IP Library Granted Patent US 12,515,640
Granted Patent B2
US 12,515,640 · App. 18/491,284 · Granted Jan 6, 2026

Parking assistance device, parking assistance method, and computer-readable medium

Inventors: Toru Yamaguchi (Kanagawa, JP); Takafumi Tokuhiro (Kanagawa, JP); Masashi Hoshino (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Co., Ltd.
B60W30/06B60W10/18B60W30/143B60W40/09B60W50/0098B60W50/14G06V20/58B60W2050/143B60W2050/146B60W2540/18B60W2540/30B60W2554/80B60W2555/60B60W2556/40
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 12,515,640
App. No.
18/491,284
Granted
Jan 6, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A parking assistance device that performs automatic travel of a vehicle based on teaching travel by a driver is provided. The parking assistance device: learns a travel route for parking the vehicle in a parking position during the teaching travel, based on the teaching travel; performs an automatic travel based on the travel route; controls the automatic travel to implement a temporary stop at first points where the vehicle has not temporarily stopped during teaching travel based on any of a first regulation, first environmental information, or first geographic information; and controls the automatic travel not to implement the temporary stop at second points where the vehicle has temporarily stopped during teaching travel based on any of a second regulation, second environmental information, or second geographic information.

Claims (34)

1 . A parking assistance device that performs automatic travel of a vehicle based on teaching travel by a driver, the parking assistance device comprising:

a memory; and

a hardware processor coupled to the memory, the hardware processor being configured to:

learn a travel route for parking the vehicle in a parking position during the teaching travel, based on the teaching travel;

perform an automatic travel based on the travel route;

control the automatic travel to implement a temporary stop at first points where the vehicle has not temporarily stopped during teaching travel based on any of a first regulation for the automatic travel of the vehicle, first environmental information relating to a first environment around the vehicle, or first geographic information relating to a first road condition around the vehicle; and

control the automatic travel not to implement the temporary stop at second points where the vehicle has temporarily stopped during teaching travel based on any of a second regulation for the automatic travel of the vehicle, second environmental information relating to a second environment around the vehicle, or second geographic information relating to a second road condition around the vehicle.

2 . The parking assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the first regulation or the second regulation for the automatic travel of the vehicle is for a speed, a steering angle, or a necessity of the temporary stop of the vehicle, which is applied when the vehicle travels automatically.

3 . The parking assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the first regulation or the second regulation for the automatic travel of the vehicle is defined by a law or a standard.

4 . The parking assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the first regulation or the second regulation for the automatic travel of the vehicle is determined based on ride comfort of a passenger or an effect on people around the vehicle during the automatic travel of the vehicle.

5 . The parking assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the first environmental information or the second environmental information includes a presence or an absence of an obstacle around the vehicle and a distance between the vehicle and the obstacle.

6 . The parking assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the first environmental information or the second environmental information includes map information.

7 . The parking assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein

the teaching travel is travel in which the driver moves the vehicle from a travel start position outside the parking position to the parking position by using manual driving, and

the hardware processor is configured to learn the travel start position in the teaching travel as a start position of the travel route.

8 . The parking assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein

the teaching travel is travel in which the driver moves the vehicle from the parking position to a teaching travel end position outside the parking position by using manual driving, and

the hardware processor is configured to perform learning by using the teaching travel end position as a start position of the travel route, and using, as the travel route, a route through which the vehicle travels in a reverse direction to that of the teaching travel.

9 . A parking assistance method that performs automatic travel of a vehicle based on teaching travel by a driver, the parking assistance method comprising:

learning a travel route for parking the vehicle in a parking position during the teaching travel, based on the teaching travel;

performing an automatic travel based on the travel route;

controlling the automatic travel to implement a temporary stop at points where the vehicle has not temporarily stopped during teaching travel based on any of a first regulation for the automatic travel of the vehicle, first environmental information relating to a first environment around the vehicle, or first geographic information relating to a first road condition around the vehicle; and

controlling the automatic travel not to implement the temporary stop at points where the vehicle has temporarily stopped during teaching travel based on any of a second regulation for the automatic travel of the vehicle, second environmental information relating to a second environment around the vehicle, or second geographic information relating to a second road condition around the vehicle.

