Vehicle abandonment detection device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle leaving detection device capable of effectively detecting the leaving in a cabin.SOLUTION: A vehicle leaving detection device 10 that detects the leaving of a living creature in a cabin of a vehicle, includes: a sound collection part 21 arranged on a front side of the cabin; a sound collection part 22 arranged on a rear side of the cabin; and a calculation control part 15. The sound collection part collects a sound generated in the cabin. The calculation control part determines whether or not there is a living creature in the cabin on the basis of sound information input from the sound collection part. Further, the calculation control part changes a time for the determination or a data amount used for the determination in accordance with the sound information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle abandonment detection device, and more particularly to a vehicle abandonment detection device that detects whether a living thing has been left behind in a vehicle compartment. [Background technology]

[0002] In the past, there have been cases where drivers have forgotten that a child or infant is in the back seat or the like and have gotten out of the vehicle, resulting in so-called "abandonment." Particularly in the summer, if a child or infant is left behind, the temperature inside the vehicle may become too high, putting the child or infant in danger.

[0003] Therefore, devices have been invented to deal with this problem.

[0004] In the invention described in Patent Document 1, while the vehicle is stopped, it is determined whether a heat source that satisfies the target condition is generated based on heat source information, the inside of the vehicle is photographed by a photographing device, and if a living organism is detected in the photographed image, notification information is output to the outside of the vehicle. In this way, it is possible to quickly notify the outside of the vehicle that a living organism has been left inside the vehicle.

[0005] In the invention described in Patent Document 2, a microphone is installed in the buckle of the rear seat seatbelt device. When the microphone picks up biological sounds other than conversation, such as crying, it determines that there is an occupant in need of emergency medical assistance, such as an infant, in the rear seat. If there is no occupant in the driver's seat and there is an occupant in need of emergency medical assistance in the rear seat for a predetermined period of time or more, a warning is activated. In this way, it is possible to detect occupants in the vehicle cabin based on the sounds picked up by the microphone. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2020 / 065811 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-99086 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, the above-described detection method leaves room for improvement in terms of effectively detecting abandonment.

[0008] Specifically, the invention described in Patent Document 1 had the problem that when it detects that a child has been left behind based on heat source information, it is unable to detect the child being left behind in the summer when the temperature inside the vehicle is higher than the child's body temperature.

[0009] In addition, in the invention described in Patent Document 2, a microphone is installed in the buckle of the rear seat seat belt device, but continuous monitoring using the microphone can result in excessive power consumption.

[0010] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle abandonment detection device that can effectively detect abandonment in the vehicle cabin while reducing energy consumption. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The present invention is a vehicle abandonment detection device that detects whether a living thing has been left inside a vehicle cabin, and includes a sound collection unit and a calculation control unit. The sound collection unit collects sounds generated inside the vehicle cabin, and the calculation control unit compares audio waveform features of determination sounds classified into a plurality of categories with audio waveform features of the sounds collected by the sound collection unit, selects a category from the audio waveform features of the determination sounds classified into a plurality of categories that is closest to the audio waveform features of the sounds collected by the sound collection unit, determines a time for audio monitoring based on the selected closest category, and determines whether the living thing is present inside the vehicle cabin based on the sounds collected by the sound collection unit within the determined audio monitoring time. It is characterized by: [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, when determining whether a living being such as a child has been left inside a vehicle, the vehicle abandonment detection device can appropriately control the power required for the determination by changing the time or amount of data required for the determination in accordance with sound information within the vehicle cabin. Therefore, excessive power consumption by the vehicle abandonment detection device while the vehicle is stopped can be prevented, and excessive battery discharge can be prevented. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle equipped with a vehicle abandonment detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a connection diagram showing a vehicle abandonment detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 4 is a flowchart showing a method for detecting abandonment using the vehicle abandonment detection device according to the embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a flow for determining whether or not it is necessary to start determination. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart showing a method for detecting abandonment using the vehicle abandonment detection device according to the embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a flow of determining an in-vehicle voice. [Figure 5] 10 is a table showing a method for detecting leaving of an object using the vehicle leaving detection device according to the embodiment of the present invention, showing a table for distinguishing collected sounds. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle parking detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a graph showing changes in the sound pressure of collected sound. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] A vehicle parking detection device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the front, rear, up, down, left, and right directions are used, and left and right refer to the left and right when the vehicle 11 is viewed from behind. Furthermore, in the following description, the same components are generally designated by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations will be omitted.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle 11 equipped with a vehicle parking detection device 10. As shown in FIG.

