Control method and control apparatus for transport unit comprising automatic door, and transport unit

Abstract

A control method for a transport unit comprising an automatic door, comprising a reloading process, wherein the reloading process comprises: when it is detected that an automatic door starts to close, acquiring data outside the automatic door and data inside a transport unit; on the basis of the data outside the automatic door, before the automatic door is closed beyond a certain extent, detecting whether there is a target within a detection region outside the automatic door; on the basis of the data inside the transport unit, estimating a remaining available space inside the transport unit; on the basis of detecting that there is a target within the detection region outside the automatic door, comparing the estimated remaining available space with the target; outputting a door opening instruction on the basis of the comparison between the estimated remaining available space and the target; and upon detecting that the automatic door is opened, waiting for a specific time, and then outputting a door closing instruction. The control method realizes a door reopening process for newly arrived or mobility-impaired passengers during door closing of a transport unit, and intelligently enables door reopening only when said passengers can be allowed to enter, thereby avoiding door reopening when there is insufficient remaining space inside the transport unit, and taking into account the comfort and experience of passengers already inside the transport unit.

Description

Control methods and control devices for vehicles including automatic doors, and vehicles Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to transportation equipment, and more particularly to a control method for a vehicle including an automatic door and a control device for a vehicle including an automatic door. Background Technology

[0002] Automatic doors are ubiquitous in daily life, such as elevators that transport passengers between floors, and subways, trains, and cable cars that move between stations. These automatic doors often maintain a waiting period after opening before automatically closing, and the closing process takes some time to complete. For these vehicles with automatic doors, a common scenario arises where, during the closing period, especially if there is sufficient space inside the vehicle, someone or equipment may have just arrived, or people with mobility issues may be unable to enter the vehicle within the aforementioned waiting time, and they may wish for the door to reopen to allow them entry. If they cannot board the vehicle, they may have to spend considerable additional time waiting for the next available vehicle.

[0003] For certain application scenarios, such as public places, vehicle providers want to accommodate more passengers, especially those with mobility impairments, or maximize loading efficiency. This necessitates a function that can reopen the automatic doors during closing to allow reloading in specific situations. However, existing vehicles lack sufficient intelligence to address these needs.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need for a control method and control device for vehicles including automatic doors. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This disclosure provides a control method for a vehicle including an automatic door, comprising a reloading process, which includes: acquiring data outside the automatic door and data inside the vehicle when the automatic door is detected to begin closing; identifying, based on the data outside the automatic door, whether a target exists within a recognition area outside the automatic door before the automatic door closes to a certain extent; identifying, based on the data inside the vehicle, the remaining accommodating space inside the vehicle; comparing the identified remaining accommodating space with the target based on the identified target within the recognition area outside the automatic door; outputting an opening command based on the comparison of the identified remaining accommodating space with the target; and waiting for a specific time after detecting that the automatic door has opened before outputting a closing command.

[0006] For example, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, the specific degree of closure of the automatic door includes one of the following: the automatic door lock is engaged; and the opening width of the automatic door reaches a closing width threshold.

[0007] For example, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, the reloading process is disabled after it is detected that the automatic door is closed to a certain extent.

[0008] For example, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, the target includes a specific device / equipment and a specific person.

[0009] For example, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, the identification area can be adjusted in size as needed.

[0010] For example, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes dividing each target after identifying the presence of a target within the identification area outside the automatic door.

[0011] For example, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, dividing each target also includes binding the passenger's carried items to the passenger as a target, or binding multiple passengers who are in physical contact or contact as a target.

[0012] For example, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, the output of an opening command based on a comparison of the identified remaining accommodating space with the target includes:

[0013] When it is determined that the remaining storage space is sufficient to accommodate at least one of the identified targets, an opening command is output.

[0014] For example, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, the output of an opening command based on a comparison of the identified remaining accommodating space with the target includes:

[0015] When it is determined that the remaining storage space can accommodate all the identified targets, an opening command is output.

[0016] For example, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0017] Repeat the reloading process; identify whether the target within the identified area changes during each reloading process; determine whether the number of times the target within the identified area remains unchanged during repeated reloading processes reaches a specific number; based on the number of times the target within the identified area remains unchanged during repeated reloading processes reaching a specific number, output a door-closing command and disable the reloading process.

