JP2022096853A - Self-driving vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

To appropriately make a rescue request to the outside in a self-driving vehicle, when a passenger desires external rescue but cannot communicate with the outside based on operation of an operation unit.SOLUTION: A self-driving vehicle 10 includes: a camera 15 that photographs an interior of a vehicle; a communication unit 16 that is mounted on the vehicle and communicates with an external communication device 51; and a control device 17 that causes the communication unit 16 to communicate information representing a rescue request from a passenger to the external communication device 51 when it is determined that the passenger took a specific posture or expression registered in advance from the acquired photographic image taken by the camera 15.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to an autonomous driving vehicle, particularly an autonomous driving vehicle in which the convenience of passengers is improved by appropriately making a request for relief to the outside.

Patent Document 1 describes that in an autonomous driving vehicle, when the control unit counts the number of passengers or determines that there are passengers who are not seated in the seat, it issues a warning requesting seating in the vehicle. Has been done.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2020-55488

In an autonomous vehicle, when a nuisance or criminal act occurs, or when a passenger feels unwell, the passenger wants external help, but the operation unit inside the vehicle is not in a state where it can be operated, and the operation unit is operated externally. Communication based on may not be possible.

An object of the self-driving vehicle of the present invention is to properly make an external rescue request when a passenger desires external rescue but cannot communicate with the outside based on the operation of the operation unit.

The self-driving vehicle according to the present invention is registered in advance from a camera that captures the interior of the vehicle, a communication unit that is mounted on the vehicle and communicates with an external communication device, and an acquired image captured by the camera. When it is determined that the passenger has taken a specific posture or a specific expression, the communication unit includes a control device for communicating information indicating that the passenger has requested relief to the external communication device.

According to the self-driving vehicle according to the present invention, the vehicle can communicate information indicating that a rescue request is made to an external communication device only by the passenger in the vehicle interior taking a specific posture or facial expression. As a result, when the passenger desires external relief but cannot communicate with the outside based on the operation of the operation unit, the rescue request to the outside can be made appropriately. For this reason, relief measures such as warning the actors of annoying or criminal acts, checking the situation of passengers who are in poor physical condition, and rushing rescuers to vehicles by a management center with an external communication device, etc. Since it is possible to take measures, the convenience of passengers can be improved.

It is a figure which shows the schematic structure of the vehicle interior in the self-driving vehicle of the embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the schematic functional composition of the autonomous driving vehicle shown in FIG. 1, and the management center which communicates with the autonomous driving vehicle. It is a figure which shows an example of the room in the case where a passenger is in an autonomous driving vehicle. It is a figure which shows an example of the specific posture registered in advance in the control device of an autonomous driving vehicle. In the embodiment, it is a flowchart showing a method of controlling a communication unit in response to a rescue request from a passenger, and the management center receiving the communication from the communication unit provides relief. It is a figure which shows another example of the specific posture registered in advance in the control device of an autonomous driving vehicle. It is a figure which shows another example of the specific posture registered in advance in the control device of an autonomous driving vehicle. It is a figure which shows an example of the specific facial expression registered in advance in the control device of an autonomous driving vehicle.

Hereinafter, the autonomous driving vehicle of the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration inside a vehicle compartment 11 in an autonomous driving vehicle 10. FIG. 2 shows a schematic functional configuration of the autonomous driving vehicle 10 and a management center 50 that communicates with the autonomous driving vehicle 10. Hereinafter, the self-driving vehicle 10 will be referred to as a vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 is a bus-type vehicle in which a plurality of seats 12 on which a plurality of passengers can be seated are arranged. The vehicle 10 is automatically driven with only passengers on board. The plurality of seats 12 are arranged on both sides of the vehicle 10 in the left-right direction, for example. An entrance / exit 14 opened / closed by a door is provided on one side surface of the vehicle 10 in the left-right direction. Passengers can get on and off through the doorway 14.

Further, the vehicle 10 includes one or a plurality of cameras 15, a communication unit 16 and a control device 17 shown in FIG. The camera 15 is attached to, for example, the ceiling portion in the passenger compartment 11 and photographs the inside of the passenger compartment 11 and the passenger 60 (FIG. 3). The camera 15 continuously captures images while the vehicle 10 is in operation, and transmits the captured images to the control device 17. A wide-angle lens may be attached to the camera 15 so that one camera 15 can shoot a wide range.

