JP2022119540A - taxi vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

To make it possible to provide a taxi vehicle that transports a user by automatic driving and that can respond quickly even if the user has a health problem.SOLUTION: A taxi vehicle 10 that transports a user by automatically driving to a destination with the user on board comprises: a monitoring device 18 for monitoring a health condition of the user boarding the taxi vehicle 10; an output device 20 for outputting a message to a person outside the vehicle; and a relief controller 16 requesting relief from the person outside the vehicle via the output device 20 when the relief controller determines that relief of the user is necessary as a result of monitoring by the monitoring device 18.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

This specification discloses a taxi vehicle that transports a user by automatically driving to a destination with the user on board.

Conventionally, it has been proposed to use an automatically driven vehicle as a taxi vehicle. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a system for providing a taxi service using an autonomous vehicle.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-174208

Here, in the case of a taxi vehicle driven by a driver, the driver can notice when a taxi user has a health problem. In this case, the driver provides relief or seeks relief from the surroundings, depending on the condition of the user.

On the other hand, in the case of a taxi vehicle that transports users by automatic driving, there is no driver on board the taxi vehicle. As described above, even in the case of a taxi vehicle without a driver, it is required to promptly take appropriate measures when a user has a health problem.

Therefore, in this specification, a taxi vehicle is disclosed that transports users by automatic driving and can take early measures even when health problems occur in the users.

The taxi vehicle disclosed in this specification is a taxi vehicle that transports the user by automatically driving to the destination with the user on board, and the health condition of the user who boarded the taxi vehicle. A monitoring device for monitoring, an output device for outputting a message to a person outside the vehicle, and as a result of monitoring by the monitoring device, when it is determined that the user needs to be rescued, the message outside the vehicle is output via the output device. and a relief controller for requesting relief from a person.

By adopting such a configuration, even in an automatically operated taxi vehicle without a driver, it is possible to detect the user's health problem at an early stage and quickly request relief. As a result, the user can use the taxi vehicle with more peace of mind.

It is a figure which shows the structure of a taxi vehicle. It is a figure which shows the structure of the taxi vehicle of another form. It is a figure which shows the structure of the taxi vehicle of another form.

Hereinafter, the configuration of a taxi vehicle (hereinafter abbreviated as "vehicle") 10 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle 10. As shown in FIG. The vehicle 10 receives a use request from a user and transports the user to a destination under an individual contract. The vehicle 10 is an autonomously driven vehicle in which the vehicle side executes all dynamic driving tasks and is capable of autonomous driving. Therefore, the vehicle 10 does not have a driver on board, and the vehicle 10 runs unmanned or with only a user on board. Further, the vehicle 10 of this example is a one-person vehicle 10 with a capacity of one person. Of course, infants and the like may not be counted as passengers and may be allowed to ride together with adults.

The vehicle 10 has a traveling unit 14 as shown in FIG. The traveling unit 14 is a unit for causing the vehicle 10 to travel, and includes, for example, a traveling mechanism 14a, a sensor group 14b, and a traveling controller 14c. The traveling mechanism 14a is a device that generates a mechanical action for causing the vehicle 10 to travel, and includes, for example, a prime mover, a power transmission device, a brake device, a suspension device, a steering device, and the like. Moreover, the sensor group 14b includes one or more sensors for sensing various kinds of information necessary for the vehicle 10 to travel. The sensor group 14b includes, for example, sensors for detecting the surrounding environment of the vehicle 10 (eg, camera, LiDAR, millimeter wave radar, ultrasonic sensor, etc.) and sensors for detecting the current position of the vehicle 10 (eg, GPS etc.), and sensors for detecting the running state of the vehicle 10 (for example, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, etc.).

The traveling controller 14c controls the driving of the traveling mechanism 14a based on the detection result of the sensor group 14b, and is physically a computer having a processor, a memory, and a communication device. The traveling controller 14c also communicates with a management center provided outside the vehicle and other vehicles as required.

Here, as described above, the vehicle 10 of the present example is a single-seater automatic driving vehicle, and only a single user rides in the vehicle 10 . Therefore, even if the user has some kind of health problem, there is no one in the car who can notice this problem. Therefore, in this example, the vehicle 10 is further equipped with a monitoring device 18, an output device 20, and a relief controller 16 in order to be able to take early measures when a health problem occurs to the user. and are provided.

