JP2022061226A - Automatic parking system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an automatic parking system for reducing a calculation load on a parking lot management server in accordance with generation accuracy to be required in a route for an automatic operation.SOLUTION: In an automatic parking system, a parking lot management server transmits traveling indication information generated based on a vehicle position of an object vehicle being an automatic operation vehicle to be an automatic parking object, a position of a target parking space, and map information of a parking lot to the object vehicle. The parking lot management server transmits first indication information generated without considering hindrance to prevent automatic parking of the object vehicle due to relation with an external environment to the object vehicle. When the automatic parking on a route generated in accordance with the first indication information is prevented by hindrance, the automatic operation vehicle transmits hindrance information related to the hindrance to the parking lot management server and also allows the parking lot management server to re-generate second traveling indication information generated in consideration of the hindrance information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic parking system.

Conventionally, for example, Patent Document 1 is known as a technical document relating to an automatic parking system. This publication shows a parking support control device that guides the vehicle from the warehousing position to the parking position based on the vehicle information including the vehicle position transmitted from the in-vehicle sensor and the captured image transmitted from the infrastructure camera on the parking facility side. Has been done.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-074321

In this technical field, when the parking lot management server prepares the information necessary for generating the route for autonomous driving, if the parking lot management server tries to generate the route with high accuracy, the calculation load of the parking lot management server tends to increase. be. For example, in the above-mentioned conventional technique, a characteristic point pattern of a vehicle such as a distance from an emblem on the front surface of the vehicle to a front wheel is extracted by using an image captured by an infrastructure camera and used for route generation. However, if the parking lot management server is made to perform such image processing at all times, the high calculation load on the parking lot management server may become normal.

An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic parking system in which the calculation load of a parking lot management server is reduced according to the generation accuracy required for a route for automatic driving.

One aspect of the present invention is an automatic parking system in which a parking lot management server that manages a parking lot gives an instruction to an automatically driving vehicle in the parking lot to automatically park the automatically driving vehicle in a target parking space in the parking lot. , The parking lot management server sends the driving instruction information generated based on the vehicle position of the target vehicle, which is the target vehicle for automatic parking, the position of the target parking space, and the map information of the parking lot to the target vehicle. The automatic driving vehicle has a route generation unit that generates an automatic parking route based on information on the external environment of the automatic driving vehicle and driving instruction information transmitted from the instruction unit, and a driving instruction information. It is equipped with a reroute request unit that causes the parking lot management server to regenerate, and the instruction unit transmits the first instruction information generated without considering the obstacles that hinder the automatic parking of the target vehicle in relation to the external environment. Then, the route generation unit determines whether or not the automatic parking is hindered by the obstacle on the route generated according to the first instruction information, and the reroute request unit automatically performs the automatic parking on the route generated according to the first instruction information. When parking is hindered by a hindrance, the hindrance information regarding the hindrance is transmitted to the parking lot management server, and the second driving instruction information generated in consideration of the hindrance information is regenerated by the parking lot management server.

According to the automatic parking system according to one aspect of the present invention, the calculation load of the parking lot management server can be reduced according to the generation accuracy required for the route for automatic driving.

It is a top view which shows an example of the parking lot where automatic valet parking is performed. It is a block diagram which shows the automatic parking system which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the hardware composition of the parking lot management server. It is a flowchart which illustrates the 1st instruction processing of a parking lot management server. It is a flowchart which exemplifies the processing of a target vehicle. It is a flowchart which illustrates the 2nd instruction processing of a parking lot management server.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a parking lot where automatic valet parking is performed. Automatic valet parking means that an unmanned self-driving vehicle 2 that a user (occupant) gets off at a parking lot [Parking place] is driven along a target route according to an instruction from the parking lot side. It is a service that automatically parks in the target parking space in the parking lot. The target parking space is a parking space [Parking space] preset as a parking position of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The target route is a route in the parking lot where the autonomous driving vehicle 2 travels to reach the target parking space. The target route at the time of delivery is a route traveled to reach the boarding space described later.

The parking lot may be a parking lot dedicated to automatic valet parking, or may also serve as a parking lot for general vehicles that are not subject to automatic valet parking. A part of the parking lot for general vehicles may be used as an area dedicated to automatic valet parking. In this embodiment, a parking lot dedicated to automatic valet parking is used for explanation as an example.

As shown in FIG. 1, the parking lot 50 for automatic valet parking includes a parking area [Parking area] 51, a drop-off area [Drop-off area] 52, a boarding area [Pick-up area] 53, and a runway 54 [. Runway] is included. In the example of FIG. 1, the boarding area 52 and the boarding area 53 are provided separately, but they may be provided integrally as the boarding area. A position reference (for example, a marker) for the autonomous driving vehicle 2 to recognize the vehicle position may be installed on the track 54.

