Patent Publication Number: US-2023136951-A1

Title: Control device, vehicle guidance method, and vehicle guidance program product

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application is a continuation application of International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2021/026988 filed on Jul. 19, 2021, which designated the U.S. and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-125656 filed on Jul. 22, 2020. The entire disclosures of all of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a control device used in an automated valet parking lot. 
     BACKGROUND 
     An automated valet parking lot includes a parking area, which is an area where autonomous driving is performed according to a guidance of a control device. For example, when there is a vehicle requesting entry into a parking section in the parking area, the control device guides the vehicle to an empty parking section. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure provides a control device, which is used in an automated valet parking lot. The control device includes: an availability determination unit determining an availability of a parking section included in a parking area, the parking area being defined as an area in which an autonomous driving of a vehicle is executed according to a guidance of the control device within the automated valet parking lot; and a vehicle guidance unit guiding an entrance vehicle to the parking section according to the availability of the parking section determined by the availability determination unit, the entrance vehicle corresponding to the vehicle that requests an entrance to the parking section. When the availability determination unit determines that the parking section is unavailable, the vehicle guidance unit guides the entrance vehicle to a passage included in the parking area. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       Objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description made with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings: 
         FIG.  1    is a diagram showing a configuration of an automated valet parking lot; 
         FIG.  2    is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system and a vehicle; 
         FIG.  3    is a sequence diagram showing an entrance process executed by a control system and a vehicle; 
         FIG.  4    is a flowchart showing an entrance guidance process; 
         FIG.  5    is a flowchart showing a vehicle guidance process included in the entrance guidance process; 
         FIG.  6    is a sequence diagram showing an exit process executed by a control system and a vehicle; and 
         FIG.  7    is a flowchart showing a modified example of entrance guidance process. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     After the inventor of the present disclosure performs detailed examination on the conventional parking assist, the following issues have been found. The control device guides the vehicle to an empty parking section when an empty parking section exists. When there is no empty parking section in a parking area, the control device controls the vehicle to wait outside of the parking area. Thus, the parking area is not fully utilized when guiding the vehicles to enter the parking lot. 
     One aspect of the present disclosure provides a technique for making effective use of a space in a parking area when guiding the vehicles to enter parking sections in the parking area. 
     According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a control device, which is used in an automated valet parking lot, includes: an availability determination unit determining an availability of a parking section included in a parking area, the parking area being defined as an area in which an autonomous driving of a vehicle is executed according to a guidance of the control device within the automated valet parking lot; and a vehicle guidance unit guiding an entrance vehicle to the parking section according to the availability of the parking section determined by the availability determination unit, the entrance vehicle corresponding to the vehicle that requests an entrance to the parking section. When the availability determination unit determines that the parking section is unavailable, the vehicle guidance unit guides the entrance vehicle to a passage included in the parking area. 
     According to the above configuration, the space in the parking area can be used more effectively when guiding the vehicles to enter parking sections in the parking area. 
     Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. 
     1. Configuration 
     (1-1. Configuration of Automated Valet Parking Lot) 
     As shown in  FIG.  1   , an automated valet parking lot  1  includes a parking area  10  and an entrance and exit area  20 . The parking area  10  is adjacent to the entrance and exit area  20 . 
     In the automated valet parking lot  1 , the parking area  10  is an area in which an autonomous driving is performed according to a guidance of a control device  30 , which will be described later. The parking area  10  includes parking sections  11  and passages  12 . The parking section  11  is an area for parking a vehicle  6 . The passage  12  is an area that can be selected as a guidance route by the control device  30  when the vehicle  6  enters the parking section  11  and exits from the parking section  11 . 
     The entrance and exit area  20  is an area through which the vehicle  6  passes when the vehicle moves from the outside of the automated valet parking lot  1  to the parking area  10  or when the vehicle moves from the parking area  10  to the outside of the automated valet parking lot  1 . The entrance and exit area  20  includes a parking lot entrance  21  and a parking lot exit  22 , each of which connects an inside area of the automated valet parking lot  1  with an outside area of the automated valet parking lot  1 . The entrance and exit area  20  includes multiple vehicle rooms  23 . 
     The vehicle room  23  is an area where a user of the automated valet parking lot  1  (hereinafter referred to as a user) exits from the vehicle  6  before the autonomous driving of the vehicle is performed in the parking area  10 . Furthermore, the vehicle room  23  is also an area where the user gets on the vehicle  6  after the autonomous driving of the vehicle is performed in the parking area  10 . The vehicle room  23  has a size capable of accommodating one vehicle  6 . In the entrance and exit area  20 , multiple vehicle rooms  23  are arranged side by side, and the multiple vehicle rooms are adjacent to the parking area  10 . The vehicle room  23  corresponds to an alighting area, and also corresponds to a boarding area. A user corresponds to an occupant of the vehicle  6 . 
     A vehicle  6  heading for the parking area  10  from the outside of the automated valet parking lot  1  can enter the parking area  10  from the outside of the automated valet parking lot  1  through the parking lot entrance  21 . Then, the vehicle  6  can enter one of the vehicle rooms  23  and stop. After the user exits from the vehicle in the vehicle room  23 , the vehicle  6  can move to the parking area  10 . 
     The vehicle  6  heading from the parking area  10  to the outside of the automated valet parking lot  1  moves to one of the vehicle rooms  23  in the entrance and exit area  20  from the parking area  10  and stops at the entrance and exit area  20 . After the user gets on the vehicle  6  in the vehicle room  23 , the vehicle  6  may move to the parking lot exit  22  and proceed outside of the automated valet parking lot  1  through the parking lot exit  22 . 
     The entrance and exit area  20  is adjacent to a facility  7 . The facility  7  is, for example, a store, an office, a house, or a station. A doorway  71  of the facility  7  and the entrance and exit area  20  are connected via, for example, a pedestrian-only area  72 . 
     (1-2. Control System) 
     A control system  3  shown in  FIG.  2    is a system used in the automated valet parking lot  1 . The control system  3  includes a control device  30 , multiple individual terminals  41 , a common terminal  42 , and an infrastructure  50 . 
