Vehicle and control method thereof

Abstract

A vehicle according to one embodiment includes a plurality of doors, a sensor unit for detecting an object moving around the vehicle, a drive unit for causing the door to open by a first rotational force of a motor, and a control unit for controlling the drive unit to generate a second rotational force opposite to the first direction when the vehicle detects that an object is approaching the vehicle and a passenger is opening the door.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The disclosed invention relates to a vehicle and a control method thereof, and more specifically, to a vehicle and a control method capable of preventing passenger disembarkation accidents. Background Technology

[0002] As a technology to prevent accidents while exiting, the vehicle may be equipped with an Exit Warning that provides a warning when another vehicle approaches, or a Child Lock function that controls the rear seats from the driver's seat.

[0003] However, disembarkation warnings are merely at the level of providing a warning and have limitations in actually protecting passengers. The problem to be solved

[0004] One aspect of the disclosed invention is to provide a vehicle and a method for controlling the vehicle that can prevent passenger disembarkation accidents. means of solving the problem

[0005] A vehicle according to one embodiment of the disclosed invention comprises: a plurality of doors; a sensor unit for detecting an object moving around the vehicle; a driving unit for causing the door to open by a rotational force in a first direction of a motor; and a control unit for controlling the driving unit to generate a rotational force in a second direction opposite to the first direction when the object approaches the vehicle and a passenger opens the door.

[0006] The control unit can predict the position where the target object approaches the vehicle through the sensor unit and control the driving unit of any one of the plurality of doors based on the position.

[0007] The above control unit can control the driving unit so that rotational force in the second direction is generated for a predetermined time.

[0008] The sensor unit detects a stationary obstacle around the vehicle and transmits the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle to the control unit, and the control unit can control the drive unit to generate a rotational force in the second direction if the distance is less than or equal to a predetermined distance.

[0009] The above control unit can control the driving unit according to the magnitude of the rotational force in the second direction that is inversely proportional to the distance.

[0010] The above vehicle is characterized as being an unmanned taxi, and the control unit can control the drive unit to generate a rotational force in a second direction opposite to the first direction when it detects that the passenger opens the door and payment of the fare from the passenger has not been completed.

[0011] The sensor unit may include at least one of a camera, radar, and lidar.

[0012] A vehicle control method according to one embodiment of the disclosed invention includes a driving unit that opens a door by a first rotational force of a motor, and includes the steps of: detecting an object moving around the vehicle; detecting that a passenger opens the door when the object approaches the vehicle; and controlling the driving unit to generate a second rotational force opposite to the first direction.

[0013] The step of controlling the drive unit can predict the position where the object approaches the vehicle and control the drive unit of any one of the plurality of doors based on the position.

[0014] The step of controlling the above driving unit can control the driving unit so that a rotational force in the second direction is generated for a predetermined time.

[0015] A vehicle control method according to one embodiment further includes the step of detecting a stationary obstacle around the vehicle and transmitting the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle to the control unit; and the step of controlling the drive unit may control the drive unit so that a rotational force in the second direction is generated if the distance is less than or equal to a predetermined distance.

[0016] The step of controlling the above driving unit can control the driving unit according to the magnitude of the rotational force in the second direction that is inversely proportional to the distance.

[0017] The above vehicle is characterized as being an unmanned taxi, and the step of controlling the above drive unit can control the drive unit so that when fare payment from the passenger is not completed and the passenger opens the door, a rotational force in a second direction opposite to the first direction is generated.

[0018] A computer program according to one embodiment of the disclosed invention is a computer program for controlling a vehicle that includes a drive unit that opens a door by a first rotational force of a motor, combined with a computing device, and is stored in a recording medium to execute the steps of: detecting an object moving around the vehicle; detecting that a passenger opens the door when the object approaches the vehicle; and controlling the drive unit to generate a second rotational force opposite to the first direction. Effects of the invention

[0019] According to one aspect of the disclosed invention, an accident involving disembarking can be prevented by taking effective measures for passengers when another vehicle approaches from the rear. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates a vehicle according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 illustrates the detection areas of a camera and a radar included in a vehicle according to one embodiment. FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of a vehicle according to one embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a vehicle control method according to one embodiment. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0021] Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same components. This specification does not describe all elements of the embodiments, and general content in the art to which the disclosed invention pertains or content that overlaps between embodiments is omitted. The terms 'part, module, component, block' used in the specification may be implemented in software or hardware, and depending on the embodiments, a plurality of 'parts, modules, components, blocks' may be implemented as a single component, or a single 'part, module, component, block' may include a plurality of components.

