Vehicle in-car abandonment prevention device and vehicle in-car abandonment prevention system

Abstract

To provide a device to prevent abandonment in a car and a system to prevent abandonment in a car capable of preventing a passenger from being abandoned in a car after completion of operation while minimizing an adverse effect imposing on a battery mounted in a pickup and drop-off vehicle.SOLUTION: When a power source off signal reporting that an engine of a bus 10 is halted is inputted from the bus 10, (1) a control unit 22 of a device to prevent abandonment in a car 20 outputs an activation signal to an acoustic unit 24 or display device 27. Thereafter, (2) when a depression signal is received from a wireless depression button 30, the control unit outputs a halt signal to the acoustic unit 24 or display device 27, and outputs a cutoff signal to a power cutoff unit 25. Otherwise, when the depression signal is received from the wireless depression button 30, the control unit outputs the cutoff signal to the power cutoff unit 25. Otherwise, (3) when predetermined time has elapsed since outputting of the activation signal, the control unit outputs the cutoff signal to the power cutoff unit 25.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an in-vehicle left-behind prevention device mounted on a shuttle vehicle for transporting children attending kindergartens, nursery schools, etc., people with intellectual disabilities, elderly people, etc., and an in-vehicle left-behind prevention system including the same.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, in shuttle buses for transporting children attending kindergartens, nursery schools, etc., fatal accidents have occurred where children are left behind in the vehicle. In recent years, various studies have been conducted to prevent the occurrence of such left-behind accidents involving shuttle buses. For example, in Non-Patent Document 1 below, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced that it will "establish a working group under the Vehicle Safety Measures Study Committee to study the performance requirements, etc. of safety devices that support prevention of children being left behind on shuttle buses".

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0003]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The details of the working group's study on vehicle safety measures, as published in Non-Patent Document 1 above, are not yet publicly available as of the time of this application and are therefore unclear. However, if we consider the possibility of such accidents involving children being left behind in shuttle buses, the victims would not be limited to young children (kindergarteners) on their way to and from daycare. For example, such incidents could also occur in situations involving the transportation of intellectually disabled individuals or the elderly. Therefore, buses transporting such vulnerable individuals should also be equipped with the safety devices described above.

[0005] On the other hand, since such safety devices are electric devices installed in shuttle buses and other transport vehicles, they often obtain their driving power from the vehicle's onboard battery. The onboard battery plays a role in supplying power to the starter motor when starting the vehicle's engine and to electrical equipment such as the vehicle control computer. Therefore, if the safety device consumes excessive power and puts a strain on the onboard battery, operational problems such as the inability to start the engine of the shuttle vehicle may occur.

[0006] Therefore, the power consumption of the safety device must be kept to a minimum to minimize its impact on the vehicle's battery. Furthermore, since it is expected to be installed not only in new vehicles but also in existing vehicles, it is desirable that the safety device be designed to be easily retrofitted to shuttle vehicles without requiring extensive modifications.

[0007] This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems. ,car The objective is to provide an in-vehicle abandonment prevention device and system that can prevent passengers from being left behind inside the vehicle after the end of service, while minimizing the impact on the batteries installed in both vehicles. Another objective is to provide an in-vehicle abandonment prevention device and system that can prevent passengers from being left behind inside the vehicle after the end of service. car The objective is to provide a vehicle-in-vehicle abandonment prevention system that can be easily retrofitted to both vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, the vehicle-in-vehicle abandonment prevention device described in claim 1 of the patent claims is: To prevent passengers from being left behind inside the vehicle. It is a device to prevent children from being left unattended in a vehicle. The vehicle receives power from its battery. Control unit and front Inside the vehicle Established Reoshi Down signal Wireless communication Send to the control unit Faith do Verification and Notification Department And from the control unit of Activation signal Or by a stop signal Hearing or Through vision Ta Note awareness movement Started production or end A warning unit that completes the process, and the control unit of Blocking signal by From the aforementioned battery of It comprises a power interruption unit for interrupting the aforementioned power, The confirmation notification unit also transmits the identification information added to the press signal to the control unit. The control unit is, Recorded car Both of Stop by Power source off signal by The aforementioned warning unit outputs the activation signal. after force, before Press signal of Receiving After The warning unit outputs the stop signal and the power cut-off unit outputs the cut-off signal. ,Ma Ta is before After the output of the startup signal, a predetermined time Intercalary past Later A technical feature of this system is that it outputs the interruption signal to the power interruption unit.

[0009] In the invention of the vehicle-in-car abandonment prevention device described in claim 1, the control unit, Verification and Notification Department It includes a warning unit and a power cut-off unit. The control unit is ,car Both Stop Stop by Power source off signal by The warning unit outputs an activation signal. , press Down signal of Receiving After The warning unit outputs a stop signal, and the power cut-off unit outputs a cut-off signal. .Ma Ta is After the output of the motion signal, a predetermined time Intercalary past Later Outputting a cutoff signal to the power cutoff unit. . car The two driving power sources are typically engines (internal combustion engines), and are motors (electric motors) in the case of electric vehicles.

[0010] For example, after finishing picking up and dropping off passengers car the vehicle is parked in a predetermined parking space or the like shi run when the power source is stopped, Due to the vehicle stopping a the car power source off signal is input from the vehicle to the control unit. Accordingly, the alerting unit starts an operation of attracting attention via auditory or visual sense (alerting operation), so that it is possible to urge crew members such as the vehicle's driver or attendant (hereinafter referred to as "crew members") to check whether any passengers are left behind in the vehicle without getting off due to falling asleep or other reasons. In addition, such an alerting operation is terminated by pressing a push button switch provided on the vehicle, so in order to stop the alerting operation of the alerting unit, the crew member must move to the rear of the vehicle. Therefore, even if a passenger is left behind in the rear of the vehicle, which is difficult to see from the front of the vehicle because they are hidden behind the backrest of a passenger seat or the like, the crew member can find such a passenger. Both whether any passengers are left behind in the the car vehicle to crew members such as the vehicle's driver or attendant (hereinafter referred to as "crew members") to check. In addition, such an alerting operation is, on the vehicle Inside both provided For example, the confirmation notification unit push button switc Chi is pressed, so in order to stop the alerting operation of the alerting unit, the crew member must ,for example move to the rear of the ve Both sides hicle. Therefore, even if a passenger is left behind in the rear of the vehicle, which is difficult to see from the front of the vehicle because they are hidden behind the backrest of a passenger seat or the like, the crew member can find such a passenger. Both sides it is difficult to see from the front of the vehic Both sides le, even if a passenger is left behind in the rear, the crew member can find such a passenger.

[0011] Further, Verification and Notification Department when [the switch] is pressed, the alerting operation of the alerting unit ends and , the vehicle from the vehicle's battery control unit the power supplied to [the relevant device] is cut off by the power cut-off unit. In addition, after a predetermined time has elapsed since the output of the activation signal that causes the alerting unit to start the alerting operation, Intercalary the power cut-off unit cuts off the power. Accord Later ingly, Verification and Notification Department even after [the switch] is pressed and the alerting operation of the alerting unit ends, control unit power will not continue to be supplied from the battery to [the relevant device], nor will Verification and Notification Department the alerting unit continue to perform the alerting operation until [the switch] is pressed. That is, Verification and Notification DepartmentPressing it will interrupt the power supply from the battery, and Verification and Notification Department Even without pressing the button, at the specified time Intercalary past to Since it shuts off automatically, it prevents unnecessary power consumption by the vehicle-in-car anti-unattended device. Furthermore, since the confirmation notification unit transmits the press signal wirelessly, there is no need to lay control signal wiring from, for example, the control unit located near the driver's seat in the front of the vehicle to the rear of the vehicle. Also, if the confirmation notification unit has its own power source, there is no need to lay power wiring either. Therefore, even if such confirmation notification units are installed in multiple locations in the rear of the vehicle, it does not require the work of running numerous wires. In addition, the power source off signal can be obtained, for example, as voltage information of the vehicle's accessory power supply.

[0012] Furthermore, the vehicle abandonment prevention device described in claim 2 of the claims is, in the vehicle abandonment prevention device described in claim 1, before To the vehicle pause News Department Further equipped picture, The aforementioned pause News Department The ON operation occurs while the warning unit is in operation. by A pause signal is output to the control unit, and the control unit ,before Stop signal by The warning unit outputs the stop signal. rear , at a given time Movement after a period of time has elapsed Power source ON signal gana In case to The aforementioned warning unit outputs the start signal, and the power source ON signal Gaa In the case to Output the aforementioned startup signal. Without The aforementioned power source off signal After the activation signal is output to the warning unit, the stop signal is output to the warning unit and the cutoff signal is output to the power cutoff unit in response to the press signal, or the cutoff signal is output to the power cutoff unit after a predetermined time has elapsed since the activation signal was output. This is a key technical feature.

[0013] In the invention of the vehicle-in-vehicle abandonment prevention device described in claim 2: , in the vehicle pause News Department It also has the following features. And the control unit, at a predetermined time After some time has passed Power source ON signal gana In case to The warning unit outputs an activation signal. The control unit also outputs a power source ON signal. Gaa In this case, the startup signal is output. Without Power source off signal After an activation signal is output to the warning unit, a stop signal is output to the warning unit and a cutoff signal is output to the power cutoff unit in response to the press signal, or a cutoff signal is output to the power cutoff unit after a predetermined time has elapsed since the activation signal was output. As a result, for example, On the way to pick up / drop off car Due to the idle stop function and other features that both vehicles possess car Even if both power sources for propulsion temporarily stop and a power source off signal is input to the control unit, causing the warning unit to initiate a warning activation, the crew will remain still. News Department By turning this setting on, it becomes possible to stop the alert activation process. Therefore, it is possible to stop the alert activation process from occurring in situations where it should not be performed.

[0014] Also, pause News Department After the ON operation is performed, at a predetermined time Intercalary past Later If the power source for driving is not operating, the warning unit will restart its warning activation process. For example, in a situation where the power source for driving has stopped due to parking after dropping off or picking up passengers, the system will temporarily pause. News Department When the ON operation is performed, at a predetermined time After some time has passed Therefore, the warning department will resume its warning activation operation, and the crew will, Verification and Notification Department This prevents forgetting to press the button or overlooking confirmation. Furthermore, it addresses the inconvenience of auditory and visual alerts after parking, which can be disruptive. News Department This will make it possible to deter inappropriate behavior by crew members, such as pushing the vehicle.

