Vehicle

Abstract

The present invention addresses the improvement of technology related to the smooth disembarkation of passengers. A vehicle includes: a control unit; an in-vehicle position detection unit that detects the seating positions of passengers inside the vehicle; and a plurality of doors. The control unit performs the following processing: acquiring information related to a parking location where a passenger will disembark; acquiring the seating position of the disembarking passenger from the in-vehicle position detection unit; selecting a door near the seating position of the disembarking passenger when the vehicle arrives at the parking location; and opening or closing the selected door.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] Previously, technologies related to facilitating passenger disembarkation were known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for issuing disembarkation guidance notices based on the passenger situation inside the vehicle.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-005731 Summary of the Invention

[0004] There is room for improvement in the technology related to passengers disembarking smoothly.

[0005] The present invention, which was made in view of this situation, aims to improve the technology related to the smooth disembarkation of passengers.

[0006] One embodiment of the present invention relates to a vehicle comprising:

[0007] Control Department;

[0008] The in-vehicle position detection unit detects the seating positions of passengers inside the vehicle; and

[0009] Multiple doors,

[0010] The control unit performs the following processing:

[0011] Obtain information related to the drop-off locations of passengers inside the vehicle;

[0012] The seating position of the passenger who disembarked is obtained from the in-vehicle position detection unit;

[0013] When the vehicle arrives at the drop-off point, select the door closest to the seating position of the disembarking passenger; and

[0014] To open or close the selected door.

[0015] Invention Effects

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the technology related to the smooth disembarkation of passengers is improved. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating the general structure of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 It is a flowchart representing the actions of the system. Detailed Implementation

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, parts having the same structure or function are labeled with the same reference numerals. In the description of this embodiment, repeated descriptions of the same parts may be appropriately omitted or simplified.

[0020] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

[0021] refer to Figure 1 The following is a summary description of system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. System 1 includes a vehicle 10, an information processing device 20, and a user terminal 30. The vehicle 10, the information processing device 20, and the user terminal 30 are communicatively connected, for example, to a network 40 including the Internet and mobile communication networks.

[0022] Vehicle 10 may be, for example, a car, but is not limited to this; it can be any vehicle. The car may be a battery electric vehicle (BEV), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), or a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), etc., but is not limited to these. Vehicle 10 may have autonomous driving capabilities. In this embodiment, vehicle 10 is a bus.

[0023] The information processing device 20 is, for example, a computer such as a server. The information processing device 20 is able to communicate with the vehicle 10 via the network 40.

[0024] User terminal 30 is, for example, a communication terminal such as a smartphone. User terminal 30 can communicate with vehicle 10 and information processing device 20 via network 40.

[0025] First, an overview of this embodiment will be given, and detailed descriptions will follow. The vehicle 10 acquires information related to the drop-off location of the passengers and the seating positions of the passengers getting off. When the vehicle 10 arrives at the drop-off location, it opens or closes the door closest to the seating position of the passengers getting off.

[0026] Thus, according to this embodiment, the doors that open and close based on the seating position of the disembarking passengers are selected. Therefore, the time required for passengers to disembark is reduced, and the technology related to the smooth disembarkation of passengers is improved.

[0027] Next, the various structures of vehicle 10 will be described in detail.

[0028] like Figure 1As shown, the vehicle 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a communication unit 13, an in-vehicle position detection unit 14, an external position detection unit 15, a reading unit 16, multiple doors 17, and an air conditioning unit 18.

[0029] The control unit 11 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or combinations thereof. The processor may be, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), or a dedicated processor for specific processing, but is not limited to these. The programmable circuit may be, for example, a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), but is not limited to these. The dedicated circuit may be, for example, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), but is not limited to these. The control unit 11 controls the overall movement of the vehicle 10.

[0030] The storage unit 12 includes one or more memories. These memories may be, for example, semiconductor memories, magnetic memories, or optical memories, but are not limited to these. Each memory included in the storage unit 12 may function as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 12 stores any information related to the operation of the vehicle 10. For example, the storage unit 12 may store system programs, application programs, and embedded software.

[0031] The communication unit 13 includes one or more communication interfaces connected to the network 40. These communication interfaces may correspond to, for example, fourth-generation (4G) or fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication standards, but are not limited to these. In this embodiment, the vehicle 10 communicates with the information processing device 20 and the user terminal 30 via the communication unit 13 and the network 40.

