Control device and vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a control device and a vehicle. The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that helps a driver to accurately grasp the conditions in a vehicle in which a plurality of passengers are boarding. The control device prohibits the closing control of the door when it is sensed that an occupant is present in a predetermined area near the door set in the vehicle when the door of the vehicle is in an open state. Furthermore, when the closing control of the door is prohibited and the driver presses the closing button, the control device divides and displays the image captured by the in-vehicle camera at the timing of pressing the closing button and the real-time in-vehicle image captured by the in-vehicle camera on a display provided in the vehicle for a predetermined period of time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the closing control of doors in vehicles for multiple passengers. Background Technology

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a surveillance system for remotely monitoring the interiors of multiple vehicles carrying passengers. In the surveillance system disclosed in Patent Document 1, images captured by cameras installed in each vehicle are displayed on a display device.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-094724 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide technology that helps drivers accurately monitor the conditions inside a vehicle carrying multiple passengers.

[0008] Solution for solving the problem

[0009] The control device of the first embodiment of this disclosure is a control device for a vehicle carrying multiple passengers. A defined area is set near the doors inside the vehicle. When a passenger is sensed inside the defined area, the closing control of the door is prohibited. The vehicle is equipped with: a close button pressed by the driver when the driver performs the door closing control; an in-vehicle camera that captures images of the interior including the defined area; and a display showing the images of the interior captured by the in-vehicle camera. The control device includes a control unit that, when a passenger is sensed in the defined area while the door is open, the control unit prohibits the door closing control. Furthermore, when the driver presses the close button while the door closing control is prohibited, the control unit, for a predetermined period, displays the image captured by the in-vehicle camera at the time the close button is pressed, along with a real-time image of the interior captured by the in-vehicle camera, on the display.

[0010] The second embodiment of this disclosure refers to a vehicle equipped with the control device of the first embodiment of this disclosure.

[0011] Invention Effects

[0012] According to this disclosure, technology can be provided to help drivers accurately grasp the conditions inside a vehicle carrying multiple passengers. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 It is a diagram used to illustrate various devices mounted on a vehicle.

[0014] Figure 2 It is a diagram used to illustrate the situation inside the vehicle.

[0015] Figure 3 It is a block diagram that roughly represents the hardware configuration of the control device mounted on the vehicle.

[0016] Figure 4 This is the first flowchart illustrating the control process executed by the control unit when the doors of a vehicle are in the open state.

[0017] Figure 5 This is the second flowchart illustrating the control process executed by the control unit when the vehicle door is in the open state.

[0018] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating an example of two images displayed on a monitor in a split format.

[0019] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0020] 1: Vehicle; 11: Door; 12: Open button; 13: Close button; 14: Release switch; 15: In-vehicle camera; 16: Display; 100: Control device; 110: Control unit; 120: Storage unit; 130: In-vehicle communication module. Detailed Implementation

[0021] In vehicles that carry multiple passengers (e.g., dedicated buses or ride-sharing vehicles), the doors are opened and closed by the driver. Sometimes, the vehicle is equipped with a driver-operated close button. The close button is pressed by the driver when controlling the closing of the doors.

[0022] Furthermore, if a vehicle door is closed while a passenger is present near it inside the vehicle, the passenger may be trapped by the door. To prevent this from happening, a designated area is sometimes established near the vehicle doors inside the vehicle. This designated area is configured to prevent door closing control if a passenger is detected on its inside. In vehicles with such a designated area, if a passenger is detected within the designated area while the door is open, door closing control is disabled. When door closing control is disabled, the door will typically not close even if the driver presses the close button.

[0023] Here, one reason why the door might not close even though the driver pressed the close button could be a door malfunction. Therefore, in cases where the door doesn't close, the driver needs to confirm the presence of passengers in the designated area to determine the cause. However, even if the door doesn't close due to passengers being present at the time the driver pressed the close button, it's possible that passengers might subsequently move out of the designated area. In this case, even if the driver confirms the situation near the door after the passengers have moved out, they still cannot determine the reason for the door not closing. Therefore, to help the driver understand the reason for the door not closing, it's necessary to allow them to confirm the situation near the door at the time the close button was pressed.

[0024] The control device disclosed herein is a device for controlling the doors of a vehicle for multiple passengers. Furthermore, a designated area is defined near the doors inside the vehicle. Additionally, the vehicle is equipped with a closing button operated by the driver. Moreover, in the control device of this disclosure, if a passenger is sensed within the designated area while the door is open, the control unit prevents the door from closing.

