1. An information providing apparatus (12),

has an external recognition unit (58), a travel state determination unit (60), and an information provision control unit (62),

the external recognition unit (58) recognizes an external situation of the mobile body (10);

the travel state determination unit (60) determines a travel state of the mobile body;

the information provision control portion (62) starts providing the parking recommendation information in a case where the instruction of the traffic light (72) recognized by the outside world recognition portion and the travel state determined by the travel state determination portion satisfy a provision start condition for starting providing the parking recommendation information, and the information provision control portion (62) ends providing the parking recommendation information in a case where a provision end condition for ending providing the parking recommendation information is satisfied,

the information provision control unit may control the information provision control unit to start providing the parking recommendation information in accordance with the provision start condition being satisfied, and then end providing the parking recommendation information in accordance with the provision end condition being satisfied, and further, when the provision start condition is satisfied again after that, restrict re-providing of the parking recommendation information.

2. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1,

the supply start condition is a condition that the instruction of the traffic signal lamp recognized by the external world recognition portion is a stop instruction, and the speed of the moving body determined by the traveling state determination portion is equal to or higher than a 1 st speed threshold (TH 1).

3. The information providing apparatus according to claim 2,

the supply end condition is a condition that the speed of the moving object determined by the traveling state determination unit is lower than a 2 nd speed threshold (TH2) that is lower than the 1 st speed threshold.

4. The information providing apparatus according to claim 3,

the information provision control portion does not restrict the re-provision of the parking recommendation information when the speed of the mobile body is lower than the 2 nd speed threshold and less than the 3 rd speed threshold after the start of the provision of the parking recommendation information.

5. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1,

the information providing control section provides the parking recommendation information using a speaker (46) provided to the moving body and a display section (40) provided to the moving body,

the information provision control unit restricts the re-provision of the parking recommendation information using the speaker, and continues to provide the parking recommendation information using the display unit even when the provision end condition is satisfied.

6. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1,

further provided with an operation determination unit (64), wherein the operation determination unit (64) determines whether or not there is a braking operation by an occupant of the mobile body,

the information provision control portion does not restrict the re-provision of the parking recommendation information in a case where the occupant does not perform the braking operation according to the provided parking recommendation information after the start of the provision of the parking recommendation information.

7. A movable body characterized in that a movable body is provided,

an information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. An information providing method, characterized in that,

there are steps of starting to provide the parking recommendation information (S1, S2) and ending to provide the parking recommendation information (S3, S4), wherein,

in the step of starting the provision of the parking recommendation information (S1, S2), in a case where the instruction of a traffic light and the traveling state of the moving body satisfy a provision start condition for starting the provision of the parking recommendation information, the provision of the parking recommendation information is started;

in the step of ending the providing of the parking recommendation information (S3, S4), in a case where a provision ending condition for ending the providing of the parking recommendation information is satisfied, ending the providing of the parking recommendation information,

after the parking recommendation information is started to be provided in response to the provision start condition being satisfied, the provision of the parking recommendation information is ended in response to the provision end condition being satisfied, and further after that, when the provision start condition is satisfied again, the re-provision of the parking recommendation information is restricted (S6).

Background

Japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2009-104543 discloses an information providing device that outputs driving assistance information including a dangerous traveling area.

Disclosure of Invention

However, in japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2009-104543, information is not necessarily provided accurately.

An object of the present invention is to provide an information providing device, a moving object, and an information providing method capable of accurately providing parking recommendation information.

An information providing device according to an aspect of the present invention includes an external recognition unit that recognizes an external situation of a moving body, a travel state determination unit, and an information providing control unit; the travel state determination unit determines a travel state of the mobile body; the information providing control unit starts providing the parking recommendation information when the indication of the traffic light recognized by the outside world recognition unit and the driving state determined by the driving state determination unit satisfy a provision start condition for starting providing the parking recommendation information, ends providing the parking recommendation information when a provision end condition for ending providing the parking recommendation information is satisfied, ends providing the parking recommendation information when the provision start condition is satisfied, ends providing the parking recommendation information when the provision end condition is satisfied, and restricts re-providing the parking recommendation information when the provision start condition is satisfied again after the provision of the parking recommendation information is started.

