KR20140063169A - Vehicle parking assist apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

In order to solve problems, a vehicle parking supporting apparatus and a method thereof for enabling a parking to be more accurate and convenient by identifying a parking obstacle as a wall or a curb stone by using a primary wave and a secondary wave which are received through an ultrasonic sensor which has a multi-echo function. The vehicle parking supporting apparatus according to a desirable embodiment of the present invention includes: a receiving unit which receives information of a primary wave signal and a secondary wave signal which are collected by a sensor which has a multi-echo function; a dividing unit which identifies a parking obstacle as a curbing stone or a wall by using the received information; and, in case the identification result of the dividing unit is that the parking obstacle is a curb stone, a parking supporting unit which generates a parking trajectory in order to make the identification result of the dividing unit have a smaller distance difference between the parking obstacle and the vehicle than a case in which the identification result of the dividing unit is that the parking obstacle is a wall.

Description

[0001] Vehicle Parking Assist Apparatus and Method [0002]

The present invention relates to a vehicle parking assisting apparatus and method. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vehicle parking assisting apparatus and method which distinguishes between a wall serving as an obstacle in parking and a kind of curb to be more accurate and convenient for boarding and getting off the driver.

The problem of parking due to the increase in the demand of the vehicle is emerging as a social issue, and in many cases, the driver has difficulty in parking the vehicle in a narrow space. Even if you are a good driver, if you want to park in a small space, you have to go back and forth several times back and forth and repeat the parking. Many people have to guide someone to park their car properly. Accordingly, there is an increasing demand for vehicles equipped with an automatic parking system.

A typical automatic parking system is a system that receives information from various sensors of a vehicle, judges a parking space by using the received information, calculates a parking target point of the vehicle, calculates a locus, and carries the parking by controlling the vehicle.

A conventional general automatic parking system recognizes a wall or a curb separately to generate a parking locus, and does not automatically park the vehicle using the parking locus. Therefore, there is a problem that more accurate parking and inconvenience to driver's ride and defects can not be solved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a parking assist system which can distinguish whether a parking obstacle is a wall or a curb by using primary and secondary waves received through an ultrasonic sensor having a multi- To a vehicle parking assisting apparatus and method.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a parking assisting device for a vehicle, comprising: a receiver for receiving information of a primary wave and a secondary wave signal collected by a sensor having a multi-echo function; A classifying unit for classifying whether the parking obstacle is a curb or a wall using the received information; And a parking assistance section for generating a parking trajectory such that the distinction result of the division section is smaller than the distance between the parking obstacle and the vehicle when the parking obstacle is a wall, .

Preferably, when the distance between the received primary wave and the received secondary wave is not within a predetermined distance, the classifying unit may classify the parking obstacle into a curb.

Preferably, the demarcator includes a section where the distance between the received primary wave and the received secondary wave exceeds a predetermined distance, and the distance between the received primary wave and the received secondary wave is greater than a predetermined distance The obstacle can be classified into a wall.

Preferably, the division unit includes a section where the distance between the received first-order wave and the received second-order wave is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, and the interval between the received first-order wave and the received second- Is less than a predetermined ratio, the parking obstacle can be classified into curb.

A method of assisting a vehicle parking in order to solve the above-described problem, the method comprising: a receiving step of receiving information of a primary wave and a secondary wave signal collected by a sensor having a multi-echo function; A classifying step of classifying whether the parking obstacle is a curb or a wall using the received information; And a parking assist step for generating a parking trajectory such that a distinction result of the division step is smaller than a distance between the parking obstacle and the vehicle when the parking obstacle is a wall when the parking obstacle is a curb, . ≪ / RTI >

Preferably, if the distance between the received primary wave and the received secondary wave is within a predetermined distance, the parking step may be classified into a curb.

Preferably, the dividing step includes a period in which the distance between the received primary wave and the received secondary wave exceeds a predetermined distance, and the distance between the received primary wave and the received secondary wave is preset If the distribution of the distance over the predetermined distance is more than a predetermined ratio, the parking obstacle can be divided into walls.

