JP4893162B2 - Parking lot parking support system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a parking space parking support system for supporting parking in a parking space more easily for a vehicle equipped with an intelligent parking assist (IPA) system. <P>SOLUTION: The present invention is the parking space parking support system for guiding the vehicle to a vacant section in the parking space, and supporting a parking operation by a user. When the vehicle to be guided is equipped with the intelligent parking assist system that supports a steering operation when the vehicle to be guided is backed into a predetermined target parking position, the parking space parking support system guides the vehicle to be guided to the position where the vehicle should start the backing operation when the intelligent parking assist system is used with the position of one section of the vacant sections in the parking space as the target parking position. The position of the one section is automatically set to the target parking position when the intelligent parking assist system is used. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention generally relates to a parking lot parking support system that guides a vehicle to an empty space in a parking lot and assists a driver to perform a parking operation, and more particularly, to a vehicle equipped with an intelligent parking assist (IPA) system. The present invention relates to a parking lot parking assistance system that performs parking assistance in a parking lot more simply.

  Conventionally, a parking lot parking assistance system that guides a vehicle to an empty space in a parking lot and assists a parking operation by a driver is known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  Patent Document 1 discloses an in-vehicle device that displays a position of an empty space in a parking lot and an expected trajectory up to the position to a vehicle driver.

Patent Document 2 discloses a system that automatically parks a vehicle that has entered a parking lot in an empty space in the parking lot.
JP 2005-182504 A JP 2006-31412 A

  According to the conventional apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the position of the empty space in the parking lot and the route to the position are only presented to the driver, and the operation itself for parking the vehicle in the empty space. Must be done by the driver himself.

  In this regard, the conventional system disclosed in Patent Document 2 is intended to completely automate the process of parking the vehicle in an empty space in the parking lot, and eliminates the need for any driver operation. In order to realize such complete automation, complicated equipment and control are required on both the parking lot (infrastructure) side and the vehicle side.

  By the way, as a system for assisting the driver in retreating the vehicle during parking, a reversing parking lot parking assist system known as “Intelligent Parking Assist (IPA)” has already been commercialized (for example, the Internet URL "http://www.toyota.co.jp/jp/tech/its/program/function/parking.html" etc.).

  This “intelligent parking assist (IPA)” system is a system that assists reverse parking by automatically steering the steering wheel at the time of reverse parking (garage entry or parallel parking) near the target parking position set on the screen. It aims to reduce the driver's load when parking and increase the attention to the surroundings of the vehicle.

  In the case of a vehicle equipped with such a reverse parking lot parking assist system, the operation burden on the driver at the time of parking is significantly reduced by appropriately using the system, which is disclosed in Patent Document 2 above. The need to fully automate parking in an empty space in a parking lot until such complex equipment and controls are adopted is considered low.

  This invention is for solving such a problem, and provides the parking lot parking assistance system which performs parking assistance in a parking lot more easily for vehicles equipped with an intelligent parking assist (IPA) system. Is the main purpose.

  A first aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is a parking lot parking support system that guides a vehicle to an empty space in a parking lot and supports a parking operation by a user. When the vehicle is equipped with an intelligent parking assist system that assists the steering operation when the vehicle is parked backward to the set target parking position, the intelligent parking assist system uses the position of one of the empty spaces in the parking lot as the target parking position. It is a parking lot parking assistance system which guides a guided vehicle to a position where a vehicle reverse operation should be started when using.

  In the first aspect, when determining the position at which the vehicle backward movement operation should be started from the position of the one space, the determination of whether to park by so-called garage parking or to park by parallel parking is also included.

  According to the first aspect, instead of automatically parking in the empty space detected in the parking lot by cooperative control of the parking lot (infrastructure) side and the vehicle side equipment, the empty space detected by using the intelligent parking assist system Since it is merely guided to the reverse start position where parking can be easily performed in the space, the equipment and control on the parking lot (infrastructure) side can be simplified without impairing the convenience of the user.

  In the first aspect, when the guided vehicle is a remotely controllable vehicle, by remote control, 1) the guided vehicle travels from the parking lot entrance to the position where the vehicle reverse operation should be started. 2) The position of the one space may be set as the target parking position when the intelligent parking assist system is used. In this case, the remote control may be executed by a user using a wireless communication terminal, or may be executed by an operator of a wireless communication station (center) that receives a request from the user (each time or in advance). Also good.