A mobile object according to another aspect of the present invention includes the information providing apparatus described above.

A further aspect of the present invention provides an information providing method including a step of starting providing parking recommendation information when an instruction of a traffic light and a traveling state of a moving body satisfy a provision start condition for starting providing the parking recommendation information, a step of ending providing the parking recommendation information when a provision end condition for ending providing the parking recommendation information is satisfied, a step of ending providing the parking recommendation information when the provision start condition is satisfied, and a step of ending providing the parking recommendation information when the provision end condition is satisfied, and further a step of restricting re-providing of the parking recommendation information when the provision start condition is satisfied again after the step of starting providing the parking recommendation information when the provision start condition is satisfied.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information providing apparatus, a moving body, and an information providing method that can accurately provide parking recommendation information.

The above objects, features and advantages can be easily understood from the following description of the embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a mobile object including an information providing apparatus according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the information providing apparatus according to the embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information providing apparatus according to the embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information providing apparatus according to modification 1.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information providing apparatus according to modification 2.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, an information providing apparatus, a moving object, and an information providing method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings by referring to preferred embodiments.

[ one embodiment ]

An information providing apparatus, a moving object, and an information providing method according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a mobile object including an information providing apparatus according to the present embodiment. Here, a case where the mobile body 10 is a vehicle will be described as an example, but the mobile body 10 is not limited to a vehicle. For example, the mobile body 10 may be a robot or the like.

The mobile body 10 includes an information providing device 12, that is, an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) for providing information. The mobile body 10 also has an external sensor 14, a speed sensor 16, a brake pedal sensor 18, a communication section 20, an HMI (human machine interface) 22, a navigation device 30, and a positioning section 33. The moving body 10 may have components other than these components, but the description thereof is omitted here.

The external sensor 14 acquires external information, that is, information of the outside of the mobile body 10. The environment sensor 14 has a plurality of cameras 32 and a plurality of radars 34. The ambient sensor 14 also has a plurality of LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) 36.

Camera information, which is information acquired by the camera (imaging unit) 32, is supplied from the camera 32 to the information providing apparatus 12. The camera information includes shooting information and the like. The camera information is combined with radar information and LiDAR information, which will be described later, to constitute external information. In fig. 1, 1 camera 32 is illustrated, but actually, there are a plurality of cameras 32.

The radar 34 emits a transmission wave to the outside of the moving body 10, and receives a reflected wave reflected by a detection object out of the emitted transmission wave. Examples of the transmission wave include an electromagnetic wave. Examples of the electromagnetic wave include a millimeter wave. The radar 34 generates radar information (reflected wave signal) from the reflected wave or the like. The radar 34 supplies the generated radar information to the information providing apparatus 12. In fig. 1, 1 radar 34 is illustrated, but the mobile body 10 actually has a plurality of radars 34. The radar 34 is not limited to the millimeter-wave radar. For example, a laser radar, an ultrasonic sensor, or the like may be used as the radar 34.

The LiDAR36 continuously emits laser light in all directions of the moving body 10, measures the three-dimensional position of the reflection point from the reflected wave of the emitted laser light, and outputs three-dimensional information, which is information on the three-dimensional position. The LiDAR36 supplies this three-dimensional information, i.e., LiDAR information, to the information provider 12. In FIG. 1, 1 LiDAR36 is illustrated, but in practice the mobile body 10 has multiple LiDAR 36.

The speed sensor 16 can detect the speed of the mobile body 10, i.e., the vehicle speed. Information detected by the speed sensor 16, that is, information indicating the speed of the mobile body 10 may be supplied to the information providing control section 62.

The brake pedal sensor 18 detects an operation amount of a brake pedal, not shown. Information detected by the brake pedal sensor 18, that is, information indicating the amount of operation of the brake pedal, may be supplied to the operation determination unit 64.

The communication unit 20 performs wireless communication with an external device not shown. The external device may include, for example, an external server not shown.

The HMI22 accepts operation inputs by the occupant, and provides the occupant with various information in a visual, audible, or tactile manner. The HMI22 may include, for example, the display 40 and the speaker 46.

