Patent Description:
<CIT> (<CIT>) discloses an example of a technique of stopping a bus in a pick-up and drop-off area through automated drive. In the technique described in <CIT>, the clearance between curb stones along the pick-up and drop-off area and the bus is controlled when the bus is stopped in the pick-up and drop-off area. <CIT> describes a pick-up management device, pick-up control method, and storage medium. <CIT> describes method and apparatus for passenger recognition and boarding support of autonomous vehicle. <CIT> describes vehicle ride sharing system and method using smart modules.

Passenger automobiles (hereinafter simply referred to as "vehicles") such as buses and taxis are used by various passengers. The feeling to be had by passengers waiting beside a pick-up and drop-off area when a vehicle is approaching the pick-up and drop-off area differs among the passengers, and particularly differs in accordance with the type of the passengers.

The present invention provides an automated drive device and an automated drive method that can stop a vehicle in a pick-up and drop-off area, in which passengers get on and off the vehicle, with movement that matches the feeling of the passengers.

The present invention pertains to an automated drive device that automatically stops a vehicle in a pick-up and drop-off area in which a passenger gets on and off the vehicle as defined in claim <NUM>. It is possible to stop the vehicle with movement that matches the feeling of the passenger by executing these processes.

Vulnerable pedestrians have difficulty in taking prompt action. Therefore, when a vehicle is approaching the waiting position, the vulnerable pedestrians tend to feel afraid of the vehicle approaching themselves, compared to ordinary passengers. When the vehicle is an automated vehicle, in particular, the automated vehicle is not driven by a driver who can make eye contact with the passengers. Therefore, the vulnerable pedestrians at the waiting position tend to feel more afraid. By performing the first approaching operation described above, however, the vehicle varies its advancing direction at a position far from the vulnerable pedestrians, and approaches the pick-up and drop-off area. Thus, the vulnerable pedestrians feel less afraid of the vehicle approaching.

In the automated drive device according to the present invention, the at least one processor may be configured to perform the first approaching operation in the second process when a plurality of the passengers is waiting at the waiting position and at least one of the passengers is a vulnerable pedestrian. Consequently, the vehicle can be stopped with movement that is gentle to the vulnerable pedestrians at all times.

In the automated drive device according to the present invention, the at least one processor may be configured to perform a first vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle such that an entrance to the vehicle is aligned with a waiting position for the passenger in the second process when the type of the passenger acquired in the first process is a vulnerable pedestrian. The at least one processor may be configured to perform a second vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle at a position determined in advance in the pick-up and drop-off area in the second process when the type of the passenger acquired in the first process is not a vulnerable pedestrian. By varying the content of the vehicle stopping operation in accordance with the type of the passenger in this manner, it is possible to enhance the convenience to the vulnerable pedestrians. In addition, the other passengers do not feel annoyed by extra movement of the vehicle.

In the automated drive device according to the present invention, the at least one processor may be configured to perform the first vehicle stopping operation in the second process when a plurality of the passengers is waiting at the waiting position and at least one of the passengers is a vulnerable pedestrian. Consequently, priority can be given to the convenience to the vulnerable pedestrians.

In the automated drive device according to the present invention, the at least one processor may be configured to perform a first vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle such that an entrance to the vehicle is aligned with a waiting position for the passenger in the second process when the type of the passenger acquired in the first process is a vulnerable pedestrian or a person carrying heavy baggage. The at least one processor may be configured to perform a second vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle at a position determined in advance in the pick-up and drop-off area in the second process when the type of the passenger acquired in the first process is neither a vulnerable pedestrian nor a person carrying heavy baggage. By varying the content of the vehicle stopping operation in accordance with the type of the passenger in this manner, it is possible to enhance the convenience to the vulnerable pedestrians and the people carrying heavy baggage. In addition, the other passengers do not feel annoyed by extra movement of the vehicle.

In the automated drive device according to the present invention, the at least one processor may be configured to perform the first vehicle stopping operation in the second process when a plurality of the passengers is waiting at the waiting position and at least one of the passengers is a vulnerable pedestrian or a person carrying heavy baggage. Consequently, priority can be given to the convenience to the vulnerable pedestrians and the people carrying heavy baggage.

The present invention pertains to an automated drive method of automatically stopping a vehicle in a pick-up and drop-off area in which a passenger gets on and off the vehicle as defined in claim <NUM>. It is possible to stop the vehicle with movement that matches the feeling of the passenger through these steps.

When a plurality of passengers is waiting around the pick-up and drop-off area, the first approaching operation may be performed in the second step if at least one of the passengers is a vulnerable pedestrian.