  A second aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is a parking lot parking support system that guides a vehicle to an empty space in a parking lot and supports a parking operation by a user, and is installed in a guided vehicle. A vehicle-mounted device that functions as an intelligent parking assist system that assists the steering operation when reversing parking to the set target parking position, and an information providing device that provides the vehicle-mounted device with information related to an empty space in the parking lot, The information providing device provides information regarding the position of one of the empty spaces in the parking lot to the in-vehicle device, and the in-vehicle device uses the intelligent parking assist system with the position of the one space as the target parking position. The parking lot parking assistance system that presents the user with the position to start the vehicle reverse movement when It is a non.

  In the second aspect, when the in-vehicle device determines the position where the vehicle backward movement operation should be started from the position of the one space, it is determined whether to park in a so-called garage or to park by parallel parking. Is also included.

  According to the second aspect, instead of automatically parking the detected space in the parking lot by the cooperative control of the parking lot (infrastructure) side and the vehicle side equipment, the detected empty space is obtained by using the intelligent parking assist system. Since it is merely guided to the reverse start position where parking can be easily performed in the space, the equipment and control on the parking lot (infrastructure) side can be simplified without impairing the convenience of the user.

  In the second aspect, it is preferable that the position of the one space is automatically set to the target parking position when the intelligent parking assist system is used by the in-vehicle device. In this case, it is more preferable that the in-vehicle device is configured such that the target parking position automatically set by the in-vehicle device can be corrected by the user from the viewpoint of reflecting the user intention.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the parking lot parking assistance system which performs the parking assistance in a parking lot more easily for object equipped with the intelligent parking assistance (IPA) system can be provided.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art are familiar with the basic concept, major hardware configuration, operating principle, basic control method, etc. of the reverse parking lot parking support system that has already been commercialized under the name of “Intelligent Parking Assist (IPA) System”. Since it is already known, detailed explanation is omitted.

  Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 1-5, the parking lot parking assistance system which concerns on one Example of this invention is demonstrated. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the vehicle to be parked is a vehicle equipped with an existing intelligent parking assist system.

  FIG. 1 illustrates a parking lot PL to which a parking lot parking assistance system 100 according to the present embodiment is applied. In the parking lot PL, a plurality of parking spaces PS each corresponding to one vehicle are provided. The plurality of parking spaces PS are outlined by, for example, white lines drawn on the parking lot road surface.

The parking lot parking assist system 100 according to the present embodiment includes a parking lot side device 101 that is an infrastructure side information providing device installed in the parking lot PL, and an intelligent parking assist system that is going to park in an empty space ES of the parking lot PL. And an in-vehicle device 102 mounted on a vehicle _VA equipped with

In the present embodiment, when the vehicle _VA intended to park in the vacant space ES of the parking lot PL reaches the parking lot entrance SL, the parking lot side device 101 searches for the vacant space ES, and the vehicle _VA (in-vehicle device). 102) provides information on the position of the empty space ES and the route R to the empty space ES.

When the position of the vacant space ES and the route R from the entrance SL to the vacant space ES are transmitted, the in-vehicle device 102 of the vehicle _VA uses the intelligent parking assist system to park backward in the vacant space ES. A parking (reverse) start position SP suitable for this is calculated, and the host vehicle is guided to the parking start position SP.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the parking lot side apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment.

  The parking lot side apparatus 101 includes a communication unit 201 that communicates with the in-vehicle apparatus 102. The performance and shape of the antenna included in the communication unit 201 and the method and frequency band used for communication are not particularly limited and may be arbitrary. Specifically, for example, it is conceivable to adopt a wireless communication system compliant with a communication standard such as an existing wireless LAN or DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication).

  The parking lot-side device 101 further includes parking map information indicating the arrangement / arrangement of the parking spaces PS in the parking lot PL and whether or not the vehicle is parked for each of the parking spaces PS (in other words, an empty space It has the storage part 202 which memorize | stores and holds the parked vehicle information which shows whether it is ES. The storage unit 202 may be a storage medium of any type / standard.

  The parking lot side apparatus 101 further includes a control unit 203 that comprehensively controls each component of the parking lot side apparatus 101. The control unit 203 is, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the in-vehicle device 102 according to the present embodiment.

  The in-vehicle device 102 includes a communication unit 301 that communicates with the parking lot side device 101. The performance and shape of the antenna included in the communication unit 301 and the method and frequency band used for communication are not particularly limited and may be arbitrary. Specifically, for example, it is conceivable to adopt a wireless communication system compliant with a communication standard such as an existing wireless LAN or DSRC.

  The in-vehicle device 102 further translates the target parking position in the front / rear / left / right direction when it is determined that the set target parking position (described later) needs to be corrected when the vehicle driver starts reverse parking. And / or a user input unit 302 for inputting an instruction to rotate counterclockwise / clockwise.

