Taxi vehicle

Abstract

To make it possible to provide a taxi vehicle that transports a user by automatic driving and that can respond quickly even if the user has a health problem.SOLUTION: A taxi vehicle 10 that transports a user by automatically driving to a destination with the user on board comprises: a monitoring device 18 for monitoring a health condition of the user boarding the taxi vehicle 10; an output device 20 for outputting a message to a person outside the vehicle; and a relief controller 16 requesting relief from the person outside the vehicle via the output device 20 when the relief controller determines that relief of the user is necessary as a result of monitoring by the monitoring device 18.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification discloses a taxi vehicle that transports a user by automatically driving to the destination while the user is on board.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, it has been proposed to use an autonomous vehicle as a taxi vehicle. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that provides a taxi service using an autonomous 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 case of a taxi vehicle driven by a driver, if a health problem occurs to the taxi user, the driver can notice it. In this case, the driver provides first aid or requests first aid from the surroundings according to the user's condition.

[0005] On the other hand, in the case of a taxi vehicle that transports a user by autonomous driving, the driver is not in the vehicle. Thus, even in the case of a taxi vehicle without a driver on board, when a health problem occurs to the user, it is required to take appropriate measures promptly.

[0006] Therefore, this specification discloses a taxi vehicle that can transport a user by autonomous driving and can take measures promptly even when a health problem occurs to the user.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The taxi vehicle disclosed in this specification is a taxi vehicle that transports a user by automatically driving to the destination with the user on board, and includes a monitoring device that monitors the health status of the user on board the taxi vehicle, an output device that outputs a message to a person outside the vehicle, and an ambulance controller that requests first aid from the person outside the vehicle via the output device when it is determined based on the result of monitoring by the monitoring device that first aid for the user is necessary.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] With such a configuration, even in an automatically driven taxi vehicle without a driver on board, health problems of the user can be detected early and first aid can be requested promptly. As a result, the user can use the taxi vehicle with more peace of mind.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, the configuration of a taxi vehicle (hereinafter abbreviated as "vehicle") 10 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 receives a usage request from a user and transports the user to the destination under an individual contract. The vehicle 10 is an automatically driven vehicle capable of autonomous driving in which the vehicle side executes all dynamic driving tasks. Therefore, a driver is not on board the vehicle 10, and the vehicle 10 travels unmanned or with only the user on board. In addition, the vehicle 10 in this example is a single-occupancy vehicle 10 with a seating capacity of one person. Of course, infants and the like are not counted as passengers, and it may be possible for them to ride with an adult.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 1, vehicle 10 has a driving unit 14. The driving unit 14 is a unit for driving vehicle 10 and, for example, includes a driving mechanism 14a, a sensor group 14b, and a driving controller 14c. The driving mechanism 14a is a device that generates a mechanical action for driving vehicle 10 and includes, for example, a prime mover, a power transmission device, a braking device, a suspension device, a steering device, etc. The sensor group 14b includes one or more sensors for sensing various information necessary for the driving of vehicle 10. Such a sensor group 14b includes, for example, sensors for detecting the surrounding environment of vehicle 10 (such as cameras, LiDAR, millimeter-wave radars, ultrasonic sensors, etc.), sensors for detecting the current position of vehicle 10 (such as GPS, etc.), and sensors for detecting the driving state of vehicle 10 (such as acceleration sensors, gyro sensors, etc.).

[0012] The driving controller 14c controls the driving of the driving mechanism 14a based on the detection results of the sensor group 14b and is physically a computer having a processor, a memory, and a communication device. This driving controller 14c also communicates with a management center provided outside the vehicle or other vehicles as necessary.

[0013] Here, as described above, the vehicle 10 in this example is a single-passenger autonomous vehicle, and only a single user rides in vehicle 10. Therefore, even if the user has some health problem, there will be no one in the vehicle who can notice this problem. Thus, in this example, in order to be able to respond promptly when a health problem occurs to the user, vehicle 10 is further provided with a monitoring device 18, an output device 20, and a rescue controller 16.

