the space in the parking space 90 can be effectively utilized.

Further, the vehicle guidance system 200 of the present embodiment determines the travel route 800 for parking the vehicle 1 in the parking frame 900e, and displays the travel route 800 to the parking frame 900e in the in-vehicle device 100 mounted on the vehicle 1. By transmitting the route information, the vehicle 1 is caused to travel along the travel route 800 . Therefore, the vehicle guidance system 200 of this embodiment functions as an automatic valet system that automatically drives the vehicle 1 to the parking frame 900e.

Further, the vehicle guidance system 200 of this embodiment, when one of the plurality of parked vehicles 1, 1a, 1c, and 1d parked in the parking space 90 leaves the parking space, the remaining parked vehicles that have not left the parking space The position of the parking frame set for each of the remaining parked vehicles is changed according to at least one of the size of the parked vehicles, the positional relationship, the scheduled time of leaving the parking lot, the order of leaving the parking lot, the usage, and the characteristics. In addition, the vehicle guiding device 200 of the present embodiment guides the parked vehicle whose parking frame has been changed among the remaining parked vehicles to the changed parking frame. Therefore, according to the vehicle guidance system 200 of the present embodiment, when the vehicles in the parking space 90 leave the parking space 90, the remaining vehicles can be appropriately rearranged.

Further, the vehicle guidance system 200 of the present embodiment may determine the position of the parking frame 900e in which the vehicle 1 parks according to the scheduled time of leaving the vehicle 1 or the order of leaving the vehicle. Further, the vehicle guidance system 200 of the present embodiment may determine the position of the parking frame 900e in which the vehicle 1 is parked according to the application or characteristics of the vehicle 1 . Therefore, according to the vehicle guidance system 200 of the present embodiment, the parking frame 900e of the vehicle 1 can be determined appropriately in consideration of other conditions in addition to the size of the vehicle 1 .

In addition, the vehicle guidance system 200 of the present embodiment specifies the range of the parking space 90 based on the image of the parking space 90, determines the area in which the parking frame 900 is not provided in the parking space 90, and determines the content of the determination. is stored in the storage unit 250 as map information.

The in-vehicle device 100 of this embodiment communicates directly or indirectly with the vehicle guidance device 200 . The in-vehicle device 100 of the present embodiment receives travel route information indicating a travel route 800 to the parking frame 900 e determined according to the size of the vehicle 1 from the vehicle guidance device 200 . Then, the in-vehicle device 100 of the present embodiment causes the vehicle 1 to automatically travel to the parking frame 900 e based on the travel route information transmitted from the vehicle guidance device 200 . Therefore, according to the in-vehicle device 100 of the present embodiment, the vehicle 1 can be parked in the parking frame 900e determined according to the size of the vehicle 1 in the parking space 90 where no white line or the like is provided in advance. .

In this embodiment, the vehicle 1 is described as being self-propelled by the wheels 13 coupled to the vehicle body 12. However, a configuration in which the vehicle body 12 is placed on an automatic guided vehicle or the like to move is also an example of the vehicle 1. shall be included.

(Second embodiment)
In the first embodiment described above, the vehicle guidance device 200 determines the travel route along which the vehicle 1 travels to the parking frame 900e. In this second embodiment, the in-vehicle device 100 determines the travel route.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing an example of functions of the vehicle guidance system 200 according to the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 15 , the vehicle guidance system 200 of this embodiment includes a communication section 1201 , an acquisition section 202 , an identification section 203 , a parking frame determination section 204 and a storage section 250 . The acquisition unit 202, the identification unit 203, the parking frame determination unit 204, and the storage unit 250 have the same functions as in the first embodiment.

The communication unit 1201 of this embodiment guides the vehicle 1 by transmitting information indicating the position and size of the parking frame 900e to the in-vehicle device 100 in addition to the same function as in the first embodiment. The communication unit 1201 is an example of a guiding unit in this embodiment.

In this embodiment, the information indicating the position and size of the parking frame 900e is the map information 9 stored in the storage unit 250, for example. Note that the communication unit 1201 adds information that enables the parking frame 900e allocated to the vehicle 1 to be distinguished from the other parking spaces 900 to the map information 9 stored in the storage unit 250, and then transmits the information to the in-vehicle device 100. . The parking frame determining unit 204 may generate information indicating the position and size of the parking frame 900e.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing an example of functions of the in-vehicle device 100 according to the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 16, the in-vehicle device 100 of this embodiment includes a communication unit 1101, an acquisition unit 102, a reception unit 103, a display control unit 104, a travel control unit 1105, a travel route determination unit 106, and a storage unit 150. . The acquisition unit 102, the reception unit 103, the display control unit 104, and the storage unit 150 have functions similar to those of the first embodiment.

