JP3888414B2 - Parking assistance device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a parking assistance device that guides a vehicle and parks the vehicle in a parking space or the like.
[0002]
[Related background]
In order to park a vehicle in a parking space or the like partitioned by a white line, etc., the steering operation, the accelerator operation, the brake operation, and the clutch operation are also required for a manual transmission vehicle, so the driving operation is very complicated. In addition, when the vehicle is parked with the vehicle retracted, the driving is carried out in an unnatural posture that is turned backward, which is particularly tense for an inexperienced driver.
[0003]
In view of this, various proposals have been made in order to facilitate the driving operation during parking. For example, in the parking assist device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-187597, the driver is in the vicinity of the parking space. When the vehicle is stopped, the distance data to the parking space is calculated for each direction based on the phase difference between the image data captured by the two CCD cameras, and the parking space is detected from the distance data. A parking space that can be parked with the minimum number of turnovers without contacting an obstacle such as another vehicle is selected, and a driving operation for parking in the parking space is taught by voice.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The parking assist device described above automatically selects a parking space that can be parked with the minimum number of turnovers, in other words, a parking space that is predicted to be the easiest to park, based on the position where the driver stopped. Is done. However, when the parking space of the own vehicle is determined in advance, such as in a parking lot of an apartment, the target parking space is not necessarily selected depending on the stop position of the vehicle by the driver. Therefore, in such a case, it is necessary for the driver to move the vehicle until the target parking space is selected, which may cause the driver to feel annoyance.
[0005]
An object of the present invention is to provide a parking assist device that can guide a vehicle by accurately selecting a parking space desired by a driver, and can greatly reduce the burden on the driver during parking.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the display means displays a parking area where the vehicle can be parked and the display means displays a plurality of parking areas, the vehicle is parked in any parking area. And selecting means for prompting the occupant to change the parking position when the parking area is not selected despite the display of the parking area, and guiding the vehicle to the parking area selected by the selecting means. And a guiding means. Accordingly, when a plurality of parking areas are displayed on the display means as being available for parking, the occupant selects the parking area to be parked by the selection means, so that the parking area is defined as a parking area of an apartment, for example. Even when it is necessary to park, the parking area desired by the occupant is accurately selected, and the vehicle is guided to the parking area. On the other hand, when the parking area is not selected in spite of the display of the parking area, that is, when there is no intention to park in any of the displayed parking areas, the change of the parking position is urged by the selection means by the occupant. Since the parking position is changed, a new parking area is displayed by the display unit based on the changed parking position, and even in such a case, the vehicle can be guided to the desired parking area.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the display unit displays an image captured by the imaging unit, the selection unit determines the parking area based on the image data captured by the imaging unit, and the parking area When there are a plurality of images, a display image is created by superimposing a code for identifying a parking area on the image data, and the display image is displayed on the display means. Therefore, a display image can be created simply by superimposing the code on the image data being used for determining the parking area.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a parking assistance device embodying the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the parking assist device according to the present embodiment. The interior of the vehicle on which the parking assist device is mounted is used for storing an input / output device (not shown), a control program, a control map, and the like. An ECU (electronic control unit) 1 including a storage device (ROM, RAM, BURAM, etc.), a central processing unit (CPU), a timer counter, and the like is installed. The ECU 1 performs comprehensive control of an engine and an automatic transmission mounted on the vehicle, and executes parking assist control that assists the driver's operation when the vehicle is parked.
[0008]
A CCD camera 2 is connected to the input side of the ECU 1 via an input circuit 3 and an image processing circuit 4, and the CCD camera 2 is installed at the rear of the vehicle to capture an image behind the vehicle. Further, on the input side of the ECU 1, an accelerator sensor 5 that detects the amount of accelerator operation by the driver, a steering angle sensor 6 that detects the actual steering angle θ of the steering, a wheel speed sensor 7 that detects the wheel speed, and the yaw angular velocity of the vehicle. Are connected to a yaw angular velocity sensor 8, a parking assist switch 9 provided in the driver's seat of the vehicle, and a gear selector switch 10 for detecting the switching position of the shift lever of the automatic transmission.
[0009]
A liquid crystal monitor 11 and a speaker 12 provided in the driver's seat are connected to the output side of the ECU 1 via drive circuits 13 and 14, respectively, and a steering actuator 15 capable of rotationally driving the steering is a fail-safe circuit 16. And a drive circuit 17.