The monitoring device 18 monitors the health condition of the user on board the vehicle 10 . The configuration of the monitoring device 18 is not particularly limited as long as it can monitor the user's health condition. Thus, monitoring device 18 may include, for example, a camera that captures images of the user's face or body. The rescue controller 16 may determine the facial expression of the user, the presence or absence of hematemesis, vomiting, convulsions, tremors, etc., based on the image captured by the camera. The monitoring device 18 may also include sensors that detect the user's vital signs. Such sensors include, for example, a heart rate monitor built into a seat or seat belt, a non-contact pulse meter that transmits electromagnetic waves to the body surface and measures the pulse from the reflected waves, and measures respiration from the movement of the user's chest. breathing monitor, etc. The monitoring device 18 may also include a non-contact temperature sensor (for example, an infrared thermal camera, etc.) that measures the temperature of the user's body surface (especially the face surface) without contact. Furthermore, the monitoring device 18 may periodically or irregularly give a stimulus to the user and acquire the user's reaction to the stimulus. Stimuli include, for example, voice output via a microphone, light emitted to the user, vibration caused by moving a seat, and the like. In any case, the monitoring device 18 outputs the monitoring result of the health condition of the user to the relief controller 16 .

The output device 20 is a device that outputs a message to the outside of the vehicle. Such an output device 20 includes, for example, a speaker that outputs sound to the outside of the vehicle, a light source that attracts the attention of surrounding people by lighting as necessary, a position visible to people outside the vehicle (for example, the outer surface or the back of the vehicle 10) etc.), and at least one of an image display device that displays an image in a display area provided in the vehicle 10 and a projection device that projects an image to the outside of the vehicle 10 (for example, a road surface). Further, the output device 20 may have a communication device and use communication technology to notify an external device remote from the vehicle 10 of the message. In this case, the external devices to be communicated include, for example, a management center that manages dispatch of a plurality of vehicles 10, information terminals owned by users, other vehicles 10, and the like. In addition, such communication may be performed using mobile data communication provided by a mobile phone company, may be performed using short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), or may be performed using a dedicated It may be performed using a communication line.

The rescue controller 16 is physically a computer having a memory and a processor. The rescue controller 16 determines whether or not the user needs to be rescued based on the monitoring result of the monitoring device 18, and if it determines that the user needs rescue, it sends a message requesting rescue to people outside the vehicle. Output to the output device 20 .

The need for relief is determined, for example, by the vital signs (heart rate, body temperature, pulse rate, respiratory rate, etc.) detected by the monitoring device 18, the user's captured image captured by a camera, or the user's response to stimulation. or a combination thereof.

For example, among vital signs, vital signs that the user cannot consciously control, such as heart rate and body temperature, relatively accurately reflect the health condition of the user. Therefore, the relief controller 16 may determine the need for relief based on vital signs that the user cannot consciously control. For example, if the heartbeat has stopped, immediate cardiac massage is required, and if the body temperature is too low, body warming is required to avoid hypothermia. Therefore, the relief controller 16 may immediately determine that relief is necessary when the heartbeat stops or when the body temperature is excessively low.

Further, if the occurrence of a health problem is suspected based on the vital signs, the relief controller 16 may further combine other indicators to determine whether relief is necessary. For example, among vital signs, there are vital signs that can be consciously controlled by the user, such as respiratory rate. In the case of such consciously given vital signs, even if there is some abnormality in the value, it is difficult to immediately judge that relief is necessary. Therefore, for example, when cessation of breathing is detected, an inquiry may be made to the user by voice, and the necessity of relief may be determined based on the judgment of the user in response to the inquiry.

