JP2009234318A - Vehicular environment control system and ride intention detection device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular environment control system capable of finishing the maintenance of vehicular environment in time for a user's arrival time. <P>SOLUTION: The vehicular environment control system includes: a behavioral pattern detection means, which detects a user's behavioral pattern after the user passes a predetermined entrance door away from a vehicle; a memory means, which stores past patterns when the user got in the vehicle; an arrival time prediction means, which predicts the time when the user arrives at the vehicle by comparing the user's behavioral pattern detected by the behavioral pattern detection means with the user's past patterns stored in the memory means; and a vehicular environment creation means, which creates the vehicular environment before the user gets in the vehicle from the arrival time predicted by the arrival time prediction means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle environment control system for preparing a vehicle environment before a user gets on, and a boarding intention detection device used therefor.

Conventionally, an automobile user hospitality system that detects a user's moving position, determines that the user has entered an approach scene when approaching a certain distance, asks the approaching user a voice, and if there is a response, provides a hospitality service for an automobile user. It is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2007-145226 A

  By the way, in the vehicle environment control system for maintaining the vehicle environment before the user's boarding, it may take time to maintain the vehicle environment. It is important to be able to start.

  In this regard, the technique described in Patent Document 1 described above starts predetermined control after receiving a response to a question. Therefore, when this technology is applied to a vehicle environment control system, there is a problem that maintenance of the vehicle environment such as the seat position and air conditioning may not be completed yet when the user gets on.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle environment control system capable of completing the maintenance of the vehicle environment in time for the arrival time of the user, and a boarding intention detection device used therefor.

In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle environment control system according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an action pattern detection unit that detects an action pattern of the user after the user has passed a predetermined entrance / exit that is away from the vehicle
Storage means for storing the behavior pattern of the user detected in the past by the behavior pattern detection means, the behavior pattern when the user gets on the vehicle,
The arrival time prediction means for comparing the user's action pattern detected by the action pattern detection means with the user's past action pattern stored in the storage means to predict the time for the user to reach the vehicle. When,
Vehicle environment maintenance means for maintaining the vehicle environment before the user gets on the basis of the arrival time predicted by the arrival time prediction means.

A second invention is a vehicle environment control system according to the first invention,
It further comprises entrance / exit passage detection means for detecting that the user has passed a predetermined entrance / exit apart from the vehicle,
The behavior pattern detection unit starts the behavior pattern detection process of the user when the entrance / exit passage detection unit detects that the user has passed the predetermined entrance / exit.

A third invention is the vehicle environment control system according to the first invention,
The behavior pattern detection means includes at least one of a GPS receiver built in a portable terminal carried by the user and a roadside monitoring camera arranged on the road as an infrastructure facility.

4th invention is the vehicle environment control system which concerns on 1st invention,
The vehicle further includes an in-vehicle boarding intention detection means for detecting the user's boarding intention from the vehicle side,
The in-vehicle boarding intention detection means is
An in-vehicle camera mounted on the vehicle for imaging the environment outside the vehicle;
Image processing means for performing image processing on an image captured by the in-vehicle camera, and acquiring at least one of the user's line-of-sight direction and its change pattern in the image as line-of-sight information;
Line-of-sight information storage means for storing line-of-sight information of the user acquired in the past by the image processing means when the user gets on the vehicle,
The in-vehicle boarding intention detection means determines whether or not the user has a boarding intention based on whether or not the image processing means has acquired line-of-sight information that matches the user's past line-of-sight information stored in the line-of-sight information storage means. It is characterized by determining whether or not there is.

A fifth invention is the vehicle environment control system according to the fourth invention,
The vehicle environment maintenance means starts or continues a vehicle environment maintenance process when the vehicle-mounted boarding intention detection means determines that the user has a boarding intention, and the vehicle-mounting boarding intention detection means starts the boarding intention. If it is determined that there is no vehicle environment maintenance process, the vehicle environment maintenance process is not performed or is canceled.

A sixth invention is the vehicle environment control system according to the first invention,
The vehicle environment maintenance means executes at least one of a vehicle door unlocking operation and a door opening operation via an actuator as a vehicle environment maintenance process.

A seventh invention is the vehicle environment control system according to the first invention,
The vehicle environment maintenance means adjusts a driving position via an actuator as a vehicle environment maintenance process.

An eighth invention is the vehicle environment control system according to the first invention,
The vehicle environment maintenance means turns on a predetermined illumination as a vehicle environment maintenance process.

A ninth invention is the vehicle environment control system according to the first invention,
The vehicle environment maintenance means controls an air conditioner as a vehicle environment maintenance process.

A vehicle environment control system according to a tenth aspect is provided outside a vehicle, and a boarding intention detection device that detects a boarding intention of a user of the vehicle,
The vehicle environment is prepared before the user boarding when receiving a boarding intention detection signal indicating that the user's boarding intention is detected from the boarding intention detection device. A vehicle environment control system comprising:
The boarding intention detection device comprises:
An entrance passage detection means for detecting that the user has passed a predetermined entrance away from the vehicle;
Behavior pattern detection means for detecting the user's behavior pattern after passing through the doorway;
Storage means for storing a behavior pattern of the same user's past boarding detected by the behavior pattern detection means;
The boarding intention detection device comprises:
The entrance / exit passage detection means detects that the user has passed a predetermined entrance / exit away from the vehicle, and the action pattern detection means detects an action pattern that matches the action pattern stored in the storage means. In this case, the boarding intention detection signal is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device.

