JP2002063668A - Device for detecting and reporting person inside vehicle and dangerous state avoiding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for detecting and reporting person inside vehicle, with which the presence of a person in a vehicle is detected and the detected result is reported before the inside of the vehicle reaches a temperature such as high temperature dangerous for a human body. SOLUTION: This device is provided with a speed sensor 2 for detecting the stop of the vehicle, a mass sensor 6 for detecting the person inside the vehicle, a temperature sensor 5 for detecting the temperature inside the vehicle and a first controller 8 for estimating time required for the temperature inside the vehicle to reach a dangerous temperature dangerous for a human body from the change rate of a temperature detection value detected by the temperature sensor when the stop of the vehicle and the prescribed temperature are respectively detected, detecting the person with a camera 12 before that time and outputting a human detection report outside the vehicle such as to a supervisory center 11 when a person is detected.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the detection of a small child, such as an infant, when a person such as an infant is left behind in a vehicle such as an automobile. The present invention relates to an in-vehicle person detection notification device and a danger state avoidance device that notify the presence of a person in a vehicle to the outside of the vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an apparatus for detecting an occupant or the like in a vehicle such as an automobile, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-3296 is known.
No. 39 (hereinafter referred to as prior art 1) and JP-A-11-
JP-A-43-0909 (hereinafter referred to as prior art 2).

The prior art 1 is provided with a camera unit for converting a photographed image in a vehicle into an electric signal, and a human body detecting unit for detecting a human body and a human body position in the vehicle by an image processing means using an image signal obtained from the camera unit. It is a human body detection device.

Further, the prior art 2 irradiates the contents inside the vehicle and the objects outside the vehicle with electromagnetic radiation, particularly infrared radiation, and forms one or more images of the contents using one or more lenses. The above charge-coupled device (CCD array)
Is a monitoring system for confirming, detecting and monitoring an occupant or a part of the occupant in a cabin of a vehicle such as an automobile or a truck, other objects in the cabin, and objects outside the vehicle.

[0005]

By the way, in general, an automobile is apt to fall into a closed space easily by closing all doors and windows. For this reason, when all outside doors and windows are closed, for example, when the outside air temperature is relatively high, such as in summer, the temperature inside the car also rises rapidly and easily reaches a dangerous high temperature for the human body. There is.

Nevertheless, in recent years in Japan, there are cases where small children, such as infants, are left in a car for a long time, and there are cases in which a child suffers from dehydration due to the high temperature inside the car, resulting in death. Can be seen. In addition, when leaving a child in a car, there is a case where the cooler in the car is driven. During this time, the cooler is stopped for some reason and the child still dies due to dehydration.

The prior art 1 controls the operation of an on-vehicle device, for example, an audio device for setting a sound field generation in a vehicle, based on the detection result of the human body detection device so as to provide a comfortable in-vehicle environment. Is nothing more than
There is no means for estimating the time required for the inside of the vehicle to reach a dangerous temperature (for example, high temperature) for the human body and for notifying the presence of a person to the outside of the vehicle before reaching the estimated time. For this reason, it is not possible to report the leaving of the infant in the vehicle or the like outside the vehicle to protect the infant or the like.

In the prior art 2, since the information obtained by the monitoring system is only used for controlling an occupant protection device such as an airbag, the temperature inside the vehicle is dangerous to the human body. There is no means for estimating the time required to reach (for example, high temperature) and notifying the presence of a person before the estimated time is reached. For this reason, it is not possible to protect the infant or the like by notifying the leaving of the infant or the like in the car outside the vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object to detect the presence of a person in a vehicle and to detect the result before the vehicle reaches a temperature dangerous to the human body such as a high temperature. , To provide an in-vehicle person detection notification device.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stop sensor for detecting a stop of a vehicle, a human sensor for detecting a person in the vehicle, and a temperature in the vehicle of the vehicle. When the vehicle temperature is detected by the stop sensor and the temperature of the vehicle is detected by the stop sensor and a predetermined temperature is detected by the temperature sensor, the temperature inside the vehicle is dangerous to the human body based on the rate of change of the detected temperature value detected by the temperature sensor. A controller for estimating a time to reach the temperature, detecting the person by the human sensor before reaching the time, and outputting a person detection report to the outside of the vehicle when the person is detected. The in-vehicle person detection notification device is characterized in that:

According to the present invention, when a stop of the running of the vehicle, a predetermined temperature (high temperature) in the vehicle, and the presence of a person in the vehicle are respectively detected, a person is present in the stopped vehicle, and the inside of the vehicle is, for example, It is determined that the temperature is high, and the time when the temperature inside the vehicle reaches a dangerous temperature such as a high temperature from the predetermined temperature to the human body is estimated.Before reaching the time, it is notified to the outside of the vehicle that a person is inside the vehicle. You.

For this reason, even if a small child such as an infant or the like or a physically handicapped person who cannot leave the vehicle on their own is left in the vehicle, the life of the child or other person is brought to a dangerous state. In addition, since the presence of the person is reported outside the car, etc.,
The child and other people can be protected.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stop sensor for detecting a stop of the vehicle, a human sensor for detecting a person in the vehicle, a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature in the vehicle, and a vehicle. A door opening / closing sensor for detecting opening / closing of a door, a window opening / closing sensor for detecting opening / closing of a window of the vehicle, and a stop temperature of the vehicle and a predetermined temperature detected by the temperature sensor. From the rate of change of the temperature detection value detected by the temperature sensor, estimate the time until the vehicle interior temperature reaches the dangerous temperature dangerous to the human body, before reaching the time, detect the person by the human sensor, A controller for outputting a person detection notification to the outside of the vehicle when a person is detected.