The parking area 51 is a place where a parking space (parking frame) 61 in which the autonomous driving vehicle 2 is parked is formed by automatic valet parking. In FIG. 1, a plurality of parking spaces 61 are formed so as to be arranged in one direction (in the width direction of a parked vehicle) as an example. The disembarkation area 52 is provided near the entrance / exit of the parking lot 50, and is a place for occupants including the user to disembark from the self-driving vehicle 2 before entering the parking lot. The disembarkation space 62 is formed in the disembarkation area 52 for the self-driving vehicle 2 to stop when the occupant disembarks. The boarding area 53 is provided near the entrance / exit of the parking lot 50, and is a place for the occupants to get on the self-driving vehicle 2 that has left the parking lot. The boarding area 53 is formed with a boarding space 63 for the autonomous driving vehicle 2 to stand by for the occupants to board.

In FIG. 1, a plurality of preset nodes corresponding to a plurality of runways 54 in the parking lot 50 are indicated by circles. As an example, a part of the plurality of nodes is provided on a virtual line extending substantially in the center of a plurality of runways 54 in the parking lot 50, and is separated by a predetermined interval. In the example of FIG. 1, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line, a part of a plurality of nodes is set on a virtual line extending along a plurality of runways 54 in the parking lot 50. The predetermined interval does not necessarily have to be constant.

For example, in the straight section of the runway 54, a pair of nodes are set at the end points (start point and end point) of the straight section. Further nodes may be set in the section sandwiched between the end points of the straight section of the runway 54. The start point and the end point of the curve section of the runway 54 are defined by the nodes located at the end points on the curve section side of the end points of the straight section sandwiching the curve section. These nodes are used for the autonomous driving vehicle 2 to automatically drive along the track 54.

In the straight section of the runway 54, when the entrance of each parking space 61 faces a section sandwiched between a pair of nodes that are the end points of the straight section, a node may be set at the entrance of each parking space 61. In the example of FIG. 1, the node is set on the front frame line corresponding to the entrance of the parking space 61. These nodes are used when the automatic driving vehicle 2 performs automatic parking control to the target parking space 61. Further, a node may be set around the parking space 61.

[Configuration of automatic parking system]
Hereinafter, the configuration of the automatic parking system 100 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an automatic parking system 100 according to an embodiment. The automatic parking system [AVPS: Automated Valet Parking System] 100 shown in FIG. 2 is a system for performing automatic valet parking of an automatically driven vehicle 2 in a parking lot. In the automatic parking system 100, the parking lot management server 1 that manages the parking lot 50 automatically parks the autonomous driving vehicle 2 in the target parking space in the parking lot 50 by instructing the autonomous driving vehicle 2 in the parking lot 50. Let me. In the following description, the autonomous driving vehicle 2 that is the target of automatic parking may be referred to as "target vehicle 2X".

In the automatic parking system 100 here, the process for automatic driving (for example, route generation) is mounted on the automatic driving vehicle 2 based on the traveling map information transmitted from the parking lot management server 1 to the target vehicle 2X. It is performed in the automatic operation ECU [Electric Control Unit] 20. The parking lot management server 1 selects a plurality of nodes through which the target vehicle 2X passes from the departure point to the destination point based on the situation of the parking lot 50 before the start of the automatic operation of the target vehicle 2X. Is transmitted to the target vehicle 2X.

In the automatic parking system 100, for example, after the autonomous driving vehicle 2 that has entered the parking lot 50 [Enters] unloads the occupants in the disembarkation space 62, the automatic valet parking is started with the instruction authority of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The automatic parking system 100 drives the autonomous driving vehicle 2 toward the target parking space in the parking area 51, and parks the autonomous driving vehicle 2 in the target parking space. The automatic parking system 100 causes the parked automatic driving vehicle 2 to travel toward the boarding area 53 in response to the pick-up request, and waits until the arrival of the occupant in the boarding space 63.

As shown in FIG. 2, the automatic parking system 100 includes a parking lot management server 1. The parking lot management server 1 is a server for managing a parking lot and functions as a control center.

The parking lot management server 1 is configured to be able to communicate with the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The parking lot management server 1 may be configured to be able to communicate with the user terminal [User frontend] 3. The self-driving vehicle 2 and the user terminal 3 will be described in detail later. The parking lot management server 1 may be provided in the parking lot or may be provided in a facility away from the parking lot. The parking lot management server 1 may be composed of a plurality of computers provided at different places. The automatic parking system 100 according to the present embodiment does not necessarily have to include the user terminal 3.

The parking lot management server 1 is connected to the parking lot sensor 4 and the parking lot map database 5. The parking lot sensor 4 is a parking lot facility sensor (infrastructure sensor) for recognizing the situation in the parking lot 50. The parking lot sensor 4 includes a fixed camera that captures an obstacle existing in the parking lot 50. Examples of obstacles include vehicles other than the target vehicle 2X, parking lot pillars, parking lot gates, parking lot walls, poles, safety cones, falling objects on the runway 54, and the like. The fixed camera may be installed on the ceiling or wall of the parking lot. The fixed camera transmits the captured image to the parking lot management server 1.

The parking lot sensor 4 may include an empty vehicle sensor for detecting whether or not a parked vehicle exists in each parking space (whether each parking space is full or empty). As the empty vehicle sensor, a sensor having a known configuration can be used. The above-mentioned fixed camera may be used as an empty vehicle sensor.

