Mobility system and program

Abstract

This mobility system includes: a mobility device capable of carrying a user and moving; an input unit that receives a stop operation to stop movement of the mobility device; and a control unit that stops the mobility device in response to a first stop operation performed while the mobility device is moving, restarts movement of the mobility device when a prescribed stop time has elapsed without a second stop operation being performed, and maintains stopping of the mobility device even after the stop time has elapsed when the second stop operation is performed during the stop time.

Description

Mobility System and Program Cross-Reference to Related Applications

[0001] The present application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-037768, filed in Japan on March 10, 2025, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a mobility system and a program.

[0003] Wheelchairs driven by electric motors that allow users to ride thereon (hereinafter referred to as mobility devices) are known. Mobility devices are disposed, for example, in various facilities such as hospitals, airports, and shopping malls, and assist movement of users who have difficulty walking. The mobility device is configured to be capable of autonomous traveling in addition to manually operated traveling, and conveys a user to a desired destination within various facilities, and moves to a user-desired boarding point or a predetermined waiting point. Examples of such mobility devices are disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 4.

[0004] International Publication No. 2024 / 080036, International Publication No. 2021 / 085446, U.S. Pat. No. 8,700,250, Japanese Patent No. 7447670

[0005] Mobility devices provide convenience to users by, for example, autonomously traveling unmanned toward a user's boarding point or waiting point. However, in facilities visited by an unspecified large number of people, various disturbances may hinder smooth traveling of the mobility device, which may impede the provision of convenience to users.

[0006] In view of the above, a mobility system and the like that enable sustainable provision of convenience to users are disclosed below.

[0007] The mobility system in this disclosure includes a mobility device capable of carrying a user and driving, an input unit that receives a stop operation to stop the mobility device from driving, and a control unit that stops the mobility device in response to a first stop operation performed while the mobility device is driving, restarts the mobility device if a predetermined stop time has elapsed without a second stop operation being performed, and maintains the mobility device stopped even after the stop time has elapsed if the second stop operation is performed during the stop time.

[0008] The mobility systems described in this disclosure will enable the continuous provision of convenience to users.

[0009] This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mobility system. This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control unit. This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation procedure of the control unit. This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation procedure of the control unit. This is a diagram showing an example of the operation screen.

[0010] The embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of a mobility system in one embodiment. The mobility system 1 has a mobility device 12 and a server device 10 that are connected to each other via a network 11 so that they can communicate with each other. The mobility device 12 is installed in various facilities such as hospitals, airports, and shopping malls, and is configured so that users who have difficulty walking can board it. The mobility device 12 has a seat 13 on which a user can sit, a luggage rack 17 on which luggage can be loaded, a drive mechanism 14, and a control device 15 for controlling the drive mechanism 14. The drive mechanism 14 includes drive wheels, an electric motor that drives the drive wheels, a battery that supplies power to the electric motor, brakes for the drive wheels, etc. The drive wheels are, for example, omnidirectional wheels. The control device 15 has a communication function and an information processing function, and performs information processing to control the drive mechanism 14 by communicating information with the server device 10 via wireless communication through the network 11 and receiving operation input from the user. The server device 10 is, for example, a server computer belonging to a cloud computing system or other computing system, and functions as a server that implements various functions. The network 11 includes, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) within a facility, the Internet, an ad-hoc network, a MAN (Metropolitan Area Network), or other networks, or any combination thereof. Terminal devices 16 used by users are further connected to the network 11. The terminal devices 16 are, for example, information processing devices with information communication functions, such as smartphones, tablet terminals, and PCs (Personal Computers).

[0012] When the mobility device 12 is autonomously driving unmanned toward a user's boarding point or waiting point, if a third party intentionally stops the mobility device 12 and it remains stopped, it could hinder the provision of convenience to the user. Even in such a situation, the mobility system 1 of this embodiment has a configuration that enables the continuous provision of convenience to the user.

