Safety device for vehicle

Abstract

To provide a safety device for a vehicle, which can rescue occupants of various age groups within a cabin.SOLUTION: A safety device for a vehicle comprises an acquisition part, a determination part and a rescue part. The acquisition part acquires determination information for use in determination of an age group to which the occupant within the cabin belongs. The determination part determines the age group to which the occupant belongs, on the basis of the determination information acquired by the acquisition part. The rescue part executes a rescue method according to the age group determined by the determination part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention relates to a vehicle safety device. [Background technology]

[0002] There are known vehicle safety devices that, when a child is left behind inside a vehicle, rescue the child by notifying the outside of the vehicle. For example, there is a device that measures the temperature inside the vehicle when a child is riding in, and when the temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, unlocks the door and notifies the outside to urge the child to be rescued (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-65361 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conventional technology, only infants are rescued, but even children and adults can become seriously ill if left inside a vehicle with a high temperature.

[0005] One of the problems that the embodiments of the present invention aim to solve is to provide a vehicle safety device that can rescue occupants of various age groups in the vehicle interior. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A vehicle safety device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an acquisition unit that acquires occupant information used to determine the age group of occupants in the vehicle cabin, a determination unit that determines the age group of the occupants based on the determination information acquired by the acquisition unit, and a rescue unit that executes a rescue method according to the age group determined by the determination unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the vehicle safety device of the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to rescue passengers of various age groups in the vehicle cabin. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view showing an example of the configuration of the interior of a vehicle in which a safety device according to an embodiment is installed. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the safety device according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the safety device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of point cloud information according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between the attention area, the upper area, and the point cloud when the occupant is an adult in the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between the attention area, the upper area, and the point cloud when the occupant is a child in the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for calculating the upper portion ratio according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between the attention area, the front area, and the point cloud when the occupant is an adult in the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between the attention area, the front area, and the point cloud when the occupant is a child in the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for calculating the front ratio according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a rescue process performed by the safety device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are disclosed below. The configurations of the embodiments described below, as well as the actions, results, and advantages brought about by the configurations, are merely examples. The present invention can be realized using configurations other than those disclosed in the following embodiments, and it is possible to obtain at least one of the various advantages and derivative advantages based on the basic configurations.

[0010] 1 is a side view showing an example of the configuration inside a passenger compartment R of a vehicle 10 equipped with a safety device 1 according to an embodiment. In the drawing, the X direction corresponds to the direction from the rear to the front of the vehicle 10, the Y direction corresponds to the direction from the left side to the right side of the vehicle 10, and the Z direction corresponds to the direction from the bottom to the top of the vehicle 10.

[0011] Vehicle 10 is an example of a moving body, and may be, for example, an automobile powered by an internal combustion engine, a motor, or both (a hybrid mechanism). Vehicle 10 of this embodiment is a so-called three-row vehicle, and includes a first seat row S1, a second seat row S2, and a third seat row S3. First seat row S1 includes a driver's seat and a passenger seat.

[0012] The safety device 1 is a device that detects an occupant left behind in the vehicle compartment R and executes rescue of the occupant. The safety device 1 is also called an occupant detection device.

[0013] The safety device 1 includes a sensor 2 and an information processing device 3. The sensor 2 is, for example, a millimeter wave sensor (electromagnetic wave sensor). The sensor 2 is installed on the ceiling 5 or the like of the vehicle 10, transmits a transmission wave toward the interior R of the vehicle, and receives a reflected wave generated when the transmission wave is reflected by an object in the interior R. The sensor 2 outputs reflected wave information including the intensity of the received reflected wave to the information processing device 3. In other words, the reflected wave information is the sensing result of the interior of the vehicle R by the sensor 2. The reflected wave information is an example of information output from the sensor 2. The information processing device 3 is installed in the dashboard, and is connected to the sensor 2 via a network such as a CAN (Controller Area Network). Note that the installation locations of the sensor 2 and the information processing device 3 are not limited to those described above. Furthermore, multiple sensors 2 may be installed.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the safety device 1 according to the embodiment. The sensor 2 includes a transmitter 21, a receiver 22, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 23, and an entrance / exit unit 24. The transmitter 21 is a device that transmits (irradiates) an electromagnetic wave of a predetermined frequency (e.g., 60 GHz to 65 GHz) into the vehicle interior R as a transmission wave. The receiver 22 is a device that receives a reflected wave generated when the transmission wave is reflected by an object present in the vehicle interior R and generates an electrical signal indicating the intensity of the reflected wave. The transmitter 21 and the receiver 22 may be configured using, for example, an oscillator circuit, a piezoelectric element, an AD converter, an amplifier, a filter circuit, etc. The transmitter 21 and the receiver 22 may be configured separately or integrally. The ECU 23 is a microcontroller configured using a CPU, a memory, etc., and performs processes related to the control of the transmitter 21 and the receiver 22, the generation of data based on the reflected wave received by the receiver 22, etc. The input / output unit 24 is an interface device that establishes communication between the information processing device 3 and other devices in accordance with a predetermined standard such as CAN.