The communication unit 1101 receives information indicating the position and size of the parking frame 900e from the vehicle guidance device 200 in addition to the functions similar to those of the first embodiment.

The travel route determining unit 106 determines a travel route for moving the vehicle 1 to the parking frame 900e based on the information transmitted from the vehicle guidance device 200 indicating the position and size of the parking frame 900e.

The travel control unit 1105 causes the vehicle 1 to automatically travel based on the travel route determined by the travel route determination unit 106 . The method of automatic driving is the same as in the first embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of parking assistance processing executed by the in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle guidance device 200 according to the second embodiment.

From the vehicle information transmission process of S1 to the determination process of the parking frame 900e of S4, it is the same as the process of 1st Embodiment demonstrated in FIG.

Next, the communication unit 1201 of the vehicle guidance device 200 of the present embodiment transmits information indicating the position and size of the parking frame 900e, such as map information 9, to the in-vehicle device 100 (S101). The communication unit 1101 of the in-vehicle device 100 receives the map information 9 from the vehicle guidance device 200 .

Then, the travel route determining unit 106 of the in-vehicle device 100 of the present embodiment determines a travel route for moving the vehicle 1 to the parking frame 900e based on the map information 9 (S102).

Then, the travel control unit 1105 of the in-vehicle device 100 of the present embodiment automatically travels the vehicle 1 to the parking frame 900e based on the travel route determined by the travel route determination unit 106 (S103). When the vehicle 1 automatically runs and parks in the parking frame 900e, the processing of this sequence diagram ends.

Thus, the vehicle guidance system 200 of this embodiment guides the vehicle 1 by transmitting information indicating the position and size of the parking frame 900e to the vehicle 1 . Therefore, according to the vehicle guidance system 200 of the present embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, and even if the vehicle 1 does not correspond to the control by the automatic valet, the vehicle 1 The vehicle 1 can be parked in the parking frame 900e by utilizing the parking assistance function of the in-vehicle device 100 mounted on the vehicle.

In addition, the in-vehicle device 100 of the present embodiment determines a travel route for moving the vehicle 1 to the parking frame 900e based on the information indicating the position and size of the parking frame 900e transmitted from the vehicle guidance device 200, and determines the route. The vehicle 1 is automatically driven on the basis of the determined driving route. Therefore, according to the in-vehicle device 100 of the present embodiment, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained, and even if the vehicle 1 does not correspond to the control by the automatic valet, the vehicle guidance device The vehicle 1 can be parked in the designated parking frame 900e.

(Third Embodiment)
In the above-mentioned 1st, 2nd embodiment, the vehicle 1 was moving to the parking frame 900e by automatic driving|running|working. This third embodiment corresponds to the case where the driver manually drives the vehicle 1 .

FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing an example of functions of the vehicle guidance system 200 according to the third embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 18 , the vehicle guidance system 200 of this embodiment includes a communication section 2201 , an acquisition section 202 , an identification section 203 , a parking frame determination section 204 , a travel route determination section 1205 and a storage section 250 . The acquisition unit 202, the identification unit 203, the parking frame determination unit 204, and the storage unit 250 have the same functions as in the first embodiment.

The communication unit 2201 of this embodiment guides the vehicle 1 by transmitting image data indicating the position and size of the parking frame 900e to the in-vehicle device 100 in addition to the same function as in the first embodiment. The communication unit 2201 is an example of a guiding unit in this embodiment.

Further, the travel route determination unit 1205 of the present embodiment determines the travel route 800 for parking the vehicle 1 in the parking frame 900, as in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the travel route 800 determined by the travel route determination unit 1205 is a recommended travel route for reference in manual driving by the driver of the vehicle 1 .

In the present embodiment, the image data representing the position and size of the parking frame 900e is image data representing the map information 9 and image data representing the travel route 800, for example. In this embodiment, image data representing the map information 9 and image data representing the travel route 800 are collectively referred to as map image data. The map image data is generated by the parking frame determination unit 204 or the travel route determination unit 1205 .

Note that the vehicle guidance device 200 does not have to include the travel route determination unit 1205 . In this case, the map image data does not include image data indicating the travel route 800 .

