JP2019173541A - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device, as an example, that is capable of transmitting a user's intention to a vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device of the present embodiment includes an irradiation device, an operation determination unit, and a vehicle control unit. The irradiation device is provided on a vehicle and irradiates light on a road surface to draw a determination area on the road surface. The operation determination unit determines the operation of a user existing in the determination area. The vehicle control unit controls the vehicle on the basis of the user's operation determined by the operation determination unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a vehicle control device.

  Conventionally, using one lighting device that emits light toward the outside of a vehicle, the vehicle control illuminates the feet of the occupant when getting on and off the vehicle, and visually notifies the user of the locked or unlocked state Equipment technology is known.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-199824

  However, the prior art is not limited to a technique for notifying the user of the vehicle state, but is a technique for notifying the vehicle of the user's intention.

  The present invention provides, as an example, a vehicle control device that can transmit a user's intention to the vehicle.

  The vehicle control device according to the embodiment is provided in a vehicle as an example, and an irradiation device that draws a determination area on the road surface by irradiating light on the road surface, and an operation determination unit that determines a user's action existing in the determination area And a vehicle control unit that controls the vehicle based on the user's motion determined by the motion determination unit. Therefore, according to the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on embodiment, a user's intention can be transmitted to a vehicle as an example. In addition, since the determination area is drawn on the road surface with light, it is easy for the user to intuitively understand the location of the determination area. In addition, since the user's motion is determined in the determination area drawn by light, the user's motion can be accurately determined even when the surroundings of the vehicle are dark.

  In the vehicle control device, as an example, a state acquisition unit that acquires the state of the vehicle, and an irradiation control unit that controls the drawing aspect of the determination area by the irradiation device according to the state of the vehicle acquired by the state acquisition unit. Prepare. Therefore, according to the vehicle control device according to the embodiment, since the drawing aspect of the determination area is controlled according to the state of the vehicle, as an example, the content of the user's intention that the vehicle can receive at first glance is given to the user. It is easy to understand.

  In the vehicle control device, as an example, the state acquisition unit acquires the open / closed state of the electric door mounted on the vehicle, and the irradiation control unit performs irradiation when the state acquisition unit acquires the closed state of the electric door. When the determination area is drawn by the apparatus in the first drawing mode and the open state of the electric door is acquired by the state acquisition unit, the irradiation area is drawn by the irradiation apparatus in the second drawing mode, and the vehicle The control unit performs control to open the electric door when the user's action is determined in the determination area drawn in the first drawing mode, and the user's action is performed in the determination area drawn in the second drawing mode. When it is determined, control to close the electric door is performed. Therefore, according to the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on embodiment, as an example, the present vehicle is a state which can receive the intention which opens an electric door, or a state which can receive the intention which closes an electric door. However, it is easy for the user to understand at a glance. In addition, the vehicle can receive an intention to open the electric door from the user when the electric door is closed, and can open the electric door. If the electric door is open, the vehicle will open the electric door. Can be received from the user to close the electric door.

  In the vehicle control device, as an example, the irradiation control unit causes the irradiation device to draw the determination area in the third drawing mode when performing control to open the electric door. Therefore, according to the vehicle control device according to the embodiment, as an example, the user can inform the vehicle that the user wants to stop the opening operation of the electric door, for example.

  In the vehicle control device, as an example, the irradiation control unit causes the irradiation device to draw a plurality of determination areas on the road surface, and the vehicle control unit performs a user action in any one of the plurality of determination areas. When it is determined, vehicle control corresponding to the determination area where the user's action is determined is executed. Therefore, according to the vehicle control device according to the embodiment, as an example, a plurality of options relating to vehicle control can be provided to the user, and the user selects the desired vehicle control from the plurality of options and causes the vehicle to execute it. be able to.

  In the vehicle control apparatus, as an example, the irradiation control unit adjusts the irradiation intensity of the irradiation apparatus according to the brightness around the vehicle. Therefore, as an example, since the operation determination can be performed with the irradiation intensity that does not cause overexposure or blackout, the user's operation can be accurately determined.

  In the vehicle control device, as an example, the state acquisition unit acquires the presence or absence of an obstacle in the area where the determination area is to be drawn, and the irradiation control unit has an obstacle in the area where the determination area is to be drawn. If it exists, the irradiation device is caused to draw the determination area in a drawing mode that avoids the obstacle. Therefore, as an example, the user's intention can be transmitted to the vehicle even in an environment where obstacles such as walls and trees exist.

  In the vehicle control device, as an example, the motion determination unit measures the time that the user exists in the determination area, and the irradiation control unit changes the drawing mode by the irradiation device according to the measurement time by the motion determination unit. Therefore, as an example, the user can grasp the progress of the operation determination. In addition, the user can be made aware that the operation determination has started.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the interior of a vehicle to which the vehicle control device according to the present embodiment is applied as viewed from above. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the control system according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the ECU according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of user determination processing by the user determination unit. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a drawing mode when the door is in a closed state. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a drawing mode when the door is in the open state. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a motion determination process performed by the motion determination unit. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle control process performed by the vehicle control unit. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of processing executed by the ECU. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a drawing mode when a plurality of determination areas are drawn on the road surface with respect to the irradiation apparatus. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a drawing mode when a plurality of determination areas are drawn on the road surface with respect to the irradiation apparatus. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a drawing mode when a plurality of determination areas are drawn on the road surface with respect to the irradiation apparatus. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a drawing mode when a plurality of determination areas are drawn on the road surface with respect to the irradiation apparatus. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a drawing mode when a plurality of determination areas are drawn on the road surface with respect to the irradiation apparatus. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing for determining a user's guidance destination according to a state outside the vehicle. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for determining a user's guidance destination according to a state outside the vehicle. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing for determining a user's guidance destination according to a state outside the vehicle. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing for determining a user's guidance destination according to a state outside the vehicle. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for determining a user's guidance destination according to the state of the passenger compartment. FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the procedure of the irradiation intensity adjustment process.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view of the interior of a vehicle to which the vehicle control device according to the present embodiment is applied as viewed from above.

  The vehicle 1 may be an automobile (an internal combustion engine automobile) having an internal combustion engine (engine) as a drive source, or an automobile (an electric vehicle, a fuel cell automobile, etc.) having an electric motor (motor) as a drive source. It may be a vehicle (hybrid vehicle) using both of them as drive sources. The vehicle 1 can be mounted with various transmissions, various devices (systems, components, etc.) necessary for driving the internal combustion engine and the electric motor. Various methods, numbers, layouts, and the like of devices related to driving of wheels in the vehicle 1 can be set.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of seats 2 are provided in the vehicle interior of the vehicle 1. Specifically, a driver's seat 2a and a passenger seat 2b are provided on the front side of the vehicle interior, and a plurality (two in this case) of rear seats 2c and 2d are provided on the rear side. The rear seat 2c is provided behind the driver seat 2a, and the rear seat 2d is provided behind the passenger seat 2b.

  The vehicle 1 is provided with a plurality of doors 3. Specifically, a door 3a is provided on the right side of the driver seat 2a, a door 3b is provided on the left side of the passenger seat 2b, a door 3c is provided on the right side of the rear seat 2c, and the rear seat 2d. A door 3d is provided on the left side. Of these doors 3a to 3d, the door 3c and the door 3d are electric doors such as a power slide door, for example. A door 3e is provided at the rear of the vehicle 1. The door 3e is, for example, a hatch type electric door (power back door) that opens and closes up and down.

