Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki

Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho

Other

Kazunori Shimazaki

Tomio Kimura

Hisashi Kuriya

Satoshi Yamada

Isao Suzuki

Masahiko Ando

Koji Hika

Satoshi Yamamoto

Goro Asahi

Shuzo Hattori

Akihiro Yoshida

Kousuke Teramura

Takatoshi Ito

Masami Tomioka

Takashi Endo

Yutaka Nakashima

Hiroshi Tanaka

Masashi Ushino

Hideo Yanagisawa

Tomohiro Uda

Kiyoshi Yoshida

Tomohiro Yamagami

Kyoko Ito

Kanji Hattori

A parking assistance apparatus makes it easy for a driver to grasp a relative positional relation between a vehicle and a target parking position and makes it possible to park the vehicle at the target parking position in a parking space with accuracy. An image of a mark M in a parking space S is taken by a vehicle-side camera. A relative position calculation portioncalculates a relative positional relation between the vehicle and a target parking position T based on the taken image of the mark M. A backward locus calculation portioncalculates an expected locus when the vehicle moves based on the relative positional relation and based on a steering angle detected by a steering angle sensor. An image of the parking space S is taken by a parking-space-side cameraand transmitted to a vehicle-side apparatus. An image composition portioncomposes the image of the parking space S from the parking-space-side cameraand the expected locus calculated by the backward locus calculation portion. The composed image is displayed on the monitorlocated in the vicinity of a drivers seat of the vehicle.

Parking assistance apparatus, vehicle-side apparatus of parking assistance apparatus, parking assist method, and parking assist program

In a parking assistance apparatus disclosed herein, a position and a yaw angle of a vehicle are acquired continuously from an initial stop position A, and a vehicle mark C' in moving the vehicle backwards with a steering angle maintained during a backward movement operation from a backward movement start position B in parking the vehicle in a target parking space S is displayed on a display. The vehicle mark C&#x2032; is displayed in a shifting manner on the display such that the target parking space S is traced based on a momentary steering angle and a momentary yaw angle of the vehicle, which result from backward movement of the vehicle. When the vehicle mark C&#x2032; deviates from the target parking space S during the backward movement operation, a driver adjusts the steering angle. The vehicle mark C&#x2032; is shifted on the display based on a change in the steering angle to be turned into a vehicle mark Cat a suitable position corresponding to the target parking space S.

Parking assistance apparatus

Disclosed is a turning radius calculation method including: expressing a steering system model by means of relational expressions having a steering angle and turning angles of outer and inner tires as variables and including known parameters and unknown parameters; entering data on the known parameters based on design data; calculating the unknown parameters from the relational expressions corresponding to a zero-steering state and the relational expressions corresponding to a full-steering state; calculating turning angles of outer and inner tires respectively corresponding to a plurality of steering angles between the zero-steering state and the full-steering state using the relational expressions where calculated data on the unknown parameters are entered; calculating turning radii corresponding to the calculated turning angles of the outer and inner tires; and calculating an approximate function of turning radius for steering angle based on the plurality of steering angles and the turning radii.

Turning radius calculation, steering assistance and parking assistance employing turning radius function

In a parking assistance apparatus disclosed herein, when a lateral parking mode switch is set at an initial stop position A, a controller calculates a backward movement start position B for parking based on a yaw angle and a steering angle of a vehicle, and issues guiding information to stop the vehicle upon having determined that the vehicle has reached the calculated backward movement start position B. After having sensed that a shift lever was shifted to a reverse position, the controller displays on a display an image captured by a camera as to an area behind the vehicle, and also displays on the display in a superimposed manner an estimated vehicle space in the case where the vehicle moves backwards while maintaining a steering angle at the time of the shift of the shift lever. The driver operates a steering wheel so as to establish a suitable positional relation between the estimated vehicle space and a target parking space on the display, whereby an appropriate steering angle is obtained in moving the vehicle backwards.

A steering assist apparatus that assists a driver when backing a vehicle in an S-shaped path or parallel parking. The apparatus displays guidance marking on a monitor screen and the driver refers to the guidance marking, which permits the driver to easily back the vehicle to a desired position. The apparatus includes a camera, a monitor, an angle sensor, obstacle sensors, an image processing unit, a controller and a monitor controller. The image processing unit computes the predicted path of the vehicle at the current wheel angle. The monitor shows an image captured by the camera. The image processing unit generates data representing a guidance marking based on the predicted path and superimposes the marking on the monitor screen. The location of the marking on the screen is determined based on the current wheel angle. The marking represents part of the predicted path. Specifically, the marking matches the width of the vehicle. In the monitor screen, a marking is separated from the rear bumper of the vehicle by a distance corresponding to the wheelbase of the vehicle.

Apparatus for assisting steering of vehicle when backing

A parking assisting device including an image capturing unit for capturing at least an image behind the vehicle, a monitor for displaying the image obtained by the image capturing unit, a yaw angle detecting unit for detecting a yaw angle of the vehicle, a guiding unit for outputting guidance information to the driver and a controller for comparing a prescribed yaw angle corresponding to a predetermined vehicle position with the yaw angle of the vehicle detected by the yaw angle detecting unit, to identify a current position of the vehicle, and providing guidance information via the guiding unit while displaying at least one of a predicted path and a predicted parking position on the monitor so as to overlap with the image obtained by the image capturing unit to enable the driver to confirm whether the vehicle can be parked in target parking space.