[0022] Throughout the specification, when a part is described as being "connected" to another part, this includes not only cases where they are directly connected but also cases where they are indirectly connected, and indirect connections include connections made via a wireless communication network.

[0023] Furthermore, when it is stated that a part "includes" a certain component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components.

[0024] Throughout the specification, when it is stated that a component is located "on" another component, this includes not only cases where a component is in contact with another component, but also cases where another component exists between the two components.

[0025] The terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one component from another, and the components are not limited by the aforementioned terms.

[0026] Singular expressions include plural expressions unless there is an obvious exception in the context.

[0027] In each step, identification codes are used for convenience of explanation and do not describe the order of the steps; the steps may be performed differently from the specified order unless a specific order is clearly indicated in the context.

[0028] The operating principle and embodiments of the disclosed invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0029] FIG. 1 illustrates a vehicle according to one embodiment, FIG. 2 illustrates a detection area of ​​a camera and radar included in a vehicle according to one embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of a vehicle according to one embodiment.

[0030] A vehicle (1) is a device that travels for the purpose of transporting people or cargo and can move on a road. Here, the vehicle (1) is generally a privately operated passenger car, but may include taxis, unmanned taxis, etc., which passengers board after paying a fare.

[0031] The door (100) is rotatably provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle (1) so as to allow a user to board the vehicle (1) when opened and shield the interior of the vehicle (1) from the outside when closed.

[0032] Although not shown in FIG. 1, an internal handle of the door is provided inside the door (100) so that a user can operate it to open the door (100). At this time, the internal handle may be a device that opens and closes the door (100) by pulling, and it is obvious that it may be provided as a button so that the door (100) can be automatically opened and closed upon button input.

[0033] The camera (110) may include a front camera for securing a field of view (110a, see FIG. 2) toward the front of the vehicle (1), a side camera for securing a field of view (not shown) toward the side of the vehicle (1), and a rear camera for securing a field of view (not shown) toward the rear of the vehicle (1).

[0034] A front camera may be installed on the front windshield of a vehicle (1). The front camera may photograph the front of the vehicle (1) and acquire image data of the front of the vehicle (1). The image data of the front of the vehicle (1) may include location information regarding at least one of other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, lanes, curbs, guardrails, trees, and streetlights located in front of the vehicle (1).

[0035] A side camera may be installed on the B-pillar side of the vehicle (1). The side camera can photograph the side of the vehicle (1) and acquire image data of the side of the vehicle (1). The image data of the side of the vehicle (1) can detect a number of stationary parked vehicles located on the side of the vehicle (1), and can acquire distance information between the number of parked vehicles through an image processing process.

[0036] The camera (110) may include a plurality of lenses and an image sensor. The camera (110) can transmit external field of view image data of the vehicle (1) to the control unit (150).

[0037] A rear camera can be installed on the rear windshield of the vehicle (1). The rear camera can photograph the rear of the vehicle (1) and acquire image data of the rear of the vehicle (1). The rear image data can transmit path information of another vehicle approaching from the rear to the control unit (150). At this time, the control unit (150) can predict which side of the vehicle (1) the other vehicle will approach based on the path information. When the control unit (150) expects that the other vehicle will approach one side of the door (100), it controls the drive unit (160), which will be described later.

[0038] The front radar (120) may have a field of sensing (120a) facing forward of the vehicle (1). The front radar (120) may be installed, for example, on the grille or bumper of the vehicle (1).

[0039] The forward radar (120) may include a transmitting antenna (or transmitting antenna array) that radiates a transmission wave toward the front of the vehicle (1), and a receiving antenna (or receiving antenna array) that receives a reflected wave reflected from an obstacle.

[0040] The forward radar (120) can acquire forward radar data from the transmitted radio waves transmitted by the transmitting antenna and the reflected radio waves received by the receiving antenna.

[0041] Forward radar data may include location information and speed levels regarding other vehicles, pedestrians, or cyclists located in front of the vehicle (1).

[0042] The forward radar (120) can calculate the relative distance to an obstacle based on the phase difference (or time difference) between the transmitted radio waves and the reflected radio waves, and can calculate the relative speed of the obstacle based on the frequency difference between the transmitted radio waves and the reflected radio waves. The forward radar (120) can transmit the forward radar data to the first control unit (150).

