Patent ID: 7755511

Claim:
A parking assistance apparatus for supporting a driving operation in parking a vehicle in a target parking space by moving the vehicle forwards from an initial position, which is in a predetermined positional relationship and a predetermined angular relationship with the target parking space, with a steering wheel turned, stopping the vehicle at a backward movement start position, and then moving the vehicle backwards with the steering wheel turned reversely thereto or further moving the vehicle backwards with the steering wheel turned again reversely thereto, the parking assistance apparatus comprising: a camera for capturing an area behind the vehicle; a display provided in a driver seat of the vehicle; a steering angle sensor for detecting a steering angle; yaw angle detecting means for detecting a yaw angle of the vehicle; and a controller, the controller acquiring a position and a yaw angle of the vehicle continuously from the initial position based on the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor and the yaw angle of the vehicle detected by the yaw angle detecting means and displaying the image captured by the camera on the display in moving the vehicle backwards, the controller displaying on the display in a superimposed manner an estimated vehicle space indicating at least a lateral position of the vehicle at a position reached by the vehicle in moving the vehicle backwards by a difference between a current yaw angle of the vehicle and an angle of the target parking space while a current steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor is maintained during a final backward movement operation in parking the vehicle in the target parking space; and the controller displaying on the display in a shifting manner the estimated vehicle space based on a momentary steering angle and a momentary yaw angle of the vehicle, which result from backward movement of the vehicle, and when the steering angle is adjusted during the final backward movement operation, the controller displaying on the display in a shifting manner the estimated vehicle space in the case where the vehicle has moved backwards while maintaining a steering angle after being adjusted by a difference between a yaw angle of the vehicle at a time when the steering angle is adjusted and the angle of the target parking space.