An eleventh invention is the vehicle environment control system according to the tenth invention,
In the boarding intention detection device, it is detected by the entrance / exit passage detection means that the user has passed a predetermined entrance / exit away from the vehicle, and the behavior pattern detection means adds the behavior pattern stored in the storage means. When a matching behavior pattern is detected, based on the behavior pattern detected by the behavior pattern detection means, the arrival time of the user to the vehicle is predicted, and the arrival time notification signal representing the predicted arrival time is Send it to the OBE,
When the on-vehicle device receives the arrival time notification signal, the on-vehicle device determines the control content for maintaining the environment of the vehicle based on the arrival time represented by the arrival time notification signal.

  The twelfth invention relates to a boarding intention detection device used in the vehicle environment control system according to the tenth or eleventh invention.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the vehicle environment control system which can complete the maintenance of a vehicle environment in time for a user's arrival time, and the boarding intention detection apparatus used for this are obtained.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a vehicle environment control system 1 according to the present invention. The vehicle environment control system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a boarding intention detection device 10 disposed outside the vehicle and an in-vehicle device 30 mounted on the vehicle.

  The boarding intention detection device 10 includes a driver determination unit 12, a driver behavior detection unit 14, a clock 16, a database 17, a boarding pattern determination unit 18, and a communication unit 20. These main functions will be described below, but details will be described later.

  The driver determination unit 12 determines whether or not a person who has gone out of the home is a driver of a vehicle registered in advance, and notifies the driver behavior detection unit 14 of driver information. Here, the home is typically a place where a driver lives for a long time by parking a vehicle near the driver's home or company. Whether or not the person who goes out of the home is a driver of a pre-registered vehicle, for example, possesses a vehicle key that the user should have (for example, a portable key such as a smart key) or an electronic license. Whether or not the user associated with the vehicle key or the ID of the electronic license is a pre-registered user is detected using a non-contact sensor (including a character receiver). Good. At this time, the non-contact sensor may be provided at a predetermined entrance / exit of the home. Further, the non-contact sensor may be provided at a company entrance or the like, and may determine whether or not the user is a pre-registered user from data of an electronic employee card detected when leaving the office. . The driver information may include biological information such as an ID of a vehicle key possessed by the detected user, a mobile phone number, and a face.

  Based on the driver information, the driver behavior detection unit 14 detects the presence and behavior of the driver (movement trajectory, movement direction, Face orientation, line of sight, etc.).

  The clock 16 manages the current time and notifies the boarding pattern determination unit 18 of time information such as the current time.

  The database 17 includes a user's past behavior pattern detected by the driver behavior detection unit 14, an action pattern when the user gets on (boarding pattern), and an action pattern when the user does not get on. (Non-riding pattern) is stored.

  The boarding pattern determination unit 18 compares the behavior detected by the driver behavior detection unit 14 and the time information from the clock 16 with the action history pattern of the user's past boarding stored in the database 17. The driver's intention to get on the vehicle is detected, and the arrival time of the driver (and the passenger) to the vehicle is predicted. The arrival prediction time is assumed to be in a form that represents how many seconds after the current time it will be reached. However, the predicted arrival time may be represented by, for example, an absolute time.

  The communication unit 20 transmits the predicted arrival time to the vehicle and the pre-boarding control start permission information (pre-boarding control start instruction) to the in-vehicle device 30 of the vehicle by wireless communication.

  The vehicle-mounted device 30 includes a communication unit 32, a vehicle information acquisition unit 34, a pre-boarding control content determination unit 36, and various control devices 38. These main functions will be described below, but details will be described later.

  The communication unit 32 receives a signal representing the predicted arrival time of the driver to the vehicle and pre-boarding control start permission information from the communication unit 20 of the boarding intention detection device 10, and the predicted arrival time of the driver and the ride The pre-control start permission information is transmitted to the pre-boarding control content determination unit 36.

  The vehicle information acquisition unit 34 acquires the current vehicle state (for example, basic information indicating the environment such as the room temperature and the seat position and the intention of boarding) via various in-vehicle sensors, and transmits the acquired information to the pre-boarding control content determination unit 36. . Basic information indicating a boarding intention (hereinafter referred to as “boarding intention basic information”) is information indicating that there is actually a boarding, and may be generated when a door unlocking operation and a door opening operation are detected. Good. In addition, in addition to door unlocking and door opening operations, basic information on boarding intentions is provided by in-vehicle sensors (for example, in-vehicle cameras, seat load sensors embedded in driver seats, smart receivers, etc.). May be generated when it is detected that a person is present. Moreover, the vehicle information acquisition part 34 notifies boarding intention basic information to the boarding intention detection apparatus 10 via the communication part 32, when boarding intention basic information is acquired.

  The pre-boarding control content determination unit 36 gets on the basis of the predicted arrival time of the driver obtained from the boarding intention detection device 10, the current vehicle state from the vehicle information acquisition unit 34, and the time required for control (known information). Determine (determine) previous control contents (including timing).

  The various control devices 38 are devices that control actuators, heaters, and the like of devices that change the environment of the vehicle. For example, devices that change driving positions such as electric seats, electric tilt / telescopic steering, and electric mirrors, and air conditioners Including illumination devices. The various control devices 38 perform various controls in accordance with the control content determined by the pre-boarding control content determination unit 36.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing basic processing related to the pre-boarding control realized by the vehicle environment control system 1.

  In step 100, when a driver going out from the home is detected in the driver determination unit 12, it is determined whether or not the driver out of the home satisfies the driver condition. The driver condition is a condition such as whether the vehicle key is carried when going out, a driver's license is carried, or whether the vehicle is permitted in advance. If the person who is out of the home satisfies the driver condition, the process proceeds to step 102, and otherwise, the process of the current cycle is terminated.

