vehicle

Abstract

To cause an occupant to recognize that provision of a getting-out assisting function has stopped due to an unexpected stop of power supply.SOLUTION: A vehicle 10 includes an interface ECU 11 and a getting-out assisting ECU 12 that provides a getting-out assisting function for assisting an occupant in getting out of the vehicle. The interface ECU 11 acquires first information indicating whether the getting-out assisting ECU 12 has stopped provision of the getting-out assisting function, and second information indicating whether power necessary for provision of the getting-out assisting function has been supplied to the getting-out assisting ECU 12. The interface ECU 11 then notifies the occupant of information indicating that the getting-out assisting function is not provided when the first information indicates that provision of the getting-out assisting function has not been stopped, and the second information indicates that the necessary power has not been supplied to the getting-out assisting ECU 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] ,

[0006]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle having a disembarkation support function.

Background Art

[0002] As described in Patent Document 1, a vehicle having a disembarkation support function is known. The disembarkation support function is a function that implements a warning or a restriction on an opening operation of a door in order to avoid contact between an obstacle such as another vehicle or a pedestrian approaching the host vehicle and the opened door.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] It is conceivable that the power supply to the control unit that provides the disembarkation support function is suddenly interrupted due to a failure or the like. In such a case, the occupant cannot recognize that the provision of the disembarkation support function has stopped. Therefore, even if there is a possibility that the opened door may collide with an obstacle, the occupant may open the door without warning or restriction.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The vehicle that solves the above problems includes a control unit that provides a disembarkation support function for assisting the occupant to disembark, An execution flag is set when the operational check of the device for providing the aforementioned disembarkation assistance function is completed, and is cleared when the predetermined conditions for discontinuing the provision of the disembarkation assistance function are met after it has been set. and, power necessary for providing the disembarkation support function is supplied to the control unit A power status signal that is sometimes on and sometimes off when power is not supplied. and, acquires Furthermore, the power status signal is off, and the running flag is set. ​​​​​​​The above-mentioned vehicle has the effect of making the occupants aware that the disembarkation assistance function has been suspended due to an unexpected power supply interruption. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This diagram schematically shows the configuration of one embodiment of a vehicle. [Figure 2] This is a flowchart of the notification routine executed by the disembarkation assistance ECU. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart of the notification routine executed by the HMI. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Below, one embodiment of the vehicle will be described in detail with reference to Figures 1 to 3. <Vehicle Configuration> First, the configuration of the vehicle 10 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 1. The vehicle 10 is equipped with various electronic control units (ECUs). The ECUs mounted on the vehicle 10 include an interface ECU 11, an exit assistance ECU 12, and a power management ECU 13. Each ECU is equipped with a processing unit 14 and a storage device 15. Each ECU provides its respective function by having the processing unit 14 execute a program stored in the storage device 15. The vehicle 10 also has a shared memory 16, which is a storage medium that can be accessed by each ECU. The shared memory 16 is installed, for example, in one of the ECUs mounted on the vehicle 10. Each ECU and the shared memory 16 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via an in-vehicle network 17.

[0009] The interface ECU 11 is an ECU that provides an interface function between the occupants and the vehicle 10. A display 18 and a speaker 19 installed inside the vehicle are connected to the interface ECU 11. The interface ECU 11 notifies the occupants inside the vehicle of various information through the image output of the display 18 and the audio output of the speaker 19.

[0010] The exit support ECU 12 is an ECU that provides the exit support function. The exit support ECU 12 is connected to a surrounding sensor 20 that detects objects around the vehicle 10, a door sensor 21 that detects the operation of opening the door by the occupant, and an opening restriction device 22 that restricts the operation of opening the door. Examples of the surrounding sensor 20 include sonar and LiDAR. Based on the detection results of the surrounding sensor 20 and the door sensor 21, the exit support ECU 12 determines whether there is an object that could come into contact with the door when it is opened. If there is an object that could come into contact with the door, the exit support ECU 12 issues a warning to the occupant or restricts the opening of the door. Details of this exit support process are described, for example, in Patent Document 1 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-078959.

