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JP-2026074669-A - Automatic valet parking system and automatic valet parking method

JP2026074669AJP 2026074669 AJP2026074669 AJP 2026074669AJP-2026074669-A

Abstract

[Problem] Even when there is a limited number of parking spaces where sunlight is expected, guide vehicles equipped with solar power generation systems to such parking spaces. [Solution] An automated valet parking entry process is performed. During the entry process, equipment information of the vehicle to be entered is acquired. The entry process also determines, based on the equipment information, whether or not the equipment of the vehicle to be entered includes a solar power generation system. Furthermore, if, as a result of the determination based on the equipment information, the vehicle to be entered is determined to be a non-solar power generation vehicle that does not have a solar power generation system, guidance information is generated to guide the vehicle to a parking space with shorter daylight hours based on the time the entry process is executed, based on the usage information of parking spaces within a predetermined area and the daylight hours information within a predetermined area. [Selection Diagram] Figure 2

Inventors

  • 衣笠 栄信
  • 山本 隆寛
  • 菅野 達也

Assignees

  • トヨタ自動車株式会社

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20241021

Claims (5)

  1. A system for automated valet parking of vehicles within a designated area, One or more storage devices that store information on the use of parking spaces within the predetermined area and information on the amount of sunlight within the predetermined area, The system comprises one or more processors that perform the automatic valet parking entry process based on information stored in the one or more storage devices, The aforementioned receiving process, To obtain equipment information of the vehicle to be stored, which indicates the vehicle subject to the aforementioned storage processing, Based on the aforementioned equipment information, it is determined whether or not a solar power generation system is included in the equipment to be stored. If, as a result of the determination based on the equipment information, the vehicle to be parked is determined to be a non-solar power generation vehicle that does not have a solar power generation system, guidance information will be generated to guide the vehicle to a parking space with short daylight hours based on the time the parking process is executed, based on the usage information and the daylight hours information. An automated valet parking system characterized by including the following.
  2. The system according to claim 1, The aforementioned receiving process, Based on the equipment information, if the vehicle being stored is determined to be a solar power generation vehicle equipped with a solar power generation system, the charge rate of the battery of the solar power generation system installed in the vehicle being stored is obtained. If the charge level of the solar power generation system's battery exceeds the charging threshold, guidance information is generated to guide the vehicle to a parking space with shorter daylight hours based on the time of the vehicle entry process, based on the usage information and the daylight hours information. If the charge level is below the charging threshold, guidance information is generated to guide the vehicle to a parking space with longer daylight hours based on the time of the vehicle entry process, based on the usage information and the daylight hours information. An automated valet parking system characterized by including the following.
  3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, The one or more processors further perform rearrangement processing of vehicles parked within the predetermined area. The aforementioned rearrangement process, If the vehicle subject to the aforementioned relocation process is a solar power generation vehicle parked in a parking space with a long daylight hours based on the execution time of the relocation process, the charge rate of the battery of the solar power generation system equipped in the aforementioned vehicle is obtained. If the battery charge level of the solar power generation system exceeds the charge completion threshold, guidance information is generated to guide the vehicle to be relocated to a parking space with shorter daylight hours, based on the time the relocation process is executed, based on the usage information and the daylight hours information. An automated valet parking system characterized by including the following.
  4. The system according to claim 1 or 2, The parking spaces within the aforementioned designated area include parking spaces equipped with chargers. The aforementioned receiving process, If the vehicle to be stored is a solar power generation vehicle, it is determined, based on the equipment information, whether or not an external charging system is included in the equipment of the vehicle to be stored. If, as a result of the determination based on the equipment information, it is determined that the vehicle to be brought in is an externally charged vehicle equipped with the external charging system, the charge rate of the battery of the external charging system equipped in the vehicle to be brought in shall be obtained. If the charge level of the external charging system's battery exceeds the charging threshold, guidance information is generated to guide the vehicle to a parking space with shorter daylight hours based on the time of the vehicle entry process, based on the usage information and the daylight hours information. If the charge level is below the charging threshold, guidance information is generated to guide the vehicle to a parking space equipped with a charger, based on the usage information. An automated valet parking system characterized by including the following.
  5. A method for having a computer perform automatic valet parking of a vehicle within a designated area, To acquire information on the use of parking spaces within the designated area and information on the amount of sunlight within the designated area, To obtain equipment information of the vehicle to be parked, which indicates the vehicle to be parked for the automated valet parking process, Based on the aforementioned equipment information, it is determined whether or not a solar power generation system is included in the equipment to be stored. If, as a result of the determination based on the equipment information, the vehicle to be parked is determined to be a non-solar power generation vehicle that does not have a solar power generation system, guidance information will be generated to guide the vehicle to a parking space with short daylight hours based on the time the parking process is executed, based on the usage information and the daylight hours information. An automated valet parking method characterized by including the following.