In addition, the relief controller 16 may determine the health condition of the user by determining whether or not there is an action suspected of causing a health problem (hereinafter referred to as "caution action") from the captured image of the user. Attentional actions include, for example, vomiting, hematemesis, convulsions, and shaking. The relief controller 16 may determine whether or not relief is necessary based only on the presence or absence of such a caution action, or may determine whether or not relief is necessary by combining the presence or absence of the caution action and other indicators. For example, a convulsion is likely to indicate a serious health problem, so if a convulsion is detected, the rescue controller 16 may immediately determine that rescue is required. However, there are many cases where it is difficult to accurately distinguish between a user's conscious action and a convulsive action using only images. Therefore, when the occurrence of a convulsion is suspected from the captured image, a question may be asked to the user by voice, and the necessity of relief may be determined based on the reaction to the question. In addition, vomiting alone is of low urgency for rescue. However, if the person vomits during the period of loss of consciousness due to alcohol intake, etc., the urgency of relief increases because there is a risk that the foreign object will get stuck in the throat. Therefore, when the occurrence of vomiting is detected, the relief controller 16 may further check whether or not the user is conscious, and may determine that relief is necessary only when the user is unconscious.

Further, the relief controller 16 provides relief based on the user's reaction when given a specific stimulus to the user, such as a call by voice, vibration caused by shaking the seat, irradiation of light to the user, and the like. You may judge the necessity of For example, if there is no response to a call to the user, it is likely that the user is in a coma, and the relief controller 16 may determine that relief is necessary.

Moreover, while the application of stimulation is useful for determining the user's consciousness level, it is required to avoid application of stimulation as much as possible in order to keep the user comfortable in the vehicle. In particular, the user may fall asleep in the car, but the application of stimulation disturbs such sleep and reduces the user's comfort. Therefore, stimulation may be applied only when the user's level of consciousness is suspected to be significantly lowered based on the user's vital signs and actions. For example, when the level of consciousness decreases, the respiratory rate and body temperature tend to decrease. Therefore, the user's level of consciousness may be determined by applying a stimulus only when the respiratory rate or body temperature drops excessively. In addition, as described above, it is difficult to distinguish between convulsions and conscious movements of the user only by images. A user's level of consciousness may be determined.

As a result of monitoring by the monitoring device 18 , when it is determined that the user needs to be rescued, the rescue controller 16 outputs a message requesting rescue to people outside the vehicle via the output device 20 . This message may be an audible message or a visual message. Thus, messages can be sound, light, images, text, and combinations thereof.

Also, the contents of the message may simply request that relief is required, or may notify the details of the necessary relief. Therefore, for example, the message "There is an emergency patient. Please help me." may be notified by voice or displayed by video. Also, as another form, the rescue procedure may be notified interactively. For example, first, a message "Please help me" is sent, a rescuer is recruited to perform a rescue operation, and if a rescuer is secured, the rescuer is instructed to confirm the user's condition and perform a rescue procedure. Instructions may be given in order. In other words, it confirms the status of the user (relief target person), such as "Did you confirm the target person's consciousness?", "Is the target person breathing?", "Is the target person's heartbeat?" Questions may be asked to the rescuers in order, and necessary rescue actions may be instructed according to their responses. For example, as a result of conversation with a rescuer, if it is determined that immediate cardiac massage is necessary, the rescue controller 16 may notify the procedure of cardiac massage in order.

By the way, when it is determined that relief is necessary, the relief controller 16 stops the vehicle 10 and outputs a message requesting relief. The vehicle 10 may be stopped immediately when it is determined that relief is required. In addition, in places where there are few people, even if a message requesting relief is output, there is a risk that a rescuer cannot be appropriately secured. Therefore, when the relief controller 16 determines that relief is necessary, it may move to a place with many people, stop the vehicle, and output a message requesting relief. Places with a large number of people include main roads, large facilities such as stations, and the vicinity of convenience stores. The relief controller 16 stores a plurality of locations suitable for message output as relief points in advance, and when relief is required, it moves to the nearest relief point and then outputs a message requesting relief. good.

As another form, information communication technology may be used to request help from a larger number of people. For example, a message requesting relief may be sent to an information terminal (for example, a smart phone) owned by a person located within a certain range from the vehicle 10 . As another form, a message requesting relief may be sent to other vehicles located within a certain range from the vehicle 10 .

As is clear from the above explanation, in this example, the user's health condition is monitored, and if relief is required, a message requesting relief is output. However, it is possible to respond quickly to health problems of users.

Next, another form will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle 10 of another vehicle type. This vehicle 10 further differs from the vehicle 10 of FIG. 1 in that it has an emergency call device 22 .

The emergency call device 22 is a device for making an emergency call to a fire station or a hospital. This emergency notification may be made through a telephone line or through data communication such as e-mail. When reporting to the fire department, ask for an ambulance. In addition, when notifying the hospital, an inquiry is made as to whether or not a rescuer who needs relief can be transported.

