Vehicle with emergency notification function

Abstract

To improve an emergency notification system based on vehicle emergency notifications.SOLUTION: In a vehicle 2, a control system 30 includes: a control unit 31 that generates an emergency notification when an emergency occurs; a vehicle communication device 33 that transmits the generated emergency notification to an operator terminal; inside-vehicle call devices 39 and 40 for occupants inside the vehicle; and an outside-vehicle occupant detection unit 44 that detects occupants outside the vehicle. The control unit 31 determines whether occupants who were inside the vehicle before the emergency are inside or outside the vehicle after the emergency based on the detection of the outside-vehicle occupant detection unit 44, and enables a call with the operator terminal using the inside-vehicle call devices 39 and 40 when the occupants are inside the vehicle after the emergency. When the occupants are outside the vehicle after the emergency, the control unit 31 enables a call between the occupants not only inside the vehicle but also outside the vehicle and the operator terminal using other call devices 45 and 46 that enable an outside-vehicle call together with the inside-vehicle call devices 39 and 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle having an emergency reporting function.

Background Art

[0002] Vehicles such as automobiles may collide with other automobiles during driving or the physical condition of the passengers may deteriorate. In this case, the automobile will make an emergency report to the operator of the emergency support center (Patent Documents 1 and 2). When an emergency report is received, the operator of the emergency support center requests the dispatched team to be dispatched. The dispatched team uses an emergency vehicle or the like to rush to the scene where the automobile that made the emergency report is located and execute emergency response. As a result, the automobile and passengers in which an emergency has occurred can receive emergency response.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in an emergency response, it is required to execute responses and measures according to the content of the emergency. If it is found that equipment is insufficient after arriving at the scene, even if the emergency response personnel rush to the scene, they cannot start the emergency response immediately. Therefore, in order to enable more appropriate emergency response, before requesting the dispatched unit to be dispatched, the operator of the emergency support center is required to talk to the occupants of the vehicle that made the emergency call. By the operator confirming the details and extent of the emergency situation and relaying it to the dispatched unit, it is possible to prevent a situation where the emergency responders who rushed to the scene are unable to immediately initiate an emergency response.

[0005] However, in such a call, basically the operator only has information about the vehicle in which the emergency occurred. Therefore, the operator uses the operator terminal to make a call to the vehicle in which the emergency occurred and uses the operator terminal as the in-vehicle communication device of the vehicle in which the emergency occurred. On the other hand, the occupants of the vehicle in which the emergency occurred do not necessarily stay inside the vehicle after the emergency occurs. The occupants may evacuate outside the accident vehicle. Also, due to the impact of the accident, the occupants may be ejected from the vehicle. Under these circumstances, even if the operator terminal is connected to the in-vehicle communication device of the vehicle in which the emergency occurred, the operator may not be able to talk to the occupants of the vehicle in which the emergency occurred.

[0006] Thus, there is a need for improvement in the emergency reporting system based on vehicle emergency reports.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] A vehicle having an emergency notification function according to an aspect of the present invention includes a control unit that generates an emergency notification to be transmitted to an operator terminal when an emergency occurs in the vehicle, a vehicle communication device connectable to the operator terminal to transmit the emergency notification generated by the control unit, an in-vehicle communication device provided in the vehicle for an occupant inside the vehicle, and an out-of-vehicle occupant detection unit that detects that an occupant of the vehicle is outside the vehicle. The control unit determines, based on the detection by the out-of-vehicle occupant detection unit, whether an occupant who was inside the vehicle before the emergency occurred is inside or outside the vehicle after the emergency occurred. When the occupant is inside the vehicle after the emergency occurred, the control unit uses the in-vehicle communication device to enable a call between the occupant inside the vehicle and the operator terminal. When the occupant is outside the vehicle after the emergency occurred, the control unit uses another communication device that enables an out-of-vehicle call together with the in-vehicle communication device to enable a call between the occupant inside or outside the vehicle and the operator terminal.

[0008] Preferably, the out-of-vehicle occupant detection unit is an out-of-vehicle imaging device that images the outside of the vehicle, and has an in-vehicle imaging device that images the inside of the vehicle. The control unit determines an occupant who was inside the vehicle before the emergency occurred based on an imaging image of the in-vehicle imaging device before the emergency occurred in the vehicle, determines an occupant who became absent inside the vehicle after the emergency occurred based on an imaging image of the in-vehicle imaging device after the emergency occurred in the vehicle, and determines that an occupant who became absent inside the vehicle is outside the vehicle based on an imaging image of the out-of-vehicle imaging device.

[0009] Preferably, the control unit determines that the occupant is outside the vehicle by determining the match of the physique, silhouette, or clothing combination of the occupant who became absent inside the vehicle with respect to the imaging image of the out-of-vehicle imaging device.

[0010] Preferably, after determining the presence or absence of an occupant who was inside the vehicle before the emergency occurred inside or outside the vehicle, the control unit generates an emergency notification including the determination result of the presence or absence inside or outside the vehicle, and transmits it from the vehicle communication device to the operator terminal.

[0011] Preferably, it has an opening / closing detection device that detects the opening and closing of a door or window of the vehicle used when an occupant gets out of the vehicle. When the opening / closing detection device detects the opening and closing of the door or window of the vehicle after an emergency occurs in the vehicle, the control unit determines that an occupant outside the vehicle has voluntarily exited the vehicle, generates an emergency notification including a determination result (voluntary exit, ejection outside the vehicle) of whether or not an occupant outside the vehicle has voluntarily exited the vehicle, and transmits it from the vehicle communication device to the operator terminal.

Advantages of the Invention

[0012] In the present invention, a vehicle having an emergency notification function has an in-vehicle communication device provided in the vehicle for an occupant inside the vehicle, together with a vehicle communication device that can be connected to an operator terminal to transmit an emergency notification generated by a control unit. When generating an emergency notification to be transmitted to the operator terminal when an emergency occurs in the vehicle, the control unit determines, based on the detection by the outside-occupant detection unit, that an occupant who was inside the vehicle before the emergency occurred is inside or outside the vehicle after the emergency occurs. When the occupant is outside the vehicle after the emergency occurs, based on a call connection from the operator terminal to the vehicle communication device, another communication device that enables an outside call together with the in-vehicle communication device is used to enable a call between the occupant inside or outside the vehicle and the operator terminal. When the occupant is inside the vehicle after the emergency occurs, the control unit enables a call between the occupant inside the vehicle and the operator terminal using the in-vehicle communication device based on a call connection from the operator terminal to the vehicle communication device. Thereby, in the present invention, when the occupant is outside the vehicle after the emergency occurs, the operator terminal can establish a call connection with another communication device that enables an outside call together with the in-vehicle communication device. Even if the occupant is outside the vehicle after the emergency occurs, the operator can communicate with the occupant of the vehicle in which the emergency has occurred.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

[0015] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram of an automatic emergency notification system 1 for a motor vehicle 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The automatic emergency notification system 1 of Figure 1 includes a motor vehicle 2 corresponding to the system and an operator terminal 3 of an emergency support center. At the emergency support center, the operator terminal 3 is connected to the communication network 7 and the local area network 5 of the emergency support center. A server device 4 may be connected to the local area network 5. The automobile 2 is an example of a vehicle capable of traveling with passengers. The control system 30 of the automobile 2 establishes a communication path with a base station 6 that includes the road on which the automobile 2 travels in a zone through a mobile communication device 33 described later. The plurality of base stations 6 are connected to the communication network 7. The base station 6 and the communication network 7 may be those of 5G provided by a carrier or those dedicated to, for example, ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) provided by a public institution or the like.