The parking lot map database 5 is a database that stores parking lot map information. The parking lot map information includes the position information of the parking space in the parking lot, the position information of the disembarkation space, the position information of the boarding space, and the information of the runway 54 in the parking lot. The parking lot map information includes the position information of the traveling boundary used for the automatic driving of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 and the position information of the landmark used for the position recognition of the autonomous driving vehicle 2.

The traveling boundary means an object that can define a travelable range when the autonomous driving vehicle 2 travels by automatic driving. As the traveling boundary, a position on an object fixedly provided in the parking lot 50 can be used. The traveling boundaries include, for example, a predetermined position (for example, the apex) on the surface of the pillar of the parking lot 50, a predetermined position on the wall surface of the parking lot 50, a pole installation position, a safety cone installation position, a road surface stud installation position, and the like. At least one of them is used. The landmark means an object that serves as a reference for a relative position for recognizing the position of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 in the parking lot 50. As the landmark, an object fixedly provided in the parking lot 50 can be used. For the landmark, for example, at least one of a pillar of the parking lot 50, a wall of the parking lot 50, a pole, a safety cone, a road stud, and the like is used. In the example of FIG. 1, a plurality of landmarks in the parking lot 50 are shown by small white squares.

Further, the parking lot map information may include position information of a plurality of nodes preset corresponding to a plurality of runways 54 in the parking lot, a portion where the runway 54 curves, and a radius of curvature thereof. The node position information can be, for example, coordinates on a two-dimensional map coordinate system. The two-dimensional coordinate system may be, for example, an X-axis and a Y-axis orthogonal to each other along the horizontal plane with any corner of the parking lot 50 as the origin. The position information of the node may include information on the deflection angle that determines the attitude of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 in the yaw direction when passing through the node. The deflection angle is an angle in which the direction parallel to the positive direction of the X-axis is 0 deg and the counterclockwise direction is positive. The position information of the node may include information such as the order in which the target vehicle 2X passes through the node and the time when the target vehicle can pass through the node.

The hardware configuration of the parking lot management server 1 will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the parking lot management server. As shown in FIG. 3, the parking lot management server 1 is configured as a general computer including a processor 40, a memory 41, a storage 42, a communication interface 43, and a user interface 44.

The processor 40 operates various operating systems to control the parking lot management server 1. The processor 40 is an arithmetic unit such as a CPU [Central Processing Unit] including a control device, an arithmetic unit, a register, and the like. The processor 40 collectively controls the memory 41, the storage 42, the communication interface 43, and the user interface 44. The memory 41 is a recording medium such as a ROM [Read Only Memory] and a RAM [Random Access Memory]. The storage 42 is a recording medium such as an HDD [Hard Disk Drive].

The communication interface 43 is a communication device for performing wireless communication via a network. A network device, a network controller, a network card, or the like can be used for the communication interface 43. The parking lot management server 1 communicates with the autonomous driving vehicle 2 and the user terminal 3 by using the communication interface 43. The user interface 44 is an input / output unit of the parking lot management server 1 for the administrator of the parking lot management server 1 and the like. The user interface 44 includes an output device such as a display and a speaker, and an input device such as a touch panel.

Next, the functional configuration of the parking lot management server 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the parking lot management server 1 has a vehicle information acquisition unit 11, an obstacle information acquisition unit 12, a traveling map information acquisition unit 13, and a vehicle instruction unit (instruction unit) 14. ..

The vehicle information acquisition unit 11 acquires vehicle information of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 by communicating with the target vehicle 2X. The vehicle information includes identification information of the self-driving vehicle 2, vehicle position information of the self-driving vehicle 2 in the parking lot (information on the vehicle position of the target vehicle 2X), and information on the target parking space. The vehicle position information is information about the vehicle position, which is the position on the parking lot map of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The identification information may be any information that can identify the individual autonomous driving vehicle 2. The identification information may be an ID number [Identification Number], a vehicle number, a reservation number for automatic valet parking, or the like.

The vehicle information may include the vehicle type of the autonomous driving vehicle 2, and may include vehicle body information such as the turning radius, the total length, the total height, and the vehicle width of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The vehicle information may include information indicating the vehicle class of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 as vehicle body information. The vehicle information may include the running state of the self-driving vehicle 2 and the recognition result of the external environment. The recognition of the driving state and the external environment will be described later. In addition, the vehicle information may include a vehicle number in addition to the identification information. The information regarding the automatic driving function may include version information of the automatic driving. The vehicle information may include warehousing reservation information such as warehousing reservation time, or may include scheduled warehousing time. Information about the automatic driving function of the automatic driving vehicle 2 may be included.

When the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 transmits the reroute request information described later from the target vehicle 2X, the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 acquires the trouble information of the target vehicle 2X. The hindrance information includes information on a hindrance that hinders the automatic parking of the target vehicle 2X in relation to the external environment, and location information in the parking lot 50 that hinders the automatic parking of the target vehicle 2X due to the hindrance. The obstacle information may include information on the situation of how the obstacle prevents the automatic parking of the target vehicle 2X.

