Control device and vehicle

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of reducing the burden on a driver when a vehicle carrying a plurality of passengers is in operation.SOLUTION: When a door of a vehicle is in an open state and concurrently the presence of a passenger is detected within a predetermined area defined near the door inside the vehicle, a control device prohibits door close control. In addition, when the door close control is prohibited and concurrently a driver performs a first operation of pressing a close button after turning on a release switch, the control device executes the door close control. Furthermore, when the door close control is prohibited and the number of standing passengers in the vehicle is equal to or greater than a specified threshold, the control device also executes the door close control when the driver performs a second operation of pressing the close button twice in succession.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to door closing control for a vehicle carrying multiple passengers. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a monitoring system for remotely monitoring the interiors of multiple vehicles with passengers aboard. In the monitoring system disclosed in Patent Document 1, images captured by cameras installed in each vehicle are displayed on a display device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-094724 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that can reduce the burden on a driver when operating a vehicle carrying multiple passengers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A control device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes: A control device for controlling doors of a vehicle on which a plurality of passengers board, a predetermined area is set near the door inside the vehicle, in which closing control of the door is prohibited when the presence of a passenger inside the area is detected; The vehicle is provided with a close button and a release switch that are operated by a driver of the vehicle; the close button is a button that is pressed when the driver executes the door close control, The release switch is a switch that is turned on when the driver releases the prohibition of the door closing control, The control device includes a control unit, The control unit If it is detected that a passenger is present in the predetermined area while the door is in an open state, the closing control of the door is prohibited; When the closing control of the door is prohibited, if the driver performs a first operation of pressing the close button after the release switch is turned on, the closing control of the door is executed, and When the door closing control is prohibited when the number of standing passengers in the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the door closing control is also executed when the driver performs a second operation in which the close button is pressed twice in succession.

[0006] A vehicle according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle equipped with the control device according to the first aspect of the present disclosure. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the burden on a driver when operating a vehicle carrying multiple passengers. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining various devices mounted on a vehicle. [Figure 2] 2 is a diagram for explaining the state of the interior of a vehicle. Vehicle 1 is a vehicle in which a plurality of passengers board. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic hardware configuration of a control device mounted on a vehicle. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a first flowchart showing the flow of control executed by the control unit when the door of the vehicle is in an open state. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the driver's operation when the prohibition of the door closing control is released and the door closing control is executed in the vehicle. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 is a second flowchart showing the flow of control executed by the control unit when the door of the vehicle is in an open state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] In vehicles carrying multiple passengers (for example, route buses or shared vehicles), the doors are opened and closed by the driver. In some cases, the vehicle is provided with a close button that is operated by the driver. The close button is a button that the driver presses when the driver wants the vehicle to execute door closing control.

[0010] Furthermore, if door closing control is executed while a passenger is present near the door inside the vehicle, the passenger may be trapped in the door. In order to prevent such passengers from being trapped by the vehicle door, a predetermined area may be set near the door inside the vehicle. The predetermined area is set as an area where door closing control is prohibited when a passenger is detected inside the predetermined area. In a vehicle in which such a predetermined area is set, door closing control is prohibited when a passenger is detected in the predetermined area while the door is in an open state. When door closing control is prohibited, door closing control is not normally executed even if the driver presses the close button.

[0011] However, even if passengers are present in a predetermined area inside the vehicle, it is possible to prevent passengers from being pinched by the doors when door closing control is executed by having the driver visually check for safety or by issuing warnings to the passengers. In consideration of the smooth operation of a vehicle carrying multiple passengers, it is preferable that the prohibition on door closing control be released by the driver's operation even if passengers are present in a predetermined area inside the vehicle. If the prohibition on door closing control is released, door closing control can be executed even if passengers are present in the predetermined area.