[0013] As shown in Figure 2, which illustrates the configuration of the control device 15, in addition to Figure 1, the mobility system 1 of this embodiment includes a mobility device 12 capable of carrying a user and driving, an input unit 155 that receives a stop operation to stop the mobility device 12 from driving, and a control unit 153 that stops the mobility device 12 in response to a first stop operation (hereinafter referred to as a temporary stop operation) performed while the mobility device 12 is driving, and restarts the mobility device 12 from driving if a second stop operation (hereinafter referred to as a permanent stop operation) is not performed and a predetermined stop time has elapsed, and maintains the stop of the mobility device 12 even after the stop time has elapsed if a permanent stop operation is performed during the stop time. When the mobility device 12 is driving autonomously, even if a temporary stop operation is performed on the mobility device 12 by a third party, the mobility device 12 will restart from driving after a certain stop time has elapsed unless a permanent stop operation is performed, thereby minimizing delays due to unexpected stops and enabling the continuous provision of convenience to the user.

[0014] Next, the configuration of the control device 15 will be described with reference to Figure 2. The control device 15 includes a communication unit 151, a storage unit 152, a control unit 153, a positioning unit 154, an input unit 155, an output unit 156, and a detection unit 157. These may be configured as a single control device, or as two or more control devices, or as a control device and other devices such as a communication device. The control device 15 may also include an information processing device equivalent to that of the terminal device 16 as part of its configuration.

[0015] The communication unit 151 includes a communication module compatible with wired or wireless LAN standards, a module compatible with mobile communication standards such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), or 5G (5th Generation). The control device 15 is connected to the network 11 via the communication unit 151 through a nearby router device or mobile communication base station, and communicates information with other devices via the network 11.

[0016] The storage unit 152 includes, for example, one or more semiconductor memories, one or more magnetic memories, one or more optical memories, or a combination of at least two of these, which function as main memory, auxiliary memory, or cache memory. The semiconductor memory is, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory) or ROM (Read Only Memory). The RAM is, for example, SRAM (Static RAM) or DRAM (Dynamic RAM). The ROM is, for example, EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM). The storage unit 152 functions, for example, as main memory, auxiliary memory, or cache memory. The storage unit 152 stores information used in the operation of the control unit 153 and information obtained by the operation of the control unit 153.

[0017] The control unit 153 includes one or more processors, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processors are, for example, general-purpose processors such as CPUs (Central Processing Units) or dedicated processors such as GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) specialized for specific processing. The dedicated circuits are, for example, FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays) or ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits). The control unit 153 performs information processing related to the operation of the control device 15.

[0018] The information processing function of the control unit 153 is realized by executing a control / processing program on the processor included in the control unit 153. The control / processing program is a program that causes the processor to execute the processing of steps included in the operation of the control unit 153, thereby realizing the functions corresponding to the processing of those steps in the control unit 153. In addition, some or all of the functions of the control unit 153 may be realized by dedicated circuits included in the control unit 153.

[0019] The positioning unit 154 includes a beacon signal receiver, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver, etc. The beacon signal receiver receives signals from beacons installed at various locations within the facility and acquires location information associated with each beacon. The GNSS includes, for example, GPS (Global Positioning System), QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System), BeiDou, GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and Galileo. The positioning unit 154 sends the positioning result to the control unit 153, and the control unit 153 obtains the location information of the mobility device 12.

[0020] The input unit 155 includes one or more input interfaces. The input interfaces are, for example, a microphone that accepts voice input, physical keys, capacitive keys, a pointing device, or a touchscreen integrated with a display. The input unit 155 receives information used for the operation of the control unit 153, such as user input, voice, or images of the user captured by a camera, and sends the received information to the control unit 153.

[0021] The output unit 156 includes one or more output interfaces. The output interfaces are, for example, a speaker for outputting sound, a display for outputting images, etc. The display is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The output unit 156 outputs information obtained by the operation of the control unit 153.