[0018] For example, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, information on the remaining capacity within the identified vehicle and / or information on the comparison between the identified remaining capacity and the target is output.

[0019] For example, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, the vehicle includes an elevator.

[0020] For example, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, identifying whether a target exists in the identification area outside the automatic door before the automatic door is fully closed further includes dividing the identification area into multiple sub-areas and identifying the sub-area where the existing target is located.

[0021] For example, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, each sub-region corresponds to a floor that the vehicle can reach, and the target is transported to the floor corresponding to the sub-region based on the identified sub-region where the target is located.

[0022] For example, this disclosure also proposes a non-transitory storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0023] For example, this disclosure also proposes a control device for a vehicle including an automatic door; a first sensor disposed outside the automatic door and configured to collect data outside the automatic door; a second sensor disposed inside the automatic door and configured to collect data inside the vehicle; a processor connected to the automatic door, the first sensor and the second sensor, and executing program code stored in a memory to perform a method according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0024] For example, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, the first sensor and / or the second sensor include an infrared sensor, a radar sensor, a video sensor, a time-of-flight sensor, a depth sensor, and / or a LIDAR sensor.

[0025] For example, this disclosure also proposes a vehicle including: an automatic door configured to open according to an opening command and close according to a closing command; and a control device for a vehicle including an automatic door according to an embodiment of this disclosure, capable of outputting an opening command and / or a closing command to the automatic door.

[0026] For example, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, a display device is connected to the control device for displaying information on the remaining capacity within the identified vehicle and / or a comparison result of the identified remaining capacity with the target, output by the control device.

[0027] For example, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, an indicating device is used to indicate the identification area, and / or, when the identification area includes multiple sub-areas, to indicate each sub-area, and / or, when each sub-area corresponds to a floor that the vehicle can reach, to indicate the floor corresponding to each sub-area. Attached Figure Description

[0028] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of specific embodiments of the present disclosure will become clearer from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0029] Figure 1 is an example flowchart of a reloading process for a control method for a vehicle including an automatic door according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 2 is an example flowchart of a control method for a vehicle including an automatic door according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0031] Before proceeding with the detailed description below, it may be advantageous to define certain words and phrases used throughout this disclosure. The terms “comprising” and “including” and their derivatives mean, but are not limited to, “including”. The phrase “at least one”, when used with a list of items, means that different combinations of one or more of the listed items may be used, and that only one item in the list may be required. For example, “at least one of A, B, and C” includes any one of the following combinations: A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, A and B and C.

[0032] Definitions of other specific words and phrases are provided throughout this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that, in many, if not most, cases, such definitions apply to the prior and future use of the words and phrases thus defined.

[0033] The various embodiments of the principles of this disclosure described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure in any way. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of this disclosure can be implemented in any suitably arranged system or device. In some cases, the actions described in this disclosure can be performed in a different order and still achieve the desired result. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the drawings do not necessarily require a specific order or sequential sequence to achieve the desired result. In certain embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

[0034] The text and accompanying drawings are provided by way of example only to aid in understanding this disclosure. They should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims appended to this disclosure in any way. Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals generally indicate the same elements. Although certain embodiments and examples have been provided, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art, based on the content of this disclosure, that changes may be made to the illustrated embodiments and examples without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0035] For certain application scenarios, such as public places, vehicle providers want to accommodate more passengers, especially those with mobility impairments, or maximize the loading efficiency of the vehicle. This requires a function that can reopen the door for specific situations during the automatic door closing period to allow loading.

[0036] This disclosure proposes a control method and control device for a vehicle including an automatic door. Figure 1 shows an example flowchart of the reloading process S1 of the control method for a vehicle including an automatic door according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0037] As shown in Figure 1, data can be acquired at S11. The acquired data may include data outside the automatic door and data inside the automatic door (i.e., inside the vehicle). This data may be collected in real time, but the control method of this disclosure may only acquire or select data when the automatic door is detected to be starting to close. This is because passengers or equipment can enter or exit at any time before the automatic door starts to close, without needing to reopen the door, which is irrelevant to the reloading process that this disclosure intends to achieve, and the data inside the automatic door is not fixed.