[0012] The control device according to the present disclosure is a device that controls the doors of a vehicle in which multiple passengers ride. A predetermined area is set near the door inside the vehicle. The vehicle is also provided with not only a close button but also a release switch. The release switch is a switch that is operated by the driver of the vehicle. The release switch is a switch that is turned on by the driver when the driver releases the prohibition on door closing control.

[0013] In the control device according to the present disclosure, if a passenger is detected to be present in a predetermined area while the door is in an open state, the control unit prohibits the door close control. Furthermore, if a first operation is performed by the driver when the door close control is prohibited (i.e., when a passenger is present in the predetermined area), the control unit executes the door close control. Here, the first operation is an operation in which the release switch is turned ON and then the close button is pressed. In this way, even if a passenger is present in the predetermined area, the door close control can be executed by executing the first operation.

[0014] However, the more standing passengers there are in a vehicle, the more passengers there are in a given area. Therefore, as the number of standing passengers in the vehicle increases, the frequency with which the door closing control is prohibited increases. If the frequency with which the door closing control is prohibited increases, there is a risk that the driver will find it troublesome to perform the first operation to cancel the prohibition of the door closing control and execute the door closing control.

[0015] Therefore, in the control device according to the present disclosure, when door close control is prohibited when the number of standing passengers in the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the control unit executes door close control not only when the driver performs a first operation but also when the driver performs a second operation. Here, the second operation is an operation in which the close button is pressed twice in succession. The second operation does not require the operation of a switch other than the close button, as in the first operation. In other words, the driver only needs to operate the close button in the second operation. Therefore, the second operation, which cancels the prohibition of door close control and then executes door close control, is considered to be less bothersome to the driver than the first operation.

[0016] Furthermore, when the number of standing passengers in the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the door closing control is more likely to be prohibited due to passengers entering a predetermined area than when the number of standing passengers in the vehicle is less than the predetermined threshold. In other words, the driver is required to cancel the prohibition of the door closing control relatively frequently to continue driving the vehicle. As described above, in a situation where the door closing control is prohibited relatively frequently, the driver can execute the door closing control not only by the first operation but also by the second operation. This reduces the inconvenience to the driver when the driver frequently executes an operation to cancel the prohibition of the door closing control. As a result, the burden on the driver can be reduced when driving a vehicle with multiple passengers.

[0017] Specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative positions of the components described in the present embodiments are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present disclosure unless otherwise specified.

[0018] <Embodiment> (General vehicle configuration) The schematic configuration of a vehicle according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating various devices mounted on the vehicle. Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating the interior of the vehicle. Vehicle 1 is a vehicle in which multiple passengers ride. For example, vehicle 1 may be a route bus, a shared vehicle, or the like.

[0019] Vehicle 1 is a vehicle driven by a driver. The driver of vehicle 1 drives vehicle 1 from the driver's seat inside the vehicle and performs various operations necessary for the operation of vehicle 1. In addition, seats for passengers are installed inside vehicle 1. However, vehicle 1 has space inside the vehicle where passengers who are not seated, i.e., passengers who are riding while standing (standing passengers), can be present.

[0020] Doors 11 are provided on the sides of vehicle 1. Doors 11 are doors for opening and closing the entrances and exits through which passengers get on and off vehicle 1. When passengers get on and off vehicle 1 while it is stopped, door 11 is in an open state. Door 11 is a sliding door that slides in the fore-and-aft direction of vehicle 1 when opening and closing. Furthermore, in vehicle 1, the floor of the space used by passengers, including the area around door 11 inside the vehicle, is formed to be approximately flat. This allows passengers of vehicle 1 to move easily inside the vehicle. Note that the doors of vehicle 1 do not necessarily have to be sliding doors. Furthermore, it is not essential that the floor inside vehicle 1 be flat.