  In addition, the vehicle 1 is provided with a plurality of outside cameras 5 that capture the outside of the vehicle. Specifically, a vehicle exterior camera 5c is provided on the right side of the rear seat 2c, and a vehicle exterior camera 5d is provided on the left side of the rear seat 2d. The vehicle exterior camera 5 c images the right side of the vehicle 1, and the vehicle exterior camera 5 d images the left side of the vehicle 1. A vehicle exterior camera 5e is provided at the rear of the vehicle 1. The outside camera 5e images the rear of the vehicle 1. The outside cameras 5c to 5e are, for example, CCD (Charge Coupled Device) cameras.

  Further, the vehicle 1 is provided with an in-vehicle camera 6 that images the interior of the vehicle. The in-vehicle camera 6 is, for example, a CCD camera. The in-vehicle camera 6 determines the orientation, angle of view, installation position, etc. so that all seats 2a-2d in the passenger compartment can be imaged, in other words, all the passengers seated in the seats 2a-2d can be imaged. It is done. For example, the in-vehicle camera 6 is installed around a room mirror, for example.

  The vehicle 1 is provided with a plurality of irradiation devices 7. The irradiation device 7 is, for example, a projector, an LED (Light Emitted Diode) light, a laser light, or the like, and draws a predetermined drawing pattern around the vehicle 1 by irradiating the road surface with light. Specifically, an irradiation device 7c is provided on the right side of the rear seat 2c, and an irradiation device 7d is provided on the left side of the rear seat 2d. An irradiation device 7e is provided at the rear portion of the vehicle 1. The irradiation device 7 c draws a drawing pattern on the road surface in the irradiable region 102 located on the right side of the vehicle 1. The irradiation device 7 d draws a drawing pattern on the road surface in the irradiable area 103 located on the left side of the vehicle 1. The irradiation device 7 e draws a drawing pattern on the road surface in the irradiable area 104 located behind the vehicle 1.

  The vehicle 1 is provided with a control system including the vehicle control device according to the present embodiment. The configuration of such a control system will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the control system according to the embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in addition to an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10, for example, an electric door system 8, an electric door lock system 9, and the like are electrically connected via an in-vehicle network 60 as an electric communication line. It is connected to the.

  The in-vehicle network 60 is configured as a CAN (Controller Area Network), for example. The ECU 10 can control the electric door system 8, the electric door lock system 9, and the like by sending a control signal through the in-vehicle network 60. Further, the ECU 10 can receive detection results of the door sensor 8b, the lock sensor 9b, and the like via the in-vehicle network 60. The ECU 10 is an example of a vehicle control device.

  The electric door system 8 includes a plurality of actuators 8a that drive the doors 3c to 3e, which are electric doors, and a plurality of door sensors 8b that detect the open / closed states of the doors 3c to 3e. The electric door system 8 opens and closes the doors 3c to 3e by operating the actuator 8a under the control of the ECU 10. The door sensor 8b detects the open state or the closed state of the doors 3c to 3e, and outputs the detection result to the ECU 10.

  The electric door lock system 9 includes a plurality of actuators 9a corresponding to the doors 3c to 3e and a plurality of lock sensors 9b that detect the locked / unlocked states of the doors 3c to 3e. The electric door lock system 9 locks or unlocks the doors 3c to 3e by operating the actuator 9a under the control of the ECU 10. The lock sensor 9b detects the locked state or the unlocked state of the doors 3c to 3e, and outputs the detection result to the ECU 10.

  The ECU 10 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 20, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 30, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 40, an SSD (Solid State Drive) 50, and the like.

  The CPU 20 controls the entire vehicle 1. The CPU 20 is installed in a non-volatile storage device such as the ROM 30 and can read the stored program and execute arithmetic processing according to the program. The RAM 40 temporarily stores various data used in the calculation by the CPU 20. The SSD 50 is a rewritable nonvolatile storage unit, and can store data even when the power of the ECU 10 is turned off. The CPU 20, ROM 30, RAM 40, etc. can be integrated in the same package. The ECU 10 may have a configuration in which another logic operation processor such as a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), a logic circuit, or the like is used instead of the CPU 20. Further, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) may be provided instead of the SSD 50, and the SSD 50 and the HDD may be provided separately from the ECU 10.

  The configuration, arrangement, electrical connection form, and the like of the various sensors and actuators described above are examples, and can be set (changed) in various ways.

  A plurality of antennas 4 are connected to the ECU 10 in addition to the above-described vehicle exterior camera 5, vehicle interior camera 6, and irradiation device 7. The plurality of antennas 4 are provided corresponding to the doors 3a to 3e and receive radio waves emitted from external devices such as smart keys and smartphones possessed by the user of the vehicle 1.

  Next, a functional configuration of the ECU 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the ECU 10 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the ECU 10 includes a user determination unit 11, a state acquisition unit 12, an irradiation control unit 13, an operation determination unit 14, and a vehicle control unit 15. In addition, the ECU 10 stores authentication information 16, vehicle status information 17, and drawing mode information 18. Of these, the configuration excluding the authentication information 16, the vehicle status information 17, and the drawing mode information 18 is realized by the CPU 20 configured as the ECU 10 executing a program stored in the ROM 30. Note that these configurations may be realized by hardware. The authentication information 16, the vehicle status information 17, and the drawing mode information 18 are stored in a storage medium such as the SSD 50.

  The authentication information 16 is information for authenticating the user of the vehicle 1. For example, the authentication information 16 is identification information such as an ID assigned to an external device such as a smart key or a smartphone.

  Note that user authentication is not limited to a method performed using an external device, and may be a method using biometric authentication such as face authentication, fingerprint authentication, vein authentication, iris authentication, and the like. In this case, the user's biometric information is registered as the authentication information 16.

  The vehicle status information 17 is information indicating a vehicle status including a vehicle interior state, a vehicle exterior state, and a vehicle 1 state, and is stored by the state acquisition unit 12 described later.

  The “state in the vehicle interior” includes, for example, the vacant seat status of the seats 2a to 2d. The “state outside the vehicle” includes, for example, the position of the user determined by the user determination unit 11 described later. The position of the user is, for example, one of “the right side of the vehicle 1”, “the left side of the vehicle 1”, and “the rear of the vehicle 1”. Further, the “state outside the vehicle” includes the state of the road surface around the vehicle 1, particularly around the boarding position. The state of the road surface includes the presence or absence of an object that may hinder boarding, such as a puddle or an object placed on the road surface. The “state of the vehicle 1” includes, for example, the open / close state and the locked / unlocked state of the doors 3c to 3e, which are electric doors, the on / off state of the engine, the state of the ignition switch, the state of the dimmer switch, and the like.

  The drawing mode information 18 is information in which a plurality of drawing modes including a drawing pattern and a drawing position on the road surface by the irradiation device 7 are associated with the vehicle status described above.

  The user determination unit 11 determines whether there is a user of the vehicle 1 around the vehicle 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user determination process performed by the user determination unit 11.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the user of the vehicle 1 possesses an external device D such as a smart key or a smartphone. When the external device D enters the reception range of the antenna 4, the antenna 4 receives a radio wave including identification information from the external device D and outputs the received identification information to the user determination unit 11. The user determination unit 11 collates the identification information of the external device D acquired from the antenna 4 and the identification information stored as the authentication information 16, and if they match, the user of the vehicle 1 is around the vehicle 1. It is determined that it exists.

  FIG. 4 shows an example in which the external device D enters the reception range 101b of the antenna 4b provided corresponding to the door 3b and the antenna 4b receives a radio wave from the external device D. In the user determination unit 11, the external device D enters the reception range 101d of the antenna 4d provided corresponding to the reception range 101b of the antenna 4b or the door 3d, and the antenna 4b or the antenna 4d receives the radio wave from the external device D. When it does, it determines with a user existing in the left side of the vehicle 1, and sends the information regarding a user's position to the state acquisition part 12. FIG. Similarly, the user determination unit 11 determines that the user is present on the right side of the vehicle 1 when the radio wave of the external device D is received by the antenna 4 provided corresponding to the door 3a or the door 3c, When the radio wave of the external device D is received by the antenna 4 provided corresponding to the door 3e, it is determined that the user exists behind the vehicle 1. Thus, the position of the user determined by the user determination unit 11 is stored as “a state outside the vehicle” of the vehicle status information 17.

