US-12620311-B2 - Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

Abstract

There is provided an information processing apparatus, including a display data generation unit configured to receive an image obtained by imaging surroundings of a vehicle, generate display data representing at least one parking division area, and superimpose the display data on the image, wherein the display data include an upward extension surface extending from a vehicle contact surface of the at least one parking division area.

Inventors

• Shinichi Iriya
• Katsuji Miyazawa
• Satoshi Akagawa

Assignees

• Sony Group Corporation
• SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20220203

Priority Date

20210324

Claims (20)

1. 1 . An information processing apparatus, comprising: a parking space analyzer configured to: check a parkable/non-parkable state of each parking division area of at least one parking division area to determine a parking status of the at least one parking division area, wherein the parking status of each parking division area is determined in the following sequence of steps: 1) Determine the parkable/non-parkable state of the at least one parking division area, 2) If the parkable/non-parkable state of the at least one parking division area cannot be clearly determined, then the parking status of the at least one parking division area is designated as unknown, and 3) If the parkable/non-parkable state of the at least one parking division area is determined as parkable, then the parking status of the at least one parking division area is designated as parkable, and 4) If the parkable/non-parkable state of the at least one parking division area is determined as non-parkable, then the parking status of the at least one parking division area is designated as non-parkable; and a display data generator configured to: receive an image obtained by imaging surroundings of a vehicle; generate display data representing the state of at least one parking division area; and superimpose the display data on the image, wherein the display data includes an upward extension surface extending from a vehicle contact surface of the at least one parking division area.
2. 2 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the generated display data comprise a fence-type graphic data having the upward extension surface extending from the vehicle contact surface.
3. 3 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the generated display data comprise a box-type graphic data having the upward extension surface extending from the vehicle contact surface.
4. 4 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one parking division area comprises a non-parkable space and a parkable space, and the generated display data comprise a fence-type graphic data having an upward extension surface extending from a vehicle contact surface of the non-parkable space, and a plane-type graphic data parallel to a vehicle contact surface of the parkable space.
5. 5 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one parking division area comprises a non-parkable space and a parkable space, and the display data generator is configured to generate non-parkable-space-identifying display data representing the non-parkable space, and parkable-space-identifying display data representing the parkable space, and wherein the non-parkable-space-identifying display data has at least one display property that is different from the parkable-space-identifying display data.
6. 6 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the non-parkable-space-identifying display data and the parkable-space-identifying display data are different in color, pattern, or both.
7. 7 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the non-parkable-space-identifying display data and the parkable-space-identifying display data are arranged on a common line.
8. 8 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the at least one parking division area further comprises an unknown-space, and the display data generator is configured to generate unknown-space-identifying display data representing the unknown-space.
9. 9 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the unknown-space-identifying display data has at least one different display property from the parkable-space-identifying display data and the non-parkable-space-identifying display data.
10. 10 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the unknown-space-identifying display data and the parkable-space-identifying display data are different in color, pattern, or both, and the unknown-space-identifying display data and the non-parkable-space-identifying display data are different in color, pattern, or both.
11. 11 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a transparency of the upward extension surface changes depending on a distance from the vehicle contact surface.
12. 12 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the transparency of the upward extension surface decreases with the distance away from the vehicle contact surface.
13. 13 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein a transparency of the fence-type graphic data decreases with a distance away from the vehicle contact surface.
14. 14 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein a transparency of the box-type graphic data decreases with a distance away from the vehicle contact surface.
15. 15 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein a transparency of the plane-type graphic data changes depending on a distance from a front line of the parkable space, the front line indicative of a parking entrance/exit side of the parkable space.
16. 16 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the plane-type graphic data has a first portion and a second portion, the first portion disposed between the front line of the parkable space and the second portion, and a transparency of the first portion is lower than a transparency of the second portion.
17. 17 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a parking space analyzer configured to provide a determination of whether each parking division area of the at least one parking division area is parkable, and wherein the display data generator is configured to generate the display data based on the determination of the parking space analyzer.
18. 18 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the parking space analyzer is configured to generate the determination based on one or both of: detection information of a sensor mounted on the vehicle; and information received from an external device.