  In step 102, the driver behavior detector 14 detects the behavior (behavior pattern) of the driver from the home. For example, departure time when going out, walking route, arrival time to each point on the walking route, face direction during walking, line of sight, gesture, and the like may be detected.

  In step 104, the behavior pattern currently detected by the driver behavior detection unit 14 in the boarding pattern determination unit 18 is compared / contrast with the behavior pattern of the previous boarding (or non-boarding) stored in the database 17. Is done.

  In step 106, the driver behavior detection unit 14 determines whether or not the driver has an intention to board as a result of the comparison in step 104. Specifically, if the behavior pattern currently detected by the driver behavior detection unit 14 matches the past behavior pattern stored in the database 17, it is determined that the driver has an intention to ride. Is done. On the other hand, if the behavior pattern currently detected by the driver behavior detection unit 14 does not match the behavior pattern at the time of the past boarding stored in the database 17, the driver has no intention to board (or is unknown). Determined.

  In step 108, pre-boarding control is started by the various control devices 38 in the vehicle-mounted device 30.

  As described above, according to the basic processing shown in FIG. 2, it is possible to perform the necessary control and service before boarding without requiring any special operation by the user, so that the comfort during boarding can be improved.

  Next, the functions of the main components will be described through more specific examples.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing in the driver determination unit 12 (details of processing in step 100 in FIG. 2).

  In step 200, it is determined whether or not an out-of-home person has been detected. For example, when the home is a home, an outing person from the home may be detected based on an opening / closing operation of a front door of the home. In addition, when the home is a commuting company, an outing person may be detected when passing through the exit gate. In addition, when the home is a store, a person who has gone out may be detected when the store passes through the doorway.

  In step 202, vehicle key detection processing is executed. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the outsider is carrying the vehicle key. For example, when the vehicle key is a smart key used in a smart system, it may be determined whether or not an outsider is carrying the vehicle key based on the reception status of radio waves from the smart key.

  In step 204, it is determined whether or not the driver condition is satisfied based on the processing results of steps 200 and 202. The driver condition is a condition such as whether the vehicle key is carried when going out, a driver's license is carried, or whether the vehicle is permitted in advance. When the person who has gone out of the home satisfies the driver condition, the process proceeds to step 206, and otherwise, the process of the current cycle is finished as it is.

  In step 206, an instruction is transmitted to the driver behavior detection unit 14 to start the driver behavior detection process.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing (details of processing in steps 102, 104, and 106 in FIG. 2) realized by the driver behavior detection unit 14, the boarding pattern determination unit 18, and the communication unit 20.

  In step 300, driver information (for example, key ID) and pre-boarding control start instruction are transmitted to the vehicle via the communication unit 20. When the on-board device 30 of the vehicle corresponding to the key ID receives the pre-boarding control start instruction, the on-board device 30 starts the pre-boarding control. Note that the pre-boarding control start instruction may be transmitted to the vehicle when a positive determination is made in step 308 described later.

  In step 302, time information indicating the current time is acquired from the clock 16.

  In step 304, the driver behavior detection unit 14 detects the driver's walking route, and in step 306, the driver's walking speed is detected. In the present steps 304 and 306, for example, the driver's movement may be detected by a plurality of road cameras installed between the home and the vehicle (parking lot). In addition, a smart key or RFID carried by the driver may be detected by a plurality of antennas installed between the vehicle and the vehicle (parking lot), and the driver's walking route and the driver's walking speed may be detected. Further, the movement trajectory, direction, and speed of the driver may be detected using GPS information of the mobile phone owned by the user.

  In step 308, the driver's action pattern detected in steps 304 and 306 in the boarding pattern determination unit 18 matches the boarding pattern stored in the database 17 (the action pattern when the driver has boarded in the past). It is determined whether or not (matching) is performed. If it matches the boarding pattern, the process proceeds to step 310, and if it does not match, the process proceeds to step 314.

  In step 310, the boarding pattern determination unit 18 compares the past boarding pattern with the current action pattern to calculate the predicted arrival time and the expected approach direction of the driver (and the passenger) to the vehicle. The

  In step 312, information representing the predicted arrival time and predicted approach direction to the vehicle calculated in step 310 is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 30 of the vehicle via the communication unit 20.

  In step 314, the driver pattern detected in steps 304 and 306 in the boarding pattern determination unit 18 is a non-boarding pattern stored in the database 17 (behavior pattern when the driver has not boarded in the past). ) Is matched (matched). Note that the non-riding pattern typically includes, for example, a behavior pattern when the driver just comes to the vehicle to pick up forgotten things and does not get on, or the driver only gets to see the state of the vehicle. It consists of an action pattern when not driving, an action pattern when the driver goes out for another purpose other than the vehicle, and the like. When the behavior pattern of the driver detected this time coincides with the non-riding pattern, it is determined that the driver has no intention to board, and the process proceeds to step 320. On the other hand, when the action pattern of the driver detected this time does not match the non-riding pattern, the process proceeds to step 316.

  In step 316, it is determined whether or not the elapsed time from the point in time when the behavior pattern of the driver detected this time does not match the boarding pattern is within the limit time. The time limit may correspond to a general time from going out of the home to reaching the vehicle. If the elapsed time is within the limit time, the process proceeds to step 318, and if the elapsed time exceeds the limit time, the process proceeds to step 320.

  In step 318, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 20 has received the basic intention to get on board from the vehicle-mounted device 30. In addition, the boarding intention basic information is information indicating that the boarding is detected through the door unlocking operation and the door opening operation as described above. If the boarding intention basic information is received, the process proceeds to step 320. If the boarding intention basic information is not received, the process returns to step 302, and the processes in and after step 302 are repeated.

