Vehicle door control device and MaaS providing method

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle door control device and a MaaS providing method. The present disclosure improves techniques for sensing a person. A door control device (1) is provided with an imaging unit (11) for imaging a blind area, which is a blind area for a driver of a vehicle, and a sensing area outside the vehicle and in the vicinity of a door of the vehicle, a control unit (13) for detecting a detected object outside the vehicle from an image captured by the imaging unit (11) using an object detection technique, and a display unit (14) for displaying the detected object outside the vehicle from the image captured by the imaging unit (11). Determining whether the detection object is located in the sensing area; stopping the closing operation of the vehicle door when it is determined that the detection object is located in the sensing area; and displaying the detection object on a display unit (14).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle door control device and a MaaS providing method. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the past, a technology for sensing a person is known. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technology of setting a plurality of sensing areas on an image of a platform of a station.

[0003] PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

[0004] PATENT LITERATURE

[0005] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-121483

[0006] The technology for sensing a person can be used for a system that judges a stop of opening and closing of a vehicle door depending on whether or not a person is in a sensing area near the vehicle door. In a case where a driver desires to observe outside of the vehicle, a blind area outside of the vehicle can be generated due to an interior of the vehicle or the vehicle door. A person in the blind area can approach the vehicle door. In a case where the person in the blind area is not in the sensing area, the driver can overlook the person. SUMMARY

[0007] The present disclosure has been achieved in view of the circumstances, and an object thereof is to improve the technology for sensing a person.

[0008] A vehicle door control device of one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a photographing unit that photographs a blind area region that is a blind area of a driver of a vehicle and a sensing area outside of the vehicle and near a vehicle door, a control unit configured to detect, using an object detection technology, a detected object outside of the vehicle from an image photographed by the photographing unit, determine whether or not the detected object is positioned in the sensing area, stop a closing operation of the vehicle door in a case where it is determined that the detected object is positioned in the sensing area, and display the detected object on a display unit.

[0009] EFFECT OF THE INVENTION

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the technology for sensing a person is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 is a block diagram that shows a schematic configuration of a vehicle door control device of the present embodiment.

[0012] Figure 2 is a flowchart that shows an operation of the vehicle door control device of the present embodiment.

[0013] REFERENCE SIGNS

[0014] 1: door control device; 11: imaging section; 12: communication section; 13: control section; 14: display section; 15: storage section. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] (Outline of door control device of this embodiment)

[0017] Reference Figure 1 A door control device of this embodiment will be described. The door control device of this embodiment is a computer mounted on a vehicle.

[0018] The vehicle includes any means of transport such as an automobile, a bus, and a shuttle bus. The vehicle can be a gasoline vehicle, a diesel vehicle, a hydrogen energy vehicle, a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), a HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), or a FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle). The vehicle can be driven by a driver, or the driving of the vehicle can be automated at any level. The level of automation is, for example, any one of levels 1 to 5 in the classification of the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers). The vehicle can also be a MaaS (Mobility as a Service) dedicated vehicle. The vehicle is provided with a controller that controls the operation of each section of the vehicle including a door.

[0019] The door control device of this embodiment displays the presence of a person in the blind area region on the display section to inform the driver. Thereby, even if the person located in the blind area region is not in the sensing region, the driver can recognize the person and manually stop the door closing operation. That is, this embodiment can assist the sensing of a person based on the sensing region by the display of the blind area region. As described above, according to this embodiment, the technology for sensing a person is improved.

[0020] (Configuration of door control device)

[0021] Reference Figure 1The configuration of the door control device will be described. The door control device is provided with a photographing section 11, a communication section 12, a control section 13, a display section 14, and a storage section 15. Each section is connected in a manner that enables communication with each other via a vehicle-mounted network such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) or a dedicated line.

[0022] The photographing section 11 is any photographing module provided in a vehicle and capable of photographing the outside of the vehicle. The photographing module includes at least one camera. The photographing section 11 is provided at a position capable of photographing the ground and road near the door, for example, the ceiling near the door. The image photographed by the photographing section 11 can be a dynamic image or a still image.