In such a vehicle 10, when it is determined that the user needs help, an emergency call is made before outputting a message requesting help to the surroundings or in parallel with outputting the message. That is, when the rescue controller 16 determines that the user needs rescue as a result of monitoring by the monitoring device 18, the rescue controller 16 may make an emergency call by the emergency call device 22 before outputting the message to the surroundings. As a result of the emergency call, if an ambulance arrives early or if the patient can be transported to a nearby hospital early, the user is put on standby or transported to the hospital without outputting a message to the surroundings. On the other hand, if it takes a long time for the ambulance to arrive or if there is no nearby hospital that can accept the ambulance, the relief controller 16 may output a message requesting relief to the surrounding people via the output device 20 . Also, even if the ambulance arrives early, a message requesting help from surrounding people may be output during the waiting period until the ambulance arrives, in order to provide appropriate help.

Next, another form will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of another form of vehicle 10. As shown in FIG. This vehicle 10 further differs from the vehicle 10 of FIG. 1 in that it has a user DB 24 .

The user DB 24 is a database that records information on a plurality of pre-registered users. In this user DB 24, for example, pre-registered user identification numbers, attributes, payment information, and the like are recorded. Furthermore, the user's emergency contact information is also recorded in the user DB 24 . The emergency contact is a contact to notify the user when a health problem occurs while riding the vehicle 10 . Therefore, for example, contact information such as the user's family and the hospital where the user visits can be registered as emergency contact information. In addition, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, SNS addresses, etc. can be registered as emergency contacts. Such emergency contacts are registered in advance by operating the information terminal owned by the user.

Further, the user DB 24 may further record the content of a message to be notified outside the vehicle when a user's health problem occurs. For example, if the user has a chronic disease and a seizure occurs due to the chronic disease, if there is an action that the rescuer is expected to take, the content of the action may be recorded as a message. good.

In such a vehicle 10, when it is determined that the user needs to be rescued, the rescue controller 16 refers to the user DB 24 and executes processing according to the pre-registered content of the user. Specifically, if the user has previously registered an emergency contact, the rescue controller 16 may notify the emergency contact of the user's condition. Of course, in parallel with contacting the emergency contact, a message requesting help from surrounding people may be output.

Also, if an emergency contact is registered, the vehicle 10 may request surrounding people to contact the emergency contact instead of contacting the emergency contact. For example, when determining that the user needs to be rescued, the rescue controller 16 sends a message requesting rescue and a message requesting contact to an emergency contact (for example, "090-****- Please call ****”, etc.) may be output. Also, if the content of a message to be notified in an emergency is registered, the relief controller 16 may output the registered message to the surroundings in addition to or instead of the message requesting relief.

In this way, by making it possible to register emergency contact information and emergency message contents in advance, users, especially those with health concerns, can use automated driving with greater peace of mind. A vehicle 10 is available.

The configuration described so far is only an example, and includes at least a monitoring device 18 that monitors the user's health condition, an output device 20 that outputs a message to the outside of the vehicle, and a rescue controller that outputs a message according to the monitoring result. 16, and other configurations may be varied. For example, one vehicle 10 may have both the emergency call device 22 and the user DB 24 . Further, in the above description, the single-seat vehicle 10 is used, but the vehicle 10 may be one in which a plurality of people can ride at the same time. In other words, even if the vehicle 10 allows a plurality of people to ride, there are cases where only one person gets on. In such a case, the above-described techniques may be used to determine whether or not relief is necessary and to request relief.

10 Vehicle, 14 Traveling Unit, 14a Traveling Mechanism, 14b Sensor Group, 14c Traveling Controller, 16 Relief Controller, 18 Monitoring Device, 20 Output Device, 22 Emergency Call Device, 24 User DB.

Claims (1)

A taxi vehicle that transports the user by automatically driving to the destination with the user on board,
A monitoring device that monitors the health condition of the user boarding the taxi vehicle;
an output device for outputting a message to a person outside the vehicle;
a relief controller that requests relief to a person outside the vehicle via the output device when it is determined that relief of the user is necessary as a result of monitoring by the monitoring device;
A taxi vehicle comprising:

Images