  In step 320, an instruction to end the pre-boarding control (pre-boarding control end instruction) is transmitted to the vehicle via the communication unit 20. In response to this, the pre-boarding control content determination unit 36 of the vehicle-mounted device 30 terminates / stops various pre-boarding controls as will be described later. When the transmission process of step 320 is finished, the processing routine of FIG. 4 is finished.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the process (details of the process in step 108 in FIG. 2) realized by the pre-boarding control content determination unit 36 of the vehicle-mounted device 30.

  In step 400, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 32 has received the pre-boarding control start instruction and the driver information from the boarding intention detection device 10. When the communication unit 32 receives the pre-boarding control start instruction and the driver information, the process proceeds to step 402.

  In step 402, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 32 has received the predicted arrival time and the expected approach direction (see step 312 in FIG. 4) from the boarding intention detection device 10. If the communication unit 32 has received the predicted arrival time and the predicted approach direction, the process proceeds to step 404. If the communication unit 32 has not received the predicted arrival time and the predicted approach direction, the process proceeds to step 410.

  In step 404, vehicle information and surrounding information are acquired via the vehicle information acquisition unit 34. Specifically, information representing the situation in the passenger compartment such as the passenger compartment temperature and the driving position and the surrounding situation such as ambient brightness, temperature, and weather is detected and acquired by using various in-vehicle sensors.

  In step 406, the control content is determined based on the information obtained in steps 402 and 404. In step 408, various controls are executed in accordance with the control content. Details of embodiments of various controls will be described later.

  In step 410, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 32 has received a pre-boarding control end instruction (see step 320 in FIG. 4) from the boarding intention detection device 10. In this step 410, instead of this determination, it may be determined whether or not the vehicle information acquisition unit 34 has detected basic information on boarding intention. In such a configuration, the process of step 320 shown in FIG. 4 may be omitted. If the pre-boarding control end instruction is received in step 410, the process proceeds to step 412. If the pre-boarding control end instruction has not been received (that is, the vehicle information acquisition unit 34 has detected the basic information on boarding intention). If not, return to step 402.

  In step 412, the pre-boarding control by the various control devices 38 is terminated. In this case, when the pre-boarding control by the control device 38 has not yet started, the state where the execution is not started is maintained. On the other hand, when the pre-boarding control by the control device 38 is already being executed, the execution is stopped. In this case, return control may be performed as necessary, for example, to return the driving position to the state before execution of the pre-ride control. Even in situations where a pre-boarding control end instruction is received, for example, control other than pre-boarding control, such as door unlocking using a wireless key, is naturally maintained in an executable state. Is done.

  FIG. 6 is a system configuration diagram showing a vehicle environment control system 2 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle environment control system 2 shown in FIG. 6 is different from the vehicle environment control system 1 shown in FIG. 1 in that the vehicle-mounted device 30 newly includes a boarding intention confirmation unit 40 and a database 42, and the others may be the same. .

  The boarding intention confirmation unit 40 includes an in-vehicle camera and an image processing device, and the in-vehicle camera may be any camera that captures scenery outside the vehicle, but preferably images a user (driver) approaching the vehicle. It is a camera arranged so that it can. The boarding intention confirmation unit 40 detects the approach of the user to the vehicle from the predicted arrival time and the predicted approach direction (see step 312 in FIG. 4) from the boarding intention detection device 10, and the user's line of sight (especially the user's approach to the vehicle). Gaze) is detected.

  The database 42 stores a driver's past gaze pattern (line-of-sight pattern) detected by the boarding intention confirmation unit 40 and a gaze pattern when the driver gets on.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing in the boarding intention confirmation unit 40.

  In step 500, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 32 has received a pre-boarding control start instruction from the boarding intention detection device 10. When the communication unit 32 receives the pre-boarding control start instruction, the process proceeds to step 502.

  In step 502, the communication unit 32 receives from the boarding intention detection device 10 the predicted time T until reaching the vehicle periphery (or vehicle) and the predicted approach direction to the vehicle.

  In step 504, it is determined whether the predicted time T has arrived. If the predicted time T has arrived, the process proceeds to step 506, and if the predicted time T has not arrived, the process returns to step 502.

  In step 506, it is determined whether or not the driver's face or line of sight has been recognized (detected) in the expected approach direction. In addition, when the imaging method of a vehicle-mounted camera is variable, the imaging direction of a vehicle-mounted camera may be adjusted so that it may face an expected approach direction. Various methods for recognizing a face or line of sight have been proposed and known, and any appropriate method may be used. If the driver's face or line of sight is detected in the expected approach direction, the process proceeds to step 508, and if not detected, the process proceeds to step 514.

  In step 508, based on the detection result of the driver's face or line of sight in step 506, it is determined whether or not the driver's gaze on the vehicle has been detected. In this determination, an image recognition result for an image (images of a plurality of frames) captured over a predetermined time may be considered. If the driver's gaze on the vehicle is detected, the process proceeds to step 510. If the driver's gaze on the vehicle is not detected, the process proceeds to step 514.

  In step 510, it is determined whether or not the gaze pattern currently detected by the boarding intention confirmation unit 40 matches (matches) the gaze pattern at the time of boarding stored in the database 42. If the gaze pattern currently detected in the boarding intention confirmation unit 40 matches the gaze pattern at the time of boarding stored in the database 42, the process proceeds to step 512. If not, the process proceeds to step 514.