[0015] The information processing device 3 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31, a memory 32, and an entry / exit unit 33. The CPU 31 executes various arithmetic processes according to programs stored in the memory 32. The memory 32 may be configured using an appropriate volatile memory or non-volatile memory. The memory 32 stores programs that cause the CPU 31 to execute various processes for realizing the functions of the safety device 1, setting data, information (data) acquired from the sensor 2, information (data) generated by the CPU 31, and the like. The entry / exit unit 33 is an interface device that establishes communication with the sensor 2 and other devices in accordance with a predetermined standard such as CAN. The information processing device 3 is also connected to various on-board devices mounted on the vehicle 10. The on-board devices include, for example, a speaker 11, a door lock device 12, and a communication device 13. The speaker 11 outputs audio toward the interior R of the vehicle. The door lock device 12 locks and unlocks the doors 14 of the vehicle 10. The communication device 13 communicates with external devices, including wireless communication.

[0016] It should be noted that the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 2 is an example, and the hardware configuration of the safety device 1 is not limited to the above.

[0017] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the safety device 1 of the embodiment. The safety device 1 of the present embodiment includes an acquisition unit 101, a presence determination unit 102, an age group determination unit 103, and a rescue unit 104. These functional units are configured, for example, by cooperation of hardware and software (programs) as exemplified in Fig. 2. Furthermore, at least a part of these functional units may be configured by dedicated hardware (circuits, etc.).

[0018] The safety device 1 executes a rescue process (rescue method) by, for example, the above-mentioned functional units. The rescue process is a process for rescuing an occupant left behind in the vehicle compartment R. The rescue process is started, for example, on the condition that the ignition key (start key) of the vehicle 10 is OFF and the door 14 is opened and then closed. For example, the above conditions are met when the driver parks (stops) the vehicle 10, turns the ignition key (start key) OFF, and gets out of the door 14. Note that the conditions for executing the rescue process are not limited to those described above.

[0019] The acquisition unit 101 acquires point cloud information that indicates the position of an object (moving object) moving within the vehicle cabin R as a point cloud including multiple plots on a three-dimensional map corresponding to the space within the vehicle cabin R, based on the intensity of the reflected wave (reflected wave information) received by the sensor 2. The point cloud information is an example of determination information used to determine the age group of the occupants in the vehicle cabin R.

[0020] 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of point cloud information 201 according to an embodiment. The point cloud information 201 illustrated here is information that indicates, as plots P, a plurality of points (e.g., voxels) corresponding to the positions of moving objects (e.g., areas occupied by moving parts of the bodies of occupants) on a three-dimensional map (e.g., a voxel map) corresponding to the space inside the vehicle cabin R. What points become plots P is determined based on predetermined conditions related to reflected waves, and for example, plots P may be points where the amount of change per unit time in the intensity of the reflected waves is greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0021] FIG. 4 illustrates, as an example, a case in which three seating positions R21-R23 are set in the second seat row S2, two seating positions R31 and R32 are set in the third seat row S3, and an occupant is seated in the center seating position S22 of the second seat row S2. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, a point cloud G including multiple plots P corresponding to the positions of the occupant's body (e.g., head, chest, back, shoulders, arms, etc.) appears in the area above seating position R22 on the three-dimensional map. The point cloud information 201 may include information related to such point cloud G, such as the coordinates (plot position) of each plot P, the number of plots P (number of plots), and information indicating changes in the plot positions and number of plots over time. Note that although FIG. 4 does not show seating positions in the first seat row S1, in this embodiment, two seating positions are also set in the first seat row S1. Hereinafter, the seating positions in the first seat row S1, the seating positions R21 to R23 in the second seat row S2, and the seating positions R31 and R32 in the third seat row S3 will be collectively referred to as seating position Ra.

