Parking assisting device

• US 6,711,473 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2002
• Issued: 03/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamada, Satoshi, Kimura, Tomio, Shimazaki, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US10/176,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20020198634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 180/204, 180/199, 348/113, 348/118, 340/932.2
• US Class Current: 701/1
• 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 is provided with: a yaw rate sensor for detecting a yaw angle of a vehicle; a controller having a navigation function control unit and a parking assisting function control unit; a function selecting switch for determining switching to a parking assisting mode from a navigation mode; a monitor for providing navigation information, as well as for setting the reference position of the yaw angle and selecting a parking mode; and a speaker for providing parking assisting information to a driver in accordance with a vehicle position specified on the basis of the yaw angle.

Claims

1. A parking assisting device, comprising:

a first means for detecting a yaw angle of a vehicle;

a controller having a navigation function control unit and a parking assisting function control unit;

a second means for determining switching from a navigation mode to a parking assisting mode;

a third means for providing navigation information, and for setting the reference position of the yaw angle and selecting a parking mode; and

a fourth means for providing parking assisting information to a driver in accordance with a vehicle position specified on the basis of the yaw angle.

2. A parking assisting device according to claim 1, wherein the parking assisting information includes information instructing a driver to move a vehicle forward or backward while keeping a constant steering angle, and then to perform a steering operation to the opposite direction under a standstill state to move the vehicle backward while keeping a constant steering angle, whereby the vehicle can be finally parked in the target parking space.

3. A parking assisting device according to claim 1, wherein a fifth means capable of receiving, by voice-input, a navigation function instruction, a setting instruction of the reference position of the yaw angle, and a selection instruction of the parking mode is provided instead of the third means or with the third means.

4. A parking assisting device according to claim 1, wherein the controller includes a voice generation function unit for giving voice-guidance on the navigation information and on the information related to the parking mode that is selected by the third means.

5. A parking assisting device according to claim 3, wherein the controller includes a voice generation function unit for giving voice-guidance on the navigation information and on the information related to the parking mode that is selected by the fifth means.

6. A parking assisting device according to claim 1, wherein the third means is capable of performing a selection between parallel parking and lateral parking and a selection between left-side parking and right-side parking as the parking mode.

7. A parking assisting device according to claim 3, wherein the fifth means is capable of performing a selection between parallel parking and lateral parking and a selection between left-side parking or right-side parking as the parking modes.

8. A parking assisting device according to claim 1, further comprising an alarm generating sensor, wherein an alarm generated by the alarm generating sensor is provided from the fourth means.

9. A parking assisting device according to claim 1, further comprising a backward-movement shift signal detection unit, wherein the controller makes a judgment whether a desired normal vehicle turning operation is being performed by taking into consideration the backward-movement shift signal generated by the backward-movement shift signal detection unit, and the fourth means provides the parking assisting information as to whether the desired normal vehicle turning operation is being performed.

10. A parking assisting device according to claim 1, wherein:

the first means, the second means, the third means, and the fourth means respectively include a yaw rate sensor, a function selecting switch, a monitor, and a speaker; and

the monitor selectively displays one of navigation information and a touch switch that is used for selecting the parking mode of a vehicle, in accordance with the operation of the function selecting switch.