Abstract: Provided is a parking assistance method capable of storing surrounding situation of a parking target position appropriate to be referred to during autonomous parking. The parking assistance method of storing the surrounding situation of the parking target position when parking at the parking target position and executing the autonomous parking using the stored surrounding situation, includes a step of detecting the surrounding situation; a step of indicating the detected surrounding situation; a step of receiving a determination of whether the indicated surrounding situation are appropriate input by an occupant; and a step of storing the surrounding situation when the determination of appropriateness is input by the occupant.

Abstract: A piston includes: a piston head; and a piston skirt connected to the piston head, wherein the piston skirt includes wall portions protruding outward from a surface of the piston skirt, the wall portions adjacent to each other in a circumferential direction of the piston skirt are inclined in directions opposite to each other with respect to a direction of movement of the piston in a bore for the piston, and define a tapered portion, and the tapered portions are spaced away from each other in the circumferential direction of the piston skirt.

Abstract: A piston includes: a piston head; and a piston skirt connected to the piston head, wherein the piston skirt includes wall portions protruding outward from a surface of the piston skirt, the wall portions adjacent to each other in a circumferential direction of the piston skirt are inclined in directions opposite to each other with respect to a direction of movement of the piston in a bore for the piston, and define a tapered portion, and the tapered portions are spaced away from each other in the circumferential direction of the piston skirt.

Abstract: A self position estimation method is provided which is capable of accurately estimating, when executing automatic parking to a parking target position using a stored surrounding situation, a position of a host vehicle or a target in the surrounding situation stored in a storage device. The method includes a step that presents the stored surrounding situation, a step that receives an operation of setting a positional relationship between the stored surrounding situation, and at least one of the host vehicle and the targets existing around the host vehicle, and a step that sets a position of at least one of the host vehicle and the target in the stored surrounding situation based on the operation.

Abstract: A parking assistance method including: setting a target parking position of a vehicle on the basis of a circumferential situation of the vehicle detected by a circumferential situation detection sensor; determining a communication situation between an operation device configured to receive an operation by an operator outside the vehicle and transmit an instruction signal corresponding to the operation and a communication device mounted on the vehicle and configured to receive the instruction signal; limiting the operation for manually adjusting the target parking position in the operation device depending on the communication situation; transmitting, when the target parking position is adjusted, the instruction signal for moving the target parking position to the communication device; and parking the vehicle by the automatic driving in the target parking position moved depending on the instruction signal received at the communication device.

Abstract: Provided is a parking assistance method capable of storing surrounding situation of a parking target position appropriate to be referred to during autonomous parking. The parking assistance method of storing the surrounding situation of the parking target position when parking at the parking target position and executing the autonomous parking using the stored surrounding situation, includes a step of detecting the surrounding situation; a step of indicating the detected surrounding situation; a step of receiving a determination of whether the indicated surrounding situation are appropriate input by an occupant; and a step of storing the surrounding situation when the determination of appropriateness is input by the occupant.

Abstract: A self position estimation method is provided which is capable of accurately estimating, when executing automatic parking to a parking target position using a stored surrounding situation, a position of a host vehicle or a target in the surrounding situation stored in a storage device. The method includes a step that presents the stored surrounding situation, a step that receives an operation of setting a positional relationship between the stored surrounding situation, and at least one of the host vehicle and the targets existing around the host vehicle, and a step that sets a position of at least one of the host vehicle and the target in the stored surrounding situation based on the operation.

Abstract: A vehicle position attitude-angle estimation device sets a particle existent distribution range to a predetermined range by using a particle filter and disperses particles within the set existent distribution range to estimate the position and attitude angle of a vehicle from an image capturing the surroundings of the vehicle. The vehicle position attitude-angle estimation device widens the set existent distribution range in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle when the speed of the vehicle becomes high.

Abstract: A parking assistance method including: setting a target parking position of a vehicle on the basis of a circumferential situation of the vehicle detected by a circumferential situation detection sensor; determining a communication situation between an operation device configured to receive an operation by an operator outside the vehicle and transmit an instruction signal corresponding to the operation and a communication device mounted on the vehicle and configured to receive the instruction signal; limiting the operation for manually adjusting the target parking position in the operation device depending on the communication situation; transmitting, when the target parking position is adjusted, the instruction signal for moving the target parking position to the communication device; and parking the vehicle by the automatic driving in the target parking position moved depending on the instruction signal received at the communication device.

Abstract: A self-position estimation device includes: a target position detection unit mounted in a vehicle and configured to detect a relative position of a target present around the vehicle and the vehicle; a target position accumulation unit configured to move the detected relative position by a movement amount of the vehicle and to accumulate it as target position data; a curve start position estimation unit configured to estimate a curve start position of a travel path on which the vehicle travels; and a self-position estimation unit configured to perform comparison in which at least the target position data present around the vehicle and the target position data present between a current position of the vehicle and the estimated curve start position, of the accumulated target position data, is compared with the target position information included in the map information to estimate a self-position which is the current position of the vehicle.

Abstract: An own position estimation device detects a landmark position of a landmark existing around a mobile body, detects a movement amount of the mobile body, and accumulates, as pieces of landmark position data, landmark positions each obtained by moving the detected landmark position by the movement amount. The device then acquires map information including landmark positions of landmarks existing on a map by the controller, matches the pieces of landmark position data in a certain range with the landmark positions included in the map information, and estimates the own position of the mobile body, the certain range being set based on movement records of the mobile body traveling to a current position.

