Automatic driving vehicle and program for automatic driving vehicle

Abstract

To provide an automatic driving vehicle which exhibits effects on capture and arrest of criminals.SOLUTION: An automatic driving vehicle is provided by a car rental company or a car sharing company and enables temporary use with an automatic driving mode. The automatic driving vehicle receives and registers biological information of a user of temporal use. It determines whether or not a driver is a temporary user by biological information authentication means, on the basis of the acquired biological information on the driver of the automatic driving vehicle, and the registered biological information. It includes means for setting a destination in the case of theft for determining whether or not one's own vehicle is in a theft state on the basis of the determination result of the biological information authentication means and setting a destination in the case of theft where the one's own vehicle is moved in the automatic driving mode when determining that the one's own vehicle is in the theft state. When determining that the one's own vehicle is in the theft state, it informs the temporary user, and the car rental company or the car sharing company that it is in the theft state and is moved to the destination in the case of theft set by the means for setting the destination in the case of theft.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an autonomous vehicle and a program for an autonomous vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Various anti-theft systems and anti-theft devices have been proposed to prevent theft of automobiles. For example, Patent Document 1 (JP Patent Publication No. 2013-147202) and Patent Document 2 (JP Patent Publication No. 2013-126197) disclose that when authentication cannot be performed using a passcode or the like, the automobile cannot be driven, thereby preventing the theft of the automobile. In addition, Patent Document 3 (JP Patent Publication No. 2002-225677) and Patent Document 4 (JP Patent Publication No. 2011-116145) disclose that the theft of automobiles is prevented by preventing a criminal from getting into the driver's seat.

[0003] In addition, in the case of vehicle theft, inventions have been proposed, for example in Patent Document 5 (JP Patent Publication No. 2001-322533) and Patent Document 6 (JP Patent Publication No. 2000-305136), that record images of the thief and his / her voice to help identify the thief. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-147202 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2013-126197 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2002-225677 A [Patent Document 4] JP 2011-116145 A [Patent Document 5] JP 2001-322533 A [Patent Document 6] JP 2000-305136 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Conventional anti-theft devices and anti-theft systems prevent vehicle theft by controlling the vehicle so that it cannot be driven or by preventing thieves from getting into the vehicle, and so the emphasis is on preventing theft before it happens. However, if the password is discovered by a car thief or the mechanism that prevents the vehicle from being driven is deactivated or destroyed, the theft of the vehicle cannot be avoided.

[0006] In addition, the inventions of Patent Documents 5 and 6 can be used to identify a criminal or provide evidence that a caught criminal is a vehicle thief by capturing a photograph of the criminal or recording his / her voice, but they are not technologies that are directly useful for arresting or apprehending a criminal. There have been no proposals so far for vehicle theft prevention systems or theft prevention devices for automobiles that are intended to arrest or apprehend criminals.

[0007] As described above, until now, there have been no effective measures against car theft, including arresting or prosecuting the perpetrators.

[0008] Recently, autonomous vehicles have appeared that can automatically drive while avoiding obstacles without the driver having to operate the accelerator, brakes, or steering. These autonomous vehicles also require effective anti-theft measures, but as mentioned above, no effective anti-theft measures have existed up until now.

[0009] The object of the present invention is to provide an autonomous vehicle that utilizes the characteristics of autonomous driving to prevent vehicle theft and is also effective in arresting and apprehending criminals. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problem, the invention of claim 1 is as follows: An autonomous vehicle that is provided by a rental car company or a car sharing company and has an autonomous driving mode and is available for temporary use, a biometric information registration means for receiving and registering biometric information including one or more of a face image, a fingerprint, an iris, a vein pattern, a voice, and a voiceprint of a temporary user; A biometric information acquisition means for acquiring biometric information of a driver of the autonomous vehicle; a biometric information authentication means for determining whether or not a driver of the autonomous vehicle is a user of the temporary use based on the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition means and the biometric information registered by the biometric information registration means; a theft status determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle is stolen based on a determination result of the biometric information authentication means; a theft destination setting means for setting a theft destination to which the vehicle is to be moved in an automatic driving mode when the theft state determination means determines that the vehicle is stolen; Equipped with When the theft state determination means determines that the vehicle is stolen, the vehicle is notified to the temporary user and the rental car company or the car sharing company of the theft state, and the vehicle is driven in an automatic driving mode to the theft destination set by the theft destination setting means. The present invention provides an autonomous vehicle characterized by the above-mentioned.

[0011] According to the autonomous vehicle of the invention of claim 1 having the above-mentioned configuration, if the theft state determination means determines that the vehicle is stolen, the temporary user and the rental car company or car sharing company are notified of the theft state, and the vehicle moves in autonomous driving mode to the theft destination set by the theft destination setting means.

[0012] Therefore, even if the self-driving vehicle of the present invention is provided by a rental car company or a car sharing company, in the event of a theft, it can move the vehicle while leaving a suspected thief locked inside the vehicle and head to the intended destination of the theft, such as a police station. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to this invention, even self-driving cars provided by rental car companies or car sharing companies can be effective in arresting and apprehending criminals by taking advantage of their self-driving characteristics. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an embodiment of an autonomous driving vehicle according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram used to explain a part of the hardware configuration example of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of a flow of processing operations of an embodiment of an autonomously driven vehicle according to the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of a flow of processing operations of an embodiment of an autonomously driven vehicle according to the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of a flow of processing operations of an embodiment of an autonomously driven vehicle according to the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of a flow of processing operations of an embodiment of an autonomously driven vehicle according to the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is an image diagram of an embodiment of an anti-theft system for an autonomous vehicle according to the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the general configuration of an embodiment of an anti-theft system for an autonomous driving vehicle according to the present invention; [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of processing operations in the anti-theft system for an autonomous vehicle according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] [First embodiment] The first embodiment of the present invention is a case where anti-theft processing control is performed only by an autonomous vehicle. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an electronic control circuit unit 10 of an autonomous vehicle 1 of the first embodiment. The autonomous vehicle 1 of this embodiment is an example of an electric vehicle. However, the battery is not shown in Fig. 1.

[0016] The autonomous vehicle 1 of this embodiment also has an autonomous driving mode and a manual driving mode. The manual driving mode is a mode in which the vehicle can travel in response to the driver's accelerator operation, brake operation, shift lever operation, and steering operation (handle operation) in the same way as a normal vehicle that is not an autonomous vehicle. The autonomous driving mode is a driving mode in which the autonomous vehicle 1 itself automatically changes course while avoiding obstacles, even if the driver does not operate the accelerator, brake, shift lever, or steering.

[0017] Normally, the driver of the autonomous vehicle can switch the autonomous vehicle, which is running in manual driving mode, to autonomous driving mode by a predetermined operation, for example, via a touch panel, and the autonomous vehicle is configured to automatically return to manual driving mode if the driver operates the accelerator, brake, shift lever, or steering while running in autonomous driving mode. However, as described later, the autonomous vehicle 1 of this embodiment is configured to be controlled so that it can only run in autonomous driving mode if it detects that its own vehicle is stolen.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic control circuit unit 10 has a control unit 101 that is configured to be equipped with a microcomputer, and via a system bus 100, each of the following is connected: a wireless communication processing unit 102, a radar 103, a group of various sensors 104, a group of cameras 105, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiving unit 106, a current location confirmation unit 107, a surrounding moving object grasping unit 108, a voice output unit 109, a motor drive control unit 110, a steering drive control unit 111, a touch panel display unit 112, a car navigation function unit (hereinafter referred to as car navigation) 113, a door lock control unit 114, a passenger authentication unit 115, a theft detection processing unit 116, and a manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 117.

[0019] A speaker 121 is connected to the audio output unit 109. A motor drive unit 122 is connected to the motor drive control unit 110. A steering drive unit 123 is connected to the steering drive control unit 111.

[0020] In addition, a car navigation database 124 is connected to the car navigation function unit 113. A door lock drive mechanism unit 125 is connected to the door lock control unit 114. A passenger authentication information memory 126 is connected to the passenger authentication unit 115. A theft destination memory 127 is connected to the theft detection processing unit 116. A manual driving operation detection unit 128 is connected to the manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 117.

[0021] In this example, the wireless communication processing unit 102 is a functional unit that enables the autonomous vehicle 1 of the first embodiment to contact a police agency (police organizations, security organizations, and safety organizations differ depending on the country. For example, in Japan, there are police stations, police boxes, and police substations, and in the United States, there are state police, county police, city / town / village police, county sheriff's departments, and sheriff's offices. Hereinafter, these will be collectively referred to as police stations, etc.) or other predetermined locations to which the autonomous vehicle 1 will be moved in the event of theft. In this embodiment, assuming that a mobile phone network will be used to contact the destination, the owner of the autonomous vehicle 1 enters into a contract with a mobile phone company, regarding his / her vehicle as a mobile phone terminal, and the mobile phone subscriber's phone number is assigned to the autonomous vehicle 1, and the wireless communication processing unit 102 communicates using the subscriber's phone number as the calling phone number.

[0022] The wireless communication processing unit 102 also has a telephone number memory in which subscriber telephone numbers (mobile phone numbers) of mobile phone terminals that can communicate wirelessly with the autonomously driven vehicle are registered. The wireless communication processing unit 102 cooperates with the control unit 101 to automatically call the mobile phone terminal with the stored mobile phone number and execute a predetermined process as described below.

[0023] The radar 103 is used to measure the distance to vehicles, pedestrians, obstacles, etc., around the autonomous vehicle, and is made up of a laser radar, a millimeter wave radar, etc. The laser radar is embedded, for example, in the ceiling or near the bumper, and the millimeter wave radar is provided, for example, in the front and rear of the vehicle. The vehicle may be equipped with both the laser radar and the millimeter wave radar, or only one of them. Other radars, such as a quasi-millimeter wave radar, may also be used.

[0024] The various sensors 104 include an opening / closing detection sensor for detecting the opening / closing of doors and windows, a sensor for detecting the fastening of a seat belt, a seating sensor for detecting that a passenger is seated in a seat such as the driver's seat or the passenger seat, and other various sensors for acquiring information that assists in autonomous driving. Examples of the various sensors for acquiring information that assists in autonomous driving include a vibration sensor for detecting vibrations of the vehicle or tires, a rotation speed sensor for detecting the number of tire rotations, a geomagnetic sensor for detecting orientation, an acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration, a gyro sensor (gyroscope) for detecting angles and angular velocities, and the like. The various sensors 104 also include a sound sensor (microphone) that picks up the voices of passengers in the vehicle and sounds around the autonomous vehicle.