[0015] Furthermore, the vehicle-in-vehicle-abandonment prevention system described in claim 3 of the patent claims , request A vehicle-in-vehicle abandonment prevention device as described in item 1 or 2, and Recorded car Both of A vehicle-in-vehicle abandonment prevention system including a confirmation device provided on the outside, wherein the confirmation device includes a confirmation control unit and the Verification and Notification Department from Before A receiving unit that outputs reception information to the confirmation control unit indicating that a press signal has been received, Solution The release signal is sent to the confirmation control unit. News Department And from the aforementioned confirmation control unit of notification signal by hearing or via vision Confirmation and Notification Department push Down The notification operation to be initiated is initiated from the confirmation control unit. of Confirmation signal by The confirmation control unit includes a press notification unit that terminates the notification operation, and the confirmation control unit receives from the receiving unit. of The aforementioned received information by The notification signal is output to the aforementioned press notification unit. After power , the above release News Department from of The aforementioned release signal by A technical feature is that the confirmation signal is output to the aforementioned press notification unit.

[0016] In the invention of the vehicle abandonment prevention system described in claim 3: , claim 1 or 2 A device to prevent children from being left unattended in a vehicle and ,car Both of The device includes an externally installed confirmation device, and the confirmation device comprises a confirmation control unit, a receiving unit, and a release unit. News Department It also includes a press notification unit. The confirmation control unit receives from the receiving unit. of Received information by The button press notification unit outputs a notification signal. After that, it is released. News Department from of Release signal by A confirmation signal is output to the button press notification unit. A confirmation device is provided. Car Both of Outside, typically, the car It is located inside a building or structure adjacent to the parking space (designated parking space) for both vehicles.

[0017] For example, after dropping off passengers car When both vehicles are parked in a designated parking space and their power source is shut off, the car The vehicle-mounted anti-unattended device activates a warning function, so the car On both sides, the crew will check for any remaining passengers (hereinafter referred to as "passenger remaining check"), and for example car Both sides rear Verification and Notification Department Press this. This will Verification and Notification Department The press signal transmitted wirelessly from the car Both of When it reaches the external confirmation device, the confirmation device's press notification unit activates Verification and Notification Department The fact that it was pressed Hearing or The notification operation will begin, which will be communicated visually. Therefore, personnel performing operational management duties near the confirmation device (hereinafter referred to as "managers") will be able to communicate the notification operation of the button-press notification unit. Confirm with your ears and eyes This makes it possible to ascertain that crew members are conducting checks on remaining passengers. [Effects of the Invention]

[0036] In the vehicle abandonment prevention device of the present invention, ,car Both of Stop by The warning unit will initiate a warning activation process, so if you fall asleep or do not get out of the vehicle, Both This will allow us to prompt the crew to check for any passengers trapped inside. Confirmation and notification department Pressing it will interrupt the power supply from the battery, and Verification and Notification Department Even without pressing the button, at the specified time Intercalary past Later It will be automatically blocked, Control unit for the vehicle-in-car child abandonment prevention device This makes it possible to prevent unnecessary power consumption. ,car This system minimizes the impact on the batteries installed in both vehicles while preventing passengers from being left behind inside the vehicles after the service has ended. Furthermore, since the confirmation notification unit of the vehicle-in-vehicle anti-abandonment device installed in the vehicle can transmit a press signal wirelessly, it is not necessary to lay control signal wiring from, for example, the control unit located near the driver's seat at the front of the vehicle to the rear of the vehicle. Therefore, the vehicle-in-vehicle anti-abandonment device can be easily retrofitted to existing vehicles without requiring extensive modification work.

[0037] In the vehicle-in-vehicle abandonment prevention system of the present invention, the administrator can perform the notification action of the press notification unit. Confirm with your ears and eyes By (car If there are multiple vehicles, it becomes possible to determine if the crew is conducting a passenger inspection on a specific vehicle. Therefore, checking whether or not the crew is conducting a passenger inspection is necessary. the car Both of Since this can be done outside, it can be reliably prevented from leaving passengers behind inside the vehicle after the service has ended. 。 [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0038] [Figure 1] Figure 1(A) is an explanatory diagram showing an example configuration of a bus used for transporting kindergarten children equipped with a vehicle-in-vehicle child abandonment prevention device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1(B) is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the hardware of the vehicle-in-vehicle child abandonment prevention device. [Figure 2] This flowchart shows the flow of control processing executed by the main unit constituting the vehicle-in-vehicle abandonment prevention device of this first embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 2 is a flowchart showing the sound reduction process. [Figure 4] Figure 4(A) is an explanatory diagram showing an example configuration of a vehicle-in-vehicle abandonment prevention system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4(B) is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the hardware of a confirmation device included in the vehicle-in-vehicle abandonment prevention system. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows the flow of control processing performed by the confirmation device that constitutes the vehicle in-car abandonment prevention system according to this second embodiment. [Figure 6] Figure 6(A) is an explanatory diagram showing an example configuration of a vehicle-in-vehicle abandonment prevention system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6(B) is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the hardware of a confirmation device included in the vehicle-in-vehicle abandonment prevention system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0039] Hereinafter, embodiments of the vehicle-in-vehicle abandonment prevention device and vehicle-in-vehicle abandonment prevention system of the present invention will be described with reference to the figures. [First Embodiment] First, as one embodiment of the vehicle abandonment prevention device of the present invention, a vehicle abandonment prevention device 20 installed on a shuttle bus (sometimes called a school bus; hereafter, these buses on which children ride will be simply referred to as "buses") 10 used to transport children to and from kindergartens and daycare centers will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. In this first embodiment, the bus 10 will be described as having a gasoline engine or a diesel engine (hereinafter referred to as "engine") as its driving power source, but in the case of an EV (Electric Vehicle) type, it will have a driving motor as its driving power source. Children may correspond to the "passengers" as described in the claims.

[0040] The vehicle-in-vehicle child abandonment prevention device 20 mainly consists of a main unit 21, a mute button 26, a display device 27, and a wireless push button 30. The main unit 21 and the mute button 26 are located in the front of the bus interior, for example, on the top of the dashboard 15 near the steering wheel 14, close to the driver's seat 13 of the bus 10. In contrast, the display device 27 and the wireless push button 30 are located in the rear of the bus interior, for example, near the ceiling of the rear door 19 located at the very back. The reasons for mounting the main unit 21 and the other components in these locations will be explained later. In Figure 1(A), reference numeral 11 denotes a passenger door, reference numeral 12 denotes a child's seat (passenger seat), and reference numeral 17 denotes a battery.

[0041] The main unit 21 houses a control unit 22, a wireless unit 23, an acoustic unit 24, a power cutoff unit 25, etc., within a case made of synthetic resin such as plastic, which has, for example, a rectangular, thin box shape. The main unit 21 is powered by a battery 17 mounted on the bus 10. In this first embodiment, the main unit 21 is connected to a constant power source that can supply power even when the engine is stopped, that is, it is directly connected to the battery 17. It is also connected to the accessory power supply Acc or the ignition power supply Ig in order to obtain an ON signal (power source ON signal) when the engine is running and an OFF signal (power source OFF signal) when it is stopped.

[0042] These constant power supplies, accessory power supply (ACC), and ignition power supply (Ig) can be electrically connected, for example, in the fuse box located in the front of the vehicle interior or within the dashboard 15. Therefore, the main unit 21 is installed so as to be located in the front of the vehicle interior where the dashboard 15 and the like are located. Note that the accessory power supply (ACC) can also be obtained from the cigarette lighter socket located in the dashboard 15 or the like.

[0043] The control unit 22 is a controller that controls the wireless unit 23, the sound unit 24, the power cut-off unit 25, and the display device 27. For example, it is a microcontroller module composed of an MPU, memory (RAM, ROM), input / output interface, voltage monitor, A / D converter, etc. The control unit 22 obtains drive power supplied from the aforementioned constant power supply via the power cut-off unit 25 and also supplies the obtained drive power to the controlled wireless unit 23, the sound unit 24, the power cut-off unit 25, and the display device 27. Furthermore, the control unit 22 is configured so that its MPU can perform control processing, which will be described later, based on signals and information input from the wireless unit 23, the mute button 26, the accessory power supply Acc, or the ignition power supply Ig (hereinafter referred to as "accessory power supply Acc, etc.").

[0044] Therefore, in this first embodiment, the memory of the control unit 22 stores a control program that enables the MPU to execute such control processing. In addition to the wireless unit 23 and other controlled devices, the control unit 22 is also connected to the mute button 26 and the accessory power supply Acc or ignition power supply Ig (hereinafter referred to as "accessory power supply Acc, etc."), and is configured to acquire a pause signal from the mute button 26 and engine on and off signals from the accessory power supply Acc, etc. The engine on and off signals output from the accessory power supply Acc, etc. are, for example, voltage signals (voltage information) whose on / off state is determined by a voltage value. Therefore, in this first embodiment, the engine on and off signals are also input to the voltage monitor.

[0045] The voltage monitor has a function to control the power interruption unit 25 to an ON state when the voltage value input to the voltage monitor when the power interruption unit 25 is in the OFF state exceeds a predetermined threshold voltage, and in this first embodiment, it is connected to the accessory power supply Acc, etc. Therefore, when it detects a voltage of the minimum voltage value that can be supplied from the accessory power supply Acc, etc. (for example, 20V (when the rated output voltage of the battery 17 is 24V)) or higher, it is configured to output a conduction signal to the power interruption unit 25 to control it to an ON state. As a result, when the control unit 22 receives the voltage of the minimum voltage value from the accessory power supply Acc, etc., the voltage monitor controls the power interruption unit 25, which is in the OFF state, to an ON state, making it possible to supply drive power to the control unit 22 from the constant power supply (battery 17).

[0046] Typically, a voltage monitoring IC is used for the voltage monitor, and its current consumption is less than a few microamperes. Therefore, if the voltage monitor requires power even in a standby state where no power is supplied to the control unit 22, it is possible to power the standby voltage monitor with a backup power source such as an electric double-layer capacitor or lithium secondary battery in the control unit 22, so it is not necessary to receive power from the constant power supply (battery 17) of the bus 10. In this first embodiment, the voltage monitor is provided within the control unit 22, but it may also be provided in the power cutoff unit 25. In this case, the power cutoff unit 25 also needs to be connected to an accessory power supply, such as Acc.

[0047] The wireless unit 23 is a wireless communication module that enables short-range wireless communication to the wireless push button 30. In this first embodiment, the wireless unit 23 is connected to the control unit 22 and is configured to send and receive according to control commands received from the control unit 22. The wireless unit 23 uses, for example, a standard or protocol for short-range wireless communication, such as ZigBee® or Bluetooth®, as the wireless communication line. The wireless unit 23 is also configured to output reception information to the control unit 22 when it receives a press signal transmitted from the wireless push button 30, indicating that the press signal has been received. The antenna for wireless communication may be built into the case of the main unit 21 or may be provided exposed outside the case.

