Driving operation assisting method and system

• US 7,012,548 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2001
• Issued: 03/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nobori, Kunio, Ishii, Hirofumi, Nakagawa, Masamichi, Okamoto, Shusaku
• Primary Examiner(s): Pope, Daryl C
• Application Number:
  US09/826,797
• Publication Number:
  US 20020005779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,804 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 340/903, 340/988, 340/990, 3409951-99528, 340/435, 340/436, 701/1, 701/41, 701/36, 701/42, 701/301, 701/200, 348/148, 348/149
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/10 Automatic or semi-automatic parking aid systems
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/027 Parking aids, e.g. instruction means
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space

Abstract

In a driving operation assisting technique, the burden on a user is reduced. The user is allowed to specify, on an image representing the surrounding conditions around a vehicle, the end position of the vehicle at the end of a predetermined driving operation by using, for example, a pointer. A driving operation assisting system obtains the start position of the driving operation based on a prescribed movement pattern representing the movement of the vehicle in the driving operation, and superimposes the end position on the display image.

Claims

1. A method for providing an assistance in a vehicle driving operation by displaying an image representing surrounding conditions around the vehicle on a display unit, the method comprising:

a first step of allowing a user to specify, on the image on the display unit, an end position which is a position of the vehicle at an end of a predetermined driving operation; and

a second step of obtaining, for the end position, a start position which is a position of the vehicle at a start of the predetermined driving operation according to a prescribed movement pattern representing a movement of the vehicle in the predetermined driving operation.

2. The driving operation assisting method of claim 1, further comprising a step of displaying the start position, the end position and the prescribed movement pattern while being superimposed on the image on the display unit.

3. The driving operation assisting method of claim 1, wherein in the first step, the end position specified by the user is taken as an input when the vehicle is in a vicinity of the end position.

4. The driving operation assisting method of claim 1, further comprising a step of performing, in a full-automatic or semi-automatic manner, at least one of an operation of driving the vehicle from a current position of the vehicle to the start position and an operation of driving the vehicle from the start position to the end position according to the prescribed movement pattern.

5. A system for providing an assistance in a vehicle driving operation, the system comprising:

surrounding condition imaging means for producing an image representing surrounding conditions around the vehicle;

prescribed movement pattern storage means for storing a prescribed movement pattern representing a movement of the vehicle in a predetermined driving operation;

synthesized image production means for producing a synthesized image by superimposing the prescribed movement pattern on the surrounding condition image;

a display unit for displaying the synthesized image; and

pattern selection means for selecting the prescribed movement pattern based on a pointer input operation on a screen of the display unit.

6. A system for providing an assistance in a vehicle driving operation, the system comprising an image processing section for producing an image representing surrounding conditions around the vehicle, wherein the image processing section produces a synthesized image by superimposing, on the surrounding condition image, a circumscribed area trace of space where the vehicle passes as the vehicle is moved by a predetermined driving operation.

7. The driving operation assisting system of claim 6, wherein the image processing section produces the surrounding condition image by synthesizing images output from a plurality of cameras provided on the vehicle.

8. A method of assisting a user in operating a vehicle, comprising:

automatically sensing and displaying conditions surrounding the vehicle;

receiving user input specifying an end position and orientation of the vehicle respective of a display of the conditions surrounding a current vehicle position; and

assisting the user based on the current vehicle position, the conditions surrounding the vehicle, and the end position and orientation of the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein assisting the user includes superimposing on the display a trace of space where the vehicle passes as the vehicle is moved according to a predetermined driving operation.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein assisting the user includes automatically operating the vehicle to achieve the end position and orientation.