     The control device  30  includes a control unit  31  and a control communication unit  32 . 
     The control unit  31  includes a microcomputer. The microcomputer may include a CPU  311  and a semiconductor memory (hereinafter, referred to as a memory)  312 , such as a RAM or a ROM. Each function of the control unit  31  is implemented when a program, which is stored in a non-transitory tangible storage medium, is executed by the CPU  311 . In this example, the memory  312  corresponds to the non-transitory tangible storage medium in which the program is stored. By executing the program, a method corresponding to the program is executed. The control unit  31  may include one microcomputer or multiple microcomputers. 
     The control communication unit  32  performs a wireless communication with the vehicle  6 . 
     Each of the multiple individual terminals  41  is associated with one vehicle room  23 . Each individual terminal  41  is installed close to the corresponding vehicle room  23 . The individual terminal  41  accepts the user&#39;s operation. Examples of the user&#39;s operation may include an entrance request operation and user identification information input. The individual terminal  41  displays information to the user. 
     The common terminal  42  is positioned in the entrance and exit area  20 . The common terminal  42  accepts user&#39;s operations. Examples of the user&#39;s operation may include an exit request operation and user identification information input. The common terminal  42  displays information to the user. 
     The infrastructure  50  includes multiple sensors for detecting information indicating a situation inside the automated valet parking lot  1  (hereinafter referred to as parking lot inside information). Examples of the sensors include cameras and LiDAR. For example, the multiple sensors may be attached to a ceiling or wall surface of the automated valet parking lot  1 . The multiple sensors can also detect information indicating a situation inside the vehicle room  23  as the parking lot inside information. The infrastructure  50  supplies the detected parking lot inside information to the control device  30 . The infrastructure  50  includes a device for guiding the vehicle  6 . As a device for guiding the vehicle  6 , for example, a display device for displaying a traveling direction of the vehicle  6 , or the like can be used. 
     The vehicle  6  has an automated valet parking function. The automated valet parking function includes autonomous driving function and automatic parking function. The vehicle  6  includes a vehicle control unit  61 , a vehicle communication unit  62  and a vehicle mounted sensor  63 . 
     The vehicle control unit  61  controls each unit of the vehicle  6 . The automated valet parking function is implemented by a control operation performed by the vehicle control unit  61 . 
     The vehicle communication unit  62  performs a wireless communication with the control device  30 . By the communication, the vehicle  6  can acquire map information and the guidance route from the control device  30 . The vehicle  6  uses the map information and the guidance route acquired from the control device  30 , for example, when performing the autonomous driving. 
     The vehicle mounted sensor  63  acquires peripheral information representing a peripheral situation of the vehicle  6 . For example, the peripheral information may include information about positions of obstacles existing around the vehicle  6 , or the like. The vehicle mounted sensor  63  may be a camera, a LiDAR, a millimeter wave sensor, or the like. The vehicle  6  may have one vehicle mounted sensor  63 , or may have multiple vehicle mounted sensors  63 . The vehicle  6  may use the acquired peripheral information when estimating an own position. Specifically, the vehicle  6  estimates the own position based on the peripheral information acquired using the vehicle mounted sensor  63  and the map information acquired from the control device  30 . 
     2. Process 
     The following will describe an entrance and exit related process executed by the control system  3  and the vehicle  6 . In this process, when the control device  30  determines an empty parking section  11  exists, the control device  30  guides an entrance vehicle  6 A, which entered the parking lot, from the vehicle room  23  to the empty parking section  11 . The control device also guides a vehicle  6 B, which exits from the parking area  10 , to the vehicle room  23 . 
     (2-1. Entrance Related Process) 
     The following will describe an entrance related process executed by the control system  3  and the vehicle  6  with reference to  FIG.  3   . 
     In A 1 , the infrastructure  50  detects an arrival of the vehicle  6  to the automated valet parking lot  1 . For example, the arrival of the vehicle  6  may be determined when the vehicle  6  passes through the parking lot entrance  21 . The infrastructure  50  notifies, to the control device  30 , the position of vehicle  6 . 
     In A 2 , the control device  30  instructs the infrastructure  50  to notify the user of a position where the autonomous driving can be started. The autonomous driving refers to autonomous driving using an automated valet parking function. The position at which the autonomous driving can be started is one of the vehicle rooms  23 . The control device  30  instructs the infrastructure  50  to display, for example, one of the vehicle rooms  23 . 
     In A 3 , the infrastructure  50  notifies the user of the position where the autonomous driving can be started. The infrastructure  50  displays, for example, one of the vehicle rooms  23 . Specifically, the display device of the infrastructure  50  displays, for example, an identification number of the vehicle room  23  into which the vehicle  6  is required to enter. Hereinafter, the vehicle room  23  related to the display is referred to as an entrance room  23 A. 
     After the vehicle  6  enters the entrance room  23 A and the user gets off in the entrance room  23 A, the user inputs information to the individual terminal  41 . The information includes an entrance request, which requests entrance of the vehicle  6  into the parking section  11 . Hereinafter, the vehicle  6  that is the target of the entrance request and has not completed parking in the parking section  11  is referred to as an entrance vehicle  6 A. The smartphone may be configured to enable the user input the information to the smartphone. The smartphone is a terminal carried by the user. 
     In A 4 , the individual terminal  41  transmits, to the control device  30 , the entrance request input by the user. Alternatively, the smartphone may transmit the entrance request input by the user to the control device  30 . 
     In A 5 , the control device  30  transmits an ignition-on instruction to the entrance vehicle  6 A. The ignition-on instruction is an instruction for turning on an ignition of the vehicle. The entrance vehicle  6 A turns on the ignition in response to the ignition-on instruction. The control device  30  requires the entrance vehicle  6 A to transmit vehicle information. For example, the vehicle information includes an ego position of the entrance vehicle  6 A, a size of the entrance vehicle  6 A, a type of automated valet parking function installed to the entrance vehicle  6 A, or the like. The ego position of the entrance vehicle  6 A is the position of the entrance vehicle  6 A estimated by the entrance vehicle  6 A. 
