JP2023019051A - vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle which enables improvement of convenience.SOLUTION: A vehicle according to one embodiment includes: a vehicle body having a user area where users stay; a mobile device which moves the vehicle body relative to the ground surface; and at least one assist device mounted on the vehicle body and having a support part which may be displaced relative to the traveling vehicle body in a direction opposite to a direction of the vehicle body moving relative to the ground surface while supporting the users who move between the user area and the ground surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to vehicles.

In recent years, research and development of vehicles for traveling between cities and regions have been advanced. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a vehicle capable of transporting people by moving between a plurality of stops (stations).

JP 2020-166715 A

In order to use the vehicle of Patent Literature 1, the user needs to move from the current location to the stop and from the stop to the destination, which reduces the convenience of the vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle capable of improving convenience.

In order to solve the above problems, a vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention includes a vehicle body having a user area where a user stays, a moving device for moving the vehicle body with respect to the ground, and at least one support device provided for supporting a user moving between the user area and the ground, with respect to the moving vehicle body in a direction of movement of the vehicle body relative to the ground; and a support device having a support portion displaceable in the opposite direction.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the vehicle which can improve convenience can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of a vehicle management system that manages vehicles according to one embodiment. 2 is a schematic side view of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vehicle shown in FIG. 2 taken along the line III-III. 4 is a schematic front view of the vehicle shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically showing a control system of the vehicle management system shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing how a user gets into a vehicle using the first support device shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the flow of control by the first support device shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing how the user gets off the vehicle by the second support device shown in FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the flow of control by the second support device shown in FIG. 8. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle travel route map managed by the vehicle management system. FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically showing a parallel running state of two vehicles. FIG. 12 is a diagram schematically showing traversing conditions of two vehicles. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing how a user gets into a vehicle using the support device according to Modification 1. As shown in FIG. 14 is a schematic perspective view of a support device according to Modification 1. FIG. 15 is a schematic exploded view of a support device according to Modification 1. FIG. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing how a user gets into a vehicle using a support device according to Modification 2. As shown in FIG. 17 is a schematic rear view of a vehicle provided with a support device according to Modification 2. FIG. 18A and 18B are diagrams showing how the user gets into and out of the vehicle using the support device according to Modification 3. FIG.

Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of a vehicle management system 100 that manages a vehicle 1 according to one embodiment. The vehicle management system 100 includes one or more vehicles 1 and a management device 2 that collectively manages the one or more vehicles 1 . Vehicle 1 is a vehicle that runs on the ground. One or more vehicles 1 travel within a particular area. Specific areas are, for example, theme parks, smart cities, and the like. The travel route of each vehicle 1 is predetermined in a specific area. The vehicle 1 includes a communication device 23 (see FIG. 5), and communicates with the management device 2 via the communication device 23 . The management device 2 centrally controls operation of one or more vehicles 1 traveling along a travel route.

The attitude of the vehicle 1 on the travel route is predetermined with respect to the direction of movement of the vehicle 1 along the travel route. In this specification, for convenience of explanation, when describing directions, the direction in which the vehicle 1 moves is defined as "forward" and the opposite direction is defined as "rear". A horizontal direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1 is defined as a "left-right direction", and a direction perpendicular to both the front-rear direction and the left-right direction of the vehicle 1 is defined as a "vertical direction".

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the vehicle 1 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 2 taken along line III-III. FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of the vehicle 1 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, vehicle 1 includes a vehicle body 10 . The vehicle body 10 has a vertically long shape extending in the front-rear direction. The vehicle body 10 as a whole has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in the front-rear direction.

The vehicle body 10 has a front portion 10a, a rear portion 10b, a left portion 10c, a right portion 10d, a roof portion 10e and a floor portion 10f. The front portion 10a and the rear portion 10b face each other in the front-rear direction. The left portion 10c and the right portion 10d face each other in the left-right direction. The left portion 10c extends in the front-rear direction and connects the left ends of the front portion 10a and the rear portion 10b. The right portion 10d extends in the front-rear direction and connects the right ends of the front portion 10a and the rear portion 10b. The roof portion 10e and the floor portion 10f face each other in the vertical direction. The roof portion 10e extends in the front-rear direction to connect the upper ends of the front portion 10a and the rear portion 10b, and the floor portion 10f extends in the front-rear direction to connect the lower ends of the front portion 10a and the rear portion 10b.

The vehicle body 10 has a user area R in which a user stays. The user area R is surrounded by a front portion 10a, a rear portion 10b, a left portion 10c, a right portion 10d, a roof portion 10e, and a floor portion 10f. A floor surface 11, which is the upper surface of the floor portion 10f, faces the user area R. As shown in FIG. The floor surface 11 supports the user positioned in the user area R from below. In the user area R, a chair 12, a handrail 13, straps 14 and the like are arranged.

Openings 15 are formed in the left portion 10c and the right portion 10d of the vehicle body 10, respectively. The two openings 15 are located on both left and right sides of the user area R, respectively. The width dimension of the opening 15 in the front-rear direction is larger than the height dimension of the opening 15 . A vertically extending partition 16 is arranged in the center of each opening 15 in the front-rear direction. Each partition 16 partitions each opening 15 into two gates in the front-rear direction. The two gates are the entrance 15a and the exit 15b. That is, the boarding gate 15a and the getting-off gate 15b are arranged in the front-rear direction on both the left and right sides of the user area R. As shown in FIG. The width dimension in the front-rear direction of each gate of the entrance 15a and the exit 15b is larger than the height dimension of the gate. The exit 15b is located behind the entrance 15a. In the present embodiment, the partition 16 has a plate-like shape perpendicular to the front-rear direction, but may have a pole-like shape.

