IP Library Granted Patent US 12,420,775
Granted Patent B2
US 12,420,775 · App. 17/575,152 · Granted Sep 23, 2025

Parking assist system

Inventor: Takamasa Hidaka (Kariya, JP)
Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
B60W30/06B60W60/0025B60W2554/4041B60W2554/80B60W2556/45
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,420,775
App. No.
17/575,152
Granted
Sep 23, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A parking assist system includes: a self-driving vehicle that performs automatic driving from a getting-off area to a parking location in a parking area; an administrator device that transmits a guidance route to the parking location and a parking start instruction to the self-driving vehicle; and a mobile terminal device that communicates with the administrator device. The administrator device includes: a location information acquisition unit configured to acquire an object location indicative of a location of the self-driving vehicle or the mobile terminal device; a location determination unit configured to determine whether the object location is within a specified area; and a driving setting unit configured to: instruct the self-driving vehicle to start parking when the object location is within the specified area; and not to instruct the self-driving vehicle to start parking when the object location is not within the specified area.

Claims (82)

1. A parking assist system configured to assist vehicle parking, the system comprising:

a self-driving vehicle configured to perform automatic driving from a getting-off area in a parking area to a parking location in the parking area;

an administrator device configured to transmit a guidance route from the getting-off area to the parking location and a parking start instruction to the self-driving vehicle; and

a mobile terminal device configured to be held by a user of the self-driving vehicle and configured to communicate with the administrator device, wherein

the administrator device includes:

a location information acquisition unit configured to, in response to an input operation to start parking of the self-driving vehicle by the user via the mobile terminal device, acquire an instruction indicative of the input operation from the mobile terminal device and acquire location information indicative of a location of the self-driving vehicle from the self-driving vehicle;

a location determination unit configured to determine based on the location information, whether the self-driving vehicle indicated by the location information is within the getting-off area; and

a driving setting unit configured to, based on the location information:

instruct the self-driving vehicle to start parking when the location information shows that the self-driving vehicle is within the getting-off area; and

not instruct the self-driving vehicle to start parking when the location information shows that the self-driving vehicle is not within the getting-off area, wherein when the location information shows that the self-driving vehicle is not within the getting-off area, the administrator device waits for the instruction indicative of the input operation to be input again from the mobile terminal device,

wherein:

the getting-off area includes a plurality of spaces, each space being a single area in which a single self-driving vehicle is parked; and

the driving setting unit sets the guidance route from a present location of the self-driving vehicle located in one of the plurality of spaces provided in the getting-off area to the parking location.

2. The parking assist system according to claim 1 , wherein

the location determination unit is configured to determine whether the location of the self-driving vehicle is within a predetermined getting-off area where the user gets out of the vehicle.

3. The parking assist system according to claim 2 , wherein

the administrator device further includes a map transmission unit configured to transmit map information on the parking area to the self-driving vehicle,

the self-driving vehicle further includes a location information transmission unit configured to receive the map information from the administrator device and to, subsequently, transmit location information of the self-driving vehicle to the administrator device, and

the location information acquisition unit of the administrator device is configured to acquire the location information transmitted from the self-driving vehicle.

4. The parking assist system according to claim 3 , wherein

the map transmission unit of the administrator device is configured to transmit the map information to the self-driving vehicle when the user performs the input operation via the mobile terminal device.

5. The parking assist system according to claim 1 , wherein

the location information acquisition unit of the administrator device is configured to acquire locations of the self-driving vehicle and the mobile terminal device, and

the location determination unit is configured to determine whether the location of the self-driving vehicle is within the getting-off area and whether the location of the mobile terminal device is within a waiting area outside of the getting-off area.

6. The parking assist system according to claim 5 , wherein

the location information acquisition unit is configured to repeatedly acquire locations of the self-driving vehicle and the mobile terminal device,

the location determination unit is configured to repeatedly determine whether the location of the self-driving vehicle is within the getting-off area and whether the location of the mobile terminal device is within the waiting area outside of the getting-off area, and

the driving setting unit is configured to:

wait until the mobile terminal device is located in the waiting area when the self-driving vehicle is located in the getting-off area and the mobile terminal device is not located in the waiting area; and

instruct the self-driving vehicle to start parking when the mobile terminal device subsequently enters the waiting area.

7. The parking assist system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

the getting-off area where the user gets out of the self-driving vehicle; and

the parking location at which the self-driving vehicle is parked after automatically travelling from the getting-off area by self-driving, wherein

the location information acquisition unit is configured to acquire a location of the mobile terminal device in response to inputting an auto-parking request for the self-driving vehicle by the user.

8. The parking assist system according to claim 7 , wherein

a waiting area is located a predetermined distance away from the getting-off area.

