vehicle

Abstract

To cause an occupant to recognize that provision of a getting-out assisting function has stopped due to an unexpected stop of power supply.SOLUTION: A vehicle 10 includes an interface ECU 11 and a getting-out assisting ECU 12 that provides a getting-out assisting function for assisting an occupant in getting out of the vehicle. The interface ECU 11 acquires first information indicating whether the getting-out assisting ECU 12 has stopped provision of the getting-out assisting function, and second information indicating whether power necessary for provision of the getting-out assisting function has been supplied to the getting-out assisting ECU 12. The interface ECU 11 then notifies the occupant of information indicating that the getting-out assisting function is not provided when the first information indicates that provision of the getting-out assisting function has not been stopped, and the second information indicates that the necessary power has not been supplied to the getting-out assisting ECU 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle equipped with a getting-off assistance function.

Background Art

[0002] As described in Patent Document 1, a vehicle equipped with a getting-off assistance function is known. The getting-off assistance function is a function that implements a warning or a restriction on the door opening operation in order to avoid contact between an obstacle such as another vehicle or a pedestrian approaching the host vehicle and the opened door.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Due to a failure or the like, it is conceivable that the power supply to the control unit that provides the getting-off assistance function is suddenly interrupted. In such a case, the occupant cannot recognize that the provision of the getting-off assistance function has stopped. Therefore, even if there is a possibility that the opened door collides with an obstacle, the occupant may open the door without a warning or a restriction.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The vehicle that solves the above problems includes a control unit that provides a getting-off assistance function for assisting the getting-off of passengers, first information indicating whether the control unit has stopped providing the getting-off assistance function, and second information indicating whether the power required for providing the getting-off assistance function is being supplied to the control unit. The vehicle also includes a notification unit that, when the first information indicates that the control unit has not stopped providing the getting-off assistance function and the second information indicates that the power required for providing the getting-off assistance function is not being supplied to the control unit, notifies the inside of the vehicle of information indicating that the getting-off assistance function is not being provided.

Effect of the Invention

[0006] The above vehicle has the effect of enabling the passengers to recognize that the provision of the getting-off assistance function has stopped due to an unexpected power supply interruption.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the vehicle will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. <Configuration of the Vehicle> First, with reference to FIG. 1, the configuration of the vehicle 10 of the present embodiment will be described. The vehicle 10 includes various electronic control units (ECUs: Electric Control Unit). The ECUs mounted on the vehicle 10 include an interface ECU 11, a getting-off assistance ECU 12, and a power management ECU 13. Each ECU includes a processing device 14 and a storage device 15 respectively. Each ECU provides its respective function by the processing device 14 executing a program stored in the storage device 15. Further, the vehicle 10 includes a shared memory 16 which is a storage medium that can be referred to by each ECU. The shared memory 16 is installed, for example, in one of the ECUs mounted on the vehicle 10. Each ECU and the shared memory 16 are communicably connected to each other via an in-vehicle network 17.

[0009] The interface ECU 11 is an ECU that provides an interface function between the occupant and the vehicle 10. A display 18 and a speaker 19 installed inside the vehicle are connected to the interface ECU 11. The interface ECU 11 notifies various information to the occupants inside the vehicle through the image output of the display 18 and the audio output of the speaker 19.

[0010] The getting-off assistance ECU 12 is an ECU that provides a getting-off assistance function. A peripheral sensor 20 that detects objects around the vehicle 10, a door sensor 21 that detects an opening operation of the door by the occupant, and an opening restriction device 22 that restricts the opening operation of the door are connected to the getting-off assistance ECU 12. Examples of the peripheral sensor 20 include a sonar and a LiDAR. Based on the detection results of the peripheral sensor 20 and the door sensor 21, when the door opening operation is performed, the getting-off assistance ECU 12 determines whether there is an object that may come into contact with the door when it is opened. Then, when there is an object that may come into contact with the door, the getting-off assistance ECU 12 performs a warning to the occupant or a restriction on the opening of the door. Details of such processing related to getting-off assistance are described, for example, in Patent Document 1 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2020-078959.