[0025] In addition, the vehicle is equipped with an in-vehicle camera and a display. The in-vehicle camera captures images of the interior of the vehicle, including a designated area. The display shows the images of the interior captured by the in-vehicle camera. Therefore, the driver can understand the situation inside the vehicle by checking the images displayed on the monitor.

[0026] Furthermore, in the control device of this disclosure, when the driver presses the close button while the door closing control is disabled, the control unit displays an image captured by an in-vehicle camera at the time the close button is pressed on the display for a predetermined period. At this time, the control unit displays the image captured by the in-vehicle camera at the time the close button is pressed, along with a real-time image of the interior of the vehicle captured by the in-vehicle camera, on the display separately.

[0027] By displaying two images separately on the monitor as described above, the driver can confirm the situation within the designated area at the time the close button is pressed, by combining the real-time situation inside the vehicle. Therefore, even if a passenger moves out of the designated area immediately after the close button is pressed, the driver can still ascertain the presence of a passenger within the designated area at the time the close button is pressed. That is, if the door closing control is not executed due to the presence of a passenger in the designated area, the driver can determine the reason for the failure to execute the door closing control. Therefore, according to this disclosure, the driver can accurately monitor the situation inside a vehicle carrying multiple passengers.

[0028] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described based on the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the constituent components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0029] <Implementation Method>

[0030] (General vehicle components)

[0031] based on Figure 1 and Figure 2 The general configuration of the vehicle according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 1 It is a diagram used to illustrate various devices mounted on a vehicle. Figure 2 This diagram illustrates the situation inside the vehicle. Vehicle 1 is a vehicle for multiple passengers. For example, vehicle 1 could be a dedicated bus, a ride-sharing vehicle, etc.

[0032] Vehicle 1 is a vehicle driven by a driver. The driver of Vehicle 1 drives Vehicle 1 from the driver's seat and performs various operations required for the operation of Vehicle 1. In addition, seats for passengers are provided inside Vehicle 1. However, Vehicle 1 has space inside the vehicle for passengers who are not seated, that is, passengers who ride in a standing position (standing passengers).

[0033] A door 11 is provided on the side of vehicle 1. Door 11 is a door used to open / close the entrance / exit of vehicle 1 for passengers to get on and off. In a parked vehicle 1, door 11 is open when passengers are getting on or off. It should be noted that door 11 is a sliding door that slides along the front-rear direction of vehicle 1 when opening / closing. Furthermore, in vehicle 1, the floor surface of the space used by passengers, including the area near the door 11 inside the vehicle, is formed to be generally flat. Therefore, passengers of vehicle 1 can move easily inside the vehicle. It should be noted that the door of vehicle 1 does not necessarily have to be a sliding door. Furthermore, the floor surface inside vehicle 1 does not necessarily have to be flat.

[0034] An in-vehicle camera 15 is installed in vehicle 1. The in-vehicle camera 15 can capture images of the passenger-accessible space inside vehicle 1. Therefore, the in-vehicle camera 15 can capture images of both seated and standing passengers inside the vehicle. Furthermore, the in-vehicle camera 15 can also capture images of passengers getting on and off the vehicle through its entrances and exits. In addition, a display 16 is located near the driver's seat of vehicle 1. The display 16 displays images captured by the in-vehicle camera 15. Therefore, the driver of vehicle 1 can monitor the situation inside the vehicle by viewing the images displayed on the display 16. Essentially, the display 16 displays real-time images of movement inside the vehicle captured by the in-vehicle camera 15.

[0035] Furthermore, the driver's seat of vehicle 1 is equipped with an open button 12, a close button 13, and a release switch 14. In vehicle 1, the opening / closing control of door 11 is executed based on the driver's operation of the open button 12 or the close button 13. Specifically, if the driver presses the open button 12 when door 11 is closed, the door 11 is opened. Similarly, if the driver presses the close button 13 when door 11 is open, the door 11 is closed. Additionally, as explained later, in vehicle 1, the closing control of door 11 is sometimes automatically disabled. When the closing control of door 11 is disabled, essentially even if the driver presses the close button 13, the closing control of door 11 is not executed. However, if the driver activates the release switch 14 when the closing control of door 11 is disabled, the disabling of the closing control of door 11 is lifted.

[0036] Here, the prohibition and deactivation of the closing control of the door 11 in vehicle 1 will be explained. If the closing control of the door 11 is performed while a passenger is present near the door 11 inside vehicle 1, the passenger may be trapped by the door 11. In particular, as described above, the door 11 in vehicle 1 is a sliding door, and the bottom surface, including the area near the door 11 inside the vehicle, is substantially flat. Therefore, passengers inside vehicle 1 can easily access the door 11. Thus, a situation where a passenger may be trapped by the door 11 when the closing control is performed is likely to occur.

