Patent ID: 8816878

Claim:
A parking assist apparatus comprising: a parking position information obtaining section for obtaining parking position information relating to a position where a vehicle is to be parked; a parking target position setting section for setting a parking target position based on said parking position information; a guiding path calculating section for calculating a guiding path for guiding the vehicle to the parking target position by automatic steering; a reporting information outputting section for reporting to a driver of the vehicle successful establishment of a guiding path; a non-holding state determining section for determining whether there is realized a non-holding state of the driver not holding a steering device; a guiding section for guiding the vehicle from a guiding start position to said parking target position by the automatic steering through controlling said steering device; a guiding start determining section configured to determine that there has been established a guiding possible state where the vehicle can be guided by said guiding section by the automatic steering, provided said guiding path has been established and said non-holding state has been realized and configured also to cause said guiding section to initiate the guiding based upon the result of said determination, without requiring any operation by the driver on an operating section including an OK button and a guiding start button, after output of said reporting information from said reporting information outputting section; and a moving state determining section for determining whether the vehicle is currently moving or not; wherein said guiding start determining section determines that a guiding possible state is established, provided a guiding path has been established and the non-holding state has been realized and the moving state determining section has determined that the vehicle is now stopped.