The display unit 40 can display predetermined information. As the display unit 40, for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like can be used, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The display unit 40 may have a touch panel, for example, but is not limited thereto. The display unit 40 may display parking recommendation information and the like described later.

The speaker 46 is used to provide various information to the occupant in the form of voice. The speaker 46 may provide parking recommendation information and the like, which will be described later, to the occupant in a voice manner.

The Navigation device 30 includes a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) sensor (not shown). The navigation device 30 further includes an unillustrated computing unit and an unillustrated storage unit. The GNSS sensor detects the current position of the mobile body 10. The calculation unit reads map information corresponding to the current position detected by the GNSS sensor from the map database stored in the storage unit. The calculation unit specifies a target route from the current position to the destination using the map information. The destination is entered by the occupant through the HMI 22. As described above, the display portion 40 may have a touch panel. By the occupant operating the touch panel, the destination can be input. The navigation device 30 can output the made target route to the information providing device 12. The information providing apparatus 12 can supply the target route to the HMI 22. The HMI22 can display the target route on the display unit 40.

The positioning portion 33 has GNSS 48. The positioning section 33 also has an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) 50 and a map database (map DB) 52. The positioning section 33 determines the position of the mobile body 10 using the information obtained by the GNSS48, the information obtained by the IMU50, and the map information stored in the map database 52 as appropriate. The positioning unit 33 may supply the information providing device 12 with its own position information, which is information indicating the position of the mobile body 10, that is, the position information of the mobile body 10. In addition, the positioning section 33 may supply the map information to the information providing apparatus 12.

The information providing apparatus 12 includes an arithmetic unit 54 and a storage unit 56. The arithmetic unit 54 controls the entire information providing apparatus 12. The arithmetic unit 54 may be constituted by 1 or more processors, for example. The processor may be, for example, a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or the like. The arithmetic unit 54 controls each unit based on a program stored in the storage unit 56, thereby performing information supply control.

The computing unit 54 includes a control unit 57, an external recognition unit 58, a travel state determination unit 60, an information provision control unit 62, and an operation determination unit 64. The control unit 57, the external world identification unit 58, the traveling state determination unit 60, the information provision control unit 62, and the operation determination unit 64 can be realized by the operation unit 54 executing a program stored in the storage unit 56.

The storage unit 56 includes a volatile memory not shown and a nonvolatile memory not shown. Examples of the volatile Memory include a RAM (Random Access Memory). Examples of the nonvolatile Memory include a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a flash Memory. The external information, the vehicle body behavior information, the driving operation information, and the like are stored in the volatile memory, for example. Programs, tables, maps (maps), and the like are stored in, for example, a nonvolatile memory.

The control unit 57 controls the entire information providing apparatus 12.

The external world recognizing unit 58 can recognize the external world situation of the moving body 10. The environment recognizing unit 58 can recognize the environment based on, for example, the environment information supplied from the environment sensor 14 or the like, more specifically, the environment information supplied from the camera 32. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the information providing apparatus according to the present embodiment. An example of a driving lane is shown on the upper side of fig. 2. The timing diagram is shown on the lower side of fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows an example of a case where the intersection 70 is located in the traveling direction of the mobile object 10. Also shown in fig. 2 are traffic lights 72 to which the intersection 70 belongs and stop lines 74 corresponding to the traffic lights 72. Fig. 2 shows an example of a case where the mobile body 10 is traveling on the lane 80C. On one side of the lane 80C, that is, on the right side in the traveling direction of the lane 80C, there is a lane 80R for turning right. On the other side of lane 80C, i.e., on the left side in the traveling direction of lane 80C, there is a lane 80L for left turn. The environment recognition unit 58 can recognize the position of the intersection 70, the position of the traffic light 72, the indication of the traffic light 72, the position of the stop line 74 corresponding to the traffic light 72, and the like, based on the environment information supplied from the environment sensor 14 and the like. The external world identification unit 58 may perform the above-described identification based on information supplied from the navigation device 30, the communication unit 20, and the like.

The traveling state determination unit 60 may determine the traveling state of the mobile unit 10. More specifically, the traveling state determination unit 60 may determine the traveling state of the mobile unit 10 based on information supplied from the speed sensor 16 or the like.