     In A 6 , the entrance vehicle  6  transmits an ignition-on notification and vehicle information to the control device  30 . The ignition-on notification indicates that the ignition of the vehicle is turned on. 
     In A 7 , the control device  30  checks matching between the automated valet parking lot  1  and the entrance vehicle  6 A based on the information received in A 6 . 
     In A 7 , when the matching between the automated valet parking lot  1  and the entrance vehicle  6 A is confirmed, the process repeatedly executes A 8  to A 14  until the entrance vehicle  6 A arrives at the empty parking section  11 . 
     In A 8 , the control device  30  selects a guidance position for the entrance vehicle  6 A. The guidance position is a position in the parking area  10  where the control device  30  guides the entrance vehicle  6 A. 
     In A 9 , the control device  30  calculates a guidance route for the entrance vehicle  6 A to the guidance position selected in A 8 . 
     In A 10 , the control device  30  transmits, to the entrance vehicle  6 A, the parking lot map and the guidance route calculated in A 9 . The parking lot map indicates map information of the automated valet parking lot  1 . The entrance vehicle  6 A receives the parking lot map. 
     The process repeatedly executes A 11  to A 13  until the entrance vehicle  6 A arrives at the guidance position. 
     In A 11 , the entrance vehicle  6 A travels toward the guidance position and transmits the current position of the entrance vehicle  6 A to the control device  30 . The current position of the entrance vehicle  6 A is the position of the entrance vehicle  6 A currently estimated by the entrance vehicle  6 A. 
     In A 12 , the control device  30  manages traffic based on the current position of the entrance vehicle  6 A received in A 11 . The control device  30  transmits instructions for stopping, starting, and rerouting to the entrance vehicle  6 A as necessary. The entrance vehicle  6 A stops, starts, and reroutes in response to the instructions. 
     In A 13 , the entrance vehicle  6 A determines whether the entrance vehicle  6 A has arrived at the guidance position. When the entrance vehicle  6 A has not yet arrived at the guidance position, the process returns to A 11 . When the entrance vehicle  6 A has arrived at the guidance position, the process proceeds to A 14 . 
     In A 14 , the entrance vehicle  6 A transmits an arrival notification to the control device  30 . The arrival notification indicates that the entrance vehicle  6 A has arrived at the guidance position. 
     When the arrival notification is transmitted, in A 14 , from the entrance vehicle  6 A before the entrance vehicle  6 A enters the parking section  11 , the process returns to A 8 . When the arrival notification is transmitted, in A 14 , from the entrance vehicle  6 A after the entrance vehicle  6 A enters the parking section  11 , the process proceeds to A 15 . 
     In A 15 , the control device  30  transmits an ignition-off instruction to the entrance vehicle  6 A. The ignition-off instruction is an instruction for turning off the ignition of the vehicle. The entrance vehicle  6 A turns off the ignition in response to the ignition-off instruction. 
     In A 16 , the entrance vehicle  6  transmits an ignition-off notification to the control device  30 . The ignition-off notification indicates that the ignition of the vehicle is turned off. 
     In A 17 , the control device  30  notifies the individual terminal  41  of completion of entrance. The entrance completion notification indicates that entrance of the vehicle  6 A into the parking section  11  is completed. The control device  30  may notify the smartphone of the entrance completion. When the entrance completion notification is transmitted from the control device  30 , the process is ended. 
     The following will describe an entrance guidance process executed by the control device  30  in A 4  to A 17  with reference to  FIG.  4   . 
     In S 1 , the control device  30  determines whether an empty parking section  11  exists in the parking lot t based on the parking lot inside information detected by the infrastructure  50 . In the present embodiment, when vehicles  6  are parked in all of the parking sections  11  of the automated valet parking lot  1 , the control device  30  determines that no empty parking section  11  exists. Alternatively, within the automated valet parking lot  1 , when one or more of the parking sections  11  are empty without vehicles being parked but the one or more parking sections  11  have already set as guidance positions of other entrance vehicle  6 A, the control device  30  may determine that no empty parking section  11  exists. When determining no empty parking section  11  exists, the process proceeds to S 2 . When determining an empty parking section  11  exists, the process proceeds to S 7 . 
     In S 2 , the control device  30  determines whether an empty vehicle room  23  exists in the parking lot t based on the parking lot inside information detected by the infrastructure  50 . In the present embodiment, when all of the vehicle rooms  23  of the automated valet parking lot  1  are occupied by the entrance vehicles  6 A or exit vehicles  6 B, the control device  30  determines that no empty vehicle room  23  exists. The exit vehicle  6 B refers to the vehicle  6 , which is a target of exit request. That is, the exit vehicle indicates the vehicle which requests an exit from the parking area  10 . When determining no empty vehicle room  23  exists, the process proceeds to S 3 . When determining an empty vehicle room  23  exists, the process proceeds to S 16 . 
     The control device  30  does not immediately guide the entrance vehicle  6 A in the vehicle room  23  when determining existence of an empty vehicle room  23  in S 2 . That is, the control device  30  controls the entrance vehicle  6 A in the vehicle room  23  to wait in the vehicle room  23 . At this time, the control device  30  transmits, to the individual terminal  41  or the smartphone, an entrance wait notification indicating the parking of entrance vehicle  6 A is in waiting state. By the entrance wait notification, the user can understand that the entrance procedure for the entrance vehicle  6 A has been completed normally, although the entrance vehicle  6 A is still parked in the vehicle room  23 . 
     In S 3 , the control device  30  determines whether an empty passage  12  exists in the parking lot t based on the parking lot inside information detected by the infrastructure  50 . In the present embodiment, the control device  30  determines that no empty passage  12  exists when the number of entrance vehicles  6 A parked on all of the passages  12  is equal to or greater than a predetermined number. When determining an empty passage  12  exists, the process proceeds to S 4 . When determining no empty passage  12  exists, the process proceeds to S 16 . 
