Movement assistance system and movement assistance method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10332402-B2
Application number	US-201816156398-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2018
Priority date	Oct 12, 2017
Publication date	Jun 25, 2019
Grant date	Jun 25, 2019

Abstract

A school-travel assistance system includes automobiles. The automobiles include communication modules configured to communicate with each other, and are configured to perform auto-driving. At least one of the automobiles includes a camera configured to detect the group of children. The automobiles perform assistance control (first and second assistance controls) in which they cooperatively assist movement of the group of children, while communicating with each other through the communication modules. The assistance control is control of assisting the movement of the group of children by the automobile traveling in front of the group of children and the automobile traveling behind the group of children.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A movement assistance system for assisting movement of a group including a plurality of users, the movement assistance system comprising:
a first vehicle and a second vehicle each configured to perform auto-driving,
at least one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle including a detection device configured to detect the group,
the first vehicle and the second vehicle being configured to perform assistance control in which the first vehicle and the second vehicle cooperatively assist the movement of the group,
the assistance control being control of assisting the movement of the group by the first vehicle traveling in front of the group and the second vehicle traveling behind the group, and wherein
the first vehicle and the second vehicle perform the assistance control when a current time is within a predetermined time period for the movement of the group.

2. The movement assistance system according to claim 1 , wherein the first vehicle and the second vehicle include transceivers, and the first vehicle and the second vehicle perform the assistance control by communicating with each other through the transceivers.

3. The movement assistance system according to claim 1 , wherein the first vehicle and the second vehicle each further include an information acquisition device configured to obtain current location information and obtain information about a path of the movement of the group, and as the current time enters the predetermined time period, the first vehicle and the second vehicle travel to the path of the movement of the group and perform the assistance control.

4. The movement assistance system according to claim 1 , wherein
when a distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle is greater than a given distance, the first vehicle reduces a travel speed of the first vehicle lower than when the distance is shorter than the given distance.

5. The movement assistance system according to claim 1 , wherein the second vehicle further includes a notification device configured to notify the group of a walking zone on a path of the movement of the group.

6. The movement assistance system according to claim 5 , wherein the notification device includes a projector configured to project the walking zone onto a road surface.

7. The movement assistance system according to claim 6 , wherein
the second vehicle causes the projector to modify a shape of the walking zone projected on the road surface according to a condition of the path of the movement of the group.

8. A movement assistance method for assisting movement of a group including a plurality of users, using a first vehicle and a second vehicle,
the first vehicle and the second vehicle being configured to perform auto-driving,
at least one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle being configured to detect the group,
the movement assistance method comprising:
detecting the group, by at least one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle; and assisting the movement of the group by the first vehicle and the second vehicle cooperating with each other, the first vehicle traveling in front of the group and the second vehicle traveling behind the group, wherein
the first vehicle and the second vehicle perform assisting the movement of the group when a current time is within a predetermined time period for the movement of the group.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Goto Jun
• Shimizu Takenori
• Kurokawa Naoki
• Watanabe Junya
• Kawasaki Koji

Classifications

• G08G1/22

  Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles · CPC title

• B60Q1/54

  for indicating speed {outside of the vehicle} · CPC title

• G08G1/163

  involving continuous checking · CPC title

• G08G1/005

  including pedestrian guidance indicator · CPC title

• G08G1/166 Primary

  for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes · CPC title