In the automated drive method according to the present invention, when the type of the passenger acquired in the first step is a vulnerable pedestrian, a first vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle such that an entrance to the vehicle is aligned with a waiting position for the passenger may be performing in the second step. When the type of the passenger acquired in the first step is not a vulnerable pedestrian, the second step may include performing a second vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle at a position determined in advance in the pick-up and drop-off area. When a plurality of passengers is waiting around the pick-up and drop-off area, the first vehicle stopping operation may be performed in the second step if at least one of the passengers is a vulnerable pedestrian.

In the automated drive method according to the present invention, when the type of the passenger acquired in the first step is a vulnerable pedestrian or a person carrying heavy baggage, a first vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle such that an entrance to the vehicle is aligned with a waiting position for the passenger may be performed in the second step. When the type of the passenger acquired in the first step is neither a vulnerable pedestrian nor a person carrying heavy baggage, a second vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle at a position determined in advance in the pick-up and drop-off area may be performing in the second step. When a plurality of passengers is waiting around the pick-up and drop-off area, the first vehicle stopping operation may be performed in the second step if at least one of the passengers is a vulnerable pedestrian or a person carrying heavy baggage.

With the automated drive device and the automated drive method according to the present invention, as has been discussed above, the vehicle can be stopped in the pick-up and drop-off area, in which the passengers get on and off the vehicle, with movement that matches the feeling of the passengers.

In each embodiment described below, elements that are common to the drawings are denoted by like signs to omit or simplify redundant description. When the number, quantity, amount, range, etc. of elements are mentioned in relation to the embodiment described below, the present invention is not limited to such a number etc. unless specifically stated so or if it is in principle clear that the present invention is limited thereto. In addition, the structure etc. described in relation to the embodiment described below are not necessarily essential to the present invention unless specifically stated so or if it is in principle clear that the present invention is limited thereto.

First, an overview of the present embodiment will be described with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> each illustrate an example of the behavior of a bus vehicle <NUM> on which an automated drive device <NUM> according to the present embodiment is mounted. Hereinafter, the bus vehicle <NUM> is simply referred to as a "vehicle <NUM>". A bus bay <NUM> is provided on the outer side of a travel lane <NUM> in which the vehicle <NUM> travels. A pick-up and drop-off area <NUM> in which the vehicle <NUM> is permitted to stop is defined by a rectangular frame in the bus bay <NUM>. In principle, the vehicle <NUM> is allowed to stop only in the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM>.

The vehicle <NUM> is an automated vehicle that can travel autonomously. The vehicle <NUM> travels along a target track TT generated based on a target route while sensing a forward area in the advancing direction using an external sensor to be discussed later. The target track TT is a track to be traveled by the vehicle <NUM> in the target route. When an obstruction is detected ahead of the vehicle <NUM> by sensing, the target track TT is generated such that the vehicle <NUM> avoids the obstruction. In the examples illustrated in the drawings, the target track TT is generated such that the vehicle <NUM> travels from the travel lane <NUM> to the bus bay <NUM> and the vehicle <NUM> is stopped in the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM>.

The behavior of the vehicle <NUM> before being stopped in the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM> differs in accordance with the type of passengers waiting beside the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM>. The area beside the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM> and in which the passengers wait is defined as a "waiting area". The types of the passengers to be determined in the present embodiment include vulnerable pedestrians, people carrying heavy baggage, and the others. Herein, the "vulnerable pedestrians" are defined as people who move at a low speed and have difficulty in moving quickly in urgent situations, such as elderly people, wheelchair users, internally handicapped people, expectant mothers, people suffering from intractable diseases, small children, parents pushing baby buggies, and parents holding babies.

First, the behavior of the vehicle <NUM> for a case where the type of the passengers is vulnerable pedestrians will be described with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>. Passengers <NUM> in the examples illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG> are vulnerable pedestrians. Examples of the vulnerable pedestrians include a wheelchair user 21A and an elderly person 21B schematically illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>.

In the example illustrated in <FIG>, the passengers <NUM> are waiting at the front end portion of the waiting area. The front end portion is the front end in the advancing direction of the vehicle <NUM>. When the vulnerable pedestrians are waiting, the vehicle <NUM> traveling in the travel lane <NUM> obliquely enters from the travel lane <NUM> into the bus bay <NUM> at the position of the bus bay <NUM> farthest from the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM>. The vehicle <NUM> varies its advancing direction when the vehicle <NUM> approaches curb stones <NUM> that define the boundary between a sidewalk and a roadway. Then, the vehicle <NUM> advances at the lowest possible speed in the bus bay <NUM> in parallel with the curb stones <NUM>. The vehicle <NUM> may be temporarily stopped at the rear end portion of the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM>, and be advanced at the lowest possible speed after checking the safety of the area ahead. Sections indicated by the dashed line, of the line that indicates the target track TT in the drawings, indicate that the vehicle <NUM> advances at the lowest possible speed.