[0043] A plurality of corner radars (130) include a first corner radar (131) installed on the front right side of the vehicle (1), a second corner radar (132) installed on the front left side of the vehicle (1), a third corner radar (133) installed on the rear right side of the vehicle (1), and a fourth corner radar (134) installed on the rear left side of the vehicle (1).

[0044] The first corner radar (131) may have a detection field of view (131a) facing the front right side of the vehicle (1). The first corner radar (131) may be installed on the right side of the front bumper of the vehicle (1).

[0045] The second corner radar (132) may have a detection field of view (132a) facing the front left side of the vehicle (1) and may be installed on the left side of the front bumper of the vehicle (1).

[0046] The third corner radar (133) may have a detection field of view (133a) facing the rear right side of the vehicle (1) and may be installed on the right side of the rear bumper of the vehicle (1).

[0047] The fourth corner radar (134) may have a detection field of view (134a) facing the rear left side of the vehicle (1) and may be installed on the left side of the rear bumper of the vehicle (1).

[0048] Each of the first, second, third, and fourth corner radars (131, 132, 133, 134) may include a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna.

[0049] The first, second, third, and fourth corner radars (131, 132, 133, 134) can each acquire first corner radar data, second corner radar data, third corner radar data, and fourth corner radar data.

[0050] The first corner radar data may include distance information and speed level regarding other vehicles, pedestrians, or cyclists located to the front right of the vehicle (1).

[0051] The second corner radar data may include distance information and speed level of an obstacle located on the front left side of the vehicle (1).

[0052] The third and fourth corner radar data may include distance and speed information of obstacles located on the rear right and rear left of the vehicle (1).

[0053] The first, second, third, and fourth corner radars (131, 132, 133, 134) can each transmit the first, second, third, and fourth corner radar data to the first control unit (150).

[0054] That is, the front radar and corner radar serve as obstacle detection units, detect obstacles in front of and to the left and right sides of the vehicle, and transmit obstacle information regarding the detected obstacles to the control unit (150). Here, the obstacle information may include location information of the obstacle, and the location information of the obstacle may include distance information from the obstacle and direction information of the obstacle.

[0055] A lidar (140) can be installed on the vehicle (1) to provide an external view of the vehicle (1). For example, the lidar (140) can be mounted on the front bumper, radiator grille, hood, roof, door, side mirror, tailgate, trunk lid, or fender.

[0056] The control unit (150) may include an image signal processor, which is a processor (151) that processes image data of the camera (110), and / or a digital signal processor that processes radar data of the radars (120, 130), and / or a micro control unit (MCU) that generates a braking signal.

[0057] When the control unit (150) receives image information (i.e., image data) from the camera (110) during the execution of the autonomous driving mode, it performs image processing to recognize the lanes of the road, recognizes the lane in which the vehicle is driving based on the location information of the recognized lanes, determines whether both lanes of the lane are recognized, and if it is determined that both lanes are recognized, it can control the autonomous driving based on the recognized lanes.

[0058] The control unit (150) can identify objects within the image based on image information acquired by the camera (110) and compare the information of the identified objects with the object information stored in the memory (152) to determine whether the objects within the image are obstacles in a fixed state or obstacles in a moving state.

[0059] The control unit (150) can detect obstacles in front of the vehicle (1) (e.g., other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, curbs, guardrails, trees, streetlights, etc.) based on image data from the camera (110) and front radar data from the front radar (120).

[0060] Specifically, the control unit (150) can obtain location information (distance and direction) and speed information (relative speed) of obstacles in front of the vehicle (1) based on the front radar data of the front radar (120).

[0061] The control unit (150) can obtain location information (direction) and type information (e.g., whether the obstacle is another vehicle, or a pedestrian, or a cyclist, or a curb, or a guardrail, or a roadside tree, or a street light, etc.) of obstacles in front of the vehicle (1) based on image data from the camera (110).

[0062] The control unit (150) can obtain location information (distance and direction) and speed information (relative speed) of obstacles on the sides (front right, front left, rear right, rear left) of the vehicle (1) based on corner radar data from a plurality of corner radars (130).

[0063] For example, the control unit (150) can calculate the distance to collision (DTC) based on the speed information (i.e., relative speed) of obstacles obtained by a plurality of corner radars (130), and transmit a control signal to at least one of a warning unit and a braking unit based on the result of comparing the distance to collision and the distance to corner obstacles.

[0064] For example, the control unit (150) can calculate the time to collision (Time to Collision, TTC) between the vehicle (1) and the corner obstacles based on the position information (relative distance) and speed information (relative speed) of the corner obstacles, and transmit a warning information output control signal to the warning unit (160) or a braking signal to the braking unit based on the result of comparing the time to collision and a predetermined reference time.