[0025] The camera group 105 includes one or more cameras that capture images of the interior of the autonomous vehicle 1, and one or more cameras that capture images of the surroundings of the autonomous vehicle 1. The cameras that capture images of the interior of the vehicle include, for example, a camera that is attached to a rearview mirror (rearview mirror, room mirror) installed between the driver's seat and the passenger seat and captures a facial image of a person sitting in the driver's seat, as well as a camera for capturing facial images of passengers sitting in the passenger seat or the back seat. The cameras that capture images of the surroundings of the autonomous vehicle 1 include, for example, two cameras (stereo cameras) that are attached to the left and right sides of the rearview mirror and mainly capture the left and right front of the autonomous vehicle 1, as well as cameras that are attached to, for example, door mirrors or fender mirrors of the autonomous vehicle 1 and capture the left and right sides and rear, cameras that are attached to the rear license plate and around the tail lamps and capture the rear of the autonomous vehicle 1, and further omnidirectional cameras (360-degree cameras) and fisheye cameras that are attached to the roof and capture the surroundings at a wide angle.

[0026] The GPS receiving unit 106 receives radio waves from GPS satellites to detect the current position of the vehicle, and supplies information on the detected current position to a current position confirmation unit 107 .

[0027] Since the accuracy of the position detected by radio waves from GPS satellites is poor, the current location confirmation unit 107 uses not only the information on the current location detected by the GPS receiving unit 106, but also one or more sensors included in the various sensor group 104, the radar 103, and images captured by the camera group 105, and performs processing based on Bayes' theorem, for example, to detect and confirm the current location with higher accuracy.

[0028] The surrounding moving object grasping unit 108 grasps moving objects around the vehicle by using images captured by the radar 103 and the camera group 105. The surrounding moving object grasping unit 108 also grasps surrounding obstacles and moving objects by performing processing based on Bayes' theory or the like.

[0029] In the self-driving vehicle 1, the current location confirmation unit 107 and surrounding moving object grasping unit 108 process various information acquired by the radar 103, various sensors 104, cameras 105, and GPS receiver unit 106, that is, information corresponding to information obtained by the human eyes and ears, using Bayes' theory or the like, and based on this, the control unit 101 performs intelligent information processing (artificial intelligence) and control (artificial intelligence), such as changing the vehicle's course and avoiding obstacles.

[0030] Although not shown, the voice output unit 109 has a built-in memory for storing voice message data to be emitted to the outside, and also has a built-in voice synthesizer and a built-in DA converter for converting the voice message data read from the memory into an analog voice signal. The voice output unit 109 supplies the voice message selected under the control of the control unit 101 to the speaker 121 so that it is emitted as a voice to the outside. As will be described later, the voice messages to be stored include "Theft in transit", "The thief in the car", "Please call 110", etc., when a suspected thief (suspected thief, thief) is in the car.

[0031] Under the control of the control unit 101, the motor drive control unit 110 controls the supply of a drive signal to a motor drive unit 122 of the autonomous vehicle 1 configured as the electric vehicle of this embodiment, so as to control the start of driving, acceleration / deceleration of the driving speed, stopping of driving, etc. of the autonomous vehicle 1.

[0032] Under the control of the control unit 101, the steering drive control unit 111 controls the supply of a drive control signal to the steering drive unit 123 of the autonomous vehicle 1 of this embodiment, thereby controlling the course change of the autonomous vehicle 1.

[0033] The touch-panel display unit 112 is configured by superimposing a touch panel that allows touch input with a finger on a display panel made of, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). A display image including software buttons (including keyboard character input buttons) is displayed on the display screen of the LCD under the control of the control unit 101. When the touch panel of the touch-panel display unit 112 detects a touch with a finger on a software button displayed on the display screen, it transmits the touch to the control unit 101. The control unit 101 is configured to execute a control process corresponding to the software button.

[0034] Car navigation function unit 113 is a functional unit for providing guidance to assist autonomous vehicle 1 in moving to a specified destination, based on maps and route guidance data stored in car navigation database 124. In this embodiment, car navigation function unit 113 is configured to perform slightly different processes in manual driving mode and autonomous driving mode.

[0035] That is, in the manual driving mode, the car navigation function unit 113 displays an image on the display screen of the touch panel display unit 112 in which the vehicle position confirmed by the current location confirmation unit 107 is superimposed on a map that explicitly displays the route to the destination, and also moves the vehicle position (current position) on the map as the vehicle moves, and provides voice guidance at points where route guidance is necessary, such as intersections and branching points on the route.

[0036] On the other hand, in the autonomous driving mode, when the current position of the vehicle is away from the route to the destination, the car navigation function unit 113 notifies the control unit 101 of information on the direction of departure and distance, and when the current position of the vehicle is on the route to the destination, the car navigation function unit 113 notifies the control unit 101 of information instructing the control unit 101 to change the course direction along the route before an intersection or a branch point on the route as the vehicle moves. Based on the information notified from the car navigation function unit 113, the confirmation result of the current location confirmation unit 107, and the recognition result of the surrounding moving object recognition unit 108, the control unit 101 controls the motor drive unit 122 through the motor drive control unit 110 and controls the steering drive unit 123 through the steering drive control unit 111 so that the vehicle moves along the route as instructed. Therefore, the route guidance to the destination by the car navigation function unit 113 and the control unit 101 in the autonomous driving mode allows the autonomous vehicle 1 to move to the destination even when there are no passengers.

[0037] In this embodiment, the car navigation function unit 113 has a function of searching for facilities or equipment corresponding to a specified keyword in the vicinity of the current location (periphery search function). This peripheral search data is also stored in the car navigation database 124. Instead of storing the peripheral search data in the car navigation database 124, the car navigation function unit 113 may send a peripheral search request including the keyword and current location information to a search site on the Internet via the wireless communication processing unit 102, and obtain peripheral search results centered on the current location from the search site.

[0038] The door lock control unit 114 controls the door lock drive mechanism unit 125 connected thereto to control the lock state of opening and closing all of the doors for passengers of the autonomous vehicle 1. That is, when the autonomous vehicle 1 is moving, the door lock control unit 114 causes the door lock drive mechanism unit 125 to set the doors to a closed and locked state so that the doors cannot be opened. Then, in a normal state other than a theft state, when the door lock control unit 114 receives a door unlock operation input from a predetermined button operation, a wireless key, or the like while the autonomous vehicle 1 is stopped, it releases the door closed and locked state, enabling the doors to be opened and closed by a door opening and closing operation unit (not shown).

[0039] In this embodiment, as described later, the door lock control unit 114 is configured to control the door lock drive mechanism unit 125 in response to a control command from the control unit 101 when it detects that the vehicle has been stolen, to automatically lock the doors of the vehicle so that they cannot be opened or closed even when the vehicle is stopped, and not to release the door lock state even if a predetermined button operation or a door unlock operation input such as a wireless key is received. The door lock state in the stolen vehicle is configured to be released only when a predetermined special condition is met, such as when a police ID presented by a police officer is captured and confirmed by a camera, or an unlock instruction including a predetermined password is received via a mobile phone terminal of the owner of the autonomously driven vehicle 1 through the wireless communication processing unit 102, as described later.

[0040] Although not shown in the figure, a window lock control unit and a window lock drive mechanism unit are further provided, and locking and unlocking of the windows are controlled in the same manner as for the doors by the control unit 101. That is, when the control unit 101 detects that the vehicle has been stolen, it locks the windows so that they cannot be opened or closed.

[0041] The passenger authentication unit 115 performs authentication processing of a passenger who is permitted to drive the autonomous vehicle 1 of this embodiment. In the autonomous vehicle 1 of this embodiment, a facial image, which is biometric information of the passenger, is used as authentication information for the passenger who can drive. That is, the facial image of the passenger who is permitted to drive the autonomous vehicle 1 is registered in advance and stored in the passenger authentication information memory 126. In this case, registration of the facial image of the passenger who is permitted to drive the autonomous vehicle 1 is permitted only when it is confirmed that authentication information determined by the owner of the autonomous vehicle 1, such as an ID or a password, has been input through the touch panel of the touch panel-equipped display unit 112. Therefore, the passenger authentication information memory 126 stores a facial image of the owner of the autonomous vehicle 1 and a facial image of the passenger who is permitted to drive by the owner of the autonomous vehicle 1.

[0042] The number of passengers permitted to drive by the owner of the autonomous vehicle 1 may be one or more, including the owner himself. In addition, one or more face images may be registered in advance for each passenger permitted to drive. In the case of multiple face images, for example, face images with different expressions, different face angles, different dates and times, etc. can be registered. In addition, if the person wears glasses, sunglasses, or a hat, it is preferable to register face images both with and without glasses or sunglasses. By registering multiple face images, the probability that the owner himself is not erroneously recognized (recognition failure probability) can be reduced. On the other hand, in the case of registering only one face image, a face image with a specific expression (e.g., a smile) or a specific angle (e.g., directly in front) may be registered. This can reduce the probability that a person other than the owner is mistakenly recognized as the owner (misrecognition probability). Of course, multiple face images with specific expressions or specific angles can be registered to reduce both the recognition failure probability and the misrecognition probability. In this embodiment, multiple face images are registered and stored in advance.

[0043] In addition, the passenger authentication information memory 126 also stores the ID and password registered by the owner of the autonomous vehicle 1.

[0044] The passenger authentication unit 115 acquires a facial image of a passenger in the autonomous vehicle 1 from the camera group 105, compares it with the facial images stored in the passenger authentication information memory 126, and when it determines that the facial image of the passenger matches any of the facial images stored in the passenger authentication information memory 126, it allows the passenger to drive the autonomous vehicle 1.

[0045] Then, when the facial image of the passenger does not match any of the facial images stored in passenger authentication information memory 126, passenger authentication unit 115 waits for input of an ID and password of the owner of the autonomous vehicle 1, and when the input of the ID and password is confirmed, it determines that the passenger is to be registered as a passenger who is to be newly permitted to drive the autonomous vehicle 1, and additionally stores the facial image of the passenger in passenger authentication information memory 126. That is, in this embodiment, registration of a passenger who is to be newly permitted to drive the autonomous vehicle 1 requires input of authentication information (an ID and a password in this example) set by the owner of the autonomous vehicle 1 and registered in passenger authentication information memory 126, and when confirmation of this authentication information is not obtained, registration of a new passenger who is to be permitted to drive the autonomous vehicle 1 is not allowed.