The obstacle here means a factor that hinders the automatic parking of the target vehicle 2X. The hindrance may be, for example, an obstacle as an external environment, and at least one of a turning radius, a total length, a total height, a vehicle width, and the like as vehicle body information.

The travel map information acquisition unit 13 acquires travel map information for automatically driving the target vehicle 2X based on the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 11. More specifically, when the travel map information acquisition unit 13 does not receive the reroute request information (described later) from the target vehicle 2X, the traveling map information acquisition unit 13 does not consider the trouble of hindering the automatic parking of the target vehicle 2X in relation to the external environment. The generated running map information (first instruction information) is generated. In the generation of the traveling map information by the parking lot management server 1, when the obstacle is not considered, the calculation load of the parking lot management server 1 required for the generation is reduced as compared with the case where the obstacle is considered.

Further, when the travel map information acquisition unit 13 distributes the travel map information generated without considering the trouble to the target vehicle 2X and receives the reroute request information from the target vehicle 2X, the travel map information acquisition unit 13 is included in the reroute request information. Reroute travel map information (second instruction information) is regenerated in consideration of obstacle information. In the generation of the reroute travel map information by the parking lot management server 1, since the obstacle is taken into consideration, the accuracy of the reroute travel map information can be improved as compared with the case where the obstacle is not considered.

The travel map information acquisition unit 13 resolves the obstacle based on the position information included in the obstacle information (position information in the parking lot 50 in which the automatic parking of the target vehicle 2X is hindered by the obstacle) as the reroute travel map information. As such, among the plurality of nodes that the target vehicle 2X passes through until reaching the destination point, the plurality of nodes that are the target routes that avoid the position of the position information included in the obstacle information are redesignated.

The obstacle information acquisition unit 12 acquires obstacle information based on the detection result of the parking lot sensor 4. The obstacle information acquisition unit 12 acquires information such as the position and size of an obstacle existing on the runway 54 based on, for example, an image captured by a fixed camera of the parking lot sensor 4. Obstacle information includes the structure of the parking lot 50 (for example, columns, walls, braces, etc.), the equipment of the parking lot 50 (for example, sensors, cameras, etc.), and other vehicles other than the target vehicle 2X in the parking lot 50. And so on. If the obstacle information recognized by the external environment recognition unit 31 in the automatic driving ECU 20 can be used, the obstacle information acquired by the obstacle information acquisition unit 12 may be used in combination, or the obstacle information acquisition unit 12 may use the obstacle information. Acquisition of obstacle information may be omitted.

The vehicle instruction unit 14 gives an instruction to the autonomous driving vehicle 2 that performs automatic valet parking. The vehicle instruction unit 14 instructs a plurality of nodes through which the target vehicle 2X passes until the target vehicle 2X reaches the destination point as a target route for the target vehicle 2X to reach the destination point such as the target parking space.

The vehicle instruction unit 14 transmits the travel instruction information generated based on the vehicle position of the target vehicle 2X, the position of the target parking space, and the parking lot map information (map information of the parking lot 50) to the target vehicle 2X. For example, the vehicle instruction unit 14 transmits the travel map information generated without considering the obstacle that hinders the automatic parking of the target vehicle 2X in relation to the external environment to the target vehicle 2X. Here, the vehicle instruction unit 14 distributes the obstacle information acquired by the obstacle information acquisition unit 12 to the target vehicle 2X together with the traveling map information generated without considering the obstacle. When the reroute travel map information is generated, the vehicle instruction unit 14 distributes the reroute travel map information to the target vehicle 2X.

Subsequently, the autonomous driving vehicle 2 and the user terminal 3 that communicate with the parking lot management server 1 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, the autonomous driving vehicle 2 has an autonomous driving ECU 20 as an example. The automatic operation ECU 20 is an electronic control unit having a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like. In the automatic operation ECU 20, for example, various functions are realized by loading the program recorded in the ROM into the RAM and executing the program loaded in the RAM in the CPU. The automatic operation ECU 20 may be composed of a plurality of electronic units.

The automatic operation ECU 20 is connected to a communication unit 21, an external sensor 22, an internal sensor 23, and an actuator 24.

The communication unit 21 is a communication device that controls wireless communication with the outside of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The communication unit 21 transmits and receives various information by communicating with the parking lot management server 1. The communication unit 21 transmits, for example, vehicle information, information on the necessity of rerouting, and obstacle information of the target vehicle 2X to the parking lot management server 1, and is necessary for automatic valet parking from the parking lot management server 1. Information (for example, travel map information, reroute travel map information, obstacle information acquired by the obstacle information acquisition unit 12, information on landmarks along the target route, etc.) is acquired. Further, the communication unit 21 may communicate with the user terminal 3 associated with the autonomous driving vehicle 2.

The external sensor 22 is an in-vehicle sensor that detects the external environment of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The external sensor 22 includes at least a camera. The camera is an imaging device that captures the external environment of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The camera is provided on the back side of the windshield of the self-driving vehicle 2, for example, and captures the front of the vehicle. The camera transmits image pickup information regarding the external environment of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 to the autonomous driving ECU 20. The camera may be a monocular camera or a stereo camera. A plurality of cameras may be provided, and images may be taken of the front of the autonomous driving vehicle 2, as well as the left and right sides and the rear.