[0065] The memory (152) can store a program and / or data for processing image data, a program and / or data for processing radar data, and a program and / or data for the processor (151) to generate a braking signal and / or a warning signal.

[0066] The memory (152) temporarily stores image data received from the front camera (110) and / or radar data received from the radars (120, 130), and can temporarily store the processing results of the image data and / or radar data of the memory (152).

[0067] The memory (152) may be implemented as at least one of a non-volatile memory device such as a cache, ROM (Read Only Memory), PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM) and flash memory, a volatile memory device such as RAM (Random Access Memory), or a storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) and CD-ROM, but is not limited thereto.

[0068] The driving unit (160) can drive the door (100) to open by using the power of the motor. The driving unit (160) can control the door (100) to open automatically by generating a first rotational force in the motor. Additionally, the driving unit (160) can control the opened door (100) to close automatically by generating a second rotational force in the motor.

[0069] Additionally, when a passenger manually opens the door (100), the drive unit (160) can generate a second rotational force in the motor to resist the opening of the door (100). At this time, the drive unit (160) can control the magnitude of the rotational force applied to the motor and the time for which the rotational force is applied to the motor according to the command of the control unit (150).

[0070] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a vehicle control method according to one embodiment.

[0071] The vehicle (1) detects objects or obstacles around the vehicle (1) through a sensor unit (not shown) (401). Here, the objects refer to objects moving relative to the vehicle (1) and may include, for example, passenger cars, motorcycles, and pedestrians. Additionally, obstacles refer to objects stationary relative to the vehicle (1) and may include, for example, walls, other parked vehicles, and structures.

[0072] The vehicle (1) detects a passenger's door opening operation (402). Specifically, the vehicle (1) detects that after stopping, a passenger in the passenger seat or rear seat attempts to exit by operating the door (100) to exit.

[0073] When the vehicle (1) detects a passenger's door opening operation, it determines whether an object or obstacle is detected in the vehicle (1) at the time the door is opened (403).

[0074] At this time, if no object or obstacle is detected in the vehicle (1), it is acceptable for the passenger to disembark, so the door (100) can be opened according to the passenger's intention without applying rotational force to the motor of the drive unit (160).

[0075] Conversely, if the vehicle (1) detects an object or an obstacle, it may perform an action to prevent a disembarkation accident. Regarding step 404, the object and the obstacle are explained separately.

[0076] According to one embodiment, when the vehicle (1) detects that an object is approaching the vehicle (1) and that a passenger is opening the door (100), the driving unit (160) controls the motor to generate a rotational force in the opposite direction to delay the full opening of the door (100) (404). For example, if the direction in which the door (100) is opened is the first direction, a rotational force in the second direction opposite to the first direction is applied to the motor to prevent the door (100) from opening all at once, and at the same time, a warning to disembark can be provided to the passenger. At this time, the vehicle (1) may also provide an auditory warning through a warning unit (not shown). At this time, the control unit (150) can predict the location where the object is approaching the vehicle (1) through a sensor unit and control the driving unit of one of the multiple doors based on the predicted location.

[0077] Additionally, according to one embodiment, the vehicle (1) can control the drive unit (160) to generate a second rotational force for a predetermined time. The predetermined time refers to a normal time sufficient for an object to pass the vehicle (1) from the rear. For example, the predetermined time may be 1 second to 5 seconds. In addition, in addition to the predetermined time, the time for which the second rotational force is applied may be applied by calculating the time it takes for an object to pass the vehicle (1).

[0078] Meanwhile, the vehicle (1) can control the drive unit (160) based on the vehicle (1) and a stationary obstacle in addition to an object approaching from the rear. For example, if there is an obstacle such as a wall on the left or right side of the vehicle (1) that makes it difficult to fully open the door (100), resistance can be applied to the door (100) to prevent door dents. According to one embodiment, the vehicle (1) detects a stationary obstacle around the vehicle (1) through a sensor unit and transmits the distance between the vehicle (1) and the obstacle to the control unit (150). At this time, the obstacle refers to a stationary object located to the left or right of the vehicle (1). If the distance between the vehicle (1) and the obstacle is less than or equal to a predetermined distance, the control unit (15) controls the drive unit (160) to generate a rotational force in a second direction. Here, the control unit (160) can control the magnitude of the rotational force in the second direction to be inversely proportional to the distance. Therefore, when an obstacle is close, a large resistance can be applied to the door (100), and when an obstacle is relatively far away, a small resistance can be applied to the door (100).

