Vehicle occupant protection system

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of detecting that an occupant is in danger at an early stage to perform preventive processing at appropriate timing.SOLUTION: An occupant protection system 1 stores a determination reference in which caution information leading to danger of an occupant among occupant information in a vehicle cabin and environment information in the vehicle cabin and / or outside the vehicle cabin are associated with each other, performs an attentional behavior prediction step of determining whether or not the environmental information collected in real time is included in the determination reference during operation of a vehicle 90, and performs first danger prevention processing when the environmental information is included in the determination reference in the attentional behavior prediction step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle occupant protection system. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Various vehicle occupant protection systems for protecting occupants in a vehicle have been known.

[0003] As one type of vehicle occupant protection system, for example, Patent Document 1 introduces a technology that determines the risk of an occupant falling based on the state of the occupant and the driving state of the vehicle, stores the information, and issues a warning to the driver and occupants based on the risk. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-62414 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In Patent Document 1, the driving state of the vehicle is collected in real time and used to determine the degree of danger. While this method may be able to predict immediately before a danger may occur to the vehicle and occupants, it is not able to predict danger that may occur, for example, several tens of seconds or even several minutes in the future. Even if a danger to the occupants is predicted immediately before the danger occurs and a warning is issued, if the interval between the warning and the occurrence of the danger is short, the warning may be too late.

[0006] Therefore, in order to increase the reliability of occupant protection, a technology is desired that can predict at an early stage when danger to occupants may occur.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a technique for predicting at an early stage that a danger may occur to an occupant. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The vehicle occupant protection system of the present invention, which solves the above problems, comprises: storing a determination criterion that associates warning information that may be of danger to the occupants among the occupant information in the vehicle cabin with environmental information in and / or outside the vehicle cabin; When the vehicle is operating, performing an attention behavior prediction step of determining whether the environmental information collected in real time is included in the determination criterion; The occupant protection system performs a first danger prevention process when the environmental information is included in the determination criterion in the caution behavior prediction step. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The vehicle occupant protection system of the present invention makes it possible to predict at an early stage that a danger may occur to an occupant. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram for schematically explaining a vehicle occupant protection system according to a first embodiment; [Figure 2] 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of the vehicle occupant protection system according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for schematically explaining a vehicle occupant protection system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of the vehicle occupant protection system according to the second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of the vehicle occupant protection system according to the third embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] In the occupant protection system of the present invention, occupant information that may lead to danger, i.e., information about the occupant, is defined as warning information based on past dangers that have occurred to the occupant. The warning information is then associated with environmental information related to the warning information and stored as a determination criterion, in other words, a criterion for making a danger determination. Then, while the vehicle is in operation, a caution behavior prediction step is performed to determine whether the environmental information collected in real time falls within the above-mentioned criteria. If the environmental information falls within the criteria, there is a possibility that the occupant will take a dangerous behavior corresponding to the caution information, which may put the occupant at risk of falling, etc. Therefore, in this case, the first danger prevention process is performed to ensure the safety of the occupant. In this way, the occupant protection system of the present invention makes it possible to predict at an early stage that an occupant may be in danger.

[0012] The vehicle occupant protection system of the present invention will be described below in detail with respect to each of its components. Unless otherwise specified, the numerical ranges "x to y" described in this specification include the lower limit x and the upper limit y. These upper and lower limit values, as well as the numerical values ​​listed in the examples, can be arbitrarily combined to form new numerical ranges. Furthermore, any numerical value selected from any of the above numerical ranges can be used as the upper and lower limit values ​​of a new numerical range.

[0013] The vehicle occupant protection system of the present invention is intended to protect occupants in a so-called shared transport facility that carries multiple occupants. That is, the vehicle referred to in the present invention refers to a shared vehicle such as a bus or train.

[0014] In addition, the concept of "vehicle operation" in this invention includes not only when the vehicle is running but also a part of when the vehicle is stopped. More specifically, "vehicle operation" refers to "when the vehicle is in a state where it can run and has passengers on board," but excludes "when the speed is zero, i.e., when the vehicle is stopped and the doors are fully open." For example, if the vehicle is a route bus, when it is stopped at a bus stop with the doors fully open, or when it is in a forwarding state, does not fall under the vehicle operation state.

[0015] The occupant protection system of the present invention includes: (1) a mechanism for collecting environmental information; (2) a mechanism for storing judgment criteria; and (3) a mechanism for determining whether the environmental information collected in real time is included in the judgment criteria and for performing first danger prevention processing as necessary. Hereinafter, the occupant protection system of the present invention will be described with the mechanism (1) as an environmental information acquisition unit, the mechanism (2) as a memory unit, and the mechanism (3) as a control unit.

[0016] The environmental information acquisition unit collects environmental information about the interior and / or exterior of the vehicle in real time. The environmental information collected by the environmental information acquisition unit may be stored temporarily, may be stored long-term, or may not be stored at all. The environmental information may be stored in a storage unit, which will be described later.

[0017] Environmental information as referred to in this specification may include, but is not limited to, time, temperature, humidity, vehicle driving conditions, road information, i.e., traffic restrictions and congestion on the road on which the vehicle is traveling, distance to the bus stop, opening hours of nearby facilities, etc.

[0018] The above environmental information is related to the behavior of occupants in the vehicle or while getting on and off, the number and behavior of vehicles traveling around the vehicle, and the number and behavior of pedestrians around the vehicle, and is therefore closely related to warning information, i.e., occupant information that may be in danger to the occupants.

[0019] Examples of environmental information acquisition units for acquiring the above-mentioned environmental information include, but are not limited to, imaging devices such as video cameras that acquire images or videos, computers with communication functions that access various databases and acquire various information, and various sensors such as thermometers, hygrometers, image sensors, and acceleration sensors.

