Door lock control device

Abstract

To secure the safety of a vehicle and its occupants by preventing unnecessary unlocking, and to unlock the vehicle surely and quickly in an emergency.SOLUTION: Provided is a door lock control device that controls the locking or unlocking of a door lock mechanism provided on the doors of an own vehicle, the door lock control device including: an occupant detection unit that detects occupants in the own vehicle; an emergency vehicle detection unit that detects an emergency vehicle within a predetermined distance range of the own vehicle based on vehicle exterior sound information related to exterior sounds generated around the own vehicle and siren sound information related to the siren sound of the emergency vehicle; an unlocking feasibility determination unit that determines whether the door lock mechanism can be unlocked based on the detection results of the occupant detection unit and the emergency vehicle detection unit; and a drive control unit that controls the drive of the door lock mechanism. The unlocking feasibility determination unit allows the door lock mechanism to be unlocked when an occupant in the own vehicle is detected and an emergency vehicle is detected within the predetermined distance range of the own vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a door lock control device that controls the locking and unlocking of vehicle doors. [Background technology]

[0002] The doors of a vehicle can be locked manually by the occupant, or automatically by a door lock control device when certain conditions are met, such as when an operation related to starting to drive is performed or when the vehicle speed exceeds a certain speed. In a vehicle, locking the doors protects the occupants and ensures their safety by keeping them inside the vehicle.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle that locks its doors when a door lock command is received or when it is detected that the vehicle is moving, and unlocks its doors when an unlock command is received or when an operation to keep the vehicle stopped is performed. In addition, in the vehicle of Patent Document 1, when the vehicle automatically stops because the driving continuation condition is not met, the locking and unlocking of the doors is controlled based on the stopping state of the vehicle and the presence or absence of other vehicles in the vicinity. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-217924 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Whether the doors are locked or unlocked depends on the vehicle's stopped or running status, the external environment, and the status of the vehicle and its occupants. For example, in an emergency where an occupant needs to be rescued due to injury or sudden illness, locked doors can hinder prompt and smooth rescue operations. In particular, if the occupant is unconscious or if their movement is hindered due to injury or other reasons, rescue operations may not be carried out smoothly because the occupant will not be able to unlock the doors. On the other hand, if the doors remain unlocked for a long period of time when the vehicle is stopped, the safety of the vehicle and its occupants may not be guaranteed.

[0006] For this reason, it is desirable to provide an environment in which a door lock control device can accurately determine whether or not an emergency exists while preventing unnecessary unlocking, and in the event of an emergency, can reliably and quickly unlock the door, allowing rescue operations to be carried out quickly and smoothly.

[0007] The present invention addresses such situations by preventing unnecessary unlocking to ensure the safety of the vehicle and its occupants, while also enabling reliable and rapid unlocking in an emergency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve such problems, the door lock control device according to the present invention has the following configuration. That is, one aspect of the present invention is a door lock control device that controls the locking or unlocking of a door lock mechanism provided on the door of a vehicle, and includes an occupant detection unit that detects occupants in the vehicle, an emergency vehicle detection unit that detects an emergency vehicle within a predetermined distance range of the vehicle based on external sound information regarding external sounds generated around the vehicle and siren sound information regarding the siren sound of the emergency vehicle, an unlocking feasibility determination unit that determines whether the door lock mechanism can be unlocked based on the detection results of the occupant detection unit and the emergency vehicle detection unit, and a drive control unit that controls the drive of the door lock mechanism, and the unlocking feasibility determination unit provides a door lock control device that allows the door lock mechanism to be unlocked when an occupant in the vehicle is detected and an emergency vehicle is detected within the predetermined distance range of the vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] A door lock control device having such characteristics can ensure the safety of the vehicle and its occupants by preventing unnecessary unlocking, while also enabling reliable and rapid unlocking in an emergency. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle control system including a door lock control device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a door lock control ECU according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 4 is a flowchart showing a process performed by a door lock control ECU according to the embodiment of the present invention, and a process for setting an unlock permission flag for a door lock mechanism. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing a process performed by a door lock control ECU according to the embodiment of the present invention, which is a process for unlocking a door lock mechanism when an operation is input to a door. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals in different drawings denote parts with the same functions, and duplicated descriptions in each drawing will be omitted as appropriate.