The information provision control portion 62 may provide the parking recommendation information in accordance with an instruction or the like of the traffic light 72 recognized by the external world recognition portion 58. The information provision control portion 62 may start providing the parking recommendation information in a case where the following provision start condition for starting providing the parking recommendation information is satisfied. More specifically, the information provision control portion 62 may start providing the parking recommendation information when the instruction of the traffic light 72 recognized by the external world recognition portion 58 and the traveling state of the mobile body 10 determined by the traveling state determination portion 60 satisfy the following provision start condition.

The supply start condition is, for example, a condition that the instruction of the traffic light 72 recognized by the external world recognition unit 58 is a stop instruction, and the speed of the mobile body 10 determined by the traveling state determination unit 60 is equal to or higher than the 1 st speed threshold TH 1. The 1 st speed threshold TH1 is used to reliably stop the mobile body 10 at the near side of the stop line 74 corresponding to the traffic signal 72 of the stop instruction. The 1 st speed threshold TH1 may be set so that the mobile object 10 can be stopped at the front side of the stop line 74 even when the mobile object 10 decelerates at a deceleration not exceeding a predetermined deceleration limit value, for example. The deceleration limit value may be set to 0.4G, for example, but is not limited thereto. The 1 st speed threshold TH1 may vary depending on the distance from the current position of the mobile body 10 to the stop line 74 and the current speed of the mobile body 10.

In the case where the provision end condition for ending the provision of the parking recommendation information is satisfied, the information provision control portion 62 may end the provision of the parking recommendation information. The supply end condition is a condition that the speed of the mobile body 10 determined by the traveling state determination unit 60 is lower than the 2 nd speed threshold TH2 that is smaller than the 1 st speed threshold TH 1. The 2 nd speed threshold TH2 is used to determine whether the speed of the mobile body 10 sufficiently drops. The 2 nd speed threshold TH2 may be set so that it can be accurately determined whether the speed of the mobile body 10 has sufficiently decreased.

After the start of providing the parking recommendation information, the provision of the parking recommendation information may be ended in accordance with the satisfaction of the provision end condition, and after that, in a case where the provision start condition is satisfied again, the information provision control part 62 may restrict the re-provision of the parking recommendation information. The reason why the re-supply of the parking recommendation information is restricted in the above case is as follows. When the supply of the parking recommendation information is terminated in response to the supply termination condition being satisfied after the supply of the parking recommendation information is started, the traffic light 72 recognized by the occupant is highly likely to indicate parking. Regardless of whether the traffic light 72 recognized by the occupant indicates parking, if the parking recommendation information is provided again when the provision start condition is satisfied again, the occupant may feel annoyed. For this reason, in the present embodiment, after the supply of the parking recommendation information is started, the supply of the parking recommendation information is terminated in response to the supply termination condition being satisfied, and thereafter, when the supply start condition is satisfied again, the re-supply of the parking recommendation information is restricted.

The information provision control portion 62 may perform control so that the parking recommendation information is displayed in the display portion 40. In addition, the information provision control portion 62 may provide the parking recommendation information using the speaker 46.

The information provision control unit 62 restricts the use of the speaker 46 to provide the parking recommendation information again, and may continue the use of the display unit 40 to provide the parking recommendation information even when the provision end condition is satisfied.

The operation determination unit 64 may determine whether or not a braking operation is performed by an occupant of the mobile unit 10. The operation determination unit 64 may determine the presence or absence of a braking operation by the occupant of the mobile unit 10 based on information supplied from the brake pedal sensor 18.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information providing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

In step S1, the information provision control unit 62 determines whether or not the provision start condition is satisfied. If the supply start condition is satisfied (yes in step S1), the process proceeds to step S2. In the case where the supply start condition is not satisfied (no in step S1), step S1 is repeated.

In step S2, the information provision control unit 62 starts providing the parking recommendation information. Specifically, the display of the parking recommendation information on the display section 40 is started, and the provision of the parking recommendation information using the speaker 46 is started. After that, the process proceeds to step S3.

In step S3, the information provision control unit 62 determines whether or not the provision end condition is satisfied. If the supply end condition is satisfied (yes in step S3), the process proceeds to step S4. In the case where the providing end condition is not satisfied (no in step S3), step S3 is repeated.