Description

This disclosure relates to automated valet parking (AVP) for vehicles within designated areas such as parking lots. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology related to AVP (Automatic Vehicle Charging). This prior art involves guiding a vehicle equipped with a contactless charging receiver to a parking space where a corresponding transmitter is installed. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-146456 This is a diagram showing an example configuration of an automated valet parking system.This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the first receiving process according to the embodiment.This flowchart shows an example of a process related to the first receiving process.This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the rearrangement process according to the embodiment.This flowchart shows an example of a process related to reassignment.This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the second receiving process according to the embodiment.This flowchart shows an example of a process related to the second receiving process. The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, identical or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are simplified or omitted. 1. Example of Overall System Configuration An automated valet parking system (AVP system) is a system that automatically performs vehicle parking operations within a designated area such as a parking lot, factory, or facility premises. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an AVP system. Figure 1 depicts a parking lot PK as a designated area. The parking lot PK has a configuration that enables AVP. The configuration that enables AVP includes an entry/exit space PD and a parking space PS. The entry/exit space PD is a space for getting out of and/or getting into a vehicle VH. The parking space PS is a space for parking a vehicle VH. The parking space PS includes an empty parking space PS0 and an occupied parking space PS1. The configuration that enables AVP also includes markers to assist in the movement of the vehicle VH within the parking lot PK, and sensors (e.g., cameras, radar) to monitor the vehicle VH. Figure 1 also depicts a server 10 that manages the AVP in the parking lot (hereinafter also referred to as the "parking lot server"). The parking lot server 10 performs various processes related to managing the operational rights of the vehicle VH required for AVP in the parking lot. Furthermore, the parking lot server 10 acquires various information from the sensors in the parking lot and performs various processes related to the execution of AVP in the parking lot based on this information. The parking lot server 10 may be a combination of a server that performs various processes related to AVP execution (local server) and a server that performs various processes related to AVP management (cloud server). The parking server 10 is typically a computer comprising at least one processor 11, at least one storage device 12, and a communication interface 13. The processor 11 is configured to correspond to "one or more processors" in this disclosure. The processor 11 performs various processes. Examples of the processor 11 include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), and FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The processor 11 can also be called "circuitry" or "processing circuitry." "Circuitry" refers to hardware programmed to implement the described functions, or hardware that performs those functions. The processor 11 reads various information from the storage device 12 and stores various information in the storage device 12. The storage device 12 has a configuration corresponding to "one or more storage devices" in this disclosure. Examples of storage devices 12 include volatile memory, non-volatile memory, HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and SSD (Solid State Drive). Examples of various types of information stored in the storage device 12 include parking map information, parking usage information, vehicle management information, and sunshine duration information. The parking lot map information shows the map information of the parking lot PK. The parking lot usage information is information regarding the usage status (availability) of the drop-off/pick-up spaces PD and parking spaces PS within the parking lot PK. Vehicle management information includes information such as vehicle ID, entry/exit times, and vehicle location. Vehicle management information is managed for each vehicle VH. The vehicle ID is the identification information of the vehicle VH. Entry/exit times are information regarding the entry and exit times of the vehicle VH (e.g., reservation time, actual time). Vehicle location indicates information regarding the location of the vehicle VH within the parking lot PK. Sunshine duration information is information regarding the sunshine duration SD (Sunshine Duration) within