[0020] The occupant protection system of the present invention may further include an occupant information acquisition unit that collects occupant information in the vehicle cabin in real time in addition to the environmental information acquisition unit. Hereinafter, the environmental information acquisition unit and the occupant information acquisition unit may be collectively referred to as the collection unit, as necessary.

[0021] The occupant information acquisition unit may be one that can capture occupant information such as occupant behavior, movement of luggage carried by the occupant, etc. Examples of such occupant information acquisition units include, but are not limited to, the above-mentioned imaging devices and various sensors such as load sensors, infrared sensors, image sensors, electrostatic sensors, ultrasonic sensors, and millimeter-wave sensors.

[0022] The occupant information collected by the occupant information acquisition unit is preferably the same type of information as the occupant information that constitutes part of the determination criteria, which will be described later.

[0023] In short, the control unit is the part of the occupant protection system of the present invention that has the function of ensuring the personal safety of the occupant by monitoring the safety status of the occupant based on environmental information collected in real time and pre-stored judgment criteria, and performing the first danger prevention processing as necessary.

[0024] The determination criteria are obtained by associating warning information that may be of danger to occupants among the occupant information in the vehicle cabin with environmental information related thereto. Examples of occupant information in the vehicle cabin include, but are not limited to, occupant movements, such as the position of the occupant's eyes, i.e., the movement of the occupant's line of sight, changes in the position of the occupant's head, changes in the occupant's posture, changes in the position of the occupant's hands and feet, changes in the position of the occupant's baggage, etc. Note that movement of the occupant's baggage means, for example, the occupant putting away a mobile terminal that was being used, or the occupant picking up a bag.

[0025] If the magnitude or frequency of the above-mentioned various types of occupant information exceeds a predetermined level, it is highly likely to be a precursor to an action that directly leads to danger to the occupant. Therefore, in the occupant protection system of the present invention, for at least one of the above types of occupant information, if the magnitude or frequency exceeds a predetermined value, it is sufficient to treat it as warning information, and then, for each warning information, it is sufficient to set a judgment criterion that is linked to environmental information related to the warning information.

[0026] Examples of behaviors that directly put occupants at risk include a seated occupant standing up, a standing passenger changing their posture, or a standing occupant starting to walk. Occupants who perform these behaviors while the vehicle is in motion may be at risk of falling or other danger. Therefore, these behaviors can be said to be behaviors that put occupants at risk. In this specification, behaviors that put occupants at risk may be referred to as risky behaviors, and occupant information that corresponds to such risky behaviors may be referred to as risk information, as necessary.

[0027] Furthermore, when a passenger stands up from a seated position, for example, they often look ahead in the direction of their travel, check signs for bus stops, or organize their baggage. Furthermore, passengers often change their posture just before standing up. If the magnitude or frequency of such passenger information is small, it may merely indicate that the passenger has slightly changed their posture or simply moved. However, if the passenger information is warning information whose magnitude or frequency exceeds a predetermined level, it may be highly likely to be a precursor to a dangerous behavior by the passenger.

[0028] The type of occupant information that should be used as warning information can be appropriately set depending on the type of vehicle, its operating route, the type of occupant that is expected to be most likely to use the vehicle (for example, young children, elderly people, etc.), etc.

[0029] For example, if a vehicle is expected to be used primarily for commuting to work or school, it is likely that a large proportion of the occupants will be healthy, so it is preferable to set a high threshold value for distinguishing warning information from occupant information. In other words, in this case, it is preferable to set the above-mentioned predetermined size to a large value. In other words, in this case, it is preferable to determine whether or not the information is warning information under less stringent conditions.

[0030] On the other hand, if the route of the vehicle includes a general hospital or a hospital with a large number of beds, or an elementary school or kindergarten, the vehicle is likely to be used to take injured or ill passengers to hospitals or young passengers to kindergarten or school, and it is assumed that there is a high possibility that passengers may be in danger inside the vehicle. In such cases, it is preferable to set the threshold low.

[0031] In the passenger protection system of the present invention, in order to improve the accuracy of early prediction of possible danger to the passenger, it is preferable to provide a plurality of determination criteria, and the more the number, the better.

[0032] In the occupant protection system of the present invention, only one type of warning information may be provided for one risky behavior. In other words, only one determination criterion may be provided for one risky behavior. However, in order to improve the prediction accuracy, it is preferable to provide multiple determination criteria for one risky behavior.

[0033] When multiple criteria are set for one risky behavior, it is preferable to perform the first risk prevention process when multiple pieces of environmental information, each included in a different criterion, are detected as environmental information collected in real time during operation. Hereinafter, the environmental information collected in real time during operation may be referred to as in-operation environmental information, as necessary.

[0034] When multiple criteria for one risky behavior are set, it is preferable to assign a weight to each of the multiple criteria. In this case, for example, a low score is assigned to a low-risk criterion and a high score to a high-risk criterion. Then, when multiple pieces of driving environment information included in different criteria are detected, the scores of the corresponding criteria are added up, and if the sum reaches a predetermined value or more, the first risk prevention process is performed.

[0035] Furthermore, in the passenger protection system of the present invention, for each determination criterion, only one piece of environmental information may be associated with one piece of warning information, but it is also preferable to associate a plurality of pieces of environmental information with one piece of warning information.

[0036] The determination criteria may include, as environmental information, for example, only environmental information at the time when the warning information was issued, or may include, in addition to the environmental information, environmental information similar to the environmental information (referred to as similar environmental information as necessary). For example, if the environmental information at the time when the warning information was issued is a specific time, a range of several minutes to several tens of minutes before and after the specific time may be used as similar environmental information. When the determination criteria include similar environmental information in addition to environmental information, although there is a risk of a slight decrease in prediction accuracy, there is an advantage in that it is less likely that a potential danger to the occupants will be overlooked. The environmental information included in the judgment criteria may be a specific point, such as a specific time or a specific temperature, or may be a specific range, such as a specific time period or a specific temperature range.