[0016] The vehicle 11 is, for example, a passenger car, an engine-equipped vehicle, an EV (Electric Vehicle), an HV (Hybrid Vehicle), a PHV (Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle), an FCV (Fuel Cell Vehicle), etc. The vehicle 11 is equipped with a vehicle parking detection device 10, which will be described later.

[0017] The vehicle body 18 of the vehicle 11 is equipped with a front-left door 161, a front-right door 162, a rear-left door 163, and a rear-right door 164. The front-left door 161 and the like may be opened and closed by a hinged mechanism or by a sliding mechanism. Each of the front-left doors 161 and the like is equipped with an opening / closing sensor 24 (FIG. 2) that detects opening and closing operations. Each of the front-left doors 161 and the like is also equipped with a sliding glass window (not shown here).

[0018] The vehicle interior 12 of the vehicle body 18 is provided with a front left seat 191, a front right seat 192, a rear left seat 193, and a rear right seat 194. Here, the driver 20 is seated in the front right seat 192, and the infant 14 is seated in the rear left seat 193. Here, the infant 14 is one form of living thing that may be left behind in the vehicle interior 12. In addition to the infant 14, the living thing may be a human being such as an elderly person, or an animal such as a dog or a cat.

[0019] The vehicle interior 12 is provided with a sound collection unit 21 and a sound collection unit 22. The sound collection unit 21 is disposed on the front side of the vehicle interior 12, and the sound collection unit 22 is disposed on the rear side of the vehicle interior 12. For example, microphones having directionality in the front-to-rear direction can be used as the sound collection unit 21 and the sound collection unit 22. In this way, the sound collection unit 21 and the sound collection unit 22 can be prevented from picking up noise that enters the vehicle interior 12 via the windows, and can effectively collect sounds such as the voice of the infant 14.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a connection diagram showing the vehicle parking detection device 10. As shown in FIG.

[0021] The vehicle abandonment detection device 10 is a device that detects whether a living thing has been left behind in the passenger compartment 12 of the vehicle 11. Specifically, the vehicle abandonment detection device 10 has a sound collection unit 21, a sound collection unit 22, a timer 23, an opening / closing sensor 24, a calculation control unit 15, a communication unit 25, and an alarm unit 17.

[0022] The sound collecting unit 21 and the sound collecting unit 22 collect sounds generated within the vehicle interior 12 and transmit sound information indicating the sound pressure and frequency of the sounds to the calculation control unit 15.

[0023] The timer 23 measures the time or duration and transmits information indicating this to the calculation control unit 15.

[0024] The opening / closing sensor 24 senses the opening / closing status of the front left door 161, the front right door 162, the rear left door 163, and the rear right door 164 shown in FIG. 1, and transmits information indicating these opening / closing statuses to the calculation control unit 15.

[0025] The calculation control unit 15 is composed of a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., and determines whether or not a living thing is present in the vehicle cabin 12 based on sound information, etc. input from the sound collection unit 21, etc. Furthermore, when making this determination, the calculation control unit 15 changes the time for making the determination or the amount of data used for the determination, depending on the sound information.

[0026] The communication unit 25 is connected to an information communication network such as a telephone communication line. For example, the communication unit 25 is used to notify a smartphone or the like of the user of the vehicle 11 that a child has been left behind in the vehicle compartment 12.