Abstract: A self-position estimation device includes: a target position detection unit mounted in a vehicle and configured to detect a relative position of a target present around the vehicle and the vehicle; a target position accumulation unit configured to move the detected relative position by a movement amount of the vehicle and to accumulate it as target position data; a curve start position estimation unit configured to estimate a curve start position of a travel path on which the vehicle travels; and a self-position estimation unit configured to perform comparison in which at least the target position data present around the vehicle and the target position data present between a current position of the vehicle and the estimated curve start position, of the accumulated target position data, is compared with the target position information included in the map information to estimate a self-position which is the current position of the vehicle.

Abstract: A self-position calculating apparatus includes: a light projector 11 configured to project a patterned light beam 32a onto a road surface 31 around a vehicle; and a camera 12 configured to capture an image 38 of the road surface 31 around the vehicle including an area onto which the patterned light beam 32a is projected. The self-position calculating apparatus calculates an orientation angle of the vehicle 10 relative to the road surface 31 from a position of the patterned light beam 32a on the image 38 obtained by the camera 12, and calculates an amount of change in the orientation of the vehicle based on temporal changes in multiple feature points on the road surface which are detected from the image 38. The self-position calculating apparatus calculates current position and orientation angle of the vehicle by adding the amount of change in the orientation to initial position and orientation angle of the vehicle.

Abstract: A self-position calculating apparatus includes: a light projector projecting a patterned light beam onto a road surface around a vehicle; and a camera capturing an image of the road surface including an area onto which the patterned light beam is projected. The apparatus calculates an orientation angle of the vehicle from a position of the patterned light beam, and calculate an amount of change in orientation based on temporal changes in multiple feature points on the road surface. The apparatus calculates current position and orientation angle by adding the amount of change to initial position and orientation angle. If a condition under which the multiple feature points are detected does not satisfy a first criterion, the apparatus sets the current position at that time and the orientation angle at the initial position and orientation, and starts adding the amount of change to the initial position and orientation angle.

Abstract: An own position estimation device detects a landmark position of a landmark existing around a mobile body, detects a movement amount of the mobile body, and accumulates, as pieces of landmark position data, landmark positions each obtained by moving the detected landmark position by the movement amount. The device then acquires map information including landmark positions of landmarks existing on a map by the controller, matches the pieces of landmark position data in a certain range with the landmark positions included in the map information, and estimates the own position of the mobile body, the certain range being set based on movement records of the mobile body traveling to a current position.

Abstract: The self-position calculating apparatus includes: a patterned light beam extractor extracting a position of the patterned light beam an image of an area onto which the patterned light beam is projected. The apparatus calculates an orientation angle of the vehicle relative to the road surface from the position of calculates an amount of change in orientation of the vehicle based on temporal changes in multiple feature points on the road surface; and calculates a current position and a current orientation angle of the vehicle by adding the amount of change in the orientation to an initial position and an initial orientation angle of the vehicle. If a detected condition of the patterned light beam is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the patterned light beam extractor extracts the position from a superimposed image by superimposing images.

Abstract: A moving-object position/attitude estimation apparatus includes: an image-capturing unit configured to acquire a captured image; a comparative image acquiring unit configured to acquire a comparative image viewed from a predetermined position at a predetermined attitude angle; a likelihood setting unit configured to compare the captured image with the comparative image and to assigns a high attitude angle likelihood to the comparative image and to assigns a high position likelihood to the comparative image; a moving-object position/attitude estimation unit configured to estimate the attitude angle of the moving object based on the attitude angle of the comparative image assigned the high attitude angle likelihood and to estimate the position of the moving object based on the position of the comparative image assigned the high position likelihood.

Abstract: A self-position calculating apparatus includes: a light projector configured to project a patterned light beam onto a road surface around a vehicle; an image capturing unit configured to capture and obtain an image of the road surface around the vehicle covering an area of the projected patterned light beam; an orientation angle calculator configured to calculate an orientation angle of the vehicle relative to the road surface from; a feature point detector configured to detect multiple feature points on the road surface; an orientation change amount calculator configured to calculate an amount of change in the orientation of the vehicle; and a self-position calculator configured to calculate a current position and a current orientation angle of the vehicle. The light projector selectively projects the patterned light beam onto a specific patterned light beam-projected region out of the multiple patterned light beam-projected regions.

Abstract: A self-position calculating apparatus includes: a light projector configured to project a patterned light beam onto a road surface around a vehicle; an image capturing unit configured to capture and obtain an image of the road surface around the vehicle covering an area of the projected patterned light beam; an orientation angle calculator configured to calculate an orientation angle of the vehicle relative to the road surface from a position of the patterned light beam on the image obtained by the image capturing unit; a feature point detector configured to detect multiple feature points on the road surface within the feature-point detection region; an orientation change amount calculator configured to calculate an amount of change in the orientation of the vehicle; and a self-position calculator configured to calculate a current position and a current orientation angle of the vehicle.

Abstract: The self-position calculating apparatus includes: a patterned light beam extractor extracting a position of the patterned light beam an image of an area onto which the patterned light beam is projected. The apparatus calculates an orientation angle of the vehicle relative to the road surface from the position of calculates an amount of change in orientation of the vehicle based on temporal changes in multiple feature points on the road surface; and calculates a current position and a current orientation angle of the vehicle by adding the amount of change in the orientation to an initial position and an initial orientation angle of the vehicle. If a detected condition of the patterned light beam is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the patterned light beam extractor extracts the position from a superimposed image by superimposing images.