And ECU1 performs the parking assistance control described below based on the detection information from each sensor, when parking a vehicle by the reverse in the parking space divided by the white line. The ECU 1 executes the parking assist control routine shown in FIG. 2 at a predetermined control interval. First, in step S2, the parking assist switch 9 is connected, and whether or not the gear selector switch 10 detects the R (reverse) position. Determine whether. If the parking assist switch 9 is turned off by the driver, or if any condition is not satisfied, such as during normal driving at the D (drive) position, NO (No) is made in step S2. The routine ends.
[0010]
On the other hand, when the driver connects the parking assist switch 9 and moves the vehicle back to the close position to park in the predetermined parking space, both the above two conditions are satisfied, so YES in step S2 (Yes) And the process proceeds to step S4. In step S4, image data behind the vehicle imaged by the CCD camera 2 is taken in via the image processing circuit 4, and in step S6, the image is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 11, and the parking space is based on the image data. Recognize the white line L dividing the left and right of S. In step S8, the number of parking area candidates is determined based on the recognized white line L. The number of candidates for the parking area means the number of parking spaces S detected based on the recognition of the white line L in the imaged area. As described later, the parking area is determined from these candidates. The vehicle is guided to park in the parking area.
[0011]
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the image recognition process executed in the ECU and the image displayed on the liquid crystal monitor. As described above, the image captured by the CCD camera 2 is displayed on the monitor. 3 (lower left side of FIG. 3), white line L is recognized based on the same image data (upper left side of FIG. 3), and parking area candidates are determined as shown by hatching ( The upper center of FIG. 3). In addition, in this figure, the case where two parking areas are detected is shown.
[0012]
When the ECU 1 determines that the number of parking area candidates is 0 in step S8, the liquid crystal monitor 11 and the speaker 12 are used to indicate to the driver that white line recognition is impossible in step S10, and can be recognized in the subsequent step S12. It is indicated that the vehicle needs to be moved to a correct position, and then the process returns to step S2. The driver moves the vehicle to change the stop position, and the ECU 1 again determines the number of parking area candidates based on the image data of the CCD camera 2 in the processes after step S2. By repeating this process, at least one parking area is obtained as a candidate.
[0013]
Further, when it is determined in step S8 that the number of parking area candidates is 2 or more, the ECU 1 superimposes numbers on the parking area candidates in the image data in step S14 (upper right side in FIG. 3), and the obtained image. Is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 11 (lower right side of FIG. 3), and the driver is presented to select one of them. The liquid crystal monitor 11 is configured as a touch panel, and when the driver touches the displayed number portion, the information is input to the ECU 1. In step S16, the ECU 1 determines whether or not a parking area has been selected by the driver. If YES is determined, the process returns to step S8. Therefore, this process narrows down a plurality of parking area candidates to one.
[0014]
Further, for example, when there is no intention to park in any of the parking areas displayed in step S14, the driver does not select the parking area. Therefore, the ECU 1 makes a NO determination in step S16 and performs the above step. Return to S10. That is, in this case, since the candidate for the parking area is substantially the same as 0, the driver is prompted to change the parking position by the process after step S10 in the same manner as described above, and another parking area candidate is selected. obtain.
[0015]
As a result of the above process, if the candidate for the parking area is determined to be 1 in step S8, the ECU 1 determines that the parking area is appropriate in step S18 after determining the candidate as the parking area. For example, when a parking area of a size that can park the vehicle is not secured, NO is determined in step S18 because the parking area is inappropriate, and the driver is informed that the parking area is inappropriate in step S20. Presenting it and presenting that it is necessary to move the vehicle in order to change the parking area in step S22, and then returns to step S2. When the stop position is changed by the driver and another appropriate parking area is selected, the ECU 1 makes a determination of YES in Step S18 and proceeds to Step S24.
[0016]
In step S24, it is determined whether or not the stop position of the vehicle is appropriate. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the vehicle can be parked in the parking area once by reversing the vehicle at a steering angle equal to or less than the maximum steering angle. For example, the determination process is performed by obtaining the vehicle stop position as the vehicle coordinates (x, y) and the yaw angle ψ with reference to the parking area, and determining directly from the stop position, or the obtained stop position. This is done by calculating a target route for moving the vehicle from the vehicle to the parking area and simulating steering control whether or not the target route can be traced at a steering angle equal to or less than the maximum steering angle. As a result of these determination processes, if NO is determined in step S24 because the stop position is not appropriate, the driver is informed in step S26 that the stop position is inappropriate, and the following simulation result is obtained in step S28. Based on the above, a specific correction procedure such as the yaw angle ψ is taught, and then the process returns to step S2. In accordance with the correction procedure taught in step S28, for example, when the driver executes a vehicle turn-back operation or the like and the vehicle is moved to an appropriate stop position, the ECU 1 makes a determination of YES in step S24 and proceeds to step S30. Transition.