[0048] The sound unit 24 has a function that can provide auditory alerts to the driver, attendants, and other crew members of the bus 10. For example, it consists of a generation module capable of generating electronic sounds and a speaker that receives a ringing signal output from the generation module and emits a sound. The generation module is connected to the control unit 22 so that control signals can be input to it. When it receives a start signal output from the control unit 22, it outputs a predetermined ringing signal to the speaker, causing the speaker to ring with the electronic sound, and continues to output the ringing signal until it receives a stop signal. The electronic sound is, for example, a notification sound such as a telephone hold tone or a clock alarm, and the type of notification sound can be set by a setting signal output from the control unit 22. Instead of an electronic sound, a synthesized voice that speaks a message prompting passengers to inspect the vehicle (checking for remaining passengers) may also be used.

[0049] In this first embodiment, the sound unit 24 is housed within the case of the main unit 21. Therefore, the case of the control unit 22 has multiple sound-transmitting holes in the portion where the sound-producing surface of the speaker of the sound unit 24 is located. As a result, the electronic sound emitted by the sound unit 24 can be heard even in the vicinity of the main unit 21 (for example, the driver's seat 13 of the bus 10), making it possible to draw the attention of the crew through their sense of hearing. The action of drawing attention through hearing and sight will be referred to below as "attention-bringing action".

[0050] The power cutoff unit 25 is a power switch that controls the supply of power input from the constant power source (battery 17) of the bus 10. It is composed of, for example, semiconductor switching elements such as power MOSFETs and IGBTs or mechanical relays, and is configured so that these switching devices can be turned on or off by control signals input from the control terminals. In this first embodiment, the control terminals are connected to the control unit 22. The switch is turned on by a conduction signal output from the control unit 22, and similarly, the switch is turned off by a cutoff signal output from the control unit 22. The conduction signal is output from the voltage monitor of the control unit 22, and the cutoff signal is output from the driver circuit of the control unit 22 via a control process described later.

[0051] The mute button 26 is a switch that the crew member turns on to stop the warning activation that has been initiated in a situation where it should not have occurred. Even when the bus 10 is in transit and the engine is temporarily stopped due to the idle stop function, for example, due to a stop for a certain period of time, such as waiting at a traffic light at an intersection or waiting for children to get on or off, an engine off signal may be input to the main unit 21 from the accessory power supply (ACC), causing the aforementioned sound unit 24 or the display device 27 described later to start the warning activation. The warning activation by the sound unit 24 or the display device 27 in such situations is not originally intended to be an operation of the vehicle abandonment prevention device 20. Therefore, when the warning activation starts in such a situation, the crew member should immediately press the mute button 26 to stop the warning activation.

[0052] In this first embodiment, the mute button 26, which can be used in such situations, consists of a main body 26a having a low cylindrical shape, a button 26b that is biased to protrude above the main body 26a, and a switch (not shown) built into the main body 26a, and is connected to the main unit 21. For example, when the button 26b is pressed against the biasing force, the switch, which is in the off state, transitions to the on state, and a pause signal is output to the control unit 22 of the main unit 21. As a result, the control unit 22, having received this pause signal, performs mute processing, etc., as will be described later, to temporarily stop the warning activation action by the sound unit 24 and the display device 27.

[0053] Furthermore, the mute button 26 may be configured such that, for example, the button portion 26b is made of a light-transmitting resin material and an LED lamp is housed inside, and this LED lamp can be controlled from the control unit 22 to light up when the aforementioned sound unit 24 starts outputting electronic sound and turn off when it stops outputting electronic sound. This makes it possible to activate the device via visual means, similar to the display device 27 described below.

[0054] The display device 27 is a horizontally elongated, rectangular indicator light that can visually alert the crew of the bus 10. It is positioned on the rear door 19 at the very back of the vehicle interior, making it easily visible from the front of the vehicle interior and facilitating the crew's attention toward the rear of the vehicle interior. In this first embodiment, for example, it is composed of a plurality of LED lamps that emit visible light, an acrylic plate that covers the light-emitting side of these LED lamps and displays a warning message or pictogram using translucent paint, and a framed panel that surrounds the outer periphery of the acrylic plate and allows the plurality of LED lamps to be fixed to the inside of the acrylic plate.

[0055] In this first embodiment, the warning message displayed on the acrylic panel is, for example, "Please check the vehicle interior," and the pictogram is, for example, a picture symbol or emoji represented by a line diagram that evokes the image of "pointing and checking." As will be described later, the control processing performed by the MPU of the control unit 22 causes the display device 27 to light up and activate as a warning after, for example, the bus 10 has finished transporting the children and parked in a designated parking space and the engine has been turned off. For this reason, the display device 27 is connected to the main unit 21 by electrical wiring including a power cable. This vehicle interior check refers to the remaining check of the children (passengers).

[0056] Multiple LED lamps are configured to light up when a start signal is received from the control unit 22 and to turn off when a stop signal is received from the control unit 22. Alternatively, instead of such start and stop signals, the multiple LED lamps may be controlled by supplying (equivalent to a start signal) and cutting off (equivalent to a stop signal) drive power via a power cable. Furthermore, such start and stop signals may be used to turn the LED lamp built into the button portion 26b of the mute button 26 mentioned above on or off.

[0057] Alternatively, like the LED destination displays on route buses, a large number of color LED lamps may be arranged in a matrix with horizontally elongated strip shapes, and warning messages or pictograms may be displayed by changing the brightness and color of the points as they light up and turn off. In this case, the configuration of the messages and pictograms can be controlled by software, which has the advantage of making changes and updates easier. However, it may also have the disadvantage of potentially increasing equipment costs compared to the configuration of the display device 27 described above.

[0058] The wireless push button 30 consists of a main body 31 made of synthetic resin such as plastic, which is formed in a vertically elongated rectangular shape with rounded corners when viewed from the front in the installed state; a button portion 33 that is biased to protrude in the front direction when the main body 31 is installed; and a switch portion, control portion, power supply portion, wireless portion, etc., built into the main body 31 (not shown). As described above, the wireless push button 30 is installed near the ceiling of the rear door 19 of the bus 10. As will be described later, the wireless push button 30 is used by the bus crew of the bus 10, and is pressed by the crew to stop the warning activation function of the sound unit 44 and display device 27 of the main unit 21. For this reason, in this first embodiment, the wireless push button 30 is installed near the ceiling of the rear door 19 in a position that makes it difficult for children riding the bus to touch the button portion 33 for mischievous purposes.

[0059] In this first embodiment, there are two wireless push buttons 30, one on each side of the rear door 19. Therefore, for example, when a crew member presses the button 33 against a biasing force, the control unit and wireless unit are configured to transmit a press signal to the outside, to which ID information (identification information) that can identify the wireless push button 30 is added as information that the switch has been pressed and turned on. Such ID information is useful, for example, when it is necessary to confirm that all of the multiple wireless push buttons 30 provided on the bus 10 have been pressed, as will be described later. In this case, the ID information of each of the multiple wireless push buttons 30 constituting the vehicle abandonment prevention device 20 is stored in the memory of the control unit 22 as valid ID information. As a result, the control unit 22 only needs to process press signals that have registered ID information, and it is possible to prevent malfunctions, etc., by excluding press signals transmitted from wireless push buttons 30 that have unregistered ID information.

[0060] Furthermore, such ID information is also useful when distinguishing between the wireless push button 30 of the bus 10 and the wireless push button 30 of the bus 10 when another bus 10 is parked adjacent to the bus 10, as described in the third embodiment later. Therefore, in cases where it is not necessary to distinguish between wireless push buttons 30 and it is sufficient to distinguish between the in-vehicle abandonment prevention devices 20 of the buses 10, the ID information added to the press signal may be information that can identify, for example, the bus 10 equipped with the in-vehicle abandonment prevention device 20 or the wireless push button 30. In these cases as well, the ID information of each of the multiple wireless push buttons 30 constituting the in-vehicle abandonment prevention device 20, which are pre-associated with each other, is stored in the memory of the control unit 22 as valid ID information. This makes it possible to prevent malfunctions, etc., by excluding press signals transmitted from wireless push buttons 30 with unregistered ID information.

[0061] The wireless unit of the wireless push button 30 is configured to communicate over short distances with the wireless unit 23 of the main unit 21 described above, and conforms to standards such as ZigBee® or Bluetooth®. A small antenna is housed inside the main unit 31. The power supply unit is configured to store the power generated by pressing the button 33 in an electric double-layer capacitor or the like. The power supply unit may also be a primary battery type button battery that requires battery replacement.

[0062] By configuring the vehicle abandonment prevention device 20 of this first embodiment in this way, the control processing shown in Figures 2 and 3 is performed by the control unit 22. As mentioned above, this control processing is performed by the MPU executing a control program stored in the memory of the control unit 22. In this first embodiment, when the engine of the bus 10 is stopped, even if the main unit 21 is connected to a constant power supply (battery 17), the power cutoff unit 25 is in the off state and no driving power is supplied to the control unit 22.

[0063] Therefore, for example, by turning the key switch of bus 10 to the Acc or START position, a voltage equal to or greater than the minimum voltage value mentioned above is input to the control unit 22 from the accessory power supply Acc, etc., and as described above, the voltage monitor of the control unit 22 controls the power cutoff unit 25 to the ON state. As a result, drive power is supplied to the control unit 22 from the constant power supply (battery 17) and the MPU starts up, so the control process shown in Figure 2 starts (START). If the switch for starting the engine of bus 10 is a push button type, pressing the START button once or twice will input a voltage equal to or greater than the minimum voltage value from the accessory power supply Acc, etc. to the control unit 22.

[0064] As shown in Figure 2, in the control process, first a predetermined initialization process is performed in step S101, and then the engine information acquisition process is performed in step S103. The predetermined initialization process (S101) includes, for example, clearing or setting the work area and timer values ​​for timing, which are allocated in the memory (RAM) of the control unit 22, to their initial values, and sending predetermined initialization commands to the wireless unit 23, the sound unit 24, and the display device 27.

[0065] In the engine information acquisition process of step S103, information regarding the operating status of the engine of the bus 10 (operating status information) is acquired. In this first embodiment, it is possible to determine whether the engine is operating (on) or stopped (off) based on a voltage signal (off) input from the accessory power supply Acc, etc., so the voltage value of this voltage signal is acquired. This voltage value is acquired by converting the voltage signal input from the accessory power supply Acc, etc. into a digital value that can be acquired by the MPU using the A / D converter of the control unit 22.

[0066] In the following step S105, a process is performed to determine whether or not the engine is stopped. That is, the vehicle-in-vehicle abandonment prevention device 20 functions after the engine of the bus 10 on which it is installed has stopped. Therefore, in step S105, if the voltage value of the voltage signal input from the accessory power supply Acc, etc., is equal to or greater than the aforementioned minimum voltage value (for example, 20V or greater if the rated output voltage of the battery 17 is 24V), the bus 10 determines that its key switch is in the Acc or START position and the engine is running (S105; No), and performs the engine information acquisition process again (S103).