[0037] Therefore, as Figure 2 As shown, inside vehicle 1, a restricted area E0 is set near door 11. Restricted area E0 is configured to prevent the closing control of door 11 if a passenger is sensed to be inside it. It should be noted that the presence of a passenger in restricted area E0 can be determined based on images captured by the in-vehicle camera 15. Furthermore, if a passenger is sensed to be inside restricted area E0 while door 11 is open, the closing control of door 11 is prevented.

[0038] As described above, the display 16 displays real-time images of the vehicle interior captured by the in-vehicle camera 15. Therefore, even if the driver presses the close button 13 but fails to close the door 11, the driver can confirm the situation near the door 11 by viewing the image displayed on the display 16. In other words, the driver can confirm whether a passenger is present in the restricted area E0 by viewing the image displayed on the display 16. However, even if the door 11 is not closed due to a passenger being present in the restricted area E0 at the time the driver presses the close button 13, it is possible that the passenger will subsequently move out of the restricted area E0. Furthermore, in such cases, it is possible that no passenger is present in the restricted area E0 at the time the driver confirms the image displayed on the display 16. Thus, the driver cannot determine the reason for the failure to close the door 11 by viewing the real-time images of the vehicle interior displayed on the display 16.

[0039] Therefore, in vehicle 1 of this embodiment, when the driver presses the close button 13 while the closing control of the door 11 is disabled due to the presence of a passenger in the restricted area E0, the display 16 displays two images in a split manner. Specifically, when the driver presses the close button 13 while the closing control of the door 11 is disabled, an image captured by the in-vehicle camera 15 at the timing of pressing the close button 13 is acquired as a still image. It should be noted that, hereinafter, the still image acquired at this time is sometimes referred to as the "press-time image". Furthermore, the press-time image and the real-time in-vehicle image captured by the in-vehicle camera 15 (hereinafter, sometimes also referred to as the "real-time image") are displayed together on the display 16 in a split manner.

[0040] (Hardware configuration of the control device)

[0041] Next, based on Figure 3 The control device mounted on vehicle 1 will be described. Figure 3 This is a block diagram that schematically represents the hardware configuration of the control device mounted on the vehicle. The control device 100 is a device that controls the opening and closing of the doors of the vehicle 1. In the vehicle 1, the control device 100 is connected to the door 11, the open button 12, the close button 13, the release switch 14, the in-vehicle camera 15, and the display 16.

[0042] The control device 100 includes a control unit 110, a storage unit 120, and an in-vehicle communication module 130. The control unit 110 has the function of performing arithmetic processing for controlling the control device 100. The control unit 110 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a main storage device such as RAM (Random Access Memory), and an auxiliary storage device such as ROM (Read Only Memory). It should be noted that a CPU is an example of a processor resource. Furthermore, RAM and ROM are examples of memory resources. The control unit 110 can perform arbitrary information processing based on various programs and various data. However, some or all of the functions of the control unit 110 can also be implemented using hardware circuits such as ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits) and FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays).

[0043] The storage unit 120 is composed of any storage device such as RAM, ROM, hard disk drive, or flash memory. The storage unit 120 may also include a removable medium (portable recording medium). Here, the removable medium is, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, an SD (Secure Digital) card, or a disc-type recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Read-Only Optical Disc), DVD (Digital Universal Optical Disc), or Blu-ray disc. The storage unit 120 stores the program executed by the control unit 110 and control data for the execution of the program.

[0044] Furthermore, the storage unit 120 stores data 121 indicating the location and extent of the prohibited area E0 set inside the vehicle 1. Additionally, in the control device 100, the control unit 110 counts the number of passengers inside the vehicle and the number of standing passengers based on images captured by the in-vehicle camera 15. The counted number of passengers and the number of standing passengers 122 are then stored in the storage unit 120.

[0045] The in-vehicle communication module 130 is an interface for the control device 100 to communicate with other devices located in the vehicle 1 using a specified in-vehicle communication standard. Examples of specified in-vehicle communication standards include CAN (Controller Area Network) or LIN (Local Interconnect Network). The control device 100 communicates with various devices located in the vehicle 1 via the in-vehicle communication module 130.

[0046] In the control device 100, the control unit 110 executes the opening control of the door 11 when it receives a signal indicating that the open button 12 has been pressed. Furthermore, the control unit 110 executes the closing control of the door 11 when it receives a signal indicating that the close button 13 has been pressed. Additionally, the control unit 110 acquires images captured by the in-vehicle camera 15 via the in-vehicle communication module 130. Moreover, the control unit 110 displays the images captured by the in-vehicle camera 15 on the display 16.