19. 19 . A method for presenting a parkable space to a driver of a vehicle, the method comprising: checking a parkable/non-parkable state of each parking division area of at least one parking division area to determine a parking status of the at least one parking division area, wherein the parking status of each parking division area is determined in the following sequence of steps: 1) Determine the parkable/non-parkable state of the at least one parking division area, 2) If the parkable/non-parkable state of the at least one parking division area cannot be clearly determined, then the parking status of the at least one parking division area is designated as unknown, and 3) If the parkable/non-parkable state of the at least one parking division area is determined as parkable, then the parking status of the at least one parking division area is designated as parkable, and 4) If the parkable/non-parkable state of the at least one parking division area is determined as non-parkable, then the parking status of the at least one parking division area is designated as non-parkable; and receiving an image obtained by imaging surroundings of the vehicle; generating space-identifying display data representing at least one parking division area, the space-identifying display data comprising an upward extension surface extending from a vehicle contact surface of the at least one parking division area; and superimposing the display data on the image, wherein the display data includes an upward extension surface extending from a vehicle contact surface of the at least one parking division area.
20. 20 . A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute the processes of: checking a parkable/non-parkable state of each parking division area of at least one parking division area to determine a parking status of the at least one parking division area, wherein the parking status of each parking division area is determined in the following sequence of steps: 1) Determine the parkable/non-parkable state of the at least one parking division area, 2) If the parkable/non-parkable state of the at least one parking division area cannot be clearly determined, then the parking status of the at least one parking division area is designated as unknown, and 3) If the parkable/non-parkable state of the at least one parking division area is determined as parkable, then the parking status of the at least one parking division area is designated as parkable, and 4) If the parkable/non-parkable state of the at least one parking division area is determined as non-parkable, then the parking status of the at least one parking division area is designated as non-parkable; and receiving an image obtained by imaging surroundings of a vehicle; generating space-identifying display data representing at least one parking division area, the space-identifying display data comprising an upward extension surface extending from a vehicle contact surface of the at least one parking division area; and superimposing the display data on the image, wherein the display data includes an upward extension surface extending from a vehicle contact surface of the at least one parking division area.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 371 as a U.S. National Stage Entry of International Application No. PCT/JP2022/004249, filed in the Japanese Patent Office as a Receiving Office on Feb. 3, 2022, which claims priority to Japanese Priority Patent Application JP 2021-049561 filed Mar. 24, 2021, and Japanese Priority Patent Application JP 2021-064801 filed Apr. 6, 2021, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to, for example, an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program that generate display data for simply presenting a parkable space of a vehicle to a user who is a vehicle driver in a parking lot. BACKGROUND ART For example, many parking lots of a shopping center, an amusement park, a tourist spot, other places in a city, and the like often allow a large number of vehicles to be parked. A user who is a driver of a vehicle searches for an empty space in which the vehicle can be parked from the parking lot and parks the vehicle. In this case, the user runs the vehicle in the parking lot and visually checks the surroundings to search for an empty space. It takes time to perform such checking of a parkable space, and there is a problem that driving in a small parking lot is likely to cause contact accidents with other vehicles and people. Examples of an existing technology that discloses a configuration for solving such a problem include Patent Literature 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2016-118851). Patent Literature 1 discloses a configuration in which display data that makes it possible to identify whether or not each parking area in a parking lot is parkable is displayed on a display unit in a vehicle to be parked, the driver of the vehicle being capable of checking the display unit. Specifically, Patent Literature 1 discloses a configuration in which an image of a line-shaped virtual image attached to a ground position in front of each parking space in the parking lot is generated and displayed, the virtual image making it possible to identify whether or not each parking space is parkable. The configuration disclosed in Patent Literature 1 presents, for example, an image of green line and a red or blue line respectively attached to a parkable position and a non-parkable position on the ground in front of the vehicle parking space. However, these lines have the same shape in both the parkable position and the non-parkable position and are simply different in color, so that it is difficult for a user who is a driver to recognize the lines. In addition, a blue, red, or green line is actually painted on a running surface of a parking lot in some cases. In the case where lines of various colors are present in a parking lot, there is a possibility that a driver confuses the line of a virtual image displayed on the display unit with the actual line. CITATION LIST Patent Literature PTL 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2016-118851 SUMMARY Technical Problem In view of the circumstances as described above, it is desired to provide, for example, an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program that generate display data for simply presenting a parkable space of a vehicle to a user who is a vehicle driver in a parking lot. Solution to Problem According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an information processing apparatus, including: a display data generation unit configured to receive an image obtained by imaging surroundings of a vehicle, generate display data representing at least one parking division area, and superimpose the display data on the image, wherein the display data include an upward extension surface extending from a vehicle contact surface of the at least one parking division area. Further, according to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for presenting a parkable space to a driver of a vehicle, the method comprising, receiving an image obtained by imaging surroundings of the vehicle, generating space-identifying display data representing at least one parking division area, the space-identifying display data comprising an upward extension surface extending from a vehicle contact surface of the at least one parking division area, and superimposing the display data on the image. Further, according to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus, comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon executable instructions, at least one processor programmed by the executable instructions to perform a method comprising acts of, receiving an image obtained by imaging surroundings of a vehicle, generating space-identifying disp