In step S4, the information provision control unit 62 ends the provision of the parking recommendation information. Specifically, the use of the speaker 46 to provide the parking recommendation information is ended. On the other hand, the display of the parking recommendation information on the display portion 40 may be continued. After that, the process proceeds to step S5.

In step S5, the information provision control unit 62 determines whether or not the provision start condition is satisfied again. If the supply start condition is satisfied again (yes in step S5), the process proceeds to step S6. In a case where the supply start condition is not satisfied again (no in step S5), step S5 is repeated.

In step S6, the information provision control portion 62 restricts re-provision of the parking recommendation information. Specifically, the use of the speaker 46 is restricted to provide the parking recommendation information again. On the other hand, the display of the parking recommendation information on the display portion 40 may be continued. Thus, the processing shown in fig. 3 is executed.

An example of the operation of the information providing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 2.

At time t1, the traffic signal 72 is recognized as being red by the surrounding recognition unit 58.

At time t2, the traveling state determination unit 60 determines that the speed of the mobile body 10 is equal to or higher than the 1 st speed threshold TH 1. Since the supply start condition for starting the supply of the parking recommendation information is satisfied at time t1, the information supply control portion 62 starts the supply of the parking recommendation information. Specifically, the parking recommendation information is displayed on the display section 40, and the parking recommendation information is provided using the speaker 46.

At time t3, the braking operation is started by the occupant. Accordingly, the speed of the mobile body 10 is reduced.

At time t4, the traveling state determination unit 60 determines that the speed of the mobile body 10 is less than the 2 nd speed threshold TH 2. Since the provision end condition for ending the provision of the parking recommendation information is satisfied, the information provision control portion 62 ends the provision of the parking recommendation information. Specifically, the use of the speaker 46 to provide the parking recommendation information is ended. The display of the parking recommendation information on the display unit 40 may be maintained as it is, but is not limited thereto.

At time t5, the braking operation by the occupant is ended. After that, the speed of the mobile body 10 is increased.

At time t6, the traveling state determination unit 60 determines that the speed of the mobile body 10 is equal to or higher than the 1 st speed threshold TH 1. Thereby, the provision start condition for starting provision of the parking recommendation information is satisfied again. The information provision control portion 62 restricts re-provision of the parking recommendation information. Specifically, the information provision control unit 62 restricts the use of the speaker 46 to re-provide the parking recommendation information. Further, the parking recommendation information may be displayed on the display unit 40 while the state is maintained.

At time t7, the braking operation by the occupant is started. Accordingly, the speed of the mobile body 10 is reduced.

At time t8, the mobile body 10 stops on the near side of the stop line 74.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the instruction of the traffic light 72 and the traveling state of the mobile body 10 satisfy the provision start condition for starting the provision of the parking recommendation information, the provision of the parking recommendation information is started. After the supply of the parking recommendation information is started, the supply of the parking recommendation information is terminated according to the condition that the supply termination condition is satisfied, and further after that, the supply of the parking recommendation information is restricted again when the supply start condition is satisfied again. That is, according to the present embodiment, since the vehicle stop recommendation information is prevented from being provided again, it is possible to prevent the occupant from feeling bored. As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide the information providing apparatus 12 capable of accurately providing the parking recommendation information.

(modification 1)

The information providing apparatus, the moving object, and the information providing method according to modification 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

In the present modification, after the start of the supply of the parking recommendation information, if the occupant does not perform the braking operation based on the supplied parking recommendation information, the information supply control unit 62 does not restrict the supply of the parking recommendation information. That is, in a state where the occupant has not performed the braking operation based on the supplied parking recommendation information, the information supply control unit 62 ends the supply of the parking recommendation information, and thereafter, when the supply start condition is satisfied again, the information supply control unit resupplies the parking recommendation information. The reason why the parking recommendation information is not restricted from being provided again in the case where the occupant does not perform the braking operation based on the provided parking recommendation information after the start of the provision of the parking recommendation information is as follows. That is, when the occupant does not perform the braking operation based on the provided parking recommendation information, the occupant may not recognize that the traffic signal 72 is the parking instruction. Therefore, in such a case, it is preferable to provide the parking recommendation information again. For this reason, in the present modification, after the supply of the parking recommendation information is started, if the occupant does not perform the braking operation based on the supplied parking recommendation information, the parking recommendation information is supplied again.