[0012] 1, a door lock control ECU (door lock control device) 11 according to this embodiment controls the driving of an actuator 22 of a door lock mechanism 21 provided in each door of a vehicle 100. By driving the actuator 22, the door lock control ECU 11 controls the door lock mechanism 21 to be in a locked state that prohibits the door from being opened or an unlocked state that allows the door to be opened. The door lock control ECU 11 functions as a part of a vehicle control system 1 mounted on the vehicle 100.

[0013] The vehicle control system 1 includes a plurality of sensors that acquire various information indicating the driving state of the vehicle 100 and the environment inside and outside the vehicle, a plurality of ECUs (Electronic Control Units) that control various electronic devices necessary for driving the vehicle 100, and a door lock control ECU 11, which is one of the ECUs. The sensors, each ECU, and the door lock control ECU 11 are interconnected so as to be able to communicate with each other via an in-vehicle network 3 such as a controller area network (CAN) or a local interconnect network (LIN) and a central gateway (CGW) 4 as a relay device.

[0014] In the vehicle control system 1, information (data) acquired by each sensor is output to the in-vehicle network 3, and each ECU and the door lock control ECU 11 controls the operation of each electronic device based on the information acquired from the in-vehicle network 3. In addition, each ECU and the door lock control ECU 11 outputs information indicating the operating state of the electronic device to the in-vehicle network 3.

[0015] The multiple sensors include a vehicle speed sensor 31 that detects the traveling speed of the vehicle 100, a seating sensor 32 that detects whether an occupant is seated in a seat inside the vehicle 100, and a microphone 33 that collects various sounds generated around the vehicle 100.

[0016] Each ECU and the door lock control ECU 11 includes a processor and an electric circuit, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a micro processing unit (MPU), and executes various processes using the CPU or MPU. Each ECU and the door lock control ECU 11 also includes a volatile storage element, such as a random access memory (RAM), that temporarily processes data used by the CPU or MPU, and a non-volatile storage element, such as a read-only memory (ROM), that stores programs executed by the CPU or MPU. Note that some or all of the operations executed by each ECU can be implemented using hardware, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a graphics processing unit (GPU).

[0017] In the following description, illustrations and detailed descriptions of electronic devices, sensors, ECUs, etc. that are not involved in the operation of the door lock control ECU 11 in the vehicle control system 1 will be omitted.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the door lock control ECU 11 is connected to a door lock mechanism 21 provided in each door of the vehicle 100, and locks or unlocks the door lock mechanism 21 by driving an actuator 22 of the door lock mechanism 21. A door lock mechanism 21 is provided for each door, and the actuator 22 of each door lock mechanism 21 can be driven independently. Therefore, it is possible to lock or unlock only an arbitrary door lock mechanism 21, or to lock or unlock all door lock mechanisms 21 collectively.

[0019] The door lock control ECU 11 includes a CPU 111, a ROM 112, and a RAM 113, and the CPU 111 executes various processes based on programs stored in the ROM 112. The ROM 112, which is provided as a non-volatile storage element, stores a program for locking or unlocking the door lock mechanism 21 and various data required to execute this program.

[0020] In this embodiment, ROM 112 stores, as one of various data, siren sound information related to the siren sound (alarm sound) of an emergency vehicle. The siren sound of an ambulance, an example of an emergency vehicle, is defined by the laws and regulations of each country. For example, in Japan, it is defined as a sound that repeats 960 Hz and 770 Hz with a cycle of 1.3 seconds. Therefore, ROM 112 stores, as siren sound information, information indicating the characteristics of the siren sound, such as the frequency and cycle of the siren sound, and the volume (dB) of the sound depending on the distance from the emergency vehicle.

[0021] The CPU 111 then loads and executes the program stored in the ROM 112 into a memory such as the RAM 113, thereby functioning as an occupant detection unit 121, an emergency vehicle detection unit 122, an unlocking possibility determination unit 123, and a drive control unit 124 shown in Fig. 2. The occupant detection unit 121, the emergency vehicle detection unit 122, the unlocking possibility determination unit 123, and the drive control unit 124 will be described below.