[0037] In the occupant protection system of the present invention, the above-mentioned judgment criteria may be set only before operation, or may be set during operation based on environmental information and occupant information collected during operation. When the judgment criteria are set before operation, environmental information and occupant information may be collected by performing a preliminary run with the actual vehicle, and the judgment criteria may be set based on this. Alternatively, the judgment criteria may be set based on the results of a simulation using AI or the like.

[0038] In the occupant protection system of the present invention, in addition to the preset criteria, it is also possible to add criteria that are set based on environmental information and occupant information collected during operation. Furthermore, the preset criteria may be updated or new criteria may be added based on the environmental information and occupant information collected during operation.

[0039] In either case, the control unit simply compares the environmental information collected by the collection unit in real time while the vehicle is in operation, that is, the in-operation environmental information, with the determination criteria.

[0040] The criteria to be referenced must already exist at the time of reference. Therefore, if only criteria set during operation based on environmental information and occupant information collected during operation are used, sufficient prediction accuracy may not be achieved in the early stages of operation. For this reason, it is preferable to prepare at least some of the criteria in advance before operation begins.

[0041] The in-travel environment information may include not only the information at the time that is continuously collected while the vehicle is in operation and that is referenced as the judgment criterion, but also information collected and stored immediately before that time. The immediately prior range may be set appropriately depending on the type of vehicle, the route on which the vehicle is traveling, etc., and specific examples include within 60 seconds, within 30 seconds, within 10 seconds, within 5 seconds, etc. from the time point.

[0042] As described above, the control unit compares the in-travel environment information with the judgment criteria. Then, if the in-travel environment information is included in the judgment criteria, the control unit performs the first danger prevention process. This is because if the in-travel environment information is included in the judgment criteria, there is a possibility that the occupant will perform an action that can be detected as warning information, and ultimately, a risky action. In this specification, an occupant's action that can be detected as warning information may be referred to as the occupant's cautionary action, as necessary. Furthermore, referring to the judgment criteria in the in-travel environment information and determining whether the in-travel environment information is included in the judgment criteria may be referred to as a cautionary action prediction process.

[0043] For example, when the distance to the bus stop of the vehicle is within a predetermined range, a passenger who is getting off may try to stand up before the bus stops. In this case, there is a risk that the passenger who tries to stand up may fall. In this case, the information that "the distance to the bus stop of the vehicle is within a predetermined range" is environmental information, and the passenger's action of "standing up" is a risky behavior.

[0044] Before standing up, i.e., before engaging in risky behavior, an occupant may look out the window or move their head. From a slight change in head position, it is difficult to determine whether the occupant has simply changed their posture or is trying to stand up. However, if the occupant's head moves forward or backward by more than 10 cm, for example, it is highly likely that the occupant is trying to stand up. In this case, the information that "the occupant moved their head" is occupant information, and the information that "the occupant moved their head forward or backward by more than 10 cm" is caution information.

[0045] In this case, in order to collect the above-mentioned warning information, it is effective to use the position of the occupant's head when the position of the occupant's head is kept stable, that is, when the position of the occupant's head is stable, as a reference point, and detect the amount of change in the head position and the direction of the change in position from that reference point. Furthermore, it is more preferable to detect the change in head position as the amount of change from the reference point within a certain period of time, such as 10 seconds, 30 seconds, or 1 minute.

[0046] The judgment criteria based on the above warning information are stored in association with the warning information that "the occupant has moved their head back and forth by more than 10 cm" and the environmental information that "the distance to the vehicle's stop is within a specified range." In this case, if the environmental information acquired as the in-travel environment information is that "the distance to the bus stop of the vehicle is within a predetermined range," the in-travel environment information is included in the judgment criteria, and therefore there is a high possibility that the occupant will take the cautionary action of "moving their head back and forth by 10 cm or more," and therefore a high possibility that they will take the risky action of "standing up." Therefore, in this case, it is determined that there is a high possibility that the occupant will take the risky action, and the first risk prevention process should be carried out.

[0047] The first danger prevention process includes issuing a warning to the driver and / or passengers and controlling the operation of the vehicle. Furthermore, when the occupant protection system of the present invention performs two or more stages of danger prevention process, for example, the first stage of the first danger prevention process is performed after the aforementioned cautionary behavior prediction process. Then, if the second stage of danger prevention process is performed subsequently or in parallel with the first stage of the first danger prevention process by detecting the occupant's cautionary behavior itself and predicting the occupant's risky behavior (i.e., performing the risky behavior prediction process described below), the risky behavior prediction process may be started as the first stage of danger prevention process. Furthermore, as described below, a risky behavior detection process may be performed subsequently to the first danger prevention process and / or the second danger prevention process, or in parallel with the first danger prevention process and / or the second danger prevention process, to detect the occupant's risky behavior itself, and other danger prevention processes (the second danger prevention process described below) may be performed. In this case, the risky behavior detection process may be started as the first stage of danger prevention process. The risky behavior detection process will be described in detail later.

[0048] When issuing a warning to the driver as the first or second danger prevention process, it is preferable to use a warning device provided near the driver's seat. Specifically, a warning light may be turned on, a warning sound or a voice message calling attention may be emitted from a speaker or earphones, or text or graphics may be displayed on a monitor or the like that displays images from inside the vehicle cabin to call attention.