[0022] 3, the presence / absence determination unit 102 determines whether or not an occupant is present at each of the plurality of seating positions Ra based on the point cloud information 201. The method of determining whether or not an occupant is present may be realized by appropriately utilizing publicly known or new technology, and for example, it may be determined that an occupant is present at the seating position Ra corresponding to an area where a point cloud G that satisfies a predetermined condition appears.

[0023] The age group determination unit 103 determines the age group of the occupant based on the point cloud information 201 acquired by the acquisition unit 101. As an example, the age group determination unit 103 determines the age group from the physique of the occupant based on the point cloud information 201.

[0024] A method for determining the age group of an occupant will be described below. First, the age group determination unit 103 calculates, based on the point cloud information 201, an upper ratio, which is the ratio of the number of plots P (upper plot number) included in an upper region set in the upper part of the attention region, which is an upper region of the seating position Ra where the presence / absence determination unit 102 has determined that an occupant is present, to the number of plots P (total plot number) included in the attention region.

[0025] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the attention area A, the upper area B, and the point cloud G when the occupant is an adult in the first embodiment. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the attention area A, the upper area B, and the point cloud G when the occupant is a child in the first embodiment.

[0026] 5 and 6 illustrate an attention area A when it is determined that an occupant is present at seating position R22, and an upper area B set above attention area A. The attention area A should be set appropriately depending on the specifications of the safety device 1, and may be, for example, a space from the seat surface at seating position R22 to the ceiling 5. Similarly, the upper area B should be set appropriately depending on the specifications of the safety device 1, and may be, for example, a space corresponding to a portion of attention area A whose upward distance from the seat surface at seating position R22 is greater than a threshold value.

[0027] When the occupant is an adult, as shown in Fig. 5, the plots P constituting the point cloud G corresponding to the occupant are concentrated in the upper region within the attention area A, i.e., around the upper region B. This is because when the occupant is an adult, the head, chest, and other parts that move a lot are located in high positions.

[0028] On the other hand, when the occupant is a child, as shown in Fig. 6, the plots P constituting the point cloud G corresponding to the occupant are concentrated in the center and lower areas of the attention area A. This is because when the occupant is a child, the head, chest, and other parts that move a lot are located at low positions.

[0029] Therefore, based on the upper ratio, which is the ratio of the number of upper plots to the total number of plots in the attention area A, it is possible to determine the physique of the occupant present in the attention area A, for example, whether they are an adult or a child.

[0030] The method for calculating the upper ratio is not particularly limited, but for example, the upper region B may be divided into a plurality of regions, and the number of plots P may be weighted for each of the regions.

[0031] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a method for calculating the upper ratio in the first embodiment. Fig. 7 illustrates a case in which the upper region B is divided into two regions, namely, a first upper region B1 and a second upper region B2 below the first upper region B1. It also illustrates that the number of plots P included in the first upper region B1 is 1, the number of plots P included in the second upper region B2 is m, and the number of plots P included in the region of interest A (total number of plots) is n. Furthermore, w represents a weight.

[0032] In such a case, the upper ratio can be calculated, for example, by (l*w+m) / n. w should be set appropriately depending on the specifications of the safety device 1, and can be a value such as "2." According to this calculation method, the importance of the number of plots in the first upper region B1 (the influence on the upper ratio) can be made greater than the importance of the number of plots in the second upper region B2, thereby improving the accuracy of determining whether the occupant is an adult or a child. Note that the calculation method for the upper ratio is not limited to the above. For example, the upper ratio may be calculated without considering the weight (with w=1).

[0033] In addition to the upper ratio, the age group determination unit 103 of this embodiment also calculates the front ratio, which is the ratio of the number of plots P (front plot number) included in the front region set at the front within the attention region A to the number of plots P (total number of plots) included in the attention region A.

[0034] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the attention area A, the front area C, and the point cloud G when the occupant is an adult in the first embodiment. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the attention area A, the front area C, and the point cloud G when the occupant is a child in the first embodiment.

[0035] 8 and 9 illustrate an attention area A when it is determined that an occupant is present at seating position R32, and a front area C set in the front part of attention area A. The front area C should be set appropriately depending on the specifications of the safety device 1, and may be, for example, a space in attention area A that is forward of the center of seating position R32 in the fore-and-aft direction.

[0036] When the occupant is an adult, as shown in Fig. 8, the plots P constituting the point cloud G corresponding to the occupant are concentrated in the center and rear areas within the attention area A. This is because when the occupant is an adult, the head, chest, and other parts of the body that move a lot are often located near the backrest.