  The user determination unit 11 is not limited to user authentication using the external device D, and may perform user authentication using biometric authentication such as face authentication, fingerprint authentication, vein authentication, iris authentication, and the like.

  The state acquisition unit 12 acquires the state of the vehicle interior in the vehicle 1, the state outside the vehicle, and the state of the vehicle 1.

  For example, the state acquisition unit 12 sets the open / closed state and the locked / unlocked state of the doors 3c to 3e, the on / off state of the engine, the state of the ignition switch, the state of the dimmer switch, etc. as the “state of the vehicle 1”. Get from. Specifically, the open / closed states of the doors 3c to 3e are acquired from the door sensor 8b of the electric door system 8, and the locked / unlocked states of the doors 3c to 3e are acquired from the lock sensor 9b of the electric door lock system 9. Similarly, the state of the other vehicle 1 is acquired from a sensor (not shown) via the in-vehicle network 60. The open / closed state of the doors 3c to 3e includes a state in which the doors 3c to 3e are in an opening operation and a state in which the doors 3c to 3e are in a closing operation.

  In addition, the state acquisition unit 12 acquires the position of the user from the user determination unit 11 as the “state outside the vehicle”. Moreover, the state acquisition part 12 acquires the state outside a vehicle, such as the presence or absence of the puddle on a road surface, or other obstacles, by analyzing the image outside a vehicle imaged with the cameras 5c-5e outside the vehicle.

  In addition, the state acquisition unit 12 acquires the vacant seat state as “the state of the vehicle interior” by analyzing the image of the vehicle interior captured by the vehicle camera 6.

  In addition, the state acquisition part 12 may acquire a vacant seat condition based on detection results, such as a load sensor, a capacitance sensor, a far-infrared sensor, a motion sensor, and a Doppler sensor provided for each of the seats 2a to 2d. .

  The state acquisition unit 12 stores the acquired vehicle interior state, vehicle exterior state, and vehicle 1 state in the storage medium such as the SSD 50 as vehicle status information 17.

  The irradiation control unit 13 controls the irradiation device 7 according to the vehicle status information 17 and the drawing mode information 18. Here, an example of the irradiation control process by the irradiation control unit 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a drawing mode when the door 3d is in the closed state. Moreover, FIG. 6 is a figure which shows an example of the drawing aspect in case the door 3d is an open state.

  For example, the irradiation control unit 13 acquires the position of the user as “a state outside the vehicle” from the vehicle status information 17. Further, the irradiation control unit 13 acquires the open / closed state of the doors 3c to 3e as the “state of the vehicle 1” from the vehicle status information 17. And the irradiation control part 13 irradiates light with the drawing aspect according to the open / closed state of the doors 3c-3e with respect to the irradiation apparatus 7 corresponding to a user's position.

  FIG. 5 shows an example in which the user of the vehicle 1 is present on the left side of the vehicle 1 and the door 3d of the vehicle 1 is in a closed state. In this case, the irradiation control unit 13 causes the irradiation device 7d provided on the left side of the vehicle 1 to draw the determination area 131 on the road surface. The determination area 131 is an area in which it is determined whether or not the user has performed a predetermined operation as an operation for opening the door 3d. For example, a drawing pattern in which characters “OPEN” are written in an ellipse It is represented by

  On the other hand, FIG. 6 shows an example in which the user of the vehicle 1 exists on the left side of the vehicle 1 and the door 3d of the vehicle 1 is in the open state. In this case, the irradiation control unit 13 causes the irradiation device 7d provided on the left side of the vehicle 1 to draw the determination area 132 on the road surface. The determination area 132 is an area in which it is determined whether or not the user has performed a predetermined operation as an operation for closing the door 3d. For example, a drawing in which characters “CLOSE” are written in an ellipse. It is represented by a pattern. This determination area 132 is drawn in a position different from the determination area 131 drawn when the door 3d is closed in the irradiable area 103 of the irradiation device 7d.

  In this way, the irradiation control unit 13 can guide the user to the determination areas 131 and 132 by controlling the irradiation device 7 based on the information acquired by the state acquisition unit 12.

  The operation determination unit 14 determines the user's operation existing in the determination areas 131 and 132. Here, an example of the operation determination process by the operation determination unit 14 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a motion determination process performed by the motion determination unit 14.

  FIG. 7 shows a state in which the determination area 131 is drawn by the irradiation device 7d. As shown in FIG. 7, the user enters the determination area 131 and stops. The appearance of the user in the determination area 131 is captured by the outside camera 5d and output to the motion determination unit 14. And the operation | movement determination part 14 pinpoints a user's position by analyzing the image imaged with the vehicle exterior camera 5d.

  The operation determination unit 14 measures the time that the user exists in the determination area 131. When the time during which the user exists in the determination area 131 exceeds the threshold, the operation determination unit 14 determines an operation for opening the door 3d (here, an operation that enters the determination area 131 and stops).

  The same applies when the determination area 132 is drawn by the irradiation device 7d. That is, the operation determination unit 14 measures the time that the user exists in the determination area 132. Then, the operation determination unit 14 determines an operation for closing the door 3d (in this case, an operation that enters the determination area 132 and stops) when the time that the user exists in the determination area 132 exceeds the threshold time.

  Since the motion determination unit 14 determines the user's motion in the determination areas 131 and 132 drawn by light, the motion of the user can be accurately determined even when the surroundings of the vehicle 1 are dark.

  Note that the action determination unit 14 may determine an action for opening the door 3d when a pre-registered gesture such as an action of waving or raising a leg is performed in the determination area 131, for example. Good.

  Here, an example in which a static determination area whose drawing mode does not change is drawn on the irradiation device 7 has been described. However, the irradiation control unit 13 may use characters such as “OPEN” and “CLOSE”, for example. A dynamic determination area that moves or changes like an animation may be drawn on the irradiation device 7.

  Here, the user's operation is determined by analyzing an image captured by the outside camera 5d. However, the operation determination is performed by detecting the detection result of another sensor such as a capacitance sensor or an infrared sensor. May be performed on the basis of

  The vehicle control unit 15 controls the vehicle 1 based on the user's motion determined by the motion determination unit 14. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle control process performed by the vehicle control unit 15.

  For example, when the operation determination unit 14 determines an operation for opening the door 3d in FIG. 7, the vehicle control unit 15 causes the electric door system 8 to perform the operation of opening the door 3d as shown in FIG. .

  As described above, the user who wants to open the door 3d can enter the determination area 131 and, for example, stop to tell the vehicle 1 that he / she wants to open the door 3d. 3d can be opened.

  As shown in FIG. 8, during the opening operation of the door 3d, the irradiation control unit 13 may cause the irradiation device 7d to draw a determination area 133. The determination area 133 is represented by, for example, a drawing pattern in which characters “STOP” are written in an ellipse, and is drawn at a location different from the determination areas 131 and 132. The operation determination unit 14 performs an operation for stopping the opening operation of the door 3d when the user exists in the determination area 133 and the time during which the user exists in the determination area 133 exceeds a threshold (in this case, determination The operation of entering the area 133 and stopping is determined. When the operation determining unit 14 determines an operation for stopping the opening operation of the door 3d, the vehicle control unit 15 causes the electric door system 8 to stop the operation of opening the door 3d. Thereby, the user can tell the vehicle 1 that he wants to stop opening the door 3d, and the vehicle 1 can stop the opening operation of the door 3d in response to the user's intention.