[0022] The occupant detection unit 121 detects an occupant inside the vehicle 100. For example, when the detection result of the seating sensor 32 acquired via the in-vehicle network 3 indicates that an occupant is seated in a seat of the vehicle 100, the occupant detection unit 121 determines that an occupant is present inside the vehicle 100. Whether or not an occupant is present inside the vehicle 100 can be detected not only by the detection result of the seating sensor 32 but also by the detection results of other sensors.

[0023] Other sensors include, for example, a camera that captures images of the interior of the vehicle 100, a human presence sensor that detects heat (temperature of the body surface of an occupant), radar, etc. Also, various sensors included in ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems) that assist driving of the vehicle 100 can be used to detect an occupant inside the vehicle 100, for example, by detecting the vital signs of the occupant. In this way, the occupant detection unit 121 acquires the detection result of any one of the sensors via the in-vehicle network 3, and detects an occupant inside the vehicle 100 based on the detection result.

[0024] The emergency vehicle detection unit 122 detects an emergency vehicle within a predetermined distance range of the vehicle 100 based on external sound information relating to external sounds occurring around the vehicle 100 and siren sound information relating to the siren sound of the emergency vehicle. For example, the emergency vehicle detection unit 122 collects external sounds generated around the vehicle 100 using the microphone 33 and temporarily stores this as external sound information in the RAM 113 or in any storage area within the vehicle control system 1. The emergency vehicle detection unit 122 then compares the stored external sound information with the siren sound information stored in the ROM 112, and if the external sound information includes a siren sound and the collected siren sound satisfies a predetermined condition, it detects that an emergency vehicle is present within a predetermined distance range of the vehicle 100.

[0025] The recording of external sound information can be performed continuously, and the start and end timings can be set appropriately. For example, recording of external sound information can be started when a sound of a certain loudness or more is recognized, and can be stopped when a state in which a sound of a certain loudness or more is not recognized continues for a predetermined period of time.

[0026] Specifically, the emergency vehicle detection unit 122 determines whether or not the external sound includes a siren, that is, whether or not the external sound information includes a sound (such as a frequency and period) having the characteristics indicated by the siren sound information. As described above, for example, the siren sound of an ambulance is a sound that repeats between 960 Hz and 770 Hz with a period of 1.3 seconds, and information indicating this frequency and period is stored in the ROM 112 as siren sound information.

[0027] Therefore, when a sound with such a frequency and period is included in the external sound information, this corresponds to a siren sound being collected outside vehicle 100, and emergency vehicle detection unit 122 determines that an emergency vehicle, an ambulance, is present in the vicinity of vehicle 100. When the siren sound included in the external sound information has a predetermined volume (for example, 90 dB to 120 dB), emergency vehicle detection unit 122 detects that an emergency vehicle is present within a predetermined distance range of vehicle 100 (for example, within 20 m of vehicle 100).

[0028] The unlocking possibility determination unit 123 determines whether or not to unlock the door lock mechanism 21 based on the detection results of the occupant detection unit 121 and the emergency vehicle detection unit 122. Specifically, the unlocking possibility determination unit 123 permits the unlocking of the door lock mechanism 21 when an occupant inside the vehicle 100 is detected and an emergency vehicle within a predetermined distance range of the vehicle 100 is detected, and accordingly turns on an "unlocking permission flag." The unlocking possibility determination unit 123 keeps the unlocking permission flag on for a predetermined time, and automatically turns off the unlocking permission flag after the predetermined time has elapsed. On the other hand, the unlocking possibility determination unit 123 does not allow the door lock mechanism 21 to be unlocked if an occupant inside the vehicle 100 is detected but an emergency vehicle is not present within a predetermined distance range of the vehicle 100, or if an emergency vehicle is present within a predetermined distance range of the vehicle 100 but no occupant is present inside the vehicle 100.

[0029] When an operation to open a door of the vehicle 100 is input and unlocking of the door lock mechanism 21 is permitted, that is, when the unlock permission flag is ON, the drive control unit 124 drives the actuator 22 to unlock the door lock mechanism 21. Even when an operation to open a door of the vehicle 100 is input, when the unlock permission flag is OFF, the drive control unit 124 does not drive the actuator 22 and keeps the door lock mechanism 21 locked.