[0014] The monitoring device 18 monitors the health condition of the user riding in the vehicle 10. The configuration of such a monitoring device 18 is not particularly limited as long as it can monitor the health condition of the user. Therefore, the monitoring device 18 may include, for example, a camera that images the user's face or body. The rescue controller 16 may determine, based on the image captured by the camera, the user's expression, the presence or absence of vomiting blood, vomiting, convulsions, tremors, etc. Further, the monitoring device 18 may include a sensor that detects the user's vital signs. Examples of such sensors include a heart rate monitor built into a seat or seat belt, a non-contact pulse meter that transmits electromagnetic waves to the body surface and measures the pulse from the reflected waves, a respiration monitor that measures respiration from the movement of the user's chest, etc. Also, the monitoring device 18 may include a non-contact temperature sensor (e.g., an infrared thermal camera, etc.) that measures the temperature of the user's body surface (especially the face surface) non-contact. Furthermore, the monitoring device 18 may be one that periodically or irregularly gives a stimulus to the user and acquires the user's reaction to the stimulus. Examples of the stimulus include sound output via a microphone, light irradiated to the user, vibrations generated by moving the seat, etc. In any case, the monitoring device 18 outputs the monitoring result of the user's health condition to the rescue controller 16.

[0015] The output device 20 is a device that outputs a message to the outside of the vehicle. Such an output device 20 may include, for example, a speaker that outputs sound to the outside of the vehicle, a light source that attracts the attention of people around by lighting up as needed, an image display device that displays an image on a display area provided at a position visible to people outside the vehicle (such as the outer surface or the back surface of the vehicle 10), a projection device that projects a video onto the outside of the vehicle 10 (such as a road surface), etc. Further, the output device 20 may have a communication device and notify a message to an external device away from the vehicle 10 by using a communication technology. In this case, examples of the external device to be communicated with include a management center that manages the distribution of a plurality of vehicles 10, an information terminal owned by a user, another vehicle 10, etc. Such communication may be performed by using mobile data communication provided by a mobile phone company, may be performed by using short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), or may be performed by using a dedicated communication line.

[0016] The ambulance controller 16 is physically a computer having a memory and a processor. Based on the monitoring result by the monitoring device 18, the ambulance controller 16 determines whether first aid is required for the user, and when it is determined that first aid for the user is necessary, causes the output device 20 to output a message requesting first aid to people outside the vehicle.

[0017] Whether first aid is required may be determined based on, for example, vital signs (heart rate, body temperature, pulse rate, respiratory rate, etc.) detected by the monitoring device 18, an image of the user captured by a camera, the user's reaction to a stimulus, or a combination of these.

[0018] For example, among vital signs, vital signs that the user cannot consciously control, such as heart rate and body temperature, relatively accurately reflect the user's health status. Therefore, the ambulance controller 16 may determine the necessity of ambulance service based on vital signs that the user cannot consciously control. For example, in the case of cardiac arrest, immediate cardiopulmonary massage is required, and when the body temperature is excessively low, it is necessary to warm the body to avoid hypothermia. Therefore, when the heart stops beating or the body temperature is excessively low, the ambulance controller 16 may immediately determine that ambulance service is necessary.

[0019] In addition, when the ambulance controller 16 suspects the occurrence of a health problem based on vital signs, it may further combine other indicators to determine the necessity of ambulance service. For example, among vital signs, there are also vital signs that the user can consciously control, such as respiratory rate. In the case of vital signs deliberately provided in this way, even if there is some abnormality in the value, it is difficult to immediately determine that ambulance service is necessary. Therefore, for example, when respiratory arrest is detected, the user may be further questioned verbally, and the necessity of ambulance service may be determined based on the user's response to the question.

[0020] In addition, the ambulance controller 16 may determine the necessity of ambulance service by judging the presence or absence of actions that may indicate health problems (hereinafter referred to as "attention actions") from the images of the user, and also determine the user's health condition. Examples of attention actions include vomiting, hematemesis, convulsions, tremors, etc. The ambulance controller 16 may determine the necessity of ambulance service only based on the presence or absence of such attention actions, or may combine the presence or absence of attention actions with other indicators to determine the necessity of ambulance service. For example, since convulsions are highly likely to indicate a serious health problem, when the occurrence of convulsions is recognized, the ambulance controller 16 may immediately determine that ambulance service is necessary. However, it is often difficult to accurately distinguish between actions performed consciously by the user and convulsive actions based solely on images. Therefore, when the occurrence of convulsions is suspected from the captured images, the user may be further questioned verbally, and the necessity of ambulance service may be determined based on the response to the question. Also, vomiting alone has a relatively low urgency for ambulance service. However, if vomiting occurs during a period of unconsciousness due to alcohol consumption or the like, there is a risk of foreign objects clogging the throat, so the urgency of ambulance service increases. Therefore, when the occurrence of vomiting is detected, the ambulance controller 16 may further confirm the presence or absence of the user's consciousness, and determine that ambulance service is necessary only when the user is unconscious.

[0021] In addition, the ambulance controller 16 may determine the necessity of ambulance service based on the user's reaction when a specific stimulus is given to the user, such as a call by voice, vibration generated by shaking the seat, irradiation of light to the user, etc. For example, if there is no response when the user is called, it is highly likely that the user is in a coma, so the ambulance controller 16 may determine that ambulance service is necessary.