An example of the operation of the information providing apparatus according to the present modification will be described with reference to fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information providing apparatus according to the present modification.

Steps S1 to S5 are the same as steps S1 to S5 described above with reference to fig. 3, and therefore, a description thereof will be omitted. If the supply start condition is satisfied again (yes in step S5), the process proceeds to step S11. In a case where the supply start condition is not satisfied again (no in step S5), step S5 is repeated.

In step S11, the information provision control portion 62 determines whether or not a braking operation has been performed by the occupant based on the provided parking recommendation information after the start of providing the parking recommendation information. After the start of the supply of the parking recommendation information, if the occupant performs a braking operation based on the supplied parking recommendation information (yes in step S11), the process proceeds to step S6. After the start of the supply of the parking recommendation information, if the occupant does not perform the braking operation based on the supplied parking recommendation information (no in step S11), the process proceeds to step S12.

In step S12, the information provision control unit 62 provides the parking recommendation information again. Specifically, the information provision control unit 62 resumes the use of the speaker 46 to provide the parking recommendation information. In addition, the display of the parking recommendation information on the display unit 40 may be maintained as it is. After that, the processing after step S3 is repeated.

Since step S6 is the same as step S6 described above using fig. 3, a description thereof will be omitted. Thus, the processing shown in fig. 4 is executed.

In this way, the information provision control portion 62 may be configured not to restrict the provision of the parking recommendation information any more in a case where the occupant does not perform the braking operation based on the provided parking recommendation information after the start of the provision of the parking recommendation information.

(modification 2)

The information providing apparatus, the moving object, and the information providing method according to modification 2 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

In the present modification, after the start of the supply of the parking recommendation information, if the speed of the mobile body 10 is lower than the 3 rd speed threshold TH3 which is smaller than the 2 nd speed threshold TH2, the information supply control part 62 does not restrict the supply of the parking recommendation information any more. The 3 rd speed threshold TH3 is used to determine whether the mobile body 10 is stopped, and may be set to less than 5km/h, for example. That is, when the mobile unit 10 stops after the start of providing the parking recommendation information, the reset is performed.

An example of the operation of the information providing apparatus according to the present modification will be described with reference to fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information providing apparatus according to the present modification.

Steps S1 to S5 are the same as steps S1 to S5 described above with reference to fig. 3, and therefore, a description thereof will be omitted. If the supply start condition is satisfied again (yes in step S5), the process proceeds to step S11. In a case where the supply start condition is not satisfied again (no in step S5), step S5 is repeated.

Since step S11 is the same as step S11 described above using fig. 4, a description thereof will be omitted. After the start of the supply of the parking recommendation information, if the occupant performs a braking operation based on the supplied parking recommendation information (yes in step S11), the process proceeds to step S22. After the start of the supply of the parking recommendation information, if the occupant does not perform the braking operation based on the supplied parking recommendation information (no in step S11), the process proceeds to step S12.

In step S22, the information provision control part 62 determines whether the speed of the moving body 10 is less than the 3 rd speed threshold TH3 after the start of providing the parking recommendation information. After the start of providing the parking recommendation information, if the speed of the mobile body 10 is less than the 3 rd speed threshold TH3 (yes in step S22), the process proceeds to step S12. After the start of providing the parking recommendation information, if the speed of the mobile body 10 is not less than the 3 rd speed threshold TH3 (no in step S22), the process proceeds to step S6.

Since step S6 is the same as step S6 described above using fig. 3, a description thereof will be omitted. Since step S12 is the same as step S12 described above using fig. 4, a description thereof will be omitted. Thus, the processing shown in fig. 5 is executed.

In this way, the information provision control part 62 may be configured not to restrict the provision of the parking recommendation information any more in the case where the speed of the mobile body 10 is lower than the 3 rd speed threshold TH3 which is smaller than the 2 nd speed threshold TH2 after the start of the provision of the parking recommendation information.

