# US 12,214,776 B2 · Parking assistance device and parking assistance method

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- Number: US 12,214,776 B2
- Document ID: US12214776B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/818,877
- Filed: 2022-08-10
- Published: 2022-12-01
- Granted: 2025-02-04
- Earliest claimed: 2020-02-12
- Assignees: Denso Corporation
- Applicants: Denso Corporation
- Inventors: Shinji Kitaura
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12214776B2

## CPC

- B60W 30/06: Automatic manoeuvring for parking
- G06V 20/56: exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
- B60R 99/00: Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
- B60W 40/076: Slope angle of the road
- B62D 15/0285: {Parking performed automatically}
- G01C 21/34: Route searching; Route guidance
- G06V 10/225: {based on a marking or identifier characterising the area}
- G06V 20/586: {of parking space}
- G06V 20/64: Three-dimensional [3D] objects
- G06V 30/224: of printed characters having additional code marks or containing code marks
- G08G 1/14: indicating individual free spaces in parking areas
- G08G 1/16: Anti-collision systems (road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08)
- B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
- B60W 2552/15: Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
- B60W 2556/20: Data confidence level
- 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
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- 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)
- G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S)
- 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})

## Abstract

In a parking assistance device for moving a vehicle from a current location to a scheduled parking location and parking the vehicle at the scheduled parking location, parking information indicated by a parking assistance code includes obstacle information which is information about obstacles in a parking area, and target location information which is information about a target parking location. A route generation unit is configured to generate a parking route from a current location to a scheduled parking location that is set to the target parking location indicated by the target location information, while avoiding the obstacles indicated by the obstacle information.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A parking assistance device for moving a vehicle from a current location to a scheduled parking location and parking the vehicle at the scheduled parking location, comprising:
a recognition processing unit configured to perform code recognition to recognize parking information indicated by a parking assistance code, the parking assistance code comprising a marking, provided in a parking area, to be detected by an on-board camera that monitors surroundings of the vehicle and including the parking information that is information about a parking area, the parking information including obstacle information which is information about obstacles located in the parking area, and target location information which is information about a target parking location;
a route generation unit configured to generate a parking route from the current location to the scheduled parking location for moving the vehicle from the current location to the scheduled parking location that is set to the target parking location indicated by the target location information, while avoiding the obstacles indicated by the obstacle information; and
a route following control unit configured to perform route following control to automatically move the vehicle following the parking route generated by the route generation unit from the current location to the scheduled parking location and park the vehicle at the scheduled parking location, wherein
the parking information includes road surface inclination information indicating an inclination of a road surface in the parking area, and
the recognition processing unit is configured to correct for sensing distortion of the on-board camera based on the road surface inclination information.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein
the parking information includes self-location information indicating a location of the parking assistance code itself in the parking area, and
the route generation unit is configured to recognize the current location of the vehicle in the parking area based on the self-location information.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein
the recognition processing unit is configured to perform three-dimensional object recognition to recognize three-dimensional objects in a space surrounding the vehicle based on sensing information from the on-board camera, and free space recognition to recognize a free space for the vehicle to be parked in the parking area based on a result of the three-dimensional object recognition, and
the route generation unit is configured to regenerate the parking route based on the three-dimensional object recognition and the free space recognition by the recognition processing unit even during the route following control.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein
the recognition processing unit is configured to, upon receipt of an instruction to recognize the parking assistance code via an instruction device, perform the code recognition, and
the route generation unit is configured to, in response to the code recognition having been performed, generate the parking route based on the obstacle information and the target location information included in the parking assistance code.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein
the route generation unit is configured to, in response to there being a plurality of target parking locations indicated by the target location information, cause a vehicle user to select, as the scheduled parking location, one of the plurality of target parking locations via an instruction device.

### Claim 6

A parking assistance method for moving a vehicle from a current location to a scheduled parking location and parking the vehicle at the scheduled parking location, comprising:
performing code recognition to recognize parking information indicated by a parking assistance code, the parking assistance code comprising a marking, provided in a parking area, to be detected by an on-board camera that monitors surroundings of the vehicle and including the parking information that is information about a parking area, the parking information including obstacle information which is information about obstacles located in the parking area, and target location information which is information about a target parking location;
generating a parking route from the current location to the scheduled parking location for moving the vehicle from the current location to the scheduled parking location that is set to the target parking location indicated by the target location information, while avoiding the obstacles indicated by the obstacle information; and
performing route following control to automatically move the vehicle following the parking route from the current location to the scheduled parking location and park the vehicle at the scheduled parking location, wherein
the parking information includes road surface inclination information indicating an inclination of a road surface in the parking area, and
sensing distortion of the on-board camera is corrected based on the road surface inclination information.

### Claim 7

A parking assistance device for moving a vehicle from a current location to a scheduled parking location and parking the vehicle at the scheduled parking location, comprising:
a non-transitory memory storing one or more computer programs;
a processor executing the one or more computer programs to:
perform code recognition to recognize parking information indicated by a parking assistance code, the parking assistance code comprising a marking, provided in a parking area, to be detected by an on-board camera that monitors surroundings of the vehicle and including the parking information that is information about a parking area, the parking information including obstacle information which is information about obstacles located in the parking area, and target location information which is information about a target parking location;
generate a parking route from the current location to the scheduled parking location for moving the vehicle from the current location to the scheduled parking location that is set to the target parking location indicated by the target location information, while avoiding the obstacles indicated by the obstacle information; and
perform route following control to automatically move the vehicle following the generated parking route from the current location to the scheduled parking location and park the vehicle at the scheduled parking location, wherein
the parking information includes road surface inclination information indicating an inclination of a road surface in the parking area, and
sensing distortion of the on-board camera is corrected based on the road surface inclination information.