[0022] The detection unit 157 has sensors that detect various events occurring in and around the mobility device 12, or an interface with sensors. The sensors include, for example, sensors that detect the motion state of the mobility device 12, such as its speed, longitudinal acceleration, and lateral acceleration; sensors that detect when a user is seated on the seat 13 or when luggage is loaded onto the luggage rack 17 (such as a load sensor, a non-contact sensor, or a ToF (Time Of Flight) sensor); and infrared sensors, ultrasonic sensors, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors, ToF sensors, etc., that detect the height of objects or the road surface around the mobility device 12. The sensors may also include a camera provided on the mobility device 12 that captures images of objects around the mobility device 12 or of a user seated on the seat 13. The camera may be built into the control device 15 or may be a separate unit. The detection unit 157 sends information indicating the various states detected by the sensors, captured images, etc., to the control unit 153.

[0023] The control unit 153 controls the communication unit 151, storage unit 152, positioning unit 154, input unit 155, output unit 156, and detection unit 157 while exchanging various information with these units, and also controls the drive mechanism 14 to control the operation of the mobility device 12, such as starting or stopping, accelerating or decelerating, and turning.

[0024] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the control unit 153. The procedure in Figure 3 is executed at arbitrary intervals, for example, every tens of milliseconds, when the mobility device 12 is autonomously driving unmanned. For example, when a user sends a request to the server device 10 to board at a desired boarding point using the terminal device 16, the server device 10 sends information indicating the boarding point and a movement instruction to the boarding point to the mobility device 12. In response to this movement instruction, the control unit 153 causes the mobility device 12 to autonomously drive toward the boarding point. Alternatively, after the mobility device 12 has transported the user to a desired destination, if the user instructs the device to return via the input unit 155, the control unit 153 responds to this operation by causing the mobility device 12 to autonomously drive toward a preset waiting point.

[0025] The control unit 153 detects an operation on the input unit 155 (step S30). For example, an operation screen 50, as shown in Figure 5(a), is displayed on the touch panel corresponding to the input unit 155 and the output unit 156. The touch panel is installed, for example, on the armrest attached to the seat 13 of the mobility device 12. The operation screen 50 includes a message 51 indicating that the mobility device 12 is, for example, automatically returning to a waiting point and is not available for use by a user, and an icon button 52 for accepting a pause operation. When a user, including a third party near the mobility device 12, taps the icon button 52 on the operation screen 50, a pause operation is received by the input unit 155. If a pause operation is performed (No in step S31), the control unit 153 executes the pause process (step S32), and if a pause operation is not performed (Yes in step S31), it terminates one cycle of the procedure in Figure 3.

[0026] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a detailed example of the procedure for the pause process in step S32.

[0027] The control unit 153 sends an instruction to the drive mechanism 14 to stop the drive wheels, etc., temporarily stopping the movement of the mobility device 12 (step S401), and derives the current position of the mobility device 12 based on the information from the positioning unit 154 (step S402).

[0028] Next, the control unit 153 determines the stop time (step S403). The stop time may be a predetermined time set arbitrarily, for example, 1 to several minutes, or it may be a time dynamically determined by the control unit 153. For example, the control unit 153 can derive the time required to reach the destination based on the distance from the current position of the mobility device 12 to the destination, i.e., the user's boarding point or waiting point, and information such as the conditions along the route, and determine a shorter stop time the longer the required time. As the required time increases, there are more uncertainties along the route, so shortening the stop time makes it possible to reduce the overall delay time for the journey to the destination.