The external sensor 22 may include a radar sensor. The radar sensor is a detection device that detects an object around the autonomous driving vehicle 2 by using radio waves (for example, millimeter waves) or light. Radar sensors include, for example, millimeter-wave radar or lidar [LIDAR: Light Detection and Ranging]. The radar sensor transmits radio waves or light to the periphery of the automatic driving vehicle 2 and detects the object by receiving the radio waves or light reflected by the object. The radar sensor transmits the detected object information to the automatic driving ECU 20. Further, the external sensor 22 may include a sonar sensor that detects an external sound of the autonomous driving vehicle 2.

The internal sensor 23 is an in-vehicle sensor that detects the traveling state of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The internal sensor 23 includes a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a yaw rate sensor. The vehicle speed sensor is a detector that detects the speed of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. As the vehicle speed sensor, a wheel speed sensor provided for the wheels of the automatic driving vehicle 2 or a drive shaft that rotates integrally with the wheels and detecting the rotation speed of each wheel can be used. The vehicle speed sensor transmits the detected vehicle speed information (wheel speed information) to the automatic driving ECU 20.

The acceleration sensor is a detector that detects the acceleration of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The acceleration sensor includes, for example, a front-rear acceleration sensor that detects acceleration in the front-rear direction of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The acceleration sensor may include a lateral acceleration sensor that detects the lateral acceleration of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The acceleration sensor transmits, for example, the acceleration information of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 to the autonomous driving ECU 20. The yaw rate sensor is a detector that detects the yaw rate (rotational angular velocity) around the vertical axis of the center of gravity of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. As the yaw rate sensor, for example, a gyro sensor can be used. The yaw rate sensor transmits the detected yaw rate information of the self-driving vehicle 2 to the self-driving ECU 20.

The actuator 24 is a device used for controlling the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The actuator 24 includes at least a drive actuator, a brake actuator, and a steering actuator. The drive actuator controls the amount of air supplied to the engine (throttle opening degree) according to the control signal from the autonomous driving ECU 20, and controls the driving force of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. When the autonomous driving vehicle 2 is a hybrid vehicle, a control signal from the autonomous driving ECU 20 is input to a motor as a power source in addition to the amount of air supplied to the engine to control the driving force. When the self-driving vehicle 2 is an electric vehicle, a control signal from the self-driving ECU 20 is input to a motor as a power source to control the driving force. The motor as a power source in these cases constitutes an actuator 24.

The brake actuator controls the brake system according to the control signal from the automatic driving ECU 20, and controls the braking force applied to the wheels of the automatic driving vehicle 2. As the brake system, for example, a hydraulic brake system can be used. The steering actuator controls the drive of the assist motor that controls the steering torque in the electric power steering system according to the control signal from the automatic operation ECU 20. As a result, the steering actuator controls the steering torque of the autonomous driving vehicle 2.

Next, an example of the functional configuration of the automatic operation ECU 20 will be described. The automatic driving ECU 20 has an external environment recognition unit 31, a traveling state recognition unit 32, a vehicle position recognition unit 33, a route generation unit 34, a reroute request unit 35, and a vehicle control unit 36.

The external environment recognition unit 31 recognizes the external environment of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 based on the detection result of the external sensor 22 (image captured by the camera or object information detected by the radar sensor). The external environment includes the relative position of surrounding objects with respect to the self-driving vehicle 2. The external environment may include the relative speed and moving direction of surrounding objects with respect to the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The external environment includes obstacle information detected by the external sensor 22. Examples of obstacles include vehicles other than the target vehicle 2X, parking lot pillars, parking lot gates, parking lot walls, poles, safety cones, falling objects on the runway 54, and the like. The external environment recognition unit 31 recognizes other vehicles, falling objects, pillars of parking lots, and other objects by pattern matching and the like. The external environment recognition unit 31 may recognize the gate of the parking lot, the wall of the parking lot, the pole, the safety cone, and the like. Further, the external environment recognition unit 31 may recognize the traveling boundary in the parking lot by recognizing the white line.

The traveling state recognition unit 32 recognizes the traveling state of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 based on the detection result of the internal sensor 23. The traveling state includes the vehicle speed of the autonomous driving vehicle 2, the acceleration of the autonomous driving vehicle 2, and the yaw rate of the autonomous driving vehicle 2. Specifically, the traveling state recognition unit 32 recognizes the vehicle speed of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 based on the vehicle speed information of the vehicle speed sensor. The traveling state recognition unit 32 recognizes the acceleration of the self-driving vehicle 2 based on the vehicle speed information of the acceleration sensor. The traveling state recognition unit 32 recognizes the direction of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 based on the yaw rate information of the yaw rate sensor. The traveling state recognition unit 32 recognizes the vehicle information of the target vehicle 2X (vehicle type of the autonomous driving vehicle 2, turning radius of the autonomous driving vehicle 2, total length, total height, vehicle width, etc.) as the vehicle characteristics of the own vehicle. You may. These vehicle information may be stored in advance in the ROM of the automatic driving ECU 20.

