IP Library Granted Patent US 12,528,454
Granted Patent B2
US 12,528,454 · App. 17/590,271 · Granted Jan 20, 2026

Parking support method and parking support device

Inventors: Takafumi Tokuhiro (Kanagawa Ken, JP); Shota Akaura (Kanagawa Ken, JP)
Assignee: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
B60W30/06B60W30/18109B60W40/09B60W2554/4041B60W2554/4049
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,528,454
App. No.
17/590,271
Granted
Jan 20, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A parking support method according to the present disclosure is a method of performing automatic traveling of a vehicle based on a parking operation performed in the past. The method includes: storing, in a storage unit, information on at least one of a traveling route and a parking target position in the parking operation performed in the past; and displaying, on a display unit, guidance information on a target position where automatic traveling of the vehicle can be performed based on at least one of the traveling route and the parking target position.

Claims (59)

1 . A parking support method of performing automatic traveling of a vehicle based on a parking operation performed in the past, the parking support method comprising:

storing, in a storage, information on at least one of a traveling route and a parking target position based on the parking operation performed in the past; and

displaying, on a display, first guidance information based on a target position where automatic traveling of the vehicle is able to be performed based on the at least one of the traveling route and the parking target position,

wherein the parking operation performed in the past is teacher traveling performed by a driver of the vehicle,

the storing includes storing the traveling route for parking the vehicle at the parking target position based on first sensor information on surroundings of the vehicle acquired by a first sensor mounted on the vehicle during the parking operation performed in the past,

the target position is where the vehicle is able to move to the parking target position by the automatic traveling,

the parking support method further comprises estimating a position of the vehicle and the target position based on second sensor information obtained by acquiring the surroundings of the vehicle,

the target position includes a region in which the vehicle is able to merge into the traveling route,

the region includes a belt-shaped region along the traveling route, and

a width of the belt-shaped region becomes narrower as a road distance to the target position is shorter.

2 . The parking support method according to claim 1 , wherein the first guidance information includes the target position, and an orientation of the vehicle for enabling the automatic traveling of the vehicle when the vehicle is positioned at the target position.

3 . The parking support method according to claim 1 , wherein the target position includes a start position of the traveling route.

4 . The parking support method according to claim 1 , wherein the displaying of the first guidance information includes changing a display mode of a traveling region before and after the vehicle reaches the target position where the vehicle is able to merge into the traveling route.

5 . The parking support method according to claim 4 , wherein the displaying of the first guidance information includes causing the display to display the region in a first color before the vehicle reaches the target position where the vehicle is able to merge into the traveling route, and to display the region in a second color different from the first color after the vehicle reaches the target position where the vehicle is able to merge into the traveling route.

6 . The parking support method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

determining that the vehicle has reached the target position where the vehicle is able to merge into the traveling route when the position and an orientation of the vehicle satisfy prescribed conditions.

7 . The parking support method according to claim 1 , wherein the method begins displaying a message asking the driver of the vehicle whether to start the automatic traveling of the vehicle based on the teacher traveling when a distance to the target position and an orientation of the vehicle satisfy prescribed conditions.

8 . The parking support method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

controlling the vehicle to move to the target position.

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

the display includes a head-up display,

the first guidance information indicates the position of the vehicle, and

the first guidance information is displayed on the head-up display.

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

the display is disposed on a dashboard of the vehicle, and

the first guidance image indicates the target position where the vehicle is able to move to the parking target position on a front view or a top view displayed on the display.

11 . The parking support method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

acquiring position information of the vehicle;

estimating a distance to the parking target position from the position of the vehicle based on the position information; and

reporting to a user that the parking target position is close to the user when the distance is a threshold or less, wherein

the estimating is performed when receiving an operation from a user for starting the automatic traveling toward the parking target position after a report is made in response to the reporting.

12 . The parking support method according to claim 11 , wherein

the position information includes Global Positioning System (GPS) position information, and

the estimating the distance includes estimating the position of the vehicle based on the GPS position information and a movement amount of the vehicle after a time point when the GPS position information is acquired.

13 . The parking support method according to claim 1 , wherein

the teacher traveling includes traveling by which the driver moves the vehicle from a traveling start position outside the parking target position to the parking target position by manual driving, and

the storing includes learning the traveling start position in the teacher traveling as a start position of the traveling route.

14 . The parking support method according to claim 1 , wherein

the teacher traveling includes traveling by which the driver moves the vehicle from the parking target position to a teacher traveling end position outside the parking target position by manual driving, and

the storing includes storing, in the storage, the teacher traveling end position as a start position of the traveling route, and the traveling route on which the vehicle travels in a reverse direction than the teacher traveling.

