Parking control method and parking control device

• US 10,768,616 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2017
• Issued: 09/08/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kuwabara, Junichi, Suzuki, Yasuhiro, Hayakawa, Yasuhisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US16/624,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20200142400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 701 23- 28, 701400-453
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/00 Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles B60R22/00; devices, apparatus or methods for life-saving in general A62B; safety devices for propulsion unit control specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles B60K28/00; seats constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats, B60N2/42; energy-absorbing arrangements for hand wheels for steering vehicles B62D1/11; energy-absorbing arrangements for vehicle steering columns B62D1/19; harnessing in aircraft B64D25/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/06 Automatic manoeuvring for parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/027 Parking aids, e.g. instruction means
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/028 Guided parking by providing commands to the driver, e.g. acoustically or optically
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0033 by having the operator tracking the vehicle either by direct line of sight or via one or more cameras located remotely from the vehicle

Abstract

A parking control method for parking a vehicle on a basis of an operation command includes acquiring an operation command from an operator; detecting an obstacle existing around a vehicle; when detecting the obstacle, notifying the operator of existence of the obstacle and requesting an input of an affirmative determination or a negative determination as to the existence of the obstacle; and when obtaining the affirmative input, parking the vehicle in accordance with a control instruction for moving along a route calculated under a condition that the obstacle exists.

Claims

1. A parking control method for parking a vehicle on a basis of an operation command, comprising:

acquiring the operation command from an operator located outside the vehicle;

detecting an obstacle existing around the vehicle;

when detecting the obstacle, notifying the operator of existence of the obstacle and requesting a first input for affirming the existence of the obstacle or a second input for denying the existence of the obstacle; and

when obtaining the first input, calculating a first parking route under a condition that the obstacle exists and parking the vehicle in accordance with a control instruction for moving along the first parking route.

2. The parking control method according to claim 1, comprising,

when obtaining the second input, calculating a second parking route under a condition that the obstacle does not exist and parking the vehicle in accordance with a control instruction for moving along the second parking route.

3. The parking control method according to claim 1, comprising,

requesting the first input or the second input when a distance between the operator and the obstacle is less than a predetermined value.

4. The parking control method according to claim 1, comprising,

stopping the vehicle when a distance between the operator and the obstacle is not less than a predetermined value.

5. The parking control method according to claim 1, comprising,

requesting the first input or the second input when a position of the obstacle belongs to a visual recognition area for the operator.

6. The parking control method according to claim 1, comprising,

stopping the vehicle when a position of the obstacle does not belong to a visual recognition area for the operator.

7. The parking control method according to claim 1, comprising:

obtaining a value of a certainty level regarding accuracy of a detection result of the obstacle; and

when the value of the certainty level is higher than a first predetermined value and lower than a second predetermined value higher than the first predetermined value, performing notification of the obstacle and requesting the first input or the second input.

8. The parking control method according to claim 1, wherein

an operation terminal receiving an operation input from the operator comprises a communication device and a display, and

the existence of the obstacle is displayed on the display.

9. The parking control method according to claim 1, wherein

an annunciation device presenting information to outside of the vehicle is provided, and

the annunciation device presents the existence of the obstacle.

10. The parking control method according to claim 1, wherein

an operation terminal receiving an operation input from the operator comprises a communication device and an input device, and

the input device receives the first input or the second input.

11. A parking control apparatus comprising a control device configured to execute a control instruction for parking a vehicle in accordance with an operation command, the control device operating to:

acquire the operation command from an operator located outside the vehicle;

detect an obstacle existing around the vehicle;

when detecting the obstacle, notify the operator of existence of the obstacle and request a first input for affirming the existence of the obstacle or a second input for denying the existence of the obstacle; and

when obtaining the first input, calculate a first parking route under a condition that the obstacle exists and park the vehicle in accordance with the control instruction for moving along the first parking route.