# US 12,008,902 B2 · Parking assistance device

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- Number: US 12,008,902 B2
- Document ID: US12008902B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/253,787
- Filed: 2019-08-08
- Published: 2021-10-21
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2018-09-27
- Assignees: Hitachi Astemo, Ltd.
- Applicants: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
- Inventors: Koji Takahashi; Sara Suda
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12008902B2

## CPC

- G08G 1/143: {inside the vehicles}
- B60R 1/27: providing all-round vision, e.g. using omnidirectional cameras
- B60W 30/06: Automatic manoeuvring for parking
- B62D 15/0285: {Parking performed automatically}
- G06V 10/147: Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses (fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19)
- G06V 20/586: {of parking space}
- G08G 1/165: {for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees}
- G08G 1/168: {Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space}
- B60R 2300/806: for aiding parking
- B60W 10/04: including control of propulsion units
- B60W 10/10: including control of change-speed gearings
- B60W 10/18: including control of braking systems
- B60W 10/20: including control of steering systems
- B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
- B60W 2552/00: Input parameters relating to infrastructure
- 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})
- B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- 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
- B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M)
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING

## Abstract

In a method of detecting a parkable space using only a sonar installed on a side of a vehicle, automatic parking assistance cannot be implemented at an early stage, and an environment in which automatic parking assistance is possible is limited. In a parking assistance device including a parkable space setting unit that sets a parkable space existing ahead of the vehicle based on information from a front detector, the parkable space setting unit corrects the parkable space based on information on the parkable space acquired by a side detector when the vehicle passes by the parkable space.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A parking assistance device for automatically parking a vehicle, comprising
a front detector that is mounted on a front of the vehicle and collects first information about objects in the front of the vehicle;
a side detector that is mounted on a side of the vehicle and collects second information about objects on the side of the vehicle;
a human machine interface (HMI); and
a processor that is communicatively coupled to the front detector, the side detector and the HMI,
wherein the processor is configured to:
determine a plurality of candidate parkable spaces for the vehicle based on first information from the front detector and, information acquired by the side detector when the vehicle passes by each respective parkable space among the plurality of the candidate parkable spaces,
determine whether a remote entry/exit function is installed,
selectively delete one or more of the plurality of the candidate parkable spaces when the remote entry/exit function is not installed to form a plurality of parkable spaces,
display, using the HMI, the plurality of parkable spaces,
receive, using the HMI, a selection of a target space from among the plurality of the parkable spaces, and
control the vehicle to park in the target space in response to the selection.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of candidate parkable spaces are determined based on at least:
a position of an obstacle acquired by the front detector, or
a position of an obstacle acquired by the side detector.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The parking assistance device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of candidate parkable spaces are determined based on on coordinates of a point indicating a position of an obstacle adjacent to a particular parkable space from among the plurality of candidate parkable spaces that is acquired by the side detector.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The parking assistance device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of candidate parkable spaces are determined based on at least
on coordinates of a point indicating the position of the obstacle adjacent to a particular parkable space and coordinates of an intersection with a vertical line drawn from a point indicating a position of an obstacle adjacent to the particular parkable space acquired by the side detector to a tangent line indicating an advancing direction of the vehicle on a moving route.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the HMI displays the plurality of parkable spaces by superimposing the plurality of parkable spaces on an image around the vehicle.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to when the remote entry/exit function is installed:
form the plurality of parkable spaces as the plurality of the candidate parkable spaces,
determine whether or not a getting-in/getting-out space for an occupant to get in and out of the vehicle can be secured in each particular parkable space among the plurality of parkable spaces, and
display, using the HMI, each particular parkable space among the plurality of parkable spaces where the getting-in/getting-out space can be secured in the in a first distinguishable manner.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The parking assistance device according to claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to when the remote entry/exit function is installed:
display, using the HMI, each particular parkable space among the plurality of parkable spaces where it is determined that the getting-in/getting-out space cannot be secured in a second distinguishable manner.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The parking assistance device according to claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to when the remote entry/exit function is installed:
display, using the HMI an alert that indicates that parking assistance can be remotely operated when it is determined that it is possible to park the vehicle in the target space but the getting-in/getting-out space cannot be secured.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the front detector is a camera and the side detector is a sonar.