     In S 4 , the control device  30  determines one of the entrance vehicles  6 A stopped in the vehicle rooms  23  as a guidance vehicle to be guided to the passage  12 . After guided to the passage, the guidance vehicle  6 A waits on the passage  12 . After guiding the entrance vehicle  6 A, which is determined as the guidance vehicle, to the passage  12 , the control device  30  controls the entrance vehicle  6 A to wait on the passage  12  until a parking section  11  becomes empty. The entrance vehicle  6 A moved to the passage  12  and kept in standby state on the passage  12  is also referred to as a temporary parking. The mode of temporary parking is not limited to stopping the vehicle on the passage  12 . For example, low speed traveling on the passage  12  may also set as one mode of the temporary parking. In the present embodiment, the temporary parking is defined as selecting a temporary parking position  13  on the passage  12  for temporary parking purpose, moving the entrance vehicle  6 A to the temporary parking position  13 , and then stopping the entrance vehicle  6 A at the temporary parking position  13 . As shown in  FIG.  1   , the temporary parking position  13  is a predetermined position on the passage  12  for temporarily stopping the entrance vehicle  6 A until the parking section  11  becomes empty. In the present embodiment, in S 4 , the control device  30  determines the guidance vehicle, which is to be guided to the temporary parking position  13 . Specifically, among all of the entrance vehicles  6 A existing in the vehicle rooms  23 , the control device  30  determines the entrance vehicle  6 A, which has entered the vehicle room  23  at the earliest time, as the guidance vehicle that is to be guided to the temporary parking position  13 . The temporary parking positions  13  shown in  FIG.  1    are partial examples of all of the temporary parking positions  13  provided in the automated valet parking lot  1 . In the automated valet parking lot  1 , the temporary parking position  13  may be set in advance, or may be set by the control device  30  each time the temporary parking position is required. When setting multiple temporary parking positions  13 , a parking direction may be set for each temporary parking position  13 . For example, for each temporary parking position  13 , the parking direction may be set to parallel to a longitudinal direction of the entrance vehicle when the entrance vehicle  6 A travels along the passage  12 . That is, the parking direction may be set parallel to a longitudinal direction of the passage. 
     In the present embodiment, when the process determines existence of the parking section  11  in S 1 , the control device  30  guides the entrance vehicle  6 A to the parking section  11 . When the process determines that no empty parking section  11  exists in S 1  and determines that an empty vehicle room  23  exists in S 2 , the control device  30  controls the entrance vehicle  6 A to wait in the vehicle room  23 . When the process determines that no empty parking section  11  exists in S 1 , determines that no empty vehicle room  23  exists in S 2 , and determines that an empty passage  12  exists in S 3 , the control device  30  guides the entrance vehicle  6 A to the empty passage  12 . That is, the control device  30  selects the parking section  11 , the vehicle room  23 , and the passage  12  in described order as the parking position or temporary parking position of the entrance vehicle  6 A. 
     In S 5  of  FIG.  4   , the control device  30  selects the temporary parking position  13  as the guidance position of the entrance vehicle  6 A, which is determined as the guidance vehicle in S 4 . Multiple temporary parking positions  13  provided in the automated valet parking lot  1  are assigned with priorities when being selected as the guidance positions. In S 5 , the control device  30  may select the temporary parking position  13  having the highest priority as the guidance position among multiple empty temporary parking positions  13 . The process executed in S 5  corresponds to the above-described process executed in A 8 . 
     The following will describe an example of priority of selecting one of the temporary parking positions  13  as the guidance position. 
     For example, the priority may be determined based on a straight linear distance or a distance along the route from the current position of the entrance vehicle  6 A to the temporary parking position  13 . Specifically, the highest priority may be set for the temporary parking position  13 , which is closest to the current position of the entrance vehicle  6 A. 
     Alternatively, a higher priority may be set to the temporary parking position  13 , which is close to the parking section  11  that is scheduled to become empty state at an earlier time, based on the information of the exit reservation. 
     Alternatively, a higher priority may be set to the temporary parking position  11 , which faces the parking section  11  where the vehicle  6  is scheduled to be parked for a predetermined period or longer, based on the information of the exit reservation. Since it is presumed that the vehicle  6  parked in the parking section  11  will not exit the parking section  11  until the time indicated by the exit reservation, even though the entrance vehicle  6 A is temporarily parked in the moving direction of the parked vehicle  6 , for example, in front direction of the parked vehicle  6 , it is less likely to interrupt the parked vehicle  6 . 
     Alternatively, in the parking area  10 , a higher priority may be set to the temporary parking position  13  in an area that is less frequently selected as the guidance route for the entrance vehicle  6 A or the exit vehicle  6 B. The selection frequency as the guidance route in the parking area  10  may be set based on the actual setting history, or may be set in advance based on a shape of the parking section  11  and the passage  12  in the parking area  10 . For example, for a region distant from the vehicle room  23  in the parking area  10 , low selection frequency may be set. In other words, a higher priority may be set to the temporary parking position  13  in the region distant from the vehicle room  23  in the parking area  10 . 
     In S 6 , the control device  30  executes a vehicle guidance process, which will be described later. In the vehicle guidance process, the control device  30  guides the entrance vehicle  6 A to the guidance position. When the vehicle guidance process ends in S 6 , the entrance vehicle  6 A guided by the control device  30  is located at the temporary parking position  13 , which is set as the guidance position. Then, the entrance vehicle  6 A waits at the temporary parking position  13  in the ignition-state until the parking section  11  becomes empty. The ignition-on state includes an idling stop state. When a predetermined duration has elapsed since the guidance of the entrance vehicle  6 A to the temporary parking position  13  is completed, that is, when the waiting period of the entrance vehicle  6 A at the temporary parking position  13  exceeds a predetermined period, the control device  30  transmits an ignition-off instruction to the entrance vehicle  6 A. The entrance vehicle  6 A turns off the ignition in response to the ignition-off instruction, and transmits an ignition-off notification to the control device  30 . After executing S 6 , the process proceeds to S 16 . 
