# US 11,999,342 B2 · Display control device, parking assist apparatus and display control method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,999,342 B2 - Document ID: US11999342B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/331,234 - Filed: 2021-05-26 - Published: 2022-12-01 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2021-05-26 - Assignees: Panasonic Automotive Systems Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Michio Obora - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11999342B2 ## CPC - B60W 30/06: Automatic manoeuvring for parking - B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention - G06T 7/70: Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras (camera calibration G06T7/80) - G06V 20/584: {of vehicle lights or traffic lights} - G06V 20/586: {of parking space} - G08G 1/142: {external to the vehicles} - G08G 1/143: {inside the vehicles} - H04N 7/181: {for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources} - H04N 7/183: {for receiving images from a single remote source} - B60W 2050/146: {Display means} - B60W 2552/00: Input parameters relating to infrastructure - B60W 2554/20: Static objects - G06T 2207/30264: Parking - H04N 23/90: Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract Provided is a display control apparatus that generates a display overhead image including overhead images of each of a vacant parking space and a vehicle and outputs the display overhead image to a display apparatus. The display overhead image includes at least one of an overhead image of the vacant parking space outside of a current viewing angle of a vehicle-mounted camera and an overhead image of the vacant parking space hidden behind a static object as seen from a current position of the vehicle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle control method for a vehicle control apparatus mounted on a vehicle, the vehicle control apparatus coupled with at least one camera and a display apparatus, the at least one camera and the display apparatus being mounted on the vehicle, the at least one camera configured to capture images of ambient areas of the vehicle, the vehicle control method comprising: detecting a first available parking space, in accordance with a first image captured by the at least one camera at a first point in time; detecting a second available parking space, in accordance with a second image captured by the at least one camera at a second point in time, the first point in time being before the second point in time and the vehicle travelling between the detecting of the first available parking space at the first point in time and the detecting of the second available parking space at the second point in time, the first available parking space being located in a first ambient area of the ambient areas, the second available parking space being located in a second ambient area of the ambient areas, the first ambient area being distinct from the second ambient area; determining that, in the second image of the second ambient area captured by the at least one camera, the first available parking space is not detected; and outputting, in response to the determining, a display image to the display apparatus, the display image being generated by combining plural images captured by the at least one camera, the display image including the first available parking space and the second available parking space. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle control method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle control apparatus is further coupled with at least one actuator of a motor actuator for acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle, a brake actuator for braking of the vehicle, or a steering actuator for steering of the vehicle, and wherein the vehicle control method further comprises: controlling the at least one actuator to park the vehicle in one of the first available parking space or the second available parking space, the one of the first available parking space or the second available parking space being selected by an occupant of the vehicle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vehicle control method according to claim 1, wherein the display image is output by combining an overhead image and an image read from a storage. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle control method according to claim 1, wherein an object is located between the vehicle and the first available parking space when the at least one camera captures the second image of the second ambient area in which the first available parking space is not located. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle control method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle control apparatus detects each of the first available parking space and the second available parking space, as a vacant parking space not being occupied by other vehicles. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vehicle control method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle control apparatus generates the display image based on the images of the ambient areas of the vehicle, captured by the at least one camera. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vehicle control method according to claim 1, wherein the first available parking space is detected by the vehicle control apparatus, with first location information of the first available parking space, and the second available parking space is detected by the vehicle control apparatus, with second location information of the second available parking space. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The vehicle control method according to claim 1, wherein the display image includes an overhead image including the first available parking space and the second available parking space. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The vehicle control method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle control apparatus outputs the display image to the display apparatus, with the display image including the first available parking space and the second available parking space, while the vehicle is travelling and when the at least one camera captures the second image of the second ambient area in which the first available parking space is not located. ### Claim 10 The vehicle control method according to 1, wherein the at least one camera includes a left-side camera for capturing left images of a left-side ambient area of the vehicle, a right-side camera for capturing right images of a right-side ambient area of the vehicle, a front camera for capturing front images of a front ambient area of the vehicle, and a rear camera for capturing rear images of a rear ambient area of the vehicle. ### Claim 11 A vehicle control apparatus configured to be mounted on a vehicle, the vehicle control apparatus comprising: an input configured to be coupled with at least one camera, the at least one camera being mounted on the vehicle, the at least one camera being configured to capture images of ambient areas of the vehicle; an output configured to be coupled with a display apparatus, the display apparatus being mounted on the vehicle; and a processor coupled with at least the input and the output, wherein the processor detects a first available parking space, in accordance with a first image captured by the at least one camera at a first point in time, the processor detects a second available parking space, in accordance with a second image captured by the at least one camera at a second point in time, the first point in time being before the second point in time and the vehicle travelling between the detecting of the first available parking space at the first point in time and the detecting of the second available parking space at the second point in time, the first available parking space being located in a first ambient area of the ambient areas, the second available parking space being located in a second ambient area of the ambient areas, the first ambient area being distinct from the second ambient area, the processor determines that, in the second image of the second ambient area captured by the at least one camera, the first available parking space is not detected, and the processor outputs, in response to determining that the first available parking space is not detected in the second image, a display image to the display apparatus, the display image being generated by combining plural images captured by the at least one camera, the display image including the first available parking space and the second available parking space. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the output of the vehicle control apparatus is further coupled with at least one actuator of a motor actuator for acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle, a brake actuator for braking of the vehicle, or a steering actuator for steering of the vehicle, and the vehicle control apparatus controls the at least one actuator to park the vehicle in one of the first available parking space or the second available parking space, the one of the first available parking or the second available parking space being selected by an occupant of the vehicle. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the processor outputs the display image by combining an overhead image and an image read from a storage. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein an object is located between the vehicle and the first available parking space when the at least one camera captures the second image of the second ambient area in which the first available parking space is not located. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the vehicle control apparatus detects each of the first available parking space and the second available parking space, as a vacant parking space not being occupied by other vehicles. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the vehicle control apparatus generates the display image based on the images of the ambient areas of the vehicle, captured by the at least one camera. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first available parking space is detected by the vehicle control apparatus, with first location information of the first available parking space, and the second available parking space is detected by the vehicle control apparatus, with second location information of the second available parking space. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the display image includes an overhead image including the first available parking space and the second available parking space. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the vehicle control apparatus outputs the display image to the display apparatus, with the display image including the first available parking space and the second available parking space, while the vehicle is travelling and when the at least one camera captures the second image of the second ambient area in which the first available parking space is not located. ### Claim 20 The vehicle control apparatus according to 11, wherein the at least one camera includes a left-side camera for capturing left images of a left-side ambient area of the vehicle, a right-side camera for capturing right images of a right-side ambient area of the vehicle, a front camera for capturing front images of a front ambient area of the vehicle, and a rear camera for capturing rear images of a rear ambient area of the vehicle.