As shown in FIG. 2, the communication unit 16 is mounted on the vehicle 10 and communicates with the communication device 51 of the management center 50 outside the vehicle via the communication network 52 including the wireless communication network. At the management center 50, the operator confirms the driving status of the vehicle 10 and the image taken by the camera 15 in the vehicle interior 11 as necessary.

The control device 17 is configured by, for example, a microcomputer, and executes automatic driving control of the vehicle 10. That is, the control device 17 uses a sensor group (not shown) attached to the vehicle 10 to automatically drive the vehicle 10 along a scheduled route stored in the storage unit 20 described later. The sensor group includes an outside camera that photographs the peripheral part of the vehicle such as the front of the vehicle 10, a radar that detects the distance between the vehicle 10 and the peripheral object and the direction of the peripheral object by radio waves, and the distance between the vehicle 10 and the peripheral object by laser light. It is composed of a lidar (LIDAR) that detects the direction of a peripheral object and a plurality of sensors selected from GPS.

Further, when the control device 17 determines that the passenger 60 has taken a specific posture registered in advance from the captured image acquired from the camera 15, the control device 17 determines that the passenger 60 has requested rescue, and the passenger 60 requests rescue. The communication unit 16 communicates information indicating the existence to the communication device 51 of the management center 50.

The reason why the control device 17 is provided with such a function is that there is a possibility that some passengers may cause annoying acts, criminal acts, or poor physical condition of the passengers in the vehicle 10. For example, annoying acts include yelling out and making a call on a mobile phone. Criminal acts include molestation and violence against other passengers. On the other hand, passengers who have seen or suffered annoying or criminal acts, or passengers who are in poor physical condition, want to request help from the management center 50, but to report to the management center 50 in the car. Even if there is an operation unit such as a button of, it is possible that the operation unit cannot be operated. For example, when a passenger who wishes to request help is far away from the operation unit for reporting, when the passenger compartment 11 is crowded and it is difficult to reach the operation unit, or when the passenger moves to the installation position of the operation unit due to mental or physical condition. It may be difficult. Even in such a case, the vehicle 10 of the embodiment determines from the posture of the passenger 60 that there is a rescue request from the passenger 60, and communicates information indicating that there is a rescue request to the management center 50. .. As a result, the management center 50 will take relief measures such as giving a voice warning to the actors of annoying acts and criminal acts, confirming the situation to passengers who are in poor physical condition, and rushing the rescuer to the vehicle 10. Therefore, the convenience of the passenger 60 is improved.

Specifically, the control device 17 has a rescue request determination unit 18, a communication control unit 19, and a storage unit 20. The rescue request determination unit 18 determines whether or not the passenger 60 has taken a specific posture registered in advance in the storage unit 20 from the captured image acquired from the camera 15. At this time, the rescue request determination unit 18 analyzes the captured image. In the analysis, after distinguishing between a person and a non-human object having a shape in the captured image, the posture of the shape recognized as a person is detected. Then, it is determined whether or not the detected posture is a pre-registered specific posture. When the rescue request determination unit 18 determines that the passenger 60 has taken a specific posture, the communication control unit 19 provides information indicating that the passenger 60 has a rescue request by the communication unit 16 to the communication device of the management center 50. Let 51 communicate. When the communication device 51 receives the communication, the display device or the voice output device of the management center 50 notifies the worker of the management center 50 that there is a rescue request from the passenger 60. As a result, the management center 50 can take relief measures in response to the relief request. The rescue request determination unit 18 and the communication control unit 19 are composed of a CPU which is an arithmetic processing unit.