     In S 7 , the control device  30  determines whether an entrance vehicle  6 A exists on the passage  12 . In the present embodiment, the control device  30  determines whether an entrance vehicle  6 A waits at the temporary parking position  13 , which is set as a position on the passage  12 . When determining that no entrance vehicle  6 A exists on the passage  12 , the process proceeds to S 8 . When determining an entrance vehicle  6 A exists on the passage  12 , the process proceeds to S 11 . 
     In S 8 , the control device  30  determines whether an entrance vehicle  6 A exists in the vehicle room  23 . In the present embodiment, after receiving an entrance request from the individual terminal  41 , when the entrance vehicle  6 A, which is the transmission source of the entrance request, has not yet been guided into the parking area  10 , the control device  30  determines that the entrance vehicle  6 A exists in the vehicle room  23 . When determining that no entrance vehicle  6 A exists in the vehicle room  23 , the process repeatedly executes S 8 . When determining an entrance vehicle  6 A exists in the vehicle room  23 , the process proceeds to S 9 . The process executed in S 8  corresponds to the above-described process executed in A 4 . 
     In S 9 , the control device  30  determines whether the ignition of entrance vehicle  6 A, which is determined to be existing in the vehicle room  23  in S 8 , is in on state by transmitting the ignition-on instruction and confirming reception of the ignition-on notification. The process executed in S 9  corresponds to the above-described process executed in A 5  and A 6 . 
     In the present embodiment, as described above, the process has determined, in S 1 , that an empty parking section  11  exists, the control device  30  does not determine whether an empty parking section  11  exists when transmitting the ignition-on instruction to the entrance vehicle in S 9 . However, even though the process has determined that an empty parking section  11  exists in S 1 , the control device  30  may determine again whether an empty parking section  11  exists when the entrance vehicle  6 A is determined to be existing in the vehicle room  23  in S 8 . 
     In S 10 , the control device  30  checks matching between the automated valet parking lot  1  and the entrance vehicle  6 A, which is determined to be existing in the vehicle room  23  in S 8 . The process executed in S 10  corresponds to the above-described process executed in A 7 . After executing S 10 , the process proceeds to S 12 . 
     In S 11 , the control device  30  determines the entrance vehicles  6 A existing on the passage  12  as a guidance vehicle to be guided to the parking section  11 . In the present embodiment, the control device  30  records a distance traveled within the parking area  10  for each entrance vehicle  6 A. When multiple entrance vehicles  6 A exist on the passage  12 , the control device  30  determines the priority of entrance to the parking section  11  for the multiple entrance vehicles  6 A with consideration of respective travel distances of the entrance vehicles  6 A. In the present embodiment, the entrance vehicle  6 A may be guided from the vehicle room  23  to the temporary parking position  13  set on the passage  12 , and then may be guided again from the temporary parking position  13  to a movement position  14  on the passage  12 . The movement position on passage  12  is different from the temporary parking position on the passage  12 , where the vehicle firstly guided to. In this case, the travel distance of the entrance vehicle in the parking area  10  is a sum of the travel distance from the vehicle room  23  to the temporary parking position  13  and the travel distance from the temporary parking position  13  to the movement position  14 . For example, for the multiple entrance vehicles  6 A existing on the passage  12 , the control device  30  compares the respective travel distances of the entrance vehicles  6 A within the parking area  10 , and may assign the highest priority to the entrance vehicle  6 A having the longest travel distance. Then, the control device  30  determines, as the guidance vehicle, the entrance vehicle  6 A having the highest entrance priority to the parking section  11 . Alternatively, the control device  30  may determine the guidance vehicle so that the traveling distances of the entrance vehicles  6 A within the parking area  10  are approximately the same for the entrance vehicles  6 A existing on the passage  12 . When the entrance vehicle  6 A on the passage  12  determined as the guidance vehicle is in the ignition-off state while S 6  is being executed, the control device  30  confirms ignition-on of the entrance vehicle  6 A by transmitting the ignition-on instruction and confirming reception of the ignition-on notification. After executing S 11 , the process proceeds to S 12 . 
     In S 12 , regarding the entrance vehicle  6 A in the vehicle room  23  for which matching with the automated valet parking lot  1  is confirmed in S 10  or regarding the entrance vehicle  6 A existing on the passage  12  determined as the guidance vehicle in S 11 , the control device  30  selects one of the empty parking sections  11  as the guidance position. The parking section  11  selected in S 12  is also referred to as an entrance section  11 A. The process executed in S 12  corresponds to the above-described process executed in A 8 . 
     In S 13 , the control device  30  executes a vehicle guidance process, which will be described later. As described in S 7 , S 8 , and S 11  above, when a parking section  11  becomes empty, the control device  30  guides, to the parking section  11 , the entrance vehicle  6 A existing on the passage  12  first, and then guides the entrance vehicle  6 A in the vehicle room  23 . 
     When the vehicle guidance process ends in S 13 , the entrance vehicle  6 A guided by the control device  30  is located at the entrance section  11 A, which is set as the guidance position. That is, the entrance vehicle  6 A guided by the control device  30  enters the entrance section  11 A. 
     In S 14 , the control device  30  determines whether the ignition of entrance vehicle  6 A, which has entered the entrance section  11 A in S 13 , is in off state by transmitting the ignition-off instruction and confirming reception of the ignition-off notification. The process executed in S 14  corresponds to the above-described process executed in A 15  and A 16 . 
     In S 15 , the control device  30  transmits, to the individual terminal  41 , an entrance completion notification after the ignition-off state of the entrance vehicle  6 A is confirmed in S 14 . The process executed in S 15  corresponds to the above-described process executed in A 17 . After executing S 15 , the process proceeds to S 16 . 