[0046] Then, when the passenger's facial image does not match any of the facial images stored in the passenger authentication information memory 126 and an ID and password, which are examples of authentication information for the owner of the autonomous vehicle 1, have not been entered, the passenger authentication unit 115 notifies the theft detection processing unit 116 of the authentication result that authentication was not possible.

[0047] In this embodiment, the passenger authentication unit 115 stores the facial image of a passenger who has not been authenticated as a theft suspect in an area separate from the authentication information in the passenger authentication information memory 126. This facial image of the theft suspect can be read out and used as criminal identification material if the suspect is a theft.

[0048] When the theft detection processing unit 116 receives an authentication result from the passenger authentication unit 115 indicating that the passenger could not be authenticated, it detects that the vehicle has been stolen and notifies the control unit 101 of this.

[0049] When the control unit 101 detects this notification that the vehicle is stolen, it controls the door lock drive mechanism unit 125 via the door lock control unit 114 to lock the doors closed. This locks the doors closed state, trapping the suspected thief inside the self-driving vehicle 1. Note that if the suspected thief is wearing a seat belt in a seat, the seat belt may also be controlled to be locked so that the seat belt cannot be removed. The suspected thief may be restrained by providing a mechanism that can automatically tie or secure the legs or torso from under the seat or from the backrest.

[0050] Furthermore, when the control unit 101 detects a notice that the vehicle is stolen, it controls the manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 117 so that the vehicle cannot be switched to manual driving mode even if the thief suspect, who is a passenger, operates the accelerator, brake, shift lever, or steering. In addition, input operations such as designating or changing a destination in the automatic driving mode are also invalidated. Note that the manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 117 may behave in the automatic driving mode as if it had accepted an input operation such as designating or changing a destination by the driver, so that the thief suspect, who is a passenger, does not notice that the vehicle is being transported to a police station or other destination.

[0051] The manual driving operation detection unit 128 is an operation detection means that detects the accelerator operation, brake operation, shift lever operation, and steering operation of the passenger (driver). When the vehicle is not stolen, as described above, in the automatic driving mode, the manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 117 controls to switch from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode upon receiving a detection notification of the accelerator operation, brake operation, shift lever operation, or steering operation by the driver from the manual driving operation detection unit 128 during the automatic driving mode.

[0052] In response to this, when the manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 117 receives a detection notification from the theft detection processing unit 116 that the vehicle is stolen, it forcibly switches the autonomous vehicle 1 to the automatic driving mode, and disables the detection notification from the manual driving operation detection unit 128 of the driver's accelerator operation, brake operation, shift lever operation, and steering operation, so as to continue maintaining the automatic driving mode.

[0053] The theft detection processing unit 116 then refers to the theft destination memory 127 to determine the destination in the autonomous driving mode in the event of theft. In this embodiment, the theft destinations, with priorities determined in advance by the owner of autonomous vehicle 1, are registered and stored in the theft destination memory 127. The theft detection processing unit 116 searches the theft destinations stored in the theft destination memory 127 in descending order of priority, and determines a destination that can be reached within a predetermined time (for example, within one hour) from the current location.

[0054] In this way, the reason why a destination that can be reached within a predetermined time from the current location is determined is to minimize the risk of trouble occurring, since if the destination is too far away, there is a high risk of trouble occurring if a thief is in the car. Also, if the destination is too far away, it is also taken into consideration that the electric vehicle's battery may be insufficient (or gasoline may be insufficient in the case of a gasoline-powered vehicle). In this case, a time shorter than the travel time possible with the current battery (or gasoline) remaining is set as the predetermined time. For example, if the battery remaining is equivalent to 40 minutes, the predetermined time is set to 30 minutes.

[0055] Note that the destination may not be a destination that can be reached within a predetermined time, but may be a location within a predetermined distance range (for example, within 10 km) from the current location.

[0056] The time settings within a specified time from the current location and the distance settings within a specified distance range are set when the autonomous vehicle 1 is shipped from the manufacturer or sold at a dealership, but the set time and distance may be changed by the owner of the autonomous vehicle 1 or a passenger who is allowed by the owner to drive.

[0057] If a destination that can be reached within a predetermined time (or within a predetermined distance range) is not stored in the theft destination memory 127, the theft detection processing unit 116 causes the car navigation function unit 113 to search for police stations or the like by a surrounding search, and determines the police station or the like found as a result of the search as the theft destination. Then, once the theft detection processing unit 116 has determined the theft destination, it causes the vehicle to move to the determined theft destination by automatic driving.

[0058] If the search for a police station or other facility that can arrive within a certain time (or within a certain distance) is not found, the system will notify the emergency contact and wait without moving the vehicle. Examples of emergency contact include an emergency phone number or email address for emergency calls to a police agency.

[0059] The emergency telephone number for police is the number used to report a crime such as theft to the local police, and differs from country to country. For example, in Japan, China, Indonesia, etc., it is 110, in the United States and Canada, it is 911, and in the Netherlands and Sweden, it is 112. From here on, calling these emergency telephone numbers for police will be collectively referred to as calling 110.

[0060] In addition, if an electric vehicle's battery is low at the time the theft is detected (or if the vehicle is gasoline-powered, the gasoline level is low), in order to avoid the battery running out (running out of gasoline) while in motion, the vehicle may immediately call 110 without searching for a destination to move to, and may wait there without moving the vehicle.

[0061] Fig. 2 is an example of the contents stored in destination at time of theft memory 127. As shown in Fig. 2, the registration information of the destination at time of theft includes a priority order, attributes of the destination at time of theft, an address of the destination at time of theft, and a contact telephone number of the destination at time of theft, which are input by the owner or manager of autonomous vehicle 1 and stored. In addition, a contact email address of the destination at time of theft may also be stored.

[0062] The attribute of the destination in the event of theft may be, for example, "police station near home," "police station near work," "nearest police station, etc.", which may be selected from options prepared in advance or may be input directly. The address is input by the owner or manager of the autonomous vehicle 1, but depending on the attribute of the destination in the event of theft, it may not be possible to input the address, making it an optional item. For example, if the attribute of the destination in the event of theft is "nearest police station, etc.", the address differs depending on the current location of the autonomous vehicle 1, so no address is input. The same applies to the contact phone number.

[0063] When the address of the destination in the event of theft is input, the location information of latitude and longitude corresponding to that address is obtained from the car navigation database 124 or obtained via the Internet, and stored in the destination in the event of theft memory 127. This location information is used when calculating the destination in the event of theft and the distance from the current position or the arrival time from the current position.

[0064] In addition, as a result of a nearby search, the "nearest police station, etc." may be able to obtain the address, location information, and even contact telephone number and email address.

[0065] When the theft detection processing unit 116 determines the destination in the event of theft as described above, if the contact telephone number can be obtained before or after the start of automatic driving, the theft detection processing unit 116 calls the destination in the event of theft using the telephone number. The theft detection processing unit 116 then generates a message including information such as the vehicle type, vehicle color, license plate number, the fact that the vehicle is stolen, and the expected time to arrive at the location, converts the message into a synthetic voice by voice synthesis, and sends it to the contact. The time "in the event of the arrival at the location in the event of theft" in the message is obtained by requesting the car navigation function unit 113 from the theft detection processing unit 116. The car navigation function unit 113 can calculate the expected time of arrival at the destination in the event of theft from the route and distance from the current position of the vehicle to the destination in the event of theft. The theft detection processing unit 116 obtains the calculated time from the car navigation function unit 113 and generates the message.

[0066] As described above, the theft detection processing unit 116 has a message generating means and a voice synthesizing means for realizing the function of generating a message to be sent to the destination in the event of theft and sending it as a voice to be transmitted. The message generating means stores text message data such as "We are moving toward your destination with the thief in the car. This car is a white sedan with the license plate number Shinagawa A-X-X. We are scheduled to arrive there in ( ) minutes" in an internal memory, and inserts the time obtained from the car navigation function unit 113 into the blank ( ) of "( ) minutes later" to complete the message to be sent to the destination in the event of theft. The theft detection processing unit 116 then converts the completed text message into a synthetic voice by the voice synthesizing means, and transmits it to the destination in the event of theft as a voice to be transmitted.

[0067] In this way, if it is possible to make a phone call in advance to the destination in case of theft, such as a police station, it is expected that police officers will be waiting when the stolen self-driving vehicle 1 arrives, making it easier to arrest and secure the culprit.

[0068] In addition, when the theft detection processing unit 116 is unable to contact the destination in the event of theft, it calls 110. For this case, the message generating means of the theft detection processing unit 116 stores data of a text message such as "This is an autonomous vehicle in which the thief is riding. The current location is near ( ) and is moving toward ( ). This vehicle is a white sedan with the license plate number Shinagawa A XXX.", and inserts the name of the current location acquired by the car navigation function unit 113 based on the current location confirmed by the current location confirmation unit 107 into the blank ( ) of "near ( )", and also inserts the determined destination in the event of theft into the blank ( ) of "moving toward ( )" to complete the message to be included in the emergency call to 110. The theft detection processing unit 116 then converts the completed text message into synthetic voice by the voice synthesizing means, and sends the emergency call message to 110 as the voice to be transmitted. Note that the message may include location information of latitude and longitude acquired by the GPS receiving unit 106.

[0069] When an emergency call is made to 110, it is assumed that a patrol car may track the vehicle while it is moving. In this embodiment, when the theft detection processing unit 116 detects (determines) that the patrol car has tracked the vehicle after the emergency call is made to 110, the theft detection processing unit 116 causes the vehicle to pull over to the roadside or the like and stop. In this case, the tracking of the vehicle by the patrol car is detected by an image captured by the camera of the camera group 105 and by a microphone, which is a sound sensor of the various sensor group 104, picking up the siren of the patrol car. The theft detection processing unit 116 may also control the vehicle to stop on the roadside or the like based on the voice recognition result of the picked-up voice by picking up a call from the patrol car saying "White sedan at Shinagawa A---, stop the car" with the microphone.

