Boarding and alighting assistance system

Abstract

This system provides an entry / exit assistance system that enables the appropriate operation of auxiliary devices when necessary. [Solution] The system acquires the physical characteristics of the vehicle's occupants, determines whether the acquired physical characteristics meet the operational criteria for the auxiliary steps used to assist in getting on and off the vehicle, and activates the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D if it is determined that the physical characteristics meet the operational criteria for the auxiliary steps. The operational criteria for the auxiliary steps are configured to be set for each vehicle based on the shape of the vehicle that the occupants are getting on and off.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an on / off vehicle assistance system for assisting boarding and alighting of a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, various systems for assisting boarding or alighting of a vehicle for passengers boarding the vehicle have been proposed. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-169795, a camera is used to identify the type of a passenger waiting in the boarding / alighting area, and when the identified type of the passenger is a child, the vehicle is stopped at a position where the side step can be used and the side step is operated to assist in facilitating boarding of the vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Here, in the above Patent Document 1, when the passenger is a child, the side step is operated. However, the necessity of the side step is not determined only by the type of the passenger. For example, even if the passenger is a child, if the vehicle has a low floor height, there is no need to operate the side step, and even if the passenger is an adult, it may be better to operate the side step for vehicles with a high floor height such as a minivan or an SUV. Therefore, if the operation of the side step is determined only by the type of the passenger as in the above Patent Document 1, problems occur such as the side step operating in a situation where it is not necessary or the side step not operating in a situation where it is necessary.

[0005] The present invention was made to solve the aforementioned problems of the conventional invention, and aims to provide an entry / exit support system that determines whether or not to operate the auxiliary device based on the physical characteristics of the occupant and the shape of the vehicle to which the occupant enters and exits, and based on operating criteria set for each vehicle, thereby enabling the auxiliary device to be operated appropriately when necessary. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the boarding and alighting assistance system according to the present invention comprises: a physical characteristic acquisition means for acquiring the physical characteristics of a vehicle occupant; an operation criterion determination means for determining whether the physical characteristics of the occupant acquired by the physical characteristic acquisition means meet the operation criteria for an auxiliary device for assisting boarding and alighting from a vehicle; and an operation means for operating the auxiliary device when it is determined that the physical characteristics of the occupant meet the operation criteria, wherein the operation criteria are set for each vehicle based on the shape of the vehicle to which the occupant is to board and alight. Furthermore, "the physical characteristics of the crew" may refer to physical characteristics such as the crew member's height, weight, and the length of body parts, or it may refer to characteristics indicating a physical condition such as using a cane, pushing a walker, being pregnant, or being injured. Furthermore, "vehicle shape" may refer to the vehicle model, which specifies the overall shape of the vehicle, or it may refer to individual vehicle parameters such as floor height or seat height. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the boarding and alighting assistance system of the present invention having the above configuration, the physical characteristics of the occupant and the occupant The system determines whether or not to activate the auxiliary device based on operating standards set for each vehicle, taking into account the shape of the vehicle being boarded or alighted. This allows the auxiliary device to operate appropriately when needed. As a result, when assistance is needed for boarding or alighting from a vehicle, the system enables easy boarding and alighting using the auxiliary device, while preventing unnecessary activation of the auxiliary device when assistance is not needed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the vehicle according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates the auxiliary steps provided in the vehicle of this embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the boarding and alighting assistance system according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart of the boarding / alighting assistance processing program according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] This diagram illustrates a method for detecting the physical characteristics of crew members from captured images. [Figure 6] This is a diagram illustrating the shape of the vehicle. [Figure 7] This diagram illustrates the operational standards for auxiliary steps when passengers board a vehicle. [Figure 8] This diagram illustrates the operational standards for auxiliary steps when passengers disembark from a vehicle. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the boarding and alighting support system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, the vehicle 2 equipped with the boarding and alighting support system 1 according to this embodiment will be described below. Figure 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the vehicle 2 according to this embodiment.

[0010] Here, Vehicle 2 may be, for example, an automobile powered by an internal combustion engine (internal combustion engine vehicle), an automobile powered by an electric motor (electric vehicle, fuel cell vehicle, etc.), or an automobile powered by both (hybrid vehicle). Furthermore, there is no restriction on the type of vehicle; it may be a regular passenger car, a large commercial truck, a bus, construction machinery, etc. Also, although the following explanation will refer to it as a four-wheeled vehicle, it may also be a two-wheeled or three-wheeled vehicle.

[0011] Furthermore, Vehicle 2 may be a vehicle capable of not only manual driving based on the user's driving operations, but also assisted driving through automated driving assistance, where the vehicle drives automatically without user input. Alternatively, it may be a vehicle capable of only assisted driving through automated driving assistance. On the other hand, Vehicle 2 is not necessarily limited to a vehicle capable of assisted driving through automated driving assistance as described above, and may be a vehicle capable of manual driving only.