[0011] The power management ECU 13 is an ECU that provides the power management function for each ECU. The power management ECU 13 switches the on / off state of the power supply of each ECU according to, for example, the operation status of the power switch 26 of the vehicle 10. The getting-off assistance ECU 12 is connected to the battery 23 via the first power line 24. The power management ECU 13 switches the on / off state of the power supply of the getting-off assistance ECU 12 by switching the on / off state of the power supply through the first power line 24. The interface ECU 11 is connected to the battery 23 via a second power line 25 different from the first power line 24. Therefore, even when the power supply of the getting-off assistance ECU 12 is in the off state, it is possible to turn on the power supply of the interface ECU 11. Note that the interface ECU 11 has a function of detecting the voltage E1 of the first power line 24 and the voltage E2 of the second power line 25.

[0012] <Notification process for stopping the provision of the getting-off assistance function> When the getting-off assistance ECU 12 stops providing the getting-off assistance function, the vehicle 10 notifies the passengers of the stop of the provision of the function. Hereinafter, the details of the processing of the interface ECU 11 and the getting-off assistance ECU 12 related to the notification of the stop of the provision of the getting-off assistance function will be described.

[0013] First, with reference to FIG. 2, the processing of the getting-off assistance ECU 12 related to the above notification will be described. The getting-off assistance ECU 12 starts the processing of FIG. 2 when its own power supply is turned on. The "S" before the numbers in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 described later represents the steps of the processing.

[0014] After the power is turned on, the getting-off assistance ECU 12 waits until the preparations for providing the getting-off assistance function are completed (S10: YES), and then starts providing the getting-off assistance function (S12). The preparations for providing the getting-off assistance function include, for example, checking the operation of the peripheral sensor 20, door sensor 21, unlocking restriction device 22, etc. and itself. Also, the getting-off assistance ECU 12 sets the in-execution flag F in response to the start of providing the getting-off assistance function (S14). The in-execution flag F is a flag that indicates whether the getting-off assistance ECU 12 is providing the getting-off assistance function. Specifically, the fact that the in-execution flag F is set indicates that the getting-off assistance function is being provided. Also, the fact that the in-execution flag F is cleared indicates that the provision of the getting-off assistance function has stopped. The in-execution flag F is stored in the shared memory 16. Therefore, the state of the in-execution flag F can also be confirmed by ECUs other than the getting-off assistance ECU 12.

[0015] After that, when the condition for stopping the provision of the getting-off assistance function is satisfied (S16: YES), the getting-off assistance ECU 12 proceeds to S18. The conditions for stopping the provision of the getting-off assistance function are that a predetermined time has elapsed since the power switch 26 of the vehicle 10 was turned off, it has been confirmed that all passengers have gotten off, the doors of the vehicle 10 have been locked, etc.

[0016] In S18, the getting-off assistance ECU 12 requests the interface ECU 11 to display information indicating that the provision of the getting-off assistance function is to be stopped. The interface ECU 11, in response to this request, causes the display 18 to display information indicating that the provision of the getting-off assistance function is to be stopped. Next, the getting-off assistance ECU 12 clears the in-execution flag F (S20), and after stopping the provision of the getting-off assistance function (S22), ends the processing of FIG. 2.

[0017] Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the processing of the interface ECU 11 related to the above notification will be described. The interface ECU 11 repeatedly executes the processing of FIG. 3 at each predetermined control cycle while it is operating.

[0018] When performing the process of FIG. 3, the interface ECU 11 first determines whether the power state signal PS of the getting-off assistance ECU 12 is on (S50). The power state signal PS is a signal indicating whether the power management ECU 13 is supplying power to the getting-off assistance ECU 12 through the first power line 24. The on state of the power state signal PS indicates that power is being supplied to the getting-off assistance ECU 12, and the off state indicates that the power supply to the getting-off assistance ECU 12 has been stopped. The power management ECU 13 outputs the power state signal PS to other ECUs regularly.

[0019] When the power state signal PS is on (S50: YES), the interface ECU 11 proceeds to S54. On the other hand, when the power state signal PS is off (S50: NO), the interface ECU 11 determines whether the running flag F stored in the shared memory 16 is set (S52). Then, when the running flag F is set (S52: YES), the interface ECU 11 proceeds to S54, and when the running flag F is cleared (S52: NO), the process of FIG. 3 in the current control cycle ends.

[0020] Next, the process of the interface ECU 11 when proceeding to S54 will be described. In this case, the interface ECU 11 first determines whether the voltage E2 of the second power line 25 is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value X (S54). The threshold value X is set to the lower limit value of the voltage E2 of the second power line 25 that can supply the power required for the screen display of the display 18 and the voice output of the speaker 19 to the interface ECU 11. When the voltage E2 is equal to or higher than the threshold value X (S534: YES), the interface ECU 11 proceeds to S56. Also, when the voltage E2 is less than the threshold value X (S54: NO), the process of FIG. 3 in the current control cycle ends.