     In S 16 , the control device  30  determines whether an entrance vehicle  6 A existing on the passage  12  needs to be moved (hereinafter referred to as an entrance vehicle  6 A that needs to be moved). In the present embodiment, the control device  30  determines an existence of entrance vehicle  6 A that needs to be moved when an exit vehicle  6 B exists and the entrance vehicle  6 A is located on an exit route of the exit vehicle  6 B. When determining the existence of entrance vehicle  6 A that needs to be moved, the entrance vehicle  6 A that needs to be moved may correspond to the entrance vehicle  6 A existing on an exit route. For example, when moving the entrance vehicle  6 A existing on the exit route to a target position distant from the exit route and another entrance vehicle  6 A is located at the target position, another entrance vehicle  6 A also needs to be moved. That is, another entrance vehicle  6 A also corresponds to an entrance vehicle that needs to be moved. When determining that an entrance vehicle  6 A that needs to be moved exists in S 16 , the process proceeds to S 17 . When determining that no entrance vehicle  6 A that needs to be moved exists in S 16 , the process returns to S 1 . 
     In S 17 , the control device  30  selects, as the guidance position, a movement position  14  for the entrance vehicle  6 A that needs to be moved, which is determined to be existing in S 16 . As shown in  FIG.  1   , the movement position  14  is a predetermined position on the path  12  different from the temporary parking position  13  where the entrance vehicle  6 A that needs to be moved exists. The process executed in S 17  corresponds to the above-described process executed in A 8 . 
     In S 18  shown in  FIG.  4   , the control device  30  executes a vehicle guidance process, which will be described later. When the vehicle guidance process ends in S 18 , the entrance vehicle  6 A guided by the control device  30  is located at the movement position  14 , which is set as the guidance position. After executing S 18 , the process returns to S 1 . 
     The following will describe the entrance guidance process with reference to  FIG.  5   . 
     In  21 , the control device  30  calculates a guidance route for the entrance vehicle  6 A. The process executed in S 21  corresponds to the above-described process executed in A 9 . 
     In S 22 , the control device  30  transmits, to the entrance vehicle  6 A, the parking lot map and the guidance route calculated in S 21 . The process executed in S 22  corresponds to the above-described process executed in A 10 . 
     In S 23 , the control device  30  receives the current position of the entrance vehicle  6 A from the entrance vehicle  6 A. The process executed in S 23  corresponds to the above-described process executed in A 11 . 
     In S 24 , the control device  30  manages traffic. The process executed in S 24  corresponds to the above-described process executed in A 12 . 
     In S 25 , the control device  30  determines whether an arrival notification, which is transmitted from the entrance vehicle  6 A, is received. The process executed in S 25  corresponds to the above-described process executed in A 14 . When the arrival notification is not received, the process returns to S 23 . When the arrival notification is received, the process is ended. 
     (2-2. Exit Related Process) 
     The following will describe an exit related process executed by the control system  3  and the vehicle  6  with reference to  FIG.  6   . 
     First, the user inputs information to the common terminal  42 . The information includes an exit request for requesting exit of the vehicle  6  from the parking area  10 . As described above, the vehicle  6 , which is the target of the exit request, is referred to as an exit vehicle  6 B. The smartphone may be configured to enable the user input the information to the smartphone. 
     In B 1 , the common terminal  42  transmits, to the control device  30 , the exit request input by the user. Alternatively, the smartphone may transmit the exit request input by the user to the control device  30 . 
     In B 2 , the control device  30  transmits an ignition-on instruction to the exit vehicle  6 B. The exit vehicle  6 B turns on the ignition in response to the ignition-on instruction. 
     In B 3 , the exit vehicle  6 B transmits an ignition-on notification to the control device  30 . 
     In B 4 , the control device  30  selects one of the vehicle rooms  23 . Hereinafter, the vehicle room  23  selected in B 4  is referred to as an exit room  23 B. 
     In B 5 , the control device  30  calculates a guidance route of the exit vehicle  6 B to the exit room  23 B. 
     In B 6 , the control device  30  transmits, to the exit vehicle  6 B, the parking lot map and the guidance route calculated in B 5 . The exit vehicle  6 B receives the parking lot map. 
     The process repeatedly executes B 7  to B 9  until the exit vehicle  6 B arrives at the exit room  23 B. 
     In B 7 , the exit vehicle  6 B travels toward the exit room  23 B, and transmits the current position of the exit vehicle  6 B to the control device  30 . 
     In B 8 , the control device  30  manages traffic based on the current position of the exit vehicle  6 B, which is received in B 7 . The control device  30  transmits instructions for stopping, starting, and rerouting to the exit vehicle  6 B as necessary. The exit vehicle  6 B stops, starts, and reroutes in response to the instructions. 
     In B 9 , the exit vehicle  6 B determines whether the exit vehicle  6 B has arrived at the exit room  23 B. When the exit vehicle  6 B has not yet arrived at the exit room  23 B, the process returns to B 7 . When the exit vehicle  6 B arrives at the exit room  23 B, the process proceeds to B 10 . 
     In B 10 , the exit vehicle  6 B transmits an exit completion notification to the control device  30 . The exit completion notification indicates that the exit vehicle  6 B has arrived at the exit room  23 B, that is, exit from the parking area  10  is completed. 
     In B 11 , the control device  30  transmits an ignition-off instruction to the exit vehicle  6 B. The exit vehicle  6 B turns off the ignition in response to the ignition-off instruction. 
     In B 12 , the exit vehicle  6 B transmits an ignition-off notification to the control device  30 . 
     In B 13 , the control device  30  transmits an exit completion notification to the common terminal  42 . The control device  30  may transmit the exit completion notification to the smartphone. When the exit completion notification is transmitted from the control device  30 , the process is ended. 
     3. Effects 
     The above-described embodiment provides the following effects. 
     (3a) The control device  30  is configured to guide the entrance vehicle  6 A to the passage  12  when an empty parking section  11  does not exist. 
     According to this configuration, the passage  12  in the parking area  10  can be used more effectively when parking the entrance vehicle  6 A in the parking section  11 . That is, the space in the parking area  10  can be used more effectively. Thus, the parking area  10  can accommodate more entrance vehicles  6 A. 