[0049] When issuing a warning to the occupant as the first or second danger prevention process, it is preferable to use a warning device provided near the occupant's seat. In this case, it is also preferable to use a warning light, speaker, monitor, etc. to call attention with light, sound, letters, figures, etc. It is also preferable to transmit attention information to the occupant's mobile device via wireless communication.

[0050] When controlling the operation of the vehicle as the first danger prevention process or the second danger prevention process, for example, a signal may be transmitted to an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) of the vehicle to decelerate or stop the vehicle. The first danger prevention process and the second danger prevention process are not limited to these, and may be any process that prompts the occupant to stop engaging in risky behavior, or changes the vehicle's driving state so that the occupant is not put in danger if they engage in risky behavior.

[0051] The first risk prevention treatment may be carried out in stages. For example, it is preferable to assign a level of importance to warning information, and use a mild judgment criterion for warning information that is unlikely to lead to risky behavior or warning information that is expected to require a long time from the detection of the warning information to the start of the risky behavior, and perform mild first danger prevention processing when the driving environment information falls within the mild judgment criterion. Also, it is preferable to use a severe judgment criterion for warning information that is likely to lead to risky behavior or warning information that is expected to require a short time from the detection of the warning information to the start of the risky behavior, and perform severe first danger prevention processing when the driving environment information falls within the severe judgment criterion. Similarly, it is possible to perform the second danger prevention processing in stages.

[0052] For example, if a yellow lamp is turned on as a minor first danger prevention process, the lamp may be flashed or a red lamp may be turned on as a serious first danger prevention process. In addition, when the vehicle is slowed down as a minor first danger prevention process, the vehicle may be stopped as a serious first danger prevention process. Furthermore, it is also preferable to perform a plurality of minor first danger prevention treatments as a major first danger prevention treatment. In this case, the plurality of minor first danger prevention treatments may be performed one by one in sequence, or the plurality of minor first danger prevention treatments may be performed simultaneously.

[0053] In the passenger protection system of the present invention, the caution behavior prediction process may be continued even after the first danger prevention process has been performed. If multiple pieces of driving environment information included in the mild judgment criterion are detected, the first danger prevention process may be performed as severe. Furthermore, in the occupant protection system of the present invention, after the danger prevention process is performed or in parallel with the warning information prediction process, warning information or danger information itself may be detected from the occupant information collected by the collection unit. In this case, the occupant information collected in real time during operation is referenced to a judgment criterion, and if the occupant information falls within the judgment criterion, it can be determined that warning information or danger information has been detected. Hereinafter, the occupant information collected in real time during operation will be referred to as in-operation occupant information as necessary.

[0054] As a method for detecting warning information, for example, the method described in Patent Application No. 2020-189005 filed by the applicant of the present application can be suitably used.

[0055] Patent application No. 2020-189005 is an imaging unit that captures images of occupants in the vehicle and the interior of the vehicle and acquires image information over time; The invention relates to a vehicle occupant protection system that includes a control unit that analyzes the occupant's movements in chronological order based on the image information while the vehicle is in operation, and performs preventive processing when it determines that the occupant's preparatory movements that lead to movement of location, among the occupant's movements, have reached a predetermined danger level, either individually or cumulatively. Of these, "the occupant's action of moving location" is a risky action in the present invention, and "the occupant's preparatory action of moving location that leads to a change of location" is an occupant's action that is detected as warning information in the present invention, i.e., a cautionary action.

[0056] The vehicle occupant protection system described in Patent Application No. 2020-189005 essentially continuously collects occupant information and detects, as warning information, a state in which preparatory movement behaviors reach a dangerous level, either individually or cumulatively. In the present invention, the possibility of a warning information being generated is predicted based on driving environment information. Therefore, the vehicle occupant protection system described in Patent Application No. 2020-189005 can be said to be one step after the above-described warning behavior prediction process in the occupant protection system of the present invention, i.e., a process of detecting the warning information itself. Note that the method for detecting the warning information itself is not limited to the above-described method, and various known methods can be used.

[0057] In this specification, the process of detecting warning information following the caution behavior prediction process and danger prevention processing or in parallel with the caution behavior prediction process and first danger prevention processing as described above, and predicting the occupant's risky behavior based on the actually detected warning information, will be referred to as the risky behavior prediction process, as necessary. The caution information used in the risky behavior prediction process may be the same as the caution information included in the judgment criteria used in the risky behavior prediction process, or may be judged under stricter conditions than the caution information.

[0058] However, when the risky behavior prediction process is performed after the caution behavior prediction process and the danger prevention processing, it is preferable that the caution information used in the risky behavior prediction process be judged under stricter conditions than the caution information included in the judgment criteria used in the caution behavior prediction process. This is because when the risky behavior prediction process is performed after the caution behavior prediction process and the danger prevention process, it is already predicted that the occupant will perform caution behavior, and the situation is such that there is a high probability that the occupant will actually perform caution behavior thereafter.

[0059] A more detailed explanation will be given by taking as an example a case where the warning information used in the risky behavior prediction step and the warning information included in the determination criteria are the same information, "the occupant moves his head."

[0060] When the cautionary behavior prediction process is performed prior to the risky behavior prediction process, the occupant's risk level during the cautionary behavior prediction process is often lower than the occupant's risk level during the risky behavior prediction process. Therefore, in this case, it is preferable that the judgment criteria used in the cautionary behavior prediction process include warning information with relatively relaxed conditions that can detect occupants who are relatively at risk, rather than warning information with strict conditions that can detect the presence of an occupant who is at a very high risk. In other words, it is preferable to have higher prediction sensitivity in the risky behavior prediction process than in the cautionary behavior prediction process.