  In step 512, it is confirmed (final determination) that the driver has a boarding intention, and boarding intention confirmation information is transmitted to the pre-boarding control content judgment unit 36. When the boarding intention confirmation information is transmitted to the pre-boarding control content determination unit 36, the various pre-boarding controls by the various control devices 38 are continuously executed. Alternatively, the boarding intention confirmation information is received only for the control (for example, the door unlocking operation) that is not delayed even when executed immediately before boarding, among the various pre-boarding controls by the various control devices 38. It may be executed only in the case of. However, even in a situation where the boarding intention confirmation information is not received, the control other than the pre-boarding control such as the door unlocking operation using the wireless key is naturally maintained in an executable state. An example of how to use the boarding intention confirmation information will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In step 514, since it is not possible to confirm that the user has an intention to board, a pre-boarding control end instruction is transmitted to the pre-boarding control content determination unit 36. When a pre-boarding control end instruction is transmitted to the pre-boarding control content determination unit 36, each pre-boarding control by the various control devices 38 is ended as in step 412 of FIG.

  According to the vehicle environment control system 2 according to the other embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the boarding intention confirming unit 40 that confirms the boarding intention of the driver is provided on the vehicle side, thereby accurately detecting the boarding intention of the driver. This can improve the reliability of the pre-boarding control.

  FIG. 8 is a system configuration diagram showing a vehicle environment control system 3 according to still another embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle environment control system 3 shown in FIG. 8 differs from the vehicle environment control system 1 shown in FIG. 1 in that the vehicle-mounted device 30 newly includes a pattern learning unit 24, and the others may be the same.

  The pattern learning unit 24 is configured to learn the above-described boarding patterns and non-boarding patterns and store them in the database 17.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing in the pattern learning unit 24.

  In step 600, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 32 has received a pre-boarding control start instruction from the boarding intention detection device 10. When the communication unit 32 receives the pre-boarding control start instruction, the process proceeds to step 602.

  In step 602, various data (driver information, each behavior, time data, etc.) acquired by the driver behavior detection unit 14 are held.

  In step 604, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 20 has received the basic information on boarding intention from the vehicle-mounted device 30. In addition, the boarding intention basic information is information indicating that the boarding is detected through the door unlocking operation and the door opening operation as described above. If the boarding intention basic information is received, the process proceeds to step 606. If the boarding intention basic information is not received, the process proceeds to step 608.

  In step 606, the data held in step 602 and stored from the start of the driver behavior detection process (see step 206 in FIG. 3) is stored in the database 17 as a boarding pattern. At this time, in consideration of an environment in which a plurality of users use the same vehicle, the boarding pattern may be stored in association with the driver.

  In step 608, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the pre-boarding control start instruction was received. Here, the fixed time corresponds to a threshold for detecting going out without getting on the basis of the elapsed time since the going out from the home is detected, and corresponds to the general time from the home to the vehicle. May be determined appropriately. If a predetermined time has elapsed since the pre-boarding control start instruction was received, it is determined that the user has not been boarded, and the process proceeds to step 610. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process returns to step 602.

  In step 610, the data held in step 602 and stored from the start of the driver behavior detection process (see step 206 in FIG. 3) is stored in the database 17 as a non-riding pattern. At this time, in consideration of an environment in which a plurality of users use the same vehicle, the boarding pattern may be stored in association with the driver.

  According to the vehicle environment control system 3 according to the other embodiment shown in FIG. 8, by providing the pattern learning unit 24 that learns the riding pattern and the non-riding pattern and accumulates them in the database 17, It is possible to detect with high accuracy based on the behavior pattern of the driver, and to improve the reliability of the pre-boarding control.

  FIG. 10 is a system configuration diagram showing a vehicle environment control system 4 according to still another embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle environment control system 4 shown in FIG. 10 differs from the vehicle environment control system 1 shown in FIG. 1 in that the vehicle-mounted device 30 newly includes a personal authentication unit 26, and the others may be the same.

  The personal authentication unit 26 performs personal authentication at the time of driver determination in the driver determination unit 12 and identifies who is a person who has gone out. FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically showing some examples of personal authentication modes when going out from the home. If your home is at home, personal authentication can be a vehicle key (or other personal portable key, such as a home key), cell phone, driver's license or other property authentication, face near the door It may be realized by any one or any combination of authentication, biometric authentication such as fingerprint authentication with a doorknob, or knowledge authentication by input to a home security controller or the like. In addition, when the home is a commuting destination, personal authentication may be performed in addition to the same authentication as in the case where the home is at home, or property authentication with a commuter pass when leaving the office. Regarding the above-described property authentication, vehicle key authentication may be realized using a smart key system, and mobile phone authentication is realized using communication via Bluetooth (registered trademark) or GPS information. Alternatively, the authentication of the driver's license may be realized by detecting an ID tag embedded in the driver's license. In addition, the technique described in JP-A-2005-226284 may be applied.

  According to the vehicle environment control system 4 according to the other embodiment shown in FIG. 10, by providing the personal authentication unit 26, the driver can be specified with high accuracy, and the reliability of the control before boarding can be improved. Can do.

  Next, some specific examples of pre-boarding control suitable for the vehicle environment control systems 1, 2, 3, and 4 according to the above-described embodiments will be described.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the before-boarding door opening control realized by the before-boarding control content determination unit 36 of the vehicle-mounted device 30. The process of FIG. 12 corresponds to a more specific example of the process shown in FIG. Here, the case where the process of FIG. 12 is implement | achieved in the above-mentioned vehicle environment control system 2 is demonstrated.

  In step 700, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 32 has received a pre-boarding control start instruction and driver information from the boarding intention detection device 10. When the communication unit 32 receives the pre-boarding control start instruction and the driver information, the process proceeds to step 702.