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing an example of functions of the in-vehicle device 100 according to the third embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 19 , the in-vehicle device 100 of this embodiment includes a communication section 2101 , an acquisition section 102 , a reception section 103 , a display control section 2104 and a storage section 150 . Acquisition unit 102, reception unit 103, and storage unit 150 have the same functions as in the first embodiment.

The communication unit 2101 receives information indicating the position and size of the parking frame 900e, such as map image data, from the vehicle guidance device 200, in addition to the functions similar to those of the first embodiment.

The display control unit 2104 displays the map image data received from the vehicle guidance device 200 as a map image on the display device 120 in addition to the functions similar to those of the first embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a map image 121 displayed on the display device 120 according to the third embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 20, the map image 121 includes a parking space image 91 showing a parking space 90, a traveling area image 951 showing a traveling route area 950, and parking frames 900a to 900d where other vehicles 1a to 1d are already parked. Parked parking frame images 901a to 901d showing the target parking frame image 901e showing the parking frame 900e assigned to the vehicle 1, the icon image 122 showing the current position of the vehicle 1, and the traveling route image 801 showing the traveling route 800 include. Note that the map image 121 may further include icon images representing other vehicles 1a to 1d.

By viewing the map image 121, the driver of the vehicle 1 can grasp the position and size of the parking frame 900e.

In this embodiment, the vehicle guidance device 200 generates the map image data, but the display control unit 2104 of the in-vehicle device 100 may generate the map image data. Further, the display control unit 2104 may move the icon image 122 on the map image 121 as the vehicle 1 moves.

FIG. 21 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of parking assistance processing executed by the in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle guidance device 200 according to the third embodiment.

From the vehicle information transmission process of S1 to the determination process of the parking frame 900e of S4, it is the same as the process of 1st Embodiment demonstrated in FIG.

Further, the travel route determination unit 1205 of the vehicle guidance device 200 determines the recommended travel route 800 (S201). Traveling route determination unit 1205 generates map image data based on map information 9 and traveling route 800 stored in storage unit 250 .

The communication unit 2201 of the vehicle guidance device 200 transmits image data indicating the position and size of the parking frame 900e, such as map image data, to the in-vehicle device 100 (S201). The communication unit 2101 of the in-vehicle device 100 receives map image data from the vehicle guidance device 200 .

Then, the display control unit 2104 of the vehicle guidance device 200 causes the display device 120 to display the map image 121 based on the map image data received from the vehicle guidance device 200 (S203).

Then, the driver of the vehicle 1 parks the vehicle 1 in the parking frame 900e by manual driving with reference to the map image 121 (S204).

Thus, the vehicle guidance system 200 of this embodiment guides the vehicle 1 by transmitting image data indicating the position and size of the parking frame 900e to the vehicle 1 . Therefore, according to the vehicle guidance system 200 of the present embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, and even if the vehicle 1 does not have an automatic driving function, the driver can parking in the parking frame 900e.

Further, the in-vehicle device 100 of the present embodiment causes the display device 120 to display image data indicating the position and size of the parking frame 900e transmitted from the vehicle guidance device 200 .

Since the parking space 90 does not have a physical mark such as a white line that indicates the parking frame 900e, it is difficult for the driver to grasp the position and size of the parking frame 900e even when looking at the actual space. The in-vehicle device 100 of this embodiment enables the driver to visually grasp the position and size of the parking frame 900e by displaying image data indicating the position and size of the parking frame 900e.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the parking space 90 converted from a playground to a temporary parking lot was described as an example. .

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of locations where the vehicle guidance device 200 and the in-vehicle device 100 can be applied. In the example shown in FIG. 22, the cargo space at the port is defined as a first parking space 90a, and the space on board a ship in which a plurality of vehicles are loaded is defined as a second parking space 90b. For example, assume a case where a plurality of vehicles are loaded on a ship and shipped.

A first camera 5a is installed in the first parking space 90a, and a second camera 5b is installed in the second parking space 90b. The second camera 5b is, for example, a fisheye camera mounted on the ceiling of the space on board. The type of camera to be installed can be appropriately changed according to the size and shape of the first parking space 90a and the second parking space 90b.

The vehicle guidance system 200 is mounted on a ship, for example. When the ship berths at the port, the vehicle guidance system 200 uses the map information 9 based on the images acquired from the first camera 5a installed in the first parking space 90a and the second camera 5b installed on the ship. to generate

It should be noted that separate vehicle guidance devices 200 may be provided in the cargo space at the port and on the ship.