10 . The parking assistance method according to claim 9 , wherein the first regulation or the second regulation for the automatic travel of the vehicle is for a speed, a steering angle, or a necessity of the temporary stop of the vehicle, which is applied when the vehicle travels automatically.

11 . The parking assistance method according to claim 9 , wherein the first regulation or the second regulation for the automatic travel of the vehicle is defined by a law or a standard.

12 . The parking assistance method according to claim 9 , wherein the first regulation or the second regulation for the automatic travel of the vehicle is determined based on ride comfort of a passenger or an effect on people around the vehicle during the automatic travel of the vehicle.

13 . The parking assistance method according to claim 9 , wherein the first environmental information or the second environmental information includes a presence or an absence of an obstacle around the vehicle and a distance between the vehicle and the obstacle.

14 . The parking assistance method according to claim 9 , wherein the first environmental information or the second environmental information includes map information.

15 . The parking assistance method according to claim 9 , wherein

the teaching travel is travel in which the driver moves the vehicle from a travel start position outside the parking position to the parking position by using manual driving, and

the parking assistance method learns the travel start position in the teaching travel as a start position of the travel route.

16 . The parking assistance method according to claim 9 , wherein

the teaching travel is travel in which the driver moves the vehicle from the parking position to a teaching travel end position outside the parking position by using manual driving, and

the parking assistance method performs learning by using the teaching travel end position as a start position of the travel route, and using, as the travel route, a route through which the vehicle travels in a reverse direction to that of the teaching travel.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 1, 2024
From: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
To: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 066709/0727 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2021-032141 · Mar 1, 2021 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation 17586169 · Jan 27, 2022
Related Publication 20240051522A1 · Feb 15, 2024
References Cited (35)
US 11834035B2 · Yamaguchi et al. · 2023 [cited by applicant]
US 20030210157A1 · Gotzig et al. · 2003 [cited by applicant]
US 20080211651A1 · Beutnagel-Buchner et al. · 2008 [cited by applicant]
US 20090174574A1 · Endo · 2009 [cited by examiner]
US 20090319112A1 · Fregene et al. · 2009 [cited by applicant]
US 20130085637A1 · Grimm et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20140121930A1 · Allexi et al. · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 20170135621A1 · Lee et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20170253237A1 · Diessner · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20180024559A1 · Seo et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 20180328750A1 · Yun et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 20190016331A1 · Carlson et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20190184981A1 · Jung · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20190256144A1 · Yamada et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20190270451A1 · Liu et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20190271986A1 · Yamada · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20190308616A1 · Jie · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20190391588A1 · Fujimura et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20200207338A1 · Cho · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20200307559A1 · Göricke · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200346639A1 · Tashiro et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20220126875A1 · Hammoud · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 20220274592A1 · Ma · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20220332308A1 · Suzuki et al. · 2022 [cited by applicant]
DE 102010023162 · 2011 [cited by applicant]
DE 102019102664 · 2019 [cited by applicant]
DE 102019105371 · 2019 [cited by applicant]
JP 6022447 · 2016 [cited by applicant]
JP 2018158701A · 2018 [cited by examiner]
JP 2019127112 · 2019 [cited by applicant]
Office Action from Japan Patent Office (JPO) in Japanese Patent Appl. No. 2021-032141, dated Jun. 4, 2024, together with an English language translation. [cited by applicant]
Office Action from Japan Patent Office (JPO) in Japanese Patent Appl. No. 2021-032141, dated Oct. 29, 2024, together with an English language translation. [cited by applicant]
Office Action from U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in U.S. Appl. No. 18/491,405, dated Jun 17, 2015. [cited by applicant]
Office Action from U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in U.S. Appl. No. 18/491,416, dated Sep. 10, 2025. [cited by applicant]
English language translation of Office Action issued by the German Patent and Trademark Office in German Patent Appl. No. 102022101695.1, dated Sep. 16, 2025. [cited by applicant]