The vehicle position recognition unit 33 recognizes the position of the automatically driven vehicle 2 in the parking lot based on the parking lot map information acquired from the parking lot management server 1 through the communication unit 21 and the external environment recognized by the external environment recognition unit 31. do. The vehicle position recognition unit 33 automatically performs automatic operation in the parking lot based on the position information of the landmark in the parking lot included in the parking lot map information and the relative position of the landmark with respect to the automatically driven vehicle 2 recognized by the external environment recognition unit 31. The position of the driving vehicle 2 may be recognized. In addition, the vehicle position recognition unit 33 may recognize the position of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 by dead reckoning based on the detection result of the internal sensor 23. Further, the vehicle position recognition unit 33 may recognize the position of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 by communicating with a beacon provided in the parking lot.

The route generation unit 34 generates a route (route) of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 along a plurality of nodes from the starting point to the destination point.

The route generation unit 34 generates a trajectory of the target vehicle 2X based on, for example, a target route, a position of the target vehicle 2X, an external environment of the target vehicle 2X, and a traveling state of the target vehicle 2X. The course corresponds to a driving plan for autonomous driving. The course includes a route [path] on which the vehicle travels in autonomous driving and a vehicle speed plan in autonomous driving.

The route is a trajectory on which the vehicle being automatically driven is scheduled to travel on the target route. The route can be, for example, data (steering angle planning) of the steering angle change of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 according to the position on the target route. The position on the target route is, for example, a set vertical position set at predetermined intervals (for example, 1 m) in the traveling direction of the target route. The steering angle plan is data in which the target steering angle is associated with each set vertical position.

The route generation unit 34 generates a route based on the distributed travel map information. The route generation unit 34 generates a route by using the travel map information, the reroute travel map information, the obstacle information acquired by the obstacle information acquisition unit 12, the landmark information along the target route, and the like. The route generation unit 34 generates a route so as to pass through the center of the runway 54 of the parking lot along a plurality of nodes designated as target routes, for example. The route generation unit 34 may generate a route by using the positions of the distributed plurality of nodes as they are, or may pass through a position where the positions of the distributed plurality of nodes are corrected based on, for example, the turning radius. Path may be generated. The route generation unit 34 may generate a divisional route between each of the plurality of nodes based on the distributed travel map information, and generate a route in which the respective divisional routes are connected.

The route generation unit 34 determines whether or not the automatic parking on the route generated according to the travel map information generated without considering the obstacle is hindered by the obstacle. Here, as an example, the route generation unit 34 determines whether or not the destination point (for example, the target parking space) can be reached by the route generated according to the travel map information generated without considering the obstacle.

In the example of FIG. 1, the nodes ND1, ND2, ND3 on the target route of the autonomous driving vehicle 2A are indicated by black circles. The nodes ND1, ND2, and ND3 are a part of a plurality of nodes designated by the traveling map information generated without considering the trouble in the automatic parking in which the autonomous driving vehicle 2A is the target vehicle 2X. However, on the target route of the self-driving vehicle 2A, another vehicle 2B exists as an obstacle to prevent the automatic parking of the self-driving vehicle 2A. The other vehicle 2B may be stopped in a state of protruding from the parking space 61B due to, for example, a failure, or may be, for example, a place where the automatic parking timings overlap and the vehicle leaves the parking space 61B. In this case, the route generation unit 34 does not consider the obstacle based on at least one of the obstacle information acquired by the obstacle information acquisition unit 12 and the obstacle information recognized by the external environment recognition unit 31. It is determined that the self-driving vehicle 2A cannot reach the target parking space on the route generated based on the generated travel map information.

Further, in the example of FIG. 1, the nodes ND4 and ND5 on the target route of the autonomous driving vehicle 2C are indicated by black circles. The nodes ND4 and ND5 are a part of a plurality of nodes designated by the traveling map information generated without considering the trouble in the automatic parking in which the autonomous driving vehicle 2C is the target vehicle 2X. However, on the target route of the self-driving vehicle 2C, there is a falling object D as an obstacle that hinders the automatic parking of the self-driving vehicle 2C. The falling object D may be an object that can be detected by the parking lot sensor 4 or the external sensor 22. In this case, the route generation unit 34 does not consider the obstacle based on at least one of the obstacle information acquired by the obstacle information acquisition unit 12 and the obstacle information recognized by the external environment recognition unit 31. It is determined that the self-driving vehicle 2C cannot reach the target parking space on the route generated based on the generated travel map information.

Further, in the example of FIG. 1, the nodes ND6 and ND7 on the target route of the autonomous driving vehicle 2D are indicated by black circles. The nodes ND6 and ND7 are a part of a plurality of nodes designated by the traveling map information generated without considering the trouble in the automatic parking in which the self-driving vehicle 2D is the target vehicle 2X. However, on the target route of the autonomous driving vehicle 2D, there is a runway 54 having a passage width that the autonomous driving vehicle 2D cannot pass through. In this case, as an obstacle to prevent the automatic parking of the autonomous driving vehicle 2D, the turning radius, the total length, the total height, the vehicle width, etc. as the vehicle body information of the autonomous driving vehicle 2D may correspond, or the autonomous driving vehicle 2D interferes. A structure such as a pillar CL, which has a high possibility, may be applicable. In this case, the route generation unit 34 does not consider the obstacle based on at least one of the obstacle information acquired by the obstacle information acquisition unit 12 and the obstacle information recognized by the external environment recognition unit 31. It is determined that the self-driving vehicle 2D cannot reach the target parking space on the route generated based on the generated travel map information.