[0067] Then, the determination process in step S105 is repeated until the voltage value of the voltage signal input from the accessory power supply (Acc, etc.) falls below half of the minimum voltage value indicating that the engine is stopped (for example, if the rated output voltage of battery 17 is 24V, then it falls below 10V). If it is determined that the engine is stopped (S105; Yes), the process moves to the next step S107 to initiate the warning notification process.

[0068] In step S107, the alert activation process outputs an activation signal to the sound unit 24 and the display device 27. Upon receiving this activation signal, the sound unit 24 outputs a predetermined pre-set sounding signal to its speaker, as described above, causing the speaker inside the main unit 21 to sound with an electronic tone. As the alert activation process by the sound unit 24 begins, the electronic tone resonates around the driver's seat 13, alerting the crew that an immediate inspection of the vehicle is necessary.

[0069] Furthermore, a display device 27 located near the ceiling of the rear door 19 emits multiple visible LED lamps that illuminate, causing the message "Please inspect the vehicle interior" and the pictogram "Point and confirm" displayed on the acrylic panel to light up brightly. As a result of the activation of this warning function by the display device 27, the words "Please inspect the vehicle interior" and other elements become conspicuously visible above the rear door 19 in the rear of the vehicle interior, causing the crew to naturally direct their gaze to the rear of the vehicle interior by paying attention to the display device 27. This makes the crew aware of or prompts them to visually inspect the area around the rear door 19, that is, to check for any children who may have been left inside the vehicle without getting off due to falling asleep or other reasons.

[0070] In the following step S109, a timer start process is performed. In this process, a timer is started to determine whether the duration of the warning activation action by the sound unit 24 and the display device 27 has reached a predetermined time. This determination is made in step S113. The predetermined time is, for example, a sufficient amount of time (e.g., 5 minutes) for the crew to visually check all the child seats 12 and their vicinity in the bus 10.

[0071] Furthermore, the crew members are aware through prior training that the sounding of the sound unit 24 and the illumination of the display device 27 are actions intended to alert the crew, and that they can be stopped by pressing the wireless push button 30 at the rear of the vehicle, or that they will stop automatically after a predetermined time has elapsed. Therefore, the crew members are compelled to move towards the rear of the vehicle to visually inspect the child seats 12 and their surroundings in order to press the wireless push button 30. This encourages the crew to inspect the vehicle interior, thereby preventing passengers from being left behind inside the bus after the bus service has ended.

[0072] In the next step, S111, the process of acquiring mute switch information is performed. The mute button 26 is a switch operated by the crew, and as mentioned above, it is a switch that the crew turns on to temporarily stop the warning activation action by the sound unit 24 or display device 27 when it is started in a situation where it should not be performed. Therefore, in this process, if a pause signal is input from the mute button 26, the information of that signal is acquired. Then, if it is determined in step S113 that the mute button 26 is turned on (S113; Yes), the process proceeds to the mute process in step S115, since the mute button 26 has been pressed by the crew.

[0073] Here, the sound silencing process (S115) will be explained with reference to Figure 3. As shown in Figure 3, in the sound silencing process, the warning termination process is performed in step S201. The warning termination process outputs a stop signal to the sound unit 24 and the display device 27. When this stop signal is input to the sound unit 24 and the display device 27, the sound unit 24 immediately stops outputting the sounding signal, and the speaker stops sounding. Also, the display device 27 immediately turns off multiple LED lamps.

[0074] Then, step S203 starts the timer and waits until a predetermined time has elapsed (S205; No). The predetermined time here is a sufficient amount of time (e.g., 3 to 5 minutes) necessary for a certain period of time to pass, such as waiting at a traffic light at an intersection or waiting for children to get on or off the bus. When this predetermined time has elapsed, that is, when time is up (S205; Yes), the series of silencing processes is completed and the process returns to step S103 of the control process (RETURN). As a result, after the predetermined time has elapsed, the engine information acquisition process (S103) acquires the operating status information of the bus 10's engine and performs the engine stop determination process (S105).

[0075] Therefore, if the engine is running (S105; No), the bus 10 is in motion, so the process returns to the engine information acquisition process (S103) and waits until the engine stops. If the engine is stopped (S105; Yes), the process proceeds to step S107 as described above to initiate the warning process, and the sound unit 24 and display device 27 are again prompted to initiate the warning. This makes it possible to suppress inappropriate actions by the crew, such as pressing the mute button 26 after the engine has stopped due to parking, because the warning activation by the sound unit 24 and display device 27 via hearing or sight is bothersome.

[0076] On the other hand, if the determination process in step S113 determines that the mute button 26 is not turned on (determined to be off) (S113; No), then it is unlikely that the engine has been temporarily stopped, especially due to waiting at a traffic light at an intersection or waiting for children to get on or off, as the mute button 26 has not been pressed by the crew. Therefore, the receiving information acquisition process is performed in the following step S117.

[0077] In step S117, the reception information acquisition process acquires reception information. If the wireless unit 23 has received a press signal transmitted from the wireless push button 30, the wireless unit 23 outputs reception information. Therefore, in this process, the reception information that the wireless unit 23 outputs to the control unit 22 is acquired. Then, in the following step S119, a process is performed to determine whether or not reception has occurred.

[0078] In other words, if reception information is acquired by the reception information acquisition process (S117), it is determined that a press signal has been received from the wireless push button 30 (S119; Yes), and the warning termination process in step S121 is performed. In this first embodiment, the press signal transmitted by the wireless push button 30 is accompanied by ID information (identification information) that can identify the wireless push button 30. Therefore, for example, if it is necessary to receive press signals from both of the two wireless push buttons 30 on the left and right sides of the rear door 19 of the bus 10, it is determined whether or not a press signal has been received from all of the wireless push buttons 30, including the ID information attached to the press signal. If it is sufficient to receive a press signal from one of them, it is determined whether or not a signal has been received from either of the wireless push buttons 30.

[0079] In contrast, if reception information has not been acquired, it is determined that a press signal has not been received from the wireless push button 30 (S119; No), and the time-up determination process in step S119 is performed. In this first embodiment, when one is sufficient, it is the case that a press signal has not been received from both of the two wireless push buttons 30, and when both are needed, it is the case that a press signal has not been received from either one or both of the two wireless push buttons 30. In such cases, there is a high probability that the crew of the bus 10 has not yet moved to the rear of the vehicle interior, so the reception information acquisition process (S117) and reception determination process (S119) are repeated until the predetermined time (e.g., 3 minutes) of the timer started in step S109 has elapsed (time-up) (S123; No).

[0080] If the crew member presses either or both of the required wireless push buttons 30, as described above, the crew member will have moved toward the rear of the vehicle, and it is presumed that an inspection of the vehicle interior is being conducted during that movement. Therefore, it is highly likely that the vehicle abandonment prevention device 20 has been able to alert the crew member, and in the alert termination process of step S121, the alert activation process for the crew member that had been performed up to that point is terminated. For this reason, in this first embodiment, a stop signal is output to the sound unit 24 and the display device 27. As a result, the sound unit 24 immediately stops outputting the sounding signal and the speaker stops sounding. Also, the display device 27 immediately turns off multiple LED lamps.

[0081] In the following step S125, a power cut-off process is performed. In this process, the control unit 22 outputs a cut-off signal to the power cut-off unit 25 via its driver circuit. As a result, the power cut-off unit 25 cuts off the drive power that had been supplied to the control unit 22 and, through the control unit 22, to the wireless unit 23, sound unit 24, mute button 26, and display device 27. As described above, when the power cut-off unit 25 receives a cut-off signal from the control unit 22, the switching device of the power cut-off unit 25 is controlled to the off state, so the control unit 22, wireless unit 23, sound unit 24, mute button 26, and display device 27 all lose power and cease to function. Therefore, even though the constant power supply (battery 17) is connected to the main unit 21, the power consumption by the main unit 21 becomes zero, thus preventing unnecessary power consumption of the battery 17.

[0082] Furthermore, if the predetermined time (for example, 3 minutes) of the timer started in step S109 has elapsed (time up) (S119; Yes), this power cut-off process (S125) is also performed. Therefore, even if the warning activation operation by the sound unit 24 and display device 27 of the vehicle abandonment prevention device 20 is left unattended, the power supply to the control unit 22, wireless unit 23, sound unit 24, mute button 26 and display device 27 is all cut off. As a result, even if the constant power supply (battery 17) is connected to the main unit 21, the power consumption by the main unit 21 becomes zero. Thus, it is possible to prevent unnecessary power consumption of the battery 17.

[0083] Even when the sound unit 24 and the display device 27 are performing an alert activation operation, the power consumption of the main unit 21 can be reduced to zero by executing the power cut-off process (S125), so the alert termination process executed in step S121 can be omitted. In other words, if the determination process in step S119 determines that a press signal has been received from both or one of the necessary wireless push buttons 30 (S119; Yes), the flow of information processing may be changed to execute the power cut-off process (S125) without performing step S121.

[0084] As described above, in the vehicle abandonment prevention device 20 of this first embodiment, when the control unit 22 receives an off signal from the bus 10 indicating that the engine of the bus 10 has stopped (S105; Yes), it (1) outputs an activation signal to the sound unit 24 and the display device 27 (S107). Subsequently, (2) when it receives a press signal from the wireless push button 30 (S119; Yes), it outputs a stop signal to the sound unit 24 and the display device 27 (S121) and also outputs a cutoff signal to the power cutoff unit 25 (S125). Alternatively, when it receives a press signal from the wireless push button 30, it outputs a cutoff signal to the power cutoff unit 25. Or, (3) when a predetermined time has elapsed since the output of the activation signal (S123; Yes), it outputs a cutoff signal to the power cutoff unit 25 (S125).

[0085] For example, when bus 10 has finished dropping off and picking up children and parks in a designated parking space and turns off its engine, an off signal is input from bus 10 to control unit 22. As a result, the sound unit 24 and display device 27 initiate an alert activation via hearing or sight, prompting the crew to check for any children who may have been left inside the vehicle due to falling asleep or other reasons without getting off. Furthermore, since this alert activation is terminated by pressing the button 33 of the wireless push button 30 located on the rear door 19 at the rear of the vehicle interior, the crew must move to the rear of the vehicle interior to stop the alert activation of the sound unit 24 and display device 27. Therefore, even if a child is left behind in the rear of the vehicle interior, which is difficult to see from the front of the vehicle interior due to being hidden by the backrest of the child's seat 12, the crew will be able to find the child.