The vehicle guidance system 200 sets parking frames 900aa to 900al according to the size of each vehicle to be parked in the first parking space 90a, and parks the vehicle in each parking frame 900aa to 900al.

In addition, the vehicle guidance system 200 sets parking slots 900am to 900ar according to the size of each vehicle to be parked in the second parking space 90b, and parks the vehicle in each parking slot 900am to 900ar.

A gate 700 is provided at the entrance of the second parking space 90b, and the vehicle guidance device 200 manages vehicles that pass through the gate 700 and are parked in the second parking space 90b. If the ship has a plurality of floors, the parking space determination unit 204 of the vehicle guidance system 200 manages a plurality of parking spaces in association with the gate 700 or the number of floors, and assigns a plurality of parking spaces to each parking space. May be set.

Also, the same parking space 90 may be used in different manners depending on the temporal division.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a parking space 90 in which vehicles of different sizes are parked on weekdays and holidays. In the example shown in FIG. 23, the parking space 90 prohibits parking of large vehicles on weekdays, and allows only normal vehicles such as small or medium-sized vehicles to be parked. In addition, the parking space 90 becomes a parking lot exclusively for large vehicles on holidays.

Since the vehicle guidance device 200 can change the position and size of the parking frame 900 according to the size of the vehicle, it can flexibly cope with the case where the size of the vehicle using the parking space 90 differs between weekdays and holidays. be able to.

In addition, when the vehicle attempting to enter the entrance of the parking space 90 is not a vehicle that can be parked during the usage time, the vehicle guiding device 200 informs that parking is prohibited via a speaker or the like installed in the parking space 90. may be output. Further, the communication unit 201 of the vehicle guidance device 200 may transmit a notification indicating that parking is prohibited to the in-vehicle device 100 mounted on the vehicle 1 in which parking is prohibited.

(Modification 1)
In each of the above-described embodiments, the camera 5 installed in the parking space 90 was described as a fixed camera such as a security camera or surveillance camera, or a newly installed camera. You may utilize the drive recorder etc. which carried out as the camera 5. FIG.

In addition, instead of the drive recorder installed later, the vehicle-mounted camera 16 used for self-position estimation or obstacle detection of the vehicle 1 may be used as the camera 5 .

In this example, while the parking space 90 is in operation, a vehicle equipped with a drive recorder or the like instead of the camera 5 is parked in the parking space 90 . With such a configuration, advance preparations for operating the parking space 90 can be simplified.

(Modification 2)
In each of the above-described embodiments, the specifying unit 203 of the vehicle guidance device 200 specifies the size of the vehicle 1 by image recognition, but the method of specifying the size of the vehicle 1 is not limited to this.

For example, the communication unit 201 of the vehicle guidance device 200 may receive size information indicating the size of the vehicle 1 from the in-vehicle device 100 .

The size information indicates the vertical and horizontal lengths of the vehicle 1, for example. Also, the size information may further include height information of the vehicle 1 . The identifying unit 203 identifies the size of the vehicle 1 based on the size information.

Further, the communication unit 201 of the vehicle guidance device 200 may receive information indicating the vehicle type of the vehicle 1 from the vehicle 1 as size information. In this case, it is assumed that the storage unit 250 of the vehicle guidance device 200 stores a vehicle-specific size database in which vehicle types and sizes are associated with each other. The identifying unit 203 identifies the size of the vehicle 1 by searching the vehicle-specific size database with the information indicating the vehicle type of the vehicle 1 .

Alternatively, the identifying unit 203 may recognize the vehicle type of the vehicle 1 by image recognition.

Also, the size information may be a category representing the size of the vehicle 1, such as "light four-car" or "ordinary passenger car". Alternatively, the size information may be a classification number written on the license plate of the vehicle 1 . For example, if the classification number is number 5, the vehicle 1 is a "compact passenger car and compact passenger car" and has a total length of 4700 mm or less, a total width of 1700 mm or less, and a total height of 2000 mm or less. If the classification number is number 3, the vehicle 1 is an "ordinary passenger car" and has a total length of 4701 mm or more, a total width of 1701 mm or more, and a total height of 2001 mm or more.