  Next, a specific operation of the ECU 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of processing executed by the ECU 10.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the ECU 10 determines whether there is a user around the vehicle 1 (step S <b> 101). When there is no user around the vehicle 1 (step S101, No), the ECU 10 returns the process to step S101 and repeats the determination process of step S101.

  If it is determined in step S101 that there is a user around the vehicle 1 (step S101, Yes), the ECU 10 acquires the state inside the vehicle, the state outside the vehicle, and the state of the vehicle 1 (step S102). And ECU10 determines the irradiation apparatus 7 and drawing mode which irradiate a drawing pattern according to the acquired state (step S103), and performs irradiation control (step S104). For example, when the user is present on the left side of the vehicle 1 and the door 3d is closed, the ECU 10 causes the irradiation device 7d provided on the left side of the vehicle 1 to draw the determination area 131 on the road surface.

  Subsequently, the ECU 10 determines the operation of the user (step S105). For example, the ECU 10 determines an operation for opening the door 3d when the user has stopped in the determination area 131 for a certain period of time. Further, the ECU 10 determines an operation for closing the door 3d when the user has stopped in the determination area 132 for a certain period of time.

  Then, the ECU 10 controls the vehicle 1 based on the user action determined in step S105 (step S106). For example, when the ECU 10 determines an operation for opening the door 3d in step S105, the ECU 10 performs control to open the door 3d. Further, when the ECU 10 determines an operation for closing the door 3d in step S105, the ECU 10 performs control for closing the door 3d.

  The door 3d opening / closing control described above is an example of a process executed by the ECU 10 according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, another example of processing executed by the ECU 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  The ECU 10 may provide the user with a plurality of options related to vehicle control by causing the irradiation device 7 to draw a plurality of determination areas on the road surface. An example in this case will be described with reference to FIGS. 10-14 is a figure which shows an example of the drawing aspect in the case of making the irradiation apparatus 7 draw a some determination area on a road surface.

  For example, the irradiation control unit 13 causes the irradiation device 7d to draw two determination areas 134 and 135 on the road surface. The determination area 134 is represented by, for example, a drawing pattern in which the letters “door” are written in an ellipse. In addition, the determination area 135 is represented by, for example, a drawing pattern in which “lock” characters are written in an ellipse.

  Here, as illustrated in FIG. 11, when the user enters the determination area 134 and stops for a certain period of time, the operation determination unit 14 determines an operation for opening the door 3d.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 12, the irradiation controller 13 causes the irradiation device 7d to draw determination areas 134a to 134c on the road surface. The determination area 134a is represented by, for example, a drawing pattern in which “fast” characters are written in an ellipse, and the determination area 134b is expressed by a drawing pattern in which “medium” characters are written in an ellipse. The determination area 134c is represented by a drawing pattern in which "slow" characters are written in an ellipse.

  For example, when the user enters the determination area 134a and stops for a certain period of time, the operation determination unit 14 determines an operation for opening the door 3d at the first speed. Then, the vehicle control unit 15 causes the electric door system 8 to perform an operation of opening the door 3d at the first speed. When the user enters the determination area 134b and stops for a certain period of time, the operation determination unit 14 determines an operation for opening the door 3d at a second speed that is slower than the first speed. Then, the vehicle control unit 15 causes the electric door system 8 to perform an operation of opening the door 3d at the second speed. When the user enters the determination area 134c and stops for a certain period of time, the operation determination unit 14 determines an operation for opening the door 3d at a third speed that is slower than the second speed. Then, the vehicle control unit 15 causes the electric door system 8 to perform an operation of opening the door 3d at the third speed.

  On the other hand, as illustrated in FIG. 13, when the user enters the determination area 135 and stops for a certain time, the operation determination unit 14 determines an operation for locking or unlocking the door 3d.

  In this case, the irradiation control unit 13 draws the determination areas 135a and 135b on the road surface as shown in FIG. The determination area 135a is represented, for example, by a drawing pattern in which the characters “unlocked” are written in an ellipse, and the determination area 135b is, for example, a drawing pattern in which the characters “locked” are written in an ellipse. expressed.

  For example, when the user enters the determination area 135a and stops for a certain period of time, the vehicle control unit 15 causes the electric door lock system 9 to perform the unlocking operation of the door 3d. When the user enters the determination area 135b and stops for a certain period of time, the vehicle control unit 15 causes the electric door lock system 9 to perform the locking operation of the door 3d.

  In this way, the ECU 10 causes the irradiation device 7 to draw a plurality of determination areas on the road surface, and when the user's action is determined in any one of the plurality of determination areas, the user's action is determined. The vehicle control corresponding to the determined determination area is executed. Thereby, a plurality of options concerning vehicle control can be provided to the user, and the user can cause the vehicle 1 to select desired vehicle control from the plurality of options.

  Here, as the control items, the opening / closing operation and the opening / closing speed of the doors 3c to 3e and the locking / unlocking operation of the doors 3c to 3e have been described as examples, but the control items are not limited to these. In addition, the number of control items can be increased in the future. In this case, even if it is necessary to increase the number of drawing modes, it is not necessary to add hardware, so that control items can be added at a low cost.

  In the above-described embodiment, a determination area is drawn on the irradiation device 7 corresponding to the position of the user, so that the determination area appears in a place close to the user, and the user is guided there.

  Not only this but ECU10 may determine a user's guidance destination according to the state outside a vehicle, for example. An example in this case will be described with reference to FIGS. FIGS. 15-18 is a figure which shows an example of the process which determines a user's guidance destination according to the state outside a vehicle.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 15, it is assumed that the presence of the user is determined on the left side of the vehicle 1.

  Here, it is assumed that the puddle P exists on the road surface on the left side of the vehicle 1. The state acquisition unit 12 acquires the road surface state where the puddle P is present as the state outside the vehicle by analyzing the image captured by the vehicle camera 5d. The state acquisition unit 12 also acquires the state of the road surface on the right side of the vehicle 1 by analyzing an image captured by the vehicle exterior camera 5 c provided on the right side of the vehicle 1. Here, it is assumed that there is no puddle on the road surface on the right side of the vehicle 1.

  In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 16, the irradiation control unit 13 causes the irradiation device 7 d provided on the left side of the vehicle 1 to draw the guide pattern 141 on the road surface. The guide pattern 141 is represented by, for example, a drawing pattern in which an arrow for guiding the user to the rear of the vehicle 1 is written in an ellipse.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the irradiation control unit 13 causes the irradiation device 7 e provided behind the vehicle 1 to draw a guide pattern 142 on the road surface. The guide pattern 142 is represented by, for example, a drawing pattern in which an arrow that guides the user to the right side of the vehicle 1 is written in an ellipse.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the irradiation control unit 13 causes the irradiation device 7 c provided on the right side of the vehicle 1 to draw a determination area 143 on the road surface. When the user enters the determination area 143 and stops for a certain period of time, the operation determination unit 14 determines an operation for opening the door 3c (here, an operation to enter the determination area 143 and stop), and the vehicle control unit 15 Causes the electric door system 8 to open the door 3c.

  Thus, ECU10 may acquire the state of a road surface as a state outside a vehicle, and may determine a user's guidance destination according to the acquired state of a road surface. Thereby, for example, the user can be guided to a place where there is no obstacle on the road surface and it is easy to get on. Here, the puddle P is described as an example, but the obstacle on the road surface is not limited to the puddle P.

  Moreover, ECU10 may determine a user's guidance destination according to the state of a vehicle interior, for example. An example of this case will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for determining a user's guidance destination according to the state of the passenger compartment.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 19, it is assumed that the presence of the user is determined on the left side of the vehicle 1.