     (3b) After guiding the entrance vehicle  6 A to stop on the passage  12 , the control device  30  guides the entrance vehicle  6 A, which is parked on the passage  12 , to the parking section  11  in response to determining an existence of empty parking section  11 . 
     According to the above configuration, the number of entrance vehicles  6 A stopped on the passage  12  can be reduced. Therefore, the entrance vehicle  6 A guided to the parking section  11  and the exit vehicle  6 B can easily perform the autonomous driving using the automated valet parking function. 
     In the present embodiment, the control device  30  guides the entrance vehicle  6 A to the temporary parking position  13  set on the passage  12 , and controls the entrance vehicle  6 A to wait at the temporary parking position  13 . In response to determining existence of an empty parking section  11 , the entrance vehicle  6 A, which waits at the temporary parking position  13 , is guided to the empty parking section  11 . 
     According to the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the movement distance of the entrance vehicle  6 A, which is temporarily parked on the passage  12 . Thus, the automated valet parking lot  1  can be operated more smoothly with improved efficiency. 
     (3c) The control device  30  is configured to determine the guidance priority to the parking section  11  based on the travel distance of the entrance vehicle in the parking area  10  when multiple entrance vehicles  6 A are parked on the passage  12 . 
     According to the above configuration, within the parking area  10 , it is possible to suppress unevenness in the travel distances of the entrance vehicles  6 A, which exist on the passage  12 . 
     (3d) When the process determines that no empty parking section  11  exists and determines that an empty vehicle room  23  exists, the control device  30  controls the entrance vehicle  6 A to wait in the vehicle room  23 . 
     According to the above configuration, the entrance vehicle  6 A may be kept in the vehicle room  23  for a longer duration without guiding the entrance vehicle  6 A to the passage  12 . Thus, the number of entrance vehicles  6 A on the passage  12  can be suppressed. Therefore, the entrance vehicle  6 A guided to the parking section  11  and the exit vehicle  6 B can easily perform the autonomous driving using the automated valet parking function. 
     (3e) When the process determines that no empty parking section  11  exists and determines that no empty vehicle room  23  exists, the control device  30  guides the entrance vehicle  6 A existing in the vehicle room  23  to the passage  12 . 
     According to the above configuration, the entrance vehicle  6 A newly arriving at the automated valet parking lot  1  can smoothly enter the vehicle room  23 . 
     (3f) The control device  30  guides the entrance vehicle  6 A stopped on the passage  12  to a different position on the passage  12  when the exit vehicle  6 B exists and the entrance vehicle  6 A exists on the exit route of the exit vehicle  6 B in order to secure the exit route. 
     According to the above configuration, the control device  30  can select the exit route for the exit vehicle  6 B regardless of the position of the entrance vehicle  6 A on the passage  12 . Therefore, when guiding the entrance vehicle  6 A to the passage  12 , the control device  30  does not have to consider the exit route. Therefore, it is possible to reduce restriction when setting the guidance position of the entrance vehicle  6 A on the passage  12 , and more entrance vehicles  6 A can be guided to the passage  12 . 
     In the above embodiment, the process executed in S 1  and S 2  corresponds to an availability determination unit, the process executed in S 5 , S 6 , S 11  to S 13 , S 17 , and S 18  correspond to a vehicle guidance unit. 
     4. Other Embodiments 
     Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made to implement the present disclosure. 
     (4a) In the above embodiment, the vehicle room  23  is an area where the user exits the vehicle  6  before the autonomous driving is to be performed in the parking area  10 . After the autonomous driving is performed in the parking area  10 , the user gest on the vehicle  6  in the vehicle room  23 . For example, the vehicle rooms  23  may be separately prepared for get-on purpose and get-off purpose. Specifically, for example, a vehicle room  23  for get-off purpose may be prepared for the user to exit the vehicle  6  before the autonomous driving is performed in the parking area  10 , and a vehicle room  23  for get-on purpose may be prepared for the user to enter the vehicle  6  after the autonomous driving is performed in the parking area  10 . That is, the vehicle room  23  for get-off purpose and the vehicle room  23  for get-on purpose may be separately prepared for the user. In this case, for example, a ratio of the number of vehicle rooms  23  for get-off purpose to the number of vehicle rooms  23  for get-on purpose may be set to a variable value. For example, in a case where a ratio of the number of entrance vehicles  6 A to the number of exit vehicles  6 B varies depending on time slot, a ratio of the number of vehicle rooms  23  for get-off purpose may be increased during a time slot when the number of entrance vehicles  6 A is increased. During a time slot when the number of exit vehicles  6 B is increased, a ratio of the number of vehicle rooms  23  for get-on purpose may be increased. For example, when the automated valet parking lot  1  includes multiple vehicle rooms  23  for get-off purpose and multiple vehicle rooms  23  for get-on purpose, the control device  30  determines, in S 2 , no empty vehicle room  23  exists when the entrance vehicles  6 A exist in all of the vehicle rooms  23 . 
     (4b) In the above embodiment, when the process determines, in S 2 , that an empty vehicle room  23  exists, the control device  30  controls the entrance vehicle  6 A to wait in the vehicle room  23  without guiding the entrance vehicle  6 A to the passage  12 . At this time, the control device  30  may transmit an ignition-off notification to the entrance vehicle  6 A to turn off the ignition of the entrance vehicle  6 A. 
     (4c) In the above embodiment, when the process determines, in S 2 , that an empty vehicle room  23  exists, the control device  30  does not guide the entrance vehicle  6 A to the passage  12 . Alternatively, the control device may guide the entrance vehicle  6 A to the passage  12  regardless of existence of empty vehicle room  23 . According to this configuration, the entrance vehicle  6 A newly arriving at the automated valet parking lot  1  can smoothly enter the vehicle room  23 . 
