Vehicle backing support apparatus

• US 6,704,653 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2002
• Issued: 03/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki
• Inventors: Suzuki, Isao, Endo, Takashi, Ando, Masahiko, Kuriya, Hisashi, Shimazaki, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US10/030,792
• Publication Number:
  US 20020123829A1
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/116, 701/301, 340/435, 340/425.5, 340/932.2, 340/937, 340/988, 725/75, 348/118, 348/148
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0275 by overlaying a vehicle path based on present steering angle over an image without processing that image

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus during parking, in which a steering assisting guide display is performed so that a driver can easily comprehend a steering rate and time frame, a steering amount or a backward movement amount in parking a vehicle. When a vehicle starts a turn, a detecting means of a rotation speed difference between a right wheel and a left wheel detects a rotation speed difference between a right wheel and a left wheel. When the difference becomes the predetermined value or larger, it is recognized that the vehicle starts the turn. The angle speed, which is detected by a yaw rate sensor since the start of the turn, is added as a yaw angle. Then, the vehicle is stopped and a shift lever is operated so as to be set to a backward movement position, whereby the yaw angle at this time is detected as the turn angle since the time of starting the turn. An image processor displays a parallel parking guide line and a vehicle space mark so as to be inclined on the screen of a monitor based on the turn angle.

Claims

1. A vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus during parking comprising:

a camera for picking up the rear view of a vehicle;

a monitor disposed at the driver'"'"'s seat;

a recognizing means for recognizing a start of turn of the vehicle;

a detecting means for detecting a turn angle of the vehicle after the start of turn;

means for indicating an acquisition of a turn angle, said means also indicating a time for detecting the turn angle; and

means for controlling the monitor to display an image from the camera, while the vehicle is moving backward, and to superimposedly display, on the monitor, a guide display based on the detected turn angle, for assisting the vehicle in a backward movement during parking,

wherein the means for controlling the monitor guides a steering amount, determined based on a positional relationship between said guide display and a target parking space, obtained as an image from the camera.

2. A vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the recognizing means is composed of means for detecting the rotation speed difference between a right wheel and a left wheel, a vehicle speed sensor, a steering angle sensor or a dedicated button.

3. A vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for detecting a turn angle is composed of a yaw rate sensor, a steering angle sensor, a travel distance sensor or a geomagnetism sensor.

4. A vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for indicating an acquisition of a turn angle is composed of a shift lever or a dedicated button.

5. A vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus during parking according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide display representing a display used for parallel parking includes:

a parallel parking guide line displayed on the screen of the monitor in accordance with the detected turn angle;

a vehicle space mark displayed so as to be moved along on the parallel parking guide line on the screen of the monitor in accordance with a steering angle of a steering wheel; and

an eye mark which is displayed so as to be fixed at a predetermined position of the screen of the monitor, and which guides the turn point of the steering wheel.

6. A vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus during parallel parking, characterized by comprising:

a camera for picking up the rear view of a vehicle;

a monitor disposed at a driver'"'"'s seat;

a steering angle sensor for detecting a steering angle of a steering wheel;

means for controlling a display, for displaying the image by the camera on the monitor while the vehicle is moving backward, and for superimposedly displaying on the screen of the monitor a guide display for assisting the vehicle drive during parking operation; and

a first switch and a second switch which arc disposed at the driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle, and by which a moving guide display on the screen of the monitor is moved in parallel and rotated, respectively,

characterized in that;

the moving guide display includes a parallel parking guide line and a vehicle space mark displayed so as to be moved along on the parallel parking guide line in accordance with the steering angle of the steering wheel detected by the steering angle sensor; and

a fixed guide display includes an eye mark, which is fixedly displayed at a predetermined position on the screen of the monitor and which guides a return point of the steering wheel; and

the means for controlling a display learns and stores a past rotation angle of the moving guide display made by the second switch and represents the moving guide display on the screen of the monitor at the stored rotation angle.