[ modified embodiment ]

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For example, when the mobile body 10 travels on the lane 80C, the information provision control unit 62 starts providing the parking recommendation information, and then makes a lane change to the lane 80R for making a right turn, and when the traffic light 72 displays an arrow for allowing a right turn, the information provision control unit may perform the following control. That is, in this case, the information provision control portion 62 suspends the use of the speaker 46 to provide the parking recommendation information. In this case, the information provision control portion 62 continues to display the parking recommendation information on the display portion 40. After that, when the lane change is performed again and the mobile object 10 is in the state of traveling on the lane 80C, the information provision control unit 62 restricts the use of the speaker 46 to provide the parking recommendation information. That is, even when the provision start condition is satisfied, the information provision control unit 62 does not provide the parking recommendation information using the speaker 46.

The above embodiments are summarized as follows.

An information providing device (12) having an external recognition unit (58), a travel state determination unit (60), and an information providing control unit (62), wherein the external recognition unit (58) recognizes an external situation of a mobile body (10); the travel state determination unit (60) determines a travel state of the mobile body; the information providing control unit (62) starts providing the parking recommendation information when the instruction of the traffic light (72) recognized by the external world recognition unit and the travel state determined by the travel state determination unit satisfy a provision start condition for starting providing the parking recommendation information, ends providing the parking recommendation information when a provision end condition for ending providing the parking recommendation information is satisfied, ends providing the parking recommendation information when the provision start condition is satisfied, ends providing the parking recommendation information when the provision end condition is satisfied after the provision start condition is satisfied, and further restricts re-providing the parking recommendation information when the provision start condition is satisfied again after that. According to such a configuration, when the instruction of the traffic light and the traveling state of the moving body satisfy the provision start condition for starting the provision of the parking recommendation information, the provision of the parking recommendation information is started. After the supply of the parking recommendation information is started, the supply of the parking recommendation information is terminated according to the condition that the supply termination condition is satisfied, and further after that, the supply of the parking recommendation information is restricted again when the supply start condition is satisfied again. That is, according to such a configuration, since the re-supply of the parking recommendation information is restricted, it is possible to suppress the driver from feeling bored. Therefore, the information providing device that can accurately provide the parking recommendation information can be provided.

The supply start condition may be a condition that the traffic signal light recognized by the external world recognition unit is a stop instruction, and the speed of the moving object determined by the travel state determination unit is equal to or greater than a 1 st speed threshold (TH 1).

The supply end condition may be a condition that the speed of the mobile object determined by the traveling state determination unit is lower than a 2 nd speed threshold (TH2) that is lower than the 1 st speed threshold.

The information provision control unit may not restrict the re-provision of the parking recommendation information when the speed of the mobile object is lower than the 2 nd speed threshold and lower than the 3 rd speed threshold after the start of the provision of the parking recommendation information.

The information provision control unit may provide the parking recommendation information using a speaker (46) provided in the moving body and a display unit (40) provided in the moving body, and the information provision control unit may restrict the re-provision of the parking recommendation information using the speaker, and may continue to provide the parking recommendation information using the display unit even when the provision end condition is satisfied.

The vehicle parking system may further include an operation determination unit (64), wherein the operation determination unit (64) determines whether or not there is a braking operation performed by an occupant of the mobile body, and the information provision control unit does not restrict the re-provision of the parking recommendation information when the occupant does not perform the braking operation based on the provided parking recommendation information after the provision of the parking recommendation information is started.

The mobile body includes the information providing apparatus as described above.

The information providing method has a step (S1, S2) of starting to provide the parking recommendation information and a step (S3, S4) of ending to provide the parking recommendation information, wherein in the step (S1, S2) of starting to provide the parking recommendation information, the provision of the parking recommendation information is started in a case where an indication of a traffic light and a traveling state of a moving body satisfy a provision start condition for starting to provide the parking recommendation information; in the step of ending the provision of the parking recommendation information (S3, S4), the provision of the parking recommendation information is ended when a provision ending condition for ending the provision of the parking recommendation information is satisfied, the provision of the parking recommendation information is ended when the provision starting condition is satisfied, the provision of the parking recommendation information is ended when the provision ending condition is satisfied, and the re-provision of the parking recommendation information is restricted when the provision starting condition is satisfied again after that (S6).