Parking assistance apparatus in a vehicle

• US 7,053,795 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2003
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Maemura, Takahiro, Ueminami, Keiji, Sugahara, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUNNINGS, TRAVIS R
• Application Number:
  US10/644,595
• Publication Number:
  US 20040119610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 340/903, 340/435, 340/937, 348/148, 348/149
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/005 using a video camera
• 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 park a vehicle at a target parking position, the parking assistance apparatus comprising:

at least one camera for mounting on the vehicle to enable capturing of an image from a right side or left side of the vehicle;

an image display unit for displaying the image captured by the camera;

an image information control unit for controlling image information on the image display unit,

an instruction unit that gives a start instruction of the parking assistance,

wherein the image information control unit provides superimpose indicators on the image for guiding the vehicle to a reference position at which the target parking position is viewable laterally of the vehicle,

wherein at the reference position at least one of the superimpose indicators is superimposed on an image of a vehicle parked adjacent to the target parking position captured by the camera, and

wherein the image information control unit superimposes the superimpose indicators on the image on the image display unit when the instruction unit gives a start instruction of the parking assistance.

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

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;

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

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

3. The parking assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the superimpose 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

and

wherein when the instruction unit gives a start instruction of parallel parking, the image information control unit displays the two guidelines on the image.

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

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

and

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

7. The parking assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the superimpose indicators is a mark to schematically indicate the vehicle position at the completion of parking.

8. The parking assistance apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one camera includes a pair of front right and front left cameras for mounting on the front of the vehicle to enable capturing of an image from the front-right side and the front-left side of the vehicle.

9. 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 for mounting on the front of the vehicle and for capturing an image from a side of the vehicle;

an image display unit for display the image captured by the camera to the driver and

an image information control unit for controlling image information on the image display unit,

wherein the image information control unit provides superimpose indicators to guide the vehicle to a reference position on the image,

wherein the superimpose 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, and

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

10. A parking assistance method for assisting a driver to park a vehicle at a target parking position, the parking assistance method comprising:

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

displaying the captured image and superimpose indicators on the captured image to guide the vehicle to a reference position at which the target parking position is viewable laterally of the vehicle,

wherein at the reference position at least one of the superimpose indicators is superimposed on the captured image of a vehicle parked adjacent to the target parking position.

11. The parking assistance method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the image is captured with either a front right camera or a front left camera mounted on the front of the vehicle to enable capturing of an image from the front-right side or the front-left side of the vehicle.

12. The parking assistance method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the image information control unit displays a mark that indicates a center position of the vehicle at the completion of parking.

13. A vehicle comprising:

a parking assistance apparatus for assisting a driver to park the vehicle at a target parking position, the parking assistance apparatus including;

at least one camera installed on the vehicle for capturing an image from a right side or left side of the vehicle;

an image display unit for displaying the image captured by the camera; and

an image information control unit for controlling image information on the image display unit,

wherein the image information control unit provides superimpose indicators on the image display unit to guide the vehicle to a reference position at which the target parking position is viewable laterally of the vehicle,

wherein at the reference position at least one of the superimpose indicators is superimposed on an image of a vehicle parked adjacent to the target parking position captured by the camera.

14. The vehicle as claimed in claim 13, wherein the at least one camera includes a pair of front right and front left cameras mounted on the front of the vehicle to enable capturing of an image from the front-right side and the front-left side of the vehicle.

15. The vehicle as claimed in claim 13, wherein the image information control unit displays a mark that indicates a center position of the vehicle at the completion of parking.

16. A parking assistance apparatus for assisting a driver to park a vehicle at a target parking position, the parking assistance apparatus comprising:

at least one camera for mounting on the vehicle to enable capturing of an image from a right side or left side of the vehicle;

an image display unit for displaying the image captured by the camera; and

an image information control unit for controlling image information on the image display unit,

wherein the image information control unit provides superimpose indicators on the image for guiding the vehicle to a reference position at which the target parking position is viewable laterally of the vehicle,

wherein at the reference position at least one of the superimpose indicators is superimposed on an image of a vehicle parked adjacent to the target parking position captured by the camera, and

wherein the image information control unit displays a mark that indicates a center position of the vehicle at the completion of parking.