[0070] The description of this embodiment applies not only to police cars but also to police vehicles in general. For example, the police vehicle chasing the vehicle may be a police car, a police motorcycle, or both a police car and a police motorcycle. For simplicity, this embodiment will be described as a police car.

[0071] The theft detection processing unit 116 includes a voice recognition means for recognizing the siren of a police car and a voice call from the police car. If the voice recognition means has a language understanding function, the vehicle can follow voice instructions from the police car. For example, if the police car calls out "Turn left at the intersection and stop," the vehicle can stop on the shoulder of the road after turning left at the intersection, and if the police car calls out "Enter the parking lot on the left ahead and stop," the vehicle can enter the parking lot on the left ahead and stop. Of course, the same response can be made not only to police cars when a 110 emergency call is made, but also to police cars on patrol.

[0072] As mentioned above, when the vehicle arrives at a police station or the like, or when the vehicle detects a patrol car being pursued and stops on the side of the road, the control unit 101 is configured to, for example, photograph the police ID card presented by a police officer with a camera, and confirm the police ID card through image recognition, thereby releasing the door lock and allowing the police officer to open and close the doors.

[0073] In addition, even if the owner of the autonomous vehicle 1 sends a door-closed lock release instruction, including a specified password, to the autonomous vehicle 1 via a mobile phone terminal, the control unit 101 of the autonomous vehicle 1 is configured to confirm the password and then release the door-closed lock state.

[0074] The theft detection processing unit 116 may call 110 not only when the destination at the time of the theft cannot be contacted, but also when the destination at the time of the theft is not a police station, etc., and the destination is contacted. Furthermore, even if the destination at the time of the theft is a police station, etc., and the destination is contacted, the theft detection processing unit 116 may also call 110 to ensure the arrest or capture of the criminal.

[0075] In addition, when a theft occurs, the destination is contacted and emergency calls are made to 110 without the passengers being able to hear the voice of the call. This allows the suspected thief sitting in the driver's seat to contact the police station without being aware of it.

[0076] The electronic control circuit unit 10 of the autonomous vehicle 1 is configured as described above, and among the blocks shown in FIG. 1 , the processing functions of the current location confirmation unit 107, surrounding moving object grasping unit 108, voice output unit 109, motor drive control unit 110, steering drive control unit 111, car navigation function unit 113, door lock control unit 114, passenger authentication unit 115, theft detection processing unit 116, and manual / autonomous driving mode switching control unit 117 can be realized by the control unit 101 as software processing.

[0077] [Example of processing flow in autonomous vehicle 1]

[0078] [Example of the flow of detecting theft in an autonomous vehicle 1] Figures 3 and 4 are flowcharts for explaining an example of the flow of theft detection in the autonomous driving vehicle 1 configured as described above. In the following explanation, the processing in each step in the flowcharts of Figures 3 and 4 will be explained on the assumption that the control unit 101 realizes each of the processing functions of the current location confirmation unit 107, the surrounding moving object grasping unit 108, the audio output unit 109, the motor drive control unit 110, the steering drive control unit 111, the car navigation function unit 113, the door lock control unit 114, the passenger authentication unit 115, the theft detection processing unit 116, and the manual / autonomous driving mode switching control unit 117 as software processing.

[0079] When the power is turned on to the autonomous vehicle 1, processing starts from START in Fig. 3. First, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a passenger is seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle by monitoring the output of a driver's seat occupancy sensor in the group of various sensors 104 (step S1), and when it is determined that a passenger is not seated in the driver's seat, it executes other processing (step S2), and then returns the processing to step S1. Note that whether or not a passenger is seated in the driver's seat can be determined not only by monitoring the output of the driver's seat occupancy sensor, but also by monitoring an image captured by a camera in the group of cameras 105 for capturing an image of a passenger in the driver's seat.

[0080] In step S1, when it is determined that a passenger is seated in the driver's seat, the control unit 101 acquires captured image information from a camera in the camera group 105 that captures an image of the passenger in the driver's seat, extracts a facial image of the passenger from the acquired captured image information, and temporarily stores it in a buffer memory (not shown) (step S3).

[0081] Next, the control unit 101 compares the facial image of the passenger temporarily stored in the buffer memory with the facial image stored in passenger authentication information memory 126, and determines whether the passenger is a registered person based on whether a matching facial image is found in passenger authentication information memory 126 (step S4). If it is determined in step S4 that the passenger is a registered person, the control unit 101 permits driving (including autonomous driving) by the registered person, and transitions to a processing routine for normal driving of autonomous vehicle 1 (step S9).

[0082] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S4 that the passenger is not a registered person, a message stating "You are not registered as a driver" is displayed on the display screen of the touch panel display unit 112, and the system waits for the entry of authentication information to register an unregistered person (step S5).

[0083] Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the input of authentication information consisting of an ID and password has been accepted (step S6), and if it determines that the input has been accepted, it compares the accepted ID and password with the ID and password set by the owner as described above which are stored in the passenger authentication information memory 126, and determines whether or not the authentication is OK depending on whether or not they match (step S7).

[0084] If it is determined in step S7 that the authentication is OK, the control unit 101 stores the facial image of the passenger temporarily stored in step S3 in the passenger authentication information memory 126 and registers the passenger (step S8). Next, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S9, permits driving (including automatic driving) by the registered person, and transitions to a processing routine for normal driving.

[0085] If it is determined in step S6 that the input of authentication information consisting of an ID and a password has not been accepted, the control unit 101 displays, for example, the message "You are not registered as a driver" on the display screen, and then determines whether or not a preset predetermined time, for example, two minutes or more, has elapsed (step S11 in FIG. 4).

[0086] If it is determined in step S11 that the predetermined time has not elapsed, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the passenger has operated a cancel button displayed on the display screen of the touch panel display unit 112 (cancel operation) (step S12), and if it is determined that the cancel button has not been operated, the process returns to step S6.

[0087] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S12 that the cancel button has been operated, the control unit 101 turns off the power to the autonomous vehicle 1 again, disabling driving of the autonomous vehicle 1 (step S13). Then, the control unit 101 ends this processing routine.

[0088] Note that even when the cancel button is operated, the facial image of the passenger temporarily stored in step S3 may be stored in passenger authentication information memory 126 as the facial image of a failed registration person, and the owner of the autonomous vehicle 1 may be notified that the facial image of the failed registration person is stored in passenger authentication information memory 126. In this case, the owner of the autonomous vehicle 1 can read out the facial image of the failed registration person from passenger authentication information memory 126 and confirm that the person is a suspected theft. In other words, if the facial image of the failed registration person is a facial image of a person unknown to the owner of the autonomous vehicle 1, the person can be reported to the police station or the like as a suspected theft.

[0089] In addition, since turning off the power to self-driving vehicle 1 and stopping the vehicle increases the risk of a suspected thief escaping and is therefore undesirable, the operation of the cancel button can be disabled.

[0090] If it is determined in step S11 that a predetermined time or more has elapsed, the control unit 101 determines that the occupant is a thief suspect and that the vehicle is in a stolen state, and controls the vehicle to be only automatically driven by closing and locking the doors and disabling the detection of the accelerator operation, brake operation, shift lever operation and steering operation by the manual driving operation detection unit 128 (step S14).Then, the control unit 101 proceeds to a theft movement processing routine (step S15).

[0091] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S7 of FIG. 3 that the authentication is not OK, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the authentication has been NG rather than OK a predetermined number of times, for example the third time (step S16 of FIG. 4), and when it is determined that this is not the predetermined number of times, a message prompting the user to re-enter the authentication information is displayed on the display screen of the touch panel display unit 112 (step S17), and the process returns to step S6 of FIG. 3 to wait for the input of authentication information.

[0092] Then, when it is determined in step S16 that the authentication has been NG rather than OK for a predetermined number of times, the control unit 101 advances the process to step S14, determines that the vehicle is stolen, closes and locks the doors, and disables detection of accelerator operation, brake operation, shift lever operation, and steering operation by the manual driving operation detection unit 128, allowing only automatic driving.The control unit 101 then advances the process to step S15, and transitions to a theft-time movement processing routine.

[0093] [Example of the movement processing flow in the event of theft in autonomous vehicle 1] An example of the flow of the movement process in the event of theft in step S15 in Fig. 4 described above will be described with reference to the flowcharts of Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. Note that the process in each step in the flowcharts of Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 will also be described assuming that the control unit 101 realizes each of the processing functions of the current location confirmation unit 107, the surrounding moving object grasping unit 108, the audio output unit 109, the motor drive control unit 110, the steering drive control unit 111, the car navigation function unit 113, the door lock control unit 114, the passenger authentication unit 115, the theft detection processing unit 116, and the manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 117 as software processing.

[0094] First, the control unit 101 designates the theft destination with the highest priority among the stored information in the theft destination memory 127 (step S21). Next, the control unit 101 determines whether the information on the theft destination with the nth highest priority is stored in the theft destination memory 127 (step S22).

[0095] When it is determined in step S22 that data on the destination in the event of theft with priority rank n has been stored, the control unit 101 determines whether the destination in the event of theft with priority rank n has only attributes registered and no address (and latitude and longitude location information) is stored (step S23).

[0096] In step S23, when it is determined that only attributes are registered for the destination in case of theft with the nth priority, and the address (and the latitude and longitude location information) is not stored, the control unit 101 searches the surrounding area around the current location to find the attribute, for example, a police station, and acquires the address and the latitude and longitude location information (step S24). When the search target is a police station, it detects various police agencies, for example, in the case of Japan, a police station, a police box, or a police substation.

[0097] Note that larger police agencies (police stations in Japan) may be detected preferentially because smaller police agencies (police boxes and police stations in Japan) may not have police officers on patrol, etc. If information on smaller police agencies that have no resident police officers, or that have only one or two officers and are highly likely to be absent, can be stored in a database or obtained from a specific site on the Internet, the priority of these smaller police agencies may be lowered.

[0098] Then, the control unit 101 calculates the arrival time from the current location to the destination in the event of theft that is ranked nth in the priority order, based on the location information of the address and the location information of the vehicle's current location (step S25).

[0099] Also, when it is determined in step S23 that the destination in the event of theft that is ranked nth in priority has stored therein not only attributes but also an address (and latitude and longitude location information), the control unit 101 advances the processing to step S25 and calculates the arrival time from the current location to the destination in the event of theft that is ranked nth in priority, based on the location information of the address and the location information of the vehicle's current location.