A plurality of in-vehicle sensors 20 are mounted on the vehicle body 10 . The multiple in-vehicle sensors 20 are sensors for detecting the circumstances around the vehicle body 10 and the position and state of the vehicle body 10 . For example, the in-vehicle sensor 20 includes a camera 21, an infrared sensor 22, and the like. Although the camera 21 and the infrared sensor 22 are arranged in the front portion 10a and the rear portion 10b of the vehicle main body 10 in the illustrated example, the camera 21 and the infrared sensor 22 are arranged in the left portion 10c and right part 10d may also be arranged. Also, the vehicle-mounted sensor 20 may include a millimeter wave radar, a GPS (Global Positioning System) device, and the like. Information detected by the in-vehicle sensor 20 is used, for example, by the mobile device 30 described later.

The vehicle 1 comprises a displacement device 30 for displacing the vehicle body 10 with respect to the ground G. As shown in FIG. The mobile device 30 includes a plurality of (four in this example) wheels 31 . A plurality of wheels 31 support the vehicle body 10 from below.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically showing the control system of the vehicle management system 100. As shown in FIG. The movement device 30 includes a torque generator 32 , a steering device 33 and a movement controller 34 .

The torque generator 32 generates torque on at least one of the wheels 31 . The torque generating device 32 includes a driving device that applies driving force to the wheels 31 and a braking device that applies braking force to the wheels 31 . A driving device in the torque generating device 32 is, for example, an electric motor capable of forward and reverse rotation. The driving device in the torque generator 32 may be an engine. A braking device in the torque generating device 32 is, for example, a disc braking device.

The steering device 33 steers at least one of the wheels 31 . The traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is controlled by steering at least one of the plurality of wheels 31 by the steering device 33 .

Movement controller 34 controls torque generator 32 and steering device 33 . The movement controller 34 has an arithmetic processor, a storage device, and the like. The arithmetic processor includes, for example, a processor. Storage includes volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and the like. The vehicle 1 of the present embodiment is an autonomous vehicle having a fully automatic driving function that autonomously travels along a travel route without requiring any driver's operation. The movement controller 34 realizes automatic operation by having the arithmetic processor read and execute the program stored in the memory. Based on the information received from the management device 2 via the communication device 23 and the information received from the in-vehicle sensor 20, the movement controller 34 controls the torque generator 32 and the steering device so that the vehicle 1 automatically travels along the travel route. 33.

In this embodiment, the vehicle 1 travels along the travel route at a predetermined slow speed. A creeping speed is a speed of 10 km/h or less. The speed of the vehicle 1 may be m based on the command value from the management device 2 or may be based on information pre-stored in the memory of the movement controller 34 . In this embodiment, the user can get on and off the vehicle 1 while traveling along the travel route at a slow speed.

The vehicle 1 includes a plurality of assistance devices 40 that assist the user in getting on and off the vehicle body 10 during movement. In this embodiment, four support devices 40 are provided at the four gates of the two entrances 15a and the two exits 15b of the vehicle body 10, respectively. Each support device 40 includes a support section 41 , a drive device 42 and a support controller 43 .

The assistance device 40 provided at the entrance 15a is a assistance device for boarding that assists the user in getting on the vehicle main body 10 during movement. The support device 40 provided at the exit 15b is a support device for getting off that assists the user in getting off the vehicle body 10 during movement. In this specification, for convenience of explanation, the assistance device 40 for boarding is referred to as a first assistance device 40a, and the assistance device 40 for getting off is referred to as a second assistance device 40b. In addition, the constituent elements included in the first support device 40a and their reference numerals are given the letter "first" and the letter "a" respectively, and the constituent elements included in the second support device 40b and their reference numerals are respectively given as follows: The letters "second" and "b" are added to distinguish the components of the first support device 40a and the second support device 40b.

Further, in the present embodiment, the first support device 40a and the second support device 40b have different control methods, but have the same structure. When the first support device 40a and the second support device 40b are collectively described, they are collectively referred to as the support device 40 for description.

The support part 41 supports the user moving between the user area R and the ground G. The support part 41 is arranged on the moving route of the user when the user gets on and off. The support portion 41 may be the component that a user who is performing an action to get on the vehicle 1 in motion comes into contact with first among the components included in the vehicle 1 . Alternatively, the support unit 41 is arranged so that the user who is getting off the moving vehicle 1 comes into contact with the last component of the components included in the vehicle 1 , in other words, the user comes into contact with the user last. can be a component.

Further, the support portion 41 can be displaced in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the vehicle body 10 with respect to the ground G with respect to the vehicle body 10 during movement. The driving device 42 displaces the support portion 41 in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the vehicle body 10 .

A support controller 43 controls the drive device 42 . The support controller 43 controls the driving device 42 to start and stop the displacement of the support portion 41 . Further, the support controller 43 controls the driving device 42 to change the displacement speed of the support section 41 . The support controller 43 has an arithmetic processor, a storage device, and the like. The arithmetic processor includes, for example, a processor. Storage includes volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and the like.