The storage unit 20 is composed of a memory or a hard disk. The storage unit 20 stores in advance the above-mentioned scheduled route and a specific posture indicating that there is a rescue request from the passenger 60.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a specific posture. FIG. 3 shows a case where the passenger 60 indicated by P is taking this specific posture. The specific posture shown in FIG. 4 is a posture in which the passenger 60 extends straight up so that one arm 61 is close to the ear, does not grasp anything with the hand, and lowers the other arm 62. The rescue request determination unit 18 may determine whether or not the passenger 60 has maintained the pre-registered specific posture for a predetermined time or longer (for example, 5 seconds or longer) from the captured image acquired from the camera 15. Then, only when it is determined that the specific posture has been maintained for a predetermined time or longer, the communication control unit 19 transmits information indicating that the passenger 60 has requested rescue to the communication device 51 of the management center 50 by the communication unit 16. You may communicate. The specific posture shown in FIG. 4 may be a posture in which the hand on the side of one arm 61 extended upward is spread upward between the fingers.

In addition, the passenger 60 can express a rescue request by taking a specific posture, so that the management center 50 can take relief measures before the passenger is scheduled to board or while the passenger is boarding. Can inform a person or a passenger. For example, when a prospective rider applies for a ride through a predetermined application program or a reservation site on the Internet using a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a personal computer, it is specified on the explanation display section of the application program or reservation site. An explanation may be given regarding the posture and the request for help. Further, the specific posture and the rescue request may be displayed on a paper attached to a wall surface or the like in the vehicle interior 11 of the vehicle 10 or a display device provided in the vehicle interior 11.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a method in which the communication unit 16 is controlled in response to a rescue request from the passenger 60, and the management center 50 receiving the communication from the communication unit 16 provides relief. The processing of steps S10 to S16 in FIG. 5 is performed by the vehicle 10, and the processing of step S18 is performed by the operator of the management center 50. First, in step S10, the camera 15 of the vehicle 10 photographs the passenger 60, and the rescue request determination unit 18 analyzes the captured image to detect the posture of the passenger 60. Next, in step S12, the rescue request determination unit 18 determines whether or not the detected posture is a specific posture stored in the storage unit 20 in advance. If the determination result in step S12 is a negative determination (NO), the process returns to step S10. If the determination result in step S12 is affirmative determination (YES), the process proceeds to step S14.

In step S14, the rescue request determination unit 18 determines that there is a rescue request from the passenger 60, and upon receiving the determination, the communication control unit 19 informs the communication device 51 of the management center 50 by the communication unit 16 from the passenger 60. Information indicating that there is a request for help is communicated (S16). Next, in step S18, the display device of the management center 50 and the voice output device that have received the communication of the information notify the worker of the management center 50 that there is a rescue request from the passenger 60 of the vehicle 10. .. Then, the worker uses the speaker 21 (FIG. 2) in the vehicle 10 from the management center 50 to warn the actor to deter annoying or criminal acts, or the speaker 21 and the microphone in the vehicle 10 are used. (Not shown) is used to make a voice call to the passenger 60 to confirm the situation. For example, warnings include "Please refrain from calling in the car" and "Please stop annoying acts." In addition, as a voice call for confirming the situation, a question such as "What happened? Do you feel sick?" Can be mentioned. Whether to perform a warning or to confirm the situation may be determined by the worker of the management center 50 from the image taken by the camera 15 transmitted to the management center 50, a specific posture indicating a relief request for annoying acts, and a specific posture. It may be different from the specific posture indicating the relief request when the person is in poor physical condition. For example, the specific posture indicating a request for help for annoying acts is the posture in which the fingers of one hand extended upward in the posture shown in FIG. 4, and the specific posture indicating that the person is in poor physical condition is a specific posture. In the posture shown in FIG. 4, the posture may be bent so as to grasp all the fingers of one hand extended upward. Further, in step S18, the rescuer may be rushed to the vehicle 10 from the management center 50.

6 and 7 show two other examples of specific postures. As shown in FIG. 6, the specific posture may be a posture in which one upper arm 63 is extended laterally and the forearm 64 at the tip of the elbow is extended diagonally upward. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the specific posture may be the posture shown in FIG. 6 and may be a thumb-up posture in which only the thumb 65 of the hand on one arm 61 side is extended upward and the other finger is grasped. ..

According to the vehicle 10, the vehicle 10 can communicate information indicating that a rescue request is made to the external communication device 51 only by the passenger 60 in the vehicle 10 taking a specific posture. As a result, when the passenger 60 desires external relief but cannot communicate with the outside based on the operation of the operation unit, the rescue request to the outside can be made appropriately. For this reason, the management center 50 having an external communication device 51 warns the actors of annoying acts and criminal acts, confirms the situation with passengers in poor physical condition, and makes the vehicle 10 rush the rescuer. Since relief measures can be taken, the convenience of the passenger 60 can be improved.