[0016] The automobile 2 has an emergency reporting function. The automobile 2 may collide with another automobile 9 during travel or the physical condition of a passenger such as the driver may deteriorate. When such an emergency occurs in the automobile 2, the control system 30 of the automobile 2 executes an emergency report to the operator terminal 3 of the emergency support center through the base station 6 and the communication network 7 from the mobile communication device 33 described later. The operator at the emergency support center confirms the emergency report received by the operator terminal 3 and requests the dispatched team to be dispatched. The dispatched team gets on the emergency vehicle 8 and rushes to the scene where the automobile 2 that made the emergency report is located and executes an emergency response. As a result, the automobile 2 and the passengers in which an emergency has occurred can receive an emergency response by the dispatched team.

[0017] By the way, in an emergency response, it is required to execute responses and measures according to the content of the emergency. If it is found that equipment is lacking after arriving at the scene, etc., the emergency response personnel will not be able to start an emergency response immediately even if they rush to the scene. Therefore, in order to enable more appropriate emergency responses, before requesting the dispatch of the dispatched unit, the operator of the emergency support center is required to communicate with the occupants of Vehicle 2 that made the emergency call. By the operator confirming the details and extent of the emergency situation and relaying it to the dispatched unit, it is possible to prevent a situation where the emergency responders who rushed to the scene are unable to immediately initiate emergency response. However, in such a call, basically the operator only has information about Vehicle 2 where the emergency situation occurred. Therefore, the operator uses the operator terminal 3 to make a call to Vehicle 2 where the emergency situation occurred, and the operator terminal 3 is used as the in-vehicle communication device of Vehicle 2 where the emergency situation occurred. On the other hand, the occupants of Vehicle 2 where the emergency situation occurred do not necessarily stay inside the vehicle after the emergency situation occurs. The occupants may evacuate outside the accident vehicle 2. Also, due to the impact of the accident, the occupants may be ejected from Vehicle 2. In these situations, even if the operator terminal 3 is connected to the in-vehicle communication device of Vehicle 2 where the emergency situation occurred, the operator cannot communicate with the occupants of Vehicle 2 where the emergency situation occurred. Thus, improvement is required for the automatic emergency reporting system 1 based on the emergency call of Vehicle 2.

[0018] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a computer device 10 that can be used as the server device 4 or the operator terminal 3 of FIG. 1. The computer device 10 of FIG. 2 includes a CPU 11, a memory 12, a GNSS receiver 13, a timer 14, a display device 15, an operation device 16, and a communication device 17. Note that the computer device 10 as the server device 4 may be composed of a CPU 11, a memory 12, a GNSS receiver 13, a timer 14, and a communication device 17. The computer device 10 as the operator terminal 3 may have a microphone and a speaker (not shown) for calls.

[0019] The communication device 17 is connected to the communication network 7 and the local area network 5. When the communication network 7 is connected to the local area network 5 through, for example, a router device, only the local area network 5 may be directly connected to the communication device 17. The communication device 17 transmits and receives communication data of the computer device 10.

[0020] The display device 15 is, for example, a liquid crystal monitor and displays a screen for the operator. On the display screen of the display device 15, there are, for example, an emergency call screen, a call screen, a dispatch request screen, and the like. The emergency call screen is a screen that displays the presence or absence of an emergency call, the content of the emergency call, and the like. The content of the emergency call may display the position of the vehicle 2 that made the emergency call at the scene, the call time, and the reported status of the vehicle 2 and the passengers, etc. Also, the presence or absence of other emergency calls occurring near the vehicle 2 being displayed may be displayed. The call screen may be, for example, a call screen to the mobile terminal of the vehicle 2 or the passenger who made an emergency call. The dispatch request screen may be a request screen to the dispatch team near the scene where an emergency has occurred.

[0021] The operation device 16 is, for example, a keyboard, a pointing device, a touch panel, buttons, etc., and is operated by the operator. The operator operates the operation device 16 to switch, for example, the display screen of the display device 15.

[0022] The GNSS receiver 13 receives radio waves from the GNSS satellites 101 shown in FIG. 1 and generates the current time. The GNSS receiver 13 may obtain the installation position of the computer device 10 together with the current time.

[0023] The timer 14 measures time or the time of day. The time of the timer 14 may be calibrated by the current time of the GNSS receiver 13.

[0024] Memory 12 records a program and data for causing computer device 10 to function as server device 4 or operator terminal 3.

[0025] CPU 11 reads and executes a program from memory 12. Thereby, CPU 11 functions as a control unit that controls the overall operation of server device 4 or a control unit that controls the overall operation of operator terminal 3. When there is an access from operator terminal 3 to communication device 17, CPU 11 functioning as the control unit of server device 4 transmits data from communication device 17. CPU 11 functioning as the control unit of operator terminal 3 receives an emergency notification from automobile 2, switches the display of display device 15 according to the operator's operation, and executes control based on an operation on the display screen. The control based on an operation on the display screen includes, for example, call control to automobile 2 or the occupant that made the emergency notification, control to access server device 4 and acquire information recorded in memory 12 of server device 4, call control of the emergency notification, and the like.

[0026] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of control system 30 of automobile 2 in FIG. 1. Control system 30 of automobile 2 in FIG. 3 includes vehicle ECU 31, vehicle memory 32, mobile communication device 33, vehicle GNSS receiver 34, vehicle timer 35, acceleration sensor 36, occupant monitoring device (DMS) 37, in-vehicle camera 38, in-vehicle speaker 39, in-vehicle microphone 40, vehicle display device 41, vehicle operation device 42, door opening / closing sensor 43, out-vehicle camera 44, out-vehicle speaker 45, out-vehicle microphone 46, short-range communication device 47, and vehicle network 48 to which these are connected. Vehicle network 48 may be a wired communication network compliant with, for example, CAN (Controller Area Network) or LIN (Local Interconnect Network) for automobile 2. Vehicle network 48 may be a communication network such as a LAN or a combination thereof. A wireless communication network may be included in a part of vehicle network 48.

