A parking assistance device includes a parking region detection unit configured to periodically detect a parking-possible space in which the own-vehicle can be parked based on a result of detection by an external image capturing camera and a sonar configured to periodically detect the status of surroundings of the own-vehicle, a candidate region selection unit configured to select a parking candidate space as a parking candidate for the own-vehicle among the parking-possible spaces detected by the parking region detection unit, and a display control unit configured to cause a touch panel to display a surrounding image in which a parking position image illustrating a parking position is superimposed on the parking candidate space selected by the candidate region selection unit, and the candidate region selection unit continuously selects, as the parking candidate space, the parking-possible space corresponding to the selected parking candidate space for a predetermined duration.

This document describes near-object detection using ultrasonic sensors. Specifically, when an object is in a near-object range or distance from a vehicle, an object-detection system of the vehicle can utilize raw range measurements and various parameters derived from the raw range measurements. The various parameters may include an average, a slope, and a variation of the range. In the near-object range, using the parameters derived from the raw range measurements may lead to increases in the accuracy and performance of a vehicle-based object-detection system. The increased accuracy in near-object detection capability enhances safe driving.

A distance measurement device includes: a transmission and reception device configured to transmit a transmission wave and receive a reflected wave; a memory; and a hardware processor coupled to the memory. The hardware processor is configured to: detect a reception signal received by the transmission and reception device and obtain a reception waveform indicating a temporal change in an intensity of the reception signal; detect a feature amount of the reflected wave based on the reception waveform; calculate a distance from the distance measurement device to an object, based on the feature amount; and control a detection condition of detection of the feature amount by changing a threshold for detecting the feature amount, based on a change in the feature amount, in a case where the reflected wave arrives during a reverberation period in which reverberation of the transmission wave remains in the transmission and reception device.

A LiDAR sensor three-dimensionally scans laser light outward of the vehicle and receives reflected light. A LiDAR data analyzer groups three-dimensional points of the reflected light acquired by the LiDAR sensor into clusters. A precise docking control start determination unit compares shapes and reflectance distributions between at least one of the clusters obtained by the LiDAR data analyzer and a reference cluster representing a stop target to determine whether or not the at least one cluster includes the stop target.

A vehicle that can adaptively adjust a sensing distance of an ultrasonic sensor according to operation of the vehicle includes: a steering device for steering a wheel; a power device for transmitting power to the wheel; a braking device for braking the wheel; an ultrasonic sensor for detecting an external object; an input device for receiving an input from a user; a transceiver for communicating with a user terminal; and a controller for adjusting a sensing distance of the ultrasonic sensor based on whether a user input for automatic parking is received through the input device or the transceiver and controlling at least one of the steering device, the power device, or the braking device based on an output of the ultrasonic sensor and the user input.

There is provided a method and control system for limiting a driver acceleration request of a vehicle. The vehicle comprises a controller arrangement that receives a driver acceleration request and determines whether the driver acceleration request is below an acceleration threshold. If so, it initiates a limiting protocol and dependent on the distance between a preceding vehicle and the host vehicle limits the acceleration of the vehicle in comparison to the driver acceleration request. The invention further relates to a vehicle comprising such as control system.

An automated valet parking system provides an automated valet parking service in a parking lot. Recognition result information is generated based on a result of recognition by a recognition sensor when a vehicle exists in the parking lot. The automated valet parking system identifies the vehicle position in the parking lot by using an infrastructure sensor installed in the parking lot. The automated valet parking system acquires expected recognition result information expected to be obtained at the vehicle position. Then, the automated valet parking system compares the recognition result information with the expected recognition result information to calculate reliability of the recognition result information based on a difference between them. When the reliability is lower than a threshold, the automated valet parking system transmits notification information for notifying an abnormality of the recognition sensor to a terminal device operated by a user of the vehicle.

A parking zone recognizing apparatus for recognizing a parking zone based on transmission/reception signals which are transmitted and received through an ultrasonic sensor installed in a vehicle, comprises an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to recognize a surrounding target of a parking zone as a high object and determine an available parking zone in the case of a double echo condition that a distance of a second echo signal is twice a distance of a first echo signal, the first echo signal and the second echo signal being determined among echo signals responding to the transmission signal transmitted through the ultrasonic sensor.

A determining method for obstacles includes determining whether an ultrasonic noise exists in TOF of an ultrasonic wave reflected by an object and received; generating a virtual object on an outline of a parking path that a vehicle is to move on based on the received ultrasonic wave TOF; generating virtual indirect wave TOF using the virtual object; and determining whether the object is located inside or outside the outline of the parking path by comparing real indirect wave TOF, which is indirect wave TOF among the received ultrasonic wave TOFs, with the virtual indirect wave TOF.

The invention relates to a method for detecting at least one object (9a, 9b, 9c) in a surrounding area (7) of a motor vehicle (1) by means of a driver assistance system (2), in which a transmission signal is transmitted in each of chronologically consecutive measurement cycles via a distance sensor (4), and a first and a second echo of the transmission signal reflected by the at least one object (9a, 9b, 9c) are received; and, by means of a control device (3), a first distance value (a1) is determined based on the first echo, a second distance value (a2) is determined based on the second echo, and a height of the at least one object (9a, 9b, 9c) is determined based on the first and the second distance value (a1, a2); wherein the measurement cycles are carried out during a relative movement of the motor vehicle (1) with respect to the at least one object (9a, 9b, 9c); in at least two of the measurement cycles, a difference value is determined in each case, which describes a difference between the second distance value (a2) and the first distance value (a1); and the height of the at least one object (9a, 9b, 9c) is determined based on a change in the respective difference value determined in the at least two measurement cycles.