7. A vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus during parallel parking according to claim 6, characterized in that:

in a position where a vehicle is stopped, the second switch is operated so that an inclination of the parallel parking guide line and an inclination of the vehicle space mark are superimposed on a target regarding a parking space on the screen of the monitor;

thereafter, the switch is operated so that the parallel parking guide line is superimposed on the target regarding the parking space on the screen of the monitor;

the steering wheel is returned so that the vehicle space mark is superimposed on the parking space;

the vehicle is moved backward while retaining the steering wheel at that position, and the vehicle is stopped at the position where the eye mark is superimposed on the parking space; and

then the vehicle is moved backward during a static turn so that the steering angle of the steering wheel becomes maximum in a reverse direction, whereby the vehicle is appropriately parked in tandem at the parking space.

8. A vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus during parallel parking according to claim 6, comprising a right-or-left selection switch disposed at the driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle, for selecting one of a right parallel parking and a left parallel parking, wherein the means for controlling a display represents the moving guide display and the fixed guide display for the parallel parking selected by the right-or-left selection switch on the screen of the monitor.

9. A vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus during parallel parking according to claim 6, comprising a yaw rate sensor for detecting the yaw rate of the vehicle, wherein the means for controlling a display judges whether a direction of parallel parking is a right one or a left one in accordance with angle changes of the vehicle, in a predetermined time required for stopping the vehicle for performing parallel parking, based on the yaw rate detected by the yaw rate sensor, and the moving guide display and the fixed guide display of parallel parking of a chosen direction are represented on the screen of the monitor.

10. A method for controlling the display of the vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus during parallel parking in the right and left directions, the vehicle backward assisting apparatus having a camera for picking up the rear view of a vehicle, a monitor disposed at a driver'"'"'s seat, a steering angle sensor for detecting a steering angle of a steering wheel, means for controlling a display, for displaying the image by the camera on the monitor while the vehicle is moved backward and for superimposedly displaying on the monitor a moving guide display that moves in accordance with the steering angle of the steering wheel detected by the steering angle sensor and a fixed guide display, and a first switch and a second switch which are disposed at the driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle, and by which a moving guide display on the screen of the monitor is moved in parallel and rotated, respectively, characterized in that the moving guide display includes a parallel parking guide line and a vehicle space mark displayed so as to be moved along on the parallel parking guide line in accordance with the steering angle of the steering wheel detected by the steering angle sensor, and the fixed guide display includes an eye mark, which is fixedly displayed at a predetermined position on the screen of the monitor and which guides a return point of the steering wheel, and the means for controlling a display learns and stores a past rotation angle of the moving guide display made by the second switch and represents the moving guide display on the screen of the monitor at the stored rotation angle, the method comprising:

representing the moving guide display and the fixed guide display, on the monitor, for parallel parking in a preselected direction, the preselected direction being either the right direction or the left direction, the moving guide display and fixed display for the preselected direction being given a priority;

thereafter

judging whether the direction of parallel parking is in the right or the left direction, based on the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor; and

representing, on the monitor, the moving guide display and the fixed guide display for a direction which is opposite to the preselected direction being given a priority, when the direction judged by the above judging is different from the preselected direction being given a priority.

11. A vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus during parking comprising:

a camera for picking up the rear view of a vehicle;

a monitor disposed at the driver'"'"'s seat;

a recognizing means for recognizing a start of turn of the vehicle;

a detecting means for detecting a turn angle of the vehicle after the start of turn;

means for indicating an acquisition of a turn angle, said means also indicating a time for detecting the turn angle detected by the detecting means; and

means for controlling the monitor to display an image from the camera, while the vehicle is moving backward, and to superimposedly display, on the monitor, a guide display based on the detected turn angle, for assisting the vehicle in a backward movement during parking,

wherein the guide display assists the vehicle drive so that a travel locus of the vehicle, from a start of a parking operation to a completion of a parking operation, is a combination of a plurality of arcs having constant radii, circumscribing each other

wherein an intersection point of two corresponding arcs, is positioned on a line segment that connects two corresponding centers of curvature of said two arcs, and the travel locus has at least one of said intersection point.