[0027] The notification unit 17 is configured to notify the outside that the infant 14 has been left behind in the vehicle compartment 12. Specifically, the notification unit 17 may be a horn, hazard lamps, headlights, or the like.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a method for detecting abandonment using the vehicle abandonment detection device 10, and shows a flow for determining whether or not it is necessary to start the determination.

[0029] In step S10, the vehicle 11 stops traveling and the engine and ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) are turned off. If the vehicle 11 uses a motor as a drive source, such as an EV, the motor is turned off.

[0030] In step S11, the arithmetic control unit 15 determines, based on step S10, whether or not the front right door 162 (vehicle front door) on the driver 20 side has been opened or closed by the opening / closing sensor 24.

[0031] If the answer to step S11 is YES, that is, if the front right door 162 has been opened or closed, the arithmetic and control unit 15 proceeds to step S12.

[0032] If the answer to step S11 is NO, that is, if the front right door 162 has not been opened or closed, the process proceeds to step S15.

[0033] In step S12, the arithmetic and control unit 15 determines whether the rear left door 163 (vehicle rear door), which is the door on the child 14 side, has been opened or closed by the opening / closing sensor 24.

[0034] If the answer to step S12 is YES, that is, if the rear left door 163 has been opened or closed, the arithmetic and control unit 15 proceeds to step S13.

[0035] If the answer to step S12 is NO, that is, if the rear left door 163 has not been opened or closed, the arithmetic and control unit 15 proceeds to step S14.

[0036] In step S13, the calculation control unit 15 determines that there is a high possibility that occupants, including the infant 14, have exited the vehicle as a result of the front right door 162 and the rear left door 163 being opened and closed. However, the risk that the infant 14 has been left behind cannot be ruled out. Therefore, the calculation control unit 15 determines that there is a medium risk of the infant 14 being left behind.

[0037] In step S14, the calculation control unit 15 determines that there is a high risk of being left behind because only the front right door 162 has been opened and closed, and the rear left door 163 has not been opened or closed, which means that only the driver 20 seated in the front right door 162 has disembarked.

[0038] In step S15, since the front right door 162 has not been opened or closed, the driver 20 has not exited the vehicle, and there is no risk of the infant 14 being left behind. Therefore, the calculation control unit 15 ends the flow for detecting the infant being left behind.

[0039] In step S16, since there is a medium risk, the calculation control unit 15 sets a monitoring threshold value used to determine whether or not an object has been abandoned, which will be described later, to a relatively large threshold value S1. By setting the threshold value S1 to a relatively large value, it is possible to prevent a situation in which an object is not actually abandoned from being erroneously determined to be abandoned.

[0040] In step S17, since there is a high risk of abandonment, the calculation control unit 15 sets the monitoring threshold value used to determine whether or not an object has been abandoned, which will be described later, to a relatively small threshold value S2.

[0041] Here, the threshold value S2 set in step S17 is a value smaller than the threshold value S1 set in step S16. By setting the threshold value S2 to a relatively small value, it is possible to more reliably detect that an object has been left behind.

[0042] In step S18, the calculation control unit 15 proceeds to a flow of monitoring the sound inside the vehicle compartment 12. Details of this monitoring flow will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0043] FIG. 4 shows a flow of in-vehicle voice determination showing a method for detecting the presence or absence of an object using the vehicle-mounted object detection device 10. In FIG.

[0044] In step S20, the arithmetic and control unit 15 determines whether or not a window, which is a door glass, of the vehicle 11 is open. Specifically, based on the output of a sensor (not shown), the arithmetic and control unit 15 determines whether or not any of the windows of the front left door 161, the front right door 162, the rear left door 163, and the rear right door 164 is open.

[0045] If the answer to step S20 is YES, that is, if the window is open, the calculation control unit 15 proceeds to step S21.

[0046] If the answer to step S20 is NO, that is, if the window is not open, the calculation control unit 15 proceeds to step S22. For example, in the subsequent steps, the calculation control unit 15 uses a noise removal filter that is based on the premise that external noise will not enter the vehicle interior 12.