[0027] The vehicle GNSS receiver 34, the vehicle timer 35, the vehicle display device 41, the vehicle operation device 42, the in-vehicle speaker 39, and the in-vehicle microphone 40 may be the same as those under the computer device 10 in FIG. 2. However, the vehicle operation device 42 preferably has a touch panel that is superimposed on the vehicle display device 41. The vehicle display device 41 may display, for example, the situation of the autonomous driving of the automobile 2, an emergency notification screen, and the like. The in-vehicle speaker 39 and the in-vehicle microphone 40 as the in-vehicle communication device are provided in the automobile 2 for the passengers inside the vehicle.

[0028] The mobile communication device 33 establishes a communication path with the base station 6. The mobile communication device 33, as the vehicle 2 communication unit, transmits and receives data with the communication device 17 of the operator terminal 3 through the base station 6 and the communication network 7.

[0029] The acceleration sensor 36 detects the acceleration of the automobile 2. The acceleration sensor 36 may detect the speed of the automobile 2. When the automobile 2 suddenly stops or collides, an acceleration higher than normal occurs.

[0030] The in-vehicle camera 38, as the in-vehicle passenger detection unit, images the passenger compartment of the automobile 2. The in-vehicle camera 38 may have an angle that images only the owner of the automobile 2 or a wide angle that images the entire passenger compartment. The in-vehicle captured images of the in-vehicle camera 38 capture passengers such as the driver and passengers riding in the automobile 2. By image processing of the in-vehicle captured images of the in-vehicle camera 38, the passengers riding in the automobile 2 can be discriminated or recognized. Incidentally, the passengers riding in the automobile 2 can be detected by an in-vehicle passenger detection unit other than the in-vehicle camera 38, for example, by a radar that outputs millimeter waves toward the inside of the vehicle.

[0031] The occupant monitoring device 37 identifies the owner and passengers in the vehicle based on the captured images of the in-vehicle camera 38, and monitors the states of these occupants. The occupants may doze off, look away, or have an abnormal heart rate. The occupant monitoring device 37 may detect an abnormality in the health state of the occupants based on, for example, an abnormal heart rate.

[0032] The door opening / closing sensor 43, as an opening / closing detection device, detects the opening and closing of the doors provided in the vehicle 2. When there are a plurality of doors in the vehicle 2, such as the driver's side door and the passenger's side door, the door opening / closing sensor 43 may be provided for each door. In addition to this, there are also opening / closing detection devices that detect the opening and closing of windows. When an occupant gets out of the vehicle 2, the occupant opens and closes the door. Also, in an emergency where the door cannot be opened or closed, the occupant may get out of the vehicle through the window.

[0033] The out-vehicle camera 44 captures images of the outside of the vehicle 2, which is the surrounding area of the vehicle 2. The out-vehicle camera 44 may be a 360-degree camera that captures the entire surrounding area of the vehicle 2, or may be a plurality of cameras provided around the vehicle 2 with different viewing angles from each other. When there are occupants who have gotten out of the vehicle 2 or occupants who have been discharged outside the vehicle 2 around the vehicle 2, the out-vehicle camera 44 can capture these occupants outside the vehicle. By image processing of the out-vehicle captured images of the out-vehicle camera 44, the occupants outside the vehicle 2 can be discriminated or recognized. Note that the occupants outside the vehicle 2 can be detected by an out-vehicle occupant detection unit other than the in-vehicle camera 38, for example, by a radar that outputs millimeter waves toward the surrounding area of the vehicle 2.

[0034] The out-vehicle speaker 45 outputs sound toward the outside of the vehicle 2. The out-vehicle microphone 46 detects the sound outside the vehicle 2. The out-vehicle speaker 45 and the out-vehicle microphone 46 constitute an out-vehicle communication device provided in the vehicle 2 toward the outside. The occupants outside the vehicle 2 can communicate outside the vehicle using the out-vehicle speaker 45 and the out-vehicle microphone 46.

[0035] The short - range communication device 47 is wirelessly connected to the crew terminal 49 held by the crew member through short - range communication. Examples of short - range communication standards include IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.15.1 and IEEE 802.11 / b / g. The crew terminal 49 includes, for example, a mobile phone terminal that can be connected to a carrier communication network, a wearable terminal, and a wireless key. The short - range communication device 47 detects, authenticates, and connects to the crew terminal 49 held by the crew member who is in or around the vehicle 2. When the crew terminal 49 has a speaker and a microphone, the short - range communication device 47 can transmit and receive voice data for a call with the crew terminal 49. The crew terminal 49 can input and output voice for a call.

[0036] The vehicle memory 32 records programs and data. Examples of the data recorded in the vehicle memory 32 include access information to the operator terminal 3, which is an emergency reporting destination, user authentication information, emergency reporting format data, and connection destination list data of the crew terminal 49 that the short - range communication device 47 can connect to.

[0037] The vehicle ECU 31 reads and executes a program from the vehicle memory 32. Thereby, the vehicle ECU 31 functions as a control unit that controls the overall operation including the driving control of the vehicle 2. The vehicle ECU 31, as the control unit of the vehicle 2, controls the driving of the vehicle 2, such as through autonomous driving. When the vehicle ECU 31 detects a collision, for example, when the detection value of the acceleration sensor 36 exceeds a threshold, or when an abnormality or irregularity is detected in the health state of the crew member by the crew monitoring device 37, the vehicle ECU 31 generates an emergency report based on these detections and automatically transmits it from the mobile communication device 33 to the operator terminal 3.

[0038] Figure 4 is a timing chart showing the basic flow of an automatic emergency report in the entire automatic emergency reporting system 1 of Figure 1. Figure 4 shows the vehicle 2 and the operator terminal 3. Time flows from top to bottom. Figure 4 is an example of an emergency notification when the vehicle 2 collides. The notifications in other emergency situations are basically the same as those in Figure 4.

[0039] In step ST1, the vehicle ECU 31 of the vehicle 2 identifies the passengers in the vehicle 2. The vehicle ECU 31 identifies the passengers in the vehicle, for example, by using the passenger monitoring device 37 based on the in-vehicle imaging image of the in-vehicle camera 38.

[0040] In step ST2, the vehicle ECU 31 of the vehicle 2 detects a collision of the vehicle 2. The vehicle ECU 31 detects a collision of the vehicle 2 when, for example, the detected value of the acceleration sensor 36 exceeds a threshold value. The vehicle ECU 31 may detect a collision of the vehicle 2 by predicting an unavoidable collision of the vehicle 2.