In this embodiment, the support device 40 is a belt conveyor device including a belt extending in the front-rear direction and a plurality of rollers that rotatably support the belt. The support device 40 is arranged below the gate, which is the entrance 15a or the exit 15b. That is, the support device 40 constitutes a floor structure that is stepped on when the user gets on the vehicle 1 or gets off the vehicle 1 . The support part 41 is part of the belt of the belt conveyor device that is the support device 40 . In this embodiment, the support portion 41 is a belt upper surface portion which is a portion of the belt rotated by the rollers and positioned above the rollers. That is, the support portion 41 has a placement surface that supports the user from below.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the support portion 41 is arranged at a position lower than the upper ends of the wheels 31 so that the user can easily get on and off the vehicle 1 . Further, as shown in FIG. 4 , the support portion 41 is arranged at one end portion of the vehicle main body 10 in the left-right direction, and a part of the support portion 41 extends outward from the vehicle main body 10 from the side surface of the vehicle main body 10 . protruding towards. This makes it easy for a user standing on the ground G to put his or her feet on the support portion 41 when getting on the vehicle 1 during movement.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4, the mounting surface of the support part 41 and the floor surface 11 are arranged at the same height. The floor surface 11 and the mounting surface of the support portion 41 are different from each other in at least one of color, surface shape and pattern. This is so that the user can immediately distinguish between the support portion 41 displaced with respect to the vehicle body 10 and the floor surface 11 fixed with respect to the vehicle body 10 . For example, while the floor surface 11 is a smooth surface, the mounting surface of the support portion 41 may be a surface including fine concave portions or convex portions.

Returning to FIG. 5 , the vehicle 1 comprises the same number of contact detectors 44 as the assistance device 40 . Each contact detector 44 is located on each support device 40 . The contact detector 44 detects that the user has touched the support section 41 . The contact detector 44 is a load detector arranged below the belt as the support portion 41 to detect the load of the user placed on the belt. A load detector is, for example, a strain gauge. However, the contact detector 44 may be another type of detector, such as a photoelectric sensor.

A detection signal by the contact detector 44 is used by the support controller 43 . The control of the support controller 43 when the user moves from the first surface, which is one of the floor surface 11 and the ground surface G, to the second surface, which is the other surface of the floor surface 11 and the ground surface G, will be described. . That is, the control of the first support controller 43a and the second support controller 43b will be generalized and explained.

The support controller 43 determines whether or not the user has touched the support section 41 based on the detection signal received from the contact detector 44 . When the support controller 43 determines that the user is not in contact with the support part 41, the speed of the support part 41 with respect to the first surface is lower than the speed of the second surface with respect to the first surface. It controls the drive device 42 . When the support controller 43 determines that the user has touched the support portion 41, the support controller 43 controls the driving device 42 so that the speed of the support portion 41 relative to the second surface is reduced.

Next, control by the first support controller 43a and control by the second support controller 43b will be separately described in detail.

(Control by first support controller)
First, an outline of control by the first support controller 43a will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing how the user gets into the moving vehicle 1 using the first support device 40a shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, the solid line indicates the user U in a state of first contact with the first support portion 41a. In FIG. 6, the user U who has moved backward from the position where the first support portion 41a first contacts the vehicle body 10 due to the displacement of the first support portion 41a is indicated by a chain double-dashed line.

The first support device 40a operates such that the belt upper surface portion, which is the first support portion 41a, is displaced in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the vehicle 1 while the vehicle 1 is moving at creep speed. At this time, the relative speed of the first support portion 41a with respect to the ground G is slower than the relative speed of the floor surface 11 of the vehicle body 10 with respect to the ground G. Like the user U indicated by the solid line in FIG. 6, when the user U gets on the vehicle 1, the user standing on the ground G puts his or her foot on the first support portion 41a. At this time, since the relative speed of the first support portion 41a with respect to the ground G is slower than the relative speed of the floor surface 11 of the vehicle main body 10 with respect to the ground G, the user cannot place the vehicle 1, that is, the first support portion 41a. It can reduce the force received from the surface.

When the user is placed on the first support portion 41a, the first support portion 41a decelerates. The user moves to the user area R during or after deceleration of the first support part 41a.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the flow of control by the first support device 40a shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, when the vehicle 1 is moving at a predetermined slow speed, the first support controller 43a controls the vehicle body 10 so that the first support portion 41a is displaced rearward at the set speed. 1 drive device 42a is controlled (step S1).

The set speed is set so that the absolute value of the ground speed of the first support portion 41 a is greater than zero and smaller than the absolute value of the ground speed of the vehicle body 10 . For example, the set speed is set such that the absolute value of the ground speed of the first support portion 41 a is half the absolute value of the ground speed of the vehicle body 10 . Specifically, when the vehicle body 10 is moving with respect to the ground G at a speed of 7 km/h, the set speed is set so that the first support portion 41a moves forward at a speed of 3.5 km/h as viewed from the user on the ground G. is set. That is, the first support controller 43a controls the first driving device 42a so that the first support portion 41a is displaced rearward with respect to the vehicle body 10 at a speed of 3.5 km/h. Thus, the relative speed of the first support portion 41a with respect to the ground G is lower than the relative speed of the floor surface 11 of the vehicle body 10 with respect to the ground G.

Based on the detection signal received from the contact detector 44, the first support controller 43a determines whether or not the user has touched the support section 41 (step S2). While the first support controller 43a determines that the user is not in contact with the support portion 41 (step S2: No), the displacement of the first support portion 41a with respect to the vehicle body 10 at the set speed continues. The first driving device 42a is controlled so as to do so.

When the first support controller 43a determines that the user has touched the first support portion 41a (step S2: Yes), the first support controller 43a controls the first drive device 42a so as to reduce the speed of the first support portion 41a relative to the floor surface 11. is controlled (step S3).

During deceleration, the first support controller 43a determines whether or not the user has left the first support section 41a based on the detection signal received from the contact detector 44 (step S4). While it is determined that the user has not left the first support section 41a (step S4: No), the first support controller 43a controls the The speed reduction of the first support portion 41a relative to the floor surface 11 is continued.