[0047] In step S21, the calculation control unit 15 switches the noise removal filter. Specifically, when the windows of the vehicle 11 are open, external noise enters the passenger compartment 12, so the calculation control unit 15 switches to a noise removal filter that can remove this noise.

[0048] In step S22, the arithmetic and control unit 15 starts monitoring the levels of the sound information input from the sound collection unit 21 and the sound collection unit 22.

[0049] In step S23, the calculation control unit 15 determines whether the level of the sound information input from the sound collection unit 21 and the sound collection unit 22 is equal to or greater than a threshold value. Here, the threshold value is the threshold value S1 or S2 described above. When the threshold value S1 set in step S16 is used as the threshold value, the threshold value S1 is a relatively large value, and therefore, if a relatively loud sound does not occur in the vehicle interior 12, a YES determination is not made in step S23. This makes it possible to prevent an erroneous YES determination due to noise in step S23. On the other hand, when the threshold value S2 set in step S17 is used as the threshold value, the threshold value S2 is a relatively small value, and therefore, a YES determination is made in step S23 even if the sound generated in the vehicle interior 12 is relatively quiet. This makes it possible to effectively detect abandonment even when the sound made by the abandoned infant 14 is quiet.

[0050] If the answer to step S23 is YES, that is, if the level of the input sound information is equal to or higher than the threshold, the calculation control unit 15 proceeds to step S24 to determine whether or not the vehicle has been abandoned.

[0051] If the result of step S23 is NO, that is, if the level of the input sound information is less than the threshold value, the calculation control unit 15 returns to step S22 and continues monitoring the level of the sound information.

[0052] In step S24, the calculation control unit 15 determines whether or not the sound matches a determination sound (determination trigger sound). Here, the calculation control unit 15 determines whether or not the sound matches by comparing the determination sound, which is a sound emitted from various situations, with the sound collected by the sound collection unit 21 and the sound collection unit 22.

[0053] The determination sounds used in step S24 will be described with reference to the table in Fig. 5. Here, the determination sounds are classified into a number of categories, and the audio waveform characteristics, detection timers, and remarks of the classified determination sounds are shown.

[0054] First, the judged sounds are broadly classified into voice, hitting sounds, rubbing sounds, scratching sounds, breathing sounds, and environmental noises.

[0055] Furthermore, each major category is further divided into smaller categories. Specifically, sounds can be classified into infant speech, dog barking, cat meowing, etc. Knocking sounds can be classified into knocking on the door glass, knocking on the door trim, kicking on the seat, stomping on the floor, etc. Rubbing sounds can be classified into rubbing of clothes against a seat, rubbing of clothes against clothes, rubbing of a head against a seat, etc. Scratching sounds can be classified into scratching on a seat, scratching on the door glass, scratching on clothes, etc. Breathing sounds can be classified into human breathing, dog breathing, etc. Environmental noise can be classified into wind noise, street noise, shaking of the car body, conversation outside the car, etc.

[0056] Furthermore, the frequency peak, the loudness (gain) and the continuity can be adopted as the audio waveform characteristics of each determined sound classified in this way.

[0057] In this embodiment, the likelihood of a detection target is greatest in the following order: voice, hitting sounds, rubbing sounds, scratching sounds, breathing sounds, and environmental noise. That is, voice is the most likely detection target, and environmental noise is the least likely detection target.

[0058] For this reason, the timer 23, which will be described later, is set according to each determined sound. For example, if the determined sound is a voice, the timer 23 is set to 300 seconds, if it is a hitting sound, it is set to 120 seconds, if it is a rubbing sound, it is set to 120 seconds, if it is a scratching sound, it is set to 30 seconds, if it is a breathing sound, it is set to 30 seconds, and if it is an environmental noise, it is set to 10 seconds.

