Door control device

Abstract

Improve the technology for detecting people. [Solution] A door control device 1 comprises an imaging unit 11 that images a blind spot area which is the driver's blind spot of the vehicle and a detection area outside the vehicle and near the vehicle door, a control unit 13 and a display unit 14, wherein the control unit 13 uses object detection technology to detect objects outside the vehicle from the image captured by the imaging unit 11, determines whether the detected object is located within the detection area, and if it is determined that the detected object is located within the detection area, stops the door closing operation and displays the detected object on the display unit 14.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a door control device.

[0002] Conventionally, technologies for detecting people are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for setting a plurality of detection areas on an image of a railway platform.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Technologies for detecting people can be used in a system that determines whether to stop opening and closing a door according to the presence or absence of a person within a detection area near the door. When a driver tries to look outside the vehicle, there may be blind spots outside the vehicle due to the vehicle's interior or the door. A person within the blind spot may approach the door. The driver may overlook such a person if they are not within the detection area.

[0005] In view of such circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to improve the technology for detecting people.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A door control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an imaging unit that images a blind spot area, which is a blind spot of a vehicle driver, and a detection area outside the vehicle and near the door, a control unit, and a display unit. The control unit: uses object detection technology to detect a detected object outside the vehicle from an image captured by the imaging unit, determines whether the detected object is located within the detection area, If it is determined that the detected object is located within the detection area, the closing operation of the door is stopped. The detected object is displayed on the display unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the technology for detecting people is improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the door control device according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This flowchart shows the operation of the door control device according to this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, one embodiment of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] (Overview of the door control device according to this embodiment) Referring to Figure 1, the door control device according to this embodiment will be described. The door control device according to this embodiment is a computer mounted on a vehicle.

[0011] Vehicles include any vehicle such as automobiles, buses, and shuttle buses. Vehicles may be gasoline vehicles, diesel vehicles, hydrogen vehicles, BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles), HEVs (Hybrid Electric Vehicles), PHEVs (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles), or FCEVs (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles). Vehicles may be driven by a driver or their operation may be automated to any degree. The level of automation may be, for example, one of levels 1 to 5 in the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) classification. Vehicles may be vehicles specifically designed for MaaS (Mobility as a Service). Vehicles are equipped with controllers that control the operation of various parts of the vehicle, including doors.

[0012] Vehicles include any vehicle such as automobiles, buses, and shuttle buses. Vehicles may be gasoline vehicles, diesel vehicles, hydrogen vehicles, BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles), HEVs (Hybrid Electric Vehicles), PHEVs (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles), or FCEVs (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles). Vehicles may be driven by a driver or their operation may be automated to any degree. The level of automation may be, for example, one of levels 1 to 5 in the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) classification. Vehicles may be vehicles specifically designed for MaaS (Mobility as a Service). Vehicles are equipped with controllers that control the operation of various parts of the vehicle, including doors.

[0013] The door control device according to this embodiment notifies the driver by displaying on the display unit that a person is in the blind spot area. As a result, even if the person in the blind spot area is not within the detection area, the driver can recognize the person and manually stop the door closing operation. In other words, this embodiment can assist person detection based on the detection area by displaying the blind spot area. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the technology for detecting people is improved.

[0014] (Door control device configuration) Referring to Figure 1, the configuration of the door control device will be described. The door control device comprises an imaging unit 11, a communication unit 12, a control unit 13, a display unit 14, and a storage unit 15. Each unit is connected to the others so as to be able to communicate with each other via an in-vehicle network such as CAN (Controller Area Network) or a dedicated line.

[0015] The imaging unit 11 is an arbitrary imaging module installed inside the vehicle and capable of imaging the area outside the vehicle. The imaging module includes at least one camera. The imaging unit 11 is installed in a position capable of imaging the floor and road near the door, for example, on the ceiling near the door. The images captured by the imaging unit 11 may be moving images or still images.

[0016] The communication unit 12 includes at least one communication interface for connecting to an in-vehicle network. The communication interface supports, for example, mobile communication standards such as 4G (4th generation) or 5G (5th generation), V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication standards such as DSRC (dedicated short range communications) or cellular V2X, or wireless LAN (local area network) communication standards such as IEEE 802.11 (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 802.11).

[0017] The control unit 13 includes at least one processor, at least one programmable circuit, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination thereof. The control unit 13 controls the operation of the door control device. The control unit 13 may include an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The control unit 13 controls each part of the door control device.

[0018] The display unit 14 outputs visual information such as images, characters, or graphics. The display unit 14 is an arbitrary display including an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display or an inorganic EL display. The display unit 14 may include a light-emitting device such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode). The display unit 14 may have other arbitrary devices.

[0019] The storage unit 15 includes at least one memory. Each memory included in the storage unit 15 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 15 stores information used for the operation of the door control device and information obtained as a result of the operation of the door control device. The storage unit 15 may store a system program, an application program, or embedded software. The information stored in the storage unit 15 may be updated with information acquired from a network via the communication unit 12.

[0020] The functions of the door control device are realized by executing a program according to an embodiment using a processor as the control unit 13. That is, the functions of the door control device are realized by software. The program causes a computer to execute the operation of the door control device, thereby making the computer function as the door control device 1. That is, the computer functions as a door control device by executing the operation of the door control device 1 according to the program.

[0021] (Operation flow of the door control device according to this embodiment) Referring to FIG. 2, the operation of the door control device according to the present embodiment will be described. In the following, the communication of each part of the door control device is performed via the communication unit 12 and the network.

[0022] S101: The control unit 13 acquires an image from the imaging unit.