[0021] An interior camera 15 is installed in the vehicle 1. The interior camera 15 can capture images of substantially the entire space used by passengers inside the vehicle 1. Therefore, the interior camera 15 can capture images including passengers seated in seats inside the vehicle and standing passengers. The interior camera 15 can also capture images of passengers getting on and off through the entrance and exit of the vehicle 1. A display 16 is also provided near the driver's seat of the vehicle 1. Images captured by the interior camera 15 are displayed on the display 16. Therefore, the driver of the vehicle 1 can monitor the situation inside the vehicle by the images displayed on the display 16. Basically, the display 16 displays video of the interior of the vehicle captured by the interior camera 15 in real time.

[0022] In addition, an open button 12, a close button 13, and a release switch 14 are arranged at the driver's seat of the vehicle 1. In the vehicle 1, the opening and closing control of the door 11 is executed in accordance with the driver's operation of the open button 12 or the close button 13. Specifically, when the driver presses the open button 12 while the door 11 is in a closed state, the opening control of the door 11 is executed. In addition, when the driver presses the close button 13 while the door 11 is in an open state, the closing control of the door 11 is executed. In addition, in the vehicle 1, as will be described later, the closing control of the door 11 may be automatically prohibited in some cases. When the closing control of the door 11 is prohibited, basically, the closing control of the door 11 is not executed even if the driver presses the close button 13. However, when the closing control of the door 11 is prohibited and the driver turns on the release switch 14, the prohibition of the closing control of the door 11 is released.

[0023] Here, the prohibition of the closing control of the door 11 in the vehicle 1 and the cancellation of the prohibition will be described. If the closing control of the door 11 is executed while a passenger is present near the door 11 inside the vehicle 1, the passenger may be trapped in the door 11. In particular, as described above, the door 11 in the vehicle 1 is a sliding door, and the floor surface inside the vehicle, including the area near the door 11, is formed to be approximately flat. Therefore, passengers inside the vehicle 1 can easily approach the door 11. Therefore, a situation in which a passenger may be trapped in the door 11 when the closing control of the door 11 is executed is likely to occur.

[0024] Therefore, as shown in Fig. 2, a prohibited area E0 is set in the vehicle 1 near the door 11. The prohibited area E0 is set as an area in which the control to close the door 11 is prohibited if the presence of a passenger is detected inside the prohibited area E0. Whether or not a passenger is present in the prohibited area E0 can be determined based on an image captured by the in-vehicle camera 15. If the presence of a passenger is detected in the prohibited area E0 when the door 11 is in an open state, the control to close the door 11 is prohibited.

[0025] Here, when the closing control of the door 11 is prohibited because a passenger is present in the prohibited area E0 as described above, the driver can check the situation around the door 11 inside the vehicle by visually checking the image displayed on the display 16. Even if a passenger is present in the prohibited area E0, the driver can alert the passenger by making an announcement in advance inside the vehicle that the closing control of the door 11 will be executed. If the driver determines that the closing control of the door 11 can be executed while ensuring the passenger's safety even when a passenger is present in the prohibited area E0, the driver turns on the release switch 14. When the prohibition of the closing control of the door 11 is thereby released, the driver then presses the close button 13 to execute the closing control of the door 11. Hereinafter, the operation of pressing the close button 13 after turning on the release switch 14 may be referred to as a "first operation." In the vehicle 1, the closing control of the door 11 can be executed by the driver performing the first operation, even if a passenger is present in the prohibited area E0.

[0026] Here, if all passengers in vehicle 1 are seated, no passengers will enter prohibited area E0. However, if there are standing passengers in vehicle 1, passengers may enter prohibited area E0. The greater the number of standing passengers in vehicle 1, the more likely passengers will enter prohibited area E0. Therefore, the greater the number of standing passengers in vehicle 1, the more frequently closing control of door 11 may be prohibited.

[0027] Even if the frequency of prohibiting the closing control of the door 11 increases, the door closing control can be executed by the driver performing the first operation. However, as described above, the first operation requires the driver to operate the release switch 14, which is different from the close button 13. Therefore, if the frequency of prohibiting the closing control of the door 11 increases, it may become bothersome for the driver to perform the first operation to cancel the prohibition of the closing control of the door 11 and execute the closing control of the door.

