PARKING ASSISTANCE APPARATUS, VEHICLE-SIDE APPARATUS OF PARKING ASSISTANCE APPARATUS, PARKING ASSIST METHOD, AND PARKING ASSIST PROGRAM

• US 20100211267A1
• Filed: 07/04/2008
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki
• Inventors: Yanagisawa, Hideo, Kimura, Tomio, Shimazaki, Kazunori, Nakashima, Yutaka, Tomioka, Masami
• Granted Patent: US 8,170,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/42
• 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 2300/108 using 'non-standard' camera systems, e.g. camera sensor used for additional purposes i.a. rain sensor, camera sensor split in multiple image areas
• 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 2300/50 characterised by the display information being shared, e.g. external display, data transfer to other traffic participants or centralised traffic controller
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/70 characterised by an event-triggered choice to display a specific image among a selection of captured images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8026 in addition to a rear-view mirror system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/02 related to ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/028 Guided parking by providing commands to the driver, e.g. acoustically or optically
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space

Abstract

A parking assistance apparatus makes it easy for a driver to grasp a relative positional relation between a vehicle and a target parking position and makes it possible to park the vehicle at the target parking position in a parking space with accuracy.

An image of a mark M in a parking space S is taken by a vehicle-side camera 7. A relative position calculation portion 8 calculates a relative positional relation between the vehicle and a target parking position T based on the taken image of the mark M. A backward locus calculation portion 9 calculates an expected locus when the vehicle moves based on the relative positional relation and based on a steering angle detected by a steering angle sensor 15. An image of the parking space S is taken by a parking-space-side camera 3 and transmitted to a vehicle-side apparatus 1. An image composition portion 12 composes the image of the parking space S from the parking-space-side camera 3 and the expected locus calculated by the backward locus calculation portion 9. The composed image is displayed on the monitor 14 located in the vicinity of a drivers seat of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A parking assistance apparatus comprising a parking-space-side apparatus and a vehicle-side apparatus, characterized in that:

the parking-space-side apparatus includes;

a fixed target that is fixed with a predetermined positional relation with respect to a target parking position in a parking space and has at least one characteristic point;

a parking-space-side camera for taking an image of the parking space; and

a parking-space-side communication portion for transmitting an image taken by the parking-space-side camera; and

the vehicle-side apparatus includes;

a vehicle-side camera for taking an image of the fixed target;

a vehicle-side communication portion for receiving the image transmitted by the parking-space-side communication portion;

a monitor located in the vicinity of a drivers seat;

a steering angle sensor for detecting a steering angle of a vehicle,

a relative position calculation portion for calculating a relative positional relation between the vehicle and the target parking position based on an image of the fixed target taken by the vehicle-side camera;

an expected locus calculation portion for calculating an expected locus when the vehicle moves based on the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor; and

an image composition portion for displaying on the monitor information regarding parking superimposed on a background image, wherein the information regarding parking is obtained based on the relative positional relation between the vehicle and the target parking position calculated by the relative position calculation portion and based on the expected locus calculated by the expected locus calculation portion, and wherein the background image is based on the image received at the vehicle-side communication portion.

2. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image composition portion transforms the expected locus calculated by the expected locus calculation portion into drawing data in a coordinate system for an imaging screen of the parking-space-side camera and displays the transformed drawing data as information regarding parking.

3. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle-side apparatus includes a parking travel distance calculation portion for calculating a travel distance of the vehicle for reaching the target parking position based on the relative positional relation between the vehicle and the target parking position calculated by the relative position calculation portion and based on the expected locus calculated by the expected locus calculation portion;

and

the image composition portion displays the travel distance calculated by the parking travel distance calculation portion as information regarding parking.

4. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle-side apparatus includes:

travelable area calculation portion for identifying an area travelable by the vehicle based on the relative positional relation between the vehicle and the target parking position calculated by the relative position calculation portion; and

interference determination portion for determining whether there is interference with an obstacle, in the case the vehicle travels along the expected locus, based on the travelable area calculated by the travelable area calculation portion and based on the expected locus calculated by the expected locus calculation portion, and

the image composition portion displays whether there is the interference determined by the interference determination portion as information regarding parking.

5. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the relative position calculation portion includes:

image processing means for extracting the characteristic point of the fixed target based on the image of the fixed target taken by the vehicle-side camera and for recognizing a two-dimensional coordinate of the characteristic point on the image of the fixed target;

positional parameter calculation means for calculating positional parameters of the vehicle-side camera including at least a two-dimensional coordinate and a pan angle with reference to the fixed target based on two or more sets of the two-dimensional coordinates recognized by the image processing means; and

relative position identification means for identifying a relative positional relation between the vehicle and the target parking position based on the positional parameters of the vehicle-side camera calculated by the positional parameter calculation means and the predetermined positional relation of the fixed target with respect to the target parking position.

6. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the fixed target has two or more characteristic points; and

the image processing means recognizes two or more sets of the two-dimensional coordinates of the characteristic points based on one image of the fixed target taken by the vehicle-side camera.

7. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the fixed target comprises a mark of a predetermined shape.

8. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the parking-space-side apparatus includes a plurality of the fixed targets located at different positions; and

the relative position calculation portion calculates the relative positional relation between the vehicle and the target parking position based on any of the images of the fixed targets taken by the vehicle-side camera.

9. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle-side apparatus further includes an image selection portion, wherein the image selection portion:

selects an image from the vehicle-side camera if the distance between the vehicle and the target parking position is larger than a predetermined value; and

selects an image from the image composition portion if the distance is less than or equal to the predetermined value,

based on the relative positional relation between the vehicle and the target parking position calculated by the relative position calculation portion, and

makes the monitor display the selected image.

10. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle-side apparatus makes the monitor display the image taken by the vehicle-side camera and the image from the image composition portion concurrently.

11. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the vehicle-side apparatus further includes a second image composition portion for displaying on the monitor the expected locus calculated by the expected locus calculation portion superimposed on the image taken by the vehicle-side camera.

12. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the parking-space-side apparatus includes a plurality of parking-space-side cameras located at different locations, and

the vehicle-side apparatus includes a control portion for making the image composition portion use the image from a parking-space-side camera selected among the plurality of parking-space-side cameras in response to the distance between the vehicle and the target parking position based on the relative positional relation between the vehicle and the target parking position calculated by the relative position calculation portion.

13. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image composition portion:

creates a perspective image by composing the image from the vehicle-side camera and the image from the parking-space-side camera; and

displays the expected locus calculated by the expected locus calculation portion superimposed on the perspective image as the background image.

14. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle-side apparatus further includes:

a parking locus calculation portion for calculating a parking locus for leading the vehicle to the target parking position based on the relative positional relation between the vehicle and the target parking position calculated by the relative position calculation portion; and

a guide apparatus for outputting drive operation guide information for traveling along the parking locus calculated by the parking locus calculation portion to a driver of the vehicle.

15. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the vehicle-side apparatus further includes a sensor related to travel of the vehicle, and

the guide apparatus includes:

guide information creation portion for creating the drive operation guide information based on a detected signal from the sensor related to travel of the vehicle and based on the parking locus calculated by the parking locus calculation portion; and

a guide information output portion for outputting the guide information created by the guide information creation portion.

16. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle-side apparatus further comprises:

a parking locus calculation portion for calculating a parking locus for leading the vehicle to the target parking position based on the relative positional relation between the vehicle and the target parking position calculated by the relative position calculation portion; and

an automatic steering apparatus for steering the vehicle automatically in order to travel along the parking locus calculated by the parking locus calculation portion.

17. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the vehicle-side apparatus further includes a sensor related to travel of the vehicle, and

the automatic steering apparatus creates a steering signal for steering the vehicle automatically based on a detection signal from the sensor related to travel of the vehicle and based on the parking locus calculated by the parking locus calculation portion.

18. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle-side apparatus further comprises:

a parking locus calculation portion for calculating a parking locus for leading the vehicle to the target parking position based on the relative positional relation between the vehicle and the target parking position calculated by the relative position calculation portion; and

an automatic traveling apparatus for moving the vehicle automatically in order to travel along the parking locus calculated by the parking locus calculation portion.

19. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the vehicle-side apparatus further includes a sensor related to travel of the vehicle, and

the automatic traveling apparatus creates a traveling signal for moving the vehicle automatically based on a detection signal from the sensor related to travel of the vehicle and based on the parking locus calculated by the parking locus calculation portion.

20. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fixed target is displayed by means of light.

21. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the fixed target is displayed by projecting or scanning light.

22. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the fixed target emits light by itself.

23. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the expected locus when the vehicle moves is an expected backward locus for when the vehicle travels backward, and

the expected locus calculation portion is a backward locus calculation portion for calculating the expected backward locus.

24. A parking assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the expected locus when the vehicle moves is an expected forward locus for when the vehicle travels forward, and

the expected locus calculation portion is a forward locus calculation portion for calculating the expected forward locus.

25. A vehicle-side apparatus of a parking assistance apparatus characterized in that it comprises:

a vehicle-side camera for taking an image of a fixed target;

a vehicle-side communication portion for receiving an image transmitted by a parking-space-side apparatus, the parking-space-side apparatus including;

a fixed target that is fixed with a predetermined positional relation with respect to a target parking position in a parking space and has at least one characteristic point;

a parking-space-side camera for taking an image of the parking space; and

a parking-space-side communication portion for transmitting an image taken by the parking-space-side camera;

a monitor located in the vicinity of a drivers seat;

a steering angle sensor for detecting a steering angle of a vehicle,

a relative position calculation portion for calculating a relative positional relation between the vehicle and the target parking position based on the image of the fixed target taken by the vehicle-side camera;

an expected locus calculation portion for calculating an expected locus when the vehicle moves based on the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor; and

an image composition portion for displaying information regarding parking superimposed on a background image, wherein the information regarding parking is obtained based on the relative positional relation between the vehicle and the target parking position calculated by the relative position calculation portion and based on the expected locus calculated by the expected locus calculation portion, and wherein the background image is based on the image received at the vehicle-side communication portion.

26. A parking assist method characterized in that it comprises the steps of:

taking an image of a parking space by a parking-space-side camera;

transmitting the image of the parking space taken by the parking-space-side camera to a vehicle side,

taking an image of a fixed target that is fixed with a predetermined positional relation with respect to a target parking position in a parking space and has at least one characteristic point by a vehicle-side camera;

calculating a relative positional relation between the vehicle and the target parking position based on the image of the fixed target taken by the vehicle-side camera;

detecting a steering angle of a vehicle;

calculating an expected locus when the vehicle moves based on the detected steering angle; and

displaying on the monitor information regarding parking superimposed on a background image, wherein the information regarding parking is obtained based on the calculated relative positional relation between the vehicle and the target parking position and based on the calculated expected locus, and wherein the background image is based on the image of the parking space taken by the vehicle-side camera.

27. A parking assist program characterized in that it is for executing the steps of:

taking an image of a parking space by a parking-space-side camera;

transmitting the image of the parking space taken by the parking-space-side camera to vehicle side,

taking an image of a fixed target that is fixed with a predetermined positional relation with respect to a target parking position in a parking space and has at least one characteristic point by a vehicle-side camera;

calculating a relative positional relation between the vehicle and the target parking position based on the image of the fixed target taken by the vehicle-side camera;

detecting a steering angle of a vehicle;

calculating an expected locus when the vehicle moves based on the detected steering angle; and

displaying information regarding parking superimposed on a background image, wherein the information regarding parking is obtained based on the calculated relative positional relation between the vehicle and the target parking position and based on the calculated expected locus, and wherein the background image of the parking space is based on the image taken by the vehicle-side camera.