  The state acquisition unit 12 acquires an empty seat state as a state of the vehicle interior by analyzing an image captured by the vehicle camera 6. Here, it is assumed that only the rear seat 2c among the seats 2a to 2d is empty.

  In this case, the irradiation control unit 13 causes the irradiation device 7d to draw the guidance pattern 141 on the road surface, causes the irradiation device 7e to draw the guidance pattern 142 on the road surface, and sets the determination area 143 to the irradiation device 7c on the road surface. To draw. When the user enters the determination area 143 and stops for a certain period of time, the operation determination unit 14 determines an operation for opening the door 3c (here, an operation to enter the determination area 143 and stop), and the vehicle control unit 15 Causes the electric door system 8 to open the door 3c.

  As described above, the ECU 10 may guide the user to the guidance destination corresponding to the empty seat among the plurality of guidance destinations corresponding to the plurality of boarding positions in the vehicle 1. Thereby, for example, the user can be guided to a place where there is no person or luggage and the boarding is easy.

  Moreover, ECU10 may determine a user's guidance destination in consideration of both the state in a vehicle interior, and the state outside a vehicle. That is, for example, when the rear seat 2 c and the rear seat 2 d are vacant and there is a puddle P on the left side of the vehicle 1, the ECU 10 may guide the user to the right side of the vehicle 1.

  In the operation determination process, the ECU 10 may perform a process of adjusting the irradiation intensity of the irradiation device 7 in advance so that an appropriate image without whiteout or blackout is captured. FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the procedure of the irradiation intensity adjustment process.

  As shown in FIG. 20, the ECU 10 determines whether or not the user is approaching the vehicle 1 (step S201). For example, the ECU 10 includes a first antenna that receives radio waves transmitted from a first external device (here, a smartphone) possessed by the user, and a second external device (here, a smart key) possessed by the user. Is connected to a second antenna (antenna 4 described above) that receives radio waves transmitted from. It is assumed that the reception range of the first antenna is wider than the reception range of the second antenna.

  The ECU 10 determines whether or not the user is approaching the vehicle 1 based on the intensity of the radio wave received by the first antenna. For example, the ECU 10 determines that the user is approaching the vehicle 1 when the first external device enters the reception range of the first antenna and the reception intensity increases with time. The radio wave transmitted from the first external device includes the identification information of the first external device, and the ECU 10 can specify the user based on the identification information.

  ECU10 repeats the process of step S201 until it determines with the user approaching the vehicle 1 (step S201, No).

  On the other hand, when it determines with the user approaching the vehicle 1 in step S201 (step S201, Yes), ECU10 irradiates light to the determination area from the irradiation apparatus 7 (step S202), and images with the camera 5 outside a vehicle The obtained image is acquired (step S203). Here, it is assumed that light is emitted from all the irradiation devices 7c to 7e and imaging is performed for all the outside cameras 5c to 5e, but the ECU 10 includes at least one irradiation device 7 and the outside camera 5. It only has to be operated. For example, the ECU 10 may operate one or two or more irradiation devices 7 and the vehicle exterior camera 5 arranged in the direction in which the user approaches among the plurality of irradiation devices 7 and the vehicle exterior cameras 5. In step S202, the ECU 10 may cause the irradiation device 7 to draw at least one determination area among the plurality of drawable determination areas. The drawing mode of the determination area at this time may be a drawing mode used when actual operation is determined, such as “OPEN” or “CLOSE”, or a drawing mode for irradiation intensity adjustment processing that does not include characters, graphics, or the like. It may be.

  Subsequently, the ECU 10 creates a histogram of the image acquired in step S203 (step S204). Specifically, the ECU 10 creates a histogram for pixels included in the determination area in the image acquired in step S203. The histogram is information indicating the number of pixels having the pixel value or luminance value for each pixel value or luminance value.

  The ECU 10 determines whether whiteout or blackout has occurred in the determination area in the image acquired in step S203 based on the created histogram (step S205). For example, when the ratio of pixels having a pixel value greater than or equal to a first threshold value (for example, “255”) out of the plurality of pixels included in the determination area exceeds the second threshold value, the ECU 10 determines in step S203. It is determined that whiteout occurs in the determination area in the acquired image. In addition, when the ratio of pixels having a pixel value equal to or smaller than a third threshold value (for example, “0”) out of the plurality of pixels included in the determination area exceeds the fourth threshold value, the ECU 10 determines in step S203. It is determined that blackout has occurred in the determination area of the acquired image.

  If it is determined in step S205 that whiteout or blackout has occurred (step S205, Yes), the ECU 10 changes the irradiation intensity of the irradiation device 7 (step S206). Specifically, when it is determined that whiteout has occurred, the ECU 10 weakens the irradiation intensity of the irradiation device 7. On the other hand, when it is determined that blackout has occurred, the ECU 10 increases the irradiation intensity of the irradiation device 7. Thereafter, the ECU 10 repeats the processes of steps S203 to S206 until no whiteout or blackout occurs. If it is determined in step S205 that no whiteout or blackout has occurred (step S205, No), the ECU 10 ends the irradiation intensity adjustment process.

  Thereafter, when the second external device enters the reception range of the second antenna, the ECU 10 determines that there is a user around the vehicle 1 (Yes in step S101 in FIG. 9), and performs steps S102 to S105. Execute the process. Thus, the ECU 10 can start the irradiation intensity adjustment process before the operation determination process (step S105) is started.

  In this way, the ECU 10 may adjust the irradiation intensity of the irradiation device 7 according to the brightness around the vehicle 1. Accordingly, the operation determination process can be performed with the irradiation intensity that does not cause overexposure or underexposure, so that the user's operation can be accurately determined.

  Here, in step S201, it is determined whether or not the user is approaching the vehicle 1, but the ECU 10 does not necessarily need to determine “approach” of the user. That is, the ECU 10 may move to the process of step S202 when the first external device enters the reception range of the first antenna.

  Here, an example in which the irradiation intensity of the irradiation device 7 is adjusted based on the pixel value of the image captured by the camera 5 outside the vehicle is shown, but the method of adjusting the irradiation intensity of the irradiation device 7 is limited to this example. Not. For example, the ECU 10 determines the brightness around the vehicle 1 based on environmental information such as the weather around the vehicle 1, the current season, the current time zone, etc., and irradiates according to the determined brightness around the vehicle 1. The strength may be adjusted.

  For example, if the weather around the vehicle 1 is “sunny”, the ECU 10 adjusts the irradiation intensity to “strong” corresponding to “sunny”, and if it is “cloudy” or “rainy”, the ECU 10 sets the irradiation intensity to “cloudy”. ”Or“ weak ”corresponding to“ rain ”. The ECU 10 adjusts the irradiation intensity to “strong” corresponding to “daytime” if the current time zone is set as daytime, and if the current time zone is set as nighttime, the ECU 10 adjusts the irradiation intensity. May be adjusted to “weak” corresponding to “night”. In this case, the ECU 10 may change the time zone set as “daytime” or “nighttime” in consideration of the current season information. In addition, for example, the ECU 10 may adjust the irradiation intensity to “weak” when the vehicle 1 is indoors such as an underground parking lot, and adjust the irradiation intensity to “high” when outdoors. Good. Moreover, ECU10 may acquire the information of the brightness around the vehicle 1 from the illuminance meter mounted in the vehicle 1, and may adjust irradiation intensity according to the acquired information.

  The state acquisition unit 12 included in the ECU 10 analyzes the images outside the vehicle captured by the outside cameras 5c to 5e, thereby determining whether or not there are obstacles, such as walls and trees, existing above the road surface. The vehicle status information 17 included as may be stored in a storage medium. In this case, the irradiation control unit 13 included in the ECU 10 acquires the “state outside the vehicle” from the vehicle status information 17, and based on the acquired “state outside the vehicle” information on the presence or absence of obstacles such as walls and trees. The drawing aspect of the determination area may be changed.