[0047] Furthermore, the control unit 110 determines whether a standing passenger exists in the prohibited area E0 inside the vehicle based on the image acquired from the in-vehicle camera 15. Moreover, if the control unit 110 senses the presence of a standing passenger in the prohibited area E0, it disables the closing control of the door 11. Even if a signal indicating that the close button 13 has been pressed is received while the closing control of the door 11 is disabled, the control unit 110 does not perform the closing control of the door 11. Furthermore, if a signal indicating that the release switch 14 has been opened is received while the closing control of the door 11 is disabled, the control unit 110 releases the disabling of the closing control of the door 11. Additionally, if the control unit 110 senses, based on the image acquired from the in-vehicle camera 15, that a standing passenger present in the prohibited area E0 has moved out of the prohibited area E0, it releases the disabling of the closing control of the door 11.

[0048] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the control device 100 does not necessarily have to be implemented through a single physical structure, but can also be composed of multiple computers that cooperate with each other and located in the vehicle 1.

[0049] (Control Process)

[0050] Next, based on Figure 4 and Figure 5 The control performed by the control device 100 when the vehicle 1 is parked and the door 11 is open will be described. Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of the first control executed by the control unit 110 when the door 11 in the vehicle is in the open state. Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the second control process executed by the control unit 110 when the vehicle door 11 is in the open state. It should be noted that when the vehicle door 11 is in the open state, the control unit 110 can repeatedly execute the control at predetermined intervals. Figure 4 The control flow shown and Figure 5 The control flow is shown.

[0051] First of all, Figure 4The control flow shown will be explained below. In this flow, in S101, an image of the interior of the vehicle captured by the in-vehicle camera 15 is acquired. Next, in S102, based on the image of the interior of the vehicle acquired in S101, it is determined whether there is a passenger in the prohibited area E0 of the vehicle. Specifically, the control unit 110 extracts standing passengers who are not seated from the image of the interior of the vehicle. Furthermore, the control unit 110 determines whether the position of the extracted standing passenger overlaps with the prohibited area E0.

[0052] If a negative determination is made in S102, that is, if there is no passenger in the prohibited area E0 inside the vehicle, the execution of this process is temporarily terminated. In this case, the closing control of the vehicle door 11 in vehicle 1 is not prohibited. On the other hand, if a positive determination is made in S102, that is, if a passenger is detected in the prohibited area E0 inside the vehicle, the process in S103 is then executed. In S103, the closing control of the vehicle door 11 is prohibited. When the closing control of the vehicle door 11 is prohibited in S103, the prohibition of the closing control of the vehicle door 11 continues until the passenger moves out of the prohibited area E0 inside the vehicle or the release switch 14 is opened by the driver.

[0053] It should be noted that a human body sensor for detecting passengers present in the prohibited area E0 inside the vehicle can also be installed in vehicle 1. In this case, the presence of a passenger in the prohibited area E0 inside the vehicle can be detected based on the detection value of the human body sensor, instead of the image inside the vehicle captured by the in-vehicle camera 15.

[0054] Next, regarding Figure 5 The control flow shown is explained below. In this flow, in S201, a signal indicating that the close button 13 has been pressed is received. Next, in S202, it is determined whether the closing control of the door 11 is disabled. If so, the closing control is disabled by executing... Figure 4 If the control flow shown prohibits the closing control of door 11 and the prohibition is ongoing, then a positive determination is made in S202.

[0055] If a negative decision is made in S202, that is, if the closing control of door 11 is not prohibited, the process in S207 is then executed. In S207, the closing control of door 11 is executed. On the other hand, if a positive decision is made in S202, the process in S203 is then executed. In S203, a press timing image is acquired. Then, in S204, the press timing image acquired in S203 is displayed together with the real-time image on the display 16.

[0056] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating an example of two images displayed separately on monitor 16. For example... Figure 6As shown, display 16 displays a motion image as a real-time image, and in a portion of the area ( Figure 6 The lower right area (center) displays a still image as a press timing image. Furthermore, when both images are displayed on monitor 16, as... Figure 6 As shown, the control unit 110 may also display a message prompting the driver to visually check the area around the vehicle door 11 inside the vehicle 1 on the display 16. Therefore, even if the driver presses the close button but does not close the door 11, the driver can be prompted to visually check. This helps the driver to more accurately assess the situation inside the vehicle. However, it is not mandatory to display this message on the display 16.

