Door control device, computer program for door control, and door control method

Abstract

To provide a door control device allowing a passenger to easily escape to the outside of a vehicle by opening a door when an emergency occurs in the vehicle.SOLUTION: A door control device includes a first determination part 231 for determining whether an emergency occurs in a vehicle 10 on the basis of a user's operation to an operation part 30 operated to open doors 40, 41 of the vehicle 10, and a decision part 232 for deciding to open the doors 40, 41 when the first determination part 231 determines that the emergency occurs.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a door control device, a computer program for door control, and a door control method. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, vehicles are equipped with an emergency stop button that stops the vehicle in the event of an emergency (or emergency situation).

[0003] For example, if a fire breaks out inside a vehicle such as a bus while the vehicle is moving, passengers in the vehicle will attempt to open the doors and escape from the vehicle after the vehicle has stopped. In such a case, the passengers will operate an emergency stop button (or emergency stop button) located inside the vehicle. When the emergency stop button is operated, the vehicle will stop and then open the doors (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This allows the passengers to escape from the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-031284 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, if an emergency occurs while the vehicle is stopped, the first thought of passengers will likely be to open the door and escape from the vehicle.

[0006] Therefore, if an emergency occurs while the vehicle is stopped, passengers may not easily think of operating the emergency stop button.

[0007] In addition, the emergency stop button may not be located in a position inside the vehicle that is easy for passengers to operate, so in the event of an emergency, passengers may not be able to easily operate the emergency stop button.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a door control device that allows passengers to easily escape from the vehicle by opening the doors when an emergency occurs in the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] According to one embodiment, there is provided a door control device, characterized in that the door control device includes a first determination unit that determines whether or not an emergency occurs in a vehicle based on a user's operation of an operation unit that is operated to open a vehicle door, and a decision unit that decides to open the door when the first determination unit determines that an emergency occurs.

[0010] In addition, in this door control device, it is preferable that the first determination unit determines that an emergency has occurred when a predetermined operation is performed on the operation unit by a user.

[0011] In addition, in this door control device, it is preferable that the specified operation is a specified number of operations performed on the operating unit within a first period of time, an operation being continued on the operating unit for a second period of time or more, or the operating unit being operated with a specified force or more.

[0012] In addition, it is preferable that this door control device further has a second judgment unit that judges whether the vehicle is stopped or not, and the decision unit decides to open the door when the first judgment unit judges that an emergency has occurred and the second judgment unit judges that the vehicle is stopped.

[0013] In addition, in this door control device, it is preferable that the determination unit further has a setting unit which, when the first determination unit determines that an emergency has occurred and the second determination unit determines that the vehicle is not stopped, determines to open the doors after the vehicle has stopped, and sets a stopping position at which the vehicle will be stopped, when the determination unit determines to open the doors after the vehicle has stopped.

[0014] In addition, in this door control device, it is preferable that the first determination unit determines that an emergency has occurred in the vehicle when a user operates the operation unit while the vehicle is traveling.

[0015] In addition, in this door control device, when the first judgment unit judges that an emergency has occurred, it is preferable that the first judgment unit transmits information indicating that an emergency has occurred and information indicating the state of the vehicle to the server via the communication unit, and when the first judgment unit judges that an emergency has occurred and receives a judgment result indicating that an emergency has occurred in the vehicle from the server via the communication unit, the decision unit decides to open the door.

[0016] According to another embodiment, there is provided a computer program for door control, the computer program for door control causing a processor to determine whether or not an emergency has occurred in the vehicle based on a user's operation of an operation unit operated to open a vehicle door, and to decide to open the door when it is determined that an emergency has occurred.

[0017] According to yet another embodiment, there is provided a door control method, the door control device determining whether or not an emergency has occurred in the vehicle based on a user's operation of an operation unit that is operated to open a vehicle door, and deciding to open the door when it is determined that an emergency has occurred, the door control device executing the door control method comprising: Effect of the Invention

[0018] The door control device according to the present disclosure allows passengers to easily escape from the vehicle by opening the doors in the event of an emergency in the vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1](A) to (C) explain an overview of the operation of the door control device of this embodiment, where (A) is a diagram showing a vehicle, (B) is a diagram showing an open button and a close button, and (C) is a diagram showing a vehicle with the door open. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle in which a door control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is implemented; [Diagram 3] 5 is an example of an operational flowchart relating to a door determination process of the door control device of the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of an emergency situation determination process. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another example of the emergency determination process. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating still another example of the emergency determination process. [Figure 7] 10 is a modified example of an operational flowchart relating to a door determination process of the door control device of the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] 1(A) to 1(C) are diagrams for explaining an overview of a door control device 14 of this embodiment. Fig. 1(A) is a diagram showing a vehicle 10, Fig. 1(B) is a diagram showing an open button 30 and a close button 31, and Fig. 1(C) is a diagram showing the vehicle 10 with the door open.