  For example, the irradiation control unit 13 determines whether or not an obstacle such as a wall or a tree exists in an area in which the determination area is to be drawn (hereinafter referred to as “drawing scheduled area”). In other words, the irradiation control unit 13 determines whether or not the width of the road surface on which the determination area is drawn is sufficiently secured. If the irradiation control unit 13 determines that there is an obstacle in the drawing scheduled area, the irradiation control unit 13 draws the determination area in a drawing mode that avoids the obstacle. For example, the irradiation control unit 13 changes the shape and size of the determination area or shifts the drawing position of the determination area so that the determination area is not drawn on a wall or a tree. By doing so, the user's intention can be transmitted to the vehicle 1 even in an environment where obstacles such as walls and trees exist. The irradiation control unit 13 selects, for example, a pattern that does not interfere with an obstacle from a plurality of patterns (shape pattern, size pattern, position pattern) stored as the shape of the determination area, and determines the selected pattern. What is necessary is just to irradiate the area with respect to the irradiation apparatus 7. FIG.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in the case of determining the operation that enters the determination area and stops is described. In this case, the irradiation control unit 13 dynamically changes the drawing mode according to the progress of the motion determination during the motion determination of the user by the motion determination unit 14 so that the user can grasp the progress of the motion determination. May be.

  For example, the irradiation control unit 13 may change the color of the determination area according to the time that the user exists in the determination area. Further, the irradiation control unit 13 may blink the determination area and gradually increase the blinking frequency of the determination area as the time that the user exists in the determination area elapses. Thus, the irradiation control unit 13 may change the drawing mode of the determination area according to the time that the user exists in the determination area.

  Moreover, the irradiation control part 13 may draw the image which shows the progress of operation | movement determination with a determination area. In this case, the irradiation control unit 13 dynamically changes the image indicating the progress of the operation determination according to the time that the user exists in the determination area. For example, the irradiation control unit 13 may draw an hourglass image and change the ratio of sand in the upper and lower parts of the hourglass according to the time that the user exists in the determination area. Further, the irradiation control unit 13 may draw the timer image and may make the timer number close to 0 as the time that the user exists in the determination area elapses. Further, the irradiation control unit 13 may draw an image of the gauge and may gradually change the gauge from an empty state to a full state as the user exists in the determination area.

  In this way, by changing the drawing mode according to the progress of the motion determination, the user can grasp the progress of the motion determination. In addition, the user can be made aware that the operation determination has started.

  In the embodiment described above, the ECU 10 acquires the vacant seat status as the state of the passenger compartment, and determines the user's guidance destination according to the acquired vacant seat status. Not only this but the state acquisition part 12 acquires the position of the seat 2 in which objects, such as a person and a luggage | bag, exist in a seat surface by analyzing the image imaged with the in-vehicle camera 6, for example as a state in a vehicle interior May be. In this case, the irradiation control unit 13 identifies a seat 2 (that is, an empty seat) in which an object such as a person or a baggage does not exist on the seat surface based on the acquired state in the passenger compartment, and irradiation corresponding to the identified seat 2 What is necessary is just to make the apparatus 7 draw a determination area.

  As described above, the ECU 10 may acquire the state of the seat 2 as the state of the passenger compartment, and determine the user's guidance destination according to the acquired state of the seat 2.

  Moreover, ECU10 may determine a user's guidance destination according to the condition of the luggage compartment provided in not only the condition of the seat 2 but the rear part of the vehicle 1, for example. In this case, the state acquisition unit 12 acquires the presence / absence of excess space in the cargo compartment as the state of the passenger compartment by analyzing an image captured by an in-vehicle camera (not shown) installed in the cargo compartment or the above-described in-vehicle camera 6. To do. Moreover, the state acquisition part 12 acquires the presence or absence of the baggage which a user possesses as a state outside a vehicle by analyzing the image imaged by the vehicle exterior camera which is mounted in the vehicle 1 or the vehicle exterior camera 5 mentioned above.

  Then, the irradiation control unit 13 determines the guide destination corresponding to the cargo room as the user's guide destination when the user has a baggage and there is a surplus space in the cargo room. The determination area is drawn on the corresponding irradiation device 7 (for example, the irradiation device 7e). On the other hand, when the user has a baggage and there is no surplus space in the luggage compartment, the irradiation control unit 13 detects an object such as a person or baggage among the plurality of seats 2 excluding the driver's seat 2a. A determination area is drawn on the irradiation device 7 corresponding to the seat 2 that does not exist on the seating surface. As a result, the user can be guided to a place where the luggage can be easily loaded.

  Further, when the user is with a child, the ECU 10 may guide the user to a guide destination corresponding to the seat 2 on which the child seat is installed.

  In this case, the state acquisition unit 12 analyzes the image captured by the in-vehicle camera 6, so that the presence of the child seat and the position of the seat 2 where the child seat is installed when the child seat is present as the state of the vehicle interior. To get.

  Further, when the user determination unit 11 determines that there is a user around the vehicle 1, the state acquisition unit 12 captures an image captured by a vehicle camera (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 1 or the vehicle camera 5 described above. By using face authentication or physique estimation, the presence or absence of children around the user is acquired as a state outside the vehicle.

  And when it is acquired as a state outside a vehicle that there is a child around the user, and when a child seat is acquired as a state inside the vehicle interior, the irradiation control unit 13 is a seat where the child seat is installed. A determination area is drawn on the irradiation device 7 corresponding to 2. Thereby, a user can be guide | induced to the seat 2 in which the child seat is installed.

  In addition, when the user has a baggage, the ECU 10 guides the user to a guide destination corresponding to the seat 2 in the full flat state (the backrest is collapsed) among the plurality of seats 2 excluding the driver's seat 2a. May be. In this case, the state acquisition unit 12 acquires the presence / absence of a fully flat seat 2 and the position of the seat 2 when there is a full flat seat 2 as the state of the passenger compartment. Moreover, the state acquisition part 12 acquires the presence or absence of the baggage which a user possesses as a state outside a vehicle. And the irradiation control part 13 draws a determination area with respect to the irradiation apparatus 7 corresponding to the seat 2 of a full flat state, when a user has luggage. As a result, the user can be guided to a place where luggage can be easily loaded.

  Moreover, ECU10 may determine a user's guidance destination according to a user's action history.

  For example, the state acquisition unit 12 acquires, as the user's action history, the user's seating history, that is, the seating history indicating the seat 2 in which the user has sat in the past among the plurality of seats 2, and specifies the user (for example, The vehicle status information 17 is stored in a storage medium in association with external device identification information or user biometric information). And the irradiation control part 13 may identify the seat 2 with the highest user's seating frequency from a user's action history, and may irradiate the determination area with respect to the irradiation apparatus 7 corresponding to the identified seat 2. As a result, the user can be guided to the seat 2 where the user often sits.

  Moreover, the state acquisition part 12 may acquire a user's recent payment history as a user's action history. The payment history is acquired, for example, directly from an external device such as a smartphone possessed by the user or indirectly through a payment server or the like. In this case, for example, the state acquisition unit 12 refers to the user's action history within the most recent predetermined time (for example, 5 hours) and the payment history after the user finally got off the vehicle 1. Thus, the presence / absence of the baggage possessed by the user is determined. For example, the state acquisition unit 12 determines that the user has a package when there is a settlement history within the above period. Then, when it is determined that the user has a baggage, the irradiation control unit 13 determines the determination area for the irradiation device 7 corresponding to the luggage room, the fully flat seat 2 or the empty seat as described above. May be drawn. As a result, the user can be guided to a place where luggage can be easily loaded.