[0061] More specifically, when the warning information used in the risky behavior prediction process and the warning information included in the determination criterion are the same information, "the occupant moves his / her head," it is preferable that, for example, the warning information included in the determination criterion be information, "the occupant moves his / her head forward or backward by 5 cm or more," and the warning information used in the risky behavior prediction process be information, "the occupant moves his / her head forward or backward by 10 cm or more." If the occupant moves his / her head 10 cm, there is a higher possibility that the occupant will stand up compared to if the occupant moves his / her head 5 cm. Therefore, in this case, it can be said that the risky behavior prediction process has higher prediction sensitivity to the occupant's risky behavior, such as the occupant standing up, compared to the cautionary behavior prediction process using the determination criterion.

[0062] Furthermore, the risk information of the occupant itself may be detected immediately after the cautionary behavior prediction step and the risk prevention process, or in parallel with the cautionary behavior prediction step and the first risk prevention process. The step of actually detecting risk information is referred to as a risky behavior detection step, as necessary. The risk information used in the risky behavior detection process is occupant information including the behaviors that directly lead to the danger of the occupant, that is, risky behaviors. When danger information is detected, it is highly likely that the occupants are in imminent danger, and in this case, it is preferable to immediately perform danger prevention processing. This danger prevention processing may be referred to as second danger prevention processing.

[0063] In the occupant protection system of the present invention, it is preferable to use a computing device equipped with a CPU, memory, etc. as the control unit. The control unit may be dedicated to the vehicle occupant protection system of the present invention, or may also serve as the vehicle's ECU (Electronic Control Unit). Furthermore, the control unit does not necessarily have to be mounted on the vehicle. For example, a control unit located in a control center outside the vehicle may be connected to one or more vehicles via wireless communication. The control unit may then collect environmental information and occupant information about the vehicle and remotely control the vehicle.

[0064] The storage unit is a part of the occupant protection system of the present invention that stores the aforementioned determination criteria, and like the control unit, may be mounted on the vehicle, or may be mounted on a server separately provided in a control center or the like outside the vehicle. In addition to the determination criteria, the storage unit may store, for a predetermined period, driving environment information and driving occupant information collected by the collection unit during driving.

[0065] When the entire control unit and memory unit are installed in the vehicle, there is an advantage in that the processing speed of the entire system is increased. On the other hand, when part of the control unit is installed outside the vehicle, i.e., in the control center or the like, analysis results from the control unit can be shared among multiple vehicles, and it is also possible to perform coordinated vehicle control, such as deceleration control, among nearby vehicles. When the control mechanism using the control unit is applied to, for example, public transportation such as a route bus, a shuttle bus operating on a specific section, or a tourist bus operating in a line of multiple vehicles, the vehicle occupant protection system of the present invention enables more effective centralized management and centralized control operation, thereby enabling the safer operation of multiple vehicles.

[0066] The vehicle occupant protection system of the present invention will be described below by way of a specific example.

[0067] Example 1 The passenger protection system of the first embodiment is mounted on a bus, which is a type of public transport, and aims to ensure the safety of passengers on board the vehicle. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for schematically explaining the passenger protection system of the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the passenger protection system of the first embodiment.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 1, the occupant protection system 1 of the first embodiment includes a collection unit 2, a control unit 3, a storage unit 4, and a warning unit 5. In the occupant protection system 1 of the first embodiment, the collection unit 2, the control unit 3, the storage unit 4 and the warning unit 5 are mounted on a vehicle 90.

[0069] The collection unit 2 in the occupant protection system 1 of the first embodiment includes an environmental information acquisition unit 20 that continuously collects environmental information, and an occupant information acquisition unit 21 that continuously collects occupant information.

[0070] Of these, the environmental information acquisition unit 20 has a route fare device, a temperature and humidity sensor, a clock, a CAN, a communication device, an indoor camera, and an outdoor camera, all of which are not shown.

[0071] The route fare device is mounted inside the vehicle cabin, stores the travel route of the vehicle 90 in association with the fee, i.e., fare, corresponding to the travel route, calculates the fare from the current location of the vehicle 90, and settles the fare. The route fare device collects route information of the vehicle 90 as environmental information. For example, if the route of vehicle 90 includes a hospital, a passenger who boards at a stop in front of the hospital may have reduced physical abilities. In this case, the possibility of a standing passenger falling increases. Also, if the fare is in coins, some passengers may want to exchange their money. In this case, the possibility of the passenger standing up and falling increases. In the former case, the risky behavior of the passenger is standing up, and in the latter case, the risky behavior of the passenger is standing up from a seated position. In the passenger protection system 1 of the first embodiment, the route fare device collects, as environmental information, the positional relationship between vehicle 90 and the stop and the fare paid by the passenger who gets off at the next stop.

[0072] The temperature and humidity sensor is mounted in the vehicle cabin and collects the temperature and humidity inside the vehicle cabin as environmental information. When the temperature and humidity inside the vehicle cabin are high or low, seated occupants may stand up or standing occupants may change their posture to adjust the volume and direction of the conditioned air blown out from the air conditioner. Standing occupants may also start walking toward the air conditioner outlet, etc. This also increases the risk of the occupant falling. Note that risky behaviors of occupants in this case include standing up from a seated position, changing posture from a standing position, and walking from a standing position.

[0073] The clock is installed in the vehicle 90 and collects the current time as environmental information. During the daytime, the number of elderly people riding in the vehicle increases to avoid the rush hour traffic during commuting hours. In this case, risky behavior of passengers is standing up from a seated position or riding while standing.

[0074] The CAN (Controller Area Network) is a communication system that is connected to the ECUs of the vehicle 90 and transmits information between multiple ECUs. The CAN collects driving information of the vehicle 90, specifically, operation information of the accelerator and brake, the speed and acceleration of the vehicle 90, as environmental information. If the speed of the vehicle 90 gradually decreases or increases without operating the accelerator or brake, the vehicle 90 may be traveling on a slope. In this case, the occupant's posture becomes unstable, increasing the possibility of the occupant falling. In this case, the occupant's risky behavior is standing up from a seated position or standing while riding the vehicle.