[0021] The vehicle 10 is a route bus. The vehicle 10 travels along a route having a plurality of stops. As shown in Fig. 1(A), the vehicle 10 has an automatic control device 13 and a door control device 14. The automatic control device 13 drives the vehicle 10 to cause the vehicle 10 to travel along the route.

[0022] Inside the vehicle 10, an open button 30 operated to open the doors 40, 41 and a close button 31 operated to close the door are disposed near the door 40. The open button 30 and the close button 31 are preferably disposed in positions that allow easy operation by passengers.

[0023] The open button 30 displays the word "open" along with a figure showing the action of opening the doors 40, 41. The close button 31 displays the word "close" along with a figure showing the action of closing the doors 40, 41. "Open" and "close" are written in hiragana so that even children can easily read the characters.

[0024] The automatic control device 13 stops the vehicle 10 at each stop. When a passenger (not shown) getting off the vehicle 10 operates the open button 30, the automatic control device 13 opens the doors 40, 41. The passenger gets off through the open doors 40, 41. The automatic control device 13 closes the doors 40, 41 after a predetermined time has elapsed after the doors 40, 41 are opened.

[0025] Furthermore, in the event of an emergency occurring in the vehicle 10, a passenger aboard the vehicle 10 operates the opening button 30. An emergency situation may be, for example, a fire in the vehicle 10 or a passenger's trouble.

[0026] In the event of a fire inside the vehicle or if other passengers start to become violent inside the vehicle, passengers may try to open the doors 40, 41 and escape from the vehicle. In this case, it is natural for passengers to operate the door open button 30 to open the doors 40, 41.

[0027] The door control device 14 determines whether an emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10 based on the passenger's operation of the open button 30. Specifically, the door control device 14 determines that an emergency has occurred when a passenger performs a predetermined operation on the open button 30. The predetermined operation is preferably an operation that a passenger who attempts to open the doors 40, 41 and escape from the vehicle would naturally perform. For example, the predetermined operation may be to press and hold the open button 30 for three seconds or more.

[0028] When it is determined that an emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10, the door control device 14 decides to open the doors 40, 41. Then, based on the decision of the door control device 14, the automatic control device 13 opens the doors 40, 41 as shown in Fig. 1(C). Passengers can escape from the vehicle through the open doors 40, 41.

[0029] As described above, when an emergency occurs in the vehicle 10, the door control device 14 of this embodiment opens the doors 40, 41, allowing passengers to easily escape from the vehicle.

[0030] 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle 10 in which the door control device 14 of this embodiment is implemented. The vehicle system 1 includes a front camera 2, a monitoring camera 3, a communication device 4, a positioning information receiver 5, a navigation device 6, a map information storage device 7, an open button 30, a close button 31, an indoor microphone 32, a vehicle speed sensor 33, a position estimation device 11, an object detection device 12, an automatic control device 13, a door control device 14, and the like. Furthermore, the vehicle 10 may include a distance measurement sensor (not shown) such as a LiDAR sensor for measuring distances to objects around the vehicle 10.

[0031] The forward camera 2, surveillance camera 3, communication device 4, positioning information receiver 5, navigation device 6, map information storage device 7, open button 30, close button 31, indoor microphone 32, vehicle speed sensor 33, position estimation device 11, object detection device 12, automatic control device 13 and door control device 14 are communicatively connected via an in-vehicle network 15 that complies with a standard such as a controller area network.

[0032] The front camera 2 is attached, for example, in the cabin of the vehicle 10 so as to face the front of the vehicle 10. The front camera 2 is an example of an imaging device that captures a front image that represents the environment in front of the vehicle 10. The front camera 2 captures a front image that shows a predetermined area in front of the vehicle 10 at a front image capture time having a predetermined period. The front image may show objects such as the road on which the vehicle 10 runs, road features such as lane markings on the road, structures such as bus stops and guardrails, and other vehicles. The front camera 2 outputs the front image and the front image capture time to the object detection device 12, the automatic control device 13, etc. via the in-vehicle network 15 every time it captures a front image.

[0033] The front camera 2 has a two-dimensional detector composed of an array of photoelectric conversion elements sensitive to infrared or visible light, such as a CCD or C-MOS, and an imaging optical system that forms an image of the area to be photographed on the two-dimensional detector.

[0034] The surveillance camera 3 is disposed in the vehicle cabin so as to be able to capture surveillance images showing the environment of the vehicle 10. The surveillance camera 3 is an example of an imaging device that captures surveillance images. The surveillance images may show passengers, seats, and interior equipment such as the doors 40 and 41. The surveillance camera 3 is preferably disposed in the vehicle cabin so as to be able to capture the interior environment including at least the doors 40 and 41. For example, the surveillance camera 3 is disposed on the ceiling at the front or rear of the vehicle 10 so as to be able to capture images of the interior of the vehicle cabin along the longitudinal direction.