[0059] In step S24, the audio waveform characteristics of the trigger determination sound are compared with the audio waveform characteristics of the sound collected by sound collection units 21 and 22. This comparison is performed, for example, with respect to one or more of frequency peak, magnitude (gain), and continuity. Then, with respect to one or more of frequency peak, magnitude (gain), and continuity, the determination sound is compared with the sound collected by sound collection units 21 and 22 to select the closest classification, and the detection timer for that classification is determined. For example, if the audio waveform characteristics of the sound collected by sound collection units 21 and 22 are closest to the audio waveform characteristics of sheet scratching sound, the time for setting timer 23, which will be described later, is set to 120 seconds.

[0060] In this way, by setting the monitoring timer 23 according to each determination sound, it is possible to monitor for a longer period of time if the sound indicates a high possibility of abandonment, and for a shorter period of time if the sound indicates a low possibility of abandonment. This makes it possible to optimize the time and amount of data required for monitoring, and to prevent unnecessary power consumption by the vehicle parking detection device 10. Furthermore, when comparing the collected sound with the determination sound, instead of performing frequency component analysis, the comparison is made focusing on frequency peaks, magnitude, and continuity, thereby reducing the amount of calculations that the calculation control unit 15 must perform and reducing energy consumption.

[0061] If the answer to step S24 is YES, that is, if the comparison between any of the determination sounds and the collected sound matches, the calculation control unit 15 proceeds to step S25.

[0062] If the answer to step S24 is NO, that is, if the comparison between any of the determination sounds and the collected sound does not match, the calculation control unit 15 returns to step S22.

[0063] In step S25, the calculation control unit 15 starts sound processing to determine whether or not a living thing such as an infant 14 is present in the vehicle compartment 12. Specifically, the calculation control unit 15 collects sounds generated inside the vehicle compartment 12 using the sound collection unit 21 and the sound collection unit 22, and converts the sounds into waveform data. In this embodiment, the determination of whether or not a living thing such as an infant 14 is present in the vehicle compartment 12 is made after step S25.

[0064] In step S26, the calculation control unit 15 sets the timer 23 to monitor sounds generated inside the vehicle compartment 12. Specifically, in step S26, as shown in FIG. 5, if the sound collected by the sound collection unit 21 or the like is from a living thing such as an infant 14, the time for sound monitoring is extended to, for example, about 300 seconds, and the amount of data used for monitoring is increased. On the other hand, if the sound collected by the sound collection unit 21 or the like is not from a living thing, the time for sound monitoring is shortened to, for example, about 10 seconds, and the amount of data used for monitoring is reduced. In this way, the presence or absence of a living thing inside the vehicle compartment 12 can be accurately detected, and further, the energy consumed by the calculation control unit 15 can be reduced, preventing the battery from running out.

[0065] In step S27, the calculation control unit 15 determines whether the sounds collected by the sound collection unit 21 and the sound collection unit 22 are noise. Various methods can be used to determine whether a sound is noise. For example, it is possible to determine whether a sound is noise by comparing the sound collected by the sound collection unit 21 with the sound collected by the sound collection unit 22. In the graph shown in FIG. 6, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents sound pressure. Also in FIG. 6, the dotted line represents the change over time in the sound pressure of the sound collected by the sound collection unit 21, and the solid line represents the change over time in the sound pressure of the sound collected by the sound collection unit 22. Here, if the difference in sound pressure and the time difference between the two are large, there is a high possibility that the sound source is inside the vehicle interior 12. On the other hand, if the difference in sound pressure and the time difference between the two are small, there is a high possibility that the sound source is outside the vehicle and is noise.

[0066] The sound collected by sound collection unit 21 is compared with the sound collected by sound collection unit 22, and if the difference in either or both of the sound pressure difference and the time difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it is determined that the sound is occurring inside the vehicle interior 12 and is not noise. On the other hand, if the difference in either or both of the sound pressure difference and the time difference is less than a predetermined value, it is determined that the sound is occurring outside the vehicle interior 12 and is noise.

[0067] If the answer to step S27 is NO, that is, if the sound is not noise, the arithmetic control unit 15 proceeds to step S28 to determine whether or not the sound originates from a living organism.

[0068] If the answer to step S27 is YES, that is, if the sound is noise, the calculation control unit 15 proceeds to step S22.