[0041] In step ST3, the vehicle ECU 31 of the vehicle 2 starts emergency notification control based on the detection of the collision of the vehicle 2.

[0042] In step ST4, the vehicle ECU 31 of the vehicle 2 collects information from the vehicle 2 as the vehicle 2. The vehicle ECU 31 may collect information about the state of the passengers after the collision, for example, by using the passenger monitoring device 37. The passengers may get out of the vehicle after the collision is detected or be ejected out of the vehicle during the collision.

[0043] In step ST5, the vehicle ECU 31 of the vehicle 2 determines whether an emergency situation that requires an emergency notification has occurred. The vehicle ECU 31 may determine whether an emergency situation that requires an emergency notification has occurred based on, for example, the degree of impact caused by the collision. If an emergency situation that requires an emergency notification has occurred, the vehicle ECU 31 proceeds with the process to step ST6. If an emergency situation that requires an emergency notification has not occurred, the vehicle ECU 31 returns the process to step ST4.

[0044] In step ST6, the vehicle ECU 31 of the automobile 2 acquires passenger inside / outside information in order to generate an emergency notification. The vehicle ECU 31 may acquire the passenger inside / outside information by, for example, the processing shown in the emergency notification control of FIG. 5 described later.

[0045] In step ST7, the vehicle ECU 31 of the automobile 2 generates and transmits an emergency notification. The vehicle ECU 31 transmits the generated emergency notification to the operator terminal 3 using the mobile communication device 33. In this way, when the vehicle ECU 31 of the automobile 2 detects that it may collide with another automobile 9 during driving or that the physical condition of the passenger has deteriorated, it can automatically transmit an emergency notification to the operator terminal 3.

[0046] In step ST11, the CPU 11 of the operator terminal 3 determines whether it has received an emergency notification. The operator terminal 3 receives the emergency notification transmitted by the vehicle ECU 31 of the automobile 2 in step ST7. If it has not received an emergency notification, the CPU 11 of the operator terminal 3 repeats this process. When it receives an emergency notification, the CPU 11 of the operator terminal 3 proceeds to step ST12.

[0047] In step ST12, the CPU 11 of the operator terminal 3 executes a call confirmation to the passenger of the automobile 2 that is the transmission source of the received emergency notification. The CPU 11 of the operator terminal 3 makes a call to and connects to the automobile 2 that is the transmission source of the received emergency notification, and communicates with the passenger of the automobile 2 that is the transmission source of the received emergency notification. In step ST8, when there is a call from the operator terminal 3, the vehicle ECU 31 of the automobile 2 executes call response control. The operator can confirm necessary information such as the content and degree of the emergency situation, the presence or absence and degree of injury, etc. with the passenger of the automobile 2 in which the emergency situation has occurred during the call.

[0048] In step ST13, the CPU 11 of the operator terminal 3 requests the dispatch of a dispatched unit. The CPU 11 of the operator terminal 3 may request the dispatch of an optimal dispatched unit based on the judgment and operation of the operator. When there is a request for dispatch, the dispatched force rushes to the location of the vehicle 2 that has sent an emergency report and conducts emergency response rescue activities and the like. As a result, the vehicle 2 and the passengers in which an emergency has occurred can receive emergency response.

[0049] Figure 5 is a flowchart of emergency reporting control by the control system 30 of the vehicle 2 in Figure 1. The vehicle ECU 31 of the control system 30 of the vehicle 2 repeatedly executes the emergency reporting control in Figure 5. The overall processing from step ST4 to step ST7 is the same as that in Figure 4. In step ST4, the vehicle ECU 31 may recognize the passengers in the vehicle before an emergency occurs in the vehicle 2 based on the in-vehicle imaging image of the in-vehicle camera 38 as an in-vehicle imaging device before the emergency occurs in the vehicle 2. The vehicle ECU 31 may record the recognition result of the passengers in the vehicle before the emergency occurs in the vehicle memory 32. In step ST5, when the vehicle ECU 31 determines that an emergency such as a collision has occurred in the vehicle 2, the process proceeds to step ST21.

[0050] In step ST21, the vehicle ECU 31 starts acquiring passenger inside / outside information indicating the state of the passengers after an emergency such as an accident has occurred.

[0051] In step ST22, the vehicle ECU 31 acquires, for example, the in-vehicle imaging image immediately before an emergency occurs. The vehicle ECU 31 acquires the in-vehicle imaging image of the in-vehicle camera 38 before an emergency occurs in the vehicle 2. The past in-vehicle imaging images of the in-vehicle camera 38 may be recorded in the vehicle memory 32. Further, the vehicle ECU 31 may also acquire from the vehicle memory 32 the recognition result of the passengers by the passenger monitoring device 37 based on the acquired in-vehicle imaging image.

[0052] In step ST23, the vehicle ECU 31 acquires, for example, the latest in-vehicle captured image after an emergency occurs. The vehicle ECU 31 acquires the in-vehicle captured image of the in-vehicle camera 38 after an emergency occurs in the automobile 2. Further, the vehicle ECU 31 may also acquire, from the vehicle memory 32, the recognition result of the occupants by the occupant monitoring device 37 based on, for example, the immediately preceding in-vehicle captured image before the emergency occurs.

[0053] In step ST24, the vehicle ECU 31 determines whether there is an occupant who is absent and unconfirmed from inside the automobile 2. The in-vehicle camera 38 captures the occupants inside the automobile 2 in the in-vehicle captured image. If the occupants included in the in-vehicle captured image before the emergency are still included in the in-vehicle captured image after the emergency, the vehicle ECU 31 determines that those occupants are present inside the vehicle. If the occupants included in the in-vehicle captured image before the emergency are not included in the in-vehicle captured image after the emergency, the vehicle ECU 31 determines that those occupants are absent and not present inside the vehicle. If the in-vehicle captured image before the emergency includes a plurality of occupants, the vehicle ECU 31 determines the presence or absence of each occupant inside the vehicle. In determining the presence or absence of these occupants, the vehicle ECU 31 may use the recognition result of the occupants by the occupant monitoring device 37. If there is even one occupant who has become absent from inside the vehicle, the vehicle ECU 31 proceeds with the process to step ST25, assuming that there is an occupant who is absent and unconfirmed from inside the automobile 2. If there is no occupant who has become absent from inside the vehicle, the vehicle ECU 31 ends the acquisition process of the occupant inside / outside information, assuming that there is no occupant who is absent and unconfirmed from inside the automobile 2, and proceeds with the process to step ST32.

