IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,722,702
Granted Patent B2
US 12,722,702 · App. 18/734,371 · Granted Sep 1, 2026

Parking assistance device and parking assistance method

Inventors: Takuma Iida (Kanagawa Ken, JP); Shota Akaura (Kanagawa Ken, JP); Takafumi Tokuhiro (Kanagawa Ken, JP); Yukihiro Tanizoe (Osaka Fu, JP)
Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Co., Ltd.
B62D15/0285B60W30/06B60W50/14B60W60/00G08G1/16
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,722,702
App. No.
18/734,371
Granted
Sep 1, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A parking assistance device causes a vehicle to automatically travel based on a travel path in a parking operation in past by a driver, and includes a memory and a processor coupled to the memory. The processor is configured to: acquire at least one of environmental information concerning environment around the vehicle and user information concerning a user who gets on the vehicle; cause the memory to store a plurality of travel paths in association with at least one of the environmental information and the user information; specify a travel path on which the vehicle automatically travels based on at least one of the environmental information and the user information among the stored plurality of travel paths; cause a display unit to display information for urging the driver to approve the specified travel path; and cause the vehicle to travel based on the travel path approved by the driver.

Claims (65)

1 . A parking assistance device that causes a vehicle to automatically travel based on a travel path in a parking operation in a past by a driver, the parking assistance device comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to:

register, by a user using a touch panel of a display, a travel path database;

acquire first feature points around the vehicle in the parking operation in the past by the driver;

cause the memory to store, in the travel path database, a plurality of travel paths, the plurality of travel paths being stored in association with the first feature points around the vehicle;

acquire second feature points around the vehicle in an automatic travel;

compare the first feature points around the vehicle in the parking operation in the past and the second feature points around the vehicle in the automatic travel;

specify a travel path on which the vehicle automatically travels based on a comparison of the first feature points and the second feature points from among the plurality of travel paths stored in the travel path database;

cause the display to display the travel path specified based on the comparison of the first feature points and the second feature points from among the plurality of travel paths stored in the travel path database;

cause the display to display information for urging the driver to approve the specified travel path; and

cause the vehicle to automatically travel based on the travel path approved by the driver.

2 . The parking assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

detect an object around the vehicle;

correct the specified travel path based on a detection result of the object; and

cause, during execution of the automatic travel, the display to display a travel path corrected.

3 . The parking assistance device according to claim 2 , wherein,

when the object was not detected at a time of recording the travel path in the parking operation in the past, the processor is configured to correct the specified travel path such that a distance to the detected object is equal to or greater than a threshold.

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

the processor is configured to acquire at least one of the first feature points or the second feature points via a measurement result of a sensor provided in the vehicle and a peripheral image around the vehicle captured by a camera provided in the vehicle.

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

the processor is configured to acquire at least one of attribute information of the user of the vehicle, information concerning the driver and a passenger registered in a use schedule of the vehicle, or a user ID capable of specifying the user of the vehicle.

6 . The parking assistance device according to claim 5 , wherein

the attribute information of the user includes at least information concerning one of an age of the user or a physical handicap of the user.

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

the processor is further configured to:

acquire the plurality of travel paths from a storage device provided outside the vehicle together with the first feature points stored in association with the plurality of travel paths,

wherein the specified travel path is specified based on the comparison of the first feature points and the second feature points from among the plurality of travel paths stored in the storage device.

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

the parking operation in the past includes a parking operation by manual driving of the vehicle by the driver.

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

the display includes a display of a smartphone.

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

the processor is configured to acquire the first feature points around the vehicle from at least one of a wall, a building, or a tree around the vehicle.

11 . A parking assistance method causing a vehicle to automatically travel based on a travel path in a parking operation in a past by a driver, the parking assistance method comprising:

registering, by a user using a touch panel of a display, a travel path database;

acquiring first feature points around the vehicle in the parking operation in the past by the driver;

storing, in the travel path database, a plurality of travel paths, the plurality of travel paths being stored in association with the first feature points around the vehicle;

acquiring second feature points around the vehicle in an automatic travel;

comparing the first feature points around the vehicle in the parking operation in the past and the second feature points around the vehicle in the automatic travel;

specifying a travel path on which the vehicle automatically travels based on a comparison of the first feature points and the second feature points from among the plurality of travel paths stored in the travel path database;

causing the display to display the travel path specified based on the comparison of the first feature points and the second feature points from among the plurality of travel paths stored in the travel path database;

causing the display to display information for urging the driver to approve the specified travel path; and

causing the vehicle to automatically travel based on the travel path approved by the driver.

12 . The parking assistance method according to claim 11 , further comprising:

detecting an object around the vehicle; and

correcting the specified travel path based on a detection result of the object, wherein

the causing the display includes causing, during execution of the automatic travel, the display to display a travel path corrected.

13 . The parking assistance method according to claim 12 , wherein,

when the object was not detected at a time of recording the travel path in the parking operation in the past, the correcting includes correcting the specified travel path such that a distance to the detected object is equal to or greater than a threshold.

14 . The parking assistance method according to claim 11 , wherein

at least one of the first feature points or the second feature points is acquired via a measurement result of a sensor provided in the vehicle and a peripheral image around the vehicle captured by a camera provided in the vehicle.

15 . The parking assistance method according to claim 11 , further comprising:

acquiring at least one of attribute information of the user of the vehicle, information concerning the driver and a passenger registered in a use schedule of the vehicle, or a user ID capable of specifying the user of the vehicle.

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

the attribute information of the user includes at least information concerning one of an age of the user or a physical handicap of the user.

17 . The parking assistance method according to claim 11 , further comprising:

acquiring the plurality of travel paths from a storage device provided outside the vehicle together with the first feature points stored in association with the plurality of travel paths,

wherein the specified travel path is specified based on the comparison of the first feature points and the second feature points from among the plurality of travel paths stored in the storage device.

18 . The parking assistance method according to claim 11 , wherein

the parking operation in the past includes a parking operation by manual driving of the vehicle by the driver.

19 . The parking assistance method according to claim 11 , wherein

the display includes a display of a smartphone.

20 . The parking assistance method according to claim 11 , wherein

the first feature points around the vehicle are acquired from at least one of a wall, a building, or a tree around the vehicle.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 3, 2024
From: IIDA, TAKUMA; AKAURA, SHOTA; TOKUHIRO, TAKAFUMI; TANIZOE, YUKIHIRO
To: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 068776/0747 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2021-211302 · Dec 24, 2021 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2022026733 · Jul 5, 2022
Related Publication 20240317313A1 · Sep 26, 2024
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