When it is determined that the user has left the first support section 41a (step S4: Yes), the process returns to step S1, and the first support controller 43a controls the vehicle body 10 so that the first support section 41a is at the set speed. to control the first driving device 42a to displace in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the vehicle 1.

(Control by second support controller)
Next, an outline of control by the second support controller 43b will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing how the user gets off the moving vehicle 1 using the second support device 40b shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, the user U immediately after moving from the user area R onto the second support section 41b is indicated by a chain double-dashed line. In FIG. 8, the solid line indicates the user U who has moved backward from the position where the second support portion 41b first contacts the vehicle body 10 due to the displacement of the second support portion 41b.

While the vehicle 1 is moving at creep speed, the belt upper surface portion, which is the second support portion 41b, is not displaced with respect to the vehicle body 10 . That is, the second driving device 42b is in a stopped state. Since the relative speed of the second support portion 41b with respect to the vehicle body 10 is 0, when the user U gets off the vehicle 1, the user standing on the floor surface 11 can easily step on the second support portion 41b. can be placed.

When the user is placed on the second support portion 41b, the second support portion 41b accelerates. After that, the user U gets down on the ground G from the second support portion 41b.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the flow of control by the second support device 40b shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, when the vehicle 1 is moving at a predetermined slow speed, the second support controller 43b stops the second driving device 42b (step T1). The relative velocity between the floor surface 11 and the mounting surface of the second support portion 41b is zero.

The second support controller 43b determines whether or not the user has touched the second support section 41b based on the detection signal received from the contact detector 44 (step T2). While the second support controller 43b determines that the user is not in contact with the second support portion 41b (step T2: No), the second drive device 42b is kept stopped.

When the second support controller 43b determines that the user has touched the second support portion 41b (step T2: Yes), the second drive device 42b increases the speed of the second support portion 41b relative to the floor surface 11. is controlled (step T3).

During acceleration, the second support controller 43b determines whether or not the user has left the second support section 41b based on the detection signal received from the contact detector 44 (step T4). While it is determined that the user has not left the second support section 41b (step T4: No), the second support controller 43b controls the speed of the second support section 41b with respect to the floor surface 11 to reach the set speed. , the acceleration of the second support portion 41b with respect to the floor surface 11 continues.

When it is determined that the user has left the second support section 41b (step T4: Yes), the process returns to step T1 and the second support controller 43b stops the second driving device 42b.

Returning to FIG. 5 , the vehicle management system 100 includes the power supply device 3 . The vehicle 1 includes a power receiving device 51 to which power is supplied from the power feeding device 3 . The power feeding device 3 and the power receiving device 51 configure a contactless power feeding system in which the power feeding device 3 feeds power to the power receiving device 51 in a contactless state. For example, the power supply device 3 includes a power transmission coil, and the power reception device 51 includes a power reception coil to which power is supplied from the power transmission coil of the power supply device 3 . Power receiving device 51 includes a battery 52 . Electric power supplied from the power supply device 3 is accumulated in the battery 52 . The electric power accumulated in the battery 52 is sent to and consumed by various devices of the vehicle 1 such as the mobile device 30 and the support device 40 .

FIG. 10 is a part of the travel route map of the vehicle 1 managed by the vehicle management system 100. As shown in FIG. FIG. 10 shows two travel routes 4a and 4b. A plurality of vehicles 1 are operating on each travel route 4a, 4b. In FIG. 10, the vehicle 1 traveling on the travel route 4a is denoted by reference numeral 1a, and the vehicle 1 traveling on the travel route 4b is denoted by reference numeral 1b. In this embodiment, the vehicles 1a and 1b have the same configuration, but they may have different configurations.

A plurality of power supply devices 3 are laid at predetermined intervals along the travel routes 4a and 4b. The plurality of power supply devices 3 are controlled by the management device 2, for example. For example, the management device 2 may transmit commands for starting and stopping power feeding to a plurality of power feeding devices 3 according to the positions of the vehicles 1a and 1b.

The travel route 4a, 4b has a section 5 which extends parallel to each other at a predetermined interval and allows two vehicles 1a, 1b to travel side by side in the same direction. In this embodiment, in this section 5, it is possible to transfer from one of the two vehicles 1a and 1b to the other while the two vehicles 1a and 1b run side by side. Section 5 is hereinafter referred to as transfer section 5 .

FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically showing two vehicles 1a and 1b running side by side. The management device 2 controls the operation of the vehicles 1a and 1b so that the vehicles 1a and 1b enter the transfer section 5 at the same timing. The management device 2 controls the movement of the vehicles 1a and 1b so that the vehicles 1a and 1b move with the gates of the vehicles 1a and 1b approaching each other. As a result, it is possible to transfer from a moving vehicle 1 to another moving vehicle 1 . The vehicles 1a and 1b may or may not be mechanically connected to each other when traveling in the transfer section 5 in parallel.

As shown in FIG. 12, if the vehicles 1c and 1d have gates 17 at the front and rear parts of the vehicle body 10, it is possible to transfer between the two vehicles 1c and 1d that are running in a traversing state. Vehicles 1c and 1d travel different travel routes 4c and 4d. The travel routes 4c and 4d have transfer sections that overlap each other. The management device 2 controls the operation of the vehicles 1c and 1d so that the vehicles 1c and 1d run in a traverse state in the transfer section. That is, the management device 2 controls the movement of the vehicles 1c and 1d so that the vehicles 1c and 1d move with the gates 17 of the vehicles 1c and 1d approaching each other.