[0100] After step S25, the control unit 101 determines whether or not it is possible to arrive at the destination from the current location within a predetermined time based on the arrival time calculated in step S25 (step S26).

[0101] If it is determined in step S26 that it is not possible to arrive at the destination from the current location within a predetermined time, the control unit 101 sets n=n+1 and specifies to read out the next priority destination in case of theft from the destination in case of theft memory 127 (step S27), and then returns the process to step S22 to repeat the processes from step S22 onwards.

[0102] If it is determined in step S26 that the destination can be reached from the current location within a predetermined time, the control unit 101 starts automatic driving with the destination in case of theft read out from the destination in case of theft memory 127 or the destination in case of theft found as a result of the surrounding area search in step S24 as the destination (step S28).

[0103] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S22 that data on the destination in the event of theft with priority level n is not stored, that is, when it is determined that the destination in the event of theft memory 127 does not store an appropriate destination in the event of theft for the current location, the control unit 101 searches for the nearest police station or the like by performing a surrounding search, sets the police station or the like found in the search as the destination, and starts automatic driving (step S29).

[0104] After step S28 or S29, the control unit 101 determines whether the contact information of the set destination, in this example, the telephone number, is known (step S31 in FIG. 6), and if it is determined that the contact information is known, it places a call to the destination (step S32).Then, the control unit 101 determines whether the destination has responded to the call (step S33), and if it has responded, as described above, it contacts the destination by telephone with information about the vehicle, such as the vehicle number and characteristics, current location information, the destination, and the estimated time of arrival at the destination, using a synthetic voice (step S34).

[0105] Then, the control unit 101 continues the automatic driving and moves to the set destination (step S35). Then, the control unit 101 determines whether the vehicle has arrived at the destination (step S36), and if it determines that the vehicle has not arrived, returns the process to step S35 and repeats the process from step S35 onwards. If it determines that the vehicle has arrived at the destination, the control unit 101 stops the vehicle and emits a voice message from the speaker 121 indicating that the suspected thief is in the vehicle, for example, "Theft in transit" or "Theft in the vehicle" (step S37). Also, the vehicle may be notified by sounding the horn or flashing the lights to alert people outside.

[0106] If the destination is a police station or the like, a police officer can approach the self-driving car 1 and open the door by, for example, having a camera read the police ID card, and the suspected thief inside can be arrested or detained.

[0107] If it is determined in step S31 that the contact information for the set destination, in this example the telephone number, is unknown, or if it is determined in step S33 that the destination does not respond to the call because the caller is not there or the line is busy, the control unit 101 calls 110 (step S38) and communicates information about the vehicle, such as the vehicle number and characteristics, current location, destination, and estimated time of arrival at the destination, by synthetic voice (step S39).

[0108] Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a patrol car has been pursuing the vehicle (step S40), and when it determines that the vehicle has been pursued, the control unit 101 automatically drives the vehicle to the side of the road and stops the vehicle (step S41). Note that in step S41, if the voice call from the patrol car can be recognized, the control unit 101 can follow the voice instruction to stop the vehicle at the appropriate side of the road or in a parking lot.

[0109] Also, if it is determined in step S40 that the vehicle is not being pursued by a patrol car, the vehicle moves to the set destination in an automatic driving manner (step S42).Then, the control unit 101 determines whether the vehicle has arrived at the destination (step S43), and if it has not arrived, the process returns to step S40 and repeats the processes from step S40 onwards.If it has arrived at the destination, the process proceeds to step S37, where the vehicle is stopped and a voice message is emitted from the speaker 121 to indicate that a suspected thief is in the vehicle, for example, "The thief is being transported" or "The thief is in the vehicle".

[0110] [Advantages of the First Embodiment] As described above, when the self-driving car 1 of the above embodiment detects that its own vehicle is stolen, it controls the self-driving car 1 to automatically drive itself to a destination such as a police station, so that the car can be driven to a police station, etc. with the suspected theft still inside. This makes it possible to prevent the theft of the self-driving car and is also effective in arresting and apprehending criminals.

[0111] Furthermore, when the self-driving car 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment detects that the car has been stolen, it closes and locks the doors and windows to trap the culprit inside the car, so that the culprit can be reliably transported to a police station, etc.

[0112] In addition, when the self-driving vehicle 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment detects that the vehicle has been stolen, it does not allow the suspected thief to drive the vehicle manually, and it invalidates the destination designation or change made by a passenger in the self-driving mode, so that the vehicle can only be moved in self-driving mode to a predetermined destination, such as a police station, thereby ensuring that the culprit can be transported to a police station, etc.

[0113] Furthermore, since self-driving cars are not stationary but are driving autonomously at high speeds, it can prevent a suspected thief from breaking the window and jumping out to escape.

[0114] [Modification of the first embodiment] In the above-mentioned first embodiment, an example of an autonomous vehicle having both an autonomous driving mode and a manual driving mode is described, but the present invention can be configured even for an autonomous vehicle without a manual driving mode. In this case, the autonomous driving mode is always set, so there is no switching between the manual driving mode and the autonomous driving mode. Therefore, among the above-mentioned explanations, the control of switching from the manual driving mode to the autonomous driving mode and the control of switching from the autonomous driving mode to the manual driving mode are not necessary. Of course, an autonomous vehicle without manual driving does not have the manual / autonomous driving mode switching control unit 117 or the manual driving operation detection unit 128. In addition, an accelerator pedal, brake pedal, shift lever, steering wheel (handle), etc., which are necessary for manual driving, may not be provided. However, for safety reasons, a brake pedal (brake button, touch panel input corresponding to the brake or voice input may be used) may be provided, and only the brake operation may be handled manually.

[0115] In addition, in the first embodiment described above, the set destination is contacted after the autonomous driving movement starts, but the set destination may be contacted before the autonomous driving movement starts.

[0116] In addition, although the contact with the destination is made by telephone, the contact may be made by facsimile (fax), email, or a communication app such as LINE.

[0117] In the first embodiment described above, when the autonomous vehicle 1 arrives at its destination, a voice message is emitted to inform the public that a suspected thief is in the vehicle. However, even while the autonomous vehicle is moving, a voice message may be emitted to the outside to inform the public that a suspected thief is in the vehicle and to say, "Please call 110."

[0118] Also, as shown in FIG. 7, a display 130 consisting of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) may be provided on, for example, a door of the autonomous vehicle 1, and when a theft is detected and a suspected thief 131 is allowed to board the autonomous vehicle 1, a text message such as "The thief is being transported," "The thief is in the car," or "Please call 110" may be displayed on the display screen of the display 130. The display 130 may be provided on a side window, a windshield, or a rear window, and an LED (Light Emitting Diode) may be provided instead of an LCD to notify the outside of the theft. Also, a voice message may be emitted to the outside in conjunction with the display of the text message.

[0119] In the first embodiment described above, the autonomous vehicle 1 determines whether the vehicle is stolen based on whether the passenger, particularly the person in the driver's seat, is a registered person, but the determination of whether the vehicle is stolen is not limited to this case.

[0120] For example, the theft detection processing unit 116 may detect that the vehicle is stolen when it detects that the vehicle has moved a predetermined distance or more even though it is not being driven, based on the output of a vibration sensor, an acceleration sensor, etc., among the various sensor group 104, or the confirmation result of the current location by the current location confirmation unit 107. Also, the theft detection processing unit 116 may detect that the vehicle is stolen when it detects abnormal sensor data, such as large vibration data or acceleration data, that does not appear when the vehicle is stopped or during normal driving. This is intended to assume that the autonomous vehicle 1 is stolen without being put into driving state, for example by being lifted up using heavy machinery such as a crane truck or a tow truck.

[0121] In the first embodiment described above, when the occupant is not a registered person, the authentication information is checked. However, when the occupant is not a registered person, the occupant may be immediately determined to be a suspected theft victim and the vehicle may be detected as being stolen.

[0122] In addition, if the passenger is wearing a balaclava or the like and it is difficult to authenticate the face image, it may be determined that the passenger is a suspected theft victim and authentication may be performed mainly on the eyes, or the passenger may be prompted to remove the balaclava or the like and reveal his or her face. It may also be possible to immediately determine that the passenger is a suspected theft victim and detect that the vehicle is in a stolen state.

[0123] The destination in the event of theft may be the location where the vehicle was parked before the theft. In this case, the autonomous vehicle will return to the location where the vehicle was parked before the theft with the suspected thief still inside, so a call to 110 may be made at the same time as the transfer to avoid any danger or trouble there. Also, when the current location of the autonomous vehicle is the location where the vehicle was parked before the theft, the door may be closed and locked without moving, and a call to 110 may be made.

[0124] Although the above-described first embodiment does not describe the self-driving car 1 contacting the owner of the self-driving car 1 about the theft, it is of course possible for the self-driving car 1 to contact the communication terminal such as a mobile phone terminal of the owner of the self-driving car 1 by phone or email to inform the owner of the theft, such as saying, "Your car has been stolen. We are currently transporting the car to the ○△ Police Station with the thief inside." Furthermore, even if the theft is detected, if it is difficult to move the car, the self-driving car 1 may contact the communication terminal such as a mobile phone terminal of the owner to inform the owner of the theft, such as saying, "Your car has been stolen. However, you are currently unable to move from here."

[0125] In the first embodiment described above, the autonomous vehicle 1 contacts the destination by telephone or the like, but there may be cases where no contact is made. In this case, the autonomous vehicle 1 may contact a communication terminal such as a mobile phone terminal of the owner of the vehicle, and the owner may contact the destination or emergency services.

[0126] [Second embodiment] In the first embodiment described above, the anti-theft processing control is performed only by the autonomous vehicle 1. However, even when the autonomous vehicle 1 judges that an abnormality exists, there may be cases where an acquaintance of the owner of the autonomous vehicle 1 is actually trying to drive the vehicle. In such cases, the determination of the theft of the autonomous vehicle 1 can be made more reliably by the intervention of the owner. In addition, there are many cases where the owner of the autonomous vehicle 1 recognizes that the autonomous vehicle 1 parked in a specified place has disappeared and detects the theft. For example, there are cases where the autonomous vehicle 1 parked in a parking lot of a service area has disappeared while the owner of the autonomous vehicle 1 is having a meal, and cases where the autonomous vehicle 1 parked in a parking lot of a shopping center has disappeared while the owner of the autonomous vehicle 1 is shopping. The second embodiment assumes such cases.

