Parking assisting device

• US 20030121706A1
• Filed: 02/27/2002
• Published: 07/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L'Oreal SA, Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: L'Oreal SA
• Inventors: Yamada, Satoshi, Shimazaki, Kazunori
• Granted Patent: US 6,820,711 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/204
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/10 Automatic or semi-automatic parking aid systems
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/028 Guided parking by providing commands to the driver, e.g. acoustically or optically

Abstract

A parking assisting device provides parking assisting information consisting of a first intermittent sound of a tone (A) indicating that a vehicle is approaching a target stop position, a continuous sound of a tone (B) indicating that a position of a vehicle coincides with a target stop position and a second intermittent sound of a tone (C) indicating that a vehicle has gone beyond a target stop position. An intermittent period of the first intermittent sound changes to be shorter as the vehicle approaches a target stop position closer and an intermittent period of the second intermittent sound changes to be longer as the vehicle goes beyond the target stop position farther.

Claims

1. A parking assisting device comprising:

means for setting a reference of a turning position of a vehicle;

means for detecting a turning position of a vehicle based on the reference; and

means for notifying a driver of parking assisting information concerning a target guiding position based on the detected turning position of a vehicle,

wherein the parking assisting information comprises two kinds of information with forms different from each other provided in any two states among three states consisting of a state in which the vehicle has reached the target guiding position and states in which the vehicle is in front of and behind the target guiding position, the two kinds of information informing the driver of at least two states among the three states.

2. A parking assisting device according to claim 1,

wherein the parking assisting information comprises first information and second information provided in the states in which the vehicle is in front of and behind the target guiding position, the first information and the second information with forms different from each other informing the driver of three states consisting of the state in which the vehicle has reached the target guiding position and the states of positions in which the vehicle is in front of and behind the target guiding position.

3. A parking assisting device according to claim 2,

wherein the parking assisting information includes third information to be notified in the state in which the vehicle has reached the target guiding position.

4. A parking assisting device according to claim 3,

wherein the first information, second information and third information indicate that the vehicle is approaching, has gone beyond and has reached the target guiding position, respectively.

5. A parking assisting device according to claim 3,

wherein the first information, second information and third information indicate that the vehicle is required to move forward, is required to move backward and is required to stop, respectively.

6. A parking assisting device according to claim 2,

wherein the parking assisting information consists of sounds, and the first information and second information have elements specifying sound at least one of which is different between the first and second information and at least another one of which changes based on a vehicle position with respect to the target guiding position.

7. A parking assisting device according to claim 1,

wherein the parking assisting information includes a brake operation guiding sound provided in a first position before the vehicle reaches the target guiding position.

8. A parking assisting device according to claim 7,

wherein the first position is selected based on an angular speed of the vehicle in a predetermined position before the vehicle reaches the first position.

9. A parking assisting device according to claim 7,

wherein the first position is selected based on interrelation between a turning position of the vehicle and an angular speed of the vehicle in the turning position.

10. A parking assisting device according to claim 7,

wherein the first position is selected by learning based on past data.

15. A parking assisting device according to claim 6,

wherein the parking assisting information is of light instead of sound.

17. A parking assisting device according to claim 6,

wherein the parking assisting information is of vibration instead of sound.

11. A parking assisting device comprising:

means for setting a reference of a turning position of a vehicle;

means for detecting a turning position of a vehicle based on the reference; and

means for notifying a driver of parking assisting information concerning a target guiding position based on the detected turning position of a vehicle,

wherein the parking assisting information includes a brake operation guiding sound that is provided in a first position before the vehicle reaches the target guiding position.

12. A parking assisting device according to claim 11,

wherein the first position is selected based on an angular speed of the vehicle in a predetermined position before the vehicle reaches the first position.

13. A parking assisting device according to claim 11,

wherein the first position is selected based on an interrelation between a turning position of the vehicle and an angular speed of the vehicle in the turning position.

14. A parking assisting device according to claim 11,

wherein the first position is selected by learning based on past data.

16. A parking assisting device according to claim 11,

wherein the parking assisting information is of light instead of sound.

18. A parking assisting device according to claim 11,

wherein the parking assisting information is of vibration instead of sound.