[0012] Furthermore, vehicle 2 is equipped with auxiliary steps 3A to 3D as auxiliary devices to assist passengers in boarding and alighting. Here, auxiliary steps 3A to 3D are located on the lower part of the vehicle body of vehicle 2, below the entrances and exits (corresponding to the door locations). The vehicle 2 shown in Figure 1 is a vehicle with a total of four entrances and exits, two on each side, and the explanation describes an example where auxiliary steps 3A to 3D are provided for each of the four entrances and exits. However, for example, if vehicle 2 has five or more entrances and exits, the number of auxiliary steps may be five or more. On the other hand, if vehicle 2 has fewer than three entrances and exits, the number of auxiliary steps may be less than three. Moreover, it is not necessary to provide auxiliary steps for all entrances and exits of vehicle 2; for example, auxiliary steps can be provided only for the driver's seat or only for the rear seat entrances and exits.

[0013] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, auxiliary steps 3A to 3D are basically stored in a storage compartment located at the bottom of the vehicle body of vehicle 2 so as not to protrude outward in the width direction of vehicle 2 when the door 4 of vehicle 2 is closed. On the other hand, when the door 4 of vehicle 2 is opened, the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D corresponding to the open door 4 (in the example shown in Figure 2, the right rear door 4) are stored in a storage compartment located at the bottom of the vehicle body of vehicle 2. The drive motor of the corresponding auxiliary step 3C is activated, causing the auxiliary steps 3A-3D located below the open doorway to slide out of their storage compartment and protrude near the doorway. The occupant can then easily board or alight from vehicle 2 by placing their feet on the protruding auxiliary steps 3A-3D. Subsequently, when the door 4 of vehicle 2 is closed, the drive motor is activated again, sliding the protruding auxiliary steps 3A-3D in the reverse direction and storing them in their storage compartment. The above sequence of events is the operation of auxiliary steps 3A-3D. Note that the operation is basically limited to the open door 4 and the corresponding auxiliary steps 3A-3D. For example, in the example shown in Figure 2, only auxiliary step 3C corresponding to the open right rear door 4 operates, while auxiliary steps 3A, 3B, and 3D corresponding to the other doors do not operate.

[0014] In this embodiment, the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D are not performed unconditionally, but only when the occupant's physical characteristics and clothing meet predetermined operational criteria, as described later. Specifically, if the occupant's physical characteristics and clothing meet the predetermined operational criteria, the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D protrude near the entrance when the door 4 of the vehicle 2 is opened. However, if the occupant's physical characteristics and clothing do not meet the predetermined operational criteria, the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D remain stored in the storage compartment even when the door 4 of the vehicle 2 is opened. Details regarding physical characteristics, clothing, and operational criteria will be described later.

[0015] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, in addition to the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D described above, vehicle 2 has a front camera 6, a rear camera 7, and side cameras 8A and 8B for imaging the area around the vehicle, and an entry / exit support ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10 that performs various calculations based on the input information. The entry / exit support system 1 includes the entry / exit support ECU 10 and other components.

[0016] The following describes each component of the vehicle 2. First, as described above, the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D are a type of auxiliary device for assisting the boarding and alighting of passengers. They are provided below the body of the vehicle 2, below the boarding and alighting opening (corresponding to the position of the door) of the vehicle 2. Also, the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D are provided with auxiliary step drive motors 11A to 11D for driving the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D. By driving the auxiliary step drive motor 11A, the auxiliary step 3A is slidably moved between the storage position stored in the storage part below the vehicle body described above and the protruding position protruding from the boarding and alighting opening. Similarly, by driving the auxiliary step drive motor 11B, the auxiliary step 3B is slidably moved between the storage position stored in the storage part below the vehicle body described above and the protruding position protruding from the boarding and alighting opening. By driving the auxiliary step drive motor 11C, the auxiliary step 3C is slidably moved between the storage position stored in the storage part below the vehicle body described above and the protruding position protruding from the boarding and alighting opening. By driving the auxiliary step drive motor 11D, the auxiliary step 3D is slidably moved between the storage position stored in the storage part below the vehicle body described above and the protruding position protruding from the boarding and alighting opening.

[0017] Note that the form and shape of the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D are not limited, and a single-stage auxiliary step may be used, or a multi-stage (stepped) auxiliary step may be used. Also, instead of a slide type, an auxiliary step that rotates by driving the auxiliary step drive motors 11A to 11D and moves from the storage position to the protruding position may be used.

[0018] Also, the front camera 6 is an imaging device having a camera using a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD, and is installed, for example, above the front bumper of the vehicle 2 or behind the rearview mirror with the optical axis direction facing forward in the traveling direction of the vehicle.

[0019] The rear camera 7 is also an imaging device having a camera using a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD, and is attached, for example, near the upper center of the license plate attached to the rear of the vehicle 2, and is installed with the optical axis direction facing backward.

[0020] Furthermore, the side cameras 8A and 8B are imaging devices that also have cameras using solid-state image sensors such as CCDs, and are mounted, for example, on the left and right side mirrors of vehicle 2, with the optical axis facing the side of the vehicle.

[0021] The boarding / alighting assistance ECU 10 then performs image recognition processing on the images captured by the front camera 6, rear camera 7, and side cameras 8A and 8B to identify the physical characteristics and clothing of the vehicle's occupants. In addition to identifying the physical characteristics and clothing of occupants, each camera can also be used to capture images of the area around the vehicle for display on a vehicle-mounted display, or as a sensor to detect obstacles around the vehicle.