[0023] The communication section 12 includes at least one communication interface connected to the vehicle-mounted network. The communication interface corresponds to, for example, a mobile communication standard such as 4G (4th generation) or 5G (5th generation), a V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication standard such as DSRC (dedicated short range communications) or cellular V2X, or a wireless LAN (local area network) communication standard such as IEEE 802.11 (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 802.11).

[0024] The control section 13 includes at least one processor, at least one programmable circuit, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination thereof. The control section 13 controls the operation of the door control device. The control section 13 can also include an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The control section 13 controls each section of the door control device.

[0025] The display section 14 outputs an image or visual information such as characters or graphics. The display section 14 is any display including an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display or an inorganic EL display. The display section 14 can also include a light emitting device such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode). The display section 14 can also have any other device.

[0026] The storage section 15 includes at least one memory. Each memory included in the storage section 15 can function as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory, for example. The storage section 15 stores information for the operation of the vehicle door control device and information obtained as a result of the operation of the vehicle door control device. The storage section 15 can also store a system program, an application program, or embedded software. The information stored in the storage section 15 can be updated using information acquired from a network via the communication section 12.

[0027] The functions of the vehicle door control device are realized by executing the program of one embodiment using the processor of the control section 13. That is, the functions of the vehicle door control device are realized by software. The program causes a computer to function as the vehicle door control device 1 by causing the computer to execute the operation of the vehicle door control device. That is, the computer functions as the vehicle door control device by executing the operation of the vehicle door control device 1 according to the program.

[0028] (Action flow of the vehicle door control device of the present embodiment)

[0029] Reference Figure 2 The operation of the vehicle door control device of the present embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, the communication of each section of the vehicle door control device is performed via the communication section 12 and the network.

[0030] S101: The control section 13 acquires an image from the imaging section 11.

[0031] The imaging section 11 images a blind area region that is a blind area of a driver of a vehicle and a sensing region that is outside the vehicle and in the vicinity of a door of the vehicle. The blind area region is a region that becomes a blind area of the driver due to an interior trim or a door of the vehicle such as a pillar. The sensing region is a region on a road or a sidewalk that has an arbitrary shape. Part or all of the blind area region can overlap the sensing region. Alternatively, the blind area region can not overlap the sensing region. In the present embodiment, the sensing region is a rectangular region that extends outward from the door. The blind area region and the sensing region can also be set in advance. In the present embodiment, information such as the position and the shape of the blind area region and the sensing region is stored in the storage section 15 in advance.

[0032] S102: The control section 13 detects a detection object outside the vehicle from the image imaged by the imaging section 11 using an object detection technique.

[0033] The detection object includes a person or baggage. The object detection technique includes any detection technique such as YOLO (You Only Look Once) and a CNN (Convolutional Neural Network).

[0034] S103: The control section 13 determines whether the detected object is located in the sensing region. In a case where it is determined that the detected object is located in the sensing region (S103 - Yes), the process proceeds to S104. In a case where it is not determined that the detected object is located in the sensing region (S103 - No), the process proceeds to S105.

[0035] The control section 13 determines whether the detected object is located in the sensing region using the position of the detected object detected by the object detection technique of S102. It can be that, in a case where a part or all of the detected object is located in the sensing region, the control section 13 determines that the detected object is located in the sensing region.

[0036] S104: The control section 13 stops the closing operation of the door.

[0037] When a person outside the vehicle gets on the vehicle, the person can be injured by the door pinching the person's hand or baggage. In order to prevent the injury, the control section 13 stops the closing operation of the door. The control section 13 can also stop the opening operation of the door. In order to make the vehicle start earlier, the control section 13 can also reduce the opening / closing speed of the door.

[0038] S105: The control section 13 displays the detected object on the display section 14.