[0021] In S56, the interface ECU 11 determines whether the voltage E1 of the first power line 24 is equal to or higher than a preset threshold value Y. The threshold value Y is set to the lower limit value of the voltage E1 of the first power line 24 that can supply the power necessary to provide the getting-off assistance function to the getting-off assistance ECU 12. When the voltage E1 is less than the threshold value Y (S56: NO), the interface ECU 11 notifies information indicating that the provision of the getting-off assistance function has abnormally stopped (S58), and then ends the processing of FIG. 3 in the current control cycle. Note that the interface ECU 11 notifies the information in this S58 and S64 described below through the screen display of the display 18 and the voice output of the speaker 19.

[0022] On the other hand, when the interface ECU 11 determines in S56 that the voltage E1 is equal to or higher than the threshold value Y (S56: YES), it determines whether it is in a state where communication with the getting-off assistance ECU 12 is impossible (S60). For example, when the interface ECU 11 cannot establish communication with the getting-off assistance ECU 12 continuously for a preset number of times or more, it determines that it is in a state where communication is impossible. When the interface ECU 11 determines that communication with the getting-off assistance ECU 12 has been interrupted (S60: YES), it proceeds to the above S58. When the interface ECU 11 determines that communication with the getting-off assistance ECU 12 has not been interrupted (S60: NO), it proceeds to S62.

[0023] In S62, the interface ECU 11 determines whether it has been requested by the getting-off assistance ECU 12 to display information indicating that the provision of the getting-off assistance function is to be stopped. When the interface ECU 11 has been requested to display the above information (S62: YES), it notifies information indicating that the provision of the getting-off assistance function has been normally stopped (S64), and then ends the processing of FIG. 3 in the current control cycle.

[0024] <Operations and Effects of the Embodiment> The operations and effects of this embodiment will be described. In the vehicle 10 of the present embodiment, the getting-off assistance ECU 12 provides a getting-off assistance function. When starting to provide the getting-off assistance function, the getting-off assistance ECU 12 sets the running flag F. Then, when the condition for stopping the provision is satisfied, the getting-off assistance ECU 12 stops providing the getting-off assistance function. When stopping the provision of the getting-off assistance function, the getting-off assistance ECU 12 clears the running flag F and requests the interface ECU 11 to notify information indicating that the provision of the getting-off assistance function has been stopped. In response to this request, when the interface ECU 11 notifies the information, the passengers in the vehicle can recognize that the provision of the getting-off assistance function has been stopped. Here, the stop of the provision of the getting-off assistance function in response to the satisfaction of the stop provision condition is described as a normal stop of the provision of the same function. Also, the stop of the provision of the getting-off assistance function due to other factors such as a failure is described as an abnormal stop of the provision of the same function.

[0025] During the provision of the getting-off assistance function, it is conceivable that the provision of the getting-off assistance function abnormally stops due to a failure in the power supply system of the vehicle 10, a communication failure, or the like. The interface ECU 11 detects an abnormal stop in the provision of the getting-off assistance function based on the power state signal PS, the voltage E1 of the first power line 24, and the communication state with the getting-off assistance ECU 12. Then, when detecting the abnormal stop, the interface ECU 11 notifies the passengers of information indicating that the provision of the getting-off assistance function has abnormally stopped. Therefore, even in the case of an abnormal stop, the passengers in the vehicle can recognize that the provision of the getting-off assistance function has stopped.

[0026] The alighting support ECU 12 sets the execution flag F when starting to provide the alighting support function, and clears the flag when stopping the provision of the function. The vehicle 10 of the present embodiment uses the state of such an execution flag F as first information indicating whether the alighting support ECU 12 has stopped providing the alighting support function. The power management ECU 13 outputs a power state signal PS indicating whether the power management ECU 13 is supplying power to the alighting support ECU 12 through the first power line 24. The vehicle 10 of the present embodiment uses such a power state signal PS as second information indicating whether power necessary for providing the alighting support function is being supplied to the alighting support ECU 12. Further, the vehicle 10 of the present embodiment also uses the voltage E1 of the first power line 24 as second information. In the vehicle 10 of the present embodiment, the alighting support ECU 12 corresponds to a control unit that provides an alighting support function for assisting the occupant in alighting. Furthermore, in the vehicle 10 of the present embodiment, the interface ECU 11 corresponds to a notification unit that notifies the occupant of information indicating that the alighting support function is not being provided based on the first information and the second information.