[0075] The communication device communicates with the database and collects weather information. When it rains or snows, the floor of the vehicle 90 gets wet, making it easy for the occupants to slip. In this case, dangerous behavior of the occupants is when they stand up from a seated position or when they stand while riding.

[0076] The interior camera captures video images of the interior of the vehicle and collects image data, and the control means determines the brightness of the interior of the vehicle, the shaking of the interior of the vehicle, and the amount of luggage carried by the occupants based on the image data. For example, in the evening or at night when the setting sun is strong, it is difficult to see the steps on the floor or steps of the vehicle 90, and there is a possibility that the occupant may trip. In this case, the occupant's risky behavior would be standing up from a seated position or changing position from a standing position. Furthermore, for example, if the vehicle interior is subject to large shaking, a standing occupant may easily lose balance. In this case, standing is a risky behavior for the occupant. For example, if the occupant is carrying an umbrella, it may be raining and the floor of the vehicle 90 may be wet and slippery for the occupant. In this case, the occupant's risky behavior is standing up from a seated position or standing while riding. For example, if an occupant has both hands full with luggage, the occupant is likely to fall over. In this case, the occupant's risky behavior is standing while riding.

[0077] The exterior camera captures images of road conditions (such as large unevenness in the road surface due to construction work, lane restrictions, etc.), the positional relationship between traffic lights and vehicle 90, and the area ahead in the direction vehicle 90 is traveling, and collects image data. When road conditions are poor, the interior of the vehicle shakes violently, making it easy for standing occupants to lose their balance. In this case, standing occupants are in a dangerous position. When a traffic light ahead and close by turns red, the vehicle 90 slows down, and when the traffic light turns from red to green, a stopped vehicle 90 starts moving, or a decelerated vehicle 90 accelerates. In these cases, the interior of the vehicle also shakes violently, making it easy for standing occupants to lose their balance. In this case, the risky behavior of the occupants is standing while riding. When there is a curve or a three-way intersection ahead, a standing occupant is likely to lose balance. In this case, standing on the vehicle is a dangerous behavior for the occupant.

[0078] In the occupant protection system 1 of the first embodiment, the environmental information collected by each of the environmental information acquisition units 20 is stored in advance in the storage unit 4 as a determination criterion associated with the corresponding occupant's attention information.

[0079] The occupant information acquisition unit 21 is an interior camera that captures video images inside the vehicle cabin.

[0080] The control unit 3 is a computer mounted on the vehicle 90, and includes a CPU and a RAM. The control unit 3 is connected to the collection unit 2 described above, as well as the storage unit 4 and warning unit 5 described below.

[0081] The storage unit 4 is a hard disk, which is a type of so-called storage, and stores the criteria in advance. In the occupant protection system 1 of the first embodiment, the occupant's head position, eye movement, and posture change based on skeletal diagnosis are analyzed based on the images collected by the occupant information acquisition unit 21, and the following seven types of occupant information are determined. Note that the following occupant information is considered to progress in ascending order. [1] Fully seated, [2] Look around, [3] Move away from the backrest. [4] The body moves away from the seat. [5] Stand up on the spot, [6] Go out into the passageway. [7] Start walking down the aisle.

[0082] Of the seven types of occupant information listed above, [2] to [4] are cautionary behaviors. Of these, [3] is a behavior that is more likely to continue as a dangerous behavior than [2], meaning it is a behavior that requires severe caution. Also, [4] is a behavior that requires severe caution even more than [3].

[0083] Of the seven types of occupant information listed above, [5] and onwards are dangerous behaviour.

[0084] In the occupant protection system 1 of Example 1, the occupant information [2] to [7] and the environmental information at that time were obtained in advance by test driving the vehicle 90 on the same route multiple times, and were linked to each other and stored in the memory unit 4 as judgment criteria. In the caution behavior prediction step described later, a criterion including caution behaviors [2] to [4] is used. In the risky behavior detection step described later, a criterion including risky behaviors [5] to [7] is used.

[0085] In the occupant protection system 1 of the first embodiment, during the test driving described above, environmental information was collected by the various environmental information acquisition units 20. The environmental information was acquired at a predetermined acquisition frequency (frame rate), and the environmental information included in the frame when any of the above occupant information [2] to [7] occurred was used as a judgment criterion, together with the corresponding cautionary behavior or risky behavior.

[0086] The warning unit 5 is a warning light, a speaker, and a monitor (not shown) that issues a warning to the driver and passengers.

[0087] The operation of the occupant protection system 1 of the embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0088] First, when the vehicle 90 starts to travel, the occupant protection system 1 of the first embodiment also starts (S1), and the control unit 3 first starts the caution behavior prediction process (S2).

[0089] In the attention behavior prediction process, the environmental information acquisition unit 20 of the collection unit 2 continuously collects environmental information, and the occupant information acquisition unit 21 continuously collects occupant information. The occupant information acquisition unit 21 collects individual occupant information for each occupant riding in the vehicle 90. Therefore, the following processes are performed in parallel for each occupant. The control unit 3 stores the collected environmental information and occupant information in the storage unit 4 for a predetermined period of time.

[0090] The control unit 3 analyzes the driving environment information collected in real time by the environment information acquisition unit 20 (S4), and then compares the driving environment information with the criteria stored in advance in the storage unit 4 to determine whether the driving environment information falls within the criteria (S5).