  The user input unit 302 is desirably provided at a position where the vehicle driver can easily operate. Further, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the user input unit 302 has a keypad for inputting a character string so that the user can intuitively instruct the correction of the target parking position as described above. Rather, it is desirable to have an arrow key that indicates the direction of movement / rotation in the direction of the arrow.

  The in-vehicle device 102 further includes a steering angle detection unit 303 that detects the rotation angle of the steering wheel. The steering angle detection unit 303 may have any configuration and structure known to those skilled in the art as long as the steering angle can be detected. For example, a sensor configured to output a pulse signal every time the steering wheel rotates by a certain angle. including. In this case, the steering angle of the steering wheel can be detected by counting the number of pulse signals output from such a sensor.

  The in-vehicle device 102 further includes a vehicle speed detection unit 304 that detects the vehicle speed of the host vehicle. The vehicle speed detection unit 304 detects the vehicle speed of the host vehicle using, for example, a wheel speed sensor. In the present embodiment, the vehicle speed detection unit 304 is used to measure the moving distance of the vehicle in the parking lot PL, as will be described later. Therefore, even in a very low speed region such as when the host vehicle is slowing down. It is preferable to have a performance capable of detecting the vehicle speed with high accuracy.

  The in-vehicle device 102 further includes a parking start position calculation algorithm for calculating a position where the reverse parking to the target parking position should be started when the target parking position is given, and a backward trajectory from the parking start position to the target parking position. The storage unit 305 stores and holds in advance a backward trajectory calculation algorithm for calculating. The storage unit 305 may be a storage medium of any type / standard.

  The in-vehicle device 102 further includes a rear image capturing unit 306 that captures a scene behind the host vehicle as an image. For the rear image capturing unit 306, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera having relatively good color reproducibility is used. Further, the installation location of the rear image capturing unit 306 may be any location as long as the scene behind the host vehicle can be captured, and is attached to, for example, the back door outside garnish.

  The in-vehicle device 102 further includes an image display unit 307 that displays a scene image behind the host vehicle captured by the rear image capturing unit 306 to the driver. In addition, the image display unit 307 superimposes and displays a set target parking position (described later) on the rear information image (for example, as a frame line).

  The image display unit 307 may be any type of display device, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD). It may be used also as a display device of another in-vehicle system (for example, a navigation system or a multimedia system), and it is preferable that the display device is also used.

  As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the user input unit 302 and the image display unit 307 can be realized as an integrated touch panel display device, and such a touch panel display is provided from the viewpoint of user convenience. It is rather preferable to be realized as a device.

  The in-vehicle device 102 further includes a voice output unit 308 that outputs a voice message for alerting the driver during reverse parking. The voice output unit 308 outputs, for example, a voice message such as “the handle is turned to the right” / “the handle is turned to the left” in accordance with the movement of the steering wheel that is automatically steered during reverse parking, When parking is completed at the set target parking position, a voice message such as “End assistance” is output.

  The audio output unit 308 may be an arbitrary speaker provided in the vehicle interior, and may also be used as a speaker of another in-vehicle system (for example, a navigation system or an audio visual system).

  The in-vehicle device 102 further includes a steering control unit 309 that can change the traveling direction of the vehicle by turning the steering wheel independently of the steering operation input to the steering handle by the vehicle driver. The steering control unit 309 is an ECU for electric power steering (EPS), for example, and specifically controls energization of an electric motor (motor) having a worm gear attached to an output shaft, for example. In this case, the worm gear is fixedly attached to the column shaft (steering shaft) and meshed with a wheel gear that rotates integrally around the column shaft. Further, the column shaft is connected to a rack shaft (rack bar) through a so-called rack and pinion type steering gear. With such a configuration, by energizing the motor, the column shaft can be arbitrarily rotated to generate a desired steering torque.

  The in-vehicle device 102 further includes a main control unit 310 that comprehensively controls each component of the in-vehicle device 102. The main control unit 310 is, for example, an ECU.

  In this embodiment, the main control unit 310 is configured to receive information regarding a shift position (shift position), in particular, whether or not the shift is in the parking (P).

  Next, the flow of the parking support process by the parking lot parking support system 100 having such a configuration will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, when the vehicle _VA equipped with the intelligent parking assist system reaches the parking lot entrance SL and enters the parking lot PL (S401), the communication unit 301 of the in-vehicle device 102 is connected to the parking lot side. In response to a request from the parking lot side device 101, communication with the communication unit 201 of the device 101 is started, and identification information (ID) indicating that at least the host vehicle is equipped with an intelligent parking assist system is displayed on the parking lot side. It transmits to the apparatus 101 (S402).