According to the present invention, the stop of the vehicle, the predetermined temperature (high temperature) in the vehicle, the presence of a person in the vehicle, the closed state of the door by the door open / close sensor, and the closed state of the window by the window open / close sensor, respectively. When it is detected, it is determined that there is a person in the stopped vehicle and the interior of the vehicle is, for example, in a closed room at a high temperature before the temperature in the vehicle reaches the dangerous temperature such as the high temperature from the predetermined temperature to the human body. The fact that a person is inside the vehicle is notified to the outside of the vehicle.

[0015] For this reason, even if a small child, such as an infant, who cannot leave the vehicle by himself / herself is left in the vehicle, the presence of the person, such as the child, before the life of the child or the like falls into a dangerous state is detected. , It is possible to protect the child and the like.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stop sensor for detecting a stop of the vehicle, a human sensor for detecting a person in the vehicle, a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature in the vehicle, and a vehicle. A door opening / closing sensor for detecting opening / closing of a door, a window opening / closing sensor for detecting opening / closing of a window of the vehicle, a camera for photographing the inside of the vehicle, a stop of the vehicle by the stop sensor, and a predetermined by the temperature sensor. When each temperature is detected, the time until the vehicle interior temperature reaches a dangerous temperature dangerous to the human body is estimated from the rate of change of the temperature detection value detected by the temperature sensor, and before reaching the time, A controller for photographing the inside of the vehicle with the camera, determining a person and an object based on the image, and outputting a person detection notification to the outside of the vehicle when the person is recognized. A vehicle of the human detection notification apparatus according to claim Rukoto.

According to the present invention, when the traveling of the vehicle is stopped, the predetermined temperature (high temperature) in the vehicle, the presence of the person in the vehicle, and the closed state of the doors and windows are respectively detected, the person in the stopped vehicle is detected. It is determined that the interior of the vehicle is in a closed room at a high temperature, for example.Before the temperature in the vehicle reaches the dangerous temperature for the human body such as the high temperature from the predetermined temperature, the inside of the vehicle is photographed by a camera, and based on the image, Then, when a person is distinguished from an object and the person is recognized, the fact that there is a person inside the vehicle is reported to the outside of the vehicle.

For this reason, even if a small child or the like who cannot leave the vehicle by himself / herself is left behind in the vehicle, the presence of the child or the like is photographed by the camera and the image is reported to the outside of the vehicle. Therefore, the child can be protected.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the in-vehicle person detection notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the dangerous temperature estimated by the controller is a predetermined high temperature. It is.

According to the present invention, the temperature inside the vehicle estimated by the controller is a dangerous high temperature for the human body. Therefore, even when a person is present in the vehicle, it is possible to prevent the person from being exposed to the high temperature and leading to dehydration or the like. Can be prevented.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the motion sensor comprises a combination of a plurality of types of sensors having different sensor principles, a plurality of sensors of the same type, or a combination of these sensors. It is a person detection notification device in a car according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

According to the present invention, the human sensor is a mass sensor that is laid in a plurality of seats of a vehicle and detects a person based on a change in mass distribution of the person or the like on the seat, a CCD camera,
Combination of multiple types of sensors with different sensor principles, such as a pyroelectric infrared sensor, or multiple sensors of the same type, so if one or one of these sensors fails for any reason, Since a person can be detected by another sensor, the accuracy of the motion sensor can be improved.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an in-vehicle person detection notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an operation switch for turning on and off the operation of the entire device. It is.

According to the present invention, only when the operation switch is turned on, power is supplied to and driven by the human detection notification device in the vehicle, so that power can be saved.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an audio input / output means for inputting the voice inside the vehicle and outputting the voice into the vehicle under the control of the controller. The in-vehicle person detection notification device according to any one of the above items.

According to the present invention, voices are output into the vehicle by voice input / output means to give a warning or the like to the people in the vehicle as needed, or voices in the vehicle are input to directly or analyze and indirectly. Can be reported outside the vehicle.

[0027] The invention according to claim 8 is a second device for controlling the driving of the illuminating device for illuminating the inside of the vehicle, the camera, and controlling the illuminating device according to the exposure of an image taken by the camera. The in-vehicle person detection notification device according to claim 3, further comprising: a controller.

According to the present invention, when the image captured by the camera is underexposed, the illumination is turned on by the second controller to increase the brightness inside the vehicle, so that the camera can clearly capture the inside of the vehicle. it can.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the controller includes power supply control means for supplying power to the second controller only when the second controller controls driving of the camera or the lighting device. An in-vehicle person detection notification device according to claim 8, wherein:

According to the present invention, since the second controller controls the driving of the camera and the lighting device, it consumes more power than the controller that reads the outputs of various sensors. For this reason, the second controller is supplied with power only when the camera or the illuminating device is controlled by the power supply control means of the controller. Since the second controller is a power source separate from the controller, power can be saved.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image transmitting means for transmitting an image to a monitoring center outside the vehicle when it is impossible for the controller to distinguish between a person and an object based on the image taken by the camera. 4. The in-vehicle person detection notification device according to claim 3, wherein:

According to the present invention, when it is not possible to discriminate between a person and an object by a computer or the like based on an image taken by a camera, the image is transmitted to a monitoring center outside the vehicle. The image can be further analyzed by a high-precision computer or a monitor to discriminate the person and the object with higher accuracy, and the face of the person can be recognized.

An eleventh aspect of the present invention is the in-vehicle person detection notification device according to the tenth aspect, further comprising an in-vehicle image transmission switch for permitting transmission of the image to the monitoring center.

