PARKING ASSISTING DEVICE AND PARKING ASSISTING METHOD

• US 20090118900A1
• Filed: 11/17/2006
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Adachi, Jun, Hiramaki, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 8,140,209 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/027 Parking aids, e.g. instruction means
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/586 of parking space
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/18 Eye characteristics, e.g. of the iris
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space

Abstract

A parking assisting device is equipped with a imaging device (1), a gaze position determining sections (3, 11), target parking position setting sections (1, 11), and a parking assisting section (2). The imaging device (1) takes images of surrounding of a vehicle. The gaze position determining sections (3, 11) determine positions at which a driver gazes. The target parking position setting sections (1, 11) sets target parking positions based on images taken by the imaging device (1) and gaze positions determined by the gaze position determining section (11). The parking assisting section (2) assists in processing to park the vehicle at the set target parking position.

Claims

1. A parking assisting device comprising:

imaging means that takes images of surrounding of a vehicle;

gaze position determining means that determines a gaze position at which a driver gazes;

target parking position setting means that sets a target parking position based on images taken by the imaging means and the gaze position determined by the gaze position determining means; and

parking assisting means that assists in processing to park the vehicle at the target parking position set by the target parking position setting means.

2. The parking assisting device according to claim 1, further comprising possible parking position determining means that detects at least one parking space from the images taken by the imaging means, obtains a parking section area from the detected parking spaces, and determines whether or not it is possible to park the vehicle within the obtained parking section area,

wherein the target parking position setting means sets a parking section position on a position which the gaze position determining means determined to be a position at which the driver gazes, of the parking section areas where parking is determined to be possible by the possible parking position determining means, as the target parking position.

3. The parking assisting device according to claim 1, further comprising parking section area detecting means that detects parking section areas where it is possible for a vehicle to park,

wherein when the parking section area detecting means detects a plurality of parking section areas, the target parking position setting means sets a parking section area on the gaze position determined by the gaze position determining means from a plurality of possible parking positions as the target parking position.

4. The parking assisting device according to claim 2, further comprising:

parking starting means that inputs an instruction to start parking;

storage means that determines movement of a vehicle in a process where the vehicle achieves a retreated state from the input of an instruction to start parking and stores the movement; and

relative position acquiring means that acquires a relative position of the vehicle position at the time when the gaze position determining means determines the gaze position, with respect to the vehicle position at the time when the vehicle is in a retreated state;

wherein the target parking position setting means selects a position from a plurality of possible parking positions and sets the selected position as the target parking position based on the gaze position determined by the gaze position determining means and the acquired relative position.

5. The parking assisting device according to claim 2, wherein the parking assisting means further comprises any of:

means that displays the target parking position;

guidance means that guides the vehicle to the set target parking position; and

automatic steering means that controls the vehicle to automatically travel as far as the target parking position.

6. The parking assisting device according to claim 2, wherein the target parking position setting means comprises switching operation means that switches the selected target parking position to other possible parking position.

7. The parking assisting device according to claim 1, the gaze position determining means comprising:

internal imaging means that takes images of a space in the vehicle including the face of the driver; and

gaze position calculating means that obtains the gaze position at which the driver gazes from the images of the driver taken by the imaging means.

8. The parking assisting device according to claim 2, further comprising:

parking starting means that inputs an instruction to start parking;

storage means that stores movement of a vehicle in a process where the vehicle achieves a retreated state from the start of parking; and

relative position acquiring means that acquires a relative position of the vehicle position at the time when the gaze position determining means determines the gaze position, with respect to the vehicle position at the time when the vehicle is in a retreated state;

wherein the target parking position setting means selects a position from a plurality of possible parking positions based on the gaze position determined by the gaze position determining means and the relative position.

9. The parking assisting device according to claim 2, further comprising display means that displays the images taken by the imaging means,

wherein the display means displays a parking section area set as the target parking position by the target parking position setting means in an emphasized manner.

10. The parking assisting device according to claim 2, further comprising:

display means that displays images of a plurality of parking section areas taken by the imaging means and displays one of the plurality of parking section areas in an emphasized manner;

emphasis target switching means that switches over a emphasis target; and

target setting operation means,

wherein the display means switches over the emphasized parking section area in response to the operation of the emphasis target switching means, and

the target parking position setting means sets the parking section area displayed in an emphasized manner at this time as the target parking position in response to the switching operation of the emphasis target switching means.

11. A parking assisting method comprising:

taking images of the surrounding of a vehicle;

determining a position at which a driver gazes;

setting a target parking position based on taken images and a determined gaze position; and

outputting information for guiding driving to enable parking at the set target parking position, or controlling the vehicle to travel automatically to the target parking position.

12. A parking assisting device comprising:

obstacle detecting means that detects position information of obstacles of surrounding of a vehicle;

gaze position determining means that determines a gaze position at which a driver gazes;

target parking position setting means that sets the target parking position based on position information for the obstacles detected by the obstacle detecting means and the gaze position determined by the gaze position determining means; and

parking assisting means that assists in processing for parking the vehicle at the target parking position set by the target parking position setting means.