# US 12,600,375 B2 · Parking assistance device and parking assistance program > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,600,375 B2 - Document ID: US12600375B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/626,692 - Filed: 2024-04-04 - Published: 2024-10-10 - Granted: 2026-04-14 - Earliest claimed: 2023-04-07 - Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Hiroshi Tanaka - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12600375B2 ## CPC - B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention - B62D 15/0285: {Parking performed automatically} - B60W 30/06: Automatic manoeuvring for parking - B60W 30/16: Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle - B60W 30/182: Selecting between different operative modes, e.g. comfort and performance modes - B60W 50/0097: {Predicting future conditions} - B60W 2050/143: {Alarm means} - B60W 2050/146: {Display means} - B60W 2554/80: Spatial relation or speed relative to objects - 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) ## Abstract A parking assistance device, comprising: a prediction unit for predicting whether or not a distance to an obstacle around the vehicle becomes less than or equal to a reference distance while the vehicle is automatically parked; and a notification unit for performing a notification indicating that a distance to the obstacle may be close during parking to an occupant, when the distance to the obstacle is predicted to be equal to or less than the reference distance. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A parking assistance device, comprising a processor, wherein the processor is configured to: predict whether or not a distance to an obstacle around a vehicle becomes less than or equal to a reference distance while the vehicle is automatically parked; perform a notification indicating that the distance to the obstacle may be close during parking to an occupant, when the distance to the obstacle is predicted to be equal to or less than the reference distance; automatically drive the vehicle until reaching a target parking mode by any of a narrow mode in which the distance to the obstacle when the vehicle is automatically parked is equal to or less than the reference distance and a normal mode in which the distance to the obstacle when the vehicle is automatically parked is not less than the reference distance; when automatically driving the vehicle in the normal mode, a brake is automatically activated to prevent collision when the distance to the obstacle is equal to or less than the reference distance; and when automatically driving the vehicle in the narrow mode, the brake is not automatically activated to prevent collision when the distance to the obstacle is equal to or less than the reference distance unless the distance to the obstacle is equal to or less than a predetermined distance shorter than the reference distance. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to predict that, when an in-between clearance in a target parking space is equal to or less than a predetermined reference clearance, the distance to an obstacle around the vehicle becomes equal to or less than the reference distance while the vehicle is automatically parked. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The parking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to automatically drive the vehicle in the narrow mode until the vehicle reaches the target parking mode when an in-between clearance in the target parking space is equal to or less than a predetermined reference clearance, and automatically drives the vehicle in the normal mode until the vehicle reaches the target parking mode when the in-between clearance is larger than the reference clearance. ### Claim 4 A non-transitory recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program for parking assistance, the computer program causing a computer to execute a process comprising: predicting whether a distance to an obstacle around a vehicle will be less than or equal to a reference distance while the vehicle is automatically parked; when it is predicted that the distance to the obstacle is equal to or smaller than the reference distance, performing a notification indicating that the distance to the obstacle may be close during parking to an occupant; automatically driving the vehicle until reaching a target parking mode by any of a narrow mode in which the distance to the obstacle when the vehicle is automatically parked is equal to or less than the reference distance and a normal mode in which the distance to the obstacle when the vehicle is automatically parked is not less than the reference distance; when automatically driving the vehicle in the normal mode, automatically activating a brake to prevent collision when the distance to the obstacle is equal to or less than the reference distance; and when automatically driving the vehicle in the narrow mode, the brake is not automatically activated to prevent collision when the distance to the obstacle is equal to or less than the reference distance unless the distance to the obstacle is equal to or less than a predetermined distance shorter than the reference distance.