Vehicle control device, vehicle control system, vehicle control method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11027651-B2
Application number	US-202016785676-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2020
Priority date	Feb 27, 2019
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

A vehicle control device includes: a recognizer configured to recognize a surrounding environment of a vehicle; a driving controller configured to perform speed control and steering control of the vehicle based on a recognition result of the recognizer; a communication unit configured to communicate with a terminal device of a user boarding the vehicle; a vehicle exterior notification unit configured to notify information regarding vehicle identification to the vehicle exterior; and a notification controller configured to cause the communication unit to transmit information for notifying the information regarding the vehicle identification to the terminal device and to cause the vehicle exterior notification unit to notify the information regarding the vehicle identification when the driving controller causes the vehicle to travel toward a position at which the user is located.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle control device comprising:
a recognizer configured to recognize a surrounding environment of a vehicle;
a driving controller configured to perform speed control and steering control of the vehicle based on a recognition result of the recognizer;
a communication unit configured to communicate with a terminal device of a user boarding the vehicle;
a vehicle exterior notification unit configured to notify information regarding vehicle identification to the vehicle exterior; and
a notification controller configured to cause the communication unit to transmit information for notifying the information regarding the vehicle identification to the terminal device and to cause the vehicle exterior notification unit to notify the information regarding the vehicle identification when the driving controller causes the vehicle to travel toward a position at which the user is located, wherein the notification controller is further configured to:
cause the communication unit to transmit the information for notifying the information regarding the vehicle identification to the terminal device, and
cause the vehicle exterior notification unit to notify the information regarding the vehicle identification, when a distance between the terminal device and the vehicle or a distance between a boarding area in which the user boards the vehicle to the vehicle, is within a predetermined distance.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the notification controller is further configured to associate content or a mode of the information regarding the vehicle identification notified by the terminal device, with content or the mode of the information regarding the vehicle identification notified by the vehicle exterior notification unit.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the notification controller is further configured to synchronize a timing at which the information regarding the vehicle identification is notified by the terminal device with the timing at which the information regarding the vehicle identification is notified by the vehicle exterior notification unit.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the notification controller is further configured to:
cause the vehicle exterior notification unit to output one or both of an image and a sound associated with the information regarding the vehicle identification, and
cause the communication unit to transmit information for outputting one or both of the image and the sound associated with the information regarding the vehicle identification to the terminal device.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the notification controller is further configured to:
cause the communication unit to transmit the information for notifying the information regarding the vehicle identification to the terminal device, and
cause the vehicle exterior notification unit to notify the information regarding the vehicle identification when the recognizer recognizes the user boarding the vehicle.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a reception unit configured to receive setting of a notification mode associated with the information regarding the vehicle identification.

7. The vehicle control device according to claim 6 , wherein the notification mode includes at least one of a type of image, an image display mode, a type of sound, and a sound output mode.

8. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the driving controller causes the vehicle to stop at a position associated with the boarding area when the user is located in the boarding area in which the user boards the vehicle, and the driving controller causes the vehicle to travel slowly when the user is not located in the boarding area.

9. A vehicle control system including:
a vehicle control device configured to control a vehicle; and
a terminal device configured to communicate with the vehicle, wherein the vehicle control device includes:
a recognizer that recognizes a surrounding environment of the vehicle,
a driving controller that performs speed control and steering control of the vehicle based on a recognition result of the recognizer,
a vehicle-side communication unit that communicates with a terminal device of a user boarding the vehicle,
a vehicle exterior notification unit that notifies information regarding vehicle identification to the vehicle exterior, and
a notification controller that causes the vehicle-side communication unit to transmit information for notifying the information regarding the vehicle identification to the terminal device and causes the vehicle exterior notification unit to notify the information regarding the vehicle identification when the driving controller causes the vehicle to travel toward a position at which the user is located, and

wherein the terminal device includes:
a terminal-side communication unit that communicates with the vehicle control device, and
a notification unit that notifies the information regarding the vehicle identification received by the terminal-side communication unit, wherein the notification controller is further configured to:
cause the vehicle-side communication unit to transmit the information for notifying the information regarding the vehicle identification to the terminal device, and
cause the vehicle exterior notification unit to notify the information regarding the vehicle identification, when a distance between the terminal device and the vehicle or a distance between a boarding area in which the user boards the vehicle to the vehicle, is within a predetermined distance.

10. A vehicle control method causing a computer to:
recognize a surrounding environment of a vehicle;
perform speed control and steering control of the vehicle based on a recognition result; and
cause a communication unit to:
transmit information for notifying information regarding vehicle identification to a terminal device, and
cause a vehicle exterior notification unit to notify the information regarding the vehicle identification to the outside of the vehicle when:
the vehicle is caused to travel toward a position at which a user is located, and
a distance between the terminal device and the vehicle or a distance between a boarding area in which the user boards the vehicle to the vehicle, is within a predetermined distance.

11. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium that stores a program causing a computer to:
recognize a surrounding environment of a vehicle;
perform speed control and steering control of the vehicle based on a recognition result; and
cause a communication unit to transmit information for notifying information regarding vehicle identification to a terminal device and cause a vehicle exterior notification unit to notify the information regarding the vehicle identification to the outside of the vehicle when a process of causing the vehicle to travel toward a position at which a user is located is performed, wherein the notification controller is further configured to:
cause the communication unit to transmit the information for notifying the information regarding the vehicle identification to the terminal device, and
cause the vehicle exterior notification unit to notify the information regarding the vehicle identification, when a distance between the terminal device and the vehicle or a distance between a boarding area in which the user boards the vehicle to the vehicle, is within a predetermined distance.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yamanaka Hiroshi
• Shoda Yasushi
• Noguchi Junpei
• Hara Yuki
• Yamane Katsuyasu
• Mimura Yoshitaka
• Taguchi Ryoma
• Takada Yuta
• Sugihara Chie
• Motegi Yuki
• Shibauchi Tsubasa

Classifications

• B60Q1/507

  specific to autonomous vehicles · CPC title

• B60Q1/543

  for indicating other states or conditions of the vehicle (indicating taxis' state of hire or fare G07B13/045) · CPC title

• B60Q1/503 Primary

  using luminous text or symbol displays in or on the vehicle, e.g. static text · CPC title

• B60Q9/00 Primary

  Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 {, e.g. haptic signalling} · CPC title

• G06V20/586

  of parking space · CPC title