[0032] The in-vehicle position detection unit 14 includes one or more cameras capable of capturing images of a subject. The cameras may be in-vehicle cameras or the like. The images generated by the cameras can be one or more still images or one or more moving images. The in-vehicle position detection unit 14 may include sensors capable of determining the presence of a person inside the vehicle, such as millimeter-wave sensors, LiDAR, or piezoelectric pads.

[0033] The external position detection unit 15 includes one or more cameras capable of capturing images of a subject. The external position detection unit 15 may include, for example, a front camera, a side camera, or a rear camera.

[0034] The reading unit 16 includes a device capable of reading passenger information. The information included in the passenger information is not particularly limited; for example, it may include information about the vehicle 10 the passenger is traveling in, or the pick-up and drop-off locations. The reading unit 16 may be, for example, an IC card reader capable of reading passenger information from a passenger's integrated circuit (IC) card.

[0035] The vehicle door 17 includes two or more doors for passengers to get on and off the vehicle. Multiple vehicle doors 17 can be arranged adjacent to each other. There are no particular limitations on the opening and closing methods of the multiple vehicle doors 17; for example, they can be sliding doors.

[0036] The air conditioning unit 18 is equipped with devices for adjusting the interior temperature, humidity, air cleanliness, and airflow of the vehicle 10.

[0037] refer to Figure 2 The operation of system 1 as described in this embodiment will be explained.

[0038] S1: User terminal 30 accepts registration of passenger information, including information about the vehicle 10 the passenger is traveling in or the pick-up and drop-off locations.

[0039] S2: User terminal 30 sends the passenger information received in S1 to information processing device 20. Information processing device 20 determines the vehicle 10 occupied by the passenger included in the passenger information and sends the passenger information to the vehicle 10.

[0040] S3: When a passenger boards vehicle 10, they present an IC card containing their passenger information to the reader 16. In S2, vehicle 10, which receives passenger information from information processing device 20, retrieves the passenger information recorded on the IC card from the reader 16.

[0041] S4: When the reading unit 16 obtains passenger information, the control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 obtains an image of the vehicle interior from the in-vehicle position detection unit 14 and determines the seating position of the passenger corresponding to the passenger information.

[0042] S5: The control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 closes the opened doors when passengers have finished getting on and off the vehicle.

[0043] S6: The control unit 11 receives operation information, including the departure time of the vehicle 10, from the information processing device 20. Then, when the current time becomes the departure time of the vehicle 10, the control unit 11 acquires an image of the vehicle interior from the in-vehicle position detection unit 14. The control unit 11 starts the vehicle 10 from its seats after confirming that all passengers are seated.

[0044] S7: The control unit 11 determines the passengers who will get off at the next stop based on the passenger information obtained in S3. The control unit 11 obtains images of the interior of the vehicle from the in-vehicle position detection unit 14, determines the seating positions of all passengers getting off at the next stop, and calculates the average coordinates of the seating positions.

[0045] S8: When vehicle 10 arrives at the parking spot, control unit 11 identifies door 17, which is close to the average coordinates of the seating positions of all disembarking passengers calculated in S7, as door 1. Control unit 11 sets door 17 as the door for disembarking at the next parking spot.

[0046] S9: When the vehicle 10 arrives at the parking spot, the control unit 11 acquires an image of the parking spot from the external position detection unit 15 and determines the position of the waiting passenger at the front of the waiting line.

[0047] S10: The control unit 11 designates any door 17 different from the first door as the second door. The control unit 11 adjusts the parking position of the vehicle 10 so that the second door is within a predetermined distance from the front of the waiting queue. The predetermined distance is not particularly limited, for example, it can be 1m. By offsetting the front of the waiting queue from the position of the first door, it is possible to prevent passengers getting off from mixing with passengers getting on.

[0048] S11: When vehicle 10 arrives at the parking location, control unit 11 opens the first door.

[0049] When the first door is open, the control unit 11 can control the air conditioning unit 18 to suppress the airflow of the air conditioning unit 18. This suppresses the exchange of air between the inside and outside of the vehicle while the door is open. Therefore, the power consumption of the vehicle 10's air conditioning is reduced, improving fuel economy or energy efficiency.