When the vulnerable pedestrians are waiting, the vehicle <NUM> advances to the waiting position at which the passengers <NUM> are waiting. Then, the vehicle <NUM> is stopped with an entrance 2a aligned with the waiting position for the passengers <NUM>. After the vehicle <NUM> is stopped, a ramp plate <NUM> is automatically deployed to assist the passengers <NUM> to get on the vehicle <NUM>. Further, the ground clearance of the vehicle <NUM> is lowered to make it easy for the passengers <NUM> to get on the vehicle <NUM>.

In <FIG>, a distance L1 from the waiting position for the passengers <NUM> to an entry position at which the vehicle <NUM> varies its advancing direction and enters from the travel lane <NUM> into the bus bay <NUM> is indicated by the double-headed arrow. In the example illustrated in <FIG>, the entry position for the vehicle <NUM> is significantly far from the waiting position for the passengers <NUM>. Therefore, an advancing direction AD1 of the vehicle <NUM> at the time when the vehicle <NUM> varies its advancing direction and enters the bus bay <NUM> is significantly different from the direction of the waiting position for the passengers <NUM> as seen from the vehicle <NUM>.

In the example illustrated in <FIG>, the passengers <NUM> are waiting around the middle portion of the waiting area. Similarly to the example illustrated in <FIG>, the vehicle <NUM> obliquely enters from the travel lane <NUM> into the bus bay <NUM> at the position of the bus bay <NUM> farthest from the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM>. Similarly to the example illustrated in <FIG>, the vehicle <NUM> varies its advancing direction when the vehicle <NUM> approaches the curb stones <NUM> that define the boundary between the sidewalk and the roadway. Then, the vehicle <NUM> advances at the lowest possible speed in the bus bay <NUM> in parallel with the curb stones <NUM>, and is stopped with the entrance 2a aligned with the waiting position at which the passengers <NUM> are waiting. After the vehicle <NUM> is stopped, the ramp plate <NUM> is automatically deployed from the vehicle <NUM>, and the ground clearance of the vehicle <NUM> is lowered.

In the example illustrated in <FIG>, the waiting position for the passengers <NUM> is on the rear end side of the waiting area with respect to the waiting position in the example illustrated in <FIG>. Therefore, a distance L2 from the waiting position for the passengers <NUM> to the entry position for the vehicle <NUM> is shorter than the distance L1 in the example illustrated in <FIG>. Since the waiting position and the entry position are significantly far enough from each other, however, an advancing direction AD2 of the vehicle <NUM> at the time when the vehicle <NUM> varies its advancing direction and enters the bus bay <NUM> is significantly different from the direction of the waiting position for the passengers <NUM> as seen from the vehicle <NUM>.

Next, the behavior of the vehicle <NUM> for a case where the type of the passengers is people carrying heavy baggage will be described with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>. Passengers <NUM> in the examples illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG> are people carrying heavy baggage. Examples of the people carrying heavy baggage include a tourist 22A carrying a large suitcase and a cyclist 22B carrying a bicycle schematically illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>.

In the example illustrated in <FIG>, similarly to the example illustrated in <FIG>, the passengers <NUM> are waiting at the front end portion of the waiting area. When the people carrying heavy baggage are waiting, the vehicle <NUM> traveling in the travel lane <NUM> obliquely enters from the travel lane <NUM> into the bus bay <NUM> before the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM>. The vehicle <NUM> varies its advancing direction when the vehicle <NUM> approaches the curb stones <NUM>. Then, the vehicle <NUM> becomes parallel to the curb stones <NUM> at the rear end portion of the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM>. When the people carrying heavy baggage are waiting, the vehicle <NUM> advances at the lowest possible speed in parallel with the curb stones <NUM>, and is stopped with the entrance 2a aligned with the waiting position at which the passengers <NUM> are waiting. After the vehicle <NUM> is stopped, the ramp plate <NUM> is automatically deployed from the vehicle <NUM>, and the ground clearance of the vehicle <NUM> is lowered.

In the example illustrated in <FIG>, the entry position at which the vehicle <NUM> varies its advancing direction and enters from the travel lane <NUM> into the bus bay <NUM> is closer to the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM> than the entry position in the example illustrated in <FIG>. Therefore, a distance L3 from the waiting position for the passengers <NUM> to the entry position for the vehicle <NUM> is shorter than the distance L1 in the example illustrated in <FIG>. Hence, the difference between an advancing direction AD3 at the time when the vehicle <NUM> varies its advancing direction and enters the bus bay <NUM> and the direction of the waiting position for the passengers <NUM> as seen from the vehicle <NUM> is smaller than the difference in the example illustrated in <FIG>.