As described above, according to the vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment, the support part 41 supports the user while moving the vehicle body 10 in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the vehicle body 10 with respect to the ground G. direction can be displaced. Therefore, when the user moves from the boarding point to the boarding/alighting destination, the support portion 41 supporting the user is displaced in the direction opposite to the movement direction of the vehicle 1, thereby creating a gap between the user and the boarding/alighting destination. The relative speed difference is reduced, and the force that the user receives from the boarding and alighting destinations can be alleviated. The "boarding/alighting destination" means the vehicle 1 when the user gets on the vehicle 1, and the "boarding/alighting destination" when the user gets off the vehicle 1 means the ground G.

Therefore, it is possible to make it easier for the user to get on and off the vehicle 1 that is moving, and the convenience of the vehicle 1 is improved. Note that the user's boarding/alighting operation includes either one of the boarding operation and the alighting operation.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the driving device 42 actively displaces the support portion 41 in the direction opposite to the direction in which the vehicle body 10 moves. The support portion 41 can be actively displaced in the opposite direction. Therefore, when the user contacts the support section 41, the user receives from the support section 41 more than in the case where the support section 41 is passively displaced by the force when the user contacts the support section 41. power can be relieved. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the burden on the user and improve the convenience.

Further, when the support portion 41 is of a type that is held by the user's hand, the user needs to perform an operation to hold the support portion 41 when getting on and off the vehicle. In the present embodiment, since the support part 41 has a placement surface that supports the user from below, the user can use the support part 41 more easily than when the support part 41 is of a type that is held by the user's hand. You can get on and off in a natural posture.

Further, in the present embodiment, the support controller 43 causes the support section 41 to move at a speed set so that the absolute value of the ground speed of the support section 41 is greater than zero and smaller than the absolute value of the ground speed of the vehicle body 10 . The driving device 42 is controlled so as to be displaced. For this reason, for example, when the user gets on a vehicle, the force that the user displaced together with the support section 41 receives from the floor of the user area R is can be mitigated by comparison. For example, when the user gets off the vehicle 1, the force received from the support section 41 when the user in the user area R contacts the support section 41 is defined as It can be mitigated in some cases.

In addition, in the present embodiment, since the control method differs between the support device 40 for getting on and the support device 40 for getting off, the support section 41 can be displaced by a control method suitable for getting on and getting off.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the vehicle body 10 has a vertically long shape extending in the moving direction of the vehicle body 10 by the moving device 30, so that the range in which the support portion 41 can be displaced can be increased.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the support portions 41 are arranged on the left and right portions of the vehicle body 10 extending in the front-rear direction, it is easy to widen the range in which the support portions 41 are displaced.

Further, in this embodiment, since the mounting surface of the support portion 41 is located at a position lower than the upper end portion of the wheel 31, the user can easily get on and off.

Further, in the present embodiment, the mounting surface of the support portion 41 and the floor surface 11 are different from each other in at least one of color, surface shape and pattern. As a result, the user can distinguish between the floor surface 11 that is fixed to the vehicle body 10 and the placement surface that is displaced with respect to the vehicle body 10, so that the user may mistakenly get on and off the vehicle. It is possible to prevent stepping on the mounting surface.

Various modifications of the configuration of the support device 40 are possible. Modified examples of the support device 40 will be described below.

(Modification 1 of support device)
A support device 60 according to Modification 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing how the user gets into the vehicle 1 using the support device 60 according to Modification 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 14 is a schematic perspective view of a support device 60 according to Modification 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 15 is a schematic exploded view of a support device 60 according to Modification 1. As shown in FIG.

In Modification 1, the support device 60 is configured such that the support portion 61 is passively displaced in the direction opposite to the movement direction of the vehicle body 10 by using the load from the user as a driving force. As shown in FIG. 13, the support device 60 is arranged above the entrance 15a. The support device 60 includes a support portion 61 which is a strap, a displacement body 62 fixed to the support portion 61 and displaced together with the support portion 61, a tubular body 63 having a guide hole 63a for guiding the displacement body 62, a tubular It comprises a shaft 64 supported by a body 63 and a biasing member 65 .

As shown in FIG. 14, the cylindrical body 63 is arranged such that the central axis thereof extends in the front-rear direction. The tubular body 63 is fixed to the vehicle body 10 . As shown in FIG. 15 , the shaft 64 is arranged inside the tubular body 63 so as to extend in the longitudinal direction along the central axis of the tubular body 63 . The displacement body 62 is a rod-shaped body perpendicular to the front-rear direction. A guide hole 63 a for guiding the displacement body 62 is provided on the side surface of the cylindrical body 63 . The displacement body 62 is connected to the shaft 64 inside the cylindrical body 63 . Further, the displacement body 62 protrudes from the guide hole 63a and is connected to the support portion 61, which is a strap, outside the tubular body 63. As shown in FIG.

The guide hole 63a is formed so that the displacement body 62 can be displaced in the front-rear direction. The biasing member 65 biases the displacement body 63 forward inside the cylindrical body 63 . Therefore, when the user does not touch the support portion 61a, the biasing force of the biasing member 65 causes the displacement body 63 to be arranged at the front end portion of the guide hole 63a. For example, the biasing member 65 is a coil spring.

A front end portion of the guide hole 63 a faces outward in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle body 10 from the central axis of the tubular body 63 . A rear end portion of the guide hole 63 a faces downward from the central axis of the cylindrical body 63 . The guide hole 63a is formed such that the extending direction of the displacement body 62 gradually changes downward in the vehicle width direction as the displacement body 62 moves from the front end portion to the rear end portion of the guide hole 63a. ing.