Preferably, the demarcating step includes the step of determining whether a distance between the received primary wave and the received secondary wave is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance, and a distance between the received primary wave and the received secondary wave is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance When the distribution of the intervals is less than a predetermined ratio, the parking obstacle can be classified into curb.

The present invention can improve the performance of a parking assistance system of a vehicle by separating a curb and a wall.

Further, the present invention can distinguish a curb and a wall without using a rear side sensor when the vehicle is parked in parallel.

Also, since the distance between the obstacle and the vehicle is determined by classifying whether the parking obstacle is a curb or a wall, it is possible to increase convenience when a person gets off or gets in the car after completion of parking.

1 is a block diagram of a vehicle parking assisting device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an exemplary diagram illustrating the multi-echo function of the ultrasonic sensor.
3 is a diagram for explaining the principle of distinguishing whether a parking obstacle is a curb or a wall using a first-order and a second-order wave.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of distinguishing whether a parking obstacle is a curb or a wall using a first-order and a second-order waves in a division of a vehicle parking assisting device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a flowchart of a method of supporting a vehicle parking according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating in more detail step S520 of the vehicle parking assisting method according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description and the accompanying drawings, substantially the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, respectively, and redundant description will be omitted. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, . On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between.

In this specification, a singular form may include plural forms unless specifically stated in the phrase. It is noted that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising" used in the specification are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the components, steps, operations, and / Or additions.

1 is a block diagram of a vehicle parking assisting device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle parking assisting device 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a receiving unit 110, a classifying unit 120, and a parking assistance unit 130.

The receiving unit 110 receives the information of the primary wave and the secondary wave collected by the sensor having the multi-echo function.

A sensor having a multi-echo function may be but is not limited to an ultrasonic sensor. In order to facilitate understanding, the multi-echo function of the ultrasonic sensor will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

2 is an exemplary diagram illustrating the multi-echo function of the ultrasonic sensor.

An ultrasonic sensor with a multi-echo function can collect both information about the first wave reflected from the object and the second reflected wave from the emitted signal.

2 (a), the ultrasonic sensor can see that the signal emitted from the ultrasonic sensor receives the primary wave and the secondary wave reflected from the plane object.

Referring to FIG. 2 (b), the ultrasonic sensor receives a primary wave and a secondary wave reflected from an object having an edge because the signal emitted from the ultrasonic sensor is bent.

Referring to FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), it can be seen that the difference between the time and distance received by the ultrasonic sensor is reflected by the reflection of the primary wave and the secondary wave depending on the shape of the object.

The receiving unit 110 can receive information about the primary wave and the secondary wave received from the ultrasonic sensor, such as information about the time and distance difference reflected by the primary wave and the secondary wave and received by the ultrasonic sensor.

Also, it is preferable that the receiving unit 110 also receives information on the parking space.

The reception unit 110 can receive information on the parking space identified in the system related to vehicle parking such as a parking assist system (PAS) or an automatic parking system.

The classifying unit 120 classifies whether the parking obstacle is a curb or a wall by using the information of the primary wave and the secondary wave received from the receiving unit 110. [

Parking obstacles are objects that reflect the signals emitted by the ultrasonic sensors.

3 is a diagram for explaining the principle of distinguishing whether a parking obstacle is a curb or a wall using a first-order and a second-order wave.

Referring to Fig. 3, the curb is lower in height than the wall. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), the signal emitted from the ultrasonic sensor is reflected on the curb and the signal transmitted from the ultrasonic sensor is reflected on the wall as shown in FIG. 3 (b) A difference occurs.

These differences are caused by differences in the arrival times, distances, reflected positions, and distributions of the primary and secondary waves received by the ultrasonic sensor. If the difference is large using the difference between the reflected positional distributions of the primary wave and the secondary wave, the object can be distinguished from the wall when the difference is small due to the curb.

Specifically, the classifying unit 120 determines whether the distance between the primary wave and the secondary wave received by the receiving unit 110 is within a predetermined distance Dth.