Parking assisting device

Disclosed is a parking assisting device, including: a camera for capturing an image behind a vehicle; a display provided to a dashboard of the vehicle; passage width measurement device that measures a width of a passage; and a controller for displaying the image captured with the camera on the display. Also disclosed is a device for calculating an initial stopping position required for parking the vehicle in-parallel into a target parking space perpendicular to the passage on the basis of the passage width measured, with the passage width measurement device, to superimpose on a screen of the display a displayed image for guidance used for guiding the vehicle to the initial stopping position.

An image transformation apparatus for a vehicle rear monitoring device uses a transformation table to transform an image of the rear of a vehicle captured by a camera mounted on the vehicle for capturing the rear of the vehicle into an output image assumed to be obtained by capturing the rear at a predetermined inclination from a virtual camera position different from an actual camera position at which the camera is mounted, and displays the output image on the monitor. Furthermore, the output image may be displayed on the monitor, with a steering start guideline, a steering amount guide mark, a vehicle width guideline, and a vehicle path guideline superimposed thereon.

Image conversion device for vehicle rearward-monitoring device

When a vehicle advances in parallel with a parking frame to reach an initial stop position, measurement of a distance to a parked vehicle is continuously performed by means of an ultrasonic sensor and a moving distance of the vehicle is simultaneously calculated using a signal from a wheel speed sensor. When actuating an in-line mode switch under a state where the vehicle stops in the initial stop position, a turning angle is calculated so as to enable appropriate in-line parking to the parking frame from an actual initial stop position, based on a deviation of the vehicle from a reference position for the initial stop measured by the ultrasonic sensor. Information on a driving operation that is necessary for back parking is provided to a driver via a speaker based on this turning angle and output from a yaw rate sensor.

When a vehicle is located in a predetermined position M, a steering amount guide mark is moved on a steering start guide line as a steering angle is increased by turning a steering wheel. The steering amount guide mark has a size according to the steering angle of the steering wheel at that time. When the steering angle becomes suitable, the steering amount guide mark has the same size as a target parking space T. Thus, a driver can more instinctively recognize the suitable steering angle of the steering wheel. Further, the driver can easily judge by observing the locus line of a left-hand forward corner portion of the vehicle whether or not the left-hand forward corner portion of the self-vehicle that particularly needed to be known in column parking on the left-hand side of a road interferes with a certain obstacle during a path until the target parking space T.

Arrangement for guiding steering to assist parallel parking

A parking assisting device provides parking assisting information consisting of a first intermittent sound of a tone (A) indicating that a vehicle is approaching a target stop position, a continuous sound of a tone (B) indicating that a position of a vehicle coincides with a target stop position and a second intermittent sound of a tone (C) indicating that a vehicle has gone beyond a target stop position. An intermittent period of the first intermittent sound changes to be shorter as the vehicle approaches a target stop position closer and an intermittent period of the second intermittent sound changes to be longer as the vehicle goes beyond the target stop position farther.

An image positional relation apparatus is provided, in which coordinate data of a real targed photographed by a CCD camera and coordinate data of a virtual target logically calculated from the predetermined position of the real target are transmitted to a superimpose circuit, and the real target and the virtual target are superimposed to be displayed on a monitor screen. A user operates a controller so that the real target coincides with the virtual target. An amount of such operation is transmitted to the superimpose circuit as a correction amount, and the positional relation between the real target and the virtual target, i.e., the positional relation between the real image and the virtual image can be properly corrected.

Image positional relation correction apparatus, steering supporting apparatus provided with the image positional relation correction apparatus, and image positional relation correction method

A parking assisting device is provided with: a yaw rate sensor for detecting a yaw angle of a vehicle; a controller having a navigation function control unit and a parking assisting function control unit; a function selecting switch for determining switching to a parking assisting mode from a navigation mode; a monitor for providing navigation information, as well as for setting the reference position of the yaw angle and selecting a parking mode; and a speaker for providing parking assisting information to a driver in accordance with a vehicle position specified on the basis of the yaw angle.

An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus during parking, in which a steering assisting guide display is performed so that a driver can easily comprehend a steering rate and time frame, a steering amount or a backward movement amount in parking a vehicle. When a vehicle starts a turn, a detecting means of a rotation speed difference between a right wheel and a left wheel detects a rotation speed difference between a right wheel and a left wheel. When the difference becomes the predetermined value or larger, it is recognized that the vehicle starts the turn. The angle speed, which is detected by a yaw rate sensor since the start of the turn, is added as a yaw angle. Then, the vehicle is stopped and a shift lever is operated so as to be set to a backward movement position, whereby the yaw angle at this time is detected as the turn angle since the time of starting the turn. An image processor displays a parallel parking guide line and a vehicle space mark so as to be inclined on the screen of a monitor based on the turn angle.

Vehicle backing support apparatus

A controller is provided with a CPU, an EEPROM for storing data that is unique to a vehicle and which is rewritable, and a control ROM for performing parking assistance upon parking in lateral and parking in parallel, based on a minimum turning radius Rc of the data that is unique to the vehicle, which is stored in the EEPROM, and the CPU operates based on the control program stored in the control ROM. The controller calculates a yaw angle of the vehicle from an angular speed of the vehicle inputted from a yaw rate sensor and information about an operation method and operation timing in each step during the drive for parking in lateral and parking in parallel is outputted to a speaker through calculating a turning angle of the vehicle, thereby appropriately assisting a driver with parking.

Growing community of inventors

Aichi-ken, Japan

Kazunori Shimazaki