[0028] Therefore, in the vehicle 1 according to this embodiment, when the number of standing passengers in the vehicle 1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, a second operation is set as an operation for canceling the prohibition of the close control of the door 11 and executing the close control of the door. The second operation is an operation of pressing the close button 13 twice in succession. As a result, when the number of standing passengers in the vehicle 1 is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, in a state in which the close control of the door 11 is prohibited, the prohibition of the close control of the door 11 is canceled and the close control of the door 11 is executed not only when the first operation is performed by the driver but also when the second operation is performed by the driver.

[0029] (Control device hardware configuration) Next, the control device mounted on the vehicle 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic hardware configuration of the control device mounted on the vehicle. The control device 100 is a device that controls the opening and closing of the doors of the vehicle 1. In the vehicle 1, the control device 100 is connected to the door 11, an open button 12, a close button 13, a release switch 14, an in-vehicle camera 15, and a display 16.

[0030] The control device 100 includes a control unit 110, a storage unit 120, and an in-vehicle communication module 130. The control unit 110 has a function of performing arithmetic processing for controlling the control device 100. The control unit 110 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a main storage unit such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an auxiliary storage unit such as a ROM (Read Only Memory). The control unit 110 includes a device. The CPU is an example of a processor resource. The RAM and ROM are also examples of memory resources. The control unit 110 can execute any information processing based on various programs and various data. However, some or all of the functions of the control unit 110 may be realized by hardware circuits such as ASICs and FPGAs.

[0031] The storage unit 120 is configured by any storage device such as RAM, ROM, a hard disk drive, or a flash memory. The storage unit 120 may also include removable media (portable recording media). Here, removable media is, for example, a USB memory, an SD card, or a disc recording media such as a CD-ROM, a DVD disc, or a Blu-ray disc. The storage unit 120 stores programs executed by the control unit 110 and control data used to execute the programs.

[0032] The memory unit 120 also stores data 121 indicating the position and range of a prohibited area E0 set inside the vehicle 1. In the control device 100, the control unit 110 counts the number of passengers inside the vehicle and the number of standing passengers based on images captured by the in-vehicle camera 15. The counted number of passengers and the number of standing passengers 122 are then stored in the memory unit 120.

[0033] The in-vehicle communication module 130 is an interface for the control device 100 to communicate with other devices provided in the vehicle 1 using a predetermined in-vehicle communication standard. Examples of the predetermined in-vehicle communication standard include CAN (Controller Area Network) and LIN (Local Interconnect Network). The control device 100 communicates with other devices via the in-vehicle communication module 130. The vehicle 1 communicates with various devices provided in the vehicle 1 .

[0034] In the control device 100, the control unit 110 executes an opening control of the door 11 when it receives a signal indicating that the open button 12 has been pressed. In addition, the control unit 110 executes a closing control of the door 11 when it receives a signal indicating that the close button 13 has been pressed. In addition, the control unit 110 acquires an image captured by the in-vehicle camera 15 via the in-vehicle communication module 130. Furthermore, the control unit 110 displays the image captured by the in-vehicle camera 15 on the display 16.

[0035] Furthermore, the control unit 110 determines whether or not a standing passenger is present in the prohibited area E0 inside the vehicle based on an image acquired from the in-vehicle camera 15. Furthermore, when the control unit 110 detects that a standing passenger is present in the prohibited area E0 inside the vehicle, the control unit 110 prohibits the closing control of the door 11. When the closing control of the door 11 is prohibited, the control unit 110 does not execute the closing control of the door 11 even if it receives a signal indicating that the close button 13 has been pressed. Furthermore, when the control unit 110 receives a signal indicating that the release switch 14 has been turned ON while the closing control of the door 11 is prohibited, the control unit 110 releases the prohibition of the closing control of the door 11. Furthermore, when the control unit 110 detects, based on an image acquired from the in-vehicle camera 15, that a standing passenger who was present in the prohibited area E0 has moved out of the prohibited area E0, the control unit 110 releases the prohibition of the closing control of the door 11.