[0086] Furthermore, pressing the button portion 33 of the wireless push button 30 terminates the warning activation process of the sound unit 24 and the display device 27, or, regardless of the termination of the warning activation process, the power cut-off unit 25 cuts off the power supplied from the bus 10's battery 17 to the in-vehicle abandonment prevention device 20. Also, after a predetermined time has elapsed since the output of the activation signal that starts the warning activation process of the sound unit 24 and the display device 27, the power cut-off unit 25 cuts off the power even without pressing the button portion 33 of the wireless push button 30. As a result, power is not continuously supplied from the battery 17 to the in-vehicle abandonment prevention device 20 after the button portion 33 of the wireless push button 30 has been pressed and the warning activation process of the sound unit 24 and the display device 27 has been terminated, nor is the sound unit 24 and the display device 27 continuing the warning activation process until the button portion 33 of the wireless push button 30 is pressed. In other words, the power supply from the battery 17 is cut off due to the button portion 33 of the wireless push button 30, and the power is also automatically cut off after a predetermined time has elapsed even if the wireless push button 30 is not pressed, thus preventing unnecessary power consumption by the vehicle child abandonment prevention device 20. Therefore, it is possible to prevent children from being left behind in the vehicle after the end of service while minimizing the impact on the battery 17 installed in the bus 10.

[0087] Furthermore, the vehicle abandonment prevention device 20 of this first embodiment is further equipped with a mute button 26 located near the driver's seat 13 of the bus 10. The control unit 22 outputs a start signal to the sound unit 24 and display device 27 after a predetermined time has elapsed (S205; Yes) and if no ON signal indicating that the engine is running has been input (S105; Yes) (S107). If an ON signal has been input (S105; No), the control unit 22 waits for an OFF signal to be input without outputting a start signal and repeats the operations from (1) onwards (S107~S125). As a result, even if, for example, the engine of the bus 10 is temporarily stopped due to the idling stop function of the bus 10 during transport and an OFF signal is input to the control unit 22, causing the sound unit 24 and display device 27 to start the warning activation operation, the crew can stop the warning activation operation by turning on the mute button 26. Therefore, it is possible to stop warning activations from occurring in situations where they should not be happening.

[0088] Furthermore, if the engine does not start after a predetermined time has elapsed since the mute button 26 was turned on, the sound unit 24 and display device 27 will restart the warning activation process. For example, if the mute button 26 is turned on when the engine has stopped due to parking after dropping off or picking up children, the sound unit 24 and display device 27 will restart the warning activation process after a predetermined time has elapsed, thus preventing the driver from forgetting to press or failing to confirm the wireless push button 30. In addition, it is possible to suppress inappropriate behavior by the driver, such as pressing the mute button 26 after the engine has stopped due to parking because the warning activation process via hearing or sight is bothersome.

[0089] In the first embodiment described above, the wireless push button 30 constituting the vehicle in-car abandonment prevention device 20 was configured to transmit press information to the main unit 21 via wireless communication, but it may also be configured to send press information to the main unit 21 via wired communication.

[0090] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, two wireless push buttons 30 were provided, one on each side of the rear door 19 at the rear of the vehicle interior. However, one button may be provided on either the left or right side, or one or more wireless push buttons 30 may be provided in other locations in addition to one on each side, for a total of three or more. Wireless push buttons 30 may also be provided on the ceiling at the rear of the vehicle interior.

[0091] Furthermore, although the first embodiment described above includes a mute button 26, if there is no need to prevent the warning start function from activating when the engine is temporarily stopped due to stopping for a certain period of time, such as at an intersection, as described above, the mute button 26 does not need to be provided.

[0092] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, ID information (identification information) was added to the press signal transmitted from the wireless push button 30. However, if it is sufficient to receive the press signal from either one of the two wireless push buttons 30, and there is no need to distinguish between the wireless push buttons 30, then ID information is unnecessary. Therefore, in this case, it is not necessary to add ID information to the press signal. However, as in the third embodiment described later, if there are multiple buses 10 and each is equipped with an in-vehicle abandonment prevention device 20, then it may be necessary to add ID information.

[0093] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the control unit 22, wireless unit 23, sound unit 24, and power cut-off unit 25 were provided within the main unit 21, but these may be provided in separate units. In addition, similar to the wireless push button 30, the mute button 26 may be configured to be wirelessly connectable to the control unit 22 via the wireless unit 23.

[0094] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, a configuration was adopted in which voltage information output from the accessory power supply Acc or the ignition power supply Ig was acquired as the power source ON signal and power source OFF signal. However, instead, for example, the system may be configured to acquire engine ON / OFF information based on information obtained from an in-vehicle LAN such as CAN (Controller Area Network) or LIN (Local Interconnect Network) provided in the bus 10.

[0095] [Second Embodiment] Next, as one embodiment of the vehicle abandonment prevention system of the present invention, a vehicle abandonment prevention system 40 including the vehicle abandonment prevention device 20 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5.

[0096] As shown in Figure 4, the vehicle abandonment prevention system 40 of the second embodiment consists of a vehicle abandonment prevention device 20 mounted on the bus 10, a confirmation device 41 installed outside the bus 10 in a school building 70 such as a kindergarten or nursery school, and a wireless push button 50 installed on the rear door 19 of the bus 10.

[0097] This wireless push button 50 is designed to address situations such as when a child is left unattended inside the bus 10 after completing its pick-up / drop-off duties and parked in a designated parking space. It is located near the child's seat 12 in the rear door 19, in a position where the child can easily press it. The wireless push button 50 is configured similarly to the wireless push button 30, except for its location. Therefore, the configuration of the wireless push button 50 will not be explained here.

[0098] In this second embodiment, the press signals transmitted by the wireless push button 30 and the passenger signals transmitted by the wireless push button 50 are accompanied by ID information (identification information) that can identify the wireless push buttons 30 and 50. Therefore, in the vehicle abandonment prevention system 40, the ID information of each of the multiple wireless push buttons 30 that constitute the vehicle abandonment prevention device 20, and the ID information of the wireless push button 50 that is pre-associated with them are stored in the memory of the control unit 42 as valid ID information. As a result, the control unit 42 only needs to process press signals and passenger signals that have registered ID information, and by excluding press signals and passenger signals transmitted from wireless push buttons 30 and 50 that have unregistered ID information, it is possible to prevent malfunctions and other problems.

[0099] In this second embodiment, the confirmation device 41 is installed, for example, in the office 71 of the school building 70 and consists of a "unit 42, wireless unit 43, and acoustic unit 44" housed in a case made of synthetic resin such as plastic, a push notification lamp 45, a release button 46, and an abandoned warning lamp 48. These are driven by DC power supplied from, for example, an AC adapter (not shown). In Figure 4(B), the rectangular shape surrounding the control unit 42, wireless unit 43, and acoustic unit 44 represents the concept of such a case.

[0100] The control unit 42 is a controller that controls the wireless unit 43, the sound unit 44, the press notification lamp 45, and the abandoned warning lamp 48. For example, it is a microcontroller module composed of an MPU, memory (RAM, ROM), input / output interface, LED driver circuit, clock module, etc. In this second embodiment, the control unit 42 is configured so that the MPU can perform control processing described later based on signals and information input from the wireless unit 43 and the release button 46. For this reason, in addition to the wireless unit 43, the release button 46 is connected to the control unit 42, and the memory of the control unit 42 stores (remembers) a control program that enables the MPU to execute such control processing.

[0101] The wireless unit 43 is a wireless communication module that enables short-range wireless communication to the wireless push buttons 30 and 50. In this second embodiment, the wireless unit 43 is connected to the control unit 42 and is configured to send and receive according to control commands received from the control unit 42. Similar to the wireless unit 23 of the main unit 21 in the first embodiment, the wireless unit 43 uses a wireless communication line that conforms to, for example, ZigBee® or Bluetooth®. The control unit 42 is configured to output reception information indicating that a push signal has been received when it receives a push signal transmitted from the wireless push button 30 used by the crew, and to output residual information indicating that a passenger signal has been received when it receives a passenger signal transmitted from the wireless push button 50 that can be used by kindergarten children.

[0102] The acoustic unit 44 has the function of providing auditory alerts to managers performing operational management duties in the office 71. Similar to the acoustic unit 44 of the main unit 21 described in the first embodiment, it is composed of, for example, a generation module capable of generating electronic sounds and a speaker that receives a ringing signal output from the generation module and emits a sound. The generation module is connected to the control unit 42 so that a control signal can be input to it. When it receives a notification signal output from the control unit 42, it outputs a predetermined ringing signal to the speaker, causing the speaker to ring with the electronic sound, and continues to output the ringing signal until it receives a confirmation signal. The electronic sound can be, for example, a notification sound such as a telephone hold tone or a clock alarm, or an alarm sound such as a siren, and the type of notification sound or alarm sound can be set by a setting signal output from the control unit 42.

[0103] In this second embodiment, the acoustic unit 44 is housed together with the control unit 42 and the like in a case made of synthetic resin such as plastic. The case has multiple sound-transmitting holes in the part where the sound-producing surface of the speaker of the acoustic unit 44 is located. As a result, the electronic sound emitted by the acoustic unit 44 can be heard by managers and other staff working around the confirmation device 41, making it possible to trigger an auditory alert to managers and others.

[0104] The push-button alarm lamp 45 is a confirmation light that has the function of visually alerting administrators and others in the office 71. In this second embodiment, for example, it is composed of multiple large LED lamps, such as the alarm lamps of a fire alarm system, and is covered with a dome-shaped yellow transparent globe. The push-button alarm lamp 45 is connected to the LED driver circuit of the control unit 42 by electrical wiring including a power cable, and is configured to light up when an alarm signal is input from the control unit 42 and to turn off when a confirmation signal is input from the control unit 42. Alternatively, instead of such an alarm signal and confirmation signal, the multiple LED lamps may be controlled by supplying (corresponding to an alarm signal) and cutting off (corresponding to a confirmation signal) drive power, which can be supplied via a power cable.

[0105] The release button 46 is a switch that an administrator or other person in the office 71 turns on when they visually confirm that a crew member is conducting an in-vehicle inspection inside the bus 10 by seeing the press notification lamp 45 light up. In this second embodiment, the release button 46 that can be used in such cases is composed of a main body 46a having a low cylindrical shape, a button 46b that is biased to protrude above the main body 46a, and a switch part (not shown) built into the main body 46a, and is connected to the control unit 42. In this second embodiment, for example, when the button 46b is pressed against the biasing force, the switch part which is in the off state transitions to the on state and a release signal is output to the control unit 42.

[0106] The abandoned object warning lamp 48 is a warning light that can visually warn administrators and others in the office 71, and is configured almost the same as the aforementioned push notification lamp 45, except that the light color and the control signal from the control unit 42 are different. Therefore, the differences will be explained here. The abandoned object warning lamp 48 is also composed of multiple large LED lamps covered by, for example, a red transparent globe, and these are connected to the LED driver circuit of the control unit 42 by electrical wiring including a power cable. It is configured to light up when a residual signal sent from the control unit 42 is input, and to turn off when a power switch (not shown) provided on the case is turned off.

[0107] By configuring the vehicle abandonment prevention system 40 of this second embodiment in this way, the control processing shown in Figure 5 is performed by the control unit 42 of the verification device 41. As mentioned above, this control processing is performed by the MPU executing a control program stored in the memory of the control unit 42. For example, immediately after the power switch (not shown) provided on the case is turned on and DC power is supplied to the verification device 41 from an AC adapter or the like, the control processing shown in Figure 5 starts (START).