[0038] The data acquired outside the automatic door and inside the vehicle can be collected by a first sensor and a second sensor, respectively. For example, the first sensor is located outside the automatic door of the vehicle, and the second sensor is located inside the automatic door of the vehicle. The first sensor and / or the second sensor can be any type of sensor or combination thereof suitable for detecting the object, for example, it may include infrared sensors, radar sensors, video sensors, time-of-flight sensors, depth sensors, and / or LiDAR sensors. The first sensor and / or the second sensor can be positioned in various locations. In particular, the first sensor and / or the second sensor may include any 1D, 2D, or 3D depth sensor or combination thereof. These depth sensors can be used to generate spectral, electromagnetic, or acoustic spectra of depth maps (also known as point clouds or occupancy grids) of corresponding dimensions. Various depth sensing sensor technologies and devices include, but are not limited to, structured light measurement, phase shift measurement, time-of-flight measurement, stereo triangulation devices, light field cameras, coded aperture cameras, computational imaging technologies, simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), imaging radar, imaging sonar, scanning LiDAR, flash LiDAR, passive infrared (PIR) sensors, and small focal plane arrays (FPAs), or combinations thereof. Different technologies can include active (transmitting and receiving signals) or passive (receiving signals only).

[0039] After acquiring the data, at step S12, based on the data outside the automatic door, it is determined whether a target exists within the identification area outside the automatic door before the automatic door closes to a certain extent. Specifically, for some automatic doors, which include automatic door locks, "closing the automatic door to a certain extent" can refer to the automatic door lock being engaged. For certain applications, "closing the automatic door to a certain extent" can also be set as the automatic door opening width reaching a closing width threshold, which can be specified and set by the user.

[0040] Furthermore, the recognition area can be set according to customer needs, such as a 2×2 square area or a 2×3 rectangular area in front of the automatic door, to suit different application scenarios.

[0041] Furthermore, the identified objects can be set according to customer needs. For example, they may include specific devices / equipment and specific personnel. Specific devices / equipment may be unmanned vehicles, drones, robots, etc., and specific personnel may be specific staff members or specific groups of people, such as the elderly, pregnant women, children, adults with children, people in wheelchairs, or people carrying specific equipment.

[0042] Since multiple targets often appear within the identification area, the method according to this disclosure may also include dividing each target to distinguish between different targets.

[0043] In particular, it is common for passengers to travel with luggage, multiple passengers to travel together (adults with children, assisting the elderly, couples holding hands, etc.), or passengers to travel with pets, often sharing the vehicle without being separated. Therefore, it may be necessary to bind these passengers and their belongings (such as luggage and / or pets), or multiple passengers in physical contact or connection, together to improve efficiency. Passengers "carrying" belongings can be done through direct physical contact or indirect connection via tools, such as a pet on a leash. Binding multiple passengers is similar; it can involve direct physical contact, two people with their bodies spaced within a specific area, or being connected through other objects, such as an adult using a leash to connect with a child.

[0044] Specifically, identifying the presence of a target within the detection area outside the automatic door can include data preprocessing, such as data cleaning and data correction. Data cleaning aims to eliminate noise and correct inconsistencies in the data, including filling in missing data values, smoothing noisy data, identifying and removing outliers, and correcting inconsistencies.

[0045] Identifying the presence of a target within the recognition area outside an automatic door can also include feature extraction. Feature extraction is a crucial step in image processing, aiming to extract target-related feature information from an image so that subsequent target detection algorithms can accurately identify the target. For example, edge detection algorithms, such as Canny edge detection and Sobel edge detection, can be used; texture analysis algorithms, such as gray-level co-occurrence matrix and local binary pattern recognition, can be used; and color feature extraction algorithms, such as color histograms and color moments, can be used.

[0046] Identifying the presence of a target within the recognition area outside an automatic door can also include target detection, a core step in the identification process aimed at accurately identifying the target's location and category within the data. For example, target detection can be performed using traditional methods, which primarily rely on image processing and machine learning techniques. After extracting feature information from the image, a classifier is used to categorize the features to determine the target's category. The classifier can include one or more of decision trees, random forests, extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), and support vector machines (SVM). Finally, the target's location and size are determined based on the classification results. However, traditional methods have limitations when handling targets with complex backgrounds and varying poses. Alternatively, target detection can be based on deep learning. These algorithms typically use convolutional neural networks (CNNs) as feature extractors and learn feature representations of targets by training on large amounts of data. Common deep learning-based target detection algorithms include YOLO (You Only Look Once), SSD (Single Shot MultiBox Detector), and Faster R-CNN. These algorithms offer high accuracy and real-time performance, and can handle targets with complex backgrounds and varying poses. The two methods mentioned above can also be used in combination.

