IP Library Granted Patent US 12,466,394
Granted Patent B2
US 12,466,394 · App. 18/385,585 · Granted Nov 11, 2025

Parking support apparatus and parking support method

Inventors: Akihito Murai (Kanagawa, JP); Hirofumi Nishimura (Kanagawa, JP); Yoshimasa Okabe (Kanagawa, JP)
Assignee: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
B60W30/06B60W50/0205B60W50/0225B60W2510/20
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,466,394
App. No.
18/385,585
Granted
Nov 11, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A parking support apparatus includes a storage that stores a manual parking path, and a processor that sets a safety region where the vehicle can pass. The processor causes the vehicle to perform automatic driving based on the generated automatic parking path, and the processor generates a parking path configured for driving within a range of the performance of the electric power steering and for the vehicle to pass inside the safety region.

Claims (35)

1 . A parking support apparatus comprising:

a storage configured to store as a manual parking path a path of manual parking in which a driver manually performs parking of a vehicle; and

a processor configured to set a safety region where the vehicle is allowed to pass based on the manual parking path stored in the storage,

wherein the processor generates an automatic parking path based on the safety region set and a performance of an electric power steering,

wherein the processor causes the vehicle to perform automatic driving based on the automatic parking path, and

wherein the processor generates a parking path configured for driving within a range of the performance of the electric power steering and for the vehicle to pass inside the safety region,

wherein the storage stores the safety region,

wherein the processor adds to the safety region a range where a vehicle body of the vehicle has passed during manual driving or automatic driving of the vehicle,

wherein the processor generates the automatic parking path when the safety region is updated,

wherein when a learning permission of permitting addition of the safety region is made, the processor performs addition of the safety region, and

wherein when the processor makes an attempt to set a parking path with the same number of strokes as in the manual parking and fails to set the parking path with the same number of strokes as in the manual parking, the processor maintains the learning permission, whereas when the processor succeeds in setting the parking path with the same number of strokes as in the manual parking, the processor cancels the learning permission.

2 . The parking support apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the processor makes an attempt to set a parking path configured for driving within a range of the performance of the electric power steering and for the vehicle to pass inside the safety region with the same number of strokes as in the manual parking, and

wherein when the attempt of setting the parking path fails, the processor generates a parking path with an increased number of strokes.

3 . The parking support apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the processor sets a range where a vehicle body has passed during the manual parking to the safety region, and

wherein the processor includes, in the safety region, a range estimated to be a range where the vehicle body passes at a time of exiting of the vehicle based on the manual parking path, a range estimated to be a range where the vehicle is allowed to pass based on the manual parking path, or a range where the vehicle body has passed at the time of exiting of the vehicle.

4 . The parking support apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the processor performs an excluding process of excluding a range where a hindrance is detected during the manual parking from the safety region.

5 . The parking support apparatus according to claim 4 ,

wherein the processor applies the excluding process to the range estimated to be the range where the vehicle body passes at the time of exiting of the vehicle based on the manual parking path, or the range estimated to be the range where the vehicle is allowed to pass based on the manual parking path, and

wherein the processor does not apply the excluding process to a range where the vehicle body has passed during the manual parking, or the range where the vehicle body has passed at the time of exiting of the vehicle.

6 . The parking support apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the processor sets the safety region based on paths of manual parking of multiple times, and

wherein the processor sets a range where a vehicle body has passed during the manual parking of multiple times to the safety region.

7 . A parking support method comprising:

storing, in a storage, as a manual parking path a path of manual parking in which a driver manually performs parking of a vehicle;

setting, by a processor, a safety region where the vehicle is allowed to pass based on the manual parking path stored in the storage;

generating, by the processor, an automatic parking path based on the safety region set and a performance of an electric power steering;

causing, by the processor, the vehicle to perform automatic driving based on the automatic parking path; and

in the generating the automatic parking path, generating a parking path configured for driving within a range of the performance of the electric power steering and for the vehicle to pass inside the safety region,

wherein the storage stores the safety region,

wherein the processor adds to the safety region a range where a vehicle body of the vehicle has passed during manual driving or automatic driving of the vehicle, and

wherein the processor generates the automatic parking path when the safety region is updated,

wherein when a learning permission of permitting addition of the safety region is made, the processor performs addition of the safety region, and

wherein when the processor makes an attempt to set a parking path with the same number of strokes as in the manual parking and fails to set the parking path with the same number of strokes as in the manual parking, the processor maintains the learning permission, whereas when the processor succeeds in setting the parking path with the same number of strokes as in the manual parking, the processor cancels the learning permission.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 6, 2024
From: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
To: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 068328/0764 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 16, 2024
From: MURAI, AKIHITO; NISHIMURA, HIROFUMI; OKABE, YOSHIMASA
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 067112/0410 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2022-175347 · Nov 1, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240140402A1 · May 2, 2024
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