[0108] As shown in Figure 5, in the control process, first a predetermined initialization process is performed in step S501, and then a received information acquisition process is performed in step S503. The predetermined initialization process (S501) includes, for example, clearing the work area and predetermined flags reserved in the memory (RAM) of the control unit 42 with initial values, and sending predetermined initialization commands to the wireless unit 43, the sound unit 44, the press notification lamp 45, and the abandoned warning lamp 48.

[0109] In step S503, the reception information acquisition process acquires reception information and residual information. If the wireless unit 43 has received a press signal or passenger signal transmitted from the wireless push buttons 30 and 50, the wireless unit 43 outputs reception information and residual information. Therefore, in this process, the reception information and residual information that the wireless unit 43 outputs to the control unit 42 are acquired. Then, in the following step S505, a process is performed to determine whether or not reception has occurred.

[0110] In other words, if reception information is acquired by the reception information acquisition process (S503), it is determined that a press signal has been received from the wireless push button 30 (S505; Yes (received information)), and the press notification start process in step S507 is performed.

[0111] In this second embodiment, as described above, the press signal transmitted by the wireless push button 30 and the passenger signal transmitted by the wireless push button 50 are accompanied by ID information (identification information) that can identify the wireless push buttons 30 and 50. Therefore, in this reception determination process (S505), as explained in the first embodiment, if it is necessary to receive press signals from both of the two wireless push buttons 30 on the left and right sides of the rear door 19 of the bus 10, it is determined whether or not press signals have been received from all wireless push buttons 30, including the ID information attached to the press signals. If it is sufficient to receive a press signal from one of them, it is determined whether or not a signal has been received from either of the wireless push buttons 30.

[0112] Furthermore, in this determination process (S505), the passenger signal transmitted from the wireless push button 50 located below the rear door 19 is also determined, including ID information. If residual information has been acquired by the received information acquisition process (S503), it can be determined that a passenger signal has been received from the wireless push button 50. However, the wireless push button 50 is intended for situations such as when a child is left behind in the bus 10 after completing its pick-up and drop-off service and parked in a designated parking space. Therefore, the only cases in which a child left behind in the parked bus 10 can press the wireless push button 50 and transmit passenger information are after the crew has inspected the interior of the bus, that is, after both (or one if one is sufficient) wireless push buttons 30 have been pressed by the crew.

[0113] Therefore, in this reception status determination process (S505), a prerequisite for determining whether a passenger signal has been received from the wireless push button 50 is added: for example, it must have been determined by the determination process (S505) that a press signal has been received from both (or one of) the wireless push buttons 30. Specifically, for example, if the determination process (S505) determines that a press signal has been received from both (or one of) the wireless push buttons 30 by the reception information acquisition process (S503) (S505; Yes (received information)), a predetermined determination flag is set to ON, and then the process proceeds to the press notification start process in step S507. As a result, if residual information has been acquired by the reception information acquisition process (S503), the determination process (S505) will determine that a passenger signal has been received from the wireless push button 50 only if this predetermined determination flag is set to ON (S505; Yes (residual information)).

[0114] If neither received information nor residual information is acquired in these cases, it is determined that neither a press signal nor passenger information has been received from the wireless push buttons 30 and 50 (S505; none), and the process returns to the received information acquisition process (S503) to acquire the received information and residual information. In this second embodiment, when one is sufficient, it is the case that a press signal has not been received from both of the two wireless push buttons 30, and when both are required, it is the case that a press signal has not been received from one or both of the two wireless push buttons 30.

[0115] As a result, even if the wireless push button 50 is operated and a passenger signal is transmitted before both (or one if only one is sufficient) wireless push buttons 30 are pressed by the crew, the residual information output by the receiving wireless unit 43 and acquired by the reception information acquisition process (S503) will not be determined as "received (residual information)" in the reception determination process (S505). Therefore, for example, if a child on board presses the wireless push button 50 for mischief and transmits a passenger signal, it becomes possible to suppress the malfunction of the abandoned passenger warning lamp 48 caused by the erroneous operation of the wireless push button 50.

[0116] In step S507, the button press notification start process outputs a notification signal to the button press notification lamp 45 and the sound unit 44. When a notification signal is received by the button press notification lamp 45, as mentioned above, multiple large LED lamps light up, causing the inside of the yellow transparent globe to glow brightly. This visually draws the attention of the manager performing operations management duties in the office 71 and indicates that the wireless push button 30 has been pressed inside the bus 10.

[0117] Furthermore, when a notification signal is input to the sound unit 44, a predetermined audible signal is output to the speaker, and the speaker inside the case of the confirmation device 41 sounds with this electronic tone. As a result of this auditory alert activation by the sound unit 44, the electronic tone resonates around the confirmation device 41, so that administrators can also be informed that the wireless push button 30 has been pressed inside the bus 10 by this electronic tone. This makes it possible to notify passengers that the crew is conducting an inspection of the bus to ensure that there are no children left inside who have not disembarked due to falling asleep or other reasons. Note that this alert activation can also be performed using only either the push notification lamp 45 or the sound unit 44.

[0118] In the next step, S511, the process of acquiring release button information is performed. The release button 46 is a switch operated by an administrator or other person. As mentioned above, it is a switch that the administrator or other person turns on when they confirm that a crew member is conducting an in-vehicle inspection inside the bus 10 by visually checking that the press notification lamp 45 is lit. When the button part 46b is pressed, the switch part, which is in the off state, transitions to the on state and a release signal is output to the control unit 42. Therefore, in this release button information acquisition process (S511), the process of acquiring the release signal is performed.

[0119] In the following step S513, a process is performed to determine whether the release button 46 is in the ON state. That is, if the release signal has not been obtained, the release button 46 is not in the ON state, and if it is determined that the release button 46 is not in the ON state (S513; No), the process returns to the release button information acquisition process (S511) to acquire the release signal. On the other hand, if the release signal has been obtained, the release button 46 has switched to the ON state, which indicates that the administrator or other person has confirmed that the crew is conducting an in-vehicle inspection inside the bus 10.

[0120] Therefore, in step S515, a confirmation signal is output to the press notification lamp 45 and the sound unit 44. When the confirmation signal is received by the press notification lamp 45, as mentioned above, multiple large LED lamps turn off, making the inside of the yellow transparent globe dark and visually indicating that it is off. Also, when the confirmation signal is received by the sound unit 44, the output of the sounding signal is immediately stopped, so the speaker stops sounding.

[0121] Furthermore, if the aforementioned preconditions are met and residual information is acquired through the received information acquisition process (S503), it is determined that a passenger signal has been received from the wireless push button 50 (S505; Yes (residual information)). In this case, the residual alarm start process is performed in step S509, and a residual signal is output to the abandoned warning lamp 48 and the sound unit 44. When a residual signal is input to the abandoned warning lamp 48, as mentioned above, multiple large LED lamps light up, causing the inside of the red transparent globe to glow brightly. This visually warns the manager performing operation management duties in the office 71 and also indicates that the wireless push button 50 has been pressed inside the bus 10.

[0122] Furthermore, when a residual signal is input to the sound unit 44, a pre-set siren or other sounding signal is output to the speaker, and the speaker inside the case of the confirmation device 41 sounds with that electronic sound. When this auditory warning operation by the sound unit 44 is initiated, an electronic sound such as a siren sounds around the confirmation device 41, so the administrator can also know from the electronic sound that the wireless push button 50 has been pressed inside the bus 10. This makes it possible to warn that there is a high possibility that a child has been left behind inside the parked bus 10. Note that this warning operation may be performed using either the child abandonment warning lamp 48 or the sound unit 44 alone.

[0123] In the next step, S517, power information acquisition processing is performed. This process obtains status information of a power switch (not shown) located on the confirmation device 41, specifically the on / off state of the power switch. Since it may no longer be necessary to operate the confirmation device 41 after the release button 46 is pressed, the power switch status information is obtained in this process, and in the next step, S519, a process is performed to determine whether the power is off or not.

[0124] If the determination process in step S519 determines that the power switch (not shown) is in the off state and the power is off (S519; Yes), the process proceeds to the following step S521 to perform the notification / alarm information saving process. On the other hand, if the determination process determines that the power switch (not shown) is in the on state and the power is not off (S519; No), the process returns to the reception information acquisition process (S503) to acquire reception information and residual information. For example, the system waits for another bus 10 to arrive and receive a press signal from a wireless push button 30, etc.

[0125] In the notification and alarm information saving process of step S521, the received information and residual information acquired in this control process, as well as information on pressing notification start processing (notification operation start information), pressing notification end processing (notification operation end information), residual alarm start processing (alarm operation start information), residual alarm start processing (alarm operation end information), etc., for the pressed notification lamp 45 and sound unit 44, are saved in the memory of the control unit 42. To each of these pieces of information, the year, month, day, hour, minute, and second information (timestamp information) of when the received information or residual information was acquired or when the notification operation start information, etc., was output is acquired in real time from the clock module of the control unit 42 and added. This makes it possible to separately utilize each of the saved pieces of information as log data.

[0126] As described above, the vehicle abandonment prevention system 40 of this second embodiment includes a vehicle abandonment prevention device 20 equipped with a wireless push button 30 capable of transmitting a push signal wirelessly, and a confirmation device 41 provided outside the bus 10. The confirmation device 41 includes a control unit 42, a wireless unit 43, a release button 46, an acoustic unit 44, and a push notification lamp 45. The control unit 42 outputs a notification signal to the acoustic unit 44 and the push notification lamp 45 when it receives information from the wireless unit 43 (S505; Yes (received information)) (S507). Subsequently, when it receives a release signal from the release button 46 (S513; Yes), it outputs a confirmation signal to the acoustic unit 44 and the push notification lamp 45 (S515).

[0127] For example, when bus 10 has finished dropping off and picking up children and parks in a designated parking space and turns off its engine, the in-vehicle child abandonment prevention device 20 installed in bus 10 activates an alert function using an audible unit 24 and a display device 27. The crew then checks the inside of the bus 10 for any children left behind and presses a wireless push button 30 located at the rear of the bus. When the push signal transmitted wirelessly from the wireless push button 30 reaches the confirmation device 41 outside bus 10, the confirmation device 41 activates an alert function using an audible unit 44 and a push notification lamp 45 to visually notify the user that the wireless push button 30 has been pressed. Therefore, a manager performing operations management duties near the confirmation device 41 can visually confirm that the crew is checking the inside of the bus for children by observing the alert function of the audible unit 44 and the push notification lamp 45. Therefore, it becomes possible to check whether the crew has inspected the children inside the bus outside of the bus 10, thus ensuring that children are not left behind inside the bus after the service has ended.