When the route generation unit 34 determines that the self-driving vehicle 2D cannot reach the target parking space on the route generated based on the travel map information generated without considering the obstacle, the reroute request unit 35 determines the obstacle. The reroute request information including the trouble information is transmitted to the parking lot management server 1, and the reroute driving instruction information generated in consideration of the trouble information is regenerated by the parking lot management server 1. The route generation unit 34 generates a new route based on the distributed reroute travel map information.

When it is determined that the target vehicle 2X can reach the target parking space on the route generated based on the travel map information generated by the route generation unit 34 without considering the obstacle, the reroute request unit 35 reroutes. While transmitting unnecessary information to the parking lot management server 1, the vehicle control unit 36 automatically parks the target vehicle 2X.

The vehicle control unit 36 executes the automatic driving of the automatic driving vehicle 2. In the automatic driving, the automatic driving vehicle 2 is automatically driven by a known method along the target route instructed by the parking lot management server 1.

The user terminal 3 is a user's mobile information terminal associated with the autonomous driving vehicle 2. The user terminal 3 is registered in the autonomous driving vehicle 2 as a terminal of the owner of the autonomous driving vehicle 2, for example. The user terminal 3 may be a temporary owner by rental, or a terminal of a user registered as an authority holder in the autonomous driving vehicle 2 by transferring instruction authority from the owner. The user terminal 3 is composed of a computer including, for example, a processor such as a CPU, a memory such as a ROM or RAM, and a user interface including a display / touch panel and the like.

The user terminal 3 has a function of making a warehousing request and a warehousing request to the parking lot management server 1. The user can make a warehousing request and a warehousing request for automatic valet parking by operating the user terminal 3. For example, the user stops the self-driving vehicle 2 in the disembarkation space 62 of the disembarkation space 52 of the parking lot 50, disembarks, and then operates the user terminal 3 to complete the warehousing request, thereby giving an instruction authority to the self-driving vehicle 2. Is given to the parking lot management server 1.

By making a delivery request, the user causes the autonomous driving vehicle 2 parked in the parking space 61 via the parking lot management server 1 to travel to the boarding space 63 of the boarding area 53. The self-driving vehicle 2 waits for the user in the boarding space 63. For example, when the self-driving vehicle 2 arrives at the boarding space 63 and stops, the parking lot management server 1 terminates the instruction authority for the self-driving vehicle 2. The instruction authority may be terminated when the user gives an instruction to open the door or start the self-driving vehicle 2. The self-driving vehicle 2 may terminate the instruction authority. The operation of the self-driving vehicle 2 in response to the warehousing request and the warehousing request is not limited to the above mode. The same applies to the parking lot management server 1.

[Processing of automatic parking system]
Next, the processing of the automatic parking system 100 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the first instruction processing of the parking lot management server. The first instruction processing is executed by the parking lot management server 1 before the automatic valet parking is started, for example, when the autonomous driving vehicle 2 capable of communicating with the parking lot management server 1 enters the parking lot.

As shown in FIG. 4, the parking lot management server 1 of the automatic parking system 100 acquires the vehicle position and the target parking space of the target vehicle 2X by the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 in S11. The parking lot management server 1 acquires the travel map information by the travel map information acquisition unit 13 in S12. In S13, the parking lot management server 1 acquires obstacle information with the parking lot sensor 4 by the obstacle information acquisition unit 12. The parking lot management server 1 distributes travel map information and obstacle information by the vehicle instruction unit 14 in S14. After that, the parking lot management server 1 ends the process of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the target vehicle 2X. The processing of the target vehicle 2X is executed by the automatic driving ECU 20 when, for example, the traveling map information and the obstacle information are delivered to the target vehicle 2X by the vehicle instruction unit 14 of the parking lot management server 1.

As shown in FIG. 5, the automatic driving ECU 20 of the target vehicle 2X generates a route with the travel map information distributed by the route generation unit 34 in S21. In S22, the automatic operation ECU 20 acquires obstacle information by the external sensor 22 by the external environment recognition unit 31.

In S23, the automatic driving ECU 20 determines whether or not the target parking space can be reached by the generated route by the route generation unit 34. When the parking lot management server 1 determines that the target parking space can be reached by the generated route (S23: YES), the parking lot management server 1 shifts to S24. When the parking lot management server 1 determines that the target parking space cannot be reached by the generated route (S23: NO), the parking lot management server 1 shifts to S26.

In S24, the automatic operation ECU 20 transmits reroute unnecessary information by the reroute request unit 35. The automatic driving ECU 20 executes automatic parking by the vehicle control unit 36 in S25. After that, the automatic operation ECU 20 ends the process shown in FIG.

