Parking assist device, parking assist method, and parking assist system

• US 10,789,847 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2019
• Issued: 09/29/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Maruiwa, Nobutsugu, Mukaiyama, Yoshio, Okamura, Ryuji, Eshima, Kazuhito, Matsunaga, Issei, Sugano, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Toan N
• Application Number:
  US16/564,608
• Publication Number:
  US 20200143683A1
• Time in Patent Office: 386 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/143 inside the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/146 where the parking area is a limited parking space, e.g. parking garage, restricted space
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/149 coupled to means for restricting the access to the parking space, e.g. authorization, access barriers, indicative lights

Abstract

A parking assist device includes: a comparator configured to compare parking priorities of a first vehicle and a second vehicle, the first vehicle being a vehicle to be newly parked in a parking section, the second vehicle being an automatically travelable vehicle already parked in a first parking space; a first instruction unit configured to output, to the second vehicle, a signal instructing to exit the first parking space by automatic travel, when the parking priority regarding use of the first parking space of the first vehicle is higher than that of the second vehicle; and a second instruction unit configured to output, to the first vehicle, a signal in instructing to park in the first parking space, when the parking priority regarding the use of the first paring space of the first vehicle is higher than that of the second vehicle.

Claims

1. A parking assist device, comprising:

a comparator configured to compare parking priority of a first vehicle and the parking priority of a second vehicle, the first vehicle being a vehicle that is to be newly parked in a parking section including at least one parking space, the second vehicle being an automatically travelable vehicle that is already parked in a first parking space included in the parking section, the parking priority being priority regarding use of the parking space;

a first instruction unit configured to output, to the second vehicle, a signal instructing to exit the first parking space by automatic travel, when the parking priority regarding use of the first parking space of the first vehicle is higher than that of the second vehicle; and

a second instruction unit configured to output, to the first vehicle, a signal in instructing to park in the first parking space, when the parking priority regarding the use of the first paring space of the first vehicle is higher than that of the second vehicle.

2. The parking assist device according to claim 1, wherein the comparator is configured to compare the parking priority when a congestion degree of the parking section is more than a specified threshold.

3. The parking assist device according to claim 1, wherein the first instruction unit is configured to output, to the second vehicle, a signal instructing to move to a waiting area that is a place different from the parking space, the waiting area being in a vicinity of an exit of the parking section when the parking priority regarding the use of the first parking space of the first vehicle is higher than that of the second vehicle.

4. The parking assist device according to claim 3, wherein the second instruction unit is configured to output to the first vehicle a signal instructing to move to the waiting area, when the parking priority regarding to the use of the first parking space of the first vehicle is equal to or less than that of the second vehicle.

5. The parking assist device according to claim 1, wherein the second instruction unit is configured to output, to the first vehicle, a signal instructing to park in the first parking space by automatic travel when the first vehicle is automatically travelable and when the parking priority regarding the use of the first parking space of the first vehicle is higher than that of the second vehicle.

6. The parking assist device according to claim 1, wherein the parking priority is a value that becomes higher as an exit prediction time of the vehicle from the parking section is later.

7. The parking assist device according to claim 1, wherein the parking priority is a value that becomes higher as a remaining cruising distance of the vehicle is shorter.

8. The parking assist device according to claim 1, wherein the parking priority is a value that becomes higher as a fuel consumption rate or an electric power consumption rate relating to travel of the vehicle is larger.

9. The parking assist device according to claim 1, wherein:

the parking priority is a value that becomes higher as an inhibition degree of the vehicle is larger, and

the inhibition degree indicates a degree of inhibiting travel of another vehicle other than the vehicle, when the vehicle is present on a roadway in the parking section.

10. The parking assist device according to claim 1, further comprising an exchange vehicle determination unit configured to determine, as an exchange target vehicle, a vehicle with a lowest parking priority, among a plurality of vehicles parked in a plurality of the parking spaces, the plurality of parking spaces being included in the parking section, wherein the second vehicle is the exchange target vehicle.

11. The parking assist device according to claim 1, wherein:

the comparator is configured to compare, when the second vehicle is parked at a desired parking space, the parking priority of the first vehicle for parking in the desired parking space and the parking priority of the second vehicle for parking in the desired parking space, the desired parking space being the parking space where an owner of the first vehicle desires to park;

the first instruction unit is configured to output, to the second vehicle, a signal instructing to exit the desired parking space by automatic travel when the parking priority of the first vehicle for parking in the desired parking space is higher than the parking priority of the second vehicle for parking in the desired parking space; and

the second instruction unit is configured to output, to the first vehicle, a signal instructing to park in the desired parking space when the parking priority of the first vehicle for parking in the desired parking space is higher than the parking priority of the second vehicle for parking in the desired parking space.

12. A parking assist method, comprising:

comparing, by using circuitry, parking priority of a first vehicle and the parking priority of a second vehicle, the first vehicle being a vehicle that is to be newly parked in a parking section including at least one parking space, the second vehicle being an automatically travelable vehicle that is already parked in the parking section, the parking priority being priority regarding use of the parking space;

outputting, by using the circuitry, to the second vehicle, a signal indicating to exit a first parking space where the second vehicle is parked by automatic travel when the parking priority regarding use of the first parking space of the first vehicle is higher than that of the second vehicle; and

outputting, by using the circuitry, to the first vehicle, a signal instructing to park in the first parking space when the parking priority regarding the use of the first parking space of the first vehicle is higher than that of the second vehicle.

13. The parking assist method according to claim 12, further comprising outputting, by using the circuitry, to the second vehicle, a signal instructing to move to a waiting area that is a place different from the parking space, the waiting area being in a vicinity of an exit of the parking section when the parking priority regarding the use of the first parking space of the first vehicle is higher than that of the second vehicle.

14. A parking assist system comprising:

a first vehicle;

a second vehicle different from the first vehicle; and

circuitry configured to compare parking priority of the first vehicle and the parking priority of the second vehicle, the first vehicle being a vehicle that is to be newly parked in a parking section including at least one parking space, the second vehicle being an automatically travelable vehicle that is already parked in the parking section, the parking priority being priority regarding use of the parking space;

output, to the second vehicle, an exit signal indicating to exit a first parking space where the second vehicle is parked by automatic travel when the parking priority regarding use of the first parking space of the first vehicle is higher than that of the second vehicle; and

output, to the first vehicle, a park signal instructing to park in the first parking space when the parking priority regarding the use of the first parking space of the first vehicle is higher than that of the second vehicle, wherein

the second vehicle exits the first parking space by the automatic travel when the second vehicle receives the exit signal.

15. The parking assist system according to claim 14, wherein the first vehicle is parked in the first parking space after the second vehicle exits the first parking space when the first vehicle receives the parking signal.

16. The parking assist system according to claim 15, wherein the first vehicle is parked in the first parking by the automatic travel.

17. The parking assist system according to claim 15, wherein the first vehicle is parked in the first parking by an operation by a driver of the first vehicle.