Autonomous Vehicle Boarding Control Using User Position Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous driving vehicles often fail to reach users at specified boarding positions due to positioning errors or large facility site areas, causing users to needlessly move towards the vehicle, especially when obstacles are present, such as being on opposite sides of a facility or after/before intersections.
Innovation Solution
A travel control device that requests position identification information from a user terminal when near the specified position, allowing the vehicle to adjust its path based on user-provided images or coordinates to align with the user's actual location, using a communication unit and position change unit to ensure proximity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the autonomous driving vehicle travels to the specified position based on positioning system information, then the vehicle can reach the general destination, but the vehicle cannot accurately reach the user's actual position when there are positioning errors or large facility site areas
Solution Approach 1:
The system sends a notification to the user terminal when the vehicle reaches a predetermined range from the specified position, requesting the user to provide position identification information. The user captures an image of their surroundings, which is transmitted back to the vehicle. The vehicle then compares this user periphery image with stored route periphery images to identify the user's exact location and adjust its position accordingly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary image recognition system that bridges the gap between GPS positioning and user location. Instead of relying solely on positioning system coordinates, the system uses image matching as an intermediary mechanism to accurately identify the user's position by comparing visual features of the surroundings with pre-stored reference images.
2Ease of operation
If the user moves to the autonomous driving vehicle when the vehicle reaches the specified position, then the user can board the vehicle, but the user cannot visually recognize the vehicle when obstacles are present such as being on opposite sides of a facility or after intersections
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by sending a notification to the user terminal in advance when the vehicle reaches a predetermined range from the specified position. This early notification allows the user to prepare and move toward the vehicle's location before the vehicle arrives, ensuring the user can visually recognize and board the vehicle without being blocked by obstacles.
3Extent of automation
If the vehicle uses satellite positioning system to determine arrival at boarding position, then the vehicle can automatically identify destination, but the vehicle determines arrival even when actual user position does not coincide with destination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical satellite positioning system with an image recognition-based location identification system. Instead of relying on GPS coordinates and map data alone, the system captures images of the user's surroundings, processes these images to identify location features, and matches them with pre-stored route periphery images to accurately determine the user's actual position.
Data Source
AI summary
A travel control device is configured to make an autonomous driving vehicle travel in such a way that the autonomous driving vehicle arrives at a specified position specified by a user who intends to board the autonomous driving vehicle, when the autonomous driving vehicle has reached a predetermined range from the specified position, transmit an information sending request notifying the user terminal that the autonomous driving vehicle has reached a vicinity of the specified position and requesting sending of position identifying information for identifying a position at which the user intends to board the autonomous driving vehicle to the user terminal via a communication circuit, and when receiving the position identifying information via the communication circuit, change a position of the autonomous driving vehicle, based on the position identifying information in such a way that the autonomous driving vehicle comes close to the user.