[0017]
In step S30, the target route is calculated in the same manner as in the simulation described above, and steering control is executed to trace the target route and actually move the vehicle. During this steering control, the accelerator operation and the brake operation are entrusted to the driver as usual, and steering is performed by the steering actuator 15 so that the actual steering angle θ matches the target steering angle θt sequentially calculated from the target route. Be controlled. In order to calculate the target steering angle θt, it is necessary to compare the target route with the actual vehicle movement route. This actual movement route is determined by the image data of the CCD camera 2 or the wheel speed sensor 7. Based on the wheel speed (vehicle speed V) detected in this way, the yaw angular velocity detected by the yaw angular velocity sensor 8, and the like, the ECU 1 sequentially calculates.
[0018]
Further, in step S32, a message such as the current steering control status, for example, “moving vehicle” is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 11, and it is determined whether or not parking is completed in the subsequent step S34. A determination is made and the process returns to step S30. As a result of the above control being repeated, when parking is completed and the determination in step S34 is YES, the ECU 1 proceeds to step S36 and displays a message such as “parking complete” on the liquid crystal monitor 11, for example. Exit.
[0019]
Here, in this embodiment, the ECU 1 and the liquid crystal monitor 11 when executing the process of step S6 function as display means, and the touch panel of the ECU 1 and the liquid crystal monitor 11 when executing the process of step S14 functions as selection means. The ECU 1 and the steering actuator 15 when executing the process of step S30 function as guiding means.
[0020]
As described above, in the parking assist device of the present embodiment, when two or more parking area candidates are detected from the image captured by the CCD camera 2, a number is displayed on the parking area image displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 11. Are overlapped to request the driver to select, and the vehicle is guided to the parking area selected by the touch operation. Therefore, when it is necessary to park in a predetermined parking space such as a parking lot of an apartment, for example, the desired parking space can be determined by simply touching the number of the candidate parking area corresponding to the parking space. You can select exactly. As a result, the parking assistance function can always be used to guide the vehicle to the desired parking space, thereby maximizing the parking assistance function and greatly reducing the burden on the driver during parking. it can.
[0021]
Further, as described with reference to FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the image captured by the CCD camera 2 is used for monitor display, and image recognition processing (recognition of white line L, parking area) is performed based on the same image data. If there are two or more parking area candidates and it is necessary to display a selection request image to the driver, the image data being applied for image recognition is displayed. An image to be displayed on the monitor (the right side in the lower part of FIG. 3) can be created by simply overlapping the numbers. As a result, there is also an advantage that processing for monitor display can be simplified.
[0022]
This is the end of the description of the embodiment, but the aspect of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the steering control is executed as the parking assist function. However, the present invention is not limited to this as long as it guides the vehicle to reduce the burden on the driver. In addition, it may be configured to teach an appropriate steering angle at that time by voice, or may be configured to automatically control not only steering control but also accelerator operation and brake operation.
[0023]
In the above embodiment, the method using the touch panel is used as the selection means. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and another operation panel may be provided to allow the occupant to select, or the occupant may select the sound. Further, the image displayed on the display means may display the relative relationship between the vehicle and the parking area instead of the actual image.
[0024]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the parking assist device of the first aspect of the present invention, when there are a plurality of parking areas that can be parked, the occupant selects the parking area to be parked. This makes it possible to maximize the parking assistance function and greatly reduce the burden on the driver during parking . In addition, the parking area is selected without displaying the parking area desired by the occupant. Since the change of the parking position is prompted when there is not, the new parking area based on the parking position changed by the occupant can be displayed, and the vehicle can be reliably guided to the desired parking area .
According to the parking assist device of the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the first aspect, the display process is simplified by superimposing the code on the image data being used for the determination of the parking area, thereby simplifying the display process. Can do.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a parking assistance device according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a parking assist control routine executed by an ECU.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between image recognition processing by an ECU and monitor display.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 ECU (display means, selection means, guidance means)
11 LCD monitor (display means, selection means)
15 Steering actuator (guidance means)
S Parking space (parking area)

Claims (2)

Display means for displaying a parking area where the vehicle can be parked;
When the display means displays a plurality of parking areas, the occupant selects which parking area to park the vehicle, but the parking area is not selected despite the display of the parking area. Selecting means for prompting the occupant to change the parking position;
A parking assistance device comprising: guidance means for guiding the vehicle to the parking area selected by the selection means. The display means displays an image captured by the imaging means,
The selection unit determines a parking area based on the image data captured by the imaging unit, and creates a display image by superimposing a code for identifying the parking area on the image data when there are a plurality of parking areas. The parking assist device according to claim 1, wherein the display image is displayed on the display means.

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