In the example illustrated in <FIG>, similarly to the example illustrated in <FIG>, the passengers <NUM> are waiting around the middle portion of the waiting area. Since the passengers <NUM> are people carrying heavy baggage, the vehicle <NUM> obliquely enters from the travel lane <NUM> into the bus bay <NUM> before the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM>, as in the example illustrated in <FIG>. As in the example illustrated in <FIG>, the vehicle <NUM> advances at the lowest possible speed in parallel with the curb stones <NUM> from around the rear end portion of the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM>. Then, the vehicle <NUM> is stopped with the entrance 2a aligned with the waiting position at which the passengers <NUM> are waiting. After the vehicle <NUM> is stopped, the ramp plate <NUM> is automatically deployed from the vehicle <NUM>, and the ground clearance of the vehicle <NUM> is lowered.

In the example illustrated in <FIG>, the entry position at which the vehicle <NUM> varies its advancing direction and enters from the travel lane <NUM> into the bus bay <NUM> is closer to the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM> than the entry position in the example illustrated in <FIG>. Therefore, a distance L4 from the waiting position for the passengers <NUM> to the entry position of the vehicle <NUM> is much shorter than the distance L2 in the example illustrated in <FIG>. Hence, the difference between an advancing direction AD4 at the time when the vehicle <NUM> varies its advancing direction and enters the bus bay <NUM> and the direction of the waiting position for the passengers <NUM> as seen from the vehicle <NUM> is smaller than the difference in the example illustrated in <FIG>. In the example illustrated in <FIG>, the waiting position for the passengers <NUM> is positioned ahead in the advancing direction AD4 of the vehicle <NUM>.

Next, the behavior of the vehicle <NUM> for a case where the type of the passengers is neither vulnerable pedestrians nor people carrying heavy baggage will be described with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>. Herein, people that are neither vulnerable pedestrians nor people carrying heavy baggage are conveniently referred to "ordinary passengers". Passengers <NUM> in the examples illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG> are ordinary passengers.

In the example illustrated in <FIG>, as in the examples illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the passengers <NUM> are waiting at the front end portion of the waiting area. When the ordinary passengers are waiting, the vehicle <NUM> traveling in the travel lane <NUM> obliquely enters from the travel lane <NUM> into the bus bay <NUM> before the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM>, as in the example illustrated in <FIG>. When the people waiting are the ordinary passengers, the vehicle <NUM> varies its advancing direction when the vehicle <NUM> approaches the curb stones <NUM>, and is stopped at the rear end portion of the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM>. After the vehicle <NUM> is stopped, the ground clearance of the vehicle <NUM> is lowered, but the ramp plate <NUM> is not deployed.

A distance L5 from the waiting position for the passengers <NUM> to the entry position for the vehicle <NUM> in the example illustrated in <FIG> is the same as the distance L3 in the example illustrated in <FIG>. That is, the distance L5 is shorter than the distance L1 in the example illustrated in <FIG>. Hence, the difference between an advancing direction AD5 at the time when the vehicle <NUM> varies its advancing direction and enters the bus bay <NUM> and the direction of the waiting position for the passengers <NUM> as seen from the vehicle <NUM> is smaller than the difference in the example illustrated in <FIG>. That is, the advancing direction AD5 of the vehicle <NUM> in the example illustrated in <FIG> is closer to the direction of the waiting position for the passengers <NUM> than that in the example illustrated in <FIG>.

In the example illustrated in <FIG>, similarly to the examples illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the passengers <NUM> are waiting around the middle portion of the waiting area. Since the passengers <NUM> are ordinary passengers, the vehicle <NUM> obliquely enters from the travel lane <NUM> into the bus bay <NUM> before the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM>, as in the example illustrated in <FIG>. Similarly to the example illustrated in <FIG>, the vehicle <NUM> varies its advancing direction when the vehicle <NUM> approaches the curb stones <NUM>. Then, the vehicle <NUM> is stopped at the rear end portion of the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM>. After the vehicle <NUM> is stopped, the ground clearance of the vehicle <NUM> is lowered, but the ramp plate <NUM> is not deployed.

A distance L6 from the waiting position for the passengers <NUM> to the entry position for the vehicle <NUM> in the example illustrated in <FIG> is the same as the distance L4 in the example illustrated in <FIG>. That is, the distance L6 is shorter than the distance L2 in the example illustrated in <FIG>. Hence, the difference between an advancing direction AD6 at the time when the vehicle <NUM> varies its advancing direction and enters the bus bay <NUM> and the direction of the waiting position for the passengers <NUM> as seen from the vehicle <NUM> is the same as the difference in the example illustrated in <FIG>, and smaller than the difference in the example illustrated in <FIG>. That is, in the example illustrated in <FIG>, the waiting position for the passengers <NUM> is positioned ahead in the advancing direction AD6 of the vehicle <NUM>.