According to the present invention, by turning off the in-vehicle image transmission switch, the transmission of the image captured by the camera to the monitoring center can be prevented, so that the privacy of the people in the vehicle can be protected. it can.
On the other hand, by turning on the in-vehicle image transmission switch, it is clear that the image transmission to the monitoring center has been permitted, so that it is possible to prevent a trouble from occurring in the privacy of the people in the vehicle.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stop sensor for detecting a stop of the vehicle, a human sensor for detecting a person in the vehicle, a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature in the vehicle, and a vehicle. A door opening / closing sensor for detecting opening / closing of a door of the vehicle, a window opening / closing sensor for detecting opening / closing of a window of the vehicle, an engine control unit for controlling operation of an engine of the vehicle, and controlling operation of an air conditioner of the vehicle. The air conditioner control unit to stop the vehicle by the stop sensor and detect a predetermined temperature by the temperature sensor and a closed state of the door by the door open / close sensor and a closed state of the window by the window open / close sensor, respectively, From the rate of change of the temperature detection value detected by the temperature sensor, the time until the temperature inside the vehicle reaches the dangerous temperature dangerous to the human body is estimated, Before reaching the time, the human sensor is used to detect a person, and when a person is detected, the engine of the vehicle is started by the engine control unit, and the air conditioner is started by the air conditioner control unit. And a controller.

According to the present invention, the stop of the vehicle, the predetermined temperature (high temperature) in the vehicle, the presence of a person in the vehicle, the closed state of the door by the door open / close sensor, and the closed state of the window by the window open / close sensor, respectively. When it is detected, it is determined that there is a person in the stopped vehicle and the interior of the vehicle is, for example, in a closed room at a high temperature, and before the temperature in the vehicle reaches the dangerous temperature such as a high temperature from the predetermined temperature to the human body. Then, the engine of the vehicle is started by the engine control unit, and the air conditioner of the vehicle is started by the air conditioner control unit. For this reason, since the inside of the vehicle is cooled (or heated), it is possible to prevent the temperature inside the vehicle from rising (or lowering) to a dangerous temperature.

For this reason, even if a small child such as an infant or the like or a physically handicapped person who cannot leave the vehicle by himself is left in the vehicle, the child or the like may be in a dangerous state due to the high temperature (or low temperature) in the vehicle. The danger of falling can be avoided.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stop sensor for detecting a stop of the vehicle, a human sensor for detecting a person in the vehicle, a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature in the vehicle, and a vehicle. A door opening / closing sensor for detecting opening / closing of a door, a window opening / closing sensor for detecting opening / closing of a window of the vehicle, a window opening / closing controller for controlling opening / closing of a window of the vehicle, and stopping and stopping the vehicle by the stop sensor. When the predetermined temperature detected by the temperature sensor and the closed state of the door by the door open / close sensor and the closed state of the window by the window open / close sensor are respectively detected, the temperature inside the vehicle is determined from the rate of change of the temperature detection value detected by the temperature sensor. Guess the time it takes to reach a dangerous temperature dangerous to the human body, and before reaching that time, detect a person with the human sensor and detect the person The window opening and closing is possible hazardous condition avoidance device of vehicle according to claim which comprises a controller for opening the window by the control unit when it is.

According to the present invention, the stop of the vehicle, the predetermined temperature (high temperature) in the vehicle, the presence of a person in the vehicle, the closed state of the door by the door open / close sensor, and the closed state of the window by the window open / close sensor, respectively. When it is detected, it is determined that there is a person in the stopped vehicle and the interior of the vehicle is, for example, in a closed room at a high temperature before the temperature in the vehicle reaches the dangerous temperature such as the high temperature from the predetermined temperature to the human body. The window of the vehicle is opened at a predetermined opening by the controller and the window opening / closing control unit. For this reason, the heat inside the vehicle is radiated to the outside air from the opening of the window, and the inside of the vehicle is cooled and ventilated, so that the temperature inside the vehicle can be prevented from rising to a temperature dangerous to the human body.

For this reason, even if a small child such as an infant or the like or a physically handicapped person who cannot leave the vehicle on their own is left in the vehicle, there is a danger that the child or the like may fall into a dangerous state due to the high temperature in the vehicle. Can be avoided.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the danger state avoiding device according to the twelfth or thirteenth aspect, wherein the dangerous temperature estimated by the controller is a predetermined high temperature.

According to the present invention, the temperature in the vehicle estimated by the controller is a dangerous high temperature for the human body. Therefore, even when a person is present in the vehicle, it is possible to prevent the person from being exposed to the high temperature and leading to dehydration or the like. Can be prevented.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the motion sensor comprises a combination of a plurality of types of sensors having different sensor principles, a plurality of sensors of the same type, or a combination of these sensors. The in-vehicle danger state avoiding device according to claim 12 or 13, wherein

According to the present invention, the human sensor is a mass sensor laid on a seat of a vehicle, and detects a person based on a change in mass distribution of the person or the like on the seat, a CCD camera,
Combination of multiple types of sensors with different sensor principles, such as a pyroelectric infrared sensor, or multiple sensors of the same type, so if one or one of these sensors fails for any reason, Since a person can be detected by another sensor, the accuracy of the motion sensor can be improved.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the in-vehicle danger state avoiding apparatus according to the twelfth or thirteenth aspect, further comprising an operation switch for controlling the operation of the entire apparatus.

According to the present invention, only when the operation switch is turned on, power is supplied to and driven by the human detection notification device in the vehicle, so that power can be saved.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the twelfth or thirteenth aspect of the present invention, further comprising a voice input / output means for inputting voice in the vehicle and outputting voice into the vehicle under the control of the controller. 2. A danger state avoiding device in a vehicle according to claim 1.