In addition, even if the size of the parking frame 900 is determined in advance according to the classification or classification number representing the size of the vehicle 1, such as for light four vehicles, for 5 number vehicles, for 3 number vehicles, etc. good. For example, a division or classification number representing the size of the vehicle 1 and the size of the parking frame 900 corresponding to the division or classification number may be associated and stored in the storage unit 250 . In addition, even if a plurality of patterns of map information 9 defining the arrangement of each parking space 900 in the parking space 90 are stored in advance in the storage unit 250 according to the size of each parking space 900 corresponding to the division or classification number. good. In this case, the parking space determination unit 204 reads the map information 9 corresponding to the division or classification number of the vehicle 1 among the plurality of patterns of the map information 9 stored in the storage unit 250, and assigns the parking space to the vehicle 1. Determine 900.

(Modification 3)
In each of the above-described embodiments, the vehicle guidance device 200 is installed in the parking space 90 or near the parking space 90, but the installation location of the vehicle guidance device 200 is not limited to this.

For example, the vehicle guidance device 200 may be provided on a cloud environment. In this case, the camera 5 and the in-vehicle device 100 communicate with the cloud environment via a network such as the Internet.

Also, the camera 5 may have the function of the vehicle guidance device 200 .

(Modification 4)
The vehicle guidance device 200 may further have a function as a crime prevention device or a traffic safety device in addition to the functions described in each of the above-described embodiments. For example, the identification unit 203 of the vehicle guidance device 200 may have a function of detecting the pedestrian from the image captured by the camera 5 when the pedestrian enters the parking space 90 . Further, the communication unit 201 of the vehicle guidance device 200 may transmit the pedestrian detection result to an external alarm device or the like.

(Modification 5)
In addition, the vehicle guidance device 200 may apply AI (Artificial Intelligence) technology to various processes. For example, a trained model such as deep learning may be employed for rearrangement processing of vehicles parked in the parking space 90 .

(Modification 6)
Further, the method of guiding the vehicle 1 by the vehicle guidance device 200 is not limited to the above example. For example, the communication unit 201 of the vehicle guidance device 200 may guide the vehicle 1 to the parking frame 900e by transmitting control signals for controlling steering, braking, and acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle 1 to the in-vehicle device 100 . In this case, the travel route determining unit 205 of the vehicle guidance device 200 acquires GPS position information indicating the position of the vehicle 1 from the vehicle 1, grasps the actual position of the vehicle 1, and corrects the travel route 800. good too.

Further, the vehicle guidance device 200 corrects the travel route 800 of the vehicle 1 based on the position of the vehicle 1 specified by the radar provided in the parking space 90 or the wave transmitting/receiving unit 15 provided in the vehicle 1, The corrected travel route 800 may be transmitted to the vehicle 1 .

Also, various markers may be used to guide the vehicle 1 . There are two types of markers: real ones that physically exist and virtual ones, and either of them can be used. For example, a real marker is an object whose position can be recognized by the vehicle 1 by communicating with the marker, by photographing the marker by the vehicle-mounted camera 16, or the like. If the administrator or the like installs real markers in advance at the main positions of the parking space 90, the markers can be used as marks for the running of the vehicle 1. FIG.

A virtual marker is information representing a specific point on the map. For example, the in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle guidance device 200 commonly hold a plurality of virtual markers, and the vehicle guidance device 200 uses the plurality of virtual markers as marks when guiding the vehicle 1. may Also, a combination of real and virtual markers may be used.

(Modification 7)
The vehicle guidance system 200 may charge a parking fee based on the size of the parking slot 900 assigned to each vehicle and the parking time. For example, the vehicle guidance system 200 may include, in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 15, or FIG. 18, a charging unit that charges a parking fee. The charging unit may determine the parking fee based on both the size of the parking slot 900 and the parking time, or may determine the parking fee based on either the size of the parking slot 900 or the parking time. good too.

The programs executed by the in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle guidance device 200 of each of the above-described embodiments are stored as files in an installable format or an executable format on CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, DVDs (Digital Versatile Disks), flash memories. provided by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as

Further, the programs executed by the in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle guidance device 200 of each of the above-described embodiments are stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet, and are provided by being downloaded via the network. can be Further, the programs executed by the in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle guidance device 200 of each of the above-described embodiments may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

Further, the programs to be executed by the in-vehicle device 100 and the vehicle guidance device 200 of each of the above-described embodiments may be configured to be pre-installed in a ROM or the like and provided.