In the present embodiment, as has been described in relation to the above examples, different operations are performed on the vehicle <NUM> in accordance with the type of the passengers. One of the different operations is an operation to cause the vehicle <NUM> to enter from the travel lane <NUM> into the bus bay <NUM>. For the passengers <NUM>, <NUM> who are not the vulnerable pedestrians, as in the examples illustrated in <FIG>, an approaching operation to cause the vehicle <NUM> to enter the bus bay <NUM> before the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM> and approach the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM> is performed. For the passengers <NUM> who are the vulnerable pedestrians, on the contrary, an approaching operation to cause the vehicle <NUM> to enter the bus bay <NUM> at the position of the bus bay <NUM> farthest from the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM> and approach the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM> is performed, as in the examples illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>. That is, for the passengers <NUM> who are the vulnerable pedestrians, an approaching operation to cause the vehicle <NUM> to approach the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM> is performed at a position farther from the waiting position than for the passengers <NUM>, <NUM> who are not the vulnerable pedestrians.

Specifically, for the passengers <NUM>, <NUM> who are not the vulnerable pedestrians, the waiting position for the passengers <NUM>, <NUM> is occasionally positioned ahead in the advancing direction AD4, AD6 of the vehicle <NUM>, as in the examples illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, depending on the waiting position for the passengers <NUM>, <NUM>. In this case, the passengers <NUM>, <NUM> who are located at the waiting position see the vehicle <NUM> approaching towards themselves. The vulnerable pedestrians have difficulty in taking prompt action. Therefore, when the passengers <NUM>, <NUM> are the vulnerable pedestrians, the passengers <NUM>, <NUM> tend to feel afraid of the vehicle <NUM> approaching towards themselves. Further, the vehicle <NUM> according to the present embodiment is an automated vehicle, and thus people cannot make eye contact with a driver. Hence, the vulnerable pedestrians would feel more afraid.

By performing an approaching operation as in the examples illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, however, the vehicle <NUM> varies its advancing direction at a position far from the passengers <NUM> who are the vulnerable pedestrians, and approaches the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM>. Thus, the possibility that the waiting position for the passengers <NUM> is positioned ahead in the advancing direction AD1, AD2 of the vehicle <NUM> is suppressed. Consequently, the passengers <NUM> who are the vulnerable pedestrians feel less afraid of the vehicle <NUM> approaching. The approaching operation discussed above performed for the passengers <NUM> who are the vulnerable pedestrians is an example of a "first approaching operation". The approaching operation performed for the passengers <NUM>, <NUM> who are not the vulnerable pedestrians is an example of a "second approaching operation". The first approaching operation is an approaching operation to cause the vehicle <NUM> to approach the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM> at a position farther from the waiting position for the passengers than the second approaching operation.

Another one of the different operations performed on the vehicle <NUM> in accordance with the type of the passengers is an operation to stop the vehicle <NUM> in the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM>. For the passengers <NUM> who are the vulnerable pedestrians and the passengers <NUM> who carry heavy baggage, an operation to stop the vehicle <NUM> with the entrance 2a to the vehicle <NUM> aligned with the waiting position for the passengers <NUM>, <NUM> is performed, as in the examples illustrated in <FIG>. This operation is an example of a "first vehicle stopping operation". When the first vehicle stopping operation is performed, the passengers <NUM>, <NUM> can wait at any position around the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM>. After the vehicle <NUM> is stopped, in addition, an operation to deploy the ramp plate <NUM> is also performed, which makes it easy for the passengers <NUM>, <NUM> to get on the vehicle <NUM>.

For the ordinary passengers <NUM>, on the other hand, as in the examples illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, an operation to stop the vehicle <NUM> at a position determined in advance in the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM>, at the rear end portion of the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM> in these examples, is performed. This operation is an example of a "second vehicle stopping operation". Due to the second vehicle stopping operation, the vehicle <NUM> is stopped at a predetermined position. Therefore, the possibility that the ordinary passengers <NUM>, who can walk freely by themselves without difficulty, feel annoyed at extra movement of the vehicle <NUM> can be suppressed. In addition, the ramp plate <NUM> is not deployed for the ordinary passengers <NUM>. Therefore, the possibility that the passengers <NUM> feel annoyed at the time required for deployment of the ramp plate <NUM> can also be suppressed.

The behavior of the vehicle <NUM> described in the above overview is implemented by the following configuration of the automated drive device <NUM>. <FIG> is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the vehicle (automated vehicle) <NUM> to which the automated drive device <NUM> is applied. The vehicle <NUM> includes the automated drive device <NUM>, an in-vehicle sensor <NUM> that inputs information to the automated drive device <NUM>, and an actuator <NUM> that operates in accordance with a signal output from the automated drive device <NUM>.