[0023] The imaging unit images a blind spot area, which is a blind spot of the driver of the vehicle, and a detection area outside the vehicle and near the door of the vehicle. The blind spot area is an area that forms a blind spot for the driver, formed by the interior of the vehicle such as a pillar or the door. The detection area is an area on the road or sidewalk having an arbitrary shape. Part or all of the blind spot area may overlap with the detection area. Alternatively, the blind spot area may not overlap with the detection area. In the present embodiment, the detection area is a rectangular area extending outward from the door to the outside of the vehicle. The blind spot area and the detection area may be set in advance. In the present embodiment, information on the blind spot area and the detection area, such as position and shape, is stored in the storage unit 15 in advance.

[0024] S102: The control unit 13 uses object detection technology to detect a detected object outside the vehicle from the image captured by the imaging unit 11.

[0025] The detected object includes a person or a luggage. The object detection technology includes any detection technology such as YOLO (You Only Look Once) and CNN (Convolutional Neural Network).

[0026] S103: The control unit 13 determines whether the detected object is located within the detection area. If it is determined that the detected object is located within the detection area (S103 - YES), the process proceeds to S104. Otherwise (S103 - NO), the process proceeds to S105.

[0027] The control unit 13 uses the position of the detected object detected by the object detection technique of S102 to determine whether or not the detected object is located within the detection area. The control unit 13 may also determine that the detected object is located within the detection area if part or all of the detected object is located within the detection area.

[0028] S104: The control unit 13 stops the door closing operation.

[0029] People outside the vehicle may get their hands or belongings caught in the door and be injured when getting into the vehicle. To prevent this injury, the control unit 13 stops the door closing operation. The control unit 13 may also stop the door opening operation. To allow the vehicle to start faster, the control unit 13 may reduce the door opening and closing speed.

[0030] S105: The control unit 13 displays the detected object on the display unit 14.

[0031] The detection object is displayed on the display unit 14, allowing the driver to recognize the object. The driver can stop the door closing operation for a detected object located outside the detection area. This prevents the discomfort felt by the detected object (person) when the door is closed while they are trying to get into the vehicle. In this embodiment, since the camera also captures images in the blind spot area, the driver can also recognize people in the blind spot area but outside the detection area and stop the door closing operation for those people.

[0032] The control unit 13 may display the detected object on the display unit 14 in different first display modes depending on whether the detected object is located in the blind spot area, in order to prompt the driver to pay attention to the detected object in the blind spot area. For example, the control unit 13 may surround the detected object on the display unit 14 with a frame and change the color or shape of the frame, or make the frame blink, depending on whether the detected object is located in the blind spot area. Alternatively, the control unit 13 may superimpose text information on the detected object on the display unit 14 or display it near the detected object, and may change the content of the text information depending on whether the detected object is located in the blind spot area. For example, text information such as "Caution!" may be displayed on the display unit 14 for detected objects in the blind spot area, and "Safe" may be displayed for detected objects outside the blind spot area.

[0033] The control unit 13 may display the detected object on the display unit 14 in a second display mode that differs depending on whether the detected object is located within the detection area, in order to prompt the driver to pay attention to the detected object within the detection area. For example, the control unit 13 may display the detected object on the display unit 14 by changing the color or shape of the border or the text information, similar to the first display mode, depending on whether the detected object is located within the detection area.

[0034] The control unit 13 may further determine the direction of movement of the detected object from the image using techniques such as the object detection technique of S102. The control unit 13 may display the detected object on the display unit 14 in a third display mode that differs depending on the direction of movement in order to prompt the driver to pay attention to the detected object approaching the vehicle. For example, the control unit 13 may display the detected object on the display unit 14 by changing the frame, shape, or text information, similar to the first or second display mode, depending on whether the detected object is approaching the vehicle, for example, the detection zone.

[0035] The control unit 13 may further display the blind spot area or detection area on the display unit 14 to prompt the driver to pay attention to the blind spot area or detection area.

[0036] The control unit 13 may further display the blind spot area or detection area on the display unit 14 to prompt the driver to pay attention to the blind spot area or detection area.

[0037] The door control device according to this embodiment notifies the driver by displaying on the display unit that a person is in the blind spot area. As a result, even if the person in the blind spot area is not within the detection area, the driver can recognize the person and manually stop the door closing operation. In other words, this embodiment can assist person detection based on the detection area by displaying the blind spot area. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the technology for detecting people is improved.

[0038] While this disclosure has been described based on the drawings and embodiments, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on this disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are within the scope of this disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component or step can be rearranged in a logically consistent manner, and multiple components or steps can be combined into one or separated. For example, in the embodiments described above, an embodiment is also possible in which the configuration and operation of the door control device 1 are distributed among multiple computers that can communicate with each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1. Door control device 11 Imaging Unit 12 Communications Department 13 Control Unit 14 Display section 15 Storage section

Claims

1. A door control device comprising an imaging unit that images a blind spot area which is the driver's blind spot of the vehicle and a detection area outside the vehicle and near the vehicle's door, a control unit, and a display unit, The control unit, Using object detection technology, the system detects objects outside the vehicle from the image captured by the imaging unit. Determine whether the detected object is located within the detection area. If it is determined that the detected object is located within the detection area, the closing operation of the door is stopped. A door control device that displays the detected object on the display unit.

2. A door control device according to claim 1, wherein displaying the detected object includes displaying the detected object on the display unit in a first display mode that differs depending on whether or not the detected object is located within the blind spot area.

3. A door control device according to claim 1, wherein displaying the detected object includes displaying the detected object on the display unit in a second display mode that differs depending on whether or not the detected object is located within the detection area.

4. A door control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit further determines the direction of movement of the detected object from the image, The door control device includes displaying the detected object on the display unit in a third display mode that differs depending on the direction of movement.

5. A door control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit further displays the blind spot area or the detection area on the display unit.

6. A method for providing MaaS (Mobility as a Service) using the door control device described in claim 1.

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