[0011] The power management ECU 13 is an ECU that provides power management functions for each ECU. The power management ECU 13 switches the power of each ECU on and off according to the operation status of the power switch 26 of the vehicle 10, for example. The exit assistance ECU 12 is connected to the battery 23 via the first power line 24. The power management ECU 13 switches the power of the exit assistance ECU 12 on and off by switching the power supply through the first power line 24 on and off. The interface ECU 11 is connected to the battery 23 via a second power line 25, which is separate from the first power line 24. Therefore, even when the power of the exit assistance ECU 12 is off, it is possible to turn on the power of the interface ECU 11. The interface ECU 11 has a function to detect the voltage E1 of the first power line 24 and the voltage E2 of the second power line 25.

[0012] <Notification process for discontinuation of the vehicle exit assistance function> Vehicle 10 notifies the occupants of the discontinuation of the alighting assistance function when the alighting assistance ECU 12 stops providing the function. The details of the processing by the interface ECU 11 and the alighting assistance ECU 12 regarding the notification of the discontinuation of the alighting assistance function are described below.

[0013] First, the processing of the exit assistance ECU 12 related to the above notification will be explained with reference to Figure 2. The exit assistance ECU 12 starts the processing shown in Figure 2 from the moment its power is turned on. The "S" before the numbers in Figure 2 and Figure 3 described later represents the processing step.

[0014] The exit assistance ECU 12 waits after power-on for preparations to be completed to provide the exit assistance function (S10:YES) before starting to provide the exit assistance function (S12). Preparations to provide the exit assistance function include, for example, checking the operation of the surrounding sensors 20, door sensors 21, opening restriction device 22, etc., and its own operation checks. The exit assistance ECU 12 also sets the execution flag F in response to the start of providing the exit assistance function (S14). The execution flag F is a flag that indicates whether or not the exit assistance ECU 12 is providing the exit assistance function. Specifically, when the execution flag F is set, it means that the exit assistance function is being provided. Conversely, when the execution flag F is cleared, it means that the provision of the exit assistance function has stopped. The execution flag F is stored in the shared memory 16. Therefore, the state of the execution flag F can be checked by ECUs other than the exit assistance ECU 12.

[0015] Subsequently, the disembarkation support ECU 12 proceeds to S18 if the conditions for discontinuing the disembarkation support function are met (S16: YES). The conditions for discontinuing the disembarkation support function include the elapsed time since the power switch 26 of the vehicle 10 was turned off, confirmation that all occupants have disembarked, and the doors of the vehicle 10 being locked.

[0016] In S18, the exit assistance ECU 12 requests the interface ECU 11 to display information indicating that it will stop providing the exit assistance function. In response to this request, the interface ECU 11 displays information indicating that it will stop providing the exit assistance function on the display 18. Next, the exit assistance ECU 12 clears the execution flag F (S20), stops providing the exit assistance function (S22), and then terminates the process shown in Figure 2.

[0017] Next, referring to FIG. 3, the processing of the interface ECU 11 related to the above notification will be described. The interface ECU 11 repeatedly executes the processing of FIG. 3 at each predetermined control cycle during its operation.

[0018] When performing the processing of FIG. 3, the interface ECU 11 first determines whether the power state signal PS of the alighting assistance ECU 12 is on (S50). The power state signal PS is a signal indicating whether the power management ECU 13 is supplying power to the alighting assistance ECU 12 through the first power line 24. The on state of the power state signal PS represents that power is being supplied to the alighting assistance ECU 12, and the off state represents that the power supply to the alighting assistance ECU 12 has been stopped. The power management ECU 13 outputs the power state signal PS to other ECUs periodically.

[0019] When the power state signal PS is on (S50: YES), the interface ECU 11 proceeds to the processing of S54. On the other hand, when the power state signal PS is off (S50: NO), the interface ECU 11 determines whether the execution flag F stored in the shared memory 16 is set (S52). Then, when the execution flag F is set (S52: YES), the interface ECU 11 proceeds to the processing of S54, and when the execution flag F is cleared (S52: NO), the processing of FIG. 3 in the current control cycle is terminated.