[0128] Furthermore, since the wireless push button 30 of the vehicle-in-vehicle abandonment prevention device 20 installed on the bus 10 can transmit a press signal wirelessly, it is not necessary to lay control signal wiring from, for example, the control unit 22 of the main unit 21 located near the driver's seat 13 to the rear of the vehicle interior. Also, since this wireless push button 30 has its own power supply (power source), it is not necessary to lay power wiring either. Therefore, even if multiple such wireless push buttons 30 are installed on the rear door 19 at the rear of the vehicle interior, it does not require the work of running a large number of wires. In addition, the off signal can be obtained, for example, as voltage information of the accessory power supply Acc of the bus 10. Therefore, the vehicle-in-vehicle abandonment prevention device 20 can be easily retrofitted to existing buses 10 without requiring extensive modification work.

[0129] Furthermore, the in-vehicle abandonment prevention system 40 of this second embodiment further includes a wireless push button 50. The wireless push button 50 is installed near the child seats 12 of the bus 10 and has its own power supply unit. When turned on, the power supplied from this power unit transmits a passenger signal wirelessly to the wireless unit 43 of the confirmation device 41. The confirmation device 41 is further equipped with an abandoned child warning lamp 48. When a residual signal is input from the control unit 42 (S505; present (residual information)), the abandoned child warning lamp 48 starts a warning operation that visually warns that the wireless push button 50 has been turned on (S509).

[0130] For example, even if a child is left behind inside the bus 10 after it has finished dropping off and picking up passengers and is parked in a designated parking space, the child can activate a wireless push button 50 to transmit a passenger signal to the outside of the bus 10 via wireless communication. When this passenger signal from the wireless push button 50 reaches the confirmation device 41 outside the bus 10, the confirmation device 41 activates a warning lamp 48 to visually indicate that the wireless push button 50 has been activated. Therefore, the administrator can visually confirm that a child has been left behind inside the bus 10 by observing the warning lamp 48. Consequently, the child left behind inside the bus 10 can be rescued quickly.

[0131] In the second embodiment described above, the press notification lamp 45 and the abandoned warning lamp 48 were configured separately. However, they may be combined into a single lamp, for example, so that the press notification lamp emits yellow light and the abandoned warning lamp emits red light, allowing the two functions to be performed separately by the color of the LED lamp's light emission. Alternatively, instead of the press notification lamp 45 and the abandoned warning lamp 48, a liquid crystal display may be provided in the confirmation device 41 to display the press notification information and warning information in large characters or illustrations (characters, figures, diagrams, etc.).

[0132] [Third Embodiment] Next, as one embodiment of the vehicle abandonment prevention system of the present invention, a vehicle abandonment prevention system 60 including vehicle abandonment prevention devices 20a to 20c, where each of the multiple buses 10a to 10c is equipped with vehicle abandonment prevention devices 20a to 20c, will be described with reference to Figure 6.

[0133] As shown in Figure 6, the vehicle abandonment prevention system 60 of the third embodiment assumes a case where multiple buses 10a to 10c are parked in adjacent parking spaces, and multiple wireless push buttons 30 constituting the vehicle abandonment prevention devices 20a to 20c installed in each bus 10a to 10c can transmit a press signal to a single confirmation device 61.

[0134] In other words, the vehicle abandonment prevention system 60 consists of a vehicle abandonment prevention device 20a installed on bus 10a, a vehicle abandonment prevention device 20b installed on bus 10b, a vehicle abandonment prevention device 20c installed on bus 10c, a confirmation device 61 installed outside bus 10 in a kindergarten or nursery school building 70, and wireless push buttons 50 installed on the rear doors 19 of each of the buses 10a to 10c.

[0135] Therefore, the confirmation device 61 installed in the office 71 of the school building 70 may receive press signals via wireless communication from a total of six wireless push buttons 30 that make up each of the buses 10a to 10c, and passenger signals via wireless communication from a total of three wireless push buttons 50 installed in each of the buses 10a to 10c. For this reason, in this third embodiment, the confirmation device 61 uses a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC") consisting of a PC main unit 62, an LCD display 63, a keyboard 64, a mouse 65, etc., and a wireless data communication device 66. This PC is configured to be able to connect to the internet.

[0136] The hardware correspondence between the third embodiment and the second embodiment is as follows: PC main unit 62 → Control unit 42, Audio unit 44 LCD display 63 → Press notification lamp 45 and abandoned warning lamp 48 Keyboard 64 → Release button 46 Mouse 65 → Release button 46 Wireless data communication device 66 → Wireless unit 43

[0137] In this third embodiment, a desktop-type personal computer is used as the verification device 61. This personal computer is a general-purpose type and differs from other general-purpose personal computers in that it has an application program (hereinafter referred to as "this application") installed and is executable, which can perform information processing that adds the following functions based on the control processing (Figure 5) executed by the control unit 42 described in the second embodiment. In the flowchart shown in Figure 5, the power information acquisition process (S517) is replaced with the termination information acquisition process of this application, and the power off determination process (S519) is replaced with the termination determination process of this application.

[0138] Therefore, if such an application can be executed, a laptop computer, tablet computer, or smartphone may be used as the verification device 61. Also, if the laptop computer, tablet computer, or smartphone has the functionality of a wireless data communication device 66, the wireless data communication device 66 may be omitted.

[0139] In this third embodiment, the additional functions to be added as tasks separate from the control process shown in Figure 5 are, for example, (1) to (3) below. (1) List display function In this third embodiment, three buses 10a to 10c are each equipped with three in-vehicle abandonment prevention devices 20a to 20c, and a total of six wireless push buttons 30 and three wireless push buttons 50 that make up these devices transmit press signals and passenger signals to one set of verification devices 61. Therefore, as described in the second embodiment, ID information is attached to the press signals and passenger signals transmitted from the wireless push buttons 30 and 50, making it possible to identify the originating wireless push buttons 30 and 50.

[0140] Therefore, for example, the liquid crystal display 63 of the verification device 61 can display a list of whether the wireless push button 30 has been pressed and the in-vehicle inspection has been completed, categorized by bus 10a to 10c. Vehicle No. 1: Interior inspection completed. Vehicle No. 2: Interior inspection *Not performed* Vehicle No. 3: Interior inspection completed.

[0141] Furthermore, when the wireless push button 50 is pressed, for example, the words "Vehicle No. 2 abandoned!" are displayed in red across almost the entire screen of the LCD display 63, and a loud alarm sound, such as a siren, is emitted from the built-in speaker of the PC unit 62.

[0142] (2) History management function Furthermore, in the control processing of the second embodiment, the notification / warning information saving processing (S521) saves the following information to the memory of the control unit 42 with timestamp information. Therefore, in this third embodiment, by saving this information to the hard disk drive or SSD (Solid State Drive) of the personal computer 62, it becomes possible to manage the in-vehicle inspection history. • Receipt information of the press signal transmitted from the wireless push button 30 • Residual information of residual signals transmitted from wireless push button 50 • Information indicating that the button press notification process has been initiated (information indicating the start of the notification operation) • Information indicating that the button press notification termination process has been completed (notification operation termination information) • Information indicating that residual alarm activation processing has been initiated (alarm activation start information). • Information indicating that the residual alarm activation process has been initiated (information indicating the end of the alarm operation).

[0143] (3) Information sharing function Furthermore, in this third embodiment, since a personal computer with internet connectivity is used as the verification device 61, it is possible to use, for example, a cloud service. Therefore, by uploading the information used in the (1) list display function and (2) history management function to a specific cloud, it becomes possible to share information via that cloud.

[0144] As described above, the vehicle abandonment prevention system 60 of this third embodiment includes a vehicle abandonment prevention device 20 equipped with a wireless push button 30 capable of wirelessly transmitting a push signal with ID information that can identify the source of transmission, and a confirmation device 61 provided outside the bus 10. The confirmation device 61 includes a personal computer 62, a liquid crystal display 63, a keyboard 64, a mouse 65, and a wireless data communication device 66. When the personal computer 62 receives received information and ID information from the wireless data communication device 66 (S507; Yes (received information)), it outputs a notification signal corresponding to the ID information to the liquid crystal display 63 (S507). Subsequently, when it receives a release signal from the keyboard 64 or mouse 65 (S513; Yes), it outputs a confirmation signal corresponding to the ID information to the liquid crystal display 63 (S515).

[0145] For example, when multiple buses 10a to 10c have finished dropping off and picking up children and park in a designated parking space, and one of the buses 10a stops its engine, the in-vehicle child abandonment prevention device 20a installed in that bus 10a activates an alert function using an acoustic unit 24 and a display device 27. Inside the bus 10a, the crew checks for children inside the vehicle and presses the wireless push button 30 on the rear door 19 at the rear of the vehicle. For example, even if two buses 10a and bus 10b stop their engines almost simultaneously or with only a slight time difference, different ID information is attached to the press signals transmitted from the wireless push buttons 30 of these two buses 10a and 10b. This makes it possible for the confirmation device 61 (wireless data communication device 66 and PC main unit 62) in the school building 70 to perform the control processing shown in Figure 5 without any mistakes. As a result, when a press signal transmitted wirelessly from the wireless push button 30, with the sender's ID information attached, reaches the confirmation device 61 outside the bus 10a, the confirmation device 61 starts a notification operation on the liquid crystal display 63 to visually notify that a specific wireless push button 30 corresponding to the ID information has been pressed. Therefore, by visually confirming the notification operation on the liquid crystal display 63, the administrator can understand that the crew is conducting an in-bus inspection of the children on a specific bus 10a. Consequently, it becomes possible to check whether the crew is conducting an in-bus inspection of the children outside the bus 10a, thus reliably preventing children from being left behind inside the bus after the service has ended.

[0146] Furthermore, since the wireless push button 30 of the in-vehicle abandonment prevention device 20 installed on the bus 10a can transmit a press signal wirelessly, it is not necessary to lay control signal wiring from, for example, the control unit 22 of the main unit 21 located near the driver's seat 13 to the rear door 19 at the rear of the vehicle interior. Also, since this wireless push button 30 has its own power supply (power source), it is not necessary to lay power wiring either. Therefore, even if multiple such wireless push buttons 30 are installed on the rear door 19 at the rear of the vehicle interior, it does not require the work of running a large number of wires. In addition, the off signal can be obtained, for example, as voltage information of the accessory power supply Acc of the bus 10a. Therefore, the in-vehicle abandonment prevention device 20 can be easily retrofitted to existing buses 10a without requiring extensive modification work.

[0147] Furthermore, the in-vehicle abandonment prevention system 60 of this third embodiment further includes a wireless push button 50. The wireless push button 50 is installed near the child seats 12 of the buses 10a to 10c and has its own power supply unit (power source). When turned on, the power supplied from this power supply unit transmits a passenger signal and the ID information attached thereto via wireless communication to the wireless data communication device 66 of the confirmation device 61. The confirmation device 61 further includes a liquid crystal display 63. When a residual signal is input from the PC main unit 62 (S505; present (residual information)), the liquid crystal display 63 starts a warning operation that links to the ID information of the residual signal and visually warns that the wireless push button 50 corresponding to the ID information has been turned on (S509).