[0036] In this embodiment, the control device 100 does not necessarily have to be realized by a single physical configuration, but may be configured by a plurality of computers provided in the vehicle 1 and linked to each other.

[0037] (Control Flow) Next, the control executed by the control device 100 when the vehicle 1 is stopped and the door 11 is in an open state will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of control executed by the control unit 110 when the door 11 of the vehicle is in an open state. Note that when the door 11 of the vehicle 1 is in an open state, the control unit 110 may repeatedly execute the control flow shown in Fig. 4 at predetermined intervals.

[0038] In this flow, first, in S101, an image of the interior of the vehicle is acquired by the in-vehicle camera 15. Next, in S102, the number of passengers Np and the number of standing passengers Nsp present inside the vehicle 1 are counted based on the image of the interior of the vehicle acquired in S101. Specifically, the control unit 110 extracts passengers from the image of the interior of the vehicle and counts the number of passengers Np. The control unit 110 also extracts passengers who are not seated from the image of the interior of the vehicle and counts the number of standing passengers Nsp. The control unit 110 stores the number of passengers Np and the number of standing passengers Nsp counted in S102 in the memory unit 120.

[0039] When the door 11 of the vehicle 1 is in an open state, passengers may get on or off through the entrance / exit of the vehicle 1. Therefore, when passengers get on or off through the entrance / exit of the vehicle 1, the control unit 110 updates the number of passengers Np and the number of standing passengers Nsp. The control unit 110 may also display the number of passengers Np and the number of standing passengers Nsp counted in S102 on the display 16. Displaying the number of passengers Np and the number of standing passengers Nsp on the display 16 allows the driver to grasp these numbers.

[0040] Next, in S103, it is determined whether the number Nsp of standing passengers counted in S102 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold Nsp0. If the determination in S103 is negative, that is, if the number Nsp of boarding passengers is less than the predetermined threshold Nsp0, execution of this flow is temporarily terminated. On the other hand, if the determination in S103 is positive, processing in S104 is then executed. In S104, a second operation is set as an operation for canceling the prohibition of closing control of the door 11 and executing closing control of the door 11.

[0041] By executing the above control flow, when the number of standing passengers Nsp in vehicle 1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold Nsp0, the driver can perform a second operation to lift the prohibition on closing control of door 11, thereby enabling closing control of door 11 to be executed.

[0042] (Door closing control prohibition cancellation) As described above, the driver's operation that allows the prohibition on the close control of the door 11 to be lifted and the close control of the door 11 to be executed is changed depending on whether the number Nsp of standing passengers in the vehicle 1 is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold Nsp0. Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining the driver's operation when the prohibition on the close control of the door 11 is lifted and the close control of the door 11 is executed in the vehicle 1. All of the driver's operations shown in Figure 5 are operations that are executed by the driver when the control unit 110 prohibits the close control of the door 11 because it has been detected that a passenger is present in the prohibited area E0 inside the vehicle 1.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 5A, when the number Nsp of standing passengers in the vehicle 1 is less than a predetermined threshold Nsp0, the closing control of the door 11 is executed when the driver performs a first operation. Specifically, when the driver performs the first operation, the control device 100 first receives a signal indicating that the release switch 14 has been turned ON, and then receives a signal indicating that the close button 13 has been pressed. This causes the control unit 110 to cancel the prohibition on the closing control of the door 11 and execute the closing control of the door 11. However, when the number Nsp of standing passengers in the vehicle 1 is less than the predetermined threshold Nsp0, the closing control of the door 11 is executed only when the driver performs the first operation. Therefore, when the number Nsp of standing passengers in the vehicle 1 is less than the predetermined threshold Nsp0, the closing control of the door 11 is not executed even if the driver performs a second operation. In other words, the control device 100 does not execute the closing control of the door 11 even if it receives a signal indicating that the close button 13 has been pressed twice consecutively.