[0022] Furthermore, in addition to the camera mentioned above, vehicle 2 may also be equipped with other sensors for detecting its surroundings, such as ultrasonic sensors, millimeter-wave sensors, laser sensors, etc. In addition to the camera that captures images outside the vehicle, it may also be equipped with a camera that captures images inside the vehicle.

[0023] On the other hand, the boarding / alighting support ECU 10 is an electronic control unit that performs various processes specifically to assist occupants in boarding and alighting from the vehicle 2. For example, it uses cameras to acquire the occupant's physical characteristics and clothing, and if the occupant's physical characteristics and clothing meet predetermined operating criteria, it drives the auxiliary step drive motors 11A to 11D of the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D corresponding to the opened door 4 of the vehicle 2 as the door 4 opens, causing the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D located below the opened entrance to slide out of their storage compartment and protrude near the entrance. Subsequently, when the door 4 of the vehicle 2 closes, it drives the auxiliary step drive motors 11A to 11D again to slide the protruding auxiliary steps 3A to 3D in the reverse direction and store them in their storage compartment. Furthermore, when acquiring the occupant's physical characteristics and clothing, it performs image recognition processing on the images captured by the aforementioned front camera 6, rear camera 7, and side cameras 8A and 8B. The boarding / alighting support ECU 10 is connected to the aforementioned auxiliary step drive motors 11A-11D, front camera 6, rear camera 7, and side cameras 8A and 8B via an in-vehicle network such as CAN. It is also connected to various sensors mounted on vehicle 2, such as a vehicle speed sensor, acceleration sensor, gyro sensor, steering sensor, shift position sensor, and ultrasonic sensor. The detailed configuration of the boarding / alighting support ECU 10 will be described later.

[0024] In addition to the components shown in Figure 1, Vehicle 2 also has other basic components as Vehicle 2, but only the configuration related to the control of boarding and alighting assistance, and the control related to said configuration will be explained.

[0025] Next, we will describe in detail the boarding / alighting support ECU 10, which is part of the boarding / alighting support system 1 provided by the vehicle 2 described above. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the boarding / alighting support system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0026] As shown in Figure 3, the boarding / alighting support ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10 is an electronic control unit that controls the entire boarding / alighting support system 1, and is equipped with an internal storage device such as a CPU 31 as a processing unit and control device, a RAM 32 which is used as working memory when the CPU 31 performs various calculations and stores image recognition results, a ROM 33 which stores control programs as well as boarding / alighting support processing programs (see Figure 4) described later, and a flash memory 34 which stores programs read from the ROM 33. The boarding / alighting support ECU 10 has various means as processing algorithms. For example, the physical characteristics acquisition means acquires the physical characteristics of the vehicle occupant. The operation criterion determination means determines whether the physical characteristics of the occupant acquired by the physical characteristics acquisition means meet the operation criteria for the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D for assisting boarding and alighting from the vehicle. If it is determined that the occupant's physical characteristics meet the operational criteria, auxiliary steps 3A to 3D are activated. The clothing acquisition means acquires the clothing of the vehicle's occupants. In other words, the boarding / alighting support ECU 10 is an example of a physical characteristics acquisition means, an operational criteria determination means, an operational means, and a clothing acquisition means.

[0027] Furthermore, the entry / exit support ECU 10 is connected to a door sensor 37 that detects the opening and closing of door 4, a key radio wave transmission / reception unit 38 that transmits and receives radio waves with a smart key (registered trademark, not shown), which is a type of electronic key held by the occupant, and various sensors 39 for detecting the behavior of the vehicle, such as a vehicle speed sensor, wheel speed sensor, acceleration sensor, gyro sensor, steering sensor, and shift position sensor. Based on the detection results of the door sensor 37, the entry / exit support ECU 10 can detect the open / closed state of door 4 of vehicle 2.

[0028] On the other hand, the key radio wave transmitting / receiving unit 38 is a device for receiving radio waves emitted from the smart key and transmitting radio waves to the smart key, and the entry / exit assistance ECU 10 can use the key radio wave transmitting / receiving unit 38 to detect when an occupant approaches the vehicle 2. Specifically, the key radio wave transmitting / receiving unit 38 of the vehicle 2 constantly emits weak radio waves into its surroundings to search for the target smart key (the smart key held by the occupant). When the occupant holding the target smart key approaches the car within a certain distance and the smart key receives radio waves from the vehicle 2, the smart key emits a response signal, and the key radio wave transmitting / receiving unit 38 catches the response signal from the smart key and compares it with pre-registered authentication information. If a match is found, it is detected that an occupant has approached the vehicle 2. Furthermore, if there are multiple antennas, the occupant's position can also be determined by triangulation. After detecting that an occupant has approached the vehicle 2, for example, the doors may be automatically unlocked, or the doors may be unlocked in response to a button operation on the smart key or a touch operation on the door handle. Furthermore, the system may automate not only the unlocking of the doors but also the opening of the doors. In particular, in this embodiment, when it is detected that an occupant is approaching vehicle 2, the system also uses image recognition from a camera to identify the occupant's physical characteristics and clothing.