According to Modification 1, as viewed from the user on the ground G, the support portion 61 is also moving at the same speed as the moving vehicle body 10 . When the user on the ground G grips the support part 61, the support part 61 uses the load from the user as a driving force to resist the biasing force of the biasing member 65 and move in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the vehicle body 10. Passively displace in the direction. The displacement body 62 that is displaced together with the support portion 61 shifts from extending in the vehicle width direction to extending downward as it is guided by the guide hole 63a and displaced rearward. As a result, the user holding the support portion 61 moves inward in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle main body 10 and enters the user area R. As shown in FIG. When the user puts the foot on the floor 11 and releases the support portion 61, the biasing force of the biasing member 65 causes the displacement body 63 to return to the front end portion of the guide hole 63a. In addition, as shown in FIG. 13 , the floor surface 11 may be positioned lower than the height of the ground surface G gripping the support portion 61 .

In the present modified example 1 as well, the user can easily get on and off the moving vehicle 1, and the convenience of the vehicle 1 is improved.

(Modification 2 of support device)
A support device 70 according to Modification 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17 . FIG. 16 is a diagram showing how the user gets into the vehicle 1 using the support device 70 according to Modification 2. As shown in FIG. FIG. 17 is a schematic rear view of a vehicle 1 provided with a support device 70 according to Modification 2. As shown in FIG.

In Modified Example 2, the support device 70 is configured such that the support portion 71 is passively displaced in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the vehicle body 10 by using the load from the user as a driving force. As shown in FIG. 13, the support device 70 is arranged at the entrance 15a. The support device 70 includes a support portion 71 that is a strap, a rotating body 72 that supports the support portion 71, and a support structure 73 that supports the rotating body 72 so as to be rotatable about an axis extending vertically.

Support structure 73 is secured to vehicle body 10 . The support structure 73 is a pole extending vertically at the entrance 15a. The rotating body 72 is supported by the support structure 73 so as to be rotatable around the central axis of the support structure 73 . The rotating body 72 has a plurality of arms perpendicular to the central axis of the support structure 73 . A support portion 71, which is a strap, is attached to the tip of each arm. At least one support portion 71 positioned outside the vehicle body 10 in the vehicle width direction relative to the support structure 73 is arranged outside the user area R among the plurality of support portions 71 .

According to Modified Example 2, as viewed from the user on the ground G, the support portion 71 is also moving at the same speed as the moving vehicle body 10 . When a user on the ground G grips the support part 71, the support part 71 gripped by the user passively rotates around the central axis of the support structure 73 using the load from the user as a driving force. As a result, the support portion 71 gripped by the user is displaced inward in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle body 10 while being displaced in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the vehicle body 10 . Thus, the user enters the user area R.

In the present modified example 2 as well, it becomes easier for the user to get on and off the moving vehicle 1, and the convenience of the vehicle 1 is improved.

(Modification 3 of support device)
A support device 80 according to Modification 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 18 . FIG. 18 is a diagram showing how the user gets into and out of the vehicle 1 using the support device according to Modification 3. As shown in FIG. The support device 80 according to Modification 3 supports the wheelchair user to get on and off the vehicle body 10 during movement.

The support device 80 of Modification 3 is applied to a vehicle main body 10A having a front entrance 18a for wheelchair users and a rear exit 18b for wheelchair users.
A support device 80 is provided at each of the entrance 18a and the exit 18b. The assistance device 80 for boarding is called a first assistance device 80a, and the assistance device 80 for getting off is called a second assistance device 80b.

The support device 80 is a belt conveyor device, like the support device 40 described in the above embodiment. That is, the support device 80 is a belt conveyor device including a belt extending in the front-rear direction and a plurality of rollers that rotatably support the belt. This is the upper surface of the belt, which is the part where the However, unlike the support portion 41 of the support device 40, the support portion of the support device 80 is inclined from the ground G toward the floor surface 11 higher than the ground G. As shown in FIG.

In Modification 3, similarly to the support device 40 described in the above embodiment, the support device 80 includes a drive device that actively displaces the support section in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the vehicle body 10 . A control method for the support device 80 may be similar to the control method for the support device 40 . In the present modified example 3, it is possible to make it easier for the wheelchair user to get on and off the vehicle 1 that is moving, and the convenience of the vehicle 1 is improved.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, the shape of the vehicle is not limited to those described in the above embodiments. For example, the vehicle body may be basket-shaped without a roof.

In the above embodiment, the vehicle is a fully automated self-driving car. good. The vehicle may be a manually operated vehicle.

Also, the control of the support device is not limited to the aspects described in the above embodiments. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the control method differs between the first assistance device 40a for boarding and the second assistance device 40b for getting off, but the first assistance device 40a and the second assistance device 40b use the same control method. A control method may be employed. For example, in both the first support device 40a and the second support device 40b, the support controller 43 causes the support section 41 to displace at a constant speed regardless of whether or not the user is placed on the support section 41. The driving device 42 may be controlled to do so. For example, the support controller may determine the displacement velocity of the support 41 based on the ground speed of the vehicle body 10 .

The vehicle may also include a proximity sensor that detects the proximity of the user. When the proximity sensor detects that the user approaches to board the vehicle, the support controller may start driving the driving device based on the detection signal from the proximity sensor.