[0035] The surveillance camera 3 captures the environment inside the vehicle cabin at a surveillance image capturing time having a predetermined cycle. Every time the surveillance camera 3 captures a surveillance image, it outputs the surveillance image and the surveillance image capturing time to the automatic control device 13, the door control device 14, etc. via the in-vehicle network 15.

[0036] The surveillance camera 3 has a two-dimensional detector consisting of an array of photoelectric conversion elements sensitive to infrared or visible light, such as a CCD or C-MOS, and an imaging optical system that forms an image of the area to be photographed on the two-dimensional detector.

[0037] The communication device 4 is an example of a communication unit, and is a device that executes wireless communication processing conforming to a predetermined wireless communication standard, and is connected to the server 50 via the communication network 52 by accessing the base station 51. The communication device 4 transmits and receives information about the vehicle 10 and the like to and from the server 50.

[0038] The positioning information receiver 5 outputs positioning information indicating the current position of the vehicle 10. For example, the positioning information receiver 5 may be a GPS receiver. Every time the positioning information receiver 5 acquires positioning information at a predetermined reception cycle, the positioning information receiver 5 outputs the positioning information and the positioning information acquisition time when the positioning information was acquired to the navigation device 6, the map information storage device 7, the automatic control device 13, etc.

[0039] The navigation device 6 generates a navigation route from the current position of the vehicle 10 to the destination position based on the navigation map information, the destination position of the vehicle 10, and the positioning information indicating the current position of the vehicle 10 input from the positioning information receiver 5. The navigation route includes information on the positions of a plurality of bus stops. Every time the navigation device 6 generates a navigation route, it outputs the navigation route to the position estimation device 11, the automatic control device 13, etc. via the in-vehicle network 15.

[0040] The map information storage device 7 stores map information of a relatively wide area (for example, a range of 10 to 30 km square) including the current position of the vehicle 10. This map information includes three-dimensional information of the road surface, information indicating the types and positions of road features such as lane markings on the road, structures such as bus stops and guardrails, and high-precision map information including the legal speed limit of the road. The map information storage device 7 receives wide-area map information from the server 50 by wireless communication via the communication device 4 mounted on the vehicle 10 according to the current position of the vehicle 10, and stores the received map information in the storage device. Each time positioning information is input from the positioning information receiver 5, the map information storage device 7 refers to the stored wide-area map information, and outputs map information of a relatively small area (for example, a range of 100 m square to 10 km square) including the current position represented by the positioning information to the position estimation device 11, the object detection device 12, the automatic control device 13, and the like via the in-vehicle network 15.

[0041] The open button 30 is operated by a passenger or the like to generate an operation signal representing opening the doors 40, 41, and outputs the operation signal to the automatic control device 13, the door control device 14, or the like via the in-vehicle network 15. The open button 30 is an example of an operation unit operated to open the doors 40, 41 of the vehicle 10. A mechanical switch, a capacitance switch, a pressure-sensitive switch, or the like can be used as the open button 30. It is preferable that the pressure-sensitive switch generates an operation signal such that the current or voltage changes according to the pressure with which the open button 30 is operated. When the door control device 14 receives the operation signal representing opening the doors 40, 41, it outputs decision information representing opening the doors 40, 41 to the automatic control device 13.

[0042] The close button 31 is operated by a passenger or the like to generate an operation signal representing the closing of the doors 40, 41, and outputs the operation signal to the automatic control device 13, the door control device 14, or the like via the in-vehicle network 15. A mechanical switch, a capacitance switch, a pressure-sensitive switch, or the like can be used as the close button 31. When the door control device 14 receives an operation signal representing the closing of the doors 40, 41, it outputs decision information representing the closing of the doors 40, 41 to the automatic control device 13.

[0043] The indoor microphone 32 generates an acoustic signal representing the sound inside the cabin of the vehicle 10 and outputs the signal to the automatic control device 13 and the like via the in-vehicle network 15. The indoor microphone 32 preferably also operates as an indoor speaker that outputs the acoustic signal.

[0044] The vehicle speed sensor 33 generates a speed signal indicating the vehicle speed of the vehicle 10 and outputs the signal to the automatic control device 13, the door control device 14, etc. via the in-vehicle network 15. The vehicle speed sensor 33 may be, for example, one that detects the rotation speed of the tires of the vehicle 10. The automatic control device 13 and the door control device 14 calculate the speed of the vehicle 10 based on the speed signal.