On the other hand, the automatic operation ECU 20 transmits the reroute request information by the reroute request unit 35 in S26. After that, the automatic operation ECU 20 ends the process shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the second instruction processing of the parking lot management server. The second instruction process is, for example, when the parking lot management server 1 receives the reroute request information transmitted from the autonomous driving vehicle 2 by S26 of the process of FIG. 5 performed before the automatic valet parking is started. It is executed by the parking lot management server 1.

As shown in FIG. 6, the parking lot management server 1 of the automatic parking system 100 acquires the vehicle position and the target parking space of the target vehicle 2X by the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 in S31. The parking lot management server 1 acquires obstacle information of the target vehicle 2X by the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 in S32. The parking lot management server 1 acquires reroute travel map information by the travel map information acquisition unit 13 in S33. The travel map information acquisition unit 13 regenerates the reroute travel map information (second travel instruction information) generated in consideration of the obstacle information. The parking lot management server 1 distributes reroute travel map information by the vehicle instruction unit 14 in S34. After that, the parking lot management server 1 ends the process of FIG.

According to the automatic parking system 100 according to the present embodiment described above, the vehicle instruction unit 14 of the parking lot management server 1 is generated without considering the obstacles that hinder the automatic parking of the target vehicle 2X in relation to the external environment. The travel map information is transmitted to the target vehicle 2X. As a result, when the parking lot management server 1 generates the traveling map information, the calculation load can be reduced as compared with the case where the traveling map information is always considered in consideration of obstacles. Further, in the automatic driving ECU 20, the route generation unit 34 determines whether or not the automatic parking is hindered by the obstacle on the route generated according to the travel map information generated without considering the obstacle. When the route generation unit 34 determines that the automatic parking is hindered by the obstacle in the route generated according to the travel map information generated without considering the obstacle, the reroute request unit 35 includes the obstacle information regarding the obstacle. The reroute request information is transmitted to the parking lot management server 1. When the parking lot management server 1 receives the reroute request information, it regenerates the reroute travel map information in consideration of the trouble information. The regenerated reroute travel map information is transmitted to the target vehicle 2X by the vehicle instruction unit 14. As a result, when the parking lot management server 1 generates the travel map information, the accuracy of the reroute travel map information can be improved as compared with the case where the travel map information is always generated without considering the trouble. Therefore, according to the automatic parking system 100, it is possible to reduce the calculation load of the parking lot management server 1 according to the generation accuracy required for the route for automatic driving.

When the parking lot management server 1 receives the reroute request information, it regenerates the reroute travel map information in consideration of the obstacle information, so that automatic valet parking based on the reroute travel map information can be started. In addition, for example, after starting automatic valet parking on a route generated according to the travel map information generated without considering the obstacle, it is possible to prevent the automatic valet parking from being canceled due to the obstacle. can do. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the commercial value of the automatic parking system 100.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The present invention can be carried out in various forms having various changes and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the above-described embodiment.

The parking lot management server 1 does not have to be able to directly communicate with the autonomous driving vehicle 2, and may be in a mode of communicating via another server or the like. The parking lot management server 1 may communicate with the autonomous driving vehicle 2 via, for example, a management server on the manufacturer side of the autonomous driving vehicle 2 or an operation server of MaaS [Mobility as a Service].

In the above embodiment, in the situation illustrated in FIG. 1, the automatic parking is hindered by the obstacle, but the present invention is not limited to this. It suffices if the route is generated according to the travel map information generated without considering the obstacle, and the automatic parking of the target vehicle 2X is hindered by the obstacle.

1 ... Parking lot management server, 2,2A, 2C, 2D ... Self-driving vehicle, 2X ... Target vehicle (automatic driving vehicle), 14 ... Vehicle instruction unit (instruction unit), 34 ... Route generation unit, 35 ... Reroute request unit , 50 ... Parking lot, 100 ... Automatic parking system.

Claims (1)

An automatic parking system in which a parking lot management server that manages a parking lot automatically parks the autonomous driving vehicle in a target parking space in the parking lot by instructing the autonomous driving vehicle in the parking lot.
The parking lot management server obtains travel instruction information generated based on the vehicle position of the target vehicle, which is the target vehicle for automatic parking, the position of the target parking space, and the map information of the parking lot. It is equipped with an instruction unit to transmit to the target vehicle.
The self-driving vehicle has a route generation unit that generates an automatic parking route based on information on the external environment of the self-driving vehicle and the travel instruction information transmitted from the instruction unit, and the driving instruction information is parked. Equipped with a reroute request section to be regenerated by the parking lot management server,
The instruction unit transmits the first instruction information generated without considering the hindrance to the automatic parking of the target vehicle in relation to the external environment to the target vehicle.
The route generation unit determines whether or not automatic parking is hindered by the obstacle in the route generated in response to the first instruction information.
When the automatic parking on the route generated in response to the first instruction information is hindered by the hindrance, the reroute requesting unit transmits the hindrance information regarding the hindrance to the parking lot management server and transmits the hindrance information. An automatic parking system that causes the parking lot management server to regenerate the second driving instruction information generated in consideration.

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