According to the present invention, a voice is output to the inside of the vehicle by the voice input / output means to give a warning or the like to the person in the vehicle as needed, or the voice in the vehicle is input to directly or analyze and indirectly. Can be reported outside the vehicle.

The invention according to claim 18 is a lighting device for illuminating the inside of the vehicle, a camera for photographing the inside of the vehicle,
14. The apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a second controller that controls driving of the camera and controls the lighting device in accordance with exposure of an image captured by the camera. It is a danger state avoidance device in a vehicle.

According to the present invention, when the image taken by the camera is underexposed, the illumination is turned on by the second controller to increase the brightness inside the vehicle, so that the camera can clearly shoot the inside of the vehicle. it can.

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, the controller includes power supply control means for supplying power to the second controller only when the second controller controls the driving of the camera or the lighting device. An in-vehicle danger state avoiding device according to claim 18, characterized in that:

According to the present invention, since the second controller controls the driving of the camera and the lighting device, it consumes more power than the controller that reads the outputs of various sensors. For this reason, the second controller is supplied with power only when the camera or the illuminating device is controlled by the power supply control means of the controller. Since the second controller is a power source separate from the controller, power can be saved.

[0053]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.
A description will be given based on FIG.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the overall configuration of an in-vehicle person detection notification device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, an in-vehicle person detection notification device 1 is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile (not shown), and a speed sensor 2 which is an example of a stop sensor for detecting the speed of the vehicle; Opening / closing sensor 3 for detecting vehicle opening and closing, and window opening / closing sensor 4 for detecting opening / closing of each window of the vehicle
, A plurality of temperature sensors 5, 5,... For detecting the temperature inside the vehicle, a plurality of mass sensors 6, 6,. A power switch, which is electrically connected to the system operation switch 7 for turning on and off the power supply operation to the entire human detection notification device 1 in the vehicle, and the system operation switch 7 and the sensors 2 to 6 respectively. A first controller 8.

The first controller 8 is composed of a well-known microprocessor or the like. When the system operation switch 7 is turned on, a voltage from a vehicle-mounted battery (not shown) is applied to each of the above-described sensors 2 to 6 and activated.
Power supply control means is provided for interrupting the power supply to these sensors 2 to 6 when the system operation switch 7 is turned off.

The first controller 8 includes means for determining that the vehicle has stopped running when the speed of the vehicle read from the speed sensor 2 is zero, and a door open / close sensor 3
If the detection result read from the vehicle is the door closed state and the detection result read from the window opening / closing sensor 4 indicates that all the windows of the vehicle are closed or slightly open, for example, about 2 inches, the interior of the vehicle is closed. Means for determining that

Further, the first controller 8 detects the presence or absence of a person or an object based on the mass distribution on the seat read from the plurality of mass sensors 6, 6,... A means for detecting the movement of a person or an object based on a temporal change is provided.

Further, when the temperature inside the vehicle detected by the temperature sensor 5 is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, the first controller 8 obtains the rate of change of the detected temperature. Presumes the time it takes for the temperature to rise to a dangerous temperature for the human body, and communicates with the second controller 9 a notification signal notifying that there is a person in the vehicle a predetermined time before reaching the dangerous temperature reaching time. Surveillance center 11 outside the vehicle via interface 10
And the like.

The second controller 9 is composed of, for example, a microprocessor or the like, and captures almost the entire interior of the vehicle.
A plurality of cameras 12 such as a CD camera, a plurality of illuminating devices 13 which illuminate substantially the entire interior of the vehicle, and an example of audio input / output means for outputting audio to the interior of the vehicle and inputting audio in the interior of the vehicle. Is electrically connected to the in-vehicle image transmission switch 15.

When the second controller 9 receives the notification signal from the first controller 8, the second controller 9 is activated by being supplied with power from a power source such as an in-vehicle battery (not shown) by the power supply control means of the first controller 8. Each camera 1
2 is started and the interior of the vehicle is photographed intermittently at predetermined time intervals, and when it is determined that the exposure of the photographed image is insufficient,
There is provided a means for turning on the illumination device 13 and photographing with the camera 12 with a suitable exposure (exposure).

The second controller 9 controls the camera 1
An in-vehicle image transmission switch 15 for controlling on / off of transmission of an image captured by the camera 2 to the monitoring center 11 is electrically connected.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a start-up program for starting the monitoring processing program built in the first or second controller 8 or 9 configured as described above. In FIG. Symbols indicate steps in the flowchart, and are sequentially executed in ascending numerical order.

That is, when this boot program is started, it is determined in S1 whether or not the system operation switch 7 is on. If No, the process jumps to S3 described later, while if Yes, it is described later. After starting the monitoring processing program and executing each step, the process proceeds to S3, where a predetermined time is counted, and then returns to S1 again, and the following steps are repeated. In S3, the whole person detection notification device 1 in the vehicle is operated intermittently by counting a predetermined time to save power.

Next, a flowchart of the monitoring processing program will be described with reference to FIG.

First, when this monitoring processing program is started, the first controller 8 checks the state of the vehicle in S11. That is, the first controller 8
Each detection result is read from the speed sensor 2, the door opening / closing sensor 3, the window opening / closing sensor 4, each temperature sensor 5, and each mass sensor 6, and in the next S12, the vehicle stops running and the inside of the vehicle is closed and the predetermined state is determined. It is determined whether or not it is in a high temperature state.

That is, if the speed of the vehicle detected by the speed sensor 2 is zero, it is determined that the vehicle is in a stopped state. If all the doors detected by the door open / close sensor 3 are in the closed state and all the windows detected by the window open / close sensor 4 are in the closed state or about 2 inches open, the vehicle is in the closed state. It is determined that there is.