[0045] The position estimation device 11 estimates the position of the vehicle 10 at the time the front image is captured, based on road features around the vehicle 10 shown in the front image. For example, the position estimation device 11 compares lane markings identified in the front image with lane markings shown in the map information input from the map information storage device 7, and determines an estimated position and an estimated azimuth angle of the vehicle 10 at the time the front image is captured. The position estimation device 11 also estimates the driving lane on the road on which the vehicle 10 is located, based on the lane markings shown in the map information and the estimated position and estimated azimuth angle of the vehicle 10. Each time the position estimation device 11 determines the estimated position, estimated azimuth angle, and driving lane of the vehicle 10 at the time the front image is captured, it outputs this information to the object detection device 12, the automatic control device 13, the door control device 14, etc.

[0046] The object detection device 12 detects other objects and their types (e.g., road features, structures, people, or vehicles) around the vehicle 10 based on the forward image. The object detection device 12 outputs object detection information including information indicating the type of other detected objects, information indicating their positions, and information indicating the driving lane to the automatic control device 13, the door control device 14, etc.

[0047] As described above, the automatic control device 13 drives the vehicle 10 so as to travel along a route having a plurality of stops. The automatic control device 13 controls operations such as steering, driving, and braking based on the current position of the vehicle 10, the navigation route, map information, object detection information, and the like. The automatic control device 13 drives the vehicle 10 so that the operation of the vehicle 10 falls within a range of predetermined limitations. The predetermined limitations include upper limits for acceleration and deceleration.

[0048] The automatic control device 13 stops the vehicle 10 at each bus stop. When the vehicle 10 stops at a bus stop, the automatic control device 13 preferably activates an electric parking brake (EPB) (not shown). When the vehicle 10 is stopped at a bus stop, the automatic control device 13 opens the doors 40, 41 when decision information indicating that the doors 40, 41 are to be opened is input from the door control device 14, and closes the doors 40, 41 when decision information indicating that the doors 40, 41 are to be closed is input from the door control device 14.

[0049] When the automatic control device 13 determines based on the object detection information that there is a person at a bus stop when the vehicle 10 is stopped at the bus stop, the automatic control device 13 opens the doors 40, 41 even if decision information indicating that the doors 40, 41 should be opened is not input from the door control device 14. The automatic control device 13 closes the doors 40, 41 after a predetermined time has elapsed after the doors 40, 41 are opened. The automatic control device 13 closes the doors 40, 41 when the vehicle 10 is traveling, i.e., when the vehicle 10 is not stopped.

[0050] The automatic control device 13 may automatically open and close the doors 40, 41 when the vehicle 10 stops at a bus stop. Since the opening and closing of the doors 40, 41 at the bus stop is controlled by the automatic control device 13, there is no need for passengers to operate the open button 30.

[0051] Furthermore, the automatic control device 13 may transmit the current position of the vehicle 10, a monitoring image, an audio signal representing a sound inside the vehicle 10, and the like to the server 50 via the communication device 4 at a monitoring time having a predetermined cycle. This allows the administrator of the server 50 to monitor the operating status of the vehicle 10.

[0052] The door control device 14 executes a judgment process, a decision process, and a setting process. To this end, the door control device 14 has a communication interface (IF) 21, a memory 22, and a processor 23. The communication interface 21, the memory 22, and the processor 23 are connected via a signal line 24. The communication interface 21 has an interface circuit for connecting the door control device 14 to the in-vehicle network 15.

[0053] The memory 22 is an example of a storage unit and includes, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory and a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The memory 22 stores computer programs of applications used in the information processing executed by the processor 23 and various data.

[0054] All or part of the functions of the door control device 14 are functional modules realized by, for example, a computer program running on the processor 23. The processor 23 has a judgment unit 231, a decision unit 232, and a setting unit 233. Alternatively, the functional modules of the processor 23 may be dedicated arithmetic circuits provided in the processor 23. The processor 23 has one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 23 may further have other arithmetic circuits such as a logic arithmetic unit, a numerical arithmetic unit, or a graphic processing unit. Details of the operation of the door control device 14 will be described later.

[0055] The map information storage device 7, the position estimation device 11, the object detection device 12, the automatic control device 13, and the door control device 14 are, for example, electronic control units (ECUs). In Fig. 2, the map information storage device 7, the position estimation device 11, the object detection device 12, the automatic control device 13, and the door control device 14 are described as separate devices, but all or some of these devices may be configured as a single device.

[0056] Fig. 3 is an example of an operation flowchart related to the door determination process of the door control device of this embodiment. Next, the door determination process of the door control device 14 will be described below with reference to Fig. 3. The door control device 14 executes the door determination process according to the operation flowchart shown in Fig. 3 at a door determination time having a predetermined period.