[0039] By displaying the detected object on the display section 14, the driver can recognize the detected object. The driver can stop the closing operation of the door due to the detected object located outside the sensing region. Thus, it is possible to avoid the detected object (person) from feeling unpleasant because the person tries to get on the vehicle but is closed by the door. In the present embodiment, since the imaging section 11 also images the blind region, the driver can also recognize a person in the blind region and outside the sensing region, and stop the closing operation of the door for the person.

[0040] In order to encourage the driver to pay attention to the detected object in the blind region, the control section 13 can also display the detected object on the display section 14 in a first display scheme that differs depending on whether the detected object is located in the blind region. For example, the control section 13 can surround the detected object on the display section 14 with a frame line, change the color or shape of the frame line, or make the frame line blink, depending on whether the detected object is located in the blind region. Alternatively, the control section 13 can superimpose text information on the detected object on the display section 14 or display the text information near the detected object, and can change the content of the text information depending on whether the detected object is located in the blind region. For example, the control section 13 can display the text information "Caution!" on the display section 14 for the detected object in the blind region, and display the text information "Safe" on the display section 14 for the detected object outside the blind region.

[0041] To encourage the driver to pay attention to the detected object in the sensing region, the control section 13 can also display the detected object on the display section 14 in a second display scheme that differs depending on whether the detected object is located in the sensing region. For example, the control section 13 can also cause the color or shape of the frame line or the character information to change depending on whether the detected object is located in the sensing region, as with the first display scheme, and display the detected object on the display section 14.

[0042] The control section 13 can also determine the moving direction of the detected object from the image using the object detection technology of S102 or the like. To encourage the driver to pay attention to the detected object that is approaching the vehicle, the control section 13 can also display the detected object on the display section 14 in a third display scheme that differs depending on the moving direction. For example, the control section 13 can also cause the color or shape of the frame line or the character information to change depending on whether the detected object is approaching the vehicle, for example, the sensing region, as with the first display scheme or the second display scheme, and display the detected object on the display section 14.

[0043] To encourage the driver to pay attention to the blind region or the sensing region, the control section 13 can also display the blind region or the sensing region on the display section 14.

[0044] The door control device of the present embodiment displays the fact that there is a person in the blind region on the display section to inform the driver. Thus, even if the person located in the blind region is not in the sensing region, the driver can recognize the person and manually stop the door closing operation. That is, the present embodiment can assist the sensing of the person based on the sensing region by the display of the blind region. As described above, according to the present embodiment, the technology for sensing a person is improved.

[0045] The present disclosure is described based on the drawings and the embodiments, but it is to be noted that various modifications and changes can be made by those skilled in the art based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it is to be noted that these modifications and changes are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions and the like included in each of the constituent sections or steps and the like can be reconfigured in a manner that does not logically contradict, a plurality of constituent sections or steps and the like can be combined into one, or divided. For example, in the above-described embodiments, an embodiment in which the constitution and the operation of the door control device 1 are dispersed to a plurality of computers that can communicate with each other can also be provided.

Claims

1. A door control device provided with a photographing section, a control section, and a display section, the photographing section photographing a blind area region that is a blind area of a driver of a vehicle and a sensing region that is outside the vehicle and in the vicinity of a door of the vehicle, wherein the control section is configured to: detect, using an object detection technique, a detected object outside the vehicle from an image photographed by the photographing section; determine whether the detected object is located within the sensing region; stop a closing operation of the door in a case where it is determined that the detected object is located within the sensing region; and display the detected object on the display section.

2. The door control device according to claim 1, wherein the displaying the detected object includes displaying the detected object on the display section in a first display scheme that is different depending on whether the detected object is located within the blind area region.

3. The door control device according to claim 1, wherein the displaying the detected object includes displaying the detected object on the display section in a second display scheme that is different depending on whether the detected object is located within the sensing region.

4. The door control device according to claim 1, wherein the control section further determines a moving direction of the detected object from the image, and the displaying the detected object includes displaying the detected object on the display section in a third display scheme that is different depending on the moving direction.

5. The door control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control section further displays the blind area region or the sensing region on the display section.

6. A Mobility as a Service (MaaS) providing method using the door control device according to claim 1. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

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