15 . A parking support device for performing automatic traveling of a vehicle based on a parking operation performed in the past, the parking support device comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to:

cause the memory to store information on at least one of a traveling route and a parking target position based on a parking operation performed in the past; and

cause a display to display first guidance information based on a target position where automatic traveling of the vehicle is able to be performed based on the at least one of the traveling route and the parking target position,

wherein the parking operation performed in the past is teacher traveling performed by a driver of the vehicle,

the processor causes the memory to store the traveling route for parking the vehicle at the parking target position based on first sensor information on surroundings of the vehicle acquired by a first sensor mounted on the vehicle during the parking operation performed in the past,

the target position is where the vehicle is able to move to the parking target position by the automatic traveling,

the processor further estimates a position of the vehicle and the target position based on second sensor information obtained by acquiring the surroundings of the vehicle,

the target position includes a region in which the vehicle is able to merge into the traveling route,

the region includes a belt-shaped region along the traveling route, and a width of the belt-shaped region becomes narrower as a road distance to the target position is shorter.

16 . A parking support method of performing automatic traveling of a vehicle based on a parking operation performed in the past, the parking support method comprising:

storing, in a storage, information on at least one of a traveling route and a parking target position based on the parking operation performed in the past; and

controlling the vehicle to move to the parking target position based on a target position where automatic traveling of the vehicle is able to be performed based on the at least one of the traveling route and the parking target position,

wherein the parking operation performed in the past is teacher traveling performed by a driver of the vehicle,

the target position is where the vehicle is able to move to the parking target position by the automatic traveling,

the target position includes a region in which the vehicle is able to merge into the traveling route,

the region is along the traveling route,

a width of the region becomes narrower as a road distance to the target position is shorter.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 1, 2024
From: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
To: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 066709/0702 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 5, 2022
From: TOKUHIRO, TAKAFUMI; AKAURA, SHOTA
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 059834/0195 →
Priority Claims (2)
JP 2021-032108 · Mar 1, 2021 · national
JP 2021-193605 · Nov 29, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220274586A1 · Sep 1, 2022
References Cited (35)
US 9140553B2 · Grimm et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20100283632A1 · Kawabata et al. · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 20110246027A1 · Miyajima · 2011 [cited by applicant]
US 20180194344A1 · Wang · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20180328750A1 · Yun · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20180362023A1 · Kim · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20210003414A1 · Yamaguchi et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20210387614A1 · Tashiro · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20220355800A1 · Miyazaki · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20230296395A1 · Kumon · 2023 [cited by applicant]
US 20240051604A1 · Hüger · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240075921A1 · Paula · 2024 [cited by examiner]
DE 112016005614 · 2018 [cited by applicant]
JP 2006306224 · 2006 [cited by applicant]
JP 2007126086 · 2007 [cited by applicant]
JP 2007290555 · 2007 [cited by applicant]
JP 2011215975 · 2011 [cited by applicant]
JP 2014034251 · 2014 [cited by applicant]
JP 6022447 · 2016 [cited by applicant]
JP 2017067466 · 2017 [cited by applicant]
JP 2017182565 · 2017 [cited by applicant]
JP 2018154299 · 2018 [cited by applicant]
JP 2018207289 · 2018 [cited by applicant]
JP 2019174456 · 2019 [cited by applicant]
JP 2020069958 · 2020 [cited by applicant]
JP 2020131897 · 2020 [cited by applicant]
JP 2020163931 · 2020 [cited by applicant]
JP 2021008243 · 2021 [cited by applicant]
WO 2017072941 · 2017 [cited by applicant]
Office Action from Japan Patent Office (JPO) in Japanese Patent Appl. No. 2021-193605, dated Apr. 1, 2025, together with an English language translation. [cited by applicant]
Office Action from Japan Patent Office (JPO) in Japanese Patent Appl. No. 2021-193605, dated Jun. 17, 2025, together with an English language translation. [cited by applicant]
English language translation of Office Action issued by the German Patent and Trademark Office in German Patent Appl. No. 102022102697.3, dated Sep. 19, 2025. [cited by applicant]
Office Action from Japan Patent Office (JPO) in Japanese Patent Appl. No. 2025-141947, dated Oct. 21, 2025, together with an English language translation. [cited by applicant]
Decision to Grant a Patent from Japan Patent Office (JPO) in Japanese Patent Appl. No. 2025-142035, dated Nov. 25, 2025, together with an English language translation. [cited by applicant]
Office Action from Japan Patent Office (JPO) in Japanese Patent Appl. No. 2025-142036, dated Dec. 2, 2025, together with an English language translation thereof. [cited by applicant]