[0027] According to the vehicle 10 of the present embodiment described above, the following effects can be achieved. (1) The vehicle 10 of this embodiment includes an interface ECU 11 that provides an interface function between the vehicle 10 and the occupant, and a getting-off assistance ECU 12 that provides a getting-off assistance function. The interface ECU 11 in the vehicle 10 of this embodiment acquires first information and second information. The first information is information indicating whether the getting-off assistance ECU 12 has stopped providing the getting-off assistance function. The second information is information indicating whether the power required for providing the getting-off assistance function is being supplied to the getting-off assistance ECU 12. And when both of the following requirements (a) and (b) are satisfied, the interface ECU 11 notifies the occupant of information indicating that the getting-off assistance function is not being provided. Requirement (a) is the requirement that the first information indicates that the getting-off assistance ECU 12 has not stopped providing the getting-off assistance function. Requirement (b) is the requirement that the second information indicates that the power required for providing the getting-off assistance function is not being supplied to the getting-off assistance ECU 12. Thereby, even when the power supply to the getting-off assistance ECU 12 becomes inappropriate due to a power system failure or the like and the provision of the getting-off assistance function abnormally stops, the interface ECU 11 can notify the occupant of the stop of the provision of the function. Therefore, the vehicle 10 of this embodiment has an effect that it can make the occupant recognize that the provision of the getting-off assistance function has stopped due to an unexpected stop of power supply.

[0028] (2) When the interface ECU 11 in the vehicle 10 of this embodiment confirms based on the first information that the getting-off assistance ECU 12 has normally stopped providing the getting-off assistance function, it notifies the occupant of information indicating that the provision of the getting-off assistance function has stopped. When the condition for stopping the provision of the getting-off assistance function is set so that the provision of the getting-off assistance function stops after all the occupants in the vehicle have gotten off, there is no need to notify the occupant of the stop of the provision of the function. Even when the provision of the getting-off assistance function stops under other conditions, there is a possibility that the provision of the getting-off assistance function stops before the occupant gets off. Therefore, by notifying the occupant even during normal stop, it is possible to prevent the occupant from getting off without recognizing that the provision of the getting-off assistance function has stopped.

[0029] (3) In the vehicle 10 of this embodiment, the interface ECU 11 determines whether the power required to provide the getting-off assistance function is supplied to the getting-off assistance ECU 12 based on the following two pieces of information. One of the two pieces of information is the power supply state signal PS output by the power management ECU 13 that manages the power supply to the getting-off assistance ECU 12, and the other is the voltage E1 of the first power line 24 detected by itself. That is, the interface ECU 11 obtains the second piece of information indicating whether the power required to provide the getting-off assistance function is supplied to the getting-off assistance ECU 12 from the power management ECU 13 and also obtains it by directly detecting it by itself. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine whether the power required to provide the getting-off assistance function is supplied to the getting-off assistance ECU 12.

[0030] (4) When the first piece of information indicates that the provision of the getting-off assistance function has not been stopped and the interface ECU 11 is in a state where it cannot communicate with the getting-off assistance ECU 12, the interface ECU 11 notifies the occupant of the information indicating that the getting-off assistance function is not being provided. Therefore, even when the provision of the getting-off assistance function abnormally stops due to a communication system failure or a communication failure, the occurrence of the abnormal stop can be notified to the occupant.

[0031] <Other embodiments> This embodiment can be implemented with the following modifications. This embodiment and the following modification examples can be implemented in combination with each other within a technically non - conflicting range.

[0032] · The conditions for stopping the provision of the getting - off assistance function can be arbitrarily changed. · The method for determining whether the getting - off assistance ECU 12 is in a state where communication is impossible in S60 of FIG. 3 can be appropriately changed.

[0033] · In the process of FIG. 3, when it is determined that the execution flag F is set (S52: YES), the determination in S60 may be omitted. That is, even if the execution flag F is set and the notification to the passenger in the state where communication with the getting-off support ECU 12 is not possible is omitted. Also, the determination process in S62 when it is determined that the execution flag F is set can also be omitted.