[0029] Furthermore, the flash memory 34 includes the vehicle information DB 35 and the operating reference values ​​36. The vehicle information DB 35 stores various information about the vehicle 2. For example, it stores the installation positions (height from the ground, left-right position) and detection axes (optical axis for cameras) of cameras and sensors installed on the vehicle 2, as well as the overall length, vehicle width, wheelbase, minimum turning radius, floor height, and seat height. This information is entered in advance by the occupants or personnel from the vehicle manufacturer.

[0030] On the other hand, the operation criterion value 36 stores information regarding the criteria for performing the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D (hereinafter referred to as the operation criteria). In this embodiment, the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D are not performed unconditionally, but only when the occupant's physical characteristics and clothing meet predetermined operation criteria, as described later, and information regarding those operation criteria is stored. Here, the operation criteria for physical characteristics in particular are set for each vehicle based on the shape of the vehicle 2. The shape of the vehicle 2 refers more specifically to the vehicle's floor height and vehicle's seat height, but it is also possible to set operation criteria based on other vehicle parameters. If the shape of the vehicle is determined by the vehicle type, it is also possible to set operation criteria for each vehicle type.

[0031] Next, the boarding and alighting support processing program executed by the boarding and alighting support ECU 10 in the boarding and alighting support system 1 having the above configuration will be explained with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a flowchart of the boarding and alighting support processing program according to this embodiment. Here, the boarding and alighting support processing program is executed when it is possible for an occupant to board the vehicle 2, or when it is possible for an occupant to alight from the vehicle 2, and is a program that assists the occupant in boarding and alighting from the vehicle using auxiliary steps 3A to 3D. One situation in which an occupant can disembark is when vehicle 2 is stopped. On the other hand, regardless of whether the ACC power (accessory power supply) or ignition of vehicle 2 is on or off, the boarding / alighting assistance processing program can be executed even when the ACC power is off and vehicle 2 is parked. The program shown in the flowchart in Figure 4 below is stored in the RAM 32 and ROM 33 of the boarding / alighting assistance ECU 10 and executed by the CPU 31.

[0032] First, in step 1 (hereinafter abbreviated as S), the CPU 31 determines whether or not an occupant approaching the vehicle, that is, an occupant who is expected to board the vehicle, has been detected in the vicinity of the vehicle. The detection of vehicle occupants can be performed, for example, using the key radio wave transmitting / receiving unit 38. As mentioned above, the key radio wave transmitting / receiving unit 38 catches the reply signal from the smart key and compares it with pre-registered authentication information. If a match is found, it detects that an occupant has approached vehicle 2. In addition to the smart key, a smartphone used in a digital key system with similar functionality can also be used to detect occupants, or other communication terminals capable of wireless communication with vehicle 2 may be used.

[0033] However, while the above-mentioned key radio wave transmission / reception unit 38 can detect the driver who possesses the smart key, it is difficult to detect other occupants who do not possess the smart key. Detection of occupants other than the driver can be performed, for example, by using image recognition processing on images captured by the front camera 6, rear camera 7, and side cameras 8A and 8B. For example, it is possible to detect as occupants of the vehicle people approaching the door, people standing in front of the door, people reaching for the door handle, and people with their hands on the door handle. In addition to cameras, the approach of occupants may also be detected using, for example, an ultrasonic sensor provided by the vehicle 2.

[0034] If it is determined that an occupant approaching the vehicle has been detected (S1:YES), the process proceeds to S2. Conversely, if it is determined that no occupant approaching the vehicle has been detected (S1:NO), the boarding / alighting assistance processing program is terminated.

[0035] In S2, the CPU 31 performs image recognition processing on real-time images captured by the front camera 6, rear camera 7, and side cameras 8A and 8B. Based on the results of the image recognition processing, it acquires the physical characteristics and clothing of the occupants detected in S1 (S3, S4). If the occupants' positions have been determined in advance, the image recognition processing may be performed only on the images captured by the cameras whose imaging range includes the occupants' positions.

[0036] First, regarding the process of acquiring the occupant's physical characteristics in S3, the CPU 31 executes a pre-stored skeleton detection program to detect the occupant's skeleton contained in the captured image. The skeleton detection program uses, for example, a posture estimation AI to estimate and detect feature points such as a person's face, waist, and joints (wrists, ankles, knees, elbows, shoulders, neck) from above the clothing, and the occupant's skeleton can be detected by connecting these feature points with line segments. For example, Figure 5 shows an example of skeleton detection performed on an image 41 of an occupant contained in an captured image 40. As shown in Figure 5, in the occupant's image 41, the face, waist, and joints (wrists, ankles, knees, elbows, shoulders, neck) are identified as feature points 42, and the occupant's skeleton is identified by line segments 43 connecting them. Then, the CPU 31 calculates the "thigh length" and "below-the-knee length" as physical characteristics of the occupant from the occupant's skeleton detected using the captured image. Furthermore, "thigh length" corresponds to the length from the waist to the knee (Figure 5b), and "below-the-knee length" corresponds to the length from the knee to the ankle (or heel or sole of the foot) (Figure 5c).