[0030] The process of locking or unlocking the door lock mechanism 21 by the door lock control ECU 11 configured as above will be described below with reference to the flowcharts shown in Figures 3 and 4. Figures 3 and 4 both show the process performed by the door lock control ECU 11, and in particular Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the process related to setting an unlock permission flag for the door lock mechanism 21, and Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the process related to unlocking the door lock mechanism 21 when an operation is input to a door of the vehicle 100. A series of processes from "START" to "END" in the flowcharts shown in Figures 3 and 4 are repeated at a predetermined control period (time interval).

[0031] First, the process for setting the unlock permission flag of the door lock mechanism 21 will be described. 3, in a parked vehicle 100, the door lock control ECU 11 checks whether each door lock mechanism 21 provided on each door of the vehicle 100 is locked (step S11). In the process of step S11, if all of the door lock mechanisms 21 provided on the plurality of doors are locked, it is determined that the door lock mechanisms 21 are locked (YES in step S11).

[0032] On the other hand, for example, if the driver's door lock mechanism 21 is not locked or if one or more door lock mechanisms 21 are not locked, it is determined that the door lock mechanisms 21 are not locked (NO in step S11). In addition, the determination of whether the door lock mechanism 21 is locked may be made, for example, based on whether the door lock mechanism 21 provided on the door closest to the occupant is locked, corresponding to the position of the occupant inside the vehicle 100.

[0033] In the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, the series of processes related to permission to unlock the door lock mechanism 21 is terminated when the door lock mechanism 21 is in an unlocked state. However, for example, the door lock mechanism 21 may be automatically locked when the door lock mechanism 21 remains unlocked for a certain period of time or more.

[0034] If the door lock mechanism 21 is locked (YES in step S11), the door lock control ECU 11 checks whether or not there is an occupant inside the vehicle 100 (step S12). If there is no occupant inside the vehicle 100 (NO in step S12), the door lock control ECU 11 keeps the door lock mechanism 21 locked (step S18). On the other hand, if there is an occupant inside the vehicle 100 (YES in step S12), the door lock control ECU 11 checks whether or not there is an emergency vehicle near the vehicle 100 (step S13).

[0035] In the vehicle control system 1, while the vehicle 100 is stopped, sounds generated around the vehicle 100 are collected by the microphone 33 as appropriate. When the collected external sound information includes a sound with the same frequency as a siren sound, the door lock control ECU 11 recognizes that a siren sound has been detected and determines that an emergency vehicle is present around the vehicle 100 (YES in step S13). When the door lock control ECU 11 does not detect a siren sound, this corresponds to no emergency vehicle being present around the vehicle 100 (NO in step S13), and so the door lock control ECU 11 keeps the door lock mechanism 21 locked (step S18).

[0036] When the door lock control ECU 11 recognizes the presence of an emergency vehicle by detecting a siren sound (YES in step S13), it checks whether the emergency vehicle is present within a predetermined distance range of the vehicle 100, i.e., whether the emergency vehicle is approaching the vehicle 100 (step S14).

[0037] If the detected siren sound is not at a predetermined volume, the door lock control ECU 11 determines that even if an emergency vehicle is present around the vehicle 100, it is not present within a predetermined distance range and is not approaching (NO in step S14). In this case, the door lock control ECU 11 maintains the locked state of the door lock mechanism 21 (step S18).

[0038] On the other hand, if the detected siren sound is at a predetermined volume, this means that an emergency vehicle is present within a predetermined distance range of vehicle 100 and is approaching vehicle 100 (YES in step S14), so the unlock permission flag for door lock mechanism 21 is turned ON (step S15). This puts door lock mechanism 21 into a state in which unlocking is permitted. The door lock control ECU 11 keeps the unlock permission flag ON for a predetermined time (step S16), and after the predetermined time has elapsed (YES in step S16), turns the unlock permission flag OFF (step S17).

