Damage reduction device, damage reduction method, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11254307-B2
Application number	US-201916599740-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2019
Priority date	Sep 29, 2015
Publication date	Feb 22, 2022
Grant date	Feb 22, 2022

Abstract

A damage reduction device according to an embodiment of the present technology includes an input unit, a prediction unit, a recognition unit, and a determination unit. The input unit inputs status data regarding a status in a moving direction of a moving body apparatus. The prediction unit predicts a collision with an object in the moving direction on the basis of the status data. The recognition unit recognizes whether the object includes a person. The determination unit determines, when the collision with the object is predicted and it is recognized that the object includes a person, a steering direction of the moving body apparatus in which a collision with the person is avoidable, on the basis of the status data.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A damage reduction device, comprising:
an input unit that inputs status data regarding a status in a moving direction of a moving body apparatus;
a prediction unit that predicts a collision with an object in the moving direction on the basis of the status data;
a recognition unit that recognizes a type of the object as a person, a vehicle, or an unmanned structure; and
a determination unit that determines, when the collision with the object is predicted, a steering direction of the moving body apparatus based on the recognized object type, wherein, when the object is recognized as a person, the steering direction is determined so as to minimize damage to the person and, when the object is recognized as an unmanned structure, the steering direction is determined so as to minimize damage to the moving body apparatus.

2. The damage reduction device according to claim 1 , wherein
the determination unit determines, when it is predicted that a collision with the object other than the person is unavoidable, a collision mode of the moving body apparatus to the object on the basis of a type of the object.

3. The damage reduction device according to claim 2 , wherein
the determination unit determines, when the object is recognized as a manned moving body, a target collision site of the object, with which the moving body apparatus is to collide, and determines, when the object is recognized as an unmanned structure, a target collision site of the moving body apparatus that collides with the object.

4. The damage reduction device according to claim 3 , wherein
the status data includes object passenger data regarding a sitting position of a passenger in the manned moving body, and
the determination unit determines, when the object is recognized as the manned moving body, a target collision site of the manned moving body on the basis of the object passenger data.

5. The damage reduction device according to claim 4 , further comprising
an object passenger estimation unit that estimates the sitting position of the passenger of the manned moving body on the basis of the object passenger data, wherein
the determination unit determines a non-sitting position of the passenger of the manned moving body or a vicinity thereof as a target collision site of the manned moving body.

6. The damage reduction device according to claim 2 , wherein
the input unit further inputs moving-body passenger data regarding a sitting position of a passenger of the moving body apparatus,
the damage reduction device further comprises a passenger grasping unit that grasps the sitting position of the passenger of the moving body apparatus on the basis of the moving-body passenger data, and
the determination unit further determines a target collision site of the moving body apparatus that collides with the object, on the basis of the status data and the moving-body passenger data.

7. The damage reduction device according to claim 6 , wherein
the determination unit determines a non-sitting position of the passenger of the moving body apparatus or a vicinity thereof as a target collision site of the moving body apparatus.

8. The damage reduction device according to claim 1 , further comprising
an output unit that outputs control data for moving the moving body apparatus in the steering direction determined by the determination unit, to a control unit that controls a moving operation of the moving body apparatus.

9. The damage reduction device according to claim 1 , wherein
the damage reduction device is mounted to the moving body apparatus that is equipped with at least a distance sensor for the moving direction and a front camera, and
the input unit inputs data from the distance sensor and the front camera as the status data.

10. A damage reduction method, comprising:
inputting status data regarding a status in a moving direction of a moving body apparatus;
predicting a collision with an object in the moving direction on the basis of the status data;
recognizing a type of the object as a person, a vehicle, or an unmanned structure; and
determining, when the collision with the object is predicted, a steering direction of the moving body apparatus based on the recognized object type, wherein, when the object is recognized as a person, the steering direction is determined so as to minimize damage to the person and, when the object is recognized as an unmanned structure, the steering direction is determined so as to minimize damage to the moving body apparatus.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, perform a damage reduction method comprising:
inputting status data regarding a status in a moving direction of a moving body apparatus;
predicting a collision with an object in the moving direction on the basis of the status data;
recognizing a type of the object as a person, a vehicle, or an unmanned structure; and
determining, when the collision with the object is predicted, a steering direction of the moving body apparatus based on the recognized object type, wherein, when the object is recognized as a person, the steering direction is determined so as to minimize damage to the person and, when the object is recognized as an unmanned structure, the steering direction is determined so as to minimize damage to the moving body apparatus.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Oyaizu Hideki
• Kondo Yuhi
• Hirasawa Yasutaka
• Aoki Suguru
• Akama Taketo

Classifications

• H04N23/50

  Constructional details · CPC title

• B60R21/00

  Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks (safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles B60R22/00; seats constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats, B60N2/42; energy-absorbing arrangements for hand wheels for steering vehicles B62D1/11; energy-absorbing arrangements for vehicle steering columns B62D1/19) · CPC title

• B60W30/08

  Active safety systems} predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision {or attempting to minimise its consequences · CPC title

• B60W30/095

  Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision · CPC title

• B62D6/00

  Arrangements for automatically controlling steering depending on driving conditions sensed and responded to, e.g. control circuits (means for initiating a change in direction B62D1/00; steering valves B62D5/06; combined with means for inclining the vehicle body or wheels on bends B62D9/00) · CPC title