[0044] 5(b), when the number Nsp of standing passengers in the vehicle 1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold Nsp0, the closing control of the door 11 is executed not only when the driver executes the first operation but also when the driver executes the second operation. Specifically, when the driver executes the second operation, the control device 100 receives a signal indicating that the close button 13 has been pressed twice in succession. As a result, even if the control unit 110 has not received a signal indicating that the release switch 14 has been turned on, the control unit 110 releases the prohibition on the closing control of the door 11 and executes the closing control of the door 11.

[0045] The second operation does not require the operation of the release switch 14, which is different from the close button 13, as in the first operation. In other words, in the second operation, the driver only needs to operate the close button 13. Therefore, the second operation, which is an operation to execute the close control of the door 11 after canceling the prohibition of the close control of the door 11, is considered to be less bothersome for the driver than the first operation.

[0046] As described above, when the number Nsp of standing passengers in the vehicle 1 is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold Nsp0, the driver may need to cancel the prohibition of the closing control of the door 11 relatively frequently. According to the control according to this embodiment, the closing control of the door 11 is prohibited in this way. In a situation where the occurrence frequency of the above-mentioned state is relatively high, the driver can execute the door close control not only by the first operation but also by the second operation. This reduces the inconvenience to the driver when the driver frequently executes an operation to release the prohibition on the close control of the door 11. As a result, the burden on the driver when the vehicle 1 is operating with multiple passengers on board can be reduced.

[0047] In this embodiment, the control unit 110 of the control device 100 may adjust the closing speed of the door 11 in the closing control of the door 11. Specifically, when the driver presses the close button 13 and the control unit 110 executes the closing control of the door 11 when there is no passenger in the prohibited area E0 inside the vehicle 1, the control unit 110 may set the closing speed of the door 11 to a standard speed. Then, when the driver performs the first operation or the second operation and the control unit 110 executes the closing control of the door 11, the control unit 110 may set the closing speed of the door 11 to a speed slower than the standard speed.

[0048] According to this, when the closing control of the door 11 is prohibited and the driver performs the first or second operation and the closing control of the door 11 is executed, the closing speed of the door 11 is slower than when the closing control of the door 11 is executed when no passenger is present in the prohibited area E0. Therefore, even if the closing control of the door 11 is executed with a passenger present in the prohibited area E0, it is possible to further prevent the passenger from being caught by the door 11.

[0049] (Variation) Next, a modified example of this embodiment will be described. As described above, a prohibited area E0 is set inside the vehicle 1. If the prohibited area E0 is set within a certain range, the greater the number of standing passengers in the vehicle 1, the more likely passengers will enter the prohibited area E0. Therefore, when the number of standing passengers in the vehicle 1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the frequency with which the closing control of the door 11 is prohibited may be higher than when the number of standing passengers in the vehicle 1 is less than the predetermined threshold.

[0050] However, if the prohibited area E0 becomes narrower, it becomes more difficult for passengers to enter the prohibited area E0. Therefore, in this modified example, the control unit 110 of the control device 100 variably controls the range of the prohibited area E0 set inside the vehicle 1. Specifically, when the number of standing passengers in the vehicle 1 is less than a predetermined threshold, the control unit 110 sets the prohibited area E0 to a standard range. On the other hand, when the number of standing passengers in the vehicle 1 is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, the control unit 110 sets the prohibited area E0 to a range that is narrower than the standard range.

[0051] Hereinafter, in this modified example, the control executed by the control device 100 when the vehicle 1 is stopped and the door 11 is in an open state will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of control executed by the control unit 110 when the door 11 of the vehicle is in an open state. Note that the processes executed in S101 to S104 in the flow shown in Fig. 6 are the same as the processes executed in the steps with the same reference numbers in the flow shown in Fig. 4. Therefore, a description of these steps will be omitted.