[0020] Next, the processing of the interface ECU 11 when the process proceeds to S54 will be described. In this case, the interface ECU 11 first determines whether the voltage E2 of the second power line 25 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value X (S54). The threshold value X is set to the lower limit value of the voltage E2 of the second power line 25 that can supply the power necessary for the screen display of the display 18 and the voice output of the speaker 19 to the interface ECU 11. When the voltage E2 is equal to or greater than the threshold value X (S54: YES), the interface ECU 11 proceeds to S56. Also, when the voltage E2 is less than the threshold value X (S54: NO), the interface ECU 11 ends the processing of FIG. 3 in the current control cycle.

[0021] In S56, the interface ECU 11 determines whether the voltage E1 of the first power line 24 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value Y. The threshold value Y is set to the lower limit value of the voltage E1 of the first power line 24 that can supply the power necessary for providing the vehicle exit assistance function to the vehicle exit assistance ECU 12. When the voltage E1 is less than the threshold value Y (S56: NO), after notifying information indicating that the provision of the vehicle exit assistance function has abnormally stopped (S58), the interface ECU 11 ends the processing of FIG. 3 in the current control cycle. Note that the interface ECU 11 performs the notification of information in this S58 and S64 described later through the screen display of the display 18 and the voice output of the speaker 19.

[0022] On the other hand, when the interface ECU 11 determines in S56 that the voltage E1 is equal to or greater than the threshold value Y (S56: YES), it determines whether it is in a state where communication with the vehicle exit assistance ECU 12 is impossible (S60). For example, when the interface ECU 11 cannot establish communication with the vehicle exit assistance ECU 12 continuously for a predetermined number of times or more, it determines that it is in a state where communication is impossible. When the interface ECU 11 determines that communication with the vehicle exit assistance ECU 12 has been interrupted (S60: YES), it proceeds to the above-described S58. Also, when the interface ECU 11 determines that communication with the vehicle exit assistance ECU 12 has not been interrupted (S60: NO), it proceeds to S62.

[0023] In S62, the interface ECU 11 determines whether the exit assistance ECU 12 has requested the display of information indicating that the provision of the exit assistance function has been stopped. If the interface ECU 11 has been requested to display the above information (S62: YES), it notifies the interface ECU 11 that the provision of the exit assistance function has been stopped successfully (S64), and then terminates the process shown in Figure 3 for the current control cycle.

[0024] <Effects and Effects of the Embodiment> The operation and effects of this embodiment will now be described. In the vehicle 10 of this embodiment, the alighting support ECU 12 provides an alighting support function. The alighting support ECU 12 sets the execution flag F when it starts providing the alighting support function. Then, when the conditions for stopping the provision are met, the alighting support ECU 12 stops providing the alighting support function. When stopping the provision of the alighting support function, the alighting support ECU 12 clears the execution flag F and requests the interface ECU 11 to notify it of information indicating that the provision of the alighting support function has been stopped. In response to this request, the interface ECU 11 notifies the information so that the occupants in the vehicle can recognize that the provision of the alighting support function has been stopped. Here, the stopping of the provision of the alighting support function in response to the conditions for stopping the provision being met is described as a normal stopping of the provision of the function. The stopping of the provision of the alighting support function due to other factors such as a malfunction is described as an abnormal stopping of the provision of the function.

[0025] During the provision of the alighting assistance function, it is possible that the provision of the alighting assistance function may be abnormally stopped due to a power supply system failure or communication failure in the vehicle 10. The interface ECU 11 detects the abnormal stop of the provision of the alighting assistance function based on the power status signal PS, the voltage E1 of the first power line 24, and the communication status with the alighting assistance ECU 12. When the interface ECU 11 detects the abnormal stop, it notifies the occupants that the provision of the alighting assistance function has been abnormally stopped. Therefore, even in the event of an abnormal stop, the occupants inside the vehicle can recognize that the provision of the alighting assistance function has been stopped.

[0026] The disembarkation support ECU 12 sets an execution flag F when it starts providing the disembarkation support function and clears it when it stops providing the same function. In this embodiment, the vehicle 10 uses the state of this execution flag F as first information indicating whether or not the disembarkation support ECU 12 has stopped providing the disembarkation support function. The power management ECU 13 outputs a power status signal PS indicating whether or not the power management ECU 13 is supplying power to the disembarkation support ECU 12 through the first power line 24. In this embodiment, the vehicle 10 uses this power status signal PS as second information indicating whether or not the power necessary to provide the disembarkation support function is being supplied to the disembarkation support ECU 12. In addition, the vehicle 10 in this embodiment also uses the voltage E1 of the first power line 24 as second information. In this embodiment, the disembarkation support ECU 12 corresponds to a control unit that provides a disembarkation support function to assist occupants in disembarking. Furthermore, in the vehicle 10 of this embodiment, the interface ECU 11 corresponds to a notification unit that notifies the occupant of information indicating that the disembarkation assistance function is not provided, based on the first information and the second information.