  In step 702, the expected approach direction (see step 312 in FIG. 4) transmitted from the boarding intention detection device 10 is received.

  In step 704, the predicted arrival time T (see step 312 in FIG. 4) transmitted from the boarding intention detection device 10 is received.

  In step 706, it is determined whether or not the predicted arrival time T has arrived based on the current time. When the arrival prediction time T has arrived, the process proceeds to step 708, and when the arrival prediction time T has not arrived, the process proceeds to step 712.

  In step 708, it is determined whether or not a boarding intention confirmation signal (see step 512 in FIG. 7) from the boarding intention confirmation unit 40 has been received. When the boarding intention confirmation signal is received from the boarding intention confirmation unit 40, the process proceeds to step 710. When the boarding intention confirmation signal is not received, the process proceeds to step 712.

  In step 710, door unlock control and door open control are started via the various control devices 38. That is, a door unlock state is formed through the door lock actuator, and a door open state is formed through the door opening / closing actuator.

  In step 712, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 32 has received a pre-boarding control end instruction (see step 320 in FIG. 4) from the boarding intention detection device 10. In this step 712, instead of this determination, it may be determined whether or not the vehicle information acquisition unit 34 detects the basic information on boarding intention. If the pre-boarding control end instruction has been received, the process proceeds to step 714, and if the pre-boarding control end instruction has not been received (that is, if the vehicle information acquisition unit 34 has not detected basic boarding intention information). Return to step 704.

  In step 714, the door unlock control and the door open control by the various control devices 38 are stopped. If door unlock control and door open control have been started, the door unlock control and door open control are stopped when the pre-boarding control end instruction is received. Note that this is control after the basic information on boarding intention is detected as described above, so that the vehicle stops as it is even in the unlocked state or the door open state. That is, it is the same as when the door is left unlocked or opened during normal control.

  As described above, according to the processing shown in FIG. 12, the boarding intention is detected when the driver approaches the vicinity of the vehicle while detecting the boarding intention at an early stage in comparison with the past behavior pattern until the driver boarding. Since the intention of boarding is further confirmed by 40, highly reliable door unlock control and door open control can be realized, and particularly suitable for door unlock control and door open control related to the security of the vehicle. .

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of driving position control realized by the before-boarding control content determination unit 36 of the vehicle-mounted device 30. The process of FIG. 13 corresponds to a more specific example of the process shown in FIG. Here, the case where the process of FIG. 13 is implement | achieved in the above-mentioned vehicle environment control system 1 is demonstrated.

  In step 800, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 32 has received the pre-boarding control start instruction and the driver information from the boarding intention detection device 10. When the communication unit 32 receives the pre-boarding control start instruction and the driver information, the process proceeds to step 802.

  In step 802, the current driving position is detected based on information (driving position information) from the vehicle information acquisition unit 34. The driving position may include, for example, a seat position, a mirror position (angle), a tilt / telescopic steering position (height), and the like.

  In step 804, based on the current driving position in step 802, a control time t required to adjust the current driving position to a predetermined target state is calculated. The predetermined target state may be a driving position at the end of the previous driving (just before getting off).

  In step 806, the predicted arrival time T (see step 312 in FIG. 4) transmitted from the boarding intention detection device 10 is received.

  In step 808, it is determined whether or not the predicted arrival time T has become equal to or shorter than the control time t. If the predicted arrival time T is equal to or shorter than the control time t, the process proceeds to step 810. If the predicted arrival time T is longer than the control time t, the process proceeds to step 812.

  In step 810, driving position control is started via various control devices 38. That is, driving position control for adjusting the current driving position to a predetermined target state is started. For example, the seat, mirror, and tilt / telescopic steering are moved to a predetermined target position / angle via the actuator.

  In step 812, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 32 has received a pre-boarding control end instruction (see step 320 in FIG. 4) from the boarding intention detection device 10. In step 812, instead of this determination, it may be determined whether or not the vehicle intention acquisition information is detected by the vehicle information acquisition unit 34. If the pre-boarding control end instruction has been received, the process proceeds to step 814, and if the pre-boarding control end instruction has not been received (that is, if the vehicle information acquisition unit 34 has not detected basic boarding intention information). Return to step 806.

  In step 814, driving position control by the various control devices 38 is stopped. If the driving position control has been started, the driving position control is stopped when the pre-ride control end instruction is received. When the driving position control is stopped, the driving position may be maintained as it is, or a control for returning to the original driving position may be executed after the stop.

  By the way, in the conventional driving position control which is started at the time of wireless unlocking operation or door opening / closing operation, when the driver tries to get on, the seat control is not completed, and the driver waits for completion. There is a problem that it has to be annoying.

  In this regard, according to the processing shown in FIG. 13, by learning the behavior pattern up to the boarding and detecting the boarding intention from an early stage, the control is completed without requiring any special operation when the driver gets on the board. It becomes possible to make it.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of illumination control realized by the pre-boarding control content determination unit 36 of the vehicle-mounted device 30. The process of FIG. 14 corresponds to a more specific example of the process shown in FIG. Here, the case where the process of FIG. 14 is implement | achieved in the above-mentioned vehicle environment control system 1 is demonstrated. Illumination control uses light sources (for example, LEDs) arranged at various parts such as vehicle door mirrors, door outer handles and roofs, floor feet, etc., for example, at night, for vehicle lights, foot lighting, etc. This is a control for performing boarding / alighting assistance and hospitality when the driver approaches by illumination.