The in-vehicle sensor <NUM> includes a global positioning system (GPS) receiver <NUM>, an internal sensor <NUM>, and an external sensor <NUM>. The GPS receiver <NUM> receives signals from GPS satellites to measure the present position (e.g. latitude and longitude) of the vehicle <NUM>. The internal sensor <NUM> is a sensor that acquires information related to motion of the vehicle <NUM>. The internal sensor <NUM> includes a wheel speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a yaw rate sensor, and a steering angle sensor, for example. The external sensor <NUM> is a sensor that acquires information related to the surrounding environment of the vehicle <NUM>. The external sensor <NUM> includes a camera, a millimeter wave radar, and a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor. Information obtained by the external sensor <NUM> is used for processes to detect an object that is present around the vehicle <NUM>, measure the position or the speed of the detected object relative to the vehicle <NUM>, recognize the shape of the detected object, etc. Besides the above components, the vehicle <NUM> also includes a communication device that receives information provided by an external server through a wireless communication network.

The actuator includes an actuator related to travel of the vehicle <NUM>, an air suspension system, and an actuator that moves the ramp plate <NUM> into and out of the vehicle body. The actuator related to travel specifically includes a steering actuator that steers the vehicle <NUM>, a drive actuator that drives the vehicle <NUM>, and a braking actuator that brakes the vehicle <NUM>. The air suspension system includes suspensions with actuators that are expandable by letting air in and out. The air suspension system is provided for the purpose of improving the ride comfort of the vehicle <NUM> during travel and adjusting the ground clearance of the vehicle <NUM>.

The automated drive device <NUM> is an electronic control unit (ECU) that has at least one processor 10a and at least one memory 10b. The memory 10b includes a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device. The memory 10b stores a program that is executable by the processor 10a and a variety of information associated with the program. The program includes a program for causing the vehicle <NUM> to take the behavior described in relation to the overview discussed earlier. The automated drive device <NUM> implements various functions by the processor 10a executing the program stored in the memory 10b. The ECU that constitutes the automated drive device <NUM> may be a collection of a plurality of ECUs.

The information stored in the memory 10b includes map information. The map information is managed by a map route database (map route DB) <NUM>. The map information managed by the map route DB <NUM> includes road position information, road shape information, information on branch points at intersections, information on the target route to be traveled by the vehicle (e.g. information obtained by connecting points arranged at the center of the lane to be traveled), and road structure information. The road structure information includes information on stationary objects that can be acquired by the external sensor <NUM> such as the curb stones <NUM>. The map route DB <NUM> is stored in advance in the auxiliary storage device such as a solid state drive (SSD) and a hard disk drive (HDD). However, map information may be downloaded from a server via the Internet, or map information on a server may be referenced.

The information stored in the memory 10b includes information on advance reservations for the passengers. The advance reservation information is managed by an advance reservation information database (advance reservation information DB) <NUM>. The advance reservation information is information registered when the passengers make a reservation for a ride using a smartphone application. Items to be registered to make a reservation using the application include an item to confirm whether the expected passenger is a vulnerable pedestrian or carries heavy baggage. Hence, the advance reservation information includes information related to the type of the passengers. Processes pertaining to reservations are performed by a reservation server in a reservation center. The reservation server transmits the advance reservation information to the vehicle <NUM>, for which reservations are made.

The automated drive device <NUM> includes a vehicle position estimation section <NUM>, an object recognition section <NUM>, a passenger position and type determination section <NUM>, a travel plan preparation section <NUM>, and a vehicle control section <NUM> as components related to vehicle control for stopping the vehicle <NUM> in the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM>. These components are implemented as the functions of the automated drive device <NUM> when the program stored in the memory 10b is executed by the processor 10a.

The vehicle position estimation section <NUM> estimates the position of the vehicle <NUM> on a map based on position information on the vehicle <NUM> received by the GPS receiver <NUM>, information related to the travel state of the vehicle <NUM> detected by the internal sensor <NUM>, and map information obtained from the map route DB <NUM>. The information related to the travel state includes vehicle speed information, acceleration information, yaw rate information, etc., for example. In addition, the vehicle position estimation section <NUM> can estimate the position of the vehicle <NUM> from the position of a characteristic object detected by the external sensor <NUM> relative to the vehicle <NUM>, information related to the travel state of the vehicle <NUM> detected by the internal sensor <NUM>, and the position of the detected characteristic object on a map.

The object recognition section <NUM> recognizes an object around the vehicle <NUM> by applying a technique, such as pattern matching and deep learning, to information received from the external sensor <NUM> to specify the position at which the object is present and the type of the object. Examples of the object to be recognized by the object recognition section <NUM> include a vehicle, a motorcycle, a bicycle, a pedestrian, etc. The passengers waiting in the waiting area are each also an object to be recognized by the object recognition section <NUM>. When the passengers have a characteristic appearance, the type of the passengers can be determined from the appearance. For example, a wheelchair user, an elderly person with a stick, a parent and a child with a baby buggy, etc. can be determined as the type of the passengers through pattern matching, for example. The object recognition section <NUM> outputs the object, the position and the type of which have been specified, as a target.