[0037] Furthermore, in S3, in addition to the "thigh length" and "below-the-knee length," the physical characteristics of the occupants include whether they are using a cane, pushing a wheelbarrow, pregnant, or injured. The body's condition is also acquired. In addition to detecting the occupant's skeleton as described above, the occupant's body shape and walking posture can be estimated by detecting these factors.

[0038] Next, regarding the process of acquiring the crew's clothing in S4, the CPU 31 executes a pre-stored clothing detection program to detect the crew's clothing included in the captured image. The clothing detection program can, for example, use AI to detect feature points of the crew's clothing and detect the type of clothing the crew is wearing from these feature points. Alternatively, it is possible to extract the areas of the upper and lower garments worn by the crew from the background image and identify the type of clothing from the shape and size of the extracted areas. Examples of clothing types include kimonos, dresses, long skirts, miniskirts, and trousers.

[0039] The physical characteristics and clothing of the crew members acquired in S3 and S4 are stored in flash memory 34 or the like, linked to the crew members.

[0040] Next, in S5, the CPU 31 determines whether or not the door 4 of vehicle 2 has been opened. The determination of whether or not the door of vehicle 2 has been opened may be made by obtaining the detection result of the door sensor 37, or it may be determined that the door has been opened when an operation to open the door has been performed (for example, operation of the door handle, or operation of a button to open the door if it is an electric door). Furthermore, for vehicles equipped with a function to open the doors automatically, it may be determined that the door has been opened when the conditions for opening the door (for example, detection of an occupant holding a smart key) are met. In addition, the opening of the door 4 of vehicle 2 determined in S5 includes not only the opening of the door performed by the occupant detected in S1 in order to board vehicle 2, but also the opening of the door performed by the occupant in order to alight from vehicle 2 after boarding.

[0041] If it is determined that door 4 of vehicle 2 is open (S5:YES), the process proceeds to S6. Conversely, if it is determined that door 4 of vehicle 2 is not open (S5:YES), the process waits until it is opened.

[0042] In S6, the CPU 31 determines whether the physical characteristics of the occupants boarding or alighting from vehicle 2 meet the operational criteria of auxiliary steps 3A to 3D. While the occupants boarding or alighting from vehicle 2 are generally those detected in S1, if multiple occupants are in the vehicle and only some of them are alighting, it is desirable to identify the alighting occupants based on the position of the door 4 that is opened.

[0043] Furthermore, the operating criteria for auxiliary steps 3A to 3D are pre-stored in flash memory 34 (operating criteria value 36 in Figure 3), but different criteria are set for each vehicle based on the shape of the vehicle to which the occupant will be getting on and off. In addition, the operating criteria for when an occupant gets on a vehicle and the operating criteria for when an occupant gets off a vehicle are different. The operating criteria for auxiliary steps 3A to 3D are described below.

[0044] Here, the general behavior when an occupant boards a vehicle is to lift one foot from a position with both feet on the ground and place it on the vehicle's floor, then enter the vehicle and place the other foot on the floor to complete boarding. In other words, the ease of boarding a vehicle is influenced by the vehicle's floor height (the vertical distance from the ground to the floor), and the higher the floor height of the vehicle, the more assistance with auxiliary steps is required. Here, as shown in Figure 6, the floor height of a vehicle is not fixed but differs from vehicle to vehicle, and therefore, the operational standards for the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D during boarding are set for each vehicle based on the vehicle's floor height. Note that in some vehicles, the height of the entrance to the passenger compartment (the vertical distance from the ground to the entrance to the passenger compartment) is one step higher than the floor height, but in the following explanation, the height of the entrance to the passenger compartment and the floor height will be assumed to be the same. However, the height of the entrance to the passenger compartment is the same as the floor height. For vehicles that are one step higher than the floor, the height of the entrance may be used instead of the floor height to set the operational standards for the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D used when boarding.

[0045] On the other hand, the general behavior when an occupant exits a vehicle is to lower one foot to the ground while remaining seated, and then lower the other foot to the ground while stepping out of the vehicle to complete the exit. In other words, the ease with which an occupant exits a vehicle is influenced by the vehicle's seat height (the vertical distance from the ground to the seat surface), and the higher the seat height of the vehicle, the more assistance from auxiliary steps is required. Here, as shown in Figure 6, the seat height of a vehicle is not fixed but varies from vehicle to vehicle, and therefore, the operational standards for the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D used when exiting a vehicle are set for each vehicle based on the vehicle's seat height.