  In step 900, it is determined whether the communication unit 32 has received the pre-boarding control start instruction and the driver information from the boarding intention detection device 10. When the communication unit 32 receives the pre-boarding control start instruction and the driver information, the process proceeds to step 902.

  In step 902, the current brightness around the vehicle is detected based on information from the vehicle information acquisition unit 34 (information such as a sunshine sensor).

  In step 904, the expected approach direction (see step 312 in FIG. 4) transmitted from the boarding intention detection device 10 is received.

  In step 906, the predicted arrival time T (see step 312 in FIG. 4) transmitted from the boarding intention detection device 10 is received.

  In step 908, the contents of the illumination control, that is, the lighting part, the lighting color, the lighting pattern, and the lighting start time t are calculated. The lighting part may be a part on the side corresponding to the expected approach direction obtained in step 904. Further, the brightness (brightness) at the time of lighting and the lighting start time t may be determined according to the brightness around the vehicle obtained in step 902. For example, the lighting start time t may be determined so that the lighting starts at an earlier stage as the brightness around the vehicle becomes darker.

  In step 910, it is determined whether or not the predicted arrival time T has become equal to or shorter than the control time t. When the predicted arrival time T is equal to or shorter than the control time t, the process proceeds to step 912. When the predicted arrival time T is longer than the control time t, the process proceeds to step 914.

  In step 912, the illumination control of the part is started via the control device 38. That is, illumination control of a light source (for example, LED) mounted on each part is started according to the content determined in step 908.

  In step 914, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 32 has received a pre-boarding control end instruction (see step 320 in FIG. 4) from the boarding intention detection device 10. In step 914, instead of this determination, it may be determined whether the vehicle information acquisition unit 34 has detected basic information on boarding intention. If the pre-boarding control end instruction has been received, the process proceeds to step 916, and if the pre-boarding control end instruction has not been received (that is, the boarding intention basic information has not been detected by the vehicle information acquisition unit 34). Return to step 904.

  In step 916, the illumination control by the control device 38 is stopped. If the illumination control has been started, the illumination control is stopped when the pre-boarding control end instruction is received.

  According to the process shown in FIG. 14, by learning an action pattern up to the boarding and detecting the boarding intention from an early stage, the approach direction and the surrounding area can be detected at an appropriate timing when the driver and the passenger board the car. Illumination control according to the environment can be realized.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the pre-boarding air conditioning control realized by the pre-boarding control content determination unit 36 of the vehicle-mounted device 30. The process of FIG. 15 corresponds to a more specific example of the process shown in FIG. Here, the case where the process of FIG. 15 is implement | achieved in the above-mentioned vehicle environment control system 1 is demonstrated.

  In step 1002, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 32 has received the pre-boarding control start instruction and the driver information from the boarding intention detection device 10. When the communication unit 32 receives the pre-boarding control start instruction and the driver information, the process proceeds to step 1004.

  In step 1004, the predicted arrival time T (see step 312 in FIG. 4) transmitted from the boarding intention detection device 10 is received.

  In step 1006, the current vehicle interior temperature and vehicle exterior temperature are detected based on information from the vehicle information acquisition unit 34 (for example, temperature sensor information).

  In step 1008, based on the current vehicle interior temperature and vehicle exterior temperature in step 1006, the control time t required to adjust the current vehicle interior temperature to a predetermined target state is calculated. The predetermined target state may be the in-vehicle temperature at the end of the previous driving (immediately before getting off), or may be the past temperature setting of the air conditioner set by the driver.

  In step 1010, it is determined whether or not the predicted arrival time T has become equal to or shorter than the control time t. If the predicted arrival time T is equal to or shorter than the control time t, the process proceeds to step 1012. If the predicted arrival time T is longer than the control time t, the process proceeds to step 1014.

  In step 1012, pre-boarding air conditioning control is started via the control device 38. That is, pre-boarding air-conditioning control for forming a predetermined target state is started. For example, the technology described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-112287, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-349854, or the like may be applied to the air conditioning before boarding.

  In step 1014, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 32 has received a pre-boarding control end instruction (see step 320 in FIG. 4) from the boarding intention detection device 10. In this step 1014, instead of this determination, it may be determined whether or not the vehicle information acquisition unit 34 has detected basic boarding intention information. If the pre-boarding control end instruction has been received, the process proceeds to step 1016. If the pre-boarding control end instruction has not been received (that is, if the vehicle intent basic information has not been detected by the vehicle information acquisition unit 34), the process proceeds to step 1016. Return to step 1004.

  In step 1016, the air conditioning control before boarding by the control device 38 is stopped. If the pre-boarding air conditioning control has been started, the pre-boarding air conditioning control is stopped when the pre-boarding control end instruction is received.

  By the way, in the conventional pre-boarding air conditioning control that is started at the time of wireless unlocking operation or door opening / closing operation, the start timing is delayed depending on the environment inside and outside the vehicle, and it is difficult to prepare an appropriate vehicle environment when boarding There is.

  In this regard, according to the processing shown in FIG. 15, the environment inside and outside the vehicle is taken into consideration in advance when the driver or the passenger gets on board by detecting the behavior pattern until the boarding and detecting the boarding intention from an early stage. Thus, the air conditioning control before boarding can be performed at an appropriate timing according to the time required for service.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Can be added.

