# US 8,542,128 B2 · Parking assist apparatus and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,542,128 B2 - Document ID: US8542128B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/298,037 - Filed: 2007-02-28 - Published: 2009-10-01 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2006-04-25 - Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Yukiko Kawabata; Yasushi Makino; Yuichi Kubota; Tomohiko Endo; Takuya Itou - Inventors: Yukiko Kawabata; Yasushi Makino; Yuichi Kubota; Tomohiko Endo; Takuya Itou - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8542128B2 ## CPC - G08G 1/168: {Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space} - B62D 15/028: {Guided parking by providing commands to the driver, e.g. acoustically or optically} - G08G 1/165: {for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees} - G08G 1/166: {for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes} - B60W 30/06: Automatic manoeuvring for parking - B60W 40/02: related to ambient conditions - B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention - 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}) - 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) - 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 ## Abstract A parking assisting apparatus that can reduce a burden of a driver at a preliminary stage of parking. The parking assisting apparatus assists parking of a vehicle and includes an obstacle detector that detects an obstacle near the vehicle and an information outputting mechanism that informs the driver of a parking space adjacent to the obstacle detected by the obstacle detector. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A parking assisting apparatus for assisting parking of a vehicle moving in a forward direction, comprising: obstacle detecting means for detecting an obstacle near the vehicle moving in the forward direction; parking space detecting means for detecting a parking space based on detected results of the obstacle detecting means; deflection angle calculating means for calculating a deflection angle α that represents a change amount of a direction of the vehicle in a predetermined travel distance before a current position of the vehicle, the deflection angle α being calculated based on an output from each of a steering angle sensor and a vehicle speed sensor; and information outputting means for outputting an initial notice that informs a driver that the parking space exists adjacent to the obstacle detected by the obstacle detecting means, wherein the information outputting means determines whether to output the initial notice based on the deflection angle α calculated by the deflection angle calculating means, and wherein the initial notice is output if the parking space adjacent to the obstacle detected by the obstacle detecting means is detected by the parking space detecting means, and if an absolute value of the deflection angle α calculated by the deflection angle calculating means is within a predetermined range of 0<|α|<θ1, where θ1 is a predetermined value. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The parking assisting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when the information outputting means outputs the notice, the information outputting means outputs a steering instruction, and wherein, when the vehicle has reached an appropriate parking start position from which the vehicle can be parked in a noticed parking space, the information outputting means informs the driver of reaching the appropriate parking start position. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The parking assisting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein an operation of the information outputting means can be switched on or off according to an operation of a user. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The parking assisting apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein a detection result of the obstacle detecting means or a detection result of the parking space derived therefrom is stored even if the operation of the information outputting means is switched off. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The parking assisting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information outputting means outputs an image representing a position of the parking space on a display screen, said image being updated when a new parking space is detected. ### Claim 6 A parking assisting method of assisting parking of a vehicle moving in a forward direction, comprising: detecting an obstacle near the vehicle moving in the forward direction; detecting a parking space based on results of the detected obstacle; calculating a deflection angle that represents a change amount of a direction of the vehicle in a predetermined travel distance before a current position of the vehicle, the deflection angle being calculated based on an output from each of a steering angle sensor and a vehicle speed sensor; and outputting an initial notice that informs a driver that the parking space exists adjacent to the obstacle detected during the step of detecting an obstacle, wherein prior to the step of outputting the initial notice it is determined whether the initial notice should be output based on the deflection angle calculated during the step of calculating a deflection angle, and wherein the initial notice is output if the parking space adjacent to the detected obstacle is detected during the step of detecting a parking space, and if an absolute value of the deflection angle α calculated during the deflection angle calculating step is within a predetermined range of 0<|α|<θ1, where θ1 is a predetermined value. ### Claim 7 A parking assisting apparatus for assisting parking of a vehicle moving in a forward direction, comprising: a control device that is connected to an obstacle detecting sensor that detects an obstacle near the vehicle moving in the forward direction, said control device being configured to detect a parking space based on the detected obstacle and being configured to calculate a deflection angle that represents a change amount of a direction of the vehicle in a predetermined travel distance before a current position of the vehicle and to output an initial notice that informs a driver that a parking space exists adjacent to the obstacle detected by the obstacle detecting sensor, wherein said control device is further configured to determine whether to output the initial notice based on a calculated deflection angle, the deflection angle being calculated based on an output from each of a steering angle sensor and a vehicle speed sensor, and wherein the initial notice is output if the parking space adjacent to the obstacle detected by the obstacle detecting sensor is detected during parking space detecting, and if an absolute value of the deflection angle α calculated during the deflection angle calculating is within a predetermined range of 0<|α|<θ1, where θ1 is a predetermined value. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The parking assist apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information outputting means does not inform the driver that the parking space exists when the deflection angle is greater than θ1. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The parking assist apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the parking space detecting means and the deflection angle calculating means are included in an electronic control unit (ECU) disposed in the vehicle, and wherein the ECU receives data input from the obstacle detecting means, the steering angle sensor, and the vehicle speed sensor.