The passenger position and type determination section <NUM> acquires the map information from the map route DB <NUM>, the advance reservation information from the advance reservation information DB <NUM>, the vehicle position information from the vehicle position estimation section <NUM>, and the target information from the object recognition section <NUM>. The passenger position and type determination section <NUM> determines the waiting position for the passengers waiting in the waiting area and the type of the passengers based on the acquired information. The passenger position and type determination section <NUM> determines whether the passengers waiting include a vulnerable pedestrian and whether the passengers include a person carrying heavy baggage. The passenger position and type determination section <NUM> executes such determinations before the vehicle <NUM> reaches the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM>, more particularly before the vehicle <NUM> starts the behavior of approaching the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM>.

The travel plan preparation section <NUM> prepares a travel plan for the vehicle <NUM> based on the target route recorded in the map route DB <NUM>, the target information obtained by the object recognition section <NUM>, and the waiting position and the type of the passengers determined by the passenger position and type determination section <NUM>, for example. The travel plan is prepared such that the vehicle <NUM> travels on the target route appropriately in the light of safety, compliance, and standards such as travel efficiency. The travel plan preparation section <NUM> generates a target track TT based on the prepared travel plan. The target track TT includes a collection of target positions p for the vehicle <NUM> in a coordinate system fixed to the vehicle <NUM>, and a target speed v at each target point. That is, the travel plan preparation section <NUM> outputs the target track TT as a collection of configuration coordinates (p, v).

The target track TT to the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM> differs in accordance with the waiting position and the type of the passengers. When the type of the passengers determined by the passenger position and type determination section <NUM> is the vulnerable pedestrians, a target track TT such as those in the examples illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG> is generated. The operations to cause the behavior of the vehicle <NUM> to follow the target track TT are the first approaching operation and the first vehicle stopping operation discussed earlier. When the determined type of the passengers is the people carrying heavy baggage, a target track TT such as those in the examples illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG> is generated. The second approaching operation and the first vehicle stopping operation discussed earlier are performed to cause the behavior of the vehicle <NUM> to follow the target track TT. When the determined type of the passengers is the ordinary passengers, a target track TT such as those in the examples illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG> is generated. The second approaching operation and the second vehicle stopping operation discussed earlier are performed to cause the behavior of the vehicle <NUM> to follow the target track TT.

The vehicle control section <NUM> automatically controls travel of the vehicle <NUM> based on the target track TT generated by the travel plan preparation section <NUM>. The vehicle control section <NUM> outputs an operation signal for causing the vehicle <NUM> to follow the target track TT to travel actuators. In addition, the vehicle control section <NUM> lowers the ground clearance of the vehicle <NUM> by controlling the actuators of the air suspension system when the vehicle <NUM> is stopped. When the type of the passengers is the vulnerable pedestrians or the people carrying heavy baggage, further, the vehicle control section <NUM> deploys the ramp plate <NUM> from the vehicle body when the vehicle <NUM> is stopped.

In the automated drive device <NUM> configured as described above, the process performed by the passenger position and type determination section <NUM> is an example of the first process of the automated drive device according to the present invention. Meanwhile, the process performed by the travel plan preparation section <NUM> and the vehicle control section <NUM> is an example of the second process of the automated drive device according to the present invention.

In the present embodiment, automated drive of the vehicle <NUM> is performed by the automated drive device <NUM> configured as described above. The behavior of the vehicle <NUM> described in the foregoing overview is implemented through automated drive of the vehicle <NUM> performed by the automated drive device <NUM>. An automated drive method by the automated drive device <NUM> will be described with reference to <FIG> is a flowchart indicating the procedure for the automated drive method by the automated drive device <NUM>.

In the flowchart illustrated in <FIG>, first, the automated drive device <NUM> determines the type of the passengers waiting in the waiting area before the vehicle <NUM> reaches the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM> (step S1). As discussed earlier, the advance reservation information registered in the advance reservation information DB <NUM> and the result of the recognition by the object recognition section <NUM> are used to determine the type of the passengers. Step S1 is an example of the first step of the automated drive method according to the present invention. Meanwhile, step S2 and the subsequent steps to be discussed below are an example of the second step of the automated drive method according to the present invention.