The user may be able to set the displacement speed of the support portion. For example, the vehicle includes a communication device capable of communicating with an information terminal device carried by the user, and the support controller receives speed information preset by the user from the information terminal device owned by the user. good too. Transmission of speed information from the information terminal device to the support controller may be manually executed by the user's operation on the information terminal device, or automatically executed when the user approaches the vehicle within a predetermined distance. may be

Further, in the above embodiment, the support device 40 includes the drive device 42 that actively displaces the support portion 41, but the support device is not limited to one that actively displaces the support portion. The support device may be configured such that the support portion is passively displaced in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the vehicle body using the load from the user as a driving force.

Also, the support section is not limited to supporting the entire weight of the user moving between the user area and the ground. The support part may support part of the user's weight. The support unit does not have to be the component that the user who is getting on the moving vehicle 1 first comes into contact with, among the components included in the vehicle. A passenger entering may not be the last component in the vehicle to leave.

Vehicle 1 may be able to communicate with another vehicle traveling on the same travel route. Vehicle 1 may be able to communicate with other vehicles traveling on different travel routes. The vehicle 1 may include a communication device that communicates with a portable information terminal device owned by a user using the vehicle 1 . The information terminal device is, for example, a smart phone.

A position changing device for changing the position of the support may be provided. For example, the position changing device may be capable of changing the height of the support. The position changing device may adjust the height of the support to a height at which the user can easily get in and out of the vehicle according to the geographical position of the vehicle. Further, for example, the position changing device may be capable of changing the position of the support portion in the left-right direction. For example, the position changing device may be capable of adjusting the position of the support part so that it can appear and disappear from the side of the vehicle body 10 .

Also, the vehicle is not limited to the one described in the above embodiment. The vehicle may be a rail vehicle that travels on rails. The vehicle may also be a ship, linear motor car, hovercraft, or the like.

The functionality of the elements disclosed herein may be performed by general purpose processors, special purpose processors, integrated circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), conventional circuits, or any of them configured or programmed to perform the disclosed functions. can be implemented using a circuit or processing circuit that includes a combination of A processor is considered a processing circuit or circuit because it includes transistors and other circuits. In this disclosure, a circuit, unit, or means is hardware that performs or is programmed to perform the recited functions. The hardware may be the hardware disclosed herein, or other known hardware programmed or configured to perform the recited functions. A circuit, means or unit is a combination of hardware and software where the hardware is a processor which is considered a type of circuit, the software being used to configure the hardware or the processor.

A vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention includes a vehicle body having a user area in which a user stays, a movement device for moving the vehicle body with respect to the ground, and at least one support device provided on the vehicle body. a support portion displaceable with respect to the moving vehicle body in a direction opposite to a moving direction of the vehicle body with respect to the ground while supporting a user moving between the user area and the ground; and a support device having

The support portion is displaceable relative to the moving vehicle body in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the vehicle body with respect to the ground while supporting the user. Therefore, when the user moves from the boarding point to the boarding/alighting destination, the support portion supporting the user is displaced in the direction opposite to the vehicle movement direction, resulting in a relative speed difference between the user and the boarding/alighting destination. is reduced, and the force that the user receives from the destination can be reduced. Note that the "boarding/alighting destination" when the user gets on the vehicle means the vehicle, and the "boarding/alighting destination" when the user gets off the vehicle means the ground.

Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to facilitate getting on and off the moving vehicle, and the convenience of the vehicle is improved. Note that the user's boarding/alighting operation includes either one of the boarding operation and the alighting operation.

In the above configuration, the support device may further include a drive device that displaces the support portion in a direction opposite to the movement direction of the vehicle body, and a support controller that controls the drive device. According to this configuration, the support section can be actively displaced in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the vehicle body before the user contacts the support section. Therefore, when the user contacts the support section, the force that the user receives from the support section can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the burden on the user and improve the convenience.

Said structure WHEREIN: The said support part may have a mounting surface which supports a user from the downward direction. If the support section is of a type that is held by the user's hand, the user needs to hold the support section when getting on and off the vehicle. According to the above configuration, the user can get on and off in a more natural posture than when the support part is of the type held by the user's hand.

In the above configuration, the support controller may determine the displacement speed of the support section based on the ground speed of the vehicle body. According to this configuration, the displacement speed of the support portion can be adjusted to a speed suitable for the user's getting on and off.

In the above configuration, the support controller displaces the support at a speed set such that the absolute value of the ground speed of the support is greater than zero and smaller than the absolute value of the ground speed of the vehicle body. The drive may be controlled as such. According to this configuration, for example, when a user gets on a vehicle, the force that the user displaced together with the support receives from the floor of the user area is can be mitigated by comparison. For example, when the user gets off the vehicle, the force received from the support when the user in the user area contacts the support is compared to the case where the absolute value of the ground speed of the support is zero. can be mitigated.

In the above configuration, the vehicle body has a floor surface that supports a user from below in the user area, and the user can move from the first surface, which is one of the floor surface and the ground surface, to the user area. When moving to a second surface that is the other of the floor surface and the ground surface, the support controller determines whether or not the user has touched the support unit, and determines whether the user has touched the support unit. If it is determined that it is not in contact with the use When it is determined that a person has touched the support, the driving device may be controlled such that the speed of the support with respect to the second surface is reduced. According to this configuration, since the speed of the support portion with respect to the second surface is reduced, when the user who is displaced together with the support portion comes into contact with the second surface, the force that the user receives from the second surface can be alleviated. .

In the above configuration, the support device may be configured such that the support portion is passively displaced in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the vehicle body by using the load from the user as a driving force. . According to this configuration, power consumption can be reduced compared to the case of actively displacing the support section.