[0127] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an outline of an anti-theft system for an autonomous vehicle according to the second embodiment. That is, the second embodiment is a system configuration including an autonomous vehicle 2 and a communication terminal capable of wireless communication, such as a highly functional mobile phone terminal 4 called a smartphone, which is possessed by an owner 3 of the autonomous vehicle 2. In this second embodiment, the autonomous vehicle 2 and the mobile phone terminal 4 are capable of wireless communication with each other through a communication network consisting of a mobile phone network and the Internet. The telephone number and e-mail address of the mobile phone terminal 4 of the owner 3 are registered in advance in the autonomous vehicle 2 as a contact point for reporting abnormalities and the like. An application program for supporting the anti-theft of the autonomous vehicle 2 is downloaded from a predetermined site of the autonomous vehicle 2 and stored in the mobile phone terminal 4 in advance. Note that, although the mobile phone terminal 4 is used in this embodiment, it can also be configured with a landline terminal or a personal computer. In addition, in case the owner 3 cannot be contacted, the telephone number and e-mail address of the mobile phone terminal of the owner 3's family may be registered as a backup contact point.

[0128] The self-driving car 2 of this embodiment has a configuration substantially similar to that of the self-driving car 1 of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1, but the method of detecting a theft state is different from that of the first embodiment. Also, the configuration of the wireless communication processing unit 102 is different from that of the first embodiment.

[0129] The wireless communication processing unit 102 of the autonomously driven vehicle 2 of the second embodiment has a telephone number memory in which the subscriber telephone numbers (mobile phone numbers) of the mobile phone terminals 4 that are capable of wireless communication with the autonomously driven vehicle 2 are registered. The wireless communication processing unit 102, in cooperation with the control unit 101, has a function of automatically calling the mobile phone terminal 4 of the stored mobile phone number and providing a notification as described below, and a function of automatically responding to an incoming call from the mobile phone terminal 4 of the stored mobile phone number and executing a predetermined process as described below.

[0130] In the second embodiment, the owner 3 notifies the autonomous vehicle 2 via a mobile phone terminal 4 that the autonomous vehicle 2 has been stolen, so that the autonomous vehicle 2 becomes aware of this.

[0131] In addition, in the example of the second embodiment described below, the method of setting the destination also differs from the first embodiment, in that the owner 3 sends a notification to the autonomous vehicle 2 via a mobile phone terminal 4 instructing the autonomous vehicle 2 on the destination, so that the autonomous vehicle 2 recognizes the destination in the event of theft.

[0132] As described above, there are two cases (first and second examples) when the owner 3 notifies the autonomous vehicle 2 that the autonomous vehicle 2 is stolen. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the first example is when the mobile phone terminal 4 of the owner 3 receives an abnormality detection notification from the autonomous vehicle 2, the owner 3 checks the content of the abnormality, and sends a notification of whether the autonomous vehicle 2 is stolen or not (hereinafter, this is referred to as a theft notification) from the mobile phone terminal 4 to the autonomous vehicle 2 as a result of the check. The second example is when the owner 3 detects that the autonomous vehicle 2 is missing without receiving an abnormality notification from the autonomous vehicle 2, and notifies the autonomous vehicle 2 of the theft state. Note that in the second example, the notification is not a theft or not theft notification, but a notification that the autonomous vehicle 2 is stolen, that is, a theft notification.

[0133] 8, the owner 3 has designated a police station or the like 5 as the destination in the event of theft, and the autonomous vehicle 2 moves by autonomous driving to the designated police station or the like 5. In this second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, when moving in the event of theft, the doors and windows are locked closed and it is not possible to switch to manual driving mode, and the movement processing operation in the event of theft is performed in almost the same way as in the first embodiment.

[0134] Fig. 9 shows a sequence diagram of an example of an exchange between an electronic control circuit unit of an autonomous vehicle 2 (hereinafter, for simplicity, referred to simply as autonomous vehicle 2) in the autonomous vehicle theft prevention system of this second embodiment and a mobile phone terminal 4 of an owner 3. The example in Fig. 9 corresponds to the first example where the owner 3 notifies autonomous vehicle 2 that autonomous vehicle 2 has been stolen.

[0135] That is, first, the autonomous vehicle 2 detects whether an abnormality has occurred in the autonomous vehicle. The abnormality detection means can be realized, for example, by a configuration substantially similar to that of the theft detection means of the first embodiment (see FIG. 1). In this case, the passenger authentication unit 115 acquires a facial image of a passenger who has boarded the autonomous vehicle 2 from the camera group 105, compares the acquired facial image with a facial image stored in the passenger authentication information memory 126, and determines whether they match. When the facial image of the passenger does not match any of the facial images stored in the passenger authentication information memory 126, the passenger authentication unit 115 notifies the abnormality detection processing unit (not shown) of the authentication result that the passenger could not be authenticated. With this notification, the abnormality detection processing unit detects that the autonomous vehicle is in an abnormal state. Note that such an abnormality detection process by comparing facial images may be performed at any time, but it is preferable to perform it when it is determined that a passenger has sat in the driver's seat, as in the case of the theft detection means.

[0136] In the case of theft detection, it is preferable to set strict accuracy in determining the authentication result and make a definitive judgment as to whether or not authentication has been successful, but in the case of anomaly detection, even in cases where it is difficult to determine whether or not a matching face image exists, it is preferable to detect it as an anomaly if there is even the slightest suspicion.

[0137] In the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, even if the abnormality detection is an uncertain judgment with low reliability, the final judgment of theft can be left to the owner, so that it is possible to prevent oversight of theft detection and at the same time prevent erroneous judgment of theft. Therefore, no particular problem occurs even if the operation of requesting the passenger to input an ID and password and confirming the authentication again is not performed when a matching face image does not exist and the passenger cannot be authenticated, as was done in the first embodiment.

[0138] The abnormalities that the abnormality detection means can detect are not limited to these examples. For example, when it is difficult to authenticate a passenger, when a suspicious situation such as a passenger wearing a balaclava is detected, when the vehicle is not being driven but has traveled a predetermined distance or more, or when abnormal sensor data that does not appear when the vehicle is stopped or running normally is detected, the abnormality detection means can detect these as abnormalities in the vehicle.

[0139] When the abnormality detection processing unit detects an abnormality in the vehicle, it transmits a report of the abnormality to the mobile phone terminal 4 of the owner 3 as a registered contact. This report of the abnormality is accompanied by a report of the current state of the autonomously driven vehicle 2. The information of the report of the current state of the autonomously driven vehicle 2 includes a facial image of a passenger who is not registered if the information detects that the vehicle is not being driven, and includes image information of the surroundings of the vehicle if the information detects that the vehicle has moved a predetermined distance or more despite not being driven. Current location information such as the latitude and longitude of the vehicle may also be included.

[0140] An abnormality may be reported by telephone, and the current status of autonomous vehicle 2 may be reported by email with an image attached. When an abnormality is reported, a synthetic voice is sent to inform the driver that a passenger is acting suspiciously, and when the passenger is moving suspiciously, another synthetic voice is sent to inform the driver that a suspicious movement is occurring.

[0141] The mobile phone terminal 4, which receives the report of the abnormality and the report of the current state of the autonomously driven vehicle 2, displays on its display screen images of the faces of the passengers and images of the surroundings of the autonomously driven vehicle 2. Also, on the display screen, software buttons are displayed that allow the owner 3 to input the results of the confirmation of the presence or absence of theft.

[0142] The owner 3 checks for theft by looking at the image displayed on the display screen of the mobile phone terminal 4, and inputs the check result through a software button on the display screen of the mobile phone terminal 4. That is, if the facial image on the display screen is that of an unknown person, it is determined that the vehicle has been stolen. Also, if the surrounding image is that of the autonomous vehicle 2 hanging in the air, being towed by a tow truck, or being placed on a trailer, it is determined that the vehicle has been stolen. The mobile phone terminal 4 notifies the autonomous vehicle 2 of the owner 3's check result for theft to the autonomous vehicle 2.

[0143] Self-driving car 2, which has received the result of the check on the owner 3 as to whether the vehicle has been stolen, analyzes the received result and determines whether the check result indicates that the vehicle has been stolen or not. If the result of this determination indicates that the vehicle has not been stolen, self-driving car 2 does not perform the process required for theft and leaves the vehicle in its current state.

[0144] Furthermore, if it is determined as a result of the check result that the vehicle has been stolen, the autonomous vehicle 2 closes and locks the doors and windows, and performs control to prohibit the passenger from manually driving the vehicle (prohibits switching to manual driving mode).The autonomous vehicle 2 then sends an instruction request to the mobile phone terminal 4 for a destination in the event of theft.

[0145] Based on the instruction input by the owner 3, the mobile phone terminal 4 sends an instruction notification of a destination such as a police station to the autonomous vehicle 2. In this case, the mobile phone terminal 4 has a candidate destination memory with the same data content as the theft-time destination memory 127 of the autonomous vehicle 2, and sends information on a destination selected from the candidate destination memory to the autonomous vehicle 2. In this case, the destination information sent needs to be only its identification information, and the autonomous vehicle 2 reads out and specifies the destination specified by the identification information from the theft-time destination memory 127.

[0146] The notification of destination instructions is not limited to this method, and text information such as "□□ Police Station", "△△ Police Box", "Nearest Police Station, etc." may be notified as is. Autonomous driving vehicle 2 can recognize characters and grasp the destination as the recognition result.

[0147] Then, after sending the destination instruction notification, mobile phone terminal 4 automatically makes a call to 110. The report information sent to the police station or the like when making this 110 call may be transmitted directly by the owner 3 in a call to the police station or the like, or, as in the case of the first embodiment, a report message may be stored in mobile phone terminal 4 in advance, converted into a synthetic voice, and sent to the police station or the like. Note that in this example, this 110 call also includes a message requesting that the police station or the like make a phone call to mobile phone terminal 4 when autonomous vehicle 2 arrives at the destination, and the phone number of mobile phone terminal 4.

[0148] The autonomous vehicle 2 that receives the destination instruction notification moves autonomously toward the instructed destination.

[0149] Then, when the autonomous vehicle 2 arrives at the destination, it notifies the mobile phone terminal 4 of that fact. This notification may be made by a synthesized voice over the phone, or by email. It may also be notified by a communication app such as LINE.