[0037] On the other hand, when the occupant is a child, as shown in Fig. 9, the plots P constituting the point cloud G corresponding to the occupant are concentrated in the forward region within the attention area A, i.e., around the front region C. This is because when the occupant is a child, the positions of the head, chest, limbs, and other parts that move a lot are shifted overall forward by the child seat.

[0038] Therefore, based on the front ratio, which is the ratio of the number of front plots to the total number of plots in the attention area A, it is possible to determine the physique of the occupant present in the attention area A, for example, whether they are an adult or a child.

[0039] The method for calculating the front ratio is not particularly limited, but for example, the front region C may be divided into a plurality of regions, and the front ratio may be calculated using the difference in the number of plots in each region.

[0040] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a method for calculating the front ratio in the first embodiment. Fig. 10 illustrates an example in which the front region C is divided into two regions, namely, a first front region C1 and a second front region C2 behind the first front region C1. The example also illustrates that the number of plots P included in the first front region C1 is o, the number of plots P included in the second front region C2 is p, and the number of plots P included in the region of interest A (total number of plots) is q.

[0041] In such a case, the front ratio can be calculated, for example, by (op) / q. This calculation method allows the front ratio to be calculated based on the difference between the magnitude of movement near the front end of the seat and the magnitude of movement near the center of the seat, thereby improving the accuracy of determining whether the occupant is an adult or a child. The method for calculating the front ratio is not limited to the above. For example, the front ratio may be calculated by dividing the number of plots (o+p) in the entire front region C by the total number of plots q, without using the difference between the number of plots in the first front region C1 and the number of plots in the second front region C2. Furthermore, as with the upper ratio described above, the number of plots in a specific region (e.g., the first front region C1) may be weighted.

[0042] Returning to FIG. 3 , the age group determination unit 103 determines the occupant's physical size and, therefore, the occupant's age group based on the calculated upper ratio and front ratio. In this embodiment, the age group determination unit 103 determines that the occupant present in a certain attention area A is a child if the upper ratio of the attention area A is equal to or less than a predetermined first threshold and the front ratio of the attention area A is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold. Here, "child" includes a person whose physical size, such as height or sitting height, is smaller than a predetermined standard. If the upper ratio is equal to or less than the first threshold, it can be determined that the occupant's sitting height is lower than a predetermined standard. If the front ratio is equal to or greater than the second threshold, it can be determined that the occupant's seating position is closer to the front of the seat. Because a child occupant often has a low sitting height and is seated closer to the front due to a child car seat, the above-described determination can be used to determine whether the occupant is a child. On the other hand, if the age group determination unit 103 determines that the occupant is not a child through the above process, it determines that the occupant is an adult.

[0043] Here, the above "children" and "adults" correspond to people of a predetermined age group. The age group of "children" is, for example, 0 to 10 years old. The age group of "adults" is 11 years old or older. Furthermore, "children" includes "infants" and "children." In this embodiment, the age group of "infants" is, for example, 0 to 4 years old, and the age group of "children" is 5 to 10 years old. Note that the age group division is not limited to the above. Whether an occupant determined to be a child in the above processing is determined as an infant or a young child is, for example, as follows. That is, if the upper ratio is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value, the occupant is determined to be an infant, and if the upper ratio is greater than the above predetermined threshold, the occupant is determined to be a young child.

[0044] As another example of determining the age group of an occupant, the sensor 2 may be configured as an image sensor, and the age group of an occupant may be determined based on the captured image (sensing result) captured by the image sensor. For example, the age group may be determined using a known method such as template matching for the captured image, or the age group may be determined using a trained model that has been trained to output the age group of a person appearing in the captured image.

[0045] The rescue unit 104 executes a rescue method according to the age group based on the determination result by the presence / absence determination unit 102 and the determination result (age group) by the age group determination unit 103. As an example, the rescue unit 104 executes rescue methods according to an infant age group, a child age group, and an adult age group. The rescue method is also referred to as an alighting assistance method, and the rescue unit 104 is also referred to as an alighting assistance unit or simply as an assistance unit.