While several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

1, 1a to 1e Each vehicle 5, 5a, 5b Camera 9 Map information 60 Vehicle for calibration 90 Parking space 90a First parking space 90b Second parking space 100 In-vehicle device 101, 1101, 2101 Communication unit 102 Acquisition unit 103 reception unit 104, 2104 display control unit 105, 1105 travel control unit 106 travel route determination unit 120 display device 121 map image 150 storage unit 200 vehicle guidance device 201, 1201 communication unit 202 acquisition unit 203 identification unit 204 parking frame determination unit 205 , 1205 travel route determination unit 250 storage unit 600 marker 800 travel route 900, 900a to 900v, 900aa to 900ar parking frame

Claims (15)

an identification unit that identifies the size of the vehicle based on a captured image of the vehicle or size information received from the vehicle;
A first determination unit that determines the size of a parking frame in which the vehicle is parked in a parking space in which the vehicle can be parked, according to the size of the vehicle identified by the identification unit;
a guiding unit that guides the vehicle to the parking frame;
A vehicle guidance system comprising: The first determining unit further determines a position of a parking frame in which the vehicle is parked in a parking space in which the vehicle can be parked, according to the size of the vehicle specified by the specifying unit,
The guiding unit guides the vehicle to the parking frame whose size and position are determined by the first determining unit.
The vehicle guidance system according to claim 1. A second determination unit that determines a travel route for parking the vehicle in the parking frame,
The guidance unit transmits travel route information indicating a travel route to the parking frame to an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle, along the travel route determined by the second determination unit. drive the vehicle,
The vehicle guidance system according to claim 1 or 2. The guidance unit guides the vehicle by transmitting information indicating the position and size of the parking frame to an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle that executes parking assistance for the vehicle.
The vehicle guidance system according to claim 1 or 2. The guidance unit guides the vehicle by transmitting image data indicating the position and size of the parking frame to an in-vehicle device mounted on the vehicle that executes parking assistance for the vehicle.
The vehicle guidance system according to claim 1 or 2. When one of the plurality of parked vehicles parked in the parking space leaves the parking space, the first determination unit determines the size, positional relationship, and departure schedule of the remaining parked vehicles that have not left the parking space. Changing the position of the parking frame set for each of the remaining parked vehicles according to at least one of time, order of leaving the parking lot, usage, and characteristics;
The guiding unit guides, among the remaining parked vehicles, the parked vehicle whose parking frame has been changed to the changed parking frame.
A vehicle guidance system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The first determination unit determines the position of the parking frame in which the vehicle parks according to the scheduled time of leaving the vehicle or the order of leaving the vehicle.
A vehicle guidance system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The first determination unit determines the position of the parking frame where the vehicle parks according to the application or characteristics of the vehicle,
A vehicle guidance system according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The parking space is a space in which the parking frame is not provided in advance, and has a size capable of parking a plurality of vehicles,
A vehicle guidance system according to any one of claims 1 to 8. An in-vehicle device that can be mounted on a vehicle,
A communication unit that directly or indirectly communicates with a vehicle guidance device that determines the size of a parking frame in which the vehicle is parked according to the size of the vehicle,
The communication unit includes travel route information indicating a travel route from the vehicle guidance device to the parking frame determined according to the size of the vehicle, information indicating the position and size of the parking frame, or the parking space. receiving image data indicating the position and size of the frame;
In-vehicle device. A travel control unit that automatically travels the vehicle to the parking frame based on the travel route information transmitted from the vehicle guidance device,
The in-vehicle device according to claim 10. A travel route determination unit that determines a travel route for moving the vehicle to the parking frame based on information indicating the position and size of the parking frame transmitted from the vehicle guidance device;
A travel control unit that automatically travels the vehicle based on the travel route determined by the travel route determination unit;
The in-vehicle device according to claim 10. A display control unit that causes a display unit to display image data indicating the position and size of the parking frame transmitted from the vehicle guidance device,
The in-vehicle device according to claim 10. an identifying step of identifying the size of the vehicle based on a captured image of the vehicle or size information received from the vehicle;
a first determining step of determining a size of a parking slot for the vehicle to park in a parking space in which the vehicle can be parked, according to the identified size of the vehicle;
a guidance step of guiding the vehicle to the parking frame;
method including. an identifying step of identifying the size of the vehicle based on a captured image of the vehicle or size information received from the vehicle;
a first determining step of determining a size of a parking slot for the vehicle to park in a parking space in which the vehicle can be parked, according to the identified size of the vehicle;
a guidance step of guiding the vehicle to the parking frame;
A program that causes a computer to run

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