[0027] The vehicle 10 of this embodiment described above can achieve the following effects. (1) The vehicle 10 of this embodiment includes an interface ECU 11 that provides an interface function between the vehicle 10 and the occupant, and an alighting support ECU 12 that provides an alighting support function. The interface ECU 11 in the vehicle 10 of this embodiment acquires first information and second information. The first information is information indicating whether or not the alighting support ECU 12 has stopped providing the alighting support function. The second information is information indicating whether or not the power necessary to provide the alighting support function is being supplied to the alighting support ECU 12. The interface ECU 11 then notifies the occupant that the alighting support function is not being provided if both of the following requirements (a) and (b) are met. Requirement (a) is that the first information indicates that the alighting support ECU 12 has not stopped providing the alighting support function. Requirement (b) is that the second information indicates that the power necessary to provide the alighting support function is not being supplied to the alighting support ECU 12. As a result, even if the interface ECU 11 is unable to properly supply power to the disembarkation support ECU 12 due to a power supply failure or the like, and the disembarkation support function is abnormally stopped, the ECU 11 can notify the occupant of the suspension of the function. Therefore, the vehicle 10 of this embodiment has the effect of making the occupant aware that the disembarkation support function has been suspended due to an unexpected power supply interruption.

[0028] (2) In the vehicle 10 of this embodiment, the interface ECU 11, based on the first information, notifies the occupants that the provision of the alighting support function has been stopped when it confirms that the alighting support ECU 12 has successfully stopped providing the alighting support function. If the conditions for stopping the provision of the alighting support function are set so that it stops only after all occupants in the vehicle have alighted, it is not necessary to notify the occupants of the stopping of the function. If the provision of the alighting support function is to be stopped under other conditions as well, it is possible that the provision of the alighting support function will stop before the occupants alight. Therefore, by notifying the occupants even when the function has stopped normally, it is possible to prevent occupants from alighting without realizing that the provision of the alighting support function has been stopped.

[0029] (3) In the vehicle 10 of this embodiment, the interface ECU 11 determines whether or not the power necessary to provide the disembarking assistance function is being supplied to the disembarking assistance ECU 12 based on the following two pieces of information. One of the two pieces of information is the power status signal PS output by the power management ECU 13, which manages the power supply to the disembarking assistance ECU 12, and the other is the voltage E1 of the first power line 24 that it detects itself. In other words, the interface ECU 11 obtains the second piece of information indicating whether or not the power necessary to provide the disembarking assistance function is being supplied to the disembarking assistance ECU 12 from the power management ECU 13, and also obtains it by detecting it directly itself. Therefore, it can accurately determine whether or not the power necessary to provide the disembarking assistance function is being supplied to the disembarking assistance ECU 12.

[0030] (4) The interface ECU 11 indicates in the first information that it has not stopped providing the disembarkation assistance function, and also notifies the occupant that the disembarkation assistance function is not being provided even if it is unable to communicate with the disembarkation assistance ECU 12. Therefore, even if the provision of the disembarkation assistance function is abnormally stopped due to a communication system failure or communication failure, the occupant can be notified of the occurrence of the abnormal stop.

[0031] <Other Embodiments> This embodiment can be implemented with the following modifications. This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that they do not contradict each other technically.

[0032] The conditions for discontinuing the vehicle disembarkation assistance function can be changed at any time as needed. The method for determining whether or not communication with the disembarking assistance ECU 12 is not possible in S60 of Figure 3 may be modified as appropriate.

[0033] In the process shown in Figure 3, the determination in S60 may be omitted if it is determined that the execution flag F is set (S52: YES). In other words, notification to occupants who are in a state where the execution flag F is set and communication with the disembarkation support ECU 12 is not possible may be omitted. The determination process in S62 when it is determined that the execution flag F is set can also be omitted.

