Vehicle and control method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11009891-B2
Application number	US-201816227240-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2018
Priority date	Dec 26, 2017
Publication date	May 18, 2021
Grant date	May 18, 2021

Abstract

A vehicle is configured to accommodate a cart and a passenger. A communication unit of the vehicle is configured to communicate with the cart. A traveling environment acquisition unit of the vehicle is configured to acquire a traveling environment of the vehicle. A cart control unit of the vehicle is configured to control an arrangement of the cart in the vehicle through the communication unit according to the traveling environment acquired toy the traveling environment acquisition unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle configured to accommodate a cart and a passenger, the vehicle comprising:
a communication unit, which is configured to communicate with the cart;
a traveling environment acquisition unit, which is configured to acquire a traveling environment of the vehicle; and
a cart control unit, which is configured to control an arrangement of the cart within a movement allowable range in the vehicle through the communication unit according to the traveling environment acquired by the traveling environment acquisition unit, wherein the cart is configured to have an autonomous traveling function.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a passenger detection unit, which is configured to detect an arrangement of the passenger in the vehicle,
wherein the cart control unit is configured to control the arrangement of the cart in the vehicle according to the arrangement of the passenger detected by the passenger detection unit.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the cart control unit is configured to determine a size of the movement allowable range of the cart in the vehicle according to a number of carts acquired through the communication unit, and a number of passengers detected through the passenger detection unit.

4. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein
the cart is one of a plurality of carts including a first cart for carrying baggage and a second cart for boarding the passenger, and
the cart control unit is configured to, when the passenger detection unit detects the passenger, move the first cart to maintain a distance between the passenger and the first cart and move the second cart to cause the second cart to approach the passenger.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein
the second cart includes a seating detection unit detecting seating of the passenger on the second cart,
the communication unit is configured to acquire information relevant to a presence or an absence of seating of the passenger on the second cart, and
the cart control unit is configured to determine a size of the movement allowable range of the cart in the vehicle according to a total number of first carts and second carts acquired through the communication unit, a number of passengers detected through the passenger detection unit, and a number of passengers seated on the second cart.

6. A control method of a vehicle to be performed by a processor, the control method comprising:
acquiring a traveling environment of the vehicle in which a cart and a passenger are accommodated, by using a traveling environment acquisition unit of the vehicle; and
communicating with the cart by using a communication unit of the vehicle to control an arrangement of the cart within a movement allowable range in the vehicle according to the acquired traveling environment, wherein the cart is configured to have an autonomous traveling function.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium that stores a program for causing a processor to execute a control process of a vehicle, the control process including:
acquiring a traveling environment of the vehicle in which a cart and a passenger are accommodated by using a traveling environment acquisition unit of the vehicle; and
communicating with the cart by using a communication unit of the vehicle to control an arrangement of the cart within a movement allowable range in the vehicle according to the acquired traveling environment, wherein the cart is configured to have an autonomous traveling function.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Matsuoka Tomohito
• Tsunoda Seiichi
• Goto Jiro
• Yamada Masayuki
• Eto Yasutaka
• Fukunaga Keima
• Tagawa Kinya
• Sasaki Yasuhiro
• Tanaka Sho
• Shinohara Yuki

Classifications

• B60P1/00

  Vehicles predominantly for transporting loads and modified to facilitate loading, consolidating the load, or unloading (vehicles for carrying harvested crops with means for self-loading or self-unloading A01D90/00; peculiar to refuse collecting-vehicles B65F; loading or unloading vehicles by means not incorporated therein B65G) · CPC title

• B62D31/00

  Superstructures for passenger vehicles (passenger vehicles specially adapted to co-operate with aircraft or terminal buildings B64F1/31) · CPC title

• G05D1/0295 Primary

  by at least one leading vehicle of the fleet · CPC title

• G05D1/0231

  using optical position detecting means (position-fixing by using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. optical position detecting means G01S5/16) · CPC title

• G05D2201/0212

  Physics · mapped topic