[0029] Next, the control unit 153 activates the acceptance of a permanent stop operation in the input unit 155 (step S404), starts measuring the stop time (step S405), and detects an operation to the input unit 155 (step S406). For example, an operation screen 53, as shown in Figure 5(b), is displayed on the touch panel corresponding to the input unit 155 and the output unit 156. The operation screen 53 includes an operation screen 54 for the activated permanent stop operation. The operation screen 54 includes a display 55 of the remaining stop time of the mobility device 12 and an icon button 56 for accepting a permanent stop operation. When a user, including a third party near the mobility device 12, taps the icon button 56 on the operation screen 54, the permanent stop operation is accepted by the input unit 155. In this way, by activating the acceptance of a permanent stop operation after a temporary stop operation has been performed, the risk of the mobility device 12 suddenly coming to a permanent stop while in motion can be reduced. If a permanent stop operation is performed (No. in step S408), the control unit 153 executes a permanent stop of the vehicle (step S413), and terminates the procedure shown in Figure 4.

[0030] If a permanent stop operation is not performed (Yes in step S408) and the stop time has elapsed (Yes in step S409), the control unit 153 detects objects around the mobility device 12 (step S410), and, provided that there are no obstacles around the mobility device 12 (Yes in S411), sends an instruction to the drive mechanism 14, input unit 155, and output unit 156 to restart the mobility device 12 (step S412). The control unit 153 determines, based on the detection result from the detection unit 157, whether or not there are obstacles within any range around the mobility device 12, for example, within 1 meter. Obstacles include users who may interfere with the movement of the mobility device 12. When the control unit 153 restarts the movement of the mobility device 12 in step S412, the mobility device 12 resumes its journey to the destination. At this time, the display on the touch panel switches from the operation screen 53 in Figure 5(b) to the operation screen 50 in Figure 5(a).

[0031] Furthermore, the control unit 153 repeatedly executes steps S406 to S409 until the stop time has elapsed (No. in step S409). Also, if there is an obstacle around the mobility device 12 (No. in S411), the control unit 153 extends the stop time to an arbitrary amount of time, for example, several tens of seconds to several minutes (step S414), returns to step S405, and starts measuring the extended stop time. Then, the control unit 153 executes steps S406 onwards again.

[0032] As described above, the control unit 153 of the control device 15 operates so that even if a third party performs a temporary stop operation on the mobility device 12, unless a permanent stop operation is performed, the mobility device 12 will resume driving after a certain stop time has elapsed, thereby minimizing delays due to unexpected stops and enabling the continuous provision of convenience to the user. On the other hand, if a permanent stop operation is performed, the mobility device 12 will remain stopped even after the stop time has elapsed. The control unit 153 may also perform the temporary stop process in step S32 in Figure 3, provided that the device is autonomously driving toward a boarding point or waiting point desired by the user. For example, the control unit 153 manages the status by storing status information in the storage unit 152 indicating whether the device is autonomously driving unmanned or driving with a user on board. If a user is on board, the control unit 153 may maintain the stop of the mobility device 12 until a restart operation is performed, without distinguishing between a temporary stop and a permanent stop. The control unit 153 may determine the autonomous driving status based on whether it receives a boarding request from the terminal device 16 or a return instruction from the user, or it may determine whether it is autonomous driving without a driver based on whether the user is seated or not.

[0033] When the mobility device 12 is moving to a boarding point desired by the user, the control unit 153 may send information to the user's terminal device 16 via the server device 10 to notify the user that a temporary stop or permanent stop has occurred, at the timing of either a temporary stop or a permanent stop, or both. Furthermore, in the case of a temporary stop, the control unit 153 may send information about the remaining stop time to the terminal device 16, for example, every one to several seconds. The user can then be aware of the stop of the mobility device 12 via the terminal device 16 and anticipate any delays in the arrival of the mobility device 12, further improving user convenience.

[0034] When restarting the mobility device 12 after a period of inactivity, the control unit 153 may require that a user not be seated in the seat 13. The control unit 153 can determine whether a user is seated or not based on the detection result from the seating sensor of the detection unit 157. This makes it possible to prevent unintended use of the mobility device 12 while it is moving to a requested boarding point or waiting point.