[0047] Following object detection, post-processing and optimization steps can be performed to improve accuracy and robustness. For example, Non-maximum Suppression (NMS) can be used to remove redundant boxes from the detection results. By calculating the score and overlap of each detection box, NMS can select the detection box with the highest score and lowest overlap as the final result. Bounding Box Regression (BBR) can also be used: BBR is an optimization method used to adjust the position and size of detection boxes to more accurately fit the target. By training a regression model, BBR can predict the offset between the detection box and the ground truth target and adjust the detection box accordingly.

[0048] For model training, for example, several labeled data samples can be obtained; all data samples are divided into training and test sets. The model is trained using the training set, and then the test set is input into the model to obtain estimation results. Training conditions are set; if the estimation results meet the training conditions, the trained model is output; otherwise, the model is trained again using the training set. The trained model is then saved to disk or other storage media for later use. The model is deployed to a real production environment, such as a server or embedded device. Afterward, the deployed model can be used for prediction or estimation tasks. Based on the model's output and estimation results, alerts or suggestions can be further issued.

[0049] Preferably, the model's performance can be monitored periodically to identify and address potential problems promptly. Depending on the situation, the model can be updated, retrained, or other measures can be taken to improve its performance. This includes adding new training data, adjusting the model structure, or modifying hyperparameters.

[0050] Furthermore, at S13, based on the data within the vehicle, the remaining accommodation space within the vehicle is identified. Identifying the remaining accommodation space within the vehicle may include, for example, identifying the remaining area within the vehicle not occupied by passengers or equipment. The specific method for this can be similar to the specific method used in S12 described above, and will not be elaborated here.

[0051] At step S14, based on the detection of a target within the detection area outside the automatic door, the identified remaining capacity space is compared with the target. That is, it is determined whether the identified remaining capacity space is sufficient to accommodate the target within the detection area. For example, the area occupied by the identified target outside the automatic door is compared with the remaining area inside the vehicle not occupied by passengers or equipment. In particular, a comfort threshold space can be set, which corresponds to the spacing between people or equipment within the vehicle. A larger spacing results in a more comfortable ride, and a larger comfort threshold space is required. For example, the comfort threshold space can be subtracted from the identified remaining capacity space before comparing it with the identified target. Only when the identified remaining capacity space is greater than the sum of the comfort threshold space and the space required by the target is it considered that the remaining capacity space can accommodate the target, ensuring that the comfort level of other passengers is maintained even after the identified target enters the vehicle.

[0052] In particular, in the case of identifying multiple targets, at S14, the identified remaining containment space can be compared with all and / or part of the targets, for example, the identified remaining containment space can be compared with each of the targets.

[0053] At S15, an opening command is output based on a comparison between the identified remaining space and the target. For example, depending on the needs of different customers, an opening command may be output when the comparison shows that the remaining space can accommodate at least one of the identified targets; or an opening command may be output when the comparison shows that the remaining space can accommodate all of the identified targets, thus instructing the automatic door to open.

[0054] At point S16, after detecting that the automatic door has opened, the system waits for a specific time before outputting a closing command. This completes the entire reloading process.

[0055] Furthermore, the control method according to this disclosure also includes outputting the remaining capacity information within the identified vehicle and / or the comparison result information between the identified remaining capacity and the target. For example, the remaining capacity information may be the available floor area, and the comparison result information may be how many people the vehicle can still accommodate, or information such as whether it can only accommodate people and cannot carry large luggage. This information can be sent to the vehicle's display device (described later) to display the situation inside the vehicle to passengers outside the automatic door, allowing customers to decide whether they need to enter the identification area to catch the vehicle.