[0022] On the other hand, while the application of stimuli is useful for determining the user's level of consciousness, in order to maintain the comfort of the user in the vehicle, it is required to avoid the application of stimuli as much as possible. In particular, although the user may sleep in the vehicle, if the user is given a stimulus, such sleep will be disturbed and the comfort of the user will be impaired. Therefore, the stimulus may be applied only when a significant decrease in the user's level of consciousness is suspected based on vital signs or the user's actions. For example, when the level of consciousness decreases, the respiratory rate and body temperature tend to decrease. Therefore, the stimulus may be applied only when the respiratory rate and body temperature have decreased excessively to determine the user's level of consciousness. Also, as described above, since it is difficult to distinguish between convulsions and the user's conscious movements only from an image, when convulsions are suspected in the captured image of the user, a stimulus may be applied to the user to determine the user's level of consciousness.

[0023] If, as a result of monitoring by the monitoring device 18, it is determined that the user requires first aid, the first aid controller 16 outputs, via the output device 20, a message requesting first aid to a person outside the vehicle. This message may be an auditory message or a visual message. Therefore, the message may be any of sound, light, image, text, and combinations thereof.

[0024] In addition, the content of the message may simply request the need for first aid or notify the necessary first aid details. Therefore, for example, a message such as "There is a critically ill patient. Please help." may be notified by voice or displayed as a video. Also, as another form, the first aid procedure may be interactively notified. For example, first, a message "Please help" is notified to recruit a first aider to perform first aid operations. If a first aider can be secured, the user's condition can be sequentially confirmed with the first aider, and the first aid procedure operations can be instructed. That is, inquiries to confirm the user's (the first aid subject's) condition, such as "Have you been able to confirm the consciousness of the subject?", "Is there breathing in the subject?", "Is there a heartbeat in the subject?" may be sequentially made to the first aider, and according to the response, the necessary first aid operations may be instructed. For example, if it is determined that immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation is necessary as a result of the conversation with the first aider, the first aid controller 16 may sequentially notify the cardiopulmonary resuscitation procedure.

[0025] By the way, when it is determined that first aid is necessary, the first aid controller 16 stops the vehicle 10 and outputs a message requesting first aid. This stopping of the vehicle 10 may be immediately performed when it is determined that first aid is necessary. Also, in a place with few people, even if a message requesting first aid is output, there is a risk that first aiders cannot be appropriately secured. Therefore, when it is determined that first aid is necessary, the first aid controller 16 may move to a place with many people, stop, and then output a message requesting first aid. Places with many people include arterial roads, large facilities such as stations, and the vicinity of convenience stores. The first aid controller 16 may store in advance a plurality of places suitable for message output as first aid points, and when first aid is necessary, move to the nearest first aid point and then output a message requesting first aid.

[0026] As another form, information and communication technology may be used to seek medical assistance from a larger number of people. For example, a message requesting medical assistance may be notified to an information terminal (such as a smartphone) owned by a person located within a certain range from the vehicle 10. Also, as another form, a message requesting medical assistance may be notified to other vehicles located within a certain range from the vehicle 10.

[0027] As is clear from the above description, in this example, since the health status of the user is monitored and a message requesting medical assistance is output when medical assistance is required, even an autonomous vehicle without a driver can quickly respond to an abnormality in the user's health.

[0028] Next, another form will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle 10 in another vehicle form. This vehicle 10 is different from the vehicle 10 in FIG. 1 in that it further has an emergency reporting device 22.

[0029] The emergency reporting device 22 is a device that makes an emergency report to a fire department or a hospital. This emergency report may be made via a telephone line or via data communication such as email. When reporting to the fire department, it requests the dispatch of an ambulance. Also, when reporting to a hospital, it inquires about the possibility of transporting an injured person who requires medical assistance.

[0030] In such a vehicle 10, when it is determined that the user needs first aid, an emergency notification is made before outputting a message requesting first aid to the surroundings or in parallel with the output of the message. That is, when the monitoring device 18 determines as a result of monitoring that the user needs first aid, the emergency notification device 22 may execute an emergency notification before outputting a message to the surroundings. And, as a result of the emergency notification, if the ambulance arrives early or can be transported to a nearby hospital early, standby on the spot or transportation to the hospital is performed without outputting a message to the surroundings. On the other hand, when it takes time for the ambulance to arrive or there is no acceptable hospital nearby, the first aid controller 16 may output a message requesting first aid to the people around via the output device 20. Also, even when the ambulance arrives early, a message requesting first aid to the people around may be output in order to perform appropriate first aid during the waiting period until the arrival.