[0046] Next, regarding the details of the determination process in S6, we will first explain an example of the determination when an occupant boards the vehicle. First, as shown in Figure 7, the vertical distance h1 from the ground to the sole of the foot when the occupant lifts their leg is calculated using the following formula (1), using the length b of the occupant's thigh and the length c of the lower leg. h1 = a - (cosθ × b) - c ····(1) Furthermore, the leg length a = b + c, and the leg lift angle θ can be fixed (for example, 135 degrees). Furthermore, it may be changed depending on the type of crew member, or it may be learned from past history. Additionally, the process in S6 may be executed after detecting the actual leg lift angle θ using a camera. Also, in equation (1) above, the distance h1 is calculated by approximating the position of the ankle to the position of the sole of the foot. Furthermore, if the distance h1 calculated by formula (1) above is shorter than the floor height, it is determined that it is desirable to operate the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D because the occupant will not be able to reach the floor even if they raise their feet normally. In other words, if the distance h1 is shorter than the floor height, it is determined that the operating criteria are met (S6: YES), and if the distance h1 is greater than or equal to the floor height, it is determined that the operating criteria are not met (S6: NO). However, the floor height used in the determination in S6 may be the actual floor height of the vehicle in which the occupant is riding, or it may be a standard floor height set in advance for each vehicle type or vehicle type (e.g., kei car, sedan, minivan, SUV). Alternatively, the floor height of the vehicle may be increased or decreased by a predetermined value that takes detection error into account before comparing it with the distance h1. Also, as mentioned above, for vehicles where the height of the entrance to the passenger compartment is one step higher than the floor height, the parameter compared with h1 may be the height of the entrance to the passenger compartment instead of the floor height.

[0047] Furthermore, the lower part of Figure 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the leg lift angle θ and the distance h1 for several occupants of different heights. In the example shown in Figure 7, assuming a leg lift angle θ of 135 degrees, it can be seen that for occupants with heights of 100cm and 80cm, even in a small vehicle, the distance h1 is shorter than the floor height, making it desirable to operate the auxiliary steps 3A-3D. Also, for occupants with heights of 140cm and 120cm, for a small vehicle, the distance h1 is higher than the floor height, so there is no need to operate the auxiliary steps 3A-3D, but for a medium-sized vehicle, the distance h1 is shorter than the floor height, making it desirable to operate the auxiliary steps 3A-3D. In addition, for an occupant with a height of 160cm, for a small or medium-sized vehicle, the distance h1 is higher than the floor height, so there is no need to operate the auxiliary steps 3A-3D, but for a large vehicle, the distance h1 is shorter than the floor height, making it desirable to operate the auxiliary steps 3A-3D. As described above, by comparing the occupant's physical characteristics with the operational standards, it becomes possible to activate auxiliary steps 3A to 3D only when the occupant requires it.

[0048] Next, we will explain the details of the determination process in S6, specifically an example of a determination when an occupant disembarks from the vehicle. First, as shown in Figure 8, using the length b of the occupant's thigh and the length c of the lower leg, the vertical distance h2 from the base of the leg to the sole of the foot when the occupant is seated in the seat and has lowered their leg towards the entrance is calculated using the following formula (2). h² = (cosθ × b) + c + e····(2) Furthermore, the vertical distance e from the heel (ankle) to the toes should preferably be estimated from, for example, the height or leg length. Also, the angle θ of the foot drop may be a fixed value (e.g., 45 degrees), may be changed depending on the type of occupant, or may be learned from past history. In addition, the S6 process may be executed after the actual foot drop angle θ is detected by the camera. Furthermore, if the distance h2 calculated by the above formula (2) is shorter than the seat height, it is determined that it is desirable to operate the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D because the occupant will not be able to reach the ground even if they lower one foot from a seated position. In other words, if the distance h2 is shorter than the seat height, it is determined that the operating criteria are met (S6: YES), and if the distance h2 is greater than or equal to the seat height, it is determined that the operating criteria are not met (S6: NO). However, the seat height used in the determination in S6 may be the actual seat height of the vehicle in which the occupant is sitting, or it may be a standard seat height set in advance for each vehicle type or model (e.g., kei car, sedan, minivan, SUV). Alternatively, the vehicle's seat height may be compared with the distance h2 after adding or subtracting a predetermined value that takes detection error into consideration.

[0049] Furthermore, the lower part of Figure 8 is a graph showing the relationship between the leg-down angle θ and the distance h2 for several occupants of different heights. In the example shown in Figure 8, assuming a leg-down angle θ of 30 degrees, it can be seen that for occupants with heights of 100cm and 80cm, even in small vehicles, the distance h2 is shorter than the seat height, making it desirable to operate the auxiliary steps 3A-3D. Also, for an occupant with a height of 120cm, the distance h2 is higher than the seat height in small vehicles, so there is no need to operate the auxiliary steps 3A-3D, but in medium-sized vehicles, the distance h2 is shorter than the seat height, making it desirable to operate the auxiliary steps 3A-3D. Moreover, for an occupant with a height of 140cm, the distance h2 is higher than the seat height in small and medium-sized vehicles, so there is no need to operate the auxiliary steps 3A-3D, but in large vehicles, the distance h2 is shorter than the seat height, making it desirable to operate the auxiliary steps 3A-3D. As described above, by comparing the occupant's physical characteristics with the operational standards, it becomes possible to activate auxiliary steps 3A to 3D only when the occupant requires it.