Further, if the temperature inside the vehicle detected by each temperature sensor 5 is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, it is determined that the temperature is high.

If any one of the three conditions of stop of the vehicle, closed room, and high temperature is missing in S12, the process proceeds to the end and ends, whereas if Yes, the process proceeds to S13, where
The detection result of each mass sensor 6 is read, and thereafter, the presence or absence of a person or an object is determined from the mass distribution on the seat in S14,
If No, the process proceeds to the end and the process is terminated. If Yes, that is, if it is determined that a person is present in the vehicle or there is an object, the process proceeds to S15.

In step S15, the first controller 8 reads the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 5 again, calculates the rate of change of the detected temperature, and further, based on the rate of change of the detected temperature, the temperature inside the vehicle is dangerous to the human body. The time until the temperature reaches the critical temperature is estimated, and in the next S16, it is determined whether or not it is a predetermined time before the time to reach the dangerous temperature. If No, the process proceeds to the end and ends, while Yes , Then S
Proceed to 17.

In S17, each camera 12 is started via the second controller 9 to intermittently photograph the inside of the vehicle at predetermined time intervals, and when it is detected that the captured image is underexposed, the second operation is performed. The lighting device 13 is turned on by the controller 9. At this time, the movement of the person is detected by detecting a temporal change of the mass distribution on the seat via each mass sensor 6.

In the next S18, it is determined whether the object photographed by each camera 12 or detected by each mass sensor 6 is a person or an object. If Yes, that is, if it is a person, the process proceeds to S19. No, that is, when it is not possible to determine whether the object is a person or an object, the process proceeds to S20. In S19, the human detection notification is output outside the vehicle, and then the process proceeds to the end and ends.
As a method of the person detection notification, the person detection signal causes the headlights of the vehicle to blink, the hazard lamp to be turned on, the sound to be output by the speaker microphone 14 asking for help, a mobile phone or a PHS having a telephone number set in advance. Report to
There are various methods such as horn sounding, but any method may be used as long as it is a method of notifying the people around the vehicle, such as parking personnel and security guards of the parking lot where the vehicle is parked, counters of shopping centers, etc. It doesn't matter.

On the other hand, if it is impossible in S18 to determine whether the vehicle is a person or an object, it is further determined in S20 whether or not the in-vehicle image transmission switch 15 is on. No, that is, the in-vehicle image transmission switch 15 is off. At this time, it is determined that the image transmission is not permitted due to the protection of human privacy, etc., and the process proceeds to S19, where only the human detection notification is performed.

On the other hand, in S20, the in-vehicle image transmission switch 1
When 5 is ON, image transmission is permitted and it is determined that there is no problem in privacy protection, and the image is transmitted to, for example, a monitoring center by wireless communication or the like,
In the next S22, the image is confirmed by the monitoring center 11.

That is, in the monitoring center 11, the transmission image may be recognized and confirmed by the observer's eyes, or the transmission image may be recognized by the high precision image recognition system of the monitoring center. When it is recognized, the observer directly accesses the vehicle, or informs a supervisor who patrols (patrols) the vicinity of the vehicle and rushes to the vehicle, and causes the infants and other persons in the vehicle to rush. May be rescued.

Therefore, the in-vehicle person detection notification device 1
According to the present invention, when a stop of the running of the vehicle, a predetermined temperature (high temperature) in the vehicle, a closed room state in the vehicle, and the presence of a person in the vehicle are respectively detected, a person is present in the stopped vehicle, and the inside of the vehicle is, for example, It is determined that the temperature is high, and before the temperature inside the vehicle reaches a dangerous temperature for the human body such as the high temperature from the predetermined temperature, the inside of the vehicle is photographed by the camera 12, and the person and the object are discriminated based on the image. When is recognized, the fact that there is a person inside the vehicle is reported to the outside of the vehicle.

For this reason, even if a small child such as an infant or the like or a physically handicapped person who cannot leave the vehicle by himself is left in the vehicle, the presence of the child or the like is photographed by the camera 12 and the image is taken out of the vehicle. Etc., the child can be rescued and protected.

Further, since the temperature inside the vehicle estimated by the first controller 8 is a dangerous high temperature for the human body, it is possible to prevent a person in the vehicle from being exposed to the high temperature and causing dehydration or the like.

Further, the human sensor is based on a sensor principle, such as a mass sensor 6 laid on a seat of a vehicle and detecting a person based on a change in mass distribution of the person on the seat and a camera 12 such as a CCD camera. Since a combination of a plurality of different sensors or a plurality of these 6 and 12 are provided, even if one or one of these sensors fails for some reason, a person can be detected by another sensor. Therefore, the accuracy of the motion sensor can be improved.

Further, only when the system operation switch 7 is turned on, the power is supplied to the human detection notification device 1 in the vehicle and the device 1 is driven, so that power can be saved.

Further, if necessary, a voice is output to the inside of the vehicle by the speaker microphone 14 to give an alarm or the like to the person, and at this time, the movement of the person who has reacted and moved is photographed by the camera 12 to recognize the person. On the other hand, it is possible to input the voice inside the vehicle and directly or analyze it to notify the outside of the vehicle indirectly.

When the image taken by the camera 12 is underexposed, the illumination is turned on by the second controller 9 to increase the brightness in the vehicle.
This makes it possible to clearly photograph the inside of the vehicle.

Further, since the second controller 9 is supplied with power only when controlling the driving of the camera 12 and the illumination device 13, the first controller 9 always reads the outputs of the various sensors 2 to 6.
The controller 8 consumes more power than the controller 8, so that power is supplied only when the camera 12 or the lighting device 13 is controlled. Since the power is separate from the first controller 8, power can be saved.