[0057] First, the determination unit 231 determines whether the open button 30 is operated by a passenger (step S101). The determination unit 231 is an example of a first determination unit. When an emergency occurs in the vehicle 10, it is considered that the passengers on board the vehicle 10 will open the doors 40, 41 and try to escape from the vehicle. Examples of the emergency include a fire in the vehicle 10 or a passenger's trouble. In addition, a state in which a passenger misses getting off at a stop where he or she should get off may also be an emergency depending on the passenger. As shown in FIG. 1(A) and the like, the open button 30 is located near the doors 40, 41 and is arranged at a position where it is easy for the passenger to operate. Therefore, when an emergency occurs in the vehicle 10, the passengers will naturally operate the open button 30. When an emergency occurs in the vehicle 10, a notice to operate the open button 30 may be displayed inside the vehicle.

[0058] When an operation signal representing opening the doors 40, 41 is input, the determination unit 231 determines that the open button 30 is operated by a passenger (step S101-Yes). On the other hand, when an operation signal representing opening the doors 40, 41 is not input, the determination unit 231 determines that the open button 30 is not operated by a passenger (step S101-No).

[0059] When the open button 30 is operated by a passenger, the determination unit 231 determines whether or not an emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10 based on the passenger's operation of the open button 30 (step S102). The operation of the determination unit 231 to determine whether or not an emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10 will be described later.

[0060] When it is determined that an emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10 (step S102-Yes), the determination unit 231 determines whether the vehicle 10 is stopped or not (step S103). The determination unit 231 is an example of a second determination unit. The determination unit 231 calculates the speed of the vehicle 10 based on the speed signal input from the vehicle speed sensor 33. When the speed of the vehicle 10 is equal to or less than a predetermined speed reference value, the determination unit 231 determines that the vehicle 10 is stopped. Note that the determination unit 231 may determine that the vehicle 10 is stopped when the speed of the vehicle 10 is equal to or less than a predetermined speed reference value and the electric parking brake is activated.

[0061] If it is determined that the vehicle 10 is stopped (step S103-Yes), the decision unit 232 decides to open the doors 40, 41 (step S104), and ends the series of processes. The decision unit 232 outputs decision information indicating that the doors 40, 41 are to be opened to the automatic control device 13 via the in-vehicle network 15. After receiving the decision information, the automatic control device 13 opens the doors 40, 41 as shown in FIG. 1(C). The passengers can escape to the outside of the vehicle through the open doors 40, 41.

[0062] On the other hand, if it is determined that the vehicle 10 is not stopped (step S103-No), the decision unit 232 decides to open the doors 40, 41 after the vehicle 10 stops (step S105). The decision unit 232 outputs decision information indicating that the doors 40, 41 are to be opened after the vehicle 10 stops to the automatic control device 13 via the in-vehicle network 15.

[0063] Next, the setting unit 233 sets a stop position where the vehicle 10 is stopped (step S106), and ends the series of processes. The operation of the setting unit 233 for setting a stop position where the vehicle 10 is stopped will be described later.

[0064] If the open button 30 is not operated by the passenger (step S101-No), the series of processes ends.

[0065] Moreover, when it is determined that no emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10 (step S102-No), the determination unit 231 determines whether or not the vehicle 10 is stopped (step S107).

[0066] If it is determined that the vehicle 10 is stopped (step S107-Yes), the decision unit 232 decides to open the doors 40, 41 (step S104) and ends the series of processes. It is considered that the passenger operates the open button 30 to get off the vehicle 10. The decision unit 232 outputs decision information indicating that the doors 40, 41 are to be opened to the automatic control device 13 via the in-vehicle network 15. After receiving the decision information, the automatic control device 13 opens the doors 40, 41 as shown in FIG. 1(C). The passenger gets off through the open doors 40, 41.

[0067] On the other hand, if it is determined that the vehicle 10 is not stopped (step S107-No), the series of processes ends. Although the open button 30 has been operated, an emergency has not occurred in the vehicle 10, so the operation of the open button 30 by the passenger is ignored.

[0068] Next, the operation of the determination unit 231 for determining whether or not an emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10 will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0069] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of the emergency determination process. First, the determination unit 231 determines whether or not a predetermined operation has been performed on the opening button 30 by a passenger (step S201). The predetermined operation is preferably an operation that a passenger who is trying to open the doors 40, 41 and escape from the vehicle can naturally perform. For example, the predetermined operation may include a predetermined number of operations (e.g., three times) or more within a predetermined time (e.g., one second), or an operation of the opening button 30 is continued for a predetermined time (3 seconds) or more, or the opening button 30 is operated with a force equal to or greater than a predetermined force. When the opening button 30 is a pressure-sensitive switch, the determination unit 231 determines that a predetermined operation has been performed on the opening button 30 by a passenger when the opening button 30 is operated with a pressure equal to or greater than a predetermined pressure. Note that the above-mentioned operation is an example, and the predetermined operation may include other operations.

[0070] If it is determined that a predetermined operation has been performed (Yes in step S201), the determination unit 231 determines that an emergency has occurred (step S202), and ends the series of processes.