[0050] Furthermore, in S6, even if it is determined that the operational criteria for the auxiliary step are not met with respect to the above distances h1 and h2, if the occupant's physical condition, such as using a cane, pushing a wheelbarrow, being pregnant, or being injured, meets the operational criteria for the auxiliary step, then the occupant's physical characteristics will be determined to meet the operational criteria for the auxiliary step. In other words, the occupant's physical characteristics include not only the physical characteristics of the occupant itself, such as height, weight, and the length of body parts, but also characteristics indicating the physical condition, such as using a cane, pushing a wheelbarrow, being pregnant, or being injured. Therefore, even if the physical characteristics of the occupant itself, such as height, weight, and the length of body parts, do not meet the operational criteria, if the physical condition requires the auxiliary step, then the operational criteria for the auxiliary step will be considered met.

[0051] If the physical characteristics of the passenger boarding or alighting from vehicle 2 are determined to meet the operational criteria for auxiliary steps 3A-3D (S6: YES), the process proceeds to S8. Conversely, if the physical characteristics of the passenger boarding or alighting from vehicle 2 are determined not to meet the operational criteria for auxiliary steps 3A-3D (S6: NO), the process proceeds to S7.

[0052] In S7, the CPU 31 determines, based on the occupant's clothing acquired in S4, whether the occupant's clothing when boarding or alighting from vehicle 2 meets the operational criteria for auxiliary steps 3A to 3D. Specifically, if the occupant's clothing makes it difficult to board or alight from the vehicle, the CPU 31 determines that the operational criteria for auxiliary steps 3A to 3D are met.

[0053] Here, clothing that makes it difficult to get on or off a vehicle is, more specifically, clothing that makes it difficult to lift or lower your legs. This refers to clothing that is suitable for the wearer, such as traditional Japanese clothing or long skirts. Clothing that meets the operating criteria for these auxiliary steps 3A to 3D is specified in advance and stored in the flash memory 34 as the operating criterion value 36.

[0054] If it is determined that the clothing of the passenger boarding or alighting from vehicle 2 meets the operational criteria for auxiliary steps 3A to 3D (S7: YES), the process proceeds to S8. Conversely, if it is determined that the clothing of the passenger boarding or alighting from vehicle 2 does not meet the operational criteria for auxiliary steps 3A to 3D (S7: NO), the boarding / alighting support processing program terminates without performing auxiliary steps 3A to 3D.

[0055] In S8, the CPU 31 determines whether or not a child seat is installed in the seat adjacent to the door that was determined to be open in S5, i.e., the entrance / exit door that is in an open state. The presence or absence of a child seat may be determined by an in-car camera or by a weight sensor placed on the seat.

[0056] If it is determined in S5 that a child seat is installed in the seat adjacent to the door that is determined to be opened, i.e., the entrance / exit door that is open (S8: NO), then it is expected that the occupant in the child seat will not get in or out on their own (they will be helped in by someone else), so the boarding / alighting assistance processing program is terminated without operating the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D. On the other hand, if it is determined in S5 that a child seat is not installed in the seat adjacent to the door that is determined to be opened, i.e., the entrance / exit door that is open (S8: YES), then the program proceeds to S9.

[0057] In S9, the CPU 31 drives the auxiliary step drive motors 11A to 11D of the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D, which are in the open position, and slides the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D, located below the open entrance, out of the storage compartment and protrudes near the entrance (Figure 2). As a result, the occupant can easily get on or off the vehicle 2 by placing their feet on the protruding auxiliary steps 3A to 3D. If the door 4 of the vehicle 2 is then closed, the CPU 31 drives the auxiliary step drive motors 11A to 11D again and slides the protruding auxiliary steps 3A to 3D in the reverse direction and stores them in the storage compartment.

[0058] Furthermore, even if it is determined in S6 to S8 that the operating criteria for auxiliary steps 3A to 3D are not met, the occupant can still operate auxiliary steps 3A to 3D manually, in which case the process in S9 will be executed.

[0059] As described in detail above, according to the boarding / alighting support system 1 and the computer program executed by the boarding / alighting support system 1 according to this embodiment, the physical characteristics of the vehicle occupant are acquired (S3), it is determined whether the acquired physical characteristics of the occupant meet the operating criteria for the auxiliary steps to assist in boarding and alighting from the vehicle (S6), and if it is determined that the physical characteristics of the occupant meet the operating criteria for the auxiliary steps, the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D are operated (S9). Meanwhile, the operating criteria for the auxiliary steps are set for each vehicle based on the shape of the vehicle that the occupant is boarding and alighting from, so that the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D can be operated appropriately when necessary. As a result, when the occupant needs assistance in boarding and alighting from the vehicle, easy boarding and alighting using the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D is possible, and when assistance is not needed, it is possible to prevent the unnecessary operation of the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D. Furthermore, the occupant's physical characteristics, such as the length of their thigh and the length of their lower leg, are obtained (S3). The operational criteria for the auxiliary step when boarding the vehicle are set based on the height of the vehicle's floor from the ground or the height of the entrance to the vehicle. When an occupant boards the vehicle, the occupant's thigh and lower leg lengths are used to estimate the vertical distance h1 from the ground to the position of the sole of the foot when the occupant lifts their foot. The estimated distance h1 is then used based on the height of the vehicle's floor or the height of the entrance to the vehicle. If the distance is shorter than the set distance, it is determined that the operating criteria for the auxiliary step are met (S6). Therefore, if it is expected that the passenger will not be able to reach the floor even if they lift their feet normally when boarding, the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D can be activated to properly assist the passenger in boarding the vehicle. Furthermore, the occupant's physical characteristics, such as the length of their thigh and the length of their lower leg, are obtained (S3). The operational criteria for the auxiliary step when the occupant disembarks from the vehicle are set based on the vehicle's seat height from the ground. When the occupant disembarks from the vehicle, the occupant's thigh and lower leg lengths are used to estimate the vertical distance h2 from the base of the foot to the sole of the foot when the occupant lowers their feet toward the entrance while seated. If the estimated distance h2 is shorter than the distance set based on the vehicle's seat height, it is determined that the operational criteria for the auxiliary step are met (S6). Therefore, when it is expected that the occupant will not reach the ground even if they lower their feet normally from the seat when disembarking, the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D are activated to appropriately assist the occupant in disembarking from the vehicle. Furthermore, the vehicle's occupants' clothing is acquired (S4), and even if it is determined that the occupants' physical characteristics do not meet the operating criteria for the auxiliary steps, the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D are operated if the occupants' clothing meets the operating criteria for the auxiliary steps (S9). This makes it possible to take the occupants' clothing into consideration and operate the auxiliary steps 3A to 3D appropriately in the necessary situations.