[0050] As described above, the vehicle 10 in this embodiment obtains information related to the drop-off location of the passengers and the seating position of the passengers getting off the vehicle. When the vehicle 10 arrives at the drop-off location, it opens or closes the door near the seating position of the passengers getting off the vehicle.

[0051] Based on this structure, the doors are selected to open and close according to the seating position of the disembarking passengers. This reduces the time required for passengers to disembark and improves the technology related to smooth passenger disembarkation.

[0052] Although the present invention has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and alterations can be made to the present invention. Therefore, it should be noted that such modifications and alterations are included within the scope of the present invention. For example, the functions included in each structural part or step can be reconfigured in a logically consistent manner, and multiple structural parts or steps can be combined into one or divided.

[0053] For example, in the above embodiments, it is also possible to implement an embodiment in which the structure and operation of the information processing device 20 are distributed among multiple computers capable of communicating with each other. Furthermore, for example, it is also possible to implement an embodiment in which some or all of the components of the information processing device 20 are disposed in the vehicle 10 and the user terminal 30.

[0054] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the passenger information received in S1 can be stored in the user terminal 30. In this case, the information processing device 20 can be omitted. In S3, the passenger can raise the user terminal 30 to the reading unit 16 to allow the control unit 11 to obtain the travel information.

[0055] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, vehicle 10 may not be an autonomous bus. In this case, control unit 11 can use a monitor or voice, etc., to guide the driver of vehicle 10 to the parking position.

[0056] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, under certain conditions, either the first door or the second door can be opened even when there are no passengers boarding or alighting. These conditions are not particularly limited; for example, they could be a small temperature difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle, or a large number of passengers boarding, alighting, or continuing to board. This reduces the time required for passengers to board and alight.

[0057] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the waiting positions of waiting passengers can be preset and stored in the storage unit 12. Thus, even if the external position detection unit 15 is omitted, the vehicle 10 can be stopped at the front of the waiting line of passengers and in a position where the first door is not obstructed.

[0058] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, if no passengers disembark at the next stop, the control unit 11 can calculate the average coordinates of the seating positions for passengers continuing on the journey. After the vehicle 10 stops at the stop, the control unit 11 can open the door 17 located away from the calculated average coordinates. Thus, passengers boarding from the next stop can get on and reach a relatively empty position on the vehicle 10.

[0059] Furthermore, for example, it is also possible to implement a general-purpose computer as the information processing apparatus 20 described in the above embodiments. Specifically, a program containing processing content for implementing the various functions of the information processing apparatus 20 described in the above embodiments is stored in the memory of a general-purpose computer, and the program is read and executed by a processor. Therefore, the present invention can also be implemented as a program executable by a processor or as a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing the program.

[0060] Symbol Explanation

[0061] 1-System, 10-Vehicle, 11-Control unit, 12-Storage unit, 13-Communication unit, 14-In-vehicle position detection unit, 15-Out-of-vehicle position detection unit, 16-Reading unit, 17-Vehicle door, 18-Air conditioning unit, 20-Information processing device, 30-User terminal, 40-Network.

Claims

1. A vehicle, characterized in that, have: Control Department; The in-vehicle position detection unit detects the seating positions of passengers inside the vehicle; and Multiple doors, The control unit performs the following processing: Obtain information related to the drop-off locations of passengers inside the vehicle; The seating position of the passenger who disembarked is obtained from the in-vehicle position detection unit; When the vehicle arrives at the drop-off point, select the door closest to the seating position of the disembarking passenger; and To open or close the selected door.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, When multiple passengers disembark, the control unit performs the following processing: The positions of the multiple passengers are obtained from the in-vehicle position detection unit; Calculate the average coordinates of the locations of the multiple passengers; and When the vehicle arrives at the drop-off point, select the door closest to the average coordinate.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vehicle is also equipped with an exterior position detection unit that detects the front position of the waiting queue of passengers outside the vehicle. The control unit performs the following processing: At the parking location, the position at the front of the waiting line of the waiting passengers is obtained from the external position detection unit. Select a door that is different from the previously selected door; and Control the parking position of the vehicle so that the selected different doors are within a specified distance from the front of the waiting queue.

4. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The multiple doors are sliding doors.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vehicle also has an air conditioning unit for adjusting the air inside the vehicle. The control unit suppresses the airflow of the air conditioning unit when the vehicle door is open.

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