[0039] Next, a process for unlocking the door lock mechanism 21 when an operation is input to the door of the vehicle 100 will be described. 4, the door lock control ECU 11 checks whether an opening operation has been input to any door of the vehicle 100 (step S21). If there is no input related to the door opening operation (NO in step S21), the door lock mechanism 21 is maintained in the locked state (step S24).

[0040] If there is an input related to the door opening operation (YES in step S21), it is confirmed whether the unlock permission flag for the door lock mechanism 21 is ON (step S22). If the unlock permission flag is OFF (NO in step S22), the door lock mechanism 21 remains locked (step S24), and if the unlock permission flag is ON (YES in step S22), the actuator 22 is driven to unlock the door lock mechanism 21 (step S23).

[0041] As described above, in the present embodiment, the door lock control ECU 11 permits the unlocking of the door lock mechanism 21, i.e., sets the unlock permission flag to ON, only when there is an occupant inside the vehicle 100 and an emergency vehicle is present within a predetermined distance range of the vehicle 100. When the unlock permission flag is ON, the door lock mechanism 21 is unlocked in response to a door opening operation.

[0042] This makes it possible to avoid unlocking the door lock mechanism 21 in unnecessary cases, such as when there are no occupants inside the vehicle 100 or when there is no emergency vehicle within a predetermined distance range of the vehicle 100. This prevents unnecessary unlocking, protecting the vehicle 100 and occupants and ensuring safety. In addition, by keeping the unlock permission flag ON for a predetermined period of time, the occupants of the emergency vehicle are given enough time to open the doors of vehicle 100, enabling reliable and quick unlocking in an emergency.

[0043] On the other hand, by turning the unlock permission flag OFF after a predetermined time has elapsed and limiting the state in which unlocking of the door lock mechanism 21 is permitted for a predetermined time, the vehicle 100 and its occupants are not put at risk. For example, when an emergency vehicle passes near the vehicle 100, this corresponds to the emergency vehicle being temporarily within a predetermined distance range of the vehicle 100, and the unlock permission flag may be turned ON. Even in such a case, the unlock permission flag is turned OFF after a predetermined time has elapsed, preventing unnecessary unlocking and protecting the vehicle 100 and its occupants and ensuring safety.

[0044] As described above, according to the present embodiment, unnecessary unlocking is prevented to ensure the safety of the vehicle and its occupants, while unlocking can be performed reliably and quickly in an emergency.

[0045] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configurations are not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention also includes design changes within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments can be combined by utilizing each other's technologies as long as there are no particular contradictions or problems in their purposes, configurations, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1: Vehicle control system, 3: In-vehicle network 11: Door lock control ECU (door lock control device) 21: Door lock mechanism, 22: Actuator 31: Vehicle speed sensor, 32: Seat occupancy sensor, 33: Microphone 100: Vehicle, 111: CPU, 112: ROM, 113: RAM 121: Occupant detection unit, 122: Emergency vehicle detection unit 123: Unlocking possibility determination unit, 124: Drive control unit

Claims

1. A door lock control device that controls locking or unlocking of a door lock mechanism provided in a door of a vehicle, an occupant detection unit that detects an occupant in the vehicle; an emergency vehicle detection unit that detects an emergency vehicle within a predetermined distance range of the vehicle based on external sound information related to external sounds generated around the vehicle and siren sound information related to the siren sound of the emergency vehicle; an unlocking possibility determination unit that determines whether the door lock mechanism can be unlocked based on detection results of the occupant detection unit and the emergency vehicle detection unit; a drive control unit that controls the drive of the door lock mechanism, The unlocking possibility determination unit A door lock control device that allows the door lock mechanism to be unlocked when an occupant in the vehicle is detected and an emergency vehicle is detected within a predetermined distance range of the vehicle.

2. The drive control unit 2. The door lock control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a door lock control unit that drives and unlocks the door lock mechanism when an opening operation for the door is input and unlocking of the door lock mechanism is permitted.

3. The emergency vehicle detection unit When the vehicle external sound information includes the siren sound, 3. The door lock control device according to claim 1, wherein when the volume of the siren sound included in the vehicle exterior sound information is equal to or greater than a predetermined volume, it is determined that the emergency vehicle is present within a predetermined distance range of the host vehicle.

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