[0060] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various improvements and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in this embodiment, auxiliary steps 3A to 3D are used as an example to explain auxiliary devices for assisting entry and exit from a vehicle. However, auxiliary devices for assisting entry and exit from a vehicle are not limited to auxiliary steps 3A to 3D, and may include, for example, a lift-up seat or a ramp. The operating criteria for the auxiliary devices will differ depending on the type of auxiliary device.

[0061] Furthermore, although this embodiment describes an example in which the present invention is applied both when an occupant boards a vehicle and when an occupant alights from a vehicle, it is also possible to apply it to only one of these situations.

[0062] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rider's thigh length and lower leg length are obtained as physical characteristics of the rider, and the obtained thigh length and lower leg length, along with the above formulas (1) and (2), are used to determine whether the rider's physical characteristics meet the operational criteria for the auxiliary step. However, information other than the rider's thigh length and lower leg length may be used as physical characteristics of the rider. For example, the rider's height, weight, inseam length, etc., may be used to determine whether the operational criteria for the auxiliary step are met.

[0063] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the boarding / alighting assistance processing program (Figure 4) is executed by the boarding / alighting assistance ECU 10 of the boarding / alighting assistance system 1, but the execution entity can be changed as appropriate. For example, it may be configured so that the vehicle control ECU, the control unit of the navigation system, or other in-vehicle devices execute the process. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0064] 1... Boarding / Alighting Assistance System, 2... Vehicle, 3A~3D... Auxiliary Step (Auxiliary Device), 4... Door, 6... Front Camera, 7... Rear Camera, 8A, 8B... Side Cameras, 10... Boarding / Alighting Assistance ECU (Example of means for acquiring physical characteristics, determining motion criteria, motion means, and clothing acquisition means), 11A~11D... Auxiliary Step Drive Motor, 31... CPU,

Claims

1. A means for acquiring physical characteristics of vehicle occupants, An operation criterion determination means for determining whether the physical characteristics of the occupant acquired by the physical characteristics acquisition means meet the operation criteria for an auxiliary device for assisting boarding and alighting from a vehicle, The system includes an operating means for operating the auxiliary device when it is determined that the physical characteristics of the occupant meet the operating criteria, The aforementioned operating criteria are an entry / exit assistance system set for each vehicle based on the shape of the vehicle in which the occupant enters or exits.

2. The means for acquiring physical characteristics acquires the length of the occupant's thigh and the length of the lower leg as the occupant's physical characteristics, The operating criteria for the auxiliary device when boarding the vehicle are set based on the height of the vehicle floor from the ground or the height of the entrance to the passenger compartment. The aforementioned operation criterion determination means is When the occupant is riding in the vehicle, the vertical distance from the ground to the sole of the foot when the occupant lifts their leg is estimated using the length of the occupant's thigh and the length of their lower leg. The boarding and alighting assistance system according to claim 1, which determines that the operating criteria are met when the estimated distance is shorter than the distance set based on the floor height of the vehicle or the height of the entrance to the boarding / alighting door.

3. The means for acquiring physical characteristics acquires the length of the occupant's thigh and the length of the lower leg as the occupant's physical characteristics, The operating criteria for the auxiliary device when disembarking from a vehicle are set based on the vehicle's seat height from the ground. The aforementioned operation criterion determination means is When the occupant disembarks from the vehicle, the length of the occupant's thigh and the length of the leg below the knee are used to estimate the vertical distance from the base of the leg to the sole of the foot when the occupant is seated in the seat and has lowered their leg towards the entrance / exit. The boarding and alighting assistance system according to claim 1, which determines that the operating criteria are met when the estimated distance is shorter than the distance set based on the seat height of the vehicle.

4. Having a means of acquiring the clothing of the vehicle's occupants, The boarding and alighting assistance system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the operating means operates the auxiliary device if the clothing of the occupant meets the operating criteria for the auxiliary device, even if the physical characteristics of the occupant are determined not to meet the operating criteria for the occupant.

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