[0046] A rescue method for a child of young age includes making a call to the outside of the vehicle 10. This is because it is expected that it is often difficult for a child to get out of the vehicle on their own. For example, the rescue unit 104 transmits emergency call information to the outside via the communication device 13 of the vehicle 10, requesting a rescue team because a child has been left behind (trapped) in the vehicle compartment R. In other words, the call to the outside is a rescue request to a third party. The emergency call information includes location information of the vehicle 10 acquired by a location information acquisition device such as a GPS mounted on the vehicle 10. The outside is a receiving device (computer) or the like installed in a call center such as the emergency call center of the police, fire department, or insurance company. The communication device 13 communicates with the receiving device, for example, via wireless communication.

[0047] The rescue method for children older than the infant age group and adults includes assisting the occupants to exit the vehicle 10 by themselves using an on-board device installed in the vehicle 10. This is because it is expected that in the case of people older than the infant age group, the occupants will often be able to exit the vehicle 10 by themselves by using the on-board device to assist them in exiting the vehicle.

[0048] An example of a rescue method for children includes both outputting a voice message from a speaker 11 as an in-vehicle device urging the person to get out of the vehicle and unlocking the door 14 of the vehicle 10 by a door lock device 12 as an in-vehicle device. The voice message urging the person to get out of the vehicle may be, for example, "The temperature inside the vehicle is high, so please open the door and get out of the vehicle." Note that the voice message is not limited to the above.

[0049] An example of a rescue method for adults is to output a voice from the speaker 11 as an in-vehicle device urging the occupants to get off the vehicle.

[0050] Furthermore, if a specified time has elapsed since the rescue unit 104 provided the above-described assistance to a child age group or an adult age group and there is still an occupant in the vehicle compartment R, the rescue unit 104 issues a report to the outside of the vehicle 10. The report to the outside is the same as the report for the infant age group, but the emergency report information may be, for example, a request for a rescue team because a person has been left behind (trapped) in the vehicle compartment R. In other words, if the occupant left behind in the vehicle compartment R is a child age group or an adult age group, the rescue unit 104 implements a number of rescue methods in stages.

[0051] Next, the rescue process executed by the safety device 1 of the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the rescue process executed by the safety device 1 of the embodiment.

[0052] First, the acquisition unit 101 acquires the point cloud information 201 (S101). Next, the presence / absence determination unit 102 determines whether or not an occupant is present at each seating position Ra based on the point cloud information 201 (S102).

[0053] If the presence / absence determining unit 102 determines that an occupant is present at the seating position Ra (S102: Yes), the age group determining unit 103 determines the age group of the occupant based on the point cloud information 201 (S103).

[0054] If the age group determination unit 103 determines that the age group of the occupant is the infant age group (infant age group) (S104: Yes), the rescue unit 104 notifies the outside via the communication device 13 (S105).

[0055] If the age group determination unit 103 determines that the age group of the occupants is not that of infants (S104: No) but that of children (S106: Yes), the rescue unit 104 causes the door lock device 12 to unlock the door 14 and causes the speaker 11 to output a voice message urging the occupants to get off the vehicle (S107).

[0056] When a specified time has elapsed since the processing of S107, if the presence / absence determination unit 102 determines that an occupant is still present in the vehicle compartment R (S108: Yes), the rescue unit 104 notifies the outside of the vehicle 10 by the communication device 13 (S105). On the other hand, when a specified time has elapsed since the processing of S107, if the presence / absence determination unit 102 determines that an occupant is not present in the vehicle compartment R (S108: No), the rescue unit 104 does not notify the outside of the vehicle 10, and the processing ends.

[0057] If the age group determination unit 103 determines that the age group of the occupant is neither an infant (S104: No) nor a child (S106: No), that is, the age group of the occupant is an adult, the rescue unit 104 causes the speaker 11 to output a voice urging the occupant to get off the vehicle (S109).

[0058] When a specified time has elapsed since the processing of S109, if the presence / absence determination unit 102 determines that an occupant is still present in the vehicle compartment R (S110: Yes), the rescue unit 104 notifies the outside of the vehicle 10 by the communication device 13 (S105). On the other hand, when a specified time has elapsed since the processing of S110, if the presence / absence determination unit 102 determines that an occupant is not present in the vehicle compartment R (S110: No), the rescue unit 104 does not notify the outside of the vehicle 10, and the processing ends.

[0059] Furthermore, in S101, if the presence / absence determining unit 102 determines that no occupant is present at the seating position Ra (S102: No), the processes from S103 onwards are not performed.