[0056] Furthermore, the identification area can be divided into multiple sub-areas, and the sub-area where a target located within the identification area can be identified. Each sub-area can correspond to different information or instructions, thus conveying the desired information when the target is located in different sub-areas. For example, the vehicle according to this disclosure can be an elevator that transports passengers between different floors. Each sub-area can correspond to the floors that the vehicle can reach; for example, the first sub-area corresponds to the first floor, the second sub-area corresponds to the second floor, the third sub-area corresponds to the third floor, and so on. The target being located in the first sub-area is equivalent to indicating that it wishes to go to the first floor. Therefore, based on the identified sub-area where the target is located, the target can be transported to the floor corresponding to that sub-area. This is very convenient for passengers carrying large items or with mobility issues, as they do not need to enter their desired floor after entering the vehicle, and it also enables contactless travel, ensuring cleanliness and hygiene.

[0057] It should be noted that, in the case of an elevator, the automatic doors consist of two parts: the landing doors and the car doors. The landing doors are installed on each floor, and the car doors are installed on the elevator car. When the elevator car moves to the corresponding floor, the corresponding landing doors and car doors align and open simultaneously to allow passengers to enter. Furthermore, elevators may also include, but are not limited to, traction devices, shafts, safety protection devices, main units, and gravity balancing devices.

[0058] In particular, the control method of this disclosure can also have the functions of multiple reloading and preventing accidental entry into the identification area, as shown in the flowchart of Figure 2. The reloading process S1 according to this disclosure can be repeated.

[0059] After each execution of S1, at S2, it is determined whether the target existing in the identified area has changed, that is, the target identified in this reload process is compared with the target identified in the previous reload process.

[0060] Then, at step S3, it is determined whether the number of times the target within the identification area remains unchanged has reached a certain number. If the target changes, it is determined whether to proceed to the next reloading process; otherwise, if the number of times the target remains unchanged has not reached the specific number, it is also determined whether to proceed to the next reloading process. Thus, when multiple targets arrive in the identification area, multiple reloading processes can be performed, allowing the door to reopen multiple times to allow them to enter gradually. Furthermore, when multiple targets already in the identification area require a longer time to enter the vehicle, multiple reloading processes can continuously keep the automatic door open until all targets have entered the vehicle.

[0061] If the determination at S3 is "yes," meaning the target remains unchanged a certain number of times, it indicates that a target has been present in the identification area for an extended period without intending to enter, which could be a case of mistaken entry. To resolve this, the method proceeds to S4, outputting a door-closing command and disabling the reloading process. This prevents the target from mistakenly entering the identification area and causing the vehicle to fail to close.

[0062] Furthermore, this disclosure also proposes a control device for a vehicle including an automatic door, the device including a memory, a processor, and multiple sensors. The multiple status sensors include, for example, the first sensor and the second sensor as described above. The first sensor may be disposed outside the automatic door and configured to collect data outside the automatic door; the second sensor may be disposed inside the automatic door and configured to collect data inside the vehicle. The processor is coupled to the multiple status sensors and the memory, and executes program code stored in the memory to perform the control method for a vehicle including an automatic door according to this disclosure.

[0063] Memory and processor can be interconnected via a bus system and / or other forms of connection mechanism (not shown). For example, the bus can be a Peripheral Component Interconnect Standard (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus. This communication bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc.

[0064] For example, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or other processing units with data processing and / or program execution capabilities, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The processor may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, capable of controlling other components in the control device for a vehicle including an automatic door to perform desired functions.

[0065] Exemplarily, the memory may include any combination of one or more computer program products, which may include various forms of computer-readable storage media, such as volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory may include, for example, random access memory (RAM) and / or cache. Non-volatile memory may include, for example, read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), USB memory, flash memory, etc. The processor may execute program code stored in the memory to implement various functions for control devices of a vehicle including an automatic door. Various application programs and various data, as well as various data used and / or generated by the application programs, may also be stored in the computer-readable storage medium.