[0054] In step ST25, the vehicle ECU 31 acquires, for example, the latest out-of-vehicle captured image after the emergency occurs. The outside vehicle camera 44 as the outside vehicle occupant detection unit images the outside of the vehicle 2, which is the surrounding area, and generates an outside vehicle captured image. The vehicle ECU 31 may acquire the outside vehicle captured image from the outside vehicle camera 44 after an emergency has occurred.

[0055] In step ST26, the vehicle ECU 31 determines whether an absent occupant is outside the vehicle. The vehicle ECU 31 extracts the characteristics of the occupant based on the image components of the absent occupant included in the in-vehicle captured image before the emergency. As the characteristics of the absent occupant, the vehicle ECU 31 may extract the physique, silhouette, and clothing combination of the occupant. The characteristics of the occupant may be two-dimensional planar information or three-dimensional information. The vehicle ECU 31 may complement the missing information with, for example, registration information in the vehicle memory 32 about the occupant to obtain the characteristics of the absent occupant. The vehicle ECU 31 determines whether the captured image of the outside vehicle after the emergency includes the image components of a person who matches the extracted characteristics. At this time, if the determination of match is made based on characteristics such as the front view of the occupant's head, for example, due to the fact that the occupant is imaged facing backward in the outside vehicle captured image, the possibility of determining that the characteristics are not included increases. By using, as the characteristics of the occupant, the physique, silhouette, or clothing combination of the occupant, etc., to determine the match, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of overlooking cases where a match is to be originally determined. And if the captured image of the outside vehicle after the emergency includes the image components of a person who matches the characteristics extracted for the person who was inside the vehicle before the emergency occurred, the vehicle ECU 31 determines that the absent occupant is outside the vehicle and proceeds with the process to step ST27. If the captured image of the outside vehicle after the emergency does not include the image components of a person who matches the extracted characteristics, the vehicle ECU 31 cannot assert that the absent occupant is outside the vehicle, so the process proceeds to step ST31.

[0056] In step ST27, the vehicle ECU 31 acquires door opening / closing information. The door opening / closing sensor 43 detects when a door provided in the vehicle 2 is opened or closed. In the vehicle memory 32, the door opening / closing detection history by the door opening / closing sensor 43 is recorded together with the time measured by the vehicle timer 35. The vehicle ECU 31 may acquire the door opening / closing information from the vehicle memory 32.

[0057] In step ST28, after an emergency occurs, the vehicle ECU 31 determines whether the door is open or closed. The acceleration sensor 36 detects the acceleration due to a collision or the like of the vehicle 2. In the vehicle memory 32, the collision detection history by the acceleration sensor 36 is recorded together with the time measured by the vehicle timer 35. The vehicle ECU 31 may acquire the door opening / closing information from the vehicle memory 32. The vehicle ECU 31 compares the collision detection time recorded in the vehicle memory 32 with the time of the acquired door opening / closing detection history, and determines whether there is a door opening / closing detection after the collision detection time. If there is a door opening / closing detection after the collision detection time, the vehicle ECU 31 proceeds with the process to step ST29, assuming that the door has been opened or closed after the emergency has occurred. If there is no door opening / closing detection after the collision detection time, the vehicle ECU 31 proceeds with the process to step ST30, assuming that the door has not been opened or closed after the emergency has occurred.

[0058] In step ST29, the vehicle ECU 31 determines that the passenger outside the vehicle has voluntarily gotten out of the vehicle. Then, the vehicle ECU 31 proceeds with the process to step ST31.

[0059] In step ST30, the vehicle ECU 31 determines that the passenger outside the vehicle was not voluntarily getting out of the vehicle, but was ejected outside due to a collision or the like. Then, the vehicle ECU 31 proceeds with the process to step ST31.

[0060] In step ST31, based on the various determination results described above, the vehicle ECU 31 generates and records occupant inside / outside information indicating the state of the occupants after an emergency has occurred. In the occupant inside / outside information, the states of the occupants after an emergency has occurred for each occupant include the case of remaining inside the vehicle, the case of self-evacuating and being outside the vehicle, and the case of being outside the vehicle due to external release. Also, in the present control described above, there is a case of being unknown where it cannot be confirmed that the occupant remains inside the vehicle but it cannot be asserted that the occupant is outside the vehicle. For each occupant included in the in-vehicle captured image before the emergency, the vehicle ECU 31 generates, as occupant inside / outside information, the determination result regarding after the emergency. The vehicle ECU 31 may record the generated occupant inside / outside information in the vehicle memory 32.

[0061] In step ST32, the vehicle ECU 31 generates an emergency notification. When step ST32 is executed after the process of step ST24, the vehicle ECU 31 may generate an emergency notification that does not include the occupant inside / outside information. The emergency notification in this case may include information such as the type and degree of the emergency occurring in the motor vehicle 2, the occurrence time, and the current location. On the other hand, when step ST32 is executed after the process of step ST31, the vehicle ECU 31 may generate an emergency notification including the generated occupant inside / outside information. The occupant inside / outside information includes the result of determining the presence or absence inside or outside the vehicle after the emergency for the occupants who were inside the vehicle before the emergency occurred in the motor vehicle 2. Thereafter, the vehicle ECU 31 ends this control, and in step ST7, transmits the generated emergency notification from the mobile communication device 33 to the operator terminal 3.

[0062] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the occupant inside / outside information in the case where an emergency due to an accident has occurred when only the driver is riding in the motor vehicle 2. In FIG. 6, the first column shows the passengers recognized in the in-vehicle captured image before the accident. The second column shows the passengers recognized in the in-vehicle captured image after the accident. The third column shows the passengers recognized in the out-of-vehicle captured image after the accident. The fourth column shows the content of the passenger in-out information. FIG. 6 shows Patterns 1 to 3.

[0063] In Pattern 1 of FIG. 6, the driver of the vehicle 2 is captured and recognized in both the in-vehicle captured image before the accident and the in-vehicle captured image after the accident. In this case, in step ST24 of FIG. 5, the vehicle ECU 31 determines that there are no passengers who have become absent from the vehicle interior. The vehicle ECU 31 generates an emergency notification without generating passenger in-out information and transmits it to the operator terminal 3. The emergency notification in this case does not include passenger in-out information. However, for comparison with other patterns, Pattern 1 of FIG. 6 describes passenger in-out information indicating that the driver is in the vehicle. The emergency notification transmitted to the operator terminal 3 may include such passenger in-out information. Also, the vehicle ECU 31 may record such passenger in-out information in the vehicle memory 32.