[0052] In this flow, the process of S205 is executed after S104. In S205, the prohibited area E0 is set to a range that is smaller than the standard range. At this time, the control unit 110 may set the prohibited area E0 to a fixed range that is smaller than the standard range. The control unit 110 may also set the prohibited area E0 to a range that corresponds to the number Nsp of standing passengers in the vehicle 1. In other words, the control unit 110 may set the prohibited area E0 to a smaller range as the number Nsp of standing passengers in the vehicle 1 increases. Data indicating the position and range of the prohibited area E0 set in S205 is stored in the memory unit 120.

[0053] According to the above flow, when the number Nsp of standing passengers in the vehicle 1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold Nsp0, the prohibited area E0 is reduced compared to when the number Nsp of standing passengers in the vehicle 1 is less than the predetermined threshold Nsp0. By reducing the prohibited area E0, it becomes more difficult for passengers to enter the prohibited area E0 compared to when the prohibited area E0 remains within the standard range. Therefore, even if the number Nsp of standing passengers in the vehicle 1 is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold Nsp0, the frequency with which the closing control of the door 11 is prohibited can be reduced. As a result, the frequency with which the driver performs an operation to release the prohibition on the closing control of the door 11 can be reduced. This further reduces the burden on the driver when the vehicle 1 is operating with multiple passengers on board.

[0054] <Other embodiments> The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure may be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the processes and means described in the present disclosure may be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

[0055] Furthermore, a process described as being performed by one device may be shared and executed by multiple devices. Alternatively, a process described as being performed by different devices may be executed by a single device. In a computer system, the hardware configuration (server configuration) by which each function is realized can be flexibly changed.

[0056] The present disclosure can also be realized by providing a computer program implementing the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and having one or more processors in the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer via a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the computer's system bus or via a network. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media include any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions, such as any type of disk, including magnetic disks (e.g., floppy disks, hard disk drives (HDDs), etc.), optical disks (e.g., CD-ROMs, DVDs, Blu-ray disks), read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic cards, flash memory, or optical cards. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1. Vehicle 11 Doors 12 Open button 13. Close button 14 Release switch 15. In-car camera 16··Display 100 Control device 110 Control unit 120...Storage section 130 In-vehicle communication module

Claims

1. A control device for controlling doors of a vehicle on which a plurality of passengers board, a predetermined area is set near the door inside the vehicle, in which closing control of the door is prohibited when the presence of a passenger inside the area is detected; The vehicle is provided with a close button and a release switch that are operated by a driver of the vehicle; the close button is a button that is pressed when the driver executes the door close control, The release switch is a switch that is turned ON when the driver releases the prohibition of the door closing control, The control device includes a control unit, The control unit If it is detected that a passenger is present in the predetermined area while the door is in an open state, the closing control of the door is prohibited; When the closing control of the door is prohibited, if the driver performs a first operation of pressing the close button after the release switch is turned on, the closing control of the door is executed, and When the door closing control is prohibited in a state where the number of standing passengers in the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the door closing control is executed even when the driver performs a second operation of pressing the close button twice in succession. Control device.

2. The control unit When the number of standing passengers in the vehicle is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, the predetermined area in the vehicle is reduced compared to when the number of standing passengers in the vehicle is less than the predetermined threshold. The control device according to claim 1 .

3. The control unit When the door close control is executed because the driver has performed the first operation or the second operation while the door close control is prohibited, a closing speed of the door is set to be smaller than when the door close control is executed when no passenger is present in the predetermined area. The control device according to claim 1 .

4. In the vehicle, The floor surface of the vehicle interior including the predetermined area is substantially flat, and The door is a sliding door. The control device according to claim 1 .

5. A vehicle equipped with the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

Images