[0066] For example, a control device for a vehicle including an automatic door may also include input devices such as a touchscreen, touchpad, keyboard, mouse, camera, microphone, accelerometer, and gyroscope; output devices such as a liquid crystal display, speaker, and vibrator; storage devices such as magnetic tape and hard disk (HDD or SSD); and communication devices such as network interface cards such as LAN cards and modems. The communication device allows the control device for the vehicle including an automatic door to exchange data wirelessly or wiredly with other devices, performing communication processing via a network such as the Internet. A drive is connected to the I / O interface as needed. A removable storage medium, such as a disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory, is installed on the drive as needed so that computer programs read from it can be installed into the storage device as needed. For example, the control device for the vehicle including an automatic door may further include a peripheral interface. This peripheral interface can be various types of interfaces, such as a USB interface or a Lightning interface. The communication device can communicate wirelessly with networks and other devices, such as the Internet, intranets and / or wireless networks such as cellular telephone networks, wireless local area networks (LANs) and / or metropolitan area networks (MANs). Wireless communication can use any of a variety of communication standards, protocols and technologies, including but not limited to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g and / or IEEE 802.11n standards), Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Wi-MAX, protocols for email, instant messaging and / or Short Message Service (SMS), or any other suitable communication protocol.

[0067] The control device for a vehicle including an automatic door can be, for example, a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or a device including the SoC, such as a mobile phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet computer, laptop computer, desktop computer, part of the vehicle, server, or any other device. It can also be any combination of data processing devices and hardware, and the embodiments of this disclosure are not limited thereto. The specific functions and technical effects of the control device for a vehicle including an automatic door can be found in the description above of the control method for the above-described vehicle including an automatic door and its additional aspects according to at least one embodiment of this disclosure, and will not be repeated here.

[0068] Furthermore, this disclosure also includes a non-transitory readable storage medium storing computer instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform one or more steps of the various methods and their additional aspects as described above.

[0069] For example, the non-temporarily readable storage medium may be any combination of one or more computer-readable storage media, such as a computer-readable storage medium containing program code for performing the various methods described above.

[0070] For example, when the program code is read by a computer, the computer can execute the program code stored in the computer storage medium to perform one or more steps of the various methods and additional aspects described above, such as those according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0071] For example, the non-transitory readable storage medium may include a memory card of a smartphone, a storage component of a tablet computer, a hard disk of a personal computer, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), flash memory, and other non-transitory readable storage media or any combination thereof.

[0072] Furthermore, this disclosure also includes a carrier comprising a control device for a carrier including an automatic door according to this disclosure and an automatic door, the control device being capable of outputting an opening command and / or a closing command to the automatic door, the automatic door being configured to open according to the opening command and close according to the closing command.

[0073] In particular, the vehicle may also include an additional display device. As described above, information on the remaining accommodation space within the vehicle identified during the execution of the control method according to this disclosure and / or the comparison result information between the identified remaining accommodation space and the target can be output to the output device, or sent to other external devices such as computers and mobile phones according to communication protocols, for example, in real-time display in the form of numerical values, graphs, or tables. In particular, the display device can be a liquid crystal display or a projector. When the display device is a projector, this information can be projected onto the ground, for example, within or beside the identification area, to remind passengers entering or preparing to enter the identification area whether there is still space in the closed vehicle for them to enter.

[0074] Furthermore, the vehicle according to this disclosure may also include an indicating device for indicating an identification area, and / or, when the identification area comprises multiple sub-areas, indicating each sub-area, and / or, when each sub-area corresponds to a floor accessible by the vehicle, indicating the floor corresponding to each sub-area. This indicating device may be a sign affixed to the ground outside the automatic door, or it may be projected onto the ground outside the automatic door via a projector. This allows for passenger guidance and facilitates passenger use.

[0075] According to one or more aspects of this disclosure, a low-cost process is achieved to reopen the vehicle doors to newly arrived or mobility-impaired groups while the vehicle doors are closed, and the doors are intelligently reopened only when they can be allowed to enter, eliminating situations where the doors are reopened but there is not enough space remaining inside the vehicle, which also takes into account the feelings and experience of passengers already inside the vehicle.