Further, if the computer cannot discriminate between a person and an object based on the image taken by the camera 12, the image is transmitted to the monitoring center 11 outside the vehicle. By analyzing an image by the image recognition system described above, a person and an object can be distinguished with higher accuracy, and a human face or the like can be recognized. In addition, it can be determined by a monitor.

By turning off the in-vehicle image transmission switch 15, the transmission of the image taken by the camera 12 to the monitoring center 11 can be prevented, so that the privacy of the people in the vehicle can be protected. .
On the other hand, by turning on the in-vehicle image transmission switch 15, it is possible to clearly indicate that the image transmission to the monitoring center 11 has been permitted, so that it is possible to prevent the occurrence of trouble in the privacy of the people in the vehicle.

In the above embodiment, when a person or an object is detected by the mass sensors 6, 6,... In S13 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, the process proceeds to S14 to determine whether a person or an object is detected. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the process may jump to S19 and S20 without going from S13 to S14.

That is, in S13, the mass sensors 6, 6,...
When a person or an object is detected, a person detection notification may be output to the outside of the vehicle in S19 or notified to the monitoring center 11 without proceeding to S14.

In the above embodiment, when the first controller 8 determines in S12 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 that the three conditions of the stop of the vehicle, the closed room state, and the high temperature state are satisfied, the process proceeds to the next S13. Is configured to proceed,
The present invention is not limited to this.
When it is determined that the vehicle satisfies the two conditions of the stopped state and the high temperature state, even if it is not determined that the inside of the vehicle is in the closed room state, which is one of the conditions, the steps from S13 onward are sequentially executed. May be configured.

Further, if it is determined in S12 that the inside of the vehicle is in a closed room state, and then the door opening state is detected by the door opening / closing sensor or the window opening state is detected by the window opening / closing sensor 4, FIG. The timer shown in S3 of FIG. 3 may be reset to repeat S11 and subsequent steps in FIG. 3 again.

Further, the first controller 8 operates as shown in FIG.
After executing the human detection report at 19 or transmitting the image of the human to the monitoring center 11, the temperature inside the vehicle may be reduced for some reason such as opening the door or window of the vehicle or operating the cooler of the vehicle. When it is determined that the vehicle has escaped from the danger state, it may be configured to notify the outside of the vehicle such as the monitoring center 11 of the fact.

Further, in the above embodiment, when it is determined that the inside of the vehicle is in a high temperature state, a message that a person is present in the vehicle is reported to the outside of the vehicle, but the present invention is not limited to this. The interior of the vehicle is dangerous to the human body, for example, when the temperature inside the vehicle drops to a dangerous low temperature in the winter, when the vehicle is filled with dangerous gas, or when the humidity etc. rises abnormally. When it is determined that there is a vehicle, a notification that a person is present in the vehicle may be notified to the outside of the vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the overall configuration of one embodiment of the in-vehicle danger state avoiding apparatus 1A according to the present invention. The in-vehicle danger state avoiding device 1A shown in FIG.
The whole is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile (not shown).
It has almost the same configuration as.

That is, the danger state avoiding device 1A uses the person detection / reporting device 1 to put a person, such as a child or a disabled person, who cannot go out of the vehicle by himself / herself into a dangerous state due to high temperature (or low temperature) in the vehicle. When it is detected that the person has fallen, the dangerous state is avoided, and the communication interface 10 and the monitoring center 11 are omitted from the person detection / reporting device 1, while the engine control unit 16 and the air conditioner are omitted. It is characterized in that a control unit 17 and a window opening / closing control unit 18 are added and these are connected to the second controller 9A. Detailed description is omitted.

The engine control unit 16 is a control device that receives a control signal from the second controller 9A and controls the operation such as starting and stopping the vehicle engine. The air conditioner control unit 17 controls the control signal from the second controller 9A. This is a control device that controls operations such as starting and stopping, temperature control, and the like of the vehicle-mounted air conditioner in response to the request.

The window opening / closing control section 18 is a control device which receives a control signal from the second controller 9A and controls opening / closing or opening of a required window of the vehicle. The second controller 9A has almost all functions other than the function of communicating with the monitoring center 11 of the second controller 9 according to the embodiment shown in FIG. Each has an opening / closing control means.

The engine control means includes a speed sensor 2
Stop by the temperature sensor 5, a predetermined temperature (high temperature) in the vehicle by the temperature sensor 5, presence of a person in the vehicle by the mass sensor 6, a closed state of the door by the door open / close sensor 3, and a closed state of the window by the window open / close sensor 4, respectively. When it is detected, the time at which the temperature inside the vehicle reaches a dangerous temperature such as a high temperature from the predetermined temperature is estimated, and the image captured by the camera 12 and the detection by the mass sensor 6 are performed a predetermined time before reaching the time. Based on the result, it is determined whether the object is a person or an object.
6 to the air conditioner control unit 17 or the window opening / closing control unit 18 to start the engine of the vehicle or open a required window of the vehicle.

When the air conditioner control means of the second controller 9A receives the human detection signal, it supplies an air conditioner start signal to the on-vehicle air conditioner to start its operation and cool the inside of the vehicle to a predetermined temperature ( Or heating).

Further, the window opening / closing control means of the second controller 9A supplies the window opening signal to the window opening / closing control section 18 when receiving the above-mentioned human detection signal, to open a required window of the automobile to a predetermined opening. Things. Furthermore, the window opening / closing control means opens a required window of the vehicle before starting the operation of the vehicle-mounted air conditioner in accordance with the temperature in the vehicle, or all or the required window after the vehicle-mounted air conditioner starts operating. May be controlled to be closed.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an in-vehicle danger state avoidance program incorporated in the first and second controllers 8A and 9A of the danger state avoidance apparatus 1A constructed as described above. One monitoring processing program is provided with steps S11 to S18, and is characterized in that a step S23 is added next to the step S18.