[0148] For example, if a child is left behind in one of the three buses 10a to 10c parked in a designated parking space after dropping off and picking up children, the child can activate a wireless push button 50 to transmit a passenger signal and associated ID information to an external location via wireless communication. When this passenger signal and ID information reaches a confirmation device 61 outside the bus 10a, the confirmation device 61 activates a warning function via its liquid crystal display 63, visually indicating that the wireless push button 50 corresponding to the ID information of a specific bus has been activated. Therefore, by visually confirming the warning function on the liquid crystal display 63, the administrator can understand that a child has been left behind in one of the three buses 10a to 10c. Consequently, the child left behind in that specific bus 10a can be rescued quickly.

[0149] Furthermore, the vehicle abandonment prevention system 60 of this third embodiment includes a vehicle abandonment prevention device 20a equipped with a wireless push button 30 capable of transmitting a press signal wirelessly, and a confirmation device 61 provided outside the bus 10a. The confirmation device 61 comprises a personal computer 62, a liquid crystal display 63, a keyboard 64, a mouse 65, a wireless data communication device 66, and a hard disk drive or SSD of the personal computer 62. When information is received from the wireless data communication device 66 (S507; yes (received information)), the personal computer 62 outputs a notification signal to the liquid crystal display 63 (S507). Subsequently, if a release signal is received from the keyboard 64 or mouse 65 (S513; Yes), a confirmation signal is output to the liquid crystal display 63 (S515), and at least one piece of information is recorded and saved on the hard disk drive or SSD of the PC main unit 62, including information on the reception of the press signal transmitted from the wireless push button 30, information on the press notification start process (notification operation start information), and information on the press notification end process (notification operation end information).

[0150] For example, when bus 10a, having finished dropping off and picking up the children, parks in a designated parking space and turns off its engine, the in-vehicle child abandonment prevention device 20a installed in bus 10a activates an alert function using an acoustic unit 24 and a display device 27. Inside bus 10a, the crew checks the children inside the vehicle and presses a wireless push button 30 on the rear door 19 at the rear of the vehicle. When the press signal transmitted wirelessly from this wireless push button 30 reaches the confirmation device 61 outside bus 10a, the confirmation device 61 starts an alert operation that visually notifies the user that the wireless push button 30 has been pressed using a keyboard 64 and mouse 65. Therefore, the administrator can understand that the crew is checking the children inside the vehicle by visually observing the alert operation on the LCD display 63. Furthermore, the hard disk drive or SSD of the PC unit 62 records and stores at least one piece of information, including information on the reception of the press signal transmitted from the wireless push button 30, information on the start of the press notification process (notification operation start information), and information on the end of the press notification process (notification operation end information). This makes it possible to check this information retrospectively.

[0151] Furthermore, since the wireless push button 30 of the vehicle-in-vehicle abandonment prevention device 20a installed on the bus 10a can transmit a press signal wirelessly, it is not necessary to lay control signal wiring from, for example, the control unit 22 of the main unit 21 located near the driver's seat 13 to the rear door 19 at the rear of the vehicle interior. Also, if the wireless push button 30 has its own power supply (power source), it is not necessary to lay power wiring either. Therefore, even if multiple such wireless push buttons 30 are installed on the rear door 19 at the rear of the vehicle interior, it is not necessary to run a large number of wires. In addition, the off signal can be obtained, for example, as voltage information of the accessory power supply Acc of the bus 10a.

[0152] Furthermore, the in-vehicle abandonment prevention system 60 of this third embodiment further includes a wireless push button 50. The wireless push button 50 is installed near the child seats 12 of the bus 10a and has its own power supply unit (power source). When turned on, the power supplied from this power supply unit transmits a passenger signal wirelessly to the wireless data communication device 66 of the PC main unit 62. The confirmation device 61 further includes a liquid crystal display 63. When a residual signal is input from the PC main unit 62 (S505; present (residual information)), the liquid crystal display 63 starts a warning operation to visually warn that the wireless push button 50 has been turned on (S509). The PC unit 62 records and stores at least one of the following pieces of information on its hard disk drive or SSD: reception information of a press signal transmitted from the wireless push button 30, residual information of a residual signal transmitted from the wireless push button 50, information on the press notification start process (notification operation start information), information on the press notification end process (notification operation end information), information on the residual alarm start process (alarm operation start information), and information on the residual alarm start process (alarm operation end information) (S521).

[0153] For example, even if a child is left behind inside a bus 10a parked in a designated parking space after dropping off or picking up children, the child can activate a wireless push button 50, which will transmit a passenger signal to the outside of the bus 10a via wireless communication. When this passenger signal from the wireless push button 50 reaches a confirmation device 61 outside the push button 50, the confirmation device 61 will activate a warning function on its liquid crystal display 63, which visually indicates that the wireless push button 50 has been activated. Therefore, the administrator can recognize that a child has been left behind inside the bus 10a by visually confirming the warning function on the liquid crystal display 63. Consequently, the child left behind inside the bus 10a can be rescued quickly. Furthermore, the hard disk drive or SSD of the PC unit 62 records and stores at least one of the following information: reception information of the press signal transmitted from the wireless push button 30, residual information of the residual signal transmitted from the wireless push button 50, information on the press notification start process (notification operation start information), information on the press notification end process (notification operation end information), information on the residual alarm start process (alarm operation start information), and information on the residual alarm start process (alarm operation end information). This makes it possible to check this information retrospectively.

[0154] In the third embodiment described above, in order to realize the "(2) history management function" described above, the hard disk drive or SSD of the PC main unit 62 is configured to record and save the following information: reception information of the press signal transmitted from the wireless push button 30, residual information of the residual signal transmitted from the wireless push button 50, information on the press notification start process (notification operation start information), information on the press notification end process (notification operation end information), information on the residual alarm start process (alarm operation start information), and information on the residual alarm start process (alarm operation end information). However, if the "(2) history management function" is not required, it is not necessary to record and save this information on the hard disk drive or SSD.

[0155] Furthermore, in the third embodiment described above, the confirmation device 61 was configured using a personal computer main unit 62, a liquid crystal display 63, a keyboard 64, a mouse 65, and a wireless data communication device 66. However, it is not limited to this configuration, and for example, the confirmation device 61 may be configured using the control unit 42, wireless unit 43, sound unit 44, press notification lamp 45, and abandoned warning lamp 48 of the second embodiment. In this case, the hardware correspondence between the third embodiment and the second embodiment is as described above.

[0156] In the second and third embodiments described above, the wireless push button 50 was installed in one location on the rear door 19 at the rear of the vehicle interior. However, multiple wireless push buttons 50 may be installed in multiple locations within the vehicle interior of the buses 10, 10a to 10c, as long as they are near the child seats 12 and within reach of passengers. However, if it is not necessary to transmit passenger signals via the wireless push button 50, the wireless push button 50 may not be installed.

[0157] Although specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, these are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technologies described in the claims include various modifications and changes to the specific examples described above. Furthermore, the technical elements described in this specification or drawings exhibit technical usefulness individually or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. Moreover, the technologies illustrated in this specification or drawings achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving even one of these objectives constitutes technical usefulness. The terms in parentheses in the [Explanation of Symbols] section are intended to clarify the correspondence between the terms used in each of the embodiments described above and the terms described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0158] 10, 10a, 10b, 10c... Bus (vehicle) 11...Boarding doors 12... Seats for kindergarten children 13… Driver's seat 14… Steering wheel 15… Dashboard 17…Battery 19... Rear door 20, 20a, 20b, 20c... In-vehicle anti-leave device 21...Main unit 22…Control unit (control unit) 23… Wireless Unit 24…Sound unit (warning unit) 25…Power interruption unit (power interruption section) 26…Mute button (pause notification unit) 27…Display device (alert unit) 30…Wireless push button (confirmation notification unit) 40, 60... In-car abandonment prevention system 41, 61…Verification device 42…Control Unit (Verification and Control Unit) 43…Wireless unit (receiver) 44...Sound unit (press notification) Department) 45... Press notification lamp (press notification unit) 46...Release button (Release notification unit) 48… Abandonment warning run P 50... Wireless push button hmm 62... PC main unit (confirmation control unit) 63…LCD display (button press notification section) 64...Keyboard (Deactivation Notification Unit) 65... Mouse (Release Notification Unit) 66…Wireless data communication device (receiving unit) 70...School building 71…Office

Claims

1. A device to prevent passengers from being left behind inside a vehicle, A control unit that receives power from the battery of the vehicle, A confirmation notification unit provided inside the vehicle transmits a push signal to the control unit via wireless communication, A warning unit that initiates or terminates an auditory or visual warning activation process based on an activation or deactivation signal from the control unit, The system includes a power interruption unit that interrupts the power from the battery based on an interruption signal from the control unit, The confirmation notification unit also transmits the identification information added to the press signal to the control unit. The control unit is characterized in that, after outputting the start signal to the warning unit in response to a power source off signal due to the vehicle stopping, it outputs the stop signal to the warning unit and the cutoff signal to the power cutoff unit after receiving the press signal, or outputs the cutoff signal to the power cutoff unit after a predetermined time has elapsed since the output of the start signal, thus preventing the vehicle from being left unattended inside the vehicle.

2. The aforementioned vehicle is further equipped with a stop notification unit. The temporary stop notification unit outputs a temporary stop signal to the control unit when the warning unit is turned ON during operation. The control unit outputs the stop signal to the warning unit in response to the pause signal, and if there is no power source ON signal after a predetermined time has elapsed, outputs the start signal to the warning unit; if there is a power source ON signal, does not output the start signal, outputs the start signal to the warning unit in response to the power source OFF signal, and then outputs the stop signal to the warning unit and the power cut-off unit in response to the press signal, or outputs the power cut-off unit a predetermined time has elapsed after the output of the start signal, characterized in that the control unit outputs the power cut-off unit a stop signal to the power cut-off unit.

3. A vehicle-in-vehicle-abandonment prevention system comprising a vehicle-in-vehicle-abandonment prevention device according to claim 1 or 2, and a confirmation device provided outside the vehicle, The verification device comprises a verification control unit and A receiving unit that outputs received information to the confirmation control unit indicating that it has received the press signal from the confirmation notification unit, A release notification unit sends a release signal to the confirmation control unit, The system includes a press notification unit which initiates a notification operation to notify the pressing of the confirmation notification unit via hearing or sight upon receiving a notification signal from the confirmation control unit, and terminates the notification operation upon receiving a confirmation signal from the confirmation control unit, The confirmation control unit, An in-vehicle abandonment prevention system characterized by outputting the notification signal to the press notification unit based on the received information from the receiving unit, and then outputting the confirmation signal to the press notification unit based on the release signal from the release notification unit.

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