9. The parking assist system according to claim 8 , wherein

the waiting area is a pedestrian-only area.

10. The parking assist system according to claim 8 , wherein

the location information acquisition unit is further configured to acquire the location of the self-driving vehicle in response to inputting an auto-parking request for the self-driving vehicle by the user, and

the location determination unit is configured to determine whether the location of the self-driving vehicle is within the getting-off area and whether the location of the mobile terminal device is within the waiting area.

11. The parking assist system according to claim 10 , wherein

the driving setting unit is configured to:

select the parking location for the self-driving vehicle and instruct the self-driving vehicle to start parking when the location determination unit determines that the location of the self-driving vehicle is within the getting-off area and that the location of the mobile terminal device is within the waiting area; and

not instruct the self-driving vehicle to start parking when the location determination unit determines that the location of the self-driving vehicle is not within the getting-off area or that the location of the mobile terminal device is not within the waiting area.

12. The parking assist system according to claim 10 , wherein

the driving setting unit is configured to:

not instruct the self-driving vehicle to start parking until the mobile terminal device enters the waiting area when the location determination unit determines that the location of the self-driving vehicle is within the getting-off area but the location of the mobile terminal device is not within the waiting area; and

instruct the self-driving vehicle to start parking when the mobile terminal device subsequently enters the waiting area.

13. The parking assist system according to claim 11 , wherein

the driving setting unit is configured to issue an instruction to start parking together with route information from the getting-off area to the parking location.

14. The parking assist system according to claim 1 , wherein

the location information acquisition unit is configured to acquire location information indicative of a location of the mobile terminal device when the user performs the input operation via the mobile terminal device to start parking.

15. The parking assist system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

the getting-off area where the user gets out of the self-driving vehicle; and

the parking location at which the self-driving vehicle is parked after automatically travelling from the getting-off area by self-driving, wherein

the location information acquisition unit is configured to acquire a location of the mobile terminal device in response to inputting an auto-parking request for the self-driving vehicle by the user, and

the location determination unit is configured to determine whether the location of the mobile terminal device is a waiting area located outside of the getting-off area.

16. The parking assist system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

the getting-off area where the user gets out of the self-driving vehicle; and

the parking location at which the self-driving vehicle is parked after automatically travelling from the getting-off area by self-driving, wherein

the location information acquisition unit is configured to acquire a location of the mobile terminal device in response to inputting an auto-parking request for the self-driving vehicle by the user,

the location determination unit is configured to determine whether the location of the mobile terminal device is a waiting area located separate from the getting-off area, and

the waiting area is a pedestrian-only area.

17. The parking assist system according to claim 1 , wherein

the driving setting unit transmits the guidance route to the self-driving vehicle stopped at the getting-off area as the parking start instruction which instructs the self-driving vehicle to start the parking.

18. The parking assist system according to claim 1 , wherein

during the automatic driving from the getting-off area to the parking location, the self-driving vehicle travels along the guidance route without an occupant.

19. The parking assist system according to claim 1 , wherein

the driving setting unit sets the guidance route after the location information acquisition unit has acquired the location information indicative of the location of the self-driving vehicle.

20. A parking assist system configured to assist vehicle parking, the system comprising:

a self-driving vehicle configured to perform automatic driving from a getting-off area in a parking area to a parking location in the parking area;

an administrator device configured to transmit a guidance route from the getting-off area to the parking location and a parking start instruction to the self-driving vehicle; and

a mobile terminal device configured to be held by a user of the self-driving vehicle and configured to communicate with the administrator device, wherein

the administrator device includes a computer programmed to:

in response to an input operation to start parking of the self-driving vehicle by the user via the mobile terminal device, acquire an instruction indicative of the input operation from the mobile terminal device and acquire location information indicative of a location of the self-driving vehicle from the self-driving vehicle;

determine based on the location information, whether the self-driving vehicle indicated by the location information is within the getting-off area;

instruct the self-driving vehicle to start parking when the location information shows that the self-driving vehicle is within the getting-off area; and

not instruct the self-driving vehicle to start parking when the location information shows that the self-driving vehicle is not within the getting-off area, wherein when the location information shows that the self-driving vehicle is not within the getting-off area, the administrator device waits for the instruction indicative of the input operation to be input again from the mobile terminal device,

wherein:

the getting-off area includes a plurality of spaces, each space being a single area in which a single self-driving vehicle is parked; and

the computer is further programmed to set the guidance route from a present location of the self-driving vehicle located in one of the plurality of spaces provided in the getting-off area to the parking location.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 13, 2022
From: HIDAKA, TAKAMASA
To: DENSO CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 058649/0266 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2019-133832 · Jul 19, 2019 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2020027275 · Jul 13, 2020
Related Publication 20220135024A1 · May 5, 2022
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