[0071] On the other hand, if it is determined that the predetermined operation has not been performed (step S201-No), the determination unit 231 determines that an emergency has not occurred (step S202), and ends the series of processes.

[0072] 5 is a diagram illustrating another example of the emergency determination process. First, the determination unit 231 determines whether the vehicle 10 is moving or not (step S301). The determination unit 231 calculates the speed of the vehicle 10 based on the speed signal input from the vehicle speed sensor 33. If the speed of the vehicle 10 is greater than a predetermined speed reference value, the determination unit 231 determines that the vehicle 10 is moving (step S301-Yes). On the other hand, if the speed of the vehicle 10 is equal to or less than the predetermined speed reference value, the determination unit 231 determines that the vehicle 10 is not moving (step S301-No).

[0073] If it is determined that the vehicle 10 is moving, the determination unit 231 determines that an emergency has occurred (step S302) and ends the series of processes. Since the operation of the open button 30 (see step S101) while the vehicle 10 is moving is not an action normally performed by a passenger, it is presumed that an emergency has occurred.

[0074] On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle 10 is not moving, the determination unit 231 determines whether or not a predetermined operation has been performed on the open button 30 by a passenger (step S303). When the vehicle 10 is stopped, the operation of the open button 30 by a passenger does not necessarily mean that an emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10. The doors 40, 41 are opened and closed by the automatic control device 13, but it is possible that a passenger may operate the open button 30 to open the doors 40, 41. Therefore, the determination unit 231 determines whether or not an operation of the open button 30 by a passenger has been performed as would be expected in the event of an emergency.

[0075] If it is determined that a predetermined operation has been performed (Yes in step S303), the determination unit 231 determines that an emergency has occurred (step S302), and ends the series of processes.

[0076] On the other hand, if it is determined that the predetermined operation has not been performed (step S303-No), the determination unit 231 determines that an emergency has not occurred (step S304), and ends the series of processes.

[0077] 6 is a diagram illustrating another example of the emergency determination process. First, the determination unit 231 determines whether the vehicle 10 is moving (step S401). If it is determined that the vehicle 10 is moving (step S401-Yes), the determination unit 231 determines whether a passenger has performed a predetermined operation on the open button 30 (step S402).

[0078] While the vehicle 10 is traveling, a passenger may mistakenly operate the opening button 30. Therefore, the determination unit 231 determines whether or not the opening button 30 has been operated by a passenger as would be expected in the event of an emergency.

[0079] If it is determined that a predetermined operation has been performed (Yes in step S402), the determination unit 231 determines that an emergency has occurred (step S403), and ends the series of processes.

[0080] On the other hand, if it is determined that the vehicle 10 is not moving (step S401-No), or if it is determined that a specified operation has not been performed (step S402-No), the judgment unit 231 determines that an emergency has not occurred (step S404) and terminates the series of processes.

[0081] Furthermore, when it is determined that an emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10, the determination unit 231 may distinguish the degree of the emergency between a high and a low level. For example, in the emergency determination process shown in Fig. 4 to Fig. 6, when the opening button 30 is operated a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined time and the opening button 30 is operated with a force equal to or greater than a predetermined force, the determination unit 231 may determine that the degree of the emergency is high compared to when another operation is performed on the opening button 30.

[0082] Next, the operation of the setting unit 233 to set the stopping position at which the vehicle 10 is to be stopped will be described below. The setting unit 233 sets the stopping position at which the vehicle 10 is to be stopped based on the current position of the vehicle 10 and map information. The setting unit 233 outputs the stopping position to the automatic control device 13 via the in-vehicle network 15. The automatic control device 13 drives the vehicle 10 so as to stop at the stopping position input from the setting unit 233. After stopping at the stopping position, the automatic control device 13 opens the doors 40, 41 as shown in FIG. 1(C). Passengers can escape from the vehicle through the open doors 40, 41.

[0083] Here, when the level of the emergency is high, the automatic control device 13 may stop the vehicle 10 using a deceleration that exceeds the range permitted for normal driving of the vehicle 10. Furthermore, when the level of the emergency is high, the automatic control device 13 may drive the vehicle 10 from the current position of the vehicle 10 to the stopping position using an acceleration or speed that exceeds the range permitted for normal driving of the vehicle 10.

[0084] Furthermore, the setting unit 233 may set a stop position on a lane adjacent to the shoulder based on the current position of the vehicle 10 and map information. If the lane on which the vehicle 10 is traveling is not a lane adjacent to the shoulder of the traveling road on which the vehicle 10 is traveling, the vehicle 10 moves to a lane adjacent to the shoulder and then stops at the stop position.

[0085] Furthermore, the setting unit 233 may set a stop position on the shoulder of the road on which the vehicle 10 is traveling, based on the current position of the vehicle 10 and map information. After the vehicle 10 moves from the traveling lane to the shoulder, the vehicle 10 stops at the stop position.