On the other hand, as a comparative example different from the embodiment, the vehicle control device does not determine whether or not the passenger has taken a specific posture, but the passenger in the passenger compartment of the vehicle is based on the analysis result of the image taken by the camera. It is also conceivable to detect that there is an annoying act or a criminal act and have the management center communicate information indicating that the act has occurred. However, in this configuration, it is necessary to store in advance many image patterns that are considered to correspond to the action in the storage unit. As a result, the amount of storage in the storage unit increases. Further, in this configuration, it is conceivable that many images that match or resemble the image pattern stored in the storage unit are not annoying acts or criminal acts. This can lead to false positives as nuisance or criminal activity. According to the embodiment, since it is determined from the captured image whether or not there is a specific posture that the passenger positively takes, such inconvenience can be prevented.

Further, in FIGS. 4, 6 and 7, an example of a specific posture has been described, but the specific posture does not have to be a posture including the passenger's feet. For example, only the upper body in any of the specific postures shown in FIGS. 4, 6 and 7 may be used as a specific posture indicating a rescue request. For example, only the upper half of the body in the specific posture shown in FIG. 4 may be used in common in comparison between the case where the passenger is standing and the case where the passenger is seated on the seat 12. As a result, the control device 17 determines that some passengers 60 seated on the seat 12 in FIG. 3 are in a posture in which one hand is straightly extended upward, similar to the upper body in the specific posture shown in FIG. If so, it can be determined that there is a rescue request from the passenger 60. In that case, the control device 17 causes the communication unit 16 to communicate the information indicating that there is a rescue request to the communication device 51 of the management center 50. The arrangement of the seats in the vehicle is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 3, and for example, two rows of seats may be arranged on both front and rear sides of the vehicle, and the two rows of seats may face each other.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a specific facial expression registered in advance in the control device 17 of the vehicle. Unlike the configurations shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, in this example, the vehicle control device 17 determines whether or not the passenger has taken a pre-registered specific facial expression from the acquired image taken by the camera 15.

The specific facial expression of FIG. 8 is a facial expression in which the passenger closes only one eye toward the camera 15. When the control device 17 determines that the passenger has taken a specific facial expression, the control device 17 determines that there is a rescue request from the passenger, and the communication unit 16 communicates information indicating that the passenger has requested rescue from the management center 50. Communicate with device 51. At this time, the control device 17 determines that there is a rescue request from the passenger only when the passenger takes a specific facial expression and determines that the passenger maintains the specific facial expression for a predetermined time or longer (for example, 5 seconds or longer). , Information indicating that there is a rescue request from a passenger may be communicated to the communication device of the management center by the communication unit. According to the configuration in which the communication unit communicates with the management center using a specific facial expression in this way, the vehicle communicates information indicating that the management center has a request for help only by taking a specific facial expression by the passengers in the vehicle. be able to.

In each of the above examples, the vehicle control device provides information indicating that the passenger has requested help when the passenger has a specific posture or facial expression, and is provided by a security company or a security center specializing in security. You may communicate with an external communication device other than the management center. For example, a security company or security center worker, or a security guard, can give a warning, status check, or rush a rescuer to the vehicle.

10 Self-driving vehicle (vehicle), 11 cabin, 12 seats, 14 doorways, 15 cameras, 16 communication units, 17 control devices, 18 rescue request judgment units, 19 communication control units, 20 storage units, 21 speakers, 50 management centers , 51 communication equipment, 52 communication network, 60 passengers, 61, 62 arms, 63 upper arms, 64 forearms, 65 thumbs.

Claims (1)

It ’s an autonomous vehicle,
A camera that captures the interior of the vehicle and
A communication unit mounted on the vehicle and communicating with an external communication device,
When it is determined from the acquired image taken by the camera that the passenger has taken a specific posture or a specific facial expression registered in advance, the communication unit provides information indicating that the passenger has requested help from the external communication device. Equipped with a control device to communicate with
Self-driving vehicle.

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