[0079] According to one embodiment, the vehicle (1) may be characterized as being an unmanned taxi. According to this embodiment, the fare payment may be induced to be completed before the passenger disembarks through the resistance of the door (100). The vehicle (1) may control the drive unit (160) to generate a rotational force in a second direction opposite to the first direction when it detects that the passenger is opening the door without the fare payment being completed by the passenger.

[0080] Meanwhile, the disclosed embodiments may be implemented in the form of a recording medium that stores instructions executable by a computer. The instructions may be stored in the form of program code and, when executed by a processor, may generate a program module to perform the operation of the disclosed embodiments. The recording medium may be implemented as a computer-readable recording medium.

[0081] Computer-readable recording media include all types of recording media that store instructions that can be decoded by a computer. Examples include ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), magnetic tape, magnetic disk, flash memory, optical data storage devices, etc.

[0082] As described above, the disclosed embodiments have been explained with reference to the attached drawings. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention may be practiced in forms different from the disclosed embodiments without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the invention. The disclosed embodiments are illustrative and should not be interpreted restrictively.

Claims

Claim 1 A vehicle comprising: a plurality of doors; a sensor unit for detecting an object moving around the vehicle; a drive unit for causing the door to open by a first rotational force of a motor; and a control unit for controlling the drive unit to resist the opening of the door by generating a second rotational force opposite to the first direction for a time determined based on the time of opening the door and the time the object passes the vehicle, so as to delay the full opening of the door when the object approaches the vehicle and a passenger manually opens the door, and detecting a stationary obstacle around the vehicle through the sensor unit, and if the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle is less than or equal to a predetermined distance, controlling the drive unit according to the magnitude of the second rotational force inversely proportional to the distance. Claim 2 A vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control unit predicts the position where the object approaches the vehicle through the sensor unit, and controls the driving unit of any one of the plurality of doors based on the position. Claim 3 delete Claim 4 delete Claim 5 delete Claim 6 In claim 1, the vehicle is characterized as being an unmanned taxi, and the control unit controls the drive unit to generate a rotational force in a second direction opposite to the first direction when it detects that the passenger has not completed fare payment and has opened the door. Claim 7 In claim 1, the sensor unit comprises at least one of a camera, a radar, and a lidar. Claim 8 A method for controlling a vehicle comprising a drive unit that rotates a door by a first rotational force of a motor, the method comprising: a step in which a sensor unit detects an object moving around the vehicle; a step in which, when the object approaches the vehicle and the control unit detects that a passenger is manually opening the door, the drive unit is controlled to resist the opening of the door by generating a second rotational force opposite to the first direction for a time determined based on the time of opening the door and the time the object passes the vehicle, thereby delaying the full opening of the door; and a step in which, when the control unit detects a stationary obstacle around the vehicle through the sensor unit and the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle is less than or equal to a predetermined distance, the drive unit is controlled according to the magnitude of the second rotational force inversely proportional to the distance. Claim 9 In claim 8, the step of controlling the drive unit is a method for controlling a vehicle that predicts the position where the object approaches the vehicle and controls the drive unit of one of a plurality of doors based on the position. Claim 10 In claim 8, the step of controlling the drive unit is a method for controlling a vehicle such that the drive unit is controlled to generate a rotational force in the second direction for a predetermined time. Claim 11 delete Claim 12 delete Claim 13 In claim 8, the vehicle is characterized as being an unmanned taxi, and the step of controlling the drive unit is a method of controlling the vehicle such that when payment of the fare from the passenger is not completed and the passenger opens the door, the drive unit is controlled to generate a rotational force in a second direction opposite to the first direction. Claim 14 A computer program for controlling a vehicle comprising a drive unit that rotates a door by a first-direction rotational force of a motor, combined with a computing device, the computer program being configured to execute the steps of: detecting an object moving around the vehicle; detecting that a passenger manually opens the door when the object approaches the vehicle; controlling the drive unit to resist the opening of the door by generating a second-direction rotational force opposite to the first direction for a time determined based on the time of opening the door and the time when the object passes the vehicle, thereby delaying the full opening of the door; and, if the distance between the vehicle and an obstacle detected around the vehicle through a sensor unit is less than or equal to a predetermined distance, controlling the drive unit according to the magnitude of the second-direction rotational force inversely proportional to the distance.

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