  Moreover, the state acquisition part 12 may acquire a user's positional information as a user's action history. In this case, the state acquisition unit 12 acquires position information from an external device such as a smartphone possessed by the user. When the location specified by the acquired position information is a commercial facility such as a department store or a shopping center, the irradiation control unit 13 corresponds to the luggage room, the fully flat seat 2 or the empty seat as described above. A determination area may be drawn on the irradiation device 7. As a result, the user can be guided to a place where luggage can be easily loaded.

  As described above, the vehicle control device (ECU 10) according to the present embodiment includes the irradiation device 7, the operation determination unit 14, and the vehicle control unit 15. The irradiation device 7 is provided in the vehicle 1 and draws a determination area on the road surface by irradiating the road surface with light. The operation determination unit 14 determines the user's operation existing in the determination area. The vehicle control unit 15 controls the vehicle based on the user's motion determined by the motion determination unit 14.

  Therefore, according to the vehicle control device according to the present embodiment, the user's intention can be transmitted to the vehicle 1. In addition, since the determination area is drawn on the road surface with light, it is easy for the user to intuitively understand the location of the determination area. Further, since the user's motion is determined in the determination area drawn by light, the user's motion can be determined with high accuracy even when the surroundings of the vehicle 1 are dark. In addition, the user can easily work in a dark place. In addition, since the determination area is drawn with light, as an example, it is easy for the user to understand whether or not the vehicle 1 is in a state where control can be accepted.

  Further, the vehicle control apparatus (ECU 10) according to the present embodiment includes a state acquisition unit 12 and an irradiation control unit 13. The state acquisition unit 12 acquires the state of the vehicle 1. The irradiation control unit 13 controls the drawing mode of the determination area by the irradiation device 7 according to the state of the vehicle 1 acquired by the state acquisition unit 12.

  Therefore, according to the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on this embodiment, in order to control the drawing aspect of the determination area according to the state of the vehicle 1, as an example, the user's intention that the current vehicle 1 can receive The contents are easy to understand at a glance.

  Moreover, in the vehicle control apparatus (ECU 10) according to the present embodiment, the state acquisition unit 12 acquires the open / closed state of the electric doors (doors 3c to 3e) mounted on the vehicle 1. In addition, when the state acquisition unit 12 acquires the closed state of the electric doors (doors 3c to 3e), the irradiation control unit 13 causes the irradiation device 7 to draw a determination area in the first drawing mode (determination) Area 131), when the open state of the electric door (doors 3c to 3e) is acquired by the state acquisition unit 12, the irradiation device 7 is caused to draw a determination area in the second drawing mode (determination area 132). And the vehicle control part 15 performs control which opens an electric door (door 3c-3e), when a user's operation | movement is determined in the determination area 131 drawn by the 1st drawing mode, and the 2nd drawing mode When the user's action is determined in the determination area 132 drawn in (1), control for closing the electric doors (doors 3c to 3e) is performed.

  Therefore, according to the vehicle control device according to the present embodiment, the current vehicle 1 can receive an intention to open the doors 3c to 3e or can receive an intention to close the doors 3c to 3e. This is easy for the user to understand at first glance. In addition, for the vehicle 1, when the doors 3c to 3e are in the closed state, the intention to open the doors 3c to 3e can be received from the user, and the doors 3c to 3e can be opened, and the doors 3c to 3e are in the open state. In that case, the intention to close the doors 3c to 3e can be received from the user, and the doors 3c to 3e can be closed.

  In the vehicle control device (ECU 10) according to the present embodiment, the irradiation control unit 13 determines the irradiation device 7 in the third drawing mode when performing control to open the electric doors (doors 3c to 3e). The area 133 is drawn.

  Therefore, according to the vehicle control device according to the present embodiment, as an example, the user can inform the vehicle 1 that he / she wants to stop the opening operation of the doors 3c to 3e, for example.

  Moreover, in the vehicle control apparatus (ECU 10) according to the present embodiment, the irradiation control unit 13 causes the irradiation apparatus 7 to draw a plurality of determination areas on the road surface. And vehicle control part 15 performs vehicle control corresponding to a judgment area from which a user's operation was judged, when a user's operation was judged in any judgment area among a plurality of judgment areas.

  Therefore, according to the vehicle control device according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide the user with a plurality of options related to the vehicle control, and the user can select the desired vehicle control from the plurality of options and cause the vehicle 1 to execute it. it can. In addition, since the determination area is drawn for each item of vehicle control, for example, the user can execute different vehicle controls with the same operation (operation that stops after entering the determination area).

  Moreover, in the vehicle control apparatus (ECU 10) according to the present embodiment, the irradiation control unit 13 adjusts the irradiation intensity of the irradiation apparatus 7 according to the brightness around the vehicle 1. Therefore, according to the vehicle control device according to the present embodiment, it is possible to perform the operation determination with the irradiation intensity that does not cause overexposure or blackout, and thus it is possible to accurately determine the user's operation.

  In the vehicle control apparatus (ECU 10) according to the present embodiment, the state acquisition unit 12 acquires the presence / absence of an obstacle in the area where the determination area is to be drawn, and the irradiation control unit 13 has the determination area drawn. When there is an obstacle in the planned area, the irradiation device 7 is caused to draw the determination area in a drawing mode that avoids the obstacle. Therefore, according to the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on this embodiment, a user's intention can be transmitted to a vehicle also in the environment where obstacles, such as a wall and a tree, exist.

  Moreover, in the vehicle control apparatus (ECU 10) according to the present embodiment, the operation determination unit 14 measures the time that the user exists in the determination area, and the irradiation control unit 13 performs irradiation according to the measurement time by the operation determination unit 14. The drawing mode by the device 7 is changed. Therefore, according to the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on this embodiment, a user can grasp | ascertain the progress of operation | movement determination. In addition, the user can be made aware that the operation determination has started.

  Further, as described above, the user guidance device (ECU 10) according to the present embodiment is a user guidance device mounted on the vehicle 1, and includes a user determination unit 11, a state acquisition unit 12, and a guidance unit (irradiation). Device 7 and irradiation control unit 13). The user determination unit 11 determines whether there is a user of the vehicle 1 around the vehicle 1. The state acquisition unit 12 acquires information on at least one of the state inside the vehicle 1 and the state outside the vehicle in the vehicle 1. When the user determination unit 11 determines that the user exists, the guide unit guides the user with light based on the information acquired by the state acquisition unit 12.

  Therefore, according to the user guidance device according to the present embodiment, guidance for a user of the vehicle 1 such as a scheduled rider can be performed.

  In addition, International Publication No. 2016/027315 discloses a technique for intuitively transmitting a motion to be performed by a vehicle to a person outside the vehicle by irradiating a road surface with an animation corresponding to a motion to be performed by the vehicle (for example, back). Is disclosed. However, this technique is different from the user guidance device according to the present embodiment targeted at the user of the vehicle in that it is intended for a person other than the user of the vehicle such as a passerby. Further, the technology described in International Publication No. 2016/027315 is a technology for notifying danger by telling the movement of a car in advance, and there is no viewpoint of “guidance”. In addition, the technique described in International Publication No. 2016/027315 irradiates an animation according to the operation that the vehicle will perform, and like the user guidance device according to the present embodiment, It is not a consideration of the state of.

  Moreover, in the user guidance device (ECU 10) according to the present embodiment, the state acquisition unit 12 acquires the position of the user determined by the user determination unit 11 as being in the vicinity of the vehicle 1 as a state outside the vehicle. And a guidance part (irradiation device 7 and irradiation control part 13) determines a user's guidance destination according to a user's position.

  Therefore, according to the user guidance device concerning this embodiment, when a plurality of choices exist as a guidance destination, a user can be guided to a place near the user.