That is, this danger state avoidance program is S
In the steps from 11 to S18, the speed sensor 2
Stop of the car by the temperature sensor 5, a predetermined temperature (high temperature) in the car by the temperature sensor 5, presence of a person or an object in the car by the mass sensor 6, the closed state of the door by the door open / close sensor 3, and the closed state of the window by the window open / close sensor 4. Is detected by each camera 12 in S18,
Alternatively, it is determined whether the object detected by each mass sensor 6 is a person or an object (luggage). If Yes, that is, if it is determined that the person is a person, a required window of the vehicle is opened or the vehicle is opened in S23. Start the engine and the vehicle air conditioner,
It is characterized in that a danger state in the vehicle is avoided by lowering (or increasing) the temperature in the vehicle.

Therefore, when a person such as an infant or a person with a disability, who cannot go out of the vehicle by himself, is trapped in the vehicle and the inside of the vehicle falls into a high or low temperature state that is dangerous to human life, the window of the vehicle opens and the outside air is opened. Since the inside of the vehicle is cooled by cooling or the air conditioner is started, the inside of the vehicle is cooled or heated, so that the danger of the lives of infants and the like left in the vehicle can be avoided.

In order to start and operate the in-vehicle air conditioner, a power supply is required. Since the in-vehicle battery, which is the power supply, has been charged by the start-up operation of the vehicle engine, the in-vehicle air conditioner is turned off by the power supply. It is possible to prevent an accident in which the operation of the harmonic device is interrupted halfway.

When it is determined that the temperature inside the vehicle is high enough that the inside of the vehicle does not need to be cooled by the in-vehicle air conditioner, the window opening / closing control unit 18 opens a required window to cool the inside of the vehicle with outside air. It may be configured, and according to this, it is not necessary to start the vehicle-mounted air conditioner, so that it is not necessary to start the engine. As a result, the fuel consumption of the engine and the power consumption of the vehicle battery can be saved.

[0103]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the running of the vehicle is stopped, the predetermined temperature in the vehicle and the presence of a person in the vehicle are detected, the person is present in the stopped vehicle and the vehicle is stopped. Is determined to be, for example, a high temperature, and before the temperature in the vehicle reaches a temperature that is dangerous to the human body such as the high temperature from the above predetermined temperature, the fact that a person is present in the vehicle is notified to the outside of the vehicle.

For this reason, even if a small child such as an infant or the like, or a person such as a physically handicapped person who cannot leave the vehicle on their own, is left behind in the vehicle, the presence of the child is reported to the outside of the vehicle. This child can be protected.

Further, according to the present invention, when the stop of the running of the vehicle, the predetermined temperature inside the vehicle, and the presence of a person inside the vehicle are detected, respectively, there is a person inside the stopped vehicle, and the inside of the vehicle is, for example, at a high temperature. Before the temperature inside the vehicle reaches the dangerous temperature such as high temperature from the predetermined temperature to the human body, the engine of the vehicle is started to start the air conditioner, so that the inside of the vehicle is cooled or heated to a required temperature. Alternatively, it is possible to prevent the temperature inside the vehicle from becoming high by opening the window of the vehicle, so that it is possible to prevent a person such as a child left inside the vehicle from being in danger due to the temperature inside the vehicle.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle person detection notification device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a program that starts a monitoring processing program of the in-vehicle person detection notification device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a monitoring processing program shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle danger state avoiding device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a danger state avoidance program of the in-vehicle danger state avoidance device shown in FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Person detection notification device in a car 2 Speed sensor 3 Door opening / closing sensor 4 Window opening / closing sensor 5 Temperature sensor 6 Mass sensor 7 System operation switch 8 First controller 9 Second controller 11 Monitoring center 12 Camera 13 Lighting device 14 Speaker microphone 15 Vehicle image Transmission switch 16 Engine control unit 17 Air conditioner control unit 18 Window open / close control unit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Shingo Sekiguchi 1 Toshiba-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo Inside the Toshiba Fuchu Works Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroshi Kominato 1 Toshiba-cho, Fuchu-shi Tokyo, Toshiba Fuchu Works F Terms (reference) 5C086 AA06 BA22 CA12 CA19 CA28 CB01 CB16 CB21 CB36 DA33 DA40 EA13 FA02 FA06 FA17 FA20

Claims (19)