[0034] - As second information indicating whether or not the power necessary to provide the disembarking assistance function is supplied to the disembarking assistance ECU 12, only one of the power status signal PS and the voltage E1 of the first power line 24 may be used. Alternatively, information other than the power status signal PS and the voltage E1 of the first power line 24 may be used as second information.

[0035] The exit assistance ECU12 may periodically reset the execution flag while providing the exit assistance function. When discontinuing the provision of the disembarking assistance function, the disembarking assistance ECU 12 may directly notify the interface ECU 11 of the discontinuation of the function, so that the interface ECU 11 can check whether or not the provision of the disembarking assistance function has been discontinued. In this case, the notification of discontinuation from the disembarking assistance ECU 12 corresponds to the first information.

[0036] - If the disembarkation assistance function is properly deactivated, notification to the occupants may be omitted. For example, the conditions for deactivating the disembarkation assistance function could be set as the vehicle being locked or the confirmation that all occupants have disembarked. In this case, since it is assumed that there are no occupants inside the vehicle when the disembarkation assistance function is properly deactivated, notification to the occupants at the time of normal deactivation is unnecessary. Also, if the conditions for deactivating the disembarkation assistance function are obvious to the occupants and the occupants can recognize that the function has been deactivated, notification to the occupants at the time of normal deactivation is unnecessary.

[0037] <Additional Notes> [Note 1] A vehicle comprising: a control unit that provides a disembarking assistance function to assist occupants in disembarking; first information indicating whether the control unit has stopped providing the disembarking assistance function; and second information indicating whether the power necessary for providing the disembarking assistance function is being supplied to the control unit; and a notification unit that, when the first information indicates that the control unit has not stopped providing the disembarking assistance function, and the second information indicates that the power necessary for providing the disembarking assistance function is not being supplied to the control unit, notifies the occupant of information indicating that the disembarking assistance function is not being provided.

[0038] [Note 2] The vehicle as described in Note 1, wherein the notification unit notifies the occupant of information indicating that the provision of the disembarkation assistance function will be stopped when the control unit confirms, based on the first information, that the provision of the disembarkation assistance function will be stopped.

[0039] [Note 3] A vehicle as described in Note 1 or Note 2, which is equipped with a power supply management unit that manages the power supply to the control unit, and the notification unit acquires the second information from the power supply management unit. [Note 4] The notification unit is a vehicle according to any of Notes 1 to 3 that acquires the second information by detecting the power supplied to the control unit itself.

[0040] [Note 5] The vehicle according to any of Notes 1 to 4, wherein the notification unit notifies the occupant of information indicating that the disembarkation assistance function is not being provided, even if the first information indicates that the control unit has not stopped providing the disembarkation assistance function and communication with the control unit is not possible. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0041] 10...Vehicle, 11...Interface ECU (Notification Unit), 12...Disembarking Assistance ECU (Control Unit), 13...Power Management ECU, 14...Processing Unit, 15...Storage Device, 16...Shared Memory, 17...In-vehicle Network, 18...Display, 19...Speaker, 20...Peripheral Sensor, 21...Door Sensor, 22...Opening Restriction Device, 23...Battery, 24...First Power Line, 25...Second Power Line, 26...Power Switch.

Claims

1. A control unit that provides a disembarkation assistance function to assist passengers disembarking, A notification unit acquires an "executing" flag, which is set when the operation check of the device for providing the disembarking assistance function is completed and cleared when predetermined conditions for discontinuing the provision of the disembarking assistance function are met after it has been set, and a power status signal, which is turned on when the power necessary for providing the disembarking assistance function is supplied to the control unit and turned off when it is not supplied, and when the power status signal is off and the "executing" flag is set, notifies the occupant of information indicating that the disembarking assistance function is not being provided. A vehicle equipped with the following features.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit notifies the occupant of information indicating that the provision of the disembarkation assistance function will be stopped when the execution flag is cleared.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a power supply management unit that manages the power supply to the control unit, wherein the notification unit acquires the power status signal from the power supply management unit.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit obtains the power status signal by detecting the power supplied to the control unit itself.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit notifies the occupant of information indicating that the disembarkation assistance function is not provided, even when the execution flag is set and communication with the control unit is not possible.

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