[0031] Next, another form will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle 10 of another form. This vehicle 10 is different from the vehicle 10 of FIG. 1 in that it further has a user DB 24.

[0032] The user DB 24 is a database that records information on a plurality of pre-registered users. In this user DB 24, for example, identification numbers, attributes, payment information, etc. of pre-registered users are recorded. Further, the user DB 24 also records the emergency contact information of the users. The emergency contact is a contact for contacting when a health problem occurs to the user during the ride in the vehicle 10. Therefore, for example, the contact information of the user's family members or the hospital where the user goes to the hospital can be registered as the emergency contact. Also, a telephone number, an email address, an SNS address, etc. can be registered as the emergency contact. Such emergency contact information is registered in advance by the user operating his / her own information terminal.

[0033] In addition, the user DB 24 may further record the content of the message to be notified outside the vehicle when a health problem occurs to the user. For example, if the user has a pre-existing medical condition and a seizure occurs due to the pre-existing medical condition, and there is an action that an ambulance crew is expected to take, the content of the action may be recorded as a message.

[0034] In such a vehicle 10, when it is determined that the user needs first aid, the first aid controller 16 refers to the user DB 24 and executes processing according to the pre-registered content of the user. Specifically, if the user has pre-registered an emergency contact, the first aid controller 16 may contact the emergency contact about the user's condition. Of course, in parallel with contacting this emergency contact, a message requesting first aid from people around may also be output.

[0035] Also, when an emergency contact is registered, instead of the vehicle 10 contacting the emergency contact, it may request people around to contact the emergency contact. For example, when it is determined that the user needs first aid, the first aid controller 16 may output a message requesting first aid from people around and a message requesting contact with the emergency contact (such as "Please call 090-****-****", etc.) to people around. Also, when the content of the message to be notified in an emergency is registered, the first aid controller 16 may output the registered message to the surroundings in addition to or instead of the message requesting first aid.

[0036] In this way, by making it possible to pre-register the emergency contact and the content of the message in an emergency, users, especially users with health concerns, can use the self-driving vehicle 10 with more peace of mind.

[0037] Note that the configurations described so far are examples. As long as it has at least a monitoring device 18 for monitoring the health status of the user, an output device 20 for outputting a message outside the vehicle, and a rescue controller 16 for causing a message to be output according to the monitoring result, other configurations may be changed. For example, one vehicle 10 may be provided with both an emergency notification device 22 and a user DB 24. Also, in the above description, the vehicle 10 is a single-seater vehicle, but it may be a vehicle 10 that can accommodate multiple passengers at the same time. That is, even in a vehicle 10 that can accommodate multiple passengers, there may be a case where only one person rides. In such a case, the above-described technology may be used to determine the necessity of rescue and to request rescue.

Explanation of Signs

[0038] 10 Vehicle, 14 Travel unit, 14a Travel mechanism, 14b Sensor group, 14c Travel controller, 16 Rescue controller, 18 Monitoring device, 20 Output device, 22 Emergency notification device, 24 User DB.

Claims

1. A taxi vehicle that transports a user by automatically driving to a destination with the user on board, a monitoring device that monitors the health status of the user on board the taxi vehicle, an output device that outputs a message to people outside the vehicle, a rescue controller that, when it is determined based on the result of monitoring by the monitoring device that the user requires first aid, requests first aid from people outside the vehicle via the output device, comprising: the output device includes a device that outputs a message to people around the taxi vehicle, the device that outputs a message to people around the taxi vehicle includes at least one of a speaker that outputs sound outside the taxi vehicle, a light source visible to people around the taxi vehicle, an image display device visible to people around the taxi vehicle, and a projection device that projects an image outside the periphery of the taxi vehicle, the message includes a message that sequentially asks people around about the consciousness, breathing, and presence or absence of a heartbeat of the user, and the procedure of first aid operations necessary for the first aid of the user according to the responses of people around to the inquiry, A taxi vehicle characterized by the above.

2. The taxi vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring device includes a sensor that detects a user's vital signs. A taxi vehicle characterized by this.

3. The taxi vehicle according to claim 1, wherein when the rescue controller determines that the user requires first aid, the rescue controller moves the taxi vehicle to a crowded place and then requests first aid from people outside the vehicle via the output device. A taxi vehicle characterized by this.

4. The taxi vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the output device includes a communication device, and when the rescue controller determines that the user requires first aid, the rescue controller causes an information terminal owned by a person located within a certain range from the taxi vehicle to notify the message via the communication device. A taxi vehicle characterized by the above.

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