1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a vehicle environment control system 1 according to the present invention. 3 is a flowchart showing basic processing related to pre-boarding control realized by the vehicle environment control system 1; 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing in a driver determination unit 12. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing realized by a driver behavior detection unit 14, a boarding pattern determination unit 18, and a communication unit 20. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing realized by a pre-boarding control content determination unit 36 of the in-vehicle device 30. It is a system block diagram which shows the vehicle environment control system 2 by the other Example of this invention. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing in a boarding intention confirmation unit 40. It is a system block diagram which shows the vehicle environment control system 3 by the further another Example of this invention. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing in a pattern learning unit 24. It is a system block diagram which shows the vehicle environment control system 4 by the further another Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically some examples of the personal authentication aspect at the time of going out from a home. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the before-boarding door opening control implement | achieved by the before-boarding control content determination part 36 of the onboard equipment 30. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of driving position control realized by a pre-boarding control content determination unit 36 of the vehicle-mounted device 30. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the illumination control implement | achieved by the before-boarding control content determination part 36 of the onboard equipment 30. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the air conditioning control before boarding implement | achieved by the control content determination part 36 before boarding of the onboard equipment 30.

Explanation of symbols

1, 2, 3, 4 Vehicle environment control system 10 Riding intention detection device 12 Driver determination unit 14 Driver behavior detection unit 16 Clock 17 Database 18 Riding pattern determination unit 20 Communication unit 24 Pattern learning unit 26 Personal authentication unit 30 In-vehicle device 32 Communication unit 34 Vehicle information acquisition unit 36 Pre-boarding control content determination unit 38 Various control devices 40 Riding intention confirmation unit 42 Database

Claims (12)

Behavior pattern detecting means for detecting the behavior pattern of the user after the user has passed through a predetermined doorway away from the vehicle;
Storage means for storing the behavior pattern of the user detected in the past by the behavior pattern detection means, the behavior pattern when the user gets on the vehicle,
The arrival time prediction means for comparing the user's action pattern detected by the action pattern detection means with the user's past action pattern stored in the storage means to predict the time for the user to reach the vehicle. When,
A vehicle environment control system comprising vehicle environment maintenance means for maintaining the vehicle environment before the user gets on the basis of the arrival time predicted by the arrival time prediction means. It further comprises entrance / exit passage detection means for detecting that the user has passed a predetermined entrance / exit apart from the vehicle,
2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the behavior pattern detection unit starts the detection process of the user's behavior pattern when the entrance / exit passage detection unit detects that the user has passed the predetermined entrance / exit. 3. Environmental control system.   The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the behavior pattern detection unit includes at least one of a GPS receiver built in a portable terminal carried by the user and a roadside monitoring camera arranged on the road as an infrastructure facility. Environmental control system. The vehicle further includes an in-vehicle boarding intention detection means for detecting the user's boarding intention from the vehicle side,
The in-vehicle boarding intention detection means is
An in-vehicle camera mounted on the vehicle for imaging the environment outside the vehicle;
Image processing means for performing image processing on an image captured by the vehicle-mounted camera, and acquiring at least one of the user's line-of-sight direction and its change pattern in the image as line-of-sight information;
Line-of-sight information storage means for storing line-of-sight information of the user acquired in the past by the image processing means when the user gets on the vehicle,
The in-vehicle boarding intention detection means determines whether or not the user has a boarding intention based on whether or not the image processing means has acquired line-of-sight information that matches the user's past line-of-sight information stored in the line-of-sight information storage means. The vehicle environment control system according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether or not there is.   The vehicle environment maintenance means starts or continues a vehicle environment maintenance process when the on-board boarding intention detection means determines that the user has a boarding intention, and the on-board boarding intention detection means starts the user's boarding intention. The vehicle environment control system according to claim 4, wherein when it is determined that there is no vehicle environment maintenance process, the vehicle environment maintenance process is not performed or is canceled.   2. The vehicle environment control system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle environment maintenance unit executes at least one of an unlocking operation of a vehicle door and an opening operation of a door through an actuator as a vehicle environment maintenance process.   The vehicle environment control system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle environment maintenance means adjusts a driving position through an actuator as a vehicle environment maintenance process.   The vehicle environment control system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle environment maintenance means turns on predetermined illumination as a vehicle environment maintenance process.   The vehicle environment control system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle environment maintenance means controls an air conditioner as a vehicle environment maintenance process. A boarding intention detection device that is disposed outside the vehicle and detects a boarding intention of a user of the vehicle;
The vehicle environment is prepared before the user boarding when a boarding intention detection signal indicating that the user's boarding intention has been detected is received from the boarding intention detection device. A vehicle environment control system comprising:
The boarding intention detection device comprises:
An entrance passage detection means for detecting that the user has passed a predetermined entrance away from the vehicle;
Behavior pattern detection means for detecting the user's behavior pattern after passing through the doorway;
Storage means for storing a behavior pattern at the time of the user's past boarding detected by the behavior pattern detection means,
The boarding intention detection device comprises:
It is detected by the entrance / exit passage detection means that the user has passed a predetermined entrance / exit away from the vehicle, and an action pattern that matches the action pattern stored in the storage means is detected by the action pattern detection means. When this happens, the vehicle environment control system transmits the boarding intention detection signal to the vehicle-mounted device. In the boarding intention detection device, it is detected by the entrance / exit passage detection means that the user has passed a predetermined entrance / exit away from the vehicle, and the behavior pattern detection means adds the behavior pattern stored in the storage means. When a matching behavior pattern is detected, based on the behavior pattern detected by the behavior pattern detection means, the arrival time of the user to the vehicle is predicted, and the arrival time notification signal representing the predicted arrival time is Send it to the OBE,
The said onboard equipment determines the control content for maintaining the environment of the said vehicle based on the arrival time which this arrival time notification signal represents, when the said arrival time notification signal is received. Vehicle environmental control system.   The boarding intention detection apparatus used in the vehicle environment control system according to claim 11 or 12.

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