Vehicle, automated valet parking system, and automated valet parking method

An automated valet parking system comprising:

• a server configured to be communicable with a vehicle;
• and
• the vehicle for which automated valet parking is executable, the automated valet parking including determining that the vehicle is to be processed in one of a plurality of patterns including an entry to a parking lot or a return, an exit from the parking lot or is called up, or an automated travel pattern,
• wherein the vehicle includes:
• an in-vehicle sensor that detects an environment around the vehicle,
• an autonomous driving unit that executes the automated valet parking based on a detection result from the in-vehicle sensor in response to a parking lot entry-exit instruction from the server,
• a detection unit that detects dirt or a raindrop attached to the in-vehicle sensor before the automated valet parking is started by the autonomous driving unit, the detection of the dirt or the raindrop being based on:
• acquiring a field-of-view range of the in-vehicle sensor in advance and storing the range as a reference field-of-view range, and
• comparing an observed field-of-view range to the reference field-of-view range to determine whether the observed field-of-view range has become a predetermined proportion of the reference field-of-view range, and
• an informing unit that outputs information that suggests removing the dirt on the in-vehicle sensor or the raindrop attached to the in-vehicle sensor in response to the detection unit detecting the dirt or the raindrop attached to the in-vehicle sensor, the informing unit is configured to:
• output the information to an in-cabin device of the vehicle when the dirt on the in-vehicle sensor or the raindrop attached to the in-vehicle sensor is detected before a user gets off the vehicle;
• and
• output the information to at least one of a terminal of the user, an external device of the vehicle, and a terminal of a parking lot manager when the dirt on the in-vehicle sensor or the raindrop attached to the in-vehicle sensor is detected after the user gets off the vehicle.

An automated valet parking method comprising:

• executing automated valet parking based on a detection result from an in-vehicle sensor of a vehicle, the automated valet parking including determining that the vehicle is to be processed in one of a plurality of patterns including an entry to a parking lot or a return, an exit from the parking lot or is called up, or an automated travel pattern;
• detecting dirt on the in-vehicle sensor of the vehicle or a raindrop attached to the in-vehicle sensor before the automated valet parking is started, the detecting of the dirt or the raindrop being based on:
• acquiring a field-of-view range of the in-vehicle sensor in advance and storing the range as a reference field-of-view range, and
• comparing an observed field-of-view range to the reference field-of-view range to determine whether the observed field-of-view range has become a predetermined proportion of the reference field-of-view range;
• outputting information that suggests removing the dirt on the in-vehicle sensor or the raindrop attached to the in-vehicle sensor in response to detecting the dirt or the raindrop on the in-vehicle sensor attached to the in-vehicle sensor;
• outputting the information to an in-cabin device of the vehicle when the dirt on the in-vehicle sensor or the raindrop attached to the in-vehicle sensor is detected before a user gets off the vehicle;
• and
• outputting the information to at least one of a terminal of the user, an external device of the vehicle, and a terminal of a parking lot manager when the dirt on the in-vehicle sensor or the raindrop attached to the in-vehicle sensor is detected after the user gets off the vehicle.