[Claims] A stop sensor for detecting a stop of the vehicle, a motion sensor for detecting a person in the vehicle of the vehicle, a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature in the vehicle of the vehicle, and a stop of the vehicle by the stop sensor. And when a predetermined temperature is detected by the temperature sensor,
From the rate of change of the temperature detection value detected by the temperature sensor, the time until the vehicle interior temperature reaches a dangerous temperature dangerous to the human body is estimated, and before reaching the time, a person is detected by the human sensor. And a controller for outputting a person detection notification to the outside of the vehicle when a person is detected. 2. A stop sensor for detecting a stop of the vehicle, a human sensor for detecting a person in the vehicle of the vehicle, a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature in the vehicle of the vehicle, and detecting opening and closing of a door of the vehicle. A door opening / closing sensor, a window opening / closing sensor for detecting opening / closing of a window of the vehicle, a stop of the vehicle by the stop sensor, a predetermined temperature by the temperature sensor, a door closing state by the door opening / closing sensor, and a window opening / closing. When the sensor detects the closed state of each window, the time until the temperature inside the vehicle reaches the dangerous temperature for the human body is estimated from the rate of change of the temperature detection value detected by the temperature sensor, and the time is reached. Before detecting a person by the human sensor, and outputting a person detection notification to the outside of the vehicle when a person is detected, The car of human detection reporting apparatus according to claim Rukoto. 3. A stop sensor for detecting a stop of the vehicle, a motion sensor for detecting a person in the vehicle of the vehicle, a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature in the vehicle of the vehicle, and detecting opening and closing of a door of the vehicle. A door opening and closing sensor, a window opening and closing sensor for detecting opening and closing of a window of the vehicle, a camera for photographing the inside of the vehicle, a stop of the vehicle by the stop sensor, a predetermined temperature by the temperature sensor, and the opening and closing of the door. When the sensor detects the closed state of the door by the sensor and the closed state of the window by the window opening / closing sensor respectively, from the rate of change of the temperature detection value detected by the temperature sensor until the temperature inside the vehicle reaches the dangerous temperature dangerous to the human body. Before reaching the time, the inside of the car is photographed by the camera, and a person and an object are discriminated based on the image. A controller that outputs a human detection notification outside the vehicle when recognized,
An in-vehicle person detection notification device, comprising: 4. The dangerous temperature estimated by the controller is a predetermined high temperature.
4. The in-vehicle person detection notification device according to any one of items 3 to 5. 5. The motion sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a combination of a plurality of types of sensors having different sensor principles, a plurality of sensors of the same type, or a combination of these sensors. 4. The in-vehicle person detection notification device according to any one of claims 3 to 3. 6. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an operation switch for controlling on / off operation of the entire apparatus.
The in-vehicle person detection notification device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a voice input / output means for inputting voice inside the vehicle and outputting voice inside the vehicle under the control of the controller. The in-vehicle person detection notification device according to the above description. 8. An illumination device for illuminating the inside of the vehicle, and a second controller for controlling driving of the camera and controlling the illumination device in accordance with exposure of an image captured by the camera. 4. The in-vehicle person detection notification device according to claim 3, wherein: 9. The power supply control means for supplying power to the second controller only when the driving of the camera or the lighting device is controlled by the second controller. Item 9. An in-vehicle person detection notification device according to item 8. 10. An image transmitting means for transmitting an image to a monitoring center outside a vehicle when a controller cannot distinguish between a person and an object based on an image taken by the camera. Item 4. An in-vehicle person detection notification device according to item 3. 11. The in-vehicle person detection notification device according to claim 10, further comprising an in-vehicle image transmission switch for permitting transmission of the image to a monitoring center. 12. A stop sensor for detecting a stop of the vehicle, a motion sensor for detecting a person in the vehicle of the vehicle, a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature in the vehicle of the vehicle, and detecting opening and closing of a door of the vehicle. A door opening / closing sensor, a window opening / closing sensor for detecting opening / closing of a window of the vehicle, an engine control unit for controlling operation of an engine of the vehicle, and an air conditioner control unit for controlling operation of an air conditioner of the vehicle. When the vehicle stopped by the stop sensor and a predetermined temperature by the temperature sensor and a door closed state by the door open / close sensor and a window closed state by the window open / close sensor were respectively detected, the temperature was detected by the temperature sensor. From the rate of change of the temperature detection value, estimate the time it takes for the temperature inside the vehicle to reach the dangerous temperature, which is dangerous to the human body. A controller that detects a person with the human sensor, activates the engine of the vehicle with the engine control unit when the person is detected, and activates the air conditioner with the air conditioner control unit. Danger state avoidance device in a vehicle, characterized in that: 13. A stop sensor for detecting a stop of the vehicle, a motion sensor for detecting a person in the vehicle of the vehicle, a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature in the vehicle of the vehicle, and detecting opening and closing of a door of the vehicle. A door opening / closing sensor, a window opening / closing sensor that detects opening / closing of the vehicle window, a window opening / closing control unit that controls opening / closing of the vehicle window, and a predetermined stoppage by the stop sensor and the temperature sensor. When the temperature and the closed state of the door by the door open / close sensor and the closed state of the window by the window open / close sensor are respectively detected, the temperature inside the vehicle is dangerous to the human body based on the rate of change of the temperature detection value detected by the temperature sensor. Estimate the time to reach the temperature, before reaching the time, detect the person by the human sensor, and when the person is detected, And a controller for opening the window by the opening / closing control unit. 14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dangerous temperature estimated by the controller is a predetermined high temperature.
The in-vehicle danger state avoiding device according to 2 or 13. 15. The motion sensor according to claim 12, wherein the sensor comprises a combination of a plurality of types of sensors having different sensor principles, a plurality of sensors of the same type, or a combination of these sensors. Or 1
The in-vehicle danger state avoiding device according to claim 3. 16. An apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising an operation switch for controlling on / off operation of the entire apparatus.
Or the danger state avoiding device in the vehicle according to claim 13. 17. The in-vehicle hazard according to claim 12, further comprising a voice input / output means for inputting voice inside the vehicle and outputting voice into the vehicle under the control of the controller. State avoidance device. 18. A lighting device for illuminating the inside of the vehicle, a camera for photographing the inside of the vehicle, controlling driving of the camera, and controlling the lighting device according to exposure of an image photographed by the camera. The in-vehicle danger state avoiding device according to claim 12 or 13, further comprising: a second controller that performs the operation. 19. The power supply control means for supplying power to the second controller only when the driving of the camera or the lighting device is controlled by the second controller. Item 19. The in-vehicle danger state avoiding device according to Item 18.