[0076] It should be noted that the flowcharts in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible functions and operations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of this disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart may represent a module, segment, or portion of code containing at least one executable instruction for implementing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the blocks may occur in a different order than those shown in the drawings. For example, two consecutively indicated blocks may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, can be implemented using a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or operation, or using a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0077] In general, the various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, firmware, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while others can be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. When aspects of embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated or described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it will be understood that the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented as non-limiting examples in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0078] The text and accompanying drawings are provided by way of example only to aid in understanding this disclosure. They should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure in any way. Although certain embodiments and examples have been provided, it will be clear to those skilled in the art, based on the content disclosed herein, that changes can be made to the illustrated embodiments and examples without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0079] Although this disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, various changes and modifications may be suggested to those skilled in the art. This disclosure is intended to cover such changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

[0080] Any description in this invention should not be construed as implying that any particular element, step, or function is an essential element that must be included within the scope of the claims. The scope of the patent subject matter is defined only by the claims.

Claims

1. A control method for a vehicle including an automatic door, comprising a reloading process, the reloading process including: When the automatic door begins to close, acquire data from outside the automatic door and data from inside the vehicle; Based on the data outside the automatic door, identify whether a target exists within the identification area outside the automatic door before the automatic door closes to a certain extent; Based on the data within the vehicle, identify the remaining storage space within the vehicle; Based on the detection of a target within the detection area outside the automatic door, the remaining accommodating space is compared with the target; Based on the comparison between the identified remaining storage space and the target, an opening command is output; After detecting that the automatic door has opened, wait for a specific time before outputting a closing command.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein, The specific degree to which the automatic door is closed includes one of the following: the automatic door lock is engaged; and the opening width of the automatic door reaches a closing width threshold. The reloading process is disabled once the automatic door is detected to be closed to a certain extent.

3. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The targets include specific devices / equipment and specific personnel, and the identification area can be adjusted in size as needed.

4. The control method according to claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: After identifying a target within the identification area outside the automatic door, each target is divided into categories. This division also includes binding the passenger's belongings to the passenger as a single target, and binding multiple passengers who are in physical contact or communication with each other as a single target.

5. The control method according to claim 1, wherein, Based on the comparison between the identified remaining storage space and the target, the output door opening command includes: When it is determined that the remaining storage space can accommodate at least one of the identified targets, an opening command is output, or Based on the comparison between the identified remaining storage space and the target, the output door opening command includes: When it is determined that the remaining storage space can accommodate all the identified targets, an opening command is output.

6. The control method according to claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: Repeat the reload process. Identify whether the target within the identified area changes during each reload process; Determine whether the number of times the target within the identified area remains unchanged during repeated reloading processes reaches a specific number. Based on a certain number of times the target within the identified area remains unchanged during repeated reloading processes, a door-closing command is output and the reloading process is disabled.

7. The control method according to claim 1, wherein, Output information on the remaining capacity within the identified vehicle and / or the comparison result information between the identified remaining capacity and the target.

8. The control method according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein, The vehicle includes an elevator.

9. The control method according to claim 8, wherein, Identifying whether a target exists within the identification area outside the automatic door before the automatic door is fully closed also includes dividing the identification area into multiple sub-areas and identifying the sub-area where the existing target is located.

10. The control method according to claim 9, wherein, Each sub-region corresponds to a floor that the vehicle can reach. Based on the identified sub-region where the target is located, the target is transported to the floor corresponding to the sub-region.

11. A control device for a vehicle including an automatic door, comprising: The first sensor is installed outside the automatic door and configured to collect data from outside the door. The second sensor, installed inside the automatic door, is configured to collect data from inside the vehicle. A processor is connected to the automatic door, the first sensor, and the second sensor, and executes program code stored in a memory to perform the method of any one of claims 1-10.

12. The control device according to claim 11, wherein, The first sensor and / or the second sensor include an infrared sensor, a radar sensor, a video sensor, a time-of-flight sensor, a depth sensor, and / or a LiDAR sensor.

13. A vehicle comprising: Automatic doors are configured to open upon an open command and close upon a close command. The control device for a carrier including an automatic door according to any one of claims 11-12 is capable of outputting an opening command and / or a closing command to the automatic door.

14. The vehicle according to claim 13, further comprising: A display device, connected to the control device, is used to display the remaining capacity information within the identified vehicle and / or the comparison result between the identified remaining capacity and the target, output by the control device.

15. The vehicle according to claim 14, further comprising: An indicating device is used to indicate the identification area, and / or, when the identification area includes multiple sub-areas, to indicate each sub-area, and / or, when each sub-area corresponds to a floor that the vehicle can reach, to indicate the floor corresponding to each sub-area.

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