[0091] If the driving environment information is not included in the judgment criteria (NO in S5), the control unit 3 returns to S4, and if the driving environment information is included in the judgment criteria (YES in S5), it determines that there is a high possibility that the occupant will take caution and starts the first danger prevention processing (S6). In the first danger prevention process, the warning unit 5 located near the driver's seat warns the driver that there is a possibility that the occupant will take caution. The warning unit 5 located near the seat also warns the occupant himself not to take caution.

[0092] After performing the first danger prevention process, the control unit 3 starts a risky behavior detection process (S7). In the risky behavior detection process, the control unit 3 analyzes the driving occupant information collected in real time by the occupant information acquisition unit 21 (S8). Then, the driving occupant information is compared with the judgment criteria pre-stored in the storage unit 4 to determine whether the driving occupant information falls within the judgment criteria. In other words, it is detected whether the occupant has engaged in risky behavior (S9).

[0093] If the occupant information at the time of driving is not included in the judgment criteria (NO in S9), the control unit 3 returns to S8, and if the occupant information at the time of driving is included in the judgment criteria (YES in S9), it determines that a dangerous behavior by the occupant has occurred and starts the second danger prevention processing (S10). In the second danger prevention process, the warning unit 5 located near the driver's seat warns the driver that the occupant has engaged in dangerous behavior. The warning unit 5 located near the seat also warns the occupant to stop the dangerous behavior. For example, the warning unit 5 urges the occupant to remain seated or hold on to a strap while the vehicle is moving.

[0094] After performing the second danger prevention process described above, the control unit 3 associates the risky behavior of the occupant with environmental information at the time the risky behavior occurred, and stores the association results as a new determination criterion in the storage unit 4 (S11). For example, the risky behavior at this time is the occupant standing up from the seat, and the environmental information is that the traveling vehicle 90 is close to the next stop.

[0095] After adding the new judgment criterion, the control unit 3 analyzes whether the occupant who engaged in the risky behavior has exited the vehicle based on the driving environment information and the driving occupant information. If the occupant has not exited the vehicle (NO in S12), the process returns to S8. If the occupant has exited the vehicle (YES in S12), the process ends the risky behavior detection process for the occupant (S13). Note that even in this case, if the vehicle 90 continues to operate, the cautionary behavior prediction process and / or risky behavior detection process for other occupants continues.

[0096] In the occupant protection system 1 of the first embodiment, while the vehicle 90 is in operation, the driving environment information collected in real time is compared with the judgment criteria to determine whether the driving environment information falls within the judgment criteria, and based on the result, it is predicted whether the occupant will perform cautionary behavior, which is a precursor to risky behavior. As a result, the occupant protection system 1 of the first embodiment can predict potential danger to the occupant early and take appropriate risk prevention measures as needed.

[0097] Example 2 The occupant protection system 1 of Example 2 differs from the occupant protection system 1 of Example 1 in that the control unit 3 and memory unit 4 are located in a control center outside the vehicle and have a communication unit that communicates between the control center and the vehicle 90, but otherwise is generally the same as the occupant protection system 1 of Example 1. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for schematically explaining the occupant protection system 1 of the second embodiment, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the occupant protection system 1 of the second embodiment.

[0098] As shown in FIG. 3, the occupant protection system 1 of the second embodiment includes a communication unit 60 and a communication unit 61 in addition to a collection unit 2, a control unit 3, a storage unit 4, and a warning unit 5. The collection unit 2, warning unit 5, and communication unit 60 are mounted on a vehicle 90, and the communication unit 61, control unit 3, and memory unit 4 are located in a control center 91. The communication unit 60 mounted on the vehicle 90 and the communication unit 61 of the control center are capable of wireless communication, and the collection unit 2 and warning unit 5 are connected to the communication unit 60.

[0099] The control unit 3 of the control center 91 is connected to the communication unit 61 and the storage unit 4. The control unit 3 acquires environmental information and occupant information from the collection unit 2 provided in the vehicle 90 via the communication unit 61 and the communication unit 60, and also controls the operation of the warning unit 5 via the communication unit 61 and the communication unit 60. The communication unit 61 is also capable of wireless communication with other communication units (not shown) mounted in other vehicles 90. Therefore, the control unit 3 protects occupants in multiple vehicles 90 in parallel via the communication unit 61, and acquires and collects environmental information from the multiple vehicles 90 in real time.

[0100] As shown in Fig. 4, in the occupant protection system 1 of the second embodiment, when the occupant protection system 1 starts (IS1), the control unit 3 in the control center 91 analyzes whether or not environmental information and occupant information have been received from the target vehicle 90 (IS2). If environmental information and occupant information have not been received (NO in IS2), IS2 is repeated. If environmental information and occupant information have been received (YES in IS2), the system proceeds to the attention behavior prediction step (S2 in Fig. 2), and thereafter, steps S2 to S13 similar to those of the occupant protection system 1 of the first embodiment are performed.

[0101] In the occupant protection system 1 of Example 2, similarly to the occupant protection system 1 of Example 1, while the vehicle 90 is in operation, the in-travel environment information collected in real time is compared with the judgment criteria to determine whether the in-travel environment information falls within the judgment criteria, and based on the result, it is predicted whether the occupant will perform cautionary behavior, which is a precursor to risky behavior. As a result, the occupant protection system 1 of Example 2 can also predict potential danger to the occupant at an early stage and take appropriate risk prevention measures as needed.

[0102] In addition, in the occupant protection system 1 of Example 2, the control unit 3 is located in a control center outside the vehicle 90, which has the advantage that the analysis results, environmental information, and judgment criteria of the control unit 3 can be shared and fed back between multiple vehicles 90.

[0103] Furthermore, the control unit 3 and the storage unit 4 can be large and have large capacity, which has the advantage of improving the processing speed of the control unit 3 and enabling the use of a wide variety of judgment criteria.