When the vehicle ID is received and the vehicle _VA entering the parking lot PL is confirmed to be a vehicle equipped with an intelligent parking assist system, the control unit 203 of the parking lot side apparatus 101 then stores the storage unit 202. The parked vehicle information stored in is stored in the parking lot PL, and the empty space ES in which the vehicle is not parked is searched from among the plurality of parking spaces PS in the parking lot PL (S403).

When a plurality of empty spaces ES are found, it is necessary to select one of them. The selection criteria may be arbitrary. For example, the empty space ES closest to the parking lot entrance SL may be selected from the viewpoint of shortening the moving distance of the vehicle _VA , or conversely, the parking lot PL is packed in order from the back. From the viewpoint of use, an empty space ES farthest from the parking lot entrance SL may be selected.

  When the empty space ES is searched (and selected), the control unit 203 of the parking lot side device 101 then stores the parking space map in which the position of the searched (and selected) empty space ES is stored in the storage unit 202. In light of the information, for example, a route R from the parking lot entrance SL as shown in FIG. 1 to the searched (and selected) empty space ES is calculated (S404).

  When a plurality of routes R are found, any one of the routes is selected as the route R. The selection criteria may be arbitrary, for example, may be the shortest route, or may be a route that does not overlap with the vehicle as much as possible if there is another vehicle in / out.

When the route R from the parking lot entrance SL to the vacant space ES is calculated, the control unit 203 of the parking lot side apparatus 101 transmits the position of the vacant space ES and the calculated route R to the vehicle _VA through the communication unit 201. To the in-vehicle device 102 (S405).

  When the position and route R of the empty space ES are transmitted through the communication unit 301, the main control unit 310 of the in-vehicle device 102 automatically sets the transmitted position of the empty space ES as the target parking position in the intelligent parking assist control. (S406).

  In the intelligent parking assist system that is currently commercialized, the target parking position is set by the vehicle driver on the screen while viewing the scene image of the rear of the host vehicle that was captured after stopping at the parking start position. However, according to the parking lot parking assistance system 100 according to the present embodiment, this user setting is saved.

  In addition, the intelligent parking assist system that is currently commercialized improves the accuracy of the target parking position that is initially displayed on the screen, reduces the number of correction operations by the user, and reduces the time required to set the target parking position. It is recommended to temporarily stop the vehicle at a position that is in a certain positional relationship with the place where the user wants to park (the vehicle speed is set to zero). However, according to the parking lot parking assist system 100 according to the present embodiment, Such user operation for improving accuracy is not required.

  When the target parking position is set in this manner, the main control unit 310 of the in-vehicle device 102 then relates to the parking start position calculation algorithm stored and held in the storage unit 305 with respect to the set target parking position. A reverse parking start position suitable for reverse parking using the intelligent parking assist system to the target parking position is calculated (S407).

  When the parking start position with respect to the target parking position is calculated, the main control unit 310 of the in-vehicle device 102 then causes the image display unit 307 to display a route to the parking start position and causes the audio output unit 308 to display, for example, “On screen”. “Move to the displayed parking start position and put the shift position in R” to output a voice message to guide the vehicle driver to move the vehicle to the parking start position (S408).

  In the intelligent parking assist system that is currently commercialized, the driver chooses whether to park in the so-called “garage” or so-called “parallel parking” before starting reverse parking. However, in the parking lot parking support system 100 according to the present embodiment, when the parking start position with respect to the target parking position is automatically set, parking by the backward trajectory for “garage entry”, or Since it is determined whether to park by the reverse trajectory for “parallel parking”, there is no need for the vehicle driver to select and set.

When the vehicle _VA reaches the parking start position and the shift position is set to “R (reverse; reverse)” (S409), the main control unit 310 of the in-vehicle device 102 instructs the steering control unit 309 to reach the target parking position. Automatic steering is started (S411). During the steering assist, the main control unit 310 of the in-vehicle device 102 calculates the backward trajectory from the parking start position to the target parking position based on the backward trajectory calculation algorithm stored in the storage unit 305, and the calculated backward trajectory is calculated. As realized, the steering control unit 309 is controlled in accordance with the steering angle detected by the steering angle detection unit 303 and the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detection unit 304. As long as the driver pays attention to the surroundings of the vehicle and controls the vehicle speed by the brake pedal control, the steering operation to the target parking position is automatically performed by the steering control unit 309.

  In addition, in preparation for the case where the driver wants to correct the automatically set target parking position before starting reverse, the driver sets the target parking position automatically set through the user input unit 302 before starting reverse. Is configured to be amendable (S410).