[0069] In step S28, the calculation control unit 15 performs frequency analysis to determine whether the sounds collected by the sound collection unit 21 and the sound collection unit 22 are sounds. When performing the sound determination in step S28, well-known formant analysis can also be performed on the sounds collected by the sound collection unit 21 and the sound collection unit 22. In the formant analysis, the calculation control unit 15 analyzes temporal peaks of frequency characteristics contained in the collected sounds, prepares a formant feature table to be detected, evaluates the correspondence between the collected sounds and the formant feature table, and thereby estimates the presence of a living thing inside the vehicle cabin 12.

[0070] If the collected sound is from a human being such as the infant 14, the calculation control unit 15 proceeds to step S29. Furthermore, if the collected sound is from an animal other than a human being, the calculation control unit 15 proceeds to step S30. Furthermore, if the collected sound is not from a human being or an animal, the calculation control unit 15 proceeds to step S31.

[0071] In step S29, the calculation control unit 15 determines that the infant 14 is left behind in the vehicle compartment 12, and proceeds to step S32. Furthermore, in step S29, the presence of the infant 14 may be determined with even greater accuracy using a camera or millimeter wave radar installed in the vehicle compartment.

[0072] In step S30, the calculation control unit 15 determines that a non-human animal, such as a dog or cat, has been left behind in the vehicle interior 12, and proceeds to step S32.

[0073] In step S31, the arithmetic and control unit 15 determines that no one is present in the vehicle compartment 12.

[0074] In step S32, the calculation control unit 15 ends the voice determination process that started in step S25.

[0075] In step S33, the calculation control unit 15 ends the audio determination process started in step S25, returns to step S22, and continues monitoring the input audio level.

[0076] In step S34, the calculation and control unit 15 notifies that an abandonment has occurred in the vehicle 11. Specifically, the calculation and control unit 15 uses the communication unit 25 to notify a smartphone or the like owned by the owner of the vehicle 11 that an abandonment has occurred in the vehicle 11. Here, the person to whom the calculation and control unit 15 notifies is not limited to the owner, and the calculation and control unit 15 may notify multiple people registered as emergency contacts, i.e., users who regularly use the vehicle 11, etc. Furthermore, the calculation and control unit 15 may use the alarm unit 17 to sound the horn, flash the hazard lights or headlights, etc., to notify people around the vehicle 11 that an abandonment has occurred. Furthermore, the calculation and control unit 15 may operate the heating or cooling unit of the vehicle 11 to prevent the infant 14 from suffering from heatstroke or hypothermia.

[0077] In step S35, it is determined whether or not to report the incident. This determination can be made by the person who received the notification operating their smartphone.

[0078] If the answer to step S35 is YES, that is, if a notification is to be made, the calculation control unit 15 proceeds to step S36.

[0079] If the answer to step S35 is NO, that is, if a notification is not to be made, the calculation control unit 15 proceeds to step S37.

[0080] In step S36, the calculation control unit 15 notifies the call center of the telematics service, the police, the fire department, etc. In this way, the infant 14 or the like left behind in the vehicle interior 12 can be rescued quickly.

[0081] In step S37, the calculation control unit 15 ends the in-vehicle voice determination flow. For example, the driver 20 rescues the infant 14 left in the vehicle 11 by himself / herself.

[0082] The above is the description of the method for detecting abandonment in the vehicle compartment 12 using the vehicle abandonment detection device 10 according to this embodiment.

[0083] The above-described embodiment can provide the following main effects.

[0084] In this embodiment, the calculation control unit 15 determines whether or not a living thing is present in the vehicle compartment 12 based on audio information input from the sound collection unit 21, etc., and changes the time required to make the determination or the amount of data used for the determination depending on the audio information. In this way, when determining whether or not a living thing such as a child has been left behind inside the vehicle 11, the time required for the determination or the amount of data required can be changed depending on the audio information, thereby suitably adjusting the power required for the determination. This prevents the power consumption of the vehicle leaving detection device 10 from becoming excessive while the vehicle is stopped. Furthermore, the vehicle leaving detection device 10 does not use expensive sensors such as conventional load sensors, cameras, or millimeter waves to determine whether or not an object has been left behind, but instead uses an inexpensive microphone, so the vehicle leaving detection device 10 can be configured inexpensively.