[0035] In a modified example, when the control unit 153 detects a user sitting on the seat 13 or luggage being loaded onto the luggage rack 17 while the mobility device 12 is temporarily stopped, it may maintain the stopped state of the mobility device 12 after the stop time has elapsed, even if a permanent stop operation is not performed on the input unit 155. This ensures the safety of the seated user or the loaded luggage.

[0036] In a further modification, the control unit 153 detects when a user sits on the seat 13 or luggage is loaded onto the luggage rack 17 while the mobility device 12 is autonomously driving unmanned, and accepts this as a temporary stop operation instead of an operation to the input unit 155. Furthermore, in this case, when the control unit 153 detects when a user sits on the seat 13 or luggage is loaded onto the luggage rack 17 while the mobility device 12 is temporarily stopped, it may maintain the stopped state of the mobility device 12 after the stop time has elapsed, even if a permanent stop operation is not performed to the input unit 155. This makes it possible to ensure the safety of the seated user or the loaded luggage.

[0037] Some or all of the operations of the control unit 153 described above may be performed by the server device 10 which communicates with the control device 15. In that case, the processor of the server device 10, or the processor of the server device 10 and the control unit 153, correspond to the "control unit" in this embodiment.

[0038] In the above description, a touch panel was used as an example for the input unit 155, but the input interface that accepts operations such as pause operations and permanent stop operations may be, for example, a physical button, lever, etc. In that case, the control unit 153 may disable inputs such as button presses or lever operations for permanent stop operations until a pause operation is accepted.

[0039] In the above-described embodiment, the processing and control program that defines the operation of the control device 15 is stored in the server device 10 or another server device and can be downloaded to the control device 15, for example, via the network 11.

[0040] As described above, embodiments have been explained based on various drawings and examples, but it should be noted that those skilled in the art will find it easy to make various modifications and alterations based on this disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are within the scope of this disclosure. For example, the functions, etc., included in each means, each step, etc., can be rearranged in a logically consistent manner, and multiple means, steps, etc., can be combined into one or divided.

[0041] 1 Mobility system, 10 Server device, 11 Network, 12 Mobility device, 13 Terminal device, 15 Control device, 153 Control unit, 155 Input unit

Claims

1. A mobility system comprising: a mobility device capable of carrying a user and being driven; an input unit that receives a stop operation to stop the movement of the mobility device; and a control unit that stops the mobility device in response to a first stop operation performed while the mobility device is in motion, restarts the mobility device if a predetermined stop time has elapsed without a second stop operation being performed, and maintains the mobility device stopped even after the stop time has elapsed if the second stop operation is performed during the stop time.

2. The mobility system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit stops the mobility device in response to the first stop operation, provided that the mobility device is traveling toward a predetermined destination.

3. The mobility system according to claim 2, wherein the control unit changes the stopping time according to the time required to reach the destination in the mobility device.

4. The mobility system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit disables the input unit's ability to accept the second stop operation until the input unit accepts the first stop operation.

5. The mobility system according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor for detecting objects around the mobility device, wherein the control unit restarts the movement of the mobility device on the condition that there are no objects around the mobility device when restarting the movement of the mobility device.

6. The mobility system according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor for detecting whether the user is seated on the mobility device or whether luggage is loaded on the mobility device, wherein the control unit stops the mobility device in response to the first stop operation, provided that the user is seated on the mobility device or luggage is loaded on the mobility device is autonomously traveling toward a predetermined destination when the sensor does not detect whether the user is seated on the mobility device or whether luggage is loaded on the mobility device, and maintains the stop of the mobility device even if the second stop operation is not performed, if the user is seated on the mobility device or luggage is loaded on the mobility device during the stop time.

7. The mobility system according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor for detecting when the user is seated on the mobility device or when luggage is loaded, wherein the control unit accepts the detection of the user being seated or the luggage being loaded as the first stop operation, instead of an operation to the input unit.

8. The mobility system according to claim 7, wherein the control unit further detects the user sitting or luggage being loaded during the stop time, and maintains the stop of the mobility device even if the second stop operation is not performed.

9. A program that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to operate as a control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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