[0064] In Pattern 2 of FIG. 6, in the in-vehicle captured image before the accident, the driver of the vehicle 2 is captured and recognized. However, in the in-vehicle captured image after the accident, the driver of the vehicle 2 is not captured and is absent. In this case, in step ST24 of FIG. 5, the vehicle ECU 31 determines that there is a passenger who has become absent from the vehicle interior, and in steps ST25 and ST26, it executes confirmation about the driver who should be outside the vehicle based on the in-vehicle captured image after the accident. Then, in the in-vehicle captured image after the accident, a person outside the vehicle who matches the driver is recognized (driver match). Therefore, in step ST31, the vehicle ECU 31 generates passenger in-out information indicating that the driver is outside the vehicle and records it in the vehicle memory 32. The emergency notification transmitted to the operator terminal 3 includes such passenger in-out information.

[0065] In the third pattern of FIG. 6, in the in-vehicle captured image before the accident, the driver of the vehicle 2 is captured and recognized. However, in the in-vehicle captured image after the accident, the driver of the vehicle 2 is not captured and is absent. In this case, the vehicle ECU 31 determines in step ST24 of FIG. 5 that there is a passenger who has become absent from inside the vehicle, and in steps ST25 and ST26, it executes confirmation about the driver who should be outside the vehicle based on the in-vehicle captured image after the accident. However, in the in-vehicle captured image after the accident, no person outside the vehicle matching the driver is recognized (no match). Therefore, the vehicle ECU 31 generates passenger inside / outside information indicating that the location of the driver is unknown in step ST31 and records it in the vehicle memory 32. Such passenger inside / outside information is included in the emergency notification transmitted to the operator terminal 3.

[0066] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of passenger inside / outside information in the case where an emergency due to an accident occurs when a driver and a passenger are in the vehicle 2. The first to fourth columns of FIG. 7 correspond to those of FIG. 6.

[0067] In the 11th pattern of FIG. 7, both in the in-vehicle captured image before the accident and in the in-vehicle captured image after the accident, the driver and the passenger of the vehicle 2 are captured and recognized. In this case, the vehicle ECU 31 determines in step ST24 of FIG. 5 that there is not a single passenger who has become absent from inside the vehicle. The vehicle ECU 31 generates an emergency notification without generating passenger inside / outside information and transmits it to the operator terminal 3. The emergency notification in this case does not include passenger inside / outside information. However, in the 11th pattern of FIG. 7, for comparison with other patterns, passenger inside / outside information indicating that the driver and the passenger are both inside the vehicle is described. Such passenger inside / outside information may be included in the emergency notification transmitted to the operator terminal 3. Also, the vehicle ECU 31 may record such passenger inside / outside information in the vehicle memory 32.

[0068] In the 12th pattern of FIG. 7, in the in-vehicle captured image before the accident, the driver and the passengers of the automobile 2 are captured and recognized. However, in the in-vehicle captured image after the accident, only the passengers of the automobile 2 are captured, and the driver is absent. In this case, the vehicle ECU 31 determines in step ST24 of FIG. 5 that there is a passenger who has become absent from the vehicle interior, and in steps ST25 and ST26, it executes confirmation about the driver who should be outside the vehicle based on the in-vehicle captured image after the accident. Then, in the in-vehicle captured image after the accident, a person outside the vehicle who matches the driver is recognized (driver match). Therefore, in step ST31, the vehicle ECU 31 generates occupant inside / outside information indicating that the passengers are inside the vehicle and the driver is outside the vehicle, and records it in the vehicle memory 32. Such occupant inside / outside information is included in the emergency notification transmitted to the operator terminal 3.

[0069] In the 13th pattern of FIG. 7, in the in-vehicle captured image before the accident, the driver and the passengers of the automobile 2 are captured and recognized. However, in the in-vehicle captured image after the accident, only the passengers of the automobile 2 are captured, and the driver is absent. In this case, the vehicle ECU 31 determines in step ST24 of FIG. 5 that there is a passenger who has become absent from the vehicle interior, and in steps ST25 and ST26, it executes confirmation about the driver who should be outside the vehicle based on the in-vehicle captured image after the accident. However, in the in-vehicle captured image after the accident, a person outside the vehicle who matches the driver is not recognized (no match). Therefore, in step ST31, the vehicle ECU 31 generates occupant inside / outside information indicating that the passengers are inside the vehicle and the whereabouts of the driver are unknown, and records it in the vehicle memory 32. Such occupant inside / outside information is included in the emergency notification transmitted to the operator terminal 3.

[0070] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of occupant inside / outside information including detection of opening and closing of the doors of the automobile 2 when an emergency due to an accident occurs while the driver and passengers are in the automobile 2. The first to third and fifth columns of FIG. 8 correspond to the first to fourth columns of FIG. 6. The fourth column of FIG. 8 is the opening and closing history of the door after the accident.

[0071] In the 21st pattern of FIG. 8, both the in-vehicle imaging image before the accident and the in-vehicle imaging image after the accident capture and recognize the driver and passengers of the vehicle 2. In this case, the vehicle ECU 31 determines in step ST24 of FIG. 5 that there are no passengers who have become absent from the vehicle interior. The vehicle ECU 31 generates an emergency notification without generating passenger inside / outside information and transmits it to the operator terminal 3. The emergency notification in this case does not include passenger inside / outside information. However, in the 21st pattern of FIG. 8, for comparison with other patterns, passenger inside / outside information indicating that both the driver and the passengers are inside the vehicle is described. The emergency notification transmitted to the operator terminal 3 may include such passenger inside / outside information. Also, the vehicle ECU 31 may record such passenger inside / outside information in the vehicle memory 32.

[0072] In the 22nd pattern of FIG. 8, in the in-vehicle imaging image before the accident, the driver and passengers of the vehicle 2 are captured and recognized. However, in the in-vehicle imaging image after the accident, only the passengers of the vehicle 2 are captured and the driver is absent. In this case, the vehicle ECU 31 determines in step ST24 of FIG. 5 that there is a passenger who has become absent from the vehicle interior, and in steps ST25 and ST26, it executes confirmation for the driver who should be outside the vehicle based on the in-vehicle imaging image after the accident. Then, in the in-vehicle imaging image after the accident, a person outside the vehicle who matches the driver is recognized (driver match). Also, the vehicle ECU 31 determines in the processes from step ST27 to step ST30 that the driver got out of the vehicle by himself based on the opening and closing history of the driver's side door. Therefore, the vehicle ECU 31 generates in step ST31 passenger inside / outside information indicating that the passengers are inside the vehicle and the driver got out of the vehicle by himself and records it in the vehicle memory 32. The emergency notification transmitted to the operator terminal 3 includes such passenger inside / outside information.