[0085] Furthermore, when it is determined that there is a high possibility that the voice information is derived from a living creature, the calculation control unit 15 increases the time or the amount of data. By doing so, when there is a high possibility that the voice information is derived from a living creature, the time or the amount of data is increased, thereby making it possible to more accurately detect the presence of a living creature inside the vehicle.

[0086] Furthermore, when the calculation and control unit 15 detects the opening and closing of the door 16 of the vehicle 11, it determines whether or not there is a living thing in the vehicle compartment 12. In this way, the calculation and control unit 15 does not operate when there is no abandoned animal, thereby reducing battery consumption.

[0087] Furthermore, when the calculation control unit 15 detects the opening and closing operation of only the front right door 162, the calculation control unit 15 sets a smaller threshold value than when the calculation control unit 15 detects the opening and closing operation of both the front right door 162 and the rear right door 164. By doing so, when the calculation control unit 15 detects the opening and closing operation of only the front right door 162, there is a high possibility that only the driver 20 has exited the vehicle, and the infant 14 seated in the back seat has been left behind in the vehicle 11. In such a case, by performing a more reliable voice determination, it is possible to accurately detect the infant 14 being left behind.

[0088] Furthermore, the calculation control unit 15 changes the filter that processes the sound depending on whether the windows of the vehicle 11 are open or closed. In this way, when the windows are open, noise entering from outside the vehicle can be removed, and it is possible to more accurately detect whether someone has been left behind.

[0089] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these and can be modified within the scope of the present invention. In addition, the above-described embodiments can be combined with each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0090] 10. Vehicle abandonment detection device 11 vehicles 12 Cabin 14 Infants 15 Calculation control unit 161 Front left door 162 Front right door 163 Rear left door 164 Rear right door 17. Information Department 18 Body 191 Front left seat 192 Front right seat 193 Rear left seat 194 Rear right seat 20 Driver 21 Sound collection section 22 Sound collection section 23 Timer 24 Open / close sensor 25 Communications Department

Claims

1. A vehicle abandonment detection device that detects whether a living thing has been left inside a vehicle compartment, The device includes a sound collection unit and a calculation control unit, The sound collection unit collects sounds generated in the vehicle interior, The arithmetic and control unit comparing the sound waveform characteristics of the determined sounds classified into a plurality of categories with the sound waveform characteristics of the sound collected by the sound collecting unit; Selecting a classification that is closest to the audio waveform characteristics of the sound collected by the sound collection unit from among the audio waveform characteristics of the determination sounds classified into the plurality of classifications; A vehicle abandonment detection device characterized by determining the time for audio monitoring based on the selected closest classification, and determining whether the living thing is present in the vehicle cabin based on the sound collected by the sound collection unit during the determined time for audio monitoring.

2. The vehicle abandonment detection device described in Claim 1, characterized in that the judgment sound is classified according to the degree of possibility that it is derived from the living organism, and the time for which the audio monitoring is performed is set to a longer time the greater the possibility that it is derived from the living organism.

3. The vehicle leaving detection device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when the calculation control unit detects the opening and closing operation of the door of the vehicle, it determines whether or not the living thing is present in the vehicle compartment.

4. The arithmetic and control unit When the sound collected by the sound collecting unit is louder than a threshold value, it is determined whether or not the living thing is present in the vehicle interior; When detecting the opening and closing operation of only the front door of the vehicle, the number of times of detection is larger than when detecting the opening and closing operation of the front door and the rear door of the vehicle.

4. The vehicle abandonment detection device according to claim 3, wherein the threshold value is reduced.

5. A vehicle abandonment detection device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the calculation control unit changes the filter that processes the sound collected by the sound collection unit depending on whether the vehicle window is open or closed.

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