     (4d) In the above embodiment, when the process determines, in S 3 , that an empty passage  12  exists, the control device  30  guides the entrance vehicle  6 A to the temporary parking position  13  set on the passage in S 4  to S 6  as described above. When another entrance vehicle  6 A exists at another temporary parking position  13  on the passage  12 , the control device  30  may align the parking direction of the entrance vehicle  6 A with another entrance vehicle  6 A along the passage  12 . For example, the entrance vehicle  6 A may be guided so that the longitudinal direction of the entrance vehicle  6 A along the passage  12  is the same as the longitudinal direction of another entrance vehicle  6 A. According to this configuration, it is possible to reduce a difference in the behaviors of the entrance vehicles  6 A on a curve, or the like. 
     (4e) In the above embodiment, when the process determines, in S 11 , the vehicles to be guided to the parking section  11  in a case where multiple entrance vehicles  6 A exist on the passage  12 , the control device  30  determines the priority of entrance to the parking section  11  based on the travel distance of each entrance vehicle within the parking area  10 . The priority of entrance to the parking section may be determined in a different method. For example, the control device  30  may determine the priority of entrance to the parking section  11  based on the distance from the current position of the entrance vehicle  6 A to the parking section  11 . Specifically, the control device  30  may give the highest priority to the entrance vehicle  6 A having the shortest travel distance from the temporary parking position  13 , which is the current position of entrance vehicle  6 A, to the parking section  11 . As another example, the control device  30  may determine the priority of entrance to the parking section  11  based on an entrance order of the entrance vehicles  6 A, which have entered the vehicle rooms  23 . 
     (4f) In the above embodiment, when the process determines, in S 1 , that an empty parking section  11  exists, the process proceeds to S 7 . When the control device  30  determines, in S 7 , that an entrance vehicle  6 A exists on the passage  12 , the control device  30  guides the entrance vehicle  6 A on the passage  12  to the parking section  11  in S 13  as described above. When the control device  30  determines, in S 7 , that no entrance vehicle  6 A exists on the passage  12 , the control device guides the entrance vehicle  6 A in the vehicle room  23  to the parking section  11  in S 13 . That is, the control device  30  preferentially guides the entrance vehicle  6 A on the passage  12  to the parking section  11  compared with the entrance vehicle  6 A in the vehicle room  23 . Alternatively, the control device  30  may determine the priority for guiding to the parking section  11  based on the position of the entrance vehicle  6 A. 
     As an example,  FIG.  7    shows a modification of the entrance guidance process. In a process according to this modification, when the process determines, in S 1 , that an empty parking section  11  exists, the process proceeds to S 31  instead of S 7  shown in  FIG.  4   . 
     In S 31 , the control device  30  determines whether an entrance vehicle  6 A exists. The entrance vehicle  6 A includes the entrance vehicle  6 A in the vehicle room  23  and the entrance vehicle  6 A existing on the passage  12 . When determining that no entrance vehicle  6 A exists, the process repeatedly executes S 31 . When determining that an entrance vehicle  6 A exists, the process proceeds to S 32 . 
     In S 32 , the control device  30  selects one of the empty parking sections  11  as the guidance position, similar to S 12  described above. 
     In S 33 , the entrance vehicle  6 A determined to be existing in S 31  is set as the guidance vehicle to be guided to the parking section  11 , which is selected as the guidance position in S 32 . When multiple entrance vehicles  6 A exist, the control device  30  calculates, for each entrance vehicle  6 A, the distance from the current position of the entrance vehicle  6 A to the parking section  11  selected as the guidance position. Then, the control device  30  sets the entrance vehicle  6 A having the shortest distance to the parking section  11  as the guidance vehicle. The distance from the current position of the entrance vehicle  6 A to the parking section  11  selected as the guidance position may be a straight line distance or a travel distance along the guidance route. After executing S 33 , the process proceeds to S 9 . 
     The process executed from S 9  is substantially the same as the process described in the first embodiment. However, when S 10  is completed, the process directly proceeds to S 13  instead of S 12  as shown in  FIG.  4   . 
     As described above, when the control device  30  guides the entrance vehicle  6 A, which has the shortest distance to the parking section  11  selected as the guidance position, to the parking section  11 , a moving distance of the entrance vehicle  6 A for entering the parking section  11  can be reduced compared with moving other entrance vehicle. Thus, the automated valet parking lot  1  can be operated more smoothly with improved efficiency. 
     The process executed in S 13 , S 32 , and S 33  in the above-descried modification corresponds to a vehicle guidance unit. 
     (4g) As the entrance guidance process, the process according to the above embodiment shown in  FIG.  4    and the process according to the modification (4f) together with  FIG.  7    have been described. The control device  30  may be configured to be execute both of these two processes shown in  FIG.  4    and  FIG.  7   . For example, the control device  30  may change the process to be executed according to the time slot. 
     (4h) In the above embodiment, the automated valet parking lot  1  includes multiple vehicle rooms  23  as the alighting. Alternatively, the alighting is not necessarily provided in the automated valet parking lot  1 . 
     (4i) The automated valet parking lot  1  may further include a transport device. The transport device may be a device that can move with the vehicle  6  in lift-up state according to a guidance of the control device  30 . In the above embodiment, when the matching between the automated valet parking lot  1  and the entrance vehicle  6 A is confirmed in A 7 , the control device  30  controls the vehicle  6 A to enter the parking section  11 . For example, when the automated valet parking lot  1  is equipped with the transport device, the transport device may be used to move the entrance vehicle  6 A to the parking section  11  when the matching between the automated valet parking lot  1  and the entrance vehicle  6 A is not confirmed. 
     (4j) Multiple functions of one configuration element in the above embodiments may be implemented by multiple configuration elements, or a single function of one configuration element may be implemented by multiple configuration elements. A part of the configuration of the above embodiments may be omitted as appropriate. At least a part of the configuration in one embodiment may be added to or substituted for the configuration of another embodiment. 
     (4k) In addition to the above control device  30 , the present disclosure can also be implemented in various forms, such as a control system  3  including the control device  30  as an element, a vehicle guidance program that controls a computer to function as the control unit  31  of the control device  30 , a non-transitory tangible storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory in which the above-described program is recorded, and a vehicle guidance method.