When the parking operation using the intelligent parking assist system started in this way is completed and the vehicle _VA stops at the target parking position (S412), the main control unit 310 of the in-vehicle device 102, for example, the timing of turning off the ignition switch Then, the communication unit 301 transmits the ID information of the own vehicle to the parking lot side apparatus 101 (S413).

  When the ID information is received through the communication unit 201, the control unit 203 of the parking lot side apparatus 101 stores and holds information indicating that the vehicle with the ID is newly parked in the guided empty space in the storage unit 202. It is additionally stored in the parked vehicle information (S414). As a result, the latest parked vehicle information is always maintained in the storage unit 202 of the parking lot side apparatus 101. The exit from the parking lot PL can be managed, for example, by sending ID information from the vehicle side in the same way as the entrance when moving the parking lot entrance SL in the exit direction.

  Thus, according to this embodiment, a vehicle equipped with an intelligent parking assist system that assists the driver's parking operation by automatically steering the steering wheel during reverse parking is completely free of any driver operation. Parking assistance to a vacant space in a parking lot can be performed more simply than when realizing automatic parking.

  In addition, regarding the use of the intelligent parking assist system, the target parking position is set, “garage entry” / “parallel parking” is selected, and prior suspension is performed before the target parking position to improve accuracy. Since it becomes unnecessary, user convenience is improved.

  In the above embodiment, as an example, the parking lot side device grasps in which parking space the vehicle is parked and which parking space is an empty space based on the ID information received from the vehicle. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, a camera that captures a parking space is provided in a parking lot, and it is determined whether or not a parked vehicle exists from the captured image. You may make it do.

  Moreover, in FIG. 1 of the above-mentioned one embodiment, as an example, the parking lot side device is illustrated as being located near the parking lot entrance, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. The parking lot side device can be installed in any place.

  Further, in the above embodiment, when the guided vehicle is a vehicle that can be remotely controlled in addition to the intelligent parking assist system, using the remote control, 1) the intelligent parking assist system from the parking lot entrance To drive the guided vehicle to a parking (reverse) start position that temporarily stops to perform parking using 2), or 2) to set the detected empty space as the target parking position when using the intelligent parking assist system May be.

  At this time, the remote control may be executed by the user using a wireless communication terminal such as a mobile phone, or a predetermined wireless communication station (center) that receives a request from the user (each time or in advance). May be executed by any operator.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a parking lot parking assistance system that supports parking of a vehicle equipped with an intelligent parking assistance system in an empty space in a parking lot. The power source type, fuel type, appearance design, weight, size, running performance, etc. of the vehicle to be controlled are all unquestioned. Also, the size and shape of the parking lot and the arrangement of parking spaces are not questioned.

1 is an overall schematic view of a parking lot to which a parking lot parking assistance system according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a schematic block diagram of the parking lot side apparatus of the parking lot parking assistance system which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the vehicle-mounted apparatus of the parking lot parking assistance system which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the flow of the parking assistance process by the parking lot parking assistance system which concerns on one Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Parking lot parking assistance system 101 Parking lot side apparatus 102 Car-mounted apparatus 201 Communication part 202 Storage part 203 Control part 301 Communication part 302 User input part 303 Steering angle detection part 304 Vehicle speed detection part 305 Storage part 306 Rear image imaging part 307 Image display Unit 308 Audio output unit 309 Steering control unit 310 Main control unit

Claims (4)

A parking lot parking support system that guides a vehicle to an empty space in a parking lot and supports a user's parking operation,
An in-vehicle device that is mounted on a guided vehicle and functions as an intelligent parking assist system that assists a steering operation when parking backward to a set target parking position;
Including an information providing device that provides information on an empty space in a parking lot to the in-vehicle device,
The information providing device provides the vehicle-mounted device with information on the position of the empty space closest to the parking lot entrance among the empty spaces in the parking lot,
The in-vehicle device presents a position to start a vehicle reverse operation when using the intelligent parking assist system with the provided position as the target parking position, and the guided vehicle performs the vehicle reverse operation. A parking lot parking assistance system , wherein the steering operation assistance is started when the position to be started is reached and the shift position is set to the reverse position . The parking lot parking support system according to claim 1 ,
The on-vehicle device automatically sets the position of the vacant space to the target parking position. The parking lot parking support system according to claim 2 ,
The on-vehicle device is configured such that the target parking position automatically set by the on-vehicle device can be corrected by a user. The parking lot parking assistance system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
When guiding the guided vehicle, if there are a plurality of guidance routes, a guidance route that does not overlap with a vehicle that is entering and leaving the vehicle is selected.

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