[0086] Furthermore, the setting unit 233 may set a stopping position based on the current position of the vehicle 10, the map information, and the object detection information. The setting unit 233 may set a position where there are no obstacles such as guardrails or hedges as the stopping position. In addition, when there is a registered position that has been registered in advance within a predetermined distance from the current position of the vehicle 10, the setting unit 233 may set this registered position as the stopping position. Examples of registered positions include bus stops and emergency parking lanes on expressways.

[0087] As described above, the door control device of this embodiment allows passengers to easily escape from the vehicle by opening the doors when an emergency occurs in the vehicle.

[0088] In addition, in the door determination process shown in Fig. 3, the processes of steps S103, S105, and S106 may be omitted. In this case, if an emergency occurs in the vehicle 10 (step S102-Yes), the decision unit 232 decides to open the doors 40, 41 (step S104), and ends the series of processes.

[0089] Next, a modified example of the door control device of this embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a modified example of an operational flowchart relating to the door determination process of the door control device of this embodiment.

[0090] In the operation flowchart shown in Fig. 7, the processes of steps S503 and S504 are added to the operation flowchart shown in Fig. 3. The operations of steps S501, S502, and S505 to S509 in Fig. 7 are the same as the operations of steps S101 to S107 in Fig. 3 described above.

[0091] If an emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10 (step S502-Yes), the determination unit 231 transmits information indicating that an emergency has occurred and information indicating the state of the vehicle 10 to the server 50 via the communication device 4 (step S503). Examples of the information indicating the state of the vehicle 10 include the current position of the vehicle 10, a surveillance image, and an audio signal indicating the sound inside the vehicle cabin.

[0092] The administrator of the server 50 judges whether or not an emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10 based on the information indicating the state of the vehicle 10. The administrator of the server 50 checks the current location of the vehicle 10. In addition, when the administrator of the server 50 judges that an emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10 based on the monitoring image and the sound reproduced from the sound signal, the administrator of the server 50 transmits a judgment result indicating that an emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10 to the vehicle 10. For example, when the administrator of the server 50 confirms that a fire has occurred or that a passenger has a problem based on the monitoring image, the administrator of the server 50 transmits a judgment result indicating that an emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10 to the vehicle 10 via the server 50. In addition, when the administrator of the server 50 confirms that a passenger is shouting based on the sound reproduced from the sound signal, the administrator of the server 50 transmits a judgment result indicating that an emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10 to the vehicle 10 via the server 50.

[0093] On the other hand, if the administrator of the server 50 determines that no emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10 based on the surveillance image and / or the sound of the audio signal played back, the administrator transmits a determination result indicating that no emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10 to the vehicle 10.

[0094] The administrator of the server 50 may determine whether an emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10 based on the number of standing passengers and the number of seated passengers based on the monitoring image. For example, when passengers are standing only near the doors 40, 41 and the other passengers are seated, the passengers standing near the doors 40, 41 may have unintentionally operated the door open button 30. In such a case, the administrator of the server 50 may determine whether an emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10 after asking the passengers inside the vehicle via the communication device 4 and the indoor microphone 32 whether they have operated the door open button 30.

[0095] When a determination result indicating that an emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10 is received from the server 50 (step S504-Yes), the determination unit 231 determines whether the vehicle 10 is stopped or not (step S505).

[0096] On the other hand, if a determination result indicating that no emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10 is received from the server 50 (step S504-No), the series of processes ends.

[0097] In addition, if the door control device 14 does not receive a determination result from the server 50 even after a predetermined time has elapsed after transmitting information indicating that an emergency has occurred and information indicating the status of the vehicle 10 to the server 50, the processing may proceed to step 505.

[0098] 7, the processes of steps S505, S507, and S508 may be omitted. In this case, when a determination result indicating that an emergency has occurred in the vehicle 10 is received from the server 50 (step S504-Yes), the decision unit 232 decides to open the doors 40, 41 (step S506), and ends the series of processes.

[0099] As described above, the modified door control device of this embodiment more accurately determines that an emergency has occurred in the vehicle, and when an emergency occurs in the vehicle, opens the doors to allow passengers to easily escape from the vehicle.

[0100] In the present disclosure, the door control device, the computer program for door control, and the door control method of the above-mentioned embodiments can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to those embodiments, but extends to the inventions described in the claims and their equivalents.

[0101] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the vehicle is a route bus, but is not particularly limited as long as the vehicle has a door. The vehicle may be a passenger car or a railroad car.