[0073] In the 23rd pattern of FIG. 8, in the in-vehicle captured image before the accident, the driver and the passenger of the vehicle 2 are captured and recognized. However, in the in-vehicle captured image after the accident, only the passenger of the vehicle 2 is captured, and the driver is absent. In this case, the vehicle ECU 31 determines in step ST24 of FIG. 5 that there is a passenger who has become absent from the vehicle interior, and in steps ST25 and ST26, it executes confirmation about the driver who should be outside the vehicle based on the in-vehicle captured image after the accident. Then, in the in-vehicle captured image after the accident, a person outside the vehicle who matches the driver is recognized (driver match). Also, the vehicle ECU 31 determines in the processes from step ST27 to step ST30 that the driver has been discharged outside the vehicle based on the fact that there is no opening / closing history of the driver's seat side door. Therefore, the vehicle ECU 31 generates, in step ST31, occupant inside / outside information indicating that the passenger is inside the vehicle and the driver has been discharged outside the vehicle, and records it in the vehicle memory 32. Such occupant inside / outside information is included in the emergency notification transmitted to the operator terminal 3.

[0074] In the 24th pattern of FIG. 7, in the in-vehicle captured image before the accident, the driver and the passenger of the vehicle 2 are captured and recognized. However, in the in-vehicle captured image after the accident, only the passenger of the vehicle 2 is captured, and the driver is absent. In this case, the vehicle ECU 31 determines in step ST24 of FIG. 5 that there is a passenger who has become absent from the vehicle interior, and in steps ST25 and ST26, it executes confirmation about the driver who should be outside the vehicle based on the in-vehicle captured image after the accident. However, in the in-vehicle captured image after the accident, a person outside the vehicle who matches the driver is not recognized (no match). Therefore, the vehicle ECU 31 generates, in step ST31, occupant inside / outside information indicating that the passenger is inside the vehicle and the whereabouts of the driver are unknown, and records it in the vehicle memory 32. Such occupant inside / outside information is included in the emergency notification transmitted to the operator terminal 3.

[0075] In this way, the vehicle ECU 31 can recognize the passengers who were inside the vehicle before the emergency situation and determine the location of each passenger after the emergency situation through the emergency notification control shown in FIG. 5, and generate an emergency notification including the information of the determination result and transmit it to the operator terminal 3.

[0076] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of call response control by the control system 30 of the motor vehicle 2 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 4, when the vehicle ECU 31 of the control system 30 of the motor vehicle 2 receives a call from the operator terminal 3, it executes the call response control shown in FIG. 9 in step ST8. The control system 30 of the motor vehicle 2 may execute the call response control shown in FIG. 9 only when an emergency situation occurs and an emergency notification is sent to the operator terminal 3.

[0077] In step ST41, the vehicle ECU 31 determines whether the mobile communication device 33 has received a call to the own vehicle. As shown in FIG. 4, after the operator terminal 3 receives an emergency notification from the motor vehicle 2, in the process of step ST12, it makes a call toward the motor vehicle 2 that sent the emergency notification. The mobile communication device 33 receives this call. If the mobile communication device 33 has not received a call to the own vehicle, the vehicle ECU 31 repeats this process. When the mobile communication device 33 receives a call to the own vehicle, the vehicle ECU 31 advances the process to step ST42.

[0078] In step ST42, the vehicle ECU 31 acquires the passenger inside / outside information recorded at the time of sending the emergency notification from the vehicle memory 32. The vehicle ECU 31 generates the passenger inside / outside information and records it in the vehicle memory 32 in step ST31 of FIG. 5. The vehicle ECU 31 may acquire this passenger inside / outside information from the vehicle memory 32.

[0079] In step ST43, the vehicle ECU 31 determines whether there are passengers who are absent from inside the vehicle in the acquired passenger inside / outside information. The on-vehicle and off-vehicle information of the passengers includes, at least, the information of the passengers remaining in the vehicle, the information of the passengers getting off the vehicle, and the information of the unknown passengers whose presence has not been confirmed inside and outside the vehicle, as in the various patterns described above. Note that the information of the passengers who have alighted in accordance with the situation and the information of the passengers released outside the vehicle correspond to the information of the passengers getting off the vehicle. When the acquired on-vehicle and off-vehicle information of the passengers includes only the passengers inside the vehicle, the vehicle ECU 31 determines that there are no passengers absent from the vehicle and proceeds with the process to step ST44. When the acquired on-vehicle and off-vehicle information of the passengers includes even one piece of information of a passenger other than the passengers inside the vehicle, the vehicle ECU 31 determines that there are passengers absent from the vehicle and proceeds with the process to step ST45.

[0080] In step ST44, the vehicle ECU 31 connects the mobile communication device 33 that has received the call to the in-vehicle speaker 39 and the in-vehicle microphone 40 as the in-vehicle communication device. Thereby, when it is highly likely that there are passengers inside the vehicle after an emergency occurs, based on the call connection request from the operator terminal 3 to the mobile communication device 33 by making a call, the vehicle ECU 31 can activate and use the in-vehicle communication device to enable a call between the passengers inside the vehicle and the operator terminal 3. After that, the vehicle ECU 31 proceeds with the process to step ST46.

[0081] In step ST45, the vehicle ECU 31 connects the mobile communication device 33 that has received the call to the in-vehicle speaker 39 and the in-vehicle microphone 40 as the in-vehicle communication device, and to the out-vehicle speaker 45 and the out-vehicle microphone 46 as the out-vehicle communication device. As a result, when it is highly likely that the occupant is outside the vehicle after an emergency occurs, the vehicle ECU 31 can activate and use the external communication device together with the in-vehicle communication device based on a call connection request for a call from the operator terminal 3 to the mobile communication device 33, enabling a call between the occupant inside the vehicle, the occupant outside the vehicle, and the operator terminal 3. Here, the external speaker 45 and the external microphone 46 as the external communication device become other communication devices provided outside the vehicle in the automobile 2 so as to enable external communication. After that, the vehicle ECU 31 proceeds with the process to step ST46.

[0082] In step ST46, the vehicle ECU 31 executes a call process with the operator terminal 3 through the mobile communication device 33. The vehicle ECU 31 outputs the voice data of the operator's call received by the mobile communication device 33 from the operator terminal 3 to, for example, the in-vehicle speaker 39 and the external speaker 45. As a result, the operator's voice flows inside and outside the automobile 2. Also, the vehicle ECU 31 collects voice data from the in-vehicle microphone 40 and the external microphone 46 and outputs it to the mobile communication device 33. The mobile communication device 33 transmits the voice data to the operator terminal 3 to which the call connection is made. The operator terminal 3 outputs the received voice data. When the voice of the occupant is included in the voice data collected from the in-vehicle microphone 40 and the external microphone 46, that voice flows from the operator terminal 3. As a result, the occupant can talk to the operator whether inside or outside the automobile 2.