The preset distance Dth may be 1M and may be changed according to the characteristics of the ultrasonic sensor or the installation position of the ultrasonic sensor.

If the interval between the primary wave and the secondary wave is not within the predetermined distance Dth, the classifying unit 120 may determine the object (parking obstacle) as a curb.

It is determined whether or not there is an interval within which the distance between the primary wave and the secondary wave is within the predetermined distance Dth reflected by the division unit 120 and that the determination is made only within the parking space received by the reception unit 110 It is preferable in terms of efficiency of data processing and the like.

When the interval between the primary wave and the secondary wave exceeds the predetermined distance Dth, the division unit 120 may include a section where the distance between the primary wave and the secondary wave exceeds a predetermined distance Dth It can be determined whether the object is a wall or a curb by determining whether the predetermined ratio Pth is exceeded.

It is preferable that the preset ratio Pth is set by using the ratio of the interval between the primary wave and the secondary wave with respect to the length of the parking space exceeding the predetermined distance Dth and the preset ratio Pth is about 55% The predetermined ratio Pth may be changed depending on the characteristics of the ultrasonic sensor or the like.

Specifically, when the interval between the primary wave and the secondary wave exceeds the preset distance (Dth) exceeds the preset ratio (Pth), the division unit (120) divides the object reflecting the signal into walls, When the ratio is equal to or less than the set ratio Pth, the object can be classified into curb.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of distinguishing whether a parking obstacle is a curb or a wall using a first-order and a second-order waves in a division of a vehicle parking assisting device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the distribution of the positions where the second-order waves are reflected is shown in blue in FIG. 4, and the distribution of positions where the first-order waves are reflected is shown in red. 4A, it can be seen that the distance difference between the distribution of the first-order and the distribution of the second-order is more significant than that of FIG. 4B.

That is, in FIG. 4B, there is a case where the distance between the primary wave and the secondary wave is within the predetermined distance Dth, and when the existing ratio exceeds the preset ratio Pth, A parking obstacle (reflection object) existing in the parking space can be classified as a wall.

In FIG. 4 (a), there is no case where the distance between the primary wave and the secondary wave is within a predetermined distance Dth, and the classifying section 120 can classify the parking obstacle present in the parking space as being a curb .

The parking support unit 130 generates an appropriate parking locus based on whether the parking obstacle is a wall or a curb.

Specifically, when the parking obstacle is a curb, the parking support unit 130 generates a parking locus so as to approach the curb as much as possible for utilization of the parking space of another vehicle and passage to the surrounding area. Even if the parking trajectory is created so as to approach the curb, it is easy to get off the people in the car and board the car because it is easy to open and close the car door.

When the parking obstacle is a wall, the parking support unit 130 may generate a parking locus at a distance from the wall for ease of boarding and getting off the vehicle. It is preferable that the predetermined distance is set to a degree that the car door can be opened and the person can lower or ride the car.

The parking locus generated by the parking support unit 130 may be used for a parking support system, an automatic parking system, or the like.

5 is a flowchart of a method of supporting a vehicle parking according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, a method of supporting a vehicle parking according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described. The receiving unit 110 receives information about a primary wave and a secondary wave collected by a sensor having a multi-echo function ).

The classifying unit 120 classifies whether the parking obstacle is a curb or a wall by using the information about the primary wave and the secondary wave received by the receiving unit 110 (step S520).

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating in more detail step S520 of the vehicle parking assisting method according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the classifying unit 120 determines whether there is a section in which the distance between the primary wave and the secondary wave is within a predetermined distance Dth in the parking space section (operation S522).

When the interval between the primary wave and the secondary wave is within the predetermined distance Dth, the classifying unit 120 recognizes the parking obstacle as a curb (S524).

If the interval between the primary wave and the secondary wave is within the predetermined distance Dth, the division unit 120 may determine that the ratio of the interval between the primary wave and the secondary wave within the predetermined distance Dth is It is determined whether or not it is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio Pth (step S526).

When the ratio of the interval between the primary wave and the secondary wave within the predetermined distance Dth is less than the preset ratio Pth, the classification unit 120 divides the parking obstacle into curves, If it is exceeded, the parking obstacle is divided into walls (step S528).