In the above configuration, the at least one support device includes a first support section as the support section that supports the user moving from the ground to the user area, and the first support section in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the vehicle body. A first assist device for boarding and use to move from the user area to the ground, comprising a first drive for displacing one support and a first assist controller for controlling the first drive a second support section as the support section for supporting a person; a second drive device for displacing the second support section in a direction opposite to the movement direction of the vehicle body; and a second support control for controlling the second drive device. a second assistance device for getting off the vehicle, comprising: a method of controlling the first driving device by the first assistance controller; and a method of controlling the second driving device by the second assistance controller. may be different from each other. According to this configuration, since the control method differs between the support device for getting on and the support device for getting off, the support section can be displaced by a control method suitable for getting on and getting off.

In the above configuration, the vehicle main body may have a longitudinally elongated shape extending in a front-rear direction along a moving direction of the vehicle main body by the moving device. Since the vehicle body has a vertically long shape extending in the moving direction of the vehicle body by the moving device, the range in which the support portion can be displaced can be increased.

Said structure WHEREIN: The said support part may be arrange|positioned at the one end part of the said vehicle main body in the left-right direction perpendicular|vertical to the said front-back direction. Since the support portions are arranged on the left and right portions of the vehicle body extending in the longitudinal direction, it is easy to widen the range in which the support portions are displaced.

In the above configuration, the moving device may have a plurality of wheels, and the support section may have a placement surface that supports the user from below and is positioned at a position lower than the upper end of the wheels. . Since the mounting surface of the support portion is located at a position lower than the upper end portion of the wheel, the user can easily get on and off.

In the above configuration, the vehicle body has a floor surface that supports the user from below in the user area, the support section has a mounting surface that supports the user from below, and the floor surface and the support section support the user from below. Said resting surfaces may differ from each other in at least one of color, surface shape and pattern. Since the user can distinguish between the floor surface that is fixed with respect to the vehicle body and the mounting surface that is displaced with respect to the vehicle body, the user is prevented from accidentally stepping on the mounting surface even though he does not get on and off the vehicle. can be prevented.

A vehicle management system controls movement of a first vehicle traveling a first route within a specific area, a second vehicle traveling a second route within the specific area, and movement of the first and second vehicles. and a management device, wherein the first route and the second route are arranged such that the first route and the second route partially overlap each other or are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. A common route extending in parallel is included, and the management device is adapted to allow a user to move from one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle that are moving on the common route to the other. The movements of the first vehicle and the second vehicle are controlled so that the vehicles move with the side doors of the vehicles approaching each other. According to the above configuration, the user can change vehicles while the vehicle is moving, so the user does not need to change vehicles at a predetermined stop.

100: vehicle management system 1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d: vehicle 10: vehicle body 11: floor surface 15a: entrance 15b: exit 23: communication device 30: mobile device 31: wheel 32: torque generator 33: Steering device 34: movement controller 40: support device 40a: first support device 40b: second support device 41: support section 41a: first support section 41b: second support section 42: drive device 42a: first drive device 42b : Second drive device 43 : Support controller 43a : First support controller 43b : Second support controller 44 : Contact detector G : Ground R : User area

Claims (12)

a vehicle body having a user area in which a user stays;
a moving device for moving the vehicle body relative to the ground;
at least one support device mounted on the vehicle body, the vehicle relative to the ground relative to the vehicle body in motion while supporting a user moving between the user area and the ground; a support device having a support portion displaceable in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the body. The support device is
a driving device for displacing the support portion in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the vehicle body;
3. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a support controller for controlling said drive. 3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said support portion has a mounting surface for supporting a user from below. 4. A vehicle according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the support controller determines the displacement velocity of the support based on the ground speed of the vehicle body. The support controller controls the drive so that the support displaces at a speed set such that the absolute value of the ground speed of the support is greater than zero and less than the absolute value of the ground speed of the vehicle body. A vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4 for controlling a device. The vehicle body has a floor supporting a user from below in the user area,
When the user moves from a first surface, which is one of the floor surface and the ground surface, to a second surface, which is the other surface of the floor surface and the ground surface, the support controller is configured to:
Determining whether the user has contacted the support unit,
When it is determined that the user is not in contact with the support section, the driving is performed such that the speed of the support section with respect to the first surface is lower than the speed of the second surface with respect to the first surface. control the device,
6. The driving device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein when it is determined that the user has touched the support, the driving device is controlled such that the speed of the support with respect to the second surface is reduced. vehicle. 2. The support device according to claim 1, wherein the support portion is passively displaced in a direction opposite to a moving direction of the vehicle body by using a load from the user as a driving force. vehicle. The at least one support device comprises:
a first support section as the support section that supports the user moving from the ground to the user area; a first driving device that displaces the first support section in a direction opposite to the movement direction of the vehicle body; a first assistance device for boarding, comprising a first assistance controller that controls the first drive device;
a second support section as the support section that supports the user moving from the user area to the ground; a second driving device that displaces the second support section in a direction opposite to the movement direction of the vehicle body; a second assistance device for getting off, comprising a second assistance controller that controls the second drive device;
8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a method of controlling the first driving device by the first support controller and a method of controlling the second driving device by the second support controller are different from each other. vehicle. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the vehicle body has a longitudinally elongated shape extending in a front-rear direction along a moving direction of the vehicle body by the moving device. 10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the support portion is located at one end of the vehicle body in a lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The mobile device has a plurality of wheels,
11. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein said support portion has a mounting surface arranged at a position lower than the upper end of said wheel and supporting a user from below. The vehicle body has a floor supporting a user from below in the user area,
The support section has a placement surface that supports the user from below,
A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said floor surface and said resting surface differ from each other in at least one of color, surface shape and pattern.

Images