Method and Device for Parking Assistance

A parking assist method includes acquiring recognition information on parked vehicles existing in a parking lot; extracting two or more vehicles parked side by side from the recognition information and grouping the two or more vehicles into a set of vehicles; and when a space into which parking is possible exists between the parked vehicles included in the grouped set of vehicles, estimating the space as an available parking space. The disclosure further includes setting a pathway direction reference line extending along a pathway of the parking lot; calculating reference distances between the pathway direction reference line and the parked vehicles included in the above recognition information; and extracting the two or more vehicles from the above recognition information and grouping the two or more vehicles into the set of vehicles on the basis of the calculated reference distances.