Parking assistance apparatus in a vehicle

• US 20040119610A1
• Filed: 08/20/2003
• Published: 06/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Sugahara, Atsushi, Ueminami, Keiji, Maemura, Takahiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,053,795 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/005 using a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/25 to the sides of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/28 with an adjustable field of view
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/302 combining image information with GPS information or vehicle data, e.g. vehicle speed, gyro, steering angle data
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/305 merging camera image with lines or icons
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• 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 assistance apparatus for assisting a driver to once stop a vehicle at a predetermined reference position where the driver can view a target parking position in a lateral direction of the vehicle and then to perform parking operation from the reference position to the target parking position. The parking assistance apparatus includes: a camera being installed on the front of the vehicle and configured to capture an image from a side of the vehicle; an image display unit installed in a cabin of the vehicle and configured to display the image captured by the camera; and an image information control unit configured to control image information on the image display unit and to superimpose indicators to guide the vehicle to the reference position on the image.

Claims

1. A parking assistance apparatus for assisting a driver to once stop a vehicle at a predetermined reference position where the driver can view a target parking position in a lateral direction of the vehicle and then to perform parking operation from the reference position to the target parking position, the parking assistance apparatus comprising:

a camera being installed on the front of the vehicle and configured to capture an image from a side of the vehicle;

an image display unit installed in a cabin of the vehicle and configured to display the image captured by the camera; and

an image information control unit configured to control image information on the image display unit and to superimpose indicators to guide the vehicle to the reference position on the image.

2. The parking assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an instruction unit that gives a start instruction of the parking assistance,

wherein when a start instruction of the parking assistance is given through the instruction unit, the image information control unit superimposes the indicators on the image on the image display unit.

3. The parking assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 2,

wherein the instruction unit enables the driver to select at least one of the left direction and the right direction from the vehicle as the direction of the target parking position and to give a start instruction of parking operation;

when a start instruction of parking operation on the left direction from the vehicle is given through the instruction unit, the image information control unit displays an image from the left side of the vehicle on the image display unit; and

when a start instruction of parking operation on the right direction from the vehicle is given through the instruction unit, the image information control unit displays an image from the right side of the vehicle on the image display unit.

4. The parking assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the indicators include a longitudinal direction guideline for positioning the vehicle in the longitudinal direction thereof and a lateral direction guideline for positioning the vehicle in the lateral direction thereof.

5. The parking assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 4,

wherein the instruction unit gives a start instruction of parking operation when one of parallel parking and back-in parking is selected;

the lateral direction guideline includes a lateral direction guideline for parallel parking and a lateral direction guideline for back-in parking;

when a start instruction of parallel parking is given through the instruction unit, the image information control unit superimposes the lateral direction guideline for parallel parking on the image; and

when a start instruction of back-in parking is given through the instruction unit, the image information control unit superimposes the lateral direction guideline for back-in parking on the image.

6. The parking assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 4,

wherein the longitudinal direction guideline includes two guidelines spaced from each other at an interval corresponding to the full length of the vehicle;

and

when a start instruction of parallel parking is given through the instruction unit, the image information control unit displays the two guidelines on the image.

7. The parking assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 4,

wherein the longitudinal direction guideline includes two guidelines spaced from each other at the interval corresponding to the full width of the vehicle;

and

when a start instruction of back-in parking is given through the instruction unit, the image information control unit displays the two guidelines on the image.

8. The parking assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 4,

wherein the image information control unit displays a mark indicating the vehicle center position at the completion of parking on the lateral direction guideline.

9. The parking assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the indicator is a mark to schematically indicate the vehicle position at the completion of parking.

10. A parking assistance method for assisting a driver to once stop a vehicle at a predetermined reference position where the driver can view a target parking position in a lateral direction of the vehicle and then to perform parking operation from the reference position to the target parking position, the parking assistance method comprising:

capturing an image viewed from a side of the vehicle; and

displaying the image to the driver, while superimposing indicators to guide the vehicle to the reference position on the image.

11. A vehicle comprising a parking assistance apparatus for assisting a driver to once stop a vehicle at a predetermined reference position where the driver can view a target parking position in a lateral direction of the vehicle and then to perform parking operation from the reference position to the target parking position,

wherein the parking assistance apparatus includes:

a camera being installed on the front of the vehicle and configured to capture an image from the side of the vehicle;

an image display unit configured to display the image captured by the camera to the driver; and

an image information control unit configured to control image information on the image display unit and to superimpose indicators to guide the vehicle to the reference position on the image.