PARKING ASSISTANCE APPARATUS AND PARKING ASSISTANCE METHOD

• US 20100019934A1
• Filed: 07/21/2009
• Published: 01/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Takano, Teruhisa
• Granted Patent: US 8,319,614 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/932.200
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/27 providing all-round vision, e.g. using omnidirectional cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/301 combining image information with other obstacle sensor information, e.g. using RADAR/LIDAR/SONAR sensors for estimating risk of collision
• 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 2300/307 virtually distinguishing relevant parts of a scene from the background of the scene
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/607 from a bird's eye viewpoint
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0275 by overlaying a vehicle path based on present steering angle over an image without processing that image
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/028 Guided parking by providing commands to the driver, e.g. acoustically or optically

Abstract

A target parking position serving as a parking target of a vehicle is set, and a parking start position from which the vehicle can start to reach the target parking position while maintaining a predetermined steering angle is set. Then, a vehicle mark V indicating a current position, a target parking frame F1 indicating the target parking position, and a parking start frame F2 indicating the parking start position are drawn on a bird'"'"'s eye image of a periphery of the vehicle, and a display device 5 is allowed to display an image in which the vehicle mark V, the target parking frame F1 and the parking start frame F2 are drawn on the bird'"'"'s eye image. At this time, the parking start frame F2 is drawn on the bird'"'"'s eye image so that a drawing mode thereof can be changed in response to a current steering angle of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A parking assistance apparatus comprising:

a plurality of on-board cameras which take images around a vehicle;

a bird'"'"'s eye image creation unit that synthesizes a plurality of the images taken by the plurality of on-board cameras to thereby create a bird'"'"'s eye image looking down on the vehicle from above the vehicle; and

a display device that displays the created bird'"'"'s eye image, a target parking frame corresponding to a target parking position, and a parking start frame corresponding to a parking start position of a time when the vehicle is parked at the target parking position,

wherein a display position and drawing mode of the parking start frame are changed in response to a change of a steering angle of the vehicle.

2. The parking assistance apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the display position and drawing color of the parking start frame are changed in response to the change of the steering angle of the vehicle.

3. The parking assistance apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the drawing mode of the parking start frame is changed in response to a recommended degree of the parking start position, the recommended degree being set based on the steering angle of the vehicle.

4. The parking assistance apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein, in a case where the parking start position is set at a position at which an entanglement amount in a width direction of the target parking position along a path to the target parking position becomes a predetermined value or less, and that does not interfere with an area apart from the target parking position in a longitudinal direction thereof by a predetermined distance or more, the parking start frame is drawn in a first drawing mode, and in a case where the parking start position is set at a position at which the entanglement amount in the width direction of the target parking position along the path to the target parking position exceeds the predetermined value, or at a position that interferes with the area apart from the target parking position in the longitudinal direction by the predetermined distance or more, the parking start frame is drawn in a second drawing mode different from the first drawing mode.

5. The parking assistance apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

an obstacle sensing device that senses an obstacle around the vehicle,

wherein, in a case where the parking start position does not interfere with the obstacle sensed by the obstacle sensing device, and a path from the parking start position to the target parking position does not interfere with the obstacle sensed by the obstacle sensing device, the parking start frame is drawn in a first drawing mode, and in a case where the parking start position interferes with the obstacle sensed by the obstacle sensing device, and the path from the parking start position to the target parking position interferes with the obstacle sensed by the obstacle sensing device, the parking start frame is drawn in a second drawing mode different from the first drawing mode.

6. The parking assistance apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein, in the case where the path from the parking start position to the target parking position interferes with the obstacle sensed by the obstacle sensing device, the target parking position is changed, and the parking start position is reset in accordance with the changed target parking position, and

in a case where the path from the parking start position to the target parking position does not interfere with the obstacle sensed by the obstacle sensing device anymore by resetting the parking start position, the parking start frame is drawn in the first drawing mode.

7. The parking assistance apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein, in a case where the steering angle of the vehicle is in a direction of approaching the target parking position, and the parking start position is set on a course corresponding to the steering angle, the parking start frame is drawn in a third drawing mode different from the first and second drawing modes.

8. The parking assistance apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, when the vehicle reaches the parking start position, the display device further displays a direction indicating icon that indicates a direction of a steering operation at the parking start position.

9. The parking assistance apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein drawing of the parking start frame is ended when the vehicle reaches the parking start position.

10. The parking assistance apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein setting of the parking start position and drawing of the parking start frame are resumed when it is determined that the parking operation of a time when the vehicle moves from the parking start position to the target parking position is discontinued.

11. The parking assistance apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the display device further displays a vehicle mark indicating a position of the vehicle on the bird'"'"'s eye image, and

an orientation of the vehicle mark is changed in response to the change of the steering angle of the vehicle.

12. A parking assistance apparatus comprising:

means for taking images around a vehicle;

means for synthesizing a plurality of the images around a vehicle to thereby create a bird'"'"'s eye image looking down on the vehicle from above the vehicle; and

means for displaying the created bird'"'"'s eye image, a target parking frame corresponding to a target parking position, and a parking start frame corresponding to a parking start position of a time when the vehicle is parked at the target parking position,

wherein a display position and drawing mode of the parking start frame are changed in response to a change of a steering angle of the vehicle.

13. A parking assistance method comprising:

synthesizing a plurality of images around a vehicle, the images being taken by a plurality of on-board cameras, to thereby create a bird'"'"'s eye image looking down on the vehicle from above the vehicle;

displaying, on a display device, the created bird'"'"'s eye image, a target parking frame corresponding to a target parking position, and a parking start frame corresponding to a parking start position of a time when the vehicle is parked at the target parking position; and

changing a display position and drawing mode of the parking start frame in response to a change of a steering angle of the vehicle.