[0104] Example 3 The occupant protection system 1 of the third embodiment differs from the occupant protection system 1 of the first embodiment in the timing of the second danger prevention process, but is otherwise substantially the same as the occupant protection system 1 of the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the occupant protection system 1 according to the third embodiment.

[0105] In the occupant protection system 1 of the third embodiment, when the condition for performing the first danger prevention processing is not met and the occupant performs a risky behavior, the second danger prevention processing is first performed. For example, if the judgment criteria are not prepared in advance and sufficient judgment criteria have not yet been collected, it is not possible to accurately detect that the occupant may engage in cautionary behavior in the cautionary behavior prediction process. In such a case, even if the environmental information is not included in the judgment criteria in the cautionary behavior prediction process, the occupant may engage in risky behavior. In the third embodiment, the cautionary behavior prediction process and the risky behavior detection process are performed in parallel, and the second danger prevention process is performed prior to the first danger prevention process.

[0106] More specifically, in the occupant protection system 1 of the third embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5, if the driving environment information is not included in the determination criteria (NO in S5), the control unit 3 starts the risky behavior detection step (S7) without performing the first danger prevention process, and if the driving environment information is included in the determination criteria (YES in S5), it determines that there is a high possibility that the occupant will perform a cautionary behavior and starts the first danger prevention process (S6). In the first danger prevention process, the warning unit 5 located near the driver's seat warns the driver that there is a possibility that the occupant will perform a cautionary behavior. The warning unit 5 located near the seat also warns the occupant himself not to perform a cautionary behavior.

[0107] After completing the cautionary behavior prediction step (S2), the control unit 3 starts the risky behavior detection step (S7). In the risky behavior detection step, the driving occupant information collected in real time by the occupant information acquisition unit 21 is analyzed (S8). Then, the driving occupant information is compared with the judgment criteria pre-stored in the storage unit 4 to determine whether the driving occupant information falls within the judgment criteria. In other words, it is detected whether the occupant has engaged in risky behavior (S9).

[0108] If the driver's occupant information is not included in the judgment criteria (NO in S9), the control unit 3 proceeds to the occupant disembarkation judgment (S12) without performing the second danger prevention process (S10), and if the driver's occupant information is included in the judgment criteria (YES in S9), it determines that the occupant has engaged in dangerous behavior and starts the second danger prevention process (S10). In the second danger prevention process, the warning unit 5 located near the driver's seat warns the driver that the occupant has engaged in dangerous behavior. The warning unit 5 located near the seat also warns the occupant himself / herself to stop the dangerous behavior. For example, the warning unit 5 at this time urges the occupant to remain seated or hold on to a strap while the vehicle is moving.

[0109] After performing the second danger prevention process described above, the control unit 3 associates the occupant's risky behavior with environmental information at the time the risky behavior occurred and stores the association in the memory unit 4 as a new judgment criterion (S11).

[0110] After adding the new judgment criterion, the control unit 3 analyzes whether the occupant who engaged in the risky behavior has exited the vehicle based on the driving environment information and the driving occupant information. If the occupant has not exited the vehicle (NO in S12), the process returns to S2. If the occupant has exited the vehicle (YES in S12), the process of predicting risky behavior for the occupant is terminated (S13). Note that even in this case, if the vehicle 90 continues to operate, the process of predicting cautionary behavior and / or risky behavior for other occupants continues.

[0111] In the occupant protection system 1 of Example 3, similarly to the occupant protection system 1 of Example 1, while the vehicle 90 is in operation, the in-travel environment information collected in real time is compared with the judgment criteria to determine whether the in-travel environment information falls within the judgment criteria, and based on the result, it is predicted whether the occupant will perform cautionary behavior, which is a precursor to risky behavior. As a result, the occupant protection system 1 of Example 3 can also predict potential danger to the occupant at an early stage and take appropriate risk prevention measures as needed.

[0112] Furthermore, in the occupant protection system 1 of the third embodiment, when an occupant does not take caution but takes risky action, the second danger prevention process is performed, thereby making it possible to more reliably ensure the safety of the occupant.

[0113] Although the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, etc., and it is possible to implement the present invention by appropriately extracting and combining elements described in the embodiments, etc., and to make various modifications within the scope that does not deviate from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the specification of the present invention discloses not only the citation relationships of the claims at the time of filing but also the technical idea of ​​appropriately combining the matters described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 1: Occupant protection system, 90: Vehicle

Claims

1. storing a determination criterion that associates warning information that may be dangerous to occupants among occupant information within the vehicle cabin with environmental information within and / or outside the vehicle cabin; When the vehicle is operating, performing an attention behavior prediction step of determining whether the environmental information collected in real time is included in the determination criterion; performing a first danger prevention process when the environmental information is included in the judgment criterion in the caution behavior prediction step; An occupant protection system that adds and / or updates the judgment criteria based on the environmental information and the occupant information collected in real time.

2. The passenger protection system according to claim 1 , wherein the environmental information included in the determination criteria includes the environmental information at the time when the warning information was generated and a range similar to the environmental information.

3. storing a risk determination criterion including risk information that is directly related to the risk to the occupant among the occupant information; When the vehicle is operating, performing a risky behavior detection step of determining whether the occupant information collected in real time is included in the risk determination criterion; 3. The occupant protection system according to claim 1, wherein a second danger prevention process is performed when the occupant information is included in the danger determination criterion in the risky behavior detection process.

4. The occupant protection system according to claim 3 , wherein the risky behavior detection step is performed after the cautionary behavior prediction step.

5. An occupant protection system as described in claim 3, wherein the second danger prevention processing is performed when the conditions for performing the first danger prevention processing are not met in the caution behavior prediction process and the occupant information is included in the danger judgment criteria in the dangerous behavior detection process.

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