[0083] In step ST47, the vehicle ECU 31 determines whether the call with the operator terminal 3 has ended. For example, the operator performs a call end operation on the operator terminal 3. The call end information is transmitted from the operator terminal 3 to the mobile communication device 33. When the vehicle ECU 31 has not received the call end information from the mobile communication device 33, the process returns to step ST46 to maintain the call between the operator and the occupant. When the mobile communication device 33 receives the call termination information, the vehicle ECU 31 determines that the call with the operator terminal 3 has ended and terminates this control.

[0084] As described above, in this embodiment, the automobile 2 having an emergency notification function has in-vehicle call devices 39 and 40 provided in the automobile 2 for the passengers in the vehicle, together with the mobile communication device 33 that can be connected to the operator terminal 3 in order to transmit the emergency notification generated by the vehicle ECU 31 as a control unit. And the vehicle ECU 31 that generates the emergency notification to be transmitted to the operator terminal 3 when an emergency occurs in the automobile 2 determines, based on the detections of the in-vehicle camera 38 and the out-vehicle camera 44, that the passenger who was in the vehicle before the emergency occurred is in the vehicle or outside the vehicle after the emergency occurred. When there is a possibility that the passenger is outside the vehicle after the emergency has occurred, based on the call connection request from the operator terminal 3 to the mobile communication device 33, the out-vehicle call devices 45 and 46 that enable an out-vehicle call together with the in-vehicle call devices 39 and 40 are activated to enable a call between the passenger who is outside or inside the vehicle and the operator. Also, when it is highly likely that the passenger is inside the vehicle after the emergency has occurred, the vehicle ECU 31 activates only the in-vehicle call devices 39 and 40 based on the call connection request from the operator terminal 3 to the mobile communication device 33 to enable a call between the passenger who is inside the vehicle and the operator. Thereby, even if the passenger is outside the vehicle after the emergency has occurred, the operator can communicate with the passenger of the automobile 2 where the emergency has occurred and who is outside the vehicle.

[0085] The above embodiments are examples of preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications or changes are possible without departing from the gist of the invention.

[0086] For example, in the above-described embodiment, when there is a possibility that the passenger is outside the vehicle after the emergency has occurred, the vehicle ECU 31 activates the out-vehicle call devices 45 and 46 together with the in-vehicle call devices 39 and 40 to enable a call between the passenger who is outside the vehicle and the operator. Alternatively, for example, the vehicle ECU 31 may activate the short-range communication device 47 instead of, or together with, the vehicle external communication devices 45 and 46 provided in the vehicle 2, enabling a call between the operator and a passenger outside the vehicle via the passenger terminal 49 that the passenger possesses and that is included in the connection destination list data with which the short-range communication device 47 can communicate.

Explanation of Signs

[0087] 1…Automatic emergency reporting system, 2…Automobile (vehicle), 3…Operator terminal, 4…Server device, 5…Local area network, 6…Base station, 7…Communication network, 8…Emergency vehicle, 9…Other automobile, 10…Computer device, 11…CPU, 12…Memory, 13…GNSS receiver, 14…Timer, 15…Display device, 16…Operation device, 17…Communication device, 30…Control system, 31…Vehicle ECU, 32…Vehicle memory, 33…Mobile communication device (vehicle communication device), 34…Vehicle GNSS receiver, 35…Vehicle timer, 36…Acceleration sensor, 37…Occupant monitoring device, 38…In-vehicle camera, 39…In-vehicle communication device, 39…In-vehicle speaker (in-vehicle communication device), 40…In-vehicle microphone (in-vehicle communication device), 41…Vehicle display device, 42…Vehicle operation device, 43…Door opening / closing sensor (opening / closing detection device), 44…External vehicle camera (external occupant detection unit, external imaging device), 45…External vehicle speaker (external communication device), 46…External vehicle microphone (external communication device), 47…Short-range communication device, 48…Vehicle network, 49…Passenger terminal, 101…GNSS satellite

Claims

1. A control unit that generates an emergency report to be transmitted to an operator terminal when an emergency occurs in the vehicle; A vehicle communication device connectable to the operator terminal for transmitting the emergency report generated by the control unit; An in-vehicle communication device provided in the vehicle for passengers inside the vehicle; An out-of-vehicle passenger detection unit that detects that a passenger of the vehicle is outside the vehicle; having The control unit based on the detection of the out-of-vehicle passenger detection unit, determines whether a passenger who was inside the vehicle before the emergency occurred is inside or outside the vehicle after the emergency occurred, When a passenger is inside the vehicle after the emergency has occurred, enables a call between the passenger inside the vehicle and the operator terminal using the in-vehicle communication device, When a passenger is outside the vehicle after the emergency has occurred, enables a call between the passenger inside or outside the vehicle and the operator terminal using another communication device that enables an out-of-vehicle call together with the in-vehicle communication device, A vehicle having an emergency reporting function.

2. The out-of-vehicle passenger detection unit is an out-of-vehicle imaging device that images the outside of the vehicle, having an in-vehicle imaging device that images the inside of the vehicle, The control unit based on the captured image of the in-vehicle imaging device before the emergency occurs in the vehicle, determines a passenger who was inside the vehicle before the emergency occurred, based on the captured image of the in-vehicle imaging device after the emergency occurs in the vehicle, determines a passenger who is absent inside the vehicle after the emergency has occurred, based on the captured image of the out-of-vehicle imaging device, determines that a passenger who is absent inside the vehicle is outside the vehicle, The vehicle having an emergency reporting function according to claim 1.

3. The control unit Regarding the captured image of the vehicle exterior imaging device, it is determined that the occupant is outside the vehicle by judging the conformity of the physique, silhouette, or clothing combination of the occupant who is absent inside the vehicle. The vehicle having an emergency notification function according to claim 2.

4. The control unit, After determining the presence or absence of an occupant who was inside the vehicle inside or outside the vehicle before an emergency occurs in the vehicle, an emergency notification including the determination result of the presence or absence inside or outside the vehicle is generated and transmitted from the vehicle communication device to the operator terminal. The vehicle having an emergency notification function according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. An opening / closing detection device that detects the opening and closing of the door or window of the vehicle used when an occupant gets out of the vehicle from the vehicle, The control unit, When the opening / closing detection device detects the opening and closing of the door or window of the vehicle after an emergency occurs in the vehicle, it is determined that the occupant outside the vehicle has voluntarily exited the vehicle, and an emergency notification including the determination result of the presence or absence of voluntary getting out of the vehicle (self-exiting the vehicle, being released outside the vehicle) for the occupant outside the vehicle is generated and transmitted from the vehicle communication device to the operator terminal. The vehicle having an emergency notification function according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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