[0060] Before the above rescue process, the presence / absence determination unit 102 may determine whether or not there is an occupant, and if there is an occupant in the vehicle compartment R, an initial warning may be issued. The initial warning may be, for example, a warning (alarm) output by the speaker 11. The warning may be, for example, "Please get out of the vehicle as the temperature inside the vehicle may rise."

[0061] As described above, the safety device 1 (vehicle safety device) of this embodiment includes the acquisition unit 101, the age group determination unit 103 (determination unit), and the rescue unit 104. The acquisition unit 101 acquires determination information used to determine the age group of occupants in the vehicle compartment R. The age group determination unit 103 determines the age group of the occupants based on the determination information acquired by the acquisition unit 101. The rescue unit 104 executes a rescue method according to the age group determined by the age group determination unit 103.

[0062] According to this configuration, the rescue unit 104 executes a rescue method according to the age group, so that it is possible to rescue occupants of various age groups in the vehicle compartment R. Therefore, the condition of occupants of various age groups in the vehicle compartment R is unlikely to worsen.

[0063] The determination information also includes information output from the sensor 2 that transmits a transmission wave into the vehicle interior R and receives a reflected wave of the transmission wave. The age group determination unit 103 determines the age group of the occupant from the physique based on the determination information.

[0064] According to this configuration, the age group of the occupant can be determined based on the information output from the sensor 2.

[0065] Furthermore, a rescue method for an age group including infants includes making a call to the outside of the vehicle 10. A rescue method for an age group older than the age group including infants includes assisting the occupants to exit the vehicle on their own using an on-board device installed in the vehicle.

[0066] According to this configuration, if the occupant is in an age group that includes infants, the occupant can be rescued by reporting to the outside of the vehicle 10, and if the occupant is in an age group older than the age group that includes infants, the occupant can be rescued by assisting the occupant in getting out of the vehicle 10 on their own using an on-board device installed in the vehicle. Therefore, in the case of an age group older than the age group that includes infants, even if rescue is necessary, an external report is not first made, so the number of external reports can be reduced. Furthermore, in the case of an age group older than the age group that includes infants, if rescue assistance is provided, there is a possibility that the occupant will be able to get out of the vehicle on their own without waiting for the arrival of a rescue team, so the condition of the occupant is less likely to worsen.

[0067] In addition, rescue methods for people in an age group older than the age group including infants include either outputting a voice from a speaker 11 as an in-vehicle device urging the person to get off the vehicle, or unlocking the vehicle door 14 using a door lock device 12 as an in-vehicle device.

[0068] According to this configuration, the occupant can be rescued by being assisted in getting off the vehicle on his / her own by outputting a voice from the speaker 11 urging the occupant to get off, and the occupant can be rescued by being assisted in getting off the vehicle on his / her own by unlocking the door 14 of the vehicle 10 with the door lock device 12.

[0069] A program that causes a computer (information processing device 3) to execute processing for realizing the functions of the safety device 1 of the embodiment or modification described above may be provided as a computer program product by being stored in an installable or executable file on a computer-readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, CD-R, memory card, DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or flexible disk (FD). Alternatively, the program may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. Alternatively, the program may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0070] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This novel embodiment can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. This embodiment and its modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the inventions and their equivalents as set forth in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 1...safety device (vehicle safety device), 2...sensor, 3...information processing device, 10...vehicle, 11...speaker (vehicle-mounted device), 12...door lock device (vehicle-mounted device), 14...door, 101...acquisition unit, 102...presence determination unit, 103...age group determination unit, 104...rescue unit, R...vehicle compartment.

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires determination information used to determine the age group of occupants in the vehicle interior; a determination unit that determines the age group of the occupant based on the determination information acquired by the acquisition unit; a rescue unit that executes a rescue method according to the age group determined by the determination unit; A vehicle safety device comprising:

2. the determination information includes information output from a sensor that transmits a transmission wave into the vehicle interior and receives a reflected wave of the transmission wave, the determination unit determines the age group from the physique of the occupant based on the determination information.

2. The vehicle safety device according to claim 1.

3. The rescue method for the age group including a small child includes making a call to the outside of the vehicle; The rescue method for the age group above the age group including the infant includes assisting the occupant in getting out of the vehicle by himself / herself using an on-board device installed in the vehicle.

2. The vehicle safety device according to claim 1.

4. The rescue method for the age group above the age group including the infant includes either outputting a voice from a speaker as the in-vehicle device urging the person to get off the vehicle, or unlocking a door of the vehicle by a door lock device as the in-vehicle device.

4. A vehicle safety device according to claim 3.

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