[0034] · As the second information indicating whether the power necessary for providing the getting-off support function is supplied to the getting-off support ECU 12, only one of the power state signal PS and the voltage E1 of the first power line 24 may be used. Also, information other than the power state signal PS and the voltage E1 of the first power line 24 may be used as the second information.

[0035] · The getting-off support ECU 12 may periodically reset the execution flag during the provision of the getting-off support function. · When stopping the provision of the getting-off support function, the getting-off support ECU 12 may directly notify the interface ECU 11 of the stop of the provision of the function, so that the interface ECU 11 can confirm whether the provision of the getting-off support function has been stopped. In this case, the notification of the stop of the provision from the getting-off support ECU 12 corresponds to the first information.

[0036] · When the provision of the getting-off support function is normally stopped, the notification to the passenger may not be made. For example, it is conceivable to set that the vehicle 10 has been locked or that the getting-off of all passengers has been confirmed as the condition for stopping the provision of the getting-off support function. In this case, when the provision of the getting-off support function is normally stopped, it is considered that there are no passengers in the vehicle, so the notification to the passengers at the time of normal stop becomes unnecessary. Also, when the condition for stopping the provision of the getting-off support function is obvious to the passengers and the passengers can recognize that the provision of the function has been stopped, the notification to the passengers at the time of normal stop is also unnecessary.

[0037] <Supplementary Notes> [Appendix 1] A control unit that provides a disembarkation assistance function for assisting a passenger in disembarking, first information indicating whether the control unit has stopped providing the disembarkation assistance function, and second information indicating whether power necessary for providing the disembarkation assistance function is being supplied to the control unit, are acquired. When the first information indicates that the control unit has not stopped providing the disembarkation assistance function and the second information indicates that power necessary for providing the disembarkation assistance function is not being supplied to the control unit, a notification unit that notifies the passenger of information indicating that the disembarkation assistance function is not being provided is provided. A vehicle comprising the above components.

[0038] [Appendix 2] The vehicle according to Appendix 1, wherein the notification unit notifies the passenger of information indicating that the control unit has stopped providing the disembarkation assistance function when it is confirmed based on the first information that the control unit has stopped providing the disembarkation assistance function.

[0039] [Appendix 3] The vehicle according to Appendix 1 or Appendix 2, further comprising a power management unit that manages power supply to the control unit, and wherein the notification unit acquires the second information from the power management unit. [Appendix 4] The vehicle according to any one of Appendices 1 to 3, wherein the notification unit acquires the second information by detecting the power supplied to the control unit by itself.

[0040] [Appendix 5] The vehicle according to any one of Appendices 1 to 4, wherein the notification unit notifies the passenger of information indicating that the disembarkation assistance function is not being provided even when the first information indicates that the control unit has not stopped providing the disembarkation assistance function and the vehicle is in a state where communication with the control unit is not possible.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0041] 10…Vehicle, 11…Interface ECU (Notification Unit), 12…Alighting Assistance ECU (Control Unit), 13…Power Management ECU, 14…Processing Device, 15…Memory Device, 16…Shared Memory, 17…In-vehicle Network, 18…Display, 19…Speaker, 20…Peripheral Sensor, 21…Door Sensor, 22…Release Limiting Device, 23…Battery, 24…First Power Line, 25…Second Power Line, 26…Power Switch.

Claims

1. A control unit that provides a disembarkation support function for assisting a passenger in disembarking; A notification unit that acquires first information indicating whether the control unit has stopped providing the disembarkation support function and second information indicating whether power necessary for providing the disembarkation support function is being supplied to the control unit, and when the first information indicates that the control unit has not stopped providing the disembarkation support function and the second information indicates that power necessary for providing the disembarkation support function is not being supplied to the control unit, notifies the passenger of information indicating that the disembarkation support function is not being provided; A vehicle comprising the same.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit notifies the passenger of information indicating that the control unit has stopped providing the disembarkation support function when it is confirmed based on the first information that the control unit has stopped providing the disembarkation support function.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a power management unit that manages power supply to the control unit, wherein the notification unit acquires the second information from the power management unit.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit acquires the second information by detecting the power supplied to the control unit by itself.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit notifies the passenger of information indicating that the disembarkation support function is not being provided even when the first information indicates that the control unit has not stopped providing the disembarkation support function and the vehicle is in a state where communication with the control unit is impossible.

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