 In step S530, the parking assistance unit 130 generates a parking trajectory based on whether the parking obstacle is classified as a wall or a curb in the classifying unit 120. [

The vehicle parking assisting device 100 and method according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention can improve the performance of the parking assisting system of the vehicle by separating the curb and the wall.

In addition, the vehicle parking assist apparatus 100 and method according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention can distinguish a curb and a wall without using a rear side sensor when the vehicle is parked in parallel.

In addition, the vehicle parking assisting device 100 and method according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention may be configured such that a distance between an obstacle and a vehicle is classified by classifying whether a parking obstacle is a curb or a wall, The convenience can be increased.

It should be understood that the block diagram of a vehicle parking assistance device 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention represents exemplary conceptual aspects embodying the principles of the invention. Similarly, all of the flowcharts should be understood to represent various processes that may be substantially represented on a computer-readable medium and executed by a computer or processor, whether the computer or processor is explicitly shown.

The functions of the various elements shown in the drawings, including the functional blocks shown in a processor or similar concept, may be provided by use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in connection with appropriate software. When provided by a processor, the functions may be provided by a single dedicated processor, a single shared processor, or a plurality of individual processors, some of which may be shared.

Also, the explicit use of terms such as processor, control, or similar concepts should not be interpreted exclusively as hardware capable of running software, and may be used without limitation as a digital signal processor (DSP) (ROM), random access memory (RAM), and non-volatile memory. Other hardware may also be included.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications, substitutions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. will be. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention and the accompanying drawings are intended to illustrate and not to limit the technical spirit of the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments and the accompanying drawings . The scope of protection of the present invention should be construed according to the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope of equivalents should be construed as falling within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (8)

A parking assisting device for a vehicle,
A receiving unit for receiving information of a primary wave and a secondary wave signal collected by a sensor having a multi-echo function;
A classifying unit for classifying whether the parking obstacle is a curb or a wall using the received information; And
And a parking assist unit which generates a parking trajectory such that the distinction result of the division unit is smaller than the distance between the parking obstacle and the vehicle when the parking obstacle is a wall when the parking obstacle is a curb Characterized by a vehicle parking assist device.
The method according to claim 1,
[0029]
Wherein the controller divides the parking obstacle into a curb when the distance between the received primary wave and the received secondary wave is not within a predetermined distance.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the division unit includes a section where the distance between the received primary wave and the received secondary wave exceeds a predetermined distance and a distribution of a section where the distance between the received primary wave and the received secondary wave is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance Wherein the parking barrier is divided into walls when the parking distance is greater than or equal to a predetermined ratio.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the division unit includes a section where the distance between the received primary wave and the received secondary wave is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance and a distribution of a section in which the distance between the received primary wave and the received secondary wave is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, And when the ratio is less than the predetermined ratio, the parking obstacle is divided into curb.
A parking assisting method for a vehicle,
A receiving step of receiving information of a primary wave and a secondary wave signal collected by a sensor having a multi-echo function;
A classifying step of classifying whether the parking obstacle is a curb or a wall using the received information; And
Wherein the division result of the dividing step is such that the distinction result of the dividing step is such that the distances between the parking obstacle and the vehicle are smaller than when the parking obstacle is a wall when the parking obstacle is a curb The method comprising the steps of:
6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein,
And if the distance between the received primary wave and the received secondary wave is not within a predetermined distance, the parking obstacle is classified into a curb.
6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the dividing step includes a period in which the distance between the received primary wave and the received secondary wave exceeds a preset distance and the interval between the received primary wave and the received secondary wave is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance And if the distribution is greater than or equal to a predetermined ratio, partition the parking obstacle into walls.
6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the dividing step includes a step of dividing the received primary wave and the received secondary wave by a predetermined distance or more and dividing the interval between the received primary wave and the received secondary wave by a predetermined distance or more And if the ratio is less than a predetermined ratio, dividing the parking obstacle into curb.

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