[0102] In the door determination process shown in FIG. 3, the determination unit may determine whether an emergency has occurred in the vehicle based on the passenger's operation of the open button as well as on a monitoring image and / or an audio signal representing a sound in the vehicle cabin. The determination unit is configured to include a first classifier that receives a monitoring image and learns to distinguish between a standing passenger and a seated passenger. The first classifier receives a monitoring image and outputs a standing passenger and a position in the image where the standing passenger is represented, and a seated passenger and a position in the image where the seated passenger is represented. The determination unit is also configured to include a second classifier that receives a monitoring image and learns to distinguish between doors. The second classifier receives a monitoring image and outputs a door and a position in the image where the door is represented. When the determination unit determines that a passenger near the door is standing and a passenger away from the door is seated based on the output results of the first classifier and the second classifier, the determination unit presumes that there is no emergency. This is because it is difficult to imagine that a passenger is seated in a seat when an emergency occurs in the vehicle.

[0103] Furthermore, the determination unit may determine that no emergency has occurred in the vehicle when the open button has been operated by a passenger and it is estimated that no emergency has occurred based on the surveillance image and the acoustic signal representing the sound in the vehicle cabin. Alternatively, the determination unit may determine that an emergency has occurred in the vehicle but that the level of the emergency is low when the open button has been operated by a passenger and it is estimated that no emergency has occurred based on the surveillance image and the acoustic signal representing the sound in the vehicle cabin.

[0104] In addition, in the emergency determination process shown in Fig. 5 or 6, if it is determined that the vehicle is moving, and further if the distance between the current position of the vehicle and the next scheduled bus stop is less than a predetermined distance and / or the time required for the vehicle to reach the next scheduled bus stop is less than a predetermined time, it may be determined that no emergency has occurred. This is because a passenger may operate the open button when the vehicle is approaching a bus stop but has not yet stopped. In such a case, it is preferable to determine that no emergency has occurred. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 1. In-vehicle systems 2. Front camera 3. Surveillance Cameras 4. Communications equipment 5 Positioning information receiver 6. Navigation devices 7. Map information storage device 10 Vehicles 11 Position estimation device 12 Object detection device 13 Automatic control device 14 Door control device 21 Communication Interface 22 Memory 23 Processors 231 Judgment section 232 Decision Section 233 Setting section 24 Signal Line 15 In-vehicle network 30 Open button 31 Close button 32 Indoor microphone 33 Vehicle speed sensor 40, 41 Doors

Claims

1. a first determination unit that determines whether or not an emergency has occurred in the vehicle based on a user's operation of an operation unit that is operated to open a door of the vehicle; a decision unit that decides to open the door when the first determination unit determines that the emergency situation has occurred; having The first determination unit determines whether or not the emergency has occurred based on different determination criteria when the vehicle is moving and when the vehicle is not moving. A door control device comprising:

2. 2. The door control device according to claim 1, wherein the first determination unit determines that the emergency has occurred when a user operates the operation unit while the vehicle is moving, and determines that the emergency has occurred when a predetermined operation is performed by the user on the operation unit while the vehicle is not moving.

3. 3. The door control device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined operation includes performing a predetermined number of operations on the operating unit within a first period of time, continuing to operate the operating unit for a second period of time or more, or operating the operating unit with a force greater than a predetermined force.

4. A second determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is stopped, The door control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the decision unit decides to open the door when the first determination unit determines that the emergency has occurred and the second determination unit determines that the vehicle is stopped.

5. the decision unit decides to open the door after the vehicle is stopped when the first determination unit determines that the emergency situation has occurred and the second determination unit determines that the vehicle is not stopped; The door control device according to claim 4 , further comprising a setting unit that sets a stopping position at which the vehicle is stopped when the determination unit determines to open the door after the vehicle is stopped.

6. A first determination unit that determines whether or not an emergency has occurred in the vehicle based on a user's operation of an operation unit that is operated to open a door of the vehicle; a decision unit that decides to open the door when the first determination unit determines that the emergency has occurred; having When the first determination unit determines that the emergency situation has occurred, the first determination unit transmits information indicating that the emergency situation has occurred and information indicating a state of the vehicle to a server via a communication unit; The decision unit decides to open the door when the first judgment unit judges that the emergency has occurred and a judgment result indicating that the emergency has occurred in the vehicle is received from the server via the communication unit.

7. determining whether an emergency has occurred in the vehicle based on a user's operation on an operation unit that is operated to open a door of the vehicle; determining to open the door if it is determined that the emergency has occurred; and causing the processor to execute the Whether or not the emergency situation has occurred is determined based on different determination criteria when the vehicle is moving and when the vehicle is not moving. A computer program for door control.

8. determining whether an emergency has occurred in the vehicle based on a user's operation on an operation unit that is operated to open a door of the vehicle; If it is determined that the emergency has occurred, deciding to open the door; Whether or not the emergency situation has occurred is determined based on different determination criteria when the vehicle is moving and when the vehicle is not moving. The door control method is characterized in that the door control device executes the above steps.

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