[0057] Next, in S205, it is determined whether a signal indicating that the close button 13 has been pressed has been received. That is, it is determined whether the driver has pressed the close button 13 again. If a negative determination is made in S205, that is, if the driver has not pressed the close button 13 again, the process in S204 continues. That is, the split display of the real-time image and the press-time image on the display 16 continues. On the other hand, if a positive determination is made in S205, that is, if the driver has pressed the close button 13 again, the process in S206 proceeds. In S206, the split display on the display 16 is deactivated. That is, the display of the press-time image is deactivated on the display 16, and only the real-time image is displayed. At this time, if the message to the driver and the split display of the two images are displayed together on the display 16, the display of that message is also deactivated in S206.

[0058] It should be noted that even when the display 16 shows two images in a split manner, the driver can still determine that passenger safety is not an issue even if the door 11 is closed by checking the situation near the vehicle door 11 inside the vehicle 1. In this case, the driver releases the restriction on closing the door 11 in order to execute the closing control of the door 11. That is, the driver presses the close button 13 again after turning on the release switch 14. Thus, the close button 13 is pressed while the restriction on closing the door 11 is released. In this case, the control unit 110 releases the split display of the two images on the display 16 in S206 and executes the closing control of the door 11.

[0059] According to the above process, when the close button 13 is pressed while the door 11 closing control is disabled, the timing image and the real-time image are displayed together on the display 16 during the period until the close button 13 is pressed again. This allows the driver to check the situation within the disabled area E0 when the close button 13 is pressed, based on the real-time situation inside the vehicle. Therefore, even if a passenger moves out of the disabled area E0 immediately after the close button 13 is pressed while the door 11 closing control is disabled, the driver can confirm that a passenger was present in the disabled area E0 when the close button 13 is pressed. Therefore, if the door 11 is not closed due to a passenger being present in the disabled area E0 when the close button 13 is pressed, the driver can understand the reason for the failure to close the door.

[0060] It should be noted that, in Figure 5 In the illustrated process, the period during which the pressed timing image and the real-time image are displayed together on the display 16 (the split display period) is set to the time from pressing the close button 13 when the door 11 is in the disabled state of the closing control until pressing the close button 13 again. However, the split display period is not limited to this period. For example, the split display period can also be a predetermined fixed period. However, by setting the split display period to the time from pressing the close button 13 when the door 11 is in the disabled state of the closing control until pressing the close button 13 again, the driver can confirm the pressed timing image displayed on the display 16 with a higher probability.

[0061] <Other Implementation Methods>

[0062] The above-described embodiments are merely examples, and this disclosure can be implemented with appropriate modifications without departing from its spirit. Furthermore, the treatments and solutions described in this disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as they do not create technical contradictions.

[0063] Furthermore, a process described as being performed by a single device can also be performed by multiple devices. Alternatively, a process described as being performed by different devices can also be performed by a single device. In a computer system, the hardware configuration (server configuration) used to implement each function can be flexibly changed.

[0064] This disclosure can also be achieved by providing a computer program with the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and having the program read and executed by one or more processors of the computer. Such a computer program can be provided to the computer either through a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the computer's system bus or via a network. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media include, for example, any type of disk such as a floppy disk (registered trademark), hard disk drive (HDD), optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD, Blu-ray disc, etc.), read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory), EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory), magnetic cards, flash memory, or optical cards—any type of medium suitable for storing electronic commands.

Claims

1. A control device for a vehicle carrying multiple passengers, wherein, A designated area is set near the doors inside the vehicle. If a passenger is detected inside the designated area, the door closing control is disabled. The vehicle is equipped with: The close button is pressed by the driver when the driver of the vehicle performs the closing control of the door; An in-vehicle camera captures images of the interior of the vehicle, including the designated area. as well as The display shows images of the vehicle interior captured by the in-vehicle camera. The control device includes a control unit. If a passenger is detected within the designated area while the vehicle door is open, the control unit disables the door closing control. Furthermore, if the driver presses the close button when the door closing control is disabled, the control unit will, within a specified period, display on the screen an image captured by the in-vehicle camera at the time the close button is pressed, along with a real-time image of the interior of the vehicle captured by the in-vehicle camera.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein, The specified period is the period until the driver presses the off button again.

3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein, The control unit will, during the specified period, prompt the driver to visually confirm the area near the vehicle door inside the vehicle, and display this message along with the split-screen image on the display.

4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein, In the vehicle The floor surface inside the vehicle, including the specified area, is generally flat. Furthermore, the door is a sliding door.

5. A vehicle comprising a control device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

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