Vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus for in-line parking

• US 6,621,421 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2001
• Issued: 09/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho
• Inventors: Suzuki, Isao, Ando, Masahiko, Shimazaki, Kazunori, Kuriya, Hisashi, Hika, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Tong, Nina
• Application Number:
  US09/789,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20010017591A1
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 340/903, 340/436, 340/435, 348/148, 348/140, 348/118, 348/139, 348/135, 701/1, 701/41, 180/204, 318/587, 318/580
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• 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 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/207 using multi-purpose displays, e.g. camera image and navigation or video on same display
• 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 2300/404 triggering from stand-by mode to operation mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/806 for aiding parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8066 for monitoring rearward traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8086 for vehicle path indication
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/10 Automatic or semi-automatic parking aid systems
• 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

In a vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus for in-line parking, at a stop position of a vehicle, a seesaw switch is manipulated until an in-line guide line is superimposed on a target point which is a corner of a frame of a parking space, and a steering wheel is turned until the vehicle space mark is superimposed on the parking space, and the vehicle is moved backward while the steering angle of the steering wheel is held. When an eye mark is superimposed on the parking space, the vehicle is stopped, and the steering angle of the steering wheel is made maximum and the vehicle is moved backward, to thereby complete the in-line parking at the parking space.

Claims

1. A vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus for in-line parking comprising:

a camera for picking up an image of the rear of a vehicle;

a monitor disposed in a driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle;

an in-line guide line movement switch disposed in the driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle;

a steering angle sensor for detecting a steering angle of a steering wheel; and

display control means for, when the vehicle runs backward, displaying on said monitor an image obtained by said camera and for displaying a guide display for assisting the drive of the vehicle in the in-line parking operation on a screen of said monitor in a superimposing manner,

the guide display including;

at least one in-line guide line displayed movably on the screen of said monitor in accordance with the manipulation of said in-line guide line movement switch;

a vehicle space mark displayed movably along the in-line guide line of the screen of said monitor in accordance with the steering angle of the steering wheel detected by said steering angle sensor; and

an eye mark fixedly displayed at a given position of the screen of said monitor for guiding an opposite turn point of the steering wheel.

2. The vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said in-line guide line movement switch is manipulated at a stop position of the vehicle so that the in-line guide line is superimposed on a target related to a parking space within an image of said camera on the screen of said monitor, the vehicle space mark is superimposed on the parking space by turning the steering wheel, and at that position, the vehicle is moved backward while the steering wheel is held, and when the eye mark is superimposed on the parking space, the vehicle is stopped, and the steering angle of the steering wheel is made maximum in a counter direction where the vehicle is kept stopped and the vehicle is moved backward to thereby park the vehicle suitably and in line at the parking space.

3. The vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said in-line guide line movement switch comprises:

a first switch for moving the in-line guide line in a vertical direction or in a lateral direction; and

a second switch for rotating the in-line guide line,

when the vehicle stops with an inclination with respect to the parking space, the in-line guide line being superimposed on the target related to the parking space by the manipulation of said first and second switches.

4. The vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said display control means draws a line segment extending in parallel with the widthwise direction of the vehicle from the vehicle space mark as the in-line guide line, and draws a line segment extending in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle as an auxiliary line from the vehicle space mark,

the vehicle space mark, the in-line guide line and the auxiliary line being rotated together by the manipulation of said second switch.

5. The vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the auxiliary line has a color different from the vehicle space mark.

6. The vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said display control means calculates a region of the existence of a parking target point where the vehicle can be parked from the stop position on the basis of a positional relationship between the vehicle and the parking space, and draws a line segment of a length corresponding to the region as the in-line guide line.

7. The vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said display control means draws a line segment inclined with respect to the vehicle as the in-line guide line,

the in-line guide line being moved at the right and left sides on the screen of said monitor by the manipulation of said in-line guide line movement switch so as to be superimposed on the corner of a frame of the parking space which is the target.

8. The vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said display control means draws a line segment extending in parallel with the widthwise direction of the vehicle as a in-line guide line,

the in-line guide line being moved vertically on the screen of said monitor by the manipulation of said in-line guide line movement switch so as to be superimposed on at least one of a rear end line and a front end line of the parking space which is the target.

9. The vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said display control means draws a line segment extending in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle as an in-line guide line,

the in-line guide line being moved at the right and left side on the screen of said monitor by the manipulation of said in-line guide line movement switch so as to be superimposed on at least one of a back side line closer to a shoulder of the road and a front side line closer to a road of the parking space which is the target.

10. The vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said in-line guide line movement switch comprises a seesaw switch.

11. The vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said vehicle space mark is rectangular.

12. The vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said display control means draws one in-line guide line for left parking and the other in-line guide line for right parking.