[0150] If the destination is a police station or the like, the police station or the like will call to notify the arrival of autonomous vehicle 2 in response to the arrival notification request included in the 110 emergency call, and in that call, the owner 3 will inform the autonomous vehicle 2 via mobile phone terminal 4 that he or she will release the closed door lock state of the autonomous vehicle 2. After that, the owner 3 sends a door closed lock release instruction to the autonomous vehicle 2 via mobile phone terminal 4. Therefore, upon receiving this door closed lock release instruction, the autonomous vehicle 2 will release the door closed lock state. Therefore, a police officer can open and close the doors of autonomous vehicle 2 from the outside, and can arrest or apprehend a suspected theft person inside.

[0151] [Effects of the second embodiment] Needless to say, the second embodiment having the above-described configuration and operation can provide the same effects as the first embodiment. According to the second embodiment, the owner of the autonomous vehicle 2 can check the theft status of the autonomous vehicle 2, which makes it possible to more reliably detect the theft status and reduces erroneous determinations made when the theft status is determined solely by the autonomous vehicle 2.

[0152] Furthermore, according to this second embodiment, the owner can detect the theft state of the autonomous vehicle 2 and notify the autonomous vehicle 2, so that theft of the vehicle can be prevented even if the autonomous vehicle 2 itself cannot detect that its own vehicle is in a stolen state.

[0153] [Modification of the second embodiment] In the above-described second embodiment, as in the above-described first embodiment, an autonomous vehicle having both an autonomous driving mode and a manual driving mode is used as an example, but the present invention can also be implemented in an autonomous vehicle that does not have a manual driving mode.

[0154] In the second embodiment described above, the destination is set by the owner of the autonomous vehicle 2 notifying the autonomous vehicle 2 via a mobile phone terminal. However, in this second embodiment, the autonomous vehicle 2 itself may also set the destination in the event of theft, in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0155] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, the owner 3 of the autonomous vehicle 2 confirms and notifies the theft status of the autonomous vehicle 2, but this is not limited to the above, and the manager or management company of the autonomous vehicle 2 may also confirm and notify the theft status. For example, when many autonomous vehicles are computer-managed and operated at a center, such as a transportation company, a parcel company, a bus company, or a taxi company, the center can notify the theft and the destination of the autonomous vehicle 2 that is identified as stolen. The destination is not limited to a police station or the like, and may be set to the company's head office, head office, or branch office. When the destination is set to the company's head office, head office, or branch office, 110 is called to request that a police officer come to the head office, head office, or branch office to investigate the scene and arrest or secure the criminal.

[0156] Furthermore, when a police officer or the like finds an autonomous vehicle to be detained, such as an autonomous vehicle in which a criminal on the run or on the run is riding, or an autonomous vehicle that has been reported stolen, the police officer or the like may identify contact information, such as a telephone number for contacting the autonomous vehicle, from the license plate or the like, contact the autonomous vehicle using the contact information (e.g., a telephone number), establish communication with the autonomous vehicle, and notify the autonomous vehicle of the detection of the theft and the destination, such as a specified location (a location where police vehicles such as patrol cars and police motorcycles can rush to) or a specified police station. In this way, the autonomous vehicle will close and lock the doors and windows to prevent the criminal in the autonomous vehicle from escaping, and move to the notified destination, so that a police officer waiting at the notified specified location can arrest or detain the criminal in the autonomous vehicle.

[0157] [Other embodiments or modifications] In the above-described embodiment, if a suspected thief breaks a window and escapes from a moving vehicle while being transported autonomously by autonomous vehicle 1 or autonomous vehicle 2, this will be recognized from images captured by camera group 105, and image information such as an image of the suspected thief's face and location information of the point where the suspected thief escaped will be reported to 110, and the autonomous vehicle may stop at the scene or on a nearby shoulder of the road, etc.

[0158] Furthermore, if there are no police officers at the destination police station, etc., self-driving car 1 or self-driving car 2 may search the surrounding area to find another nearest police station, etc. Of course, it may also wait at the destination police station, etc. without moving.

[0159] In addition, in the above-described embodiments, theft or abnormal conditions are detected by detecting suspicious passengers, suspicious movement of the vehicle, or abnormal sensor data. However, if it is detected that autonomous vehicle 1 or autonomous vehicle 2 is traveling along a suspicious route that is not normally used by the owner, this may be detected as suspected theft or abnormal driving, and processing may be performed as in the first embodiment, or an abnormality may be reported to the owner as in the second embodiment.

[0160] In the above-described embodiment, the theft detection means and the abnormality detection means detect the theft state of the autonomous vehicle 1 and the abnormality state of the autonomous vehicle 2 based on face authentication (comparison result of face image), but the detection of the theft state and the abnormality state is not limited to this. For example, the driver of the autonomous vehicle 1 or the autonomous vehicle 2 may be subjected to biometric authentication such as voiceprint authentication, fingerprint authentication, iris authentication, and vein pattern authentication, and the theft state and the abnormality state may be detected based on the authentication result. The authentication is not limited to biometric authentication, and may be a confirmation operation of the name, address, date of birth, ID, password, telephone number of the mobile phone terminal, email address, and the like. In addition, these various types of authentication may be combined to further strengthen the authentication of the driver of the autonomous vehicle 1 or the autonomous vehicle 2, and the theft state and the abnormality state may be detected based on the authentication result.

[0161] In addition, in the above-described embodiments, the theft detection means, anomaly detection means, various authentications, etc. were performed by autonomous vehicle 1 or autonomous vehicle 2, or owner 3, but autonomous vehicle 1 or autonomous vehicle 2 may be given a function for connecting to the Internet so that these functions can be performed in the cloud.

[0162] In the above-described embodiment, when the autonomous vehicle 1 or 2 determines that its own vehicle is stolen, it enters the autonomous driving mode, and even if the passenger tries to switch to manual driving, the mode is automatically locked and the mode is not switched to manual driving mode. However, assuming a case in which the passenger is not a thief and the autonomous driving mode is accidentally locked, the autonomous driving mode may be unlocked and the mode switched to manual driving mode by a passenger who is not a thief, such as the owner, performing a predetermined operation. In this case, the predetermined operation for releasing the autonomous driving mode may be biometric authentication such as fingerprint authentication of the owner, a PIN number, a password, voice recognition (which may also be configured to recognize a password), speaker recognition, face recognition, gesture recognition, or a combination of these.

[0163] In the above embodiment, in an autonomous vehicle without a manual driving mode, input operations such as specifying or changing a destination by a passenger are controlled to be invalid. However, assuming a case where the passenger is not a thief and the input operation is invalidated by mistake, it may be possible to allow a passenger who is not a thief, such as the owner, to cancel the invalid state of the input operation by performing a predetermined operation.

[0164] When this invention is used by a rental car company, the face image of the driver using the rental car is registered as a temporary owner at the time of departure. The driver using the rental car is face-authenticated during the period of using the rental car, and is recognized as a legitimate user. If the rental car is used by someone other than the driver, the face is not authenticated, and theft is detected. When the rental car is returned, the registered face image of the driver is erased, and the owner qualification is revoked. If theft is detected in this rental car, the driver who is the temporary owner is contacted, and the rental car company is also contacted. In addition, the driver using the rental car is not limited to registering a face image, and biometric information such as fingerprints, irises, vein patterns, and voice (voiceprints) can be registered, and biometric authentication can be performed using the biometric information. When the rental car is returned, the registered biometric information of the driver is erased. Furthermore, a temporary ID card and password can be issued to the driver using the rental car, and the driver can be made to return them when returning the rental car. These can also be used in combination. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to car sharing, in which a specific car is shared among multiple members, in the same way as in the case of rental cars.

[0165] This invention can be applied not only to theft of self-driving cars, but also to car break-ins. In this case, even if a passenger is not seated in the driver's seat, when an intruder is detected in the car by an in-car camera or the like, the facial image of the intruder captured by the in-car camera is compared with registered facial images. If the facial image of the intruder is not registered, the car is detected as a break-in (detected as being in a stolen state), the doors and windows are closed and locked, and the car is automatically driven to a destination such as a police station.

[0166] Furthermore, this invention can also be applied to the arrest of criminals whose facial images are available, such as wanted criminals. When an autonomous vehicle cooperates with the cloud, that is, obtains a facial image of a criminal such as a wanted criminal from a specific site on the Internet, and the facial image of the criminal matches the facial image of the passenger of the autonomous vehicle, it can assume that a theft has been detected, automatically close and lock the doors and windows, and transport the vehicle to a police station, etc. In this case, even if the passenger is a registered person such as the owner of the autonomous vehicle or a passenger authorized by the owner to drive, the status can be invalidated and the vehicle can be forcibly transported to a police station, etc.

[0167] In addition, in the case of criminals whose fingerprints are available instead of facial images, a similar response can be made by fingerprint authentication. When this embodiment is applied in cooperation with the police, when a wanted criminal or the like uses a rental car, the rental car will identify the wanted criminal or the like and transfer him or her to a designated police station, etc., which has the effect of increasing the possibility of arresting or apprehending the criminal in a nationwide area.

[0168] Also, a facial image of the driver of a traveling self-driving car can be captured by a camera of a surveillance camera system installed on the road such as an automatic speed violation enforcement device, and when the captured facial image matches a prepared facial image of a criminal, the car is deemed to be in a stolen state and the self-driving car is notified of the fact. Upon receiving the notification of the theft, the self-driving car locks its doors and windows and automatically drives to a destination such as a police station. In this case, it is advisable to register the number of the self-driving car and information on its contact (notification) on the site so that the surveillance camera system can obtain the contact (notification) of the self-driving car from, for example, an Internet site based on the license plate number.

[0169] By doing so, it is possible to increase the possibility of arresting or apprehending a wanted criminal or other criminal whose face image or fingerprints are known.

[0170] In the above embodiment, when the vehicle is detected as stolen, it is transferred to a specified police station or the nearest police station, but if the police station has jurisdiction, it can be transferred to the police station with jurisdiction. Also, instead of a police station, a transfer area dedicated to stolen vehicles may be set up and the vehicle may be transferred there.

[0171] In addition, if an autonomous vehicle owned by a company that manages and operates many autonomous vehicles, such as a transportation company, delivery company, bus company, taxi company, or rental car company, is detected as stolen, the vehicle may be transported to a transportation area set up by the company specifically for stolen vehicles.