Next, the automated drive device <NUM> determines, based on the result of the determination in step S1, whether the passengers include a vulnerable pedestrian (step S2). When the passengers include at least one vulnerable pedestrian, the automated drive device <NUM> executes the first approaching operation to cause the vehicle <NUM> to approach the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM> at a position relatively far from the waiting position for the passengers (step S3). Further, the automated drive device <NUM> executes the first vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle <NUM> with the entrance 2a aligned with the waiting position for the passengers (step S4). After the vehicle <NUM> is stopped, the automated drive device <NUM> deploys the ramp plate <NUM> (step S5). The automated drive device <NUM> lowers the ground clearance of the vehicle <NUM> through the air suspension system after or while deploying the ramp plate <NUM> (step S6). Preparation for pick-up and drop-off is completed in this manner.

When the passengers do not include any vulnerable pedestrians, the automated drive device <NUM> executes the second approaching operation to cause the vehicle <NUM> to approach the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM> at a position relatively close to the waiting position for the passengers (step S7). Next, the automated drive device <NUM> determines, based on the result of the determination in step S <NUM>, whether the passengers include a person carrying heavy baggage (step S8). When the passengers include at least one person carrying heavy baggage, the automated drive device <NUM> executes the first vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle <NUM> with the entrance 2a aligned with the waiting position for the passengers (step S4). After the vehicle <NUM> is stopped, the automated drive device <NUM> deploys the ramp plate <NUM> (step S5). The automated drive device <NUM> lowers the ground clearance of the vehicle through the air suspension system after or while deploying the ramp plate <NUM> (step S6). Preparation for pick-up and drop-off is completed in this manner.

When the passengers do not include any people carrying heavy baggage, the automated drive device <NUM> executes the second vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle <NUM> at a position in the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM> determined in advance (step S9). After the vehicle <NUM> is stopped, the automated drive device <NUM> lowers the ground clearance of the vehicle through the air suspension system (step S6). Preparation for pick-up and drop-off is completed in this manner.

With the automated drive method performed by the above procedure, the vehicle can be stopped in the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM>, in which the passengers get on and off the vehicle <NUM>, with movement that matches the feeling of the passengers.

In the embodiment described above, the first vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle <NUM> with the entrance 2a to the vehicle <NUM> aligned with the waiting position for the passengers is performed when the type of the passengers is the vulnerable pedestrians or the people carrying heavy baggage. Meanwhile, the second vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle <NUM> at a position determined in advance in the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM> is performed when the type of the passengers is neither the vulnerable pedestrians nor the people carrying heavy baggage. That is, in the embodiment described above, the vulnerable pedestrians and the people carrying heavy baggage are treated equally regarding the vehicle stopping operations.

However, the vulnerable pedestrians and the people carrying heavy baggage are not considered to completely feel the same way regarding movement of the vehicle <NUM> during stopping. For the people simply carrying heavy baggage, the annoyance of having to wait until the entrance 2a is aligned with the waiting position may exceed the benefit of aligning the entrance 2a with the waiting position. Hence, in another embodiment of the vehicle stopping operations, the first vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle <NUM> with the entrance 2a to the vehicle <NUM> aligned with the waiting position for the passengers may be performed only when the type of the passengers is the vulnerable pedestrians. That is, the second vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle <NUM> at a position determined in advance in the pick-up and drop-off area <NUM> may be performed when the type of the passengers is not the vulnerable pedestrians. Likewise, the operation to deploy the ramp plate <NUM> may be performed only when the type of the passengers is the vulnerable pedestrians. The first vehicle stopping operation is preferably performed when a plurality of passengers is waiting in the waiting area and at least one of the passengers is the vulnerable pedestrian.

Claim 1:
An automated drive device (<NUM>) that automatically stops a vehicle (<NUM>) in a pick-up and drop-off area (<NUM>) in which a passenger gets on and off the vehicle, the automated drive device comprising:
at least one processor (10a) configured to
acquire a type of the passenger (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) before the vehicle reaches the pick-up and drop-off area as a first process, and
change a behavior for stopping the vehicle (<NUM>) in the pick-up and drop-off area (<NUM>) in accordance with the type of the passenger as a second process; and
at least one memory (10b) that stores a program and information to be read by the at least one processor (10a),
wherein the at least one processor (10a) is configured to:
perform a first approaching operation to cause the vehicle (<NUM>) to approach the pick-up and drop-off area (<NUM>) in the second process when the type of the passenger acquired in the first process is a vulnerable pedestrian (<NUM>); and
perform a second approaching operation to cause the vehicle (<NUM>) to approach the pick-up and drop-off area (<NUM>) in the second process when the type of the passenger acquired in the first process is not a vulnerable pedestrian, characterized in that
position at which an advancing direction of the vehicle is varied in the second approaching operation is closer to a waiting position of the passenger than a position at which the advancing direction of the vehicle is varied in the first approaching operation, the waiting position being a position at which the passenger waits to get on and off the vehicle.