  In the user guidance device (ECU 10) according to the present embodiment, the state acquisition unit 12 acquires a road surface state as a state outside the vehicle. And a guidance part (irradiation device 7 and irradiation control part 13) determines a user's guidance destination according to the state of a road surface.

  Therefore, according to the user guidance device according to the present embodiment, the user's guidance destination is determined according to the road surface condition. For example, the user guidance device can be used for a place where there is no puddle P or other obstacle on the road surface. The user can be guided.

  Further, in the user guidance device (ECU 10) according to the present embodiment, the state acquisition unit 12 acquires the state of the seat 2 provided in the vehicle interior as the state of the vehicle interior, and the guidance unit (the irradiation device 7 and the irradiation control). The unit 13) determines the user's guidance destination according to the situation of the seat 2. Therefore, according to the user guidance device according to the embodiment, as an example, when the user has a luggage, the user is guided to a place where the luggage can be easily loaded, or when the user is with a child. The user can be guided to the place where the child seat is installed.

  Further, in the user guidance device (ECU 10) according to the present embodiment, the state acquisition unit 12 acquires a vacant seat situation, and the guidance unit (the irradiation device 7 and the irradiation control unit 13) guides the user according to the vacant seat situation To decide. Therefore, according to the user guidance device according to the present embodiment, in order to guide the user to the guidance destination corresponding to the vacant seat, as an example, the user is guided to a place where there is no person or baggage and the boarding is easy. Can do.

  Moreover, in the user guidance device (ECU 10) according to the present embodiment, the state acquisition unit 12 acquires the user's behavior history, and the guidance unit (the irradiation device 7 and the irradiation control unit 13) is acquired by the state acquisition unit 12. The user's destination is determined according to the action history. Therefore, according to the user guidance device according to the embodiment, as an example, the user can be guided to a seat where the user often sits.

  Further, in the user guidance device (ECU 10) according to the present embodiment, the guidance unit is configured to irradiate the road surface with light, and based on the information acquired by the state acquisition unit 12, the irradiation device 7 emits light. The irradiation control part 13 which controls is provided.

  Therefore, according to the user guidance device according to the present embodiment, the irradiation control unit 13 can control the irradiation device 7 based on the information acquired by the state acquisition unit 12 to guide the user with light. In the above-described embodiment, for example, when the door 3 is in the closed state, the irradiation device 7 is caused to draw the determination area in which the characters “OPEN” are written, and when the door 3 is in the open state. Explained the example in which the irradiation device 7 is drawn with the determination area in which the characters “CLOSE” are written. That is, the example in the case of changing the static pattern drawn by the irradiation apparatus 7 based on the information acquired by the state acquisition part 12 was demonstrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the irradiation control unit 13 may cause the irradiation device 7 to draw the determination area with an animation. In this case, an animation pattern based on the information acquired by the state acquisition unit 12 is used. It is good also as changing.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the user's guidance destination is the determination area has been described. However, the user's guidance destination does not necessarily have to be the determination area. For example, when the state acquisition unit 12 acquires that the door 3e is in a half-door state, the irradiation control unit 13 causes the irradiation device 7e to draw a drawing pattern indicating that it is a half-door on the road surface. Also good. Thereby, a user can be guide | induced to the door 3e of a half door state.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which drawing patterns such as the guide patterns 141 and 142 are drawn on the road surface has been described. However, even if the drawing pattern is drawn on a place other than the road surface, such as the body of the vehicle 1, for example. Good.

  Moreover, the irradiation apparatus 7 does not necessarily need to draw a pattern. For example, the irradiation device 7 may be a lamp or the like provided for each of the doors 3a to 3e.

  In embodiment mentioned above, the example in case only the doors 3c-3e are electric doors among the some doors 3 with which the vehicle 1 is provided was demonstrated. Not only this but door 3a, 3b may be electric doors, such as a power swing door, for example. That is, the electric door system 8 may include an actuator 8a that drives the doors 3a and 3b, and a door sensor 8b that detects the open / closed state of the doors 3a and 3b, and the electric door lock system 9 is connected to the doors 3a and 3b. You may provide the corresponding actuator 9a and the lock sensor 9b which detects the locking / unlocking state of the doors 3a and 3b. Further, in this case, the vehicle 1 may include a vehicle exterior camera 5 and an irradiation device 7 corresponding to the doors 3a and 3b. When the ECU 10 determines the driver seat 2a or the passenger seat 2b as a guidance destination, the door 1 The determination area may be drawn on the irradiation device 7 corresponding to 3a or the irradiation device 7 corresponding to the door 3b.

  In the above-described embodiment, the vehicle 1 includes the outside camera 5 c that captures the right side of the vehicle 1, the outside camera 5 d that captures the left side of the vehicle 1, and the outside camera 5 e that captures the rear of the vehicle 1. An example was described. In addition to this, the vehicle 1 may further include an outside camera that captures an image of the front of the vehicle 1, for example.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was illustrated, the said embodiment and modification are examples to the last, Comprising: It is not intending limiting the range of invention. The above-described embodiments and modifications can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, combinations, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, the configuration and shape of each embodiment and each modification may be partially exchanged.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle, 2 ... Seat, 3 ... Door, 4 ... Antenna, 5 ... Outside camera, 6 ... In-vehicle camera, 7 ... Irradiation device, 8 ... Electric door system, 9 ... Electric door lock system, 10 ... ECU, 11 ... User determination unit, 12 ... state acquisition unit, 13 ... irradiation control unit, 14 ... operation determination unit, 15 ... vehicle control unit, 16 ... authentication information, 17 ... vehicle status information, 18 ... drawing mode information.

Claims (8)

An irradiation device that is provided in a vehicle and draws a determination area on the road surface by irradiating light on the road surface;
An operation determination unit for determining the operation of the user existing in the determination area;
A vehicle control device comprising: a vehicle control unit that controls the vehicle based on the user's operation determined by the operation determination unit. A state acquisition unit for acquiring the state of the vehicle;
The vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising: an irradiation control unit that controls a drawing mode of the determination area by the irradiation device according to the state of the vehicle acquired by the state acquisition unit. The state acquisition unit
Obtaining the open / closed state of the electric door mounted on the vehicle,
The irradiation control unit
When the closed state of the electric door is acquired by the state acquisition unit, the irradiation device is caused to draw the determination area in a first drawing mode, and the open state of the electric door is acquired by the state acquisition unit. If it is done, the irradiation area is drawn in the second drawing mode to the irradiation device,
The vehicle control unit
When the user's movement is determined in the determination area drawn in the first drawing mode, the electric door is controlled to be opened, and the user is controlled in the determination area drawn in the second drawing mode. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein control for closing the electric door is performed when the operation is determined. The irradiation control unit
The vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein when the control for opening the electric door is performed, the irradiation device is caused to draw the determination area in a third drawing mode. The irradiation control unit
Let the irradiation device draw a plurality of determination areas on the road surface,
The vehicle control unit
The vehicle control corresponding to the determination area in which the user's action is determined is executed when the user's action is determined in any one of the plurality of determination areas. Vehicle control device. The irradiation control unit
The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein an irradiation intensity of the irradiation device is adjusted according to brightness around the vehicle. The state acquisition unit
Obtain the presence or absence of obstacles in the area where the determination area is to be drawn,
The irradiation control unit
3. The vehicle control according to claim 2, wherein when the obstacle is present in a region where the determination area is to be drawn, the irradiation device is caused to draw the determination area in a drawing manner that avoids the obstacle. apparatus. The operation determination unit
Measure the time the user is in the decision area,
The irradiation control unit
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein a drawing mode by the irradiation device is changed according to a measurement time by the motion determination unit.

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