[0172] In addition, the GPS installed in self-driving cars can be used to identify the country or municipality they are traveling in. Once the country or municipality is known, information on the various police agencies corresponding to the identified country or municipality, as well as emergency call numbers that differ depending on the country or municipality, can be obtained, allowing processing specialized for that country or municipality.

[0173] The present invention can be applied not only to ordinary cars and light cars, but also to trucks, buses, taxis, tractors, dump trucks, bulldozers, excavators, forklifts, cranes, tow trucks, as well as single-person vehicles, motorcycles, electric bicycles, and electrically assisted bicycles, etc. Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to ships, aircraft, helicopters, etc.

[0174] Furthermore, the self-driving vehicle in the above-described embodiment is an electric vehicle, but the present invention can also be applied to gasoline vehicles, hybrid vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, and vehicles with other drive systems. [Explanation of symbols]

[0175] 1,2...Autonomous driving vehicle, 10...Electronic control circuit section, 104...Various sensors, 105...Camera group, 106...GPS receiving section, 107...Current location confirmation section, 112...Touch panel display section, 113...Car navigation function section, 114...Door lock control section, 115...Occupant authentication section, 116...Theft detection processing section, 117...Manual / automatic driving mode switching control section

Claims

1. An autonomous vehicle that is provided by a rental car company or a car sharing company and has an autonomous driving mode and is available for temporary use, a biometric information registration means for receiving and registering biometric information including one or more of a face image, a fingerprint, an iris, a vein pattern, a voice, and a voiceprint of a temporary user; A biometric information acquisition means for acquiring biometric information of a driver of the autonomous vehicle; a biometric information authentication means for determining whether or not a driver of the autonomous vehicle is a user of the temporary use based on the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition means and the biometric information registered by the biometric information registration means; a theft status determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle is stolen based on a determination result of the biometric information authentication means; a theft destination setting means for setting a theft destination to which the vehicle is to be moved in an automatic driving mode when the theft state determination means determines that the vehicle is stolen; Equipped with When the theft state determination means determines that the vehicle is stolen, the vehicle is notified to the temporary user and the rental car company or the car sharing company of the theft state, and the vehicle is driven in an automatic driving mode to the theft destination set by the theft destination setting means. A self-driving car characterized by

2. a car navigation means having a function of providing guidance to assist the vehicle in moving to a specified destination in the automatic driving mode; the theft destination setting means sets a police agency or a transport area dedicated to stolen vehicles as the theft destination in the automatic driving mode when the theft state determination means determines that the vehicle is in the theft state, The vehicle is driven in the automatic driving mode using the car navigation means to a police station or a transport area for stolen vehicles that is set as the destination in the event of theft by the destination setting means in the event of theft.

2. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 1 .

3. A current position detection means for detecting a current position of the vehicle; a search means for searching the vicinity of the current position detected by the current position detection means, The theft destination setting means sets the nearest police agency searched for by the search means as the theft destination.

3. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The vehicle is provided with a locking means for locking the doors, windows and / or seat belts of the vehicle so that they cannot be opened or closed when the theft state determination means determines that the vehicle is in a theft state. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A notification means is provided for, when the set contact information of the destination in case of theft can be acquired, notifying the destination in case of theft of the fact that the vehicle is stolen and information for recognizing the vehicle via wireless communication means, using the contact information of the destination in case of theft. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A function for calculating time information regarding an expected time of arrival at the destination in the event of the theft, The information notified to the destination in the event of the theft by the notification means includes time information regarding the expected time of arrival at the destination in the event of the theft.

6. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 5 .

7. When the theft state determination means determines that the vehicle is in the theft state, the input operation of specifying or changing the destination in the car navigation means is invalidated, but the car navigation means is provided with a means for controlling the car navigation means so as to behave as if the input operation of specifying or changing the destination had been accepted. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 2 to 6.

8. A means for identifying a police officer at a police agency at the destination in the event of the theft is provided, If the police officer cannot be identified by the identification means when the person arrives at the police station, another police station is searched for. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 2 to 7.

9. A means for identifying a police officer at a police agency at the destination in the event of the theft is provided, When the person arrives at the police station and is unable to identify a police officer by the identification means, the person waits without moving. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 2 to 8.

10. When the theft state determination means determines that the vehicle is theft state, the means calls 110 to have a police officer come to the theft destination, or calls 110 and waits without moving the vehicle.

2. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 1 .

11. A passenger imaging unit is provided for imaging a passenger of the vehicle, When the theft state determination means determines that the vehicle is theft state and the suspected theft escapes from the vehicle, image information of the suspected theft photographed by the passenger image pickup unit is sent to a police agency. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A location information acquisition means is provided, The location information of the suspected thief's escape is sent to the police. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. Equipped with a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode, When the theft state determination means determines that the vehicle is in the theft state, if the vehicle is in the manual driving mode, the mode is switched to the automatic driving mode. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. When the manual driving mode is switched to the automatic driving mode, the switching to the manual driving mode is invalidated or made impossible.

14. The autonomous vehicle of claim 13.

15. Equipped with a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode, When the theft state determination means determines that the vehicle is in the theft state and the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode, switching to the manual driving mode is disabled or made impossible. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. the biological information acquisition unit is an imaging unit, The theft state determination means determines whether the vehicle is in a stolen state based on a comparison result between a facial image of a person registered in advance and a facial image of a person newly captured by the imaging unit. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. When a person newly photographed by the imaging unit is wearing a ski mask, the person is prompted to take off the ski mask.

17. The autonomous vehicle of claim 16.

18. A passenger imaging unit is provided for imaging a passenger of the vehicle, The theft state determination means determines that the vehicle is in a stolen state when the passenger imaged by the passenger image capturing unit is wearing a balaclava. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

19. a storage unit for storing biometric information of criminals or suspects, including wanted criminals, obtained from a specified site on the Internet; a criminal identification means for identifying whether or not the person is a criminal or a suspect, including a wanted criminal, based on the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition means and the biometric information stored in the storage unit; When the criminal determination means determines that the person is a criminal, the device moves to a police station in an automatic driving mode. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

20. a theft detection means for detecting the theft of the vehicle based on a notification from a surveillance camera system installed on a road; The surveillance camera system sends a notice that the vehicle photographed by the surveillance camera is in a stolen state based on a comparison result between a facial image of the driver of the vehicle photographed by the surveillance camera and a facial image of a criminal or suspect, including a wanted criminal. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

21. The theft status determination means includes checking ID information such as name, address, date of birth, ID, password, mobile phone terminal telephone number, and email address. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

22. The theft state determination means determines that the vehicle is in a stolen state by detecting that the vehicle position has been moved without being driven. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

23. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that the theft state determination means is provided on a cloud connected via the Internet.

24. An abnormality detection means for detecting whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the vehicle; a transmission means for transmitting a notification of the abnormality including information on the current state at the time when the abnormality detection means detects that an abnormality has occurred in the vehicle to a registered party; a receiving means for receiving a notification that the vehicle is stolen from the registered party to which the abnormality report was sent; The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 23, further comprising:

25. The current status information included in the abnormality report includes image information of the passengers, image information of the surroundings of the vehicle, and / or current position information of the vehicle.

25. The autonomous vehicle of claim 24.

26. The abnormality detection means includes a biological information acquisition unit, Detecting that an abnormality has occurred in the vehicle based on a comparison result between pre-registered biometric information of a person and the biometric information newly acquired by the biometric information acquisition unit.

26. An autonomous vehicle according to claim 24 or 25.

27. the abnormality detection means detects that an abnormality has occurred in the vehicle based on a notification from a surveillance camera system installed on a road, The surveillance camera system sends out a notification that an abnormality has occurred in the vehicle based on a comparison result between a facial image of the driver of the vehicle captured by the surveillance camera and a facial image of a criminal or suspect, including a wanted criminal. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 24 to 26.

28. The abnormality detection means detects that an abnormality has occurred in the host vehicle by detecting that the host vehicle position has been moved without being driven. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 24 to 27.

29. A surroundings imaging unit is provided for imaging the surroundings of the vehicle, The information transmitted to the other party by the transmitting means includes image information of the surroundings of the vehicle captured by the surroundings imaging unit, and the image of the surroundings of the vehicle is displayed at the other party. The notification that the vehicle is stolen, which is received by the receiving means, is sent from the other party when the image of the surroundings of the vehicle shows the vehicle hanging in the air, being towed by a tow truck, or being placed on a trailer. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 24 to 28.

30. A notification means is provided for notifying the vehicle status by text, image and / or sound, The notification means, based on the determination by the theft state determination means that the vehicle is in a stolen state, notifies the user that the vehicle is in a stolen state, that a criminal or suspect, including a wanted criminal, is in the vehicle, and / or that an emergency call contact should be notified. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 29.

31. The destination of the theft is set based on the remaining amount of the battery, gasoline and / or fuel of the autonomous vehicle. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 30.

32. A call detection means for detecting a voice call to the police vehicle; A voice recognition means for recognizing a voice; Equipped with When the voice call is detected, the voice is recognized, and the behavior of the vehicle is set based on the result of the voice recognition. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 31.

33. The biometric information includes at least a facial image of the user, The facial image of the passenger who has not been authenticated by the biometric information authentication means is stored in a memory area as a suspected theft. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 32.

34. When the temporary use is completed, the biometric information of the user who has completed the temporary use is deleted from the storage unit. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 33.

35. A computer provided in an autonomous vehicle that has an autonomous driving mode and is available for temporary use and is provided by a rental car company or a car sharing company, a biometric information registration means for receiving and registering biometric information including one or more of a face image, a fingerprint, an iris, a vein pattern, a voice, and a voiceprint of a temporary user; A biometric information acquisition means for acquiring biometric information of a driver of the autonomous vehicle; a biometric information authentication means for determining whether or not a driver of the autonomous vehicle is a user of the temporary use based on the biometric information acquired by the biometric information acquisition means and the biometric information registered by the biometric information registration means; a theft status determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle is stolen based on a determination result of the biometric information authentication means; a theft destination setting means for setting a theft destination to which the vehicle is to be moved in an automatic driving mode when the theft state determination means determines that the vehicle is stolen; a means for informing the temporary user and the rental car company or the car sharing company of the theft state when the theft state determination means determines that the vehicle is stolen, and for moving in an automatic driving mode to the theft destination set by the theft destination setting means; A program for self-driving cars to function as a

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