Vehicle and vehicle control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11724644-B2
Application number	US-202117463983-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 1, 2021
Priority date	Sep 3, 2020
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

A vehicle for transporting passengers include a floor board on which the passengers ride. The vehicle further includes a passenger distribution detection device that detects a passenger distribution that is a distribution of the passengers on the floor board. The vehicle further includes a control device that executes a passenger guidance control that guides the passengers on the floor board such that the passenger distribution approaches a target passenger distribution to increase a stability of the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle that transports passengers, the vehicle comprising:
a floor board on which the passengers ride;
a passenger distribution detection device configured to detect a current passenger distribution that is a distribution of the passengers on the floor board; and
a control device configured to execute a passenger guidance control that determines a target passenger distribution to increase a stability of the vehicle based on the current passenger distribution detected by the passenger distribution detection device and guides the passengers on the floor board such that the current passenger distribution approaches the target passenger distribution.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a light emitting device provided on a surface of the floor board,
wherein in the passenger guidance control, the control device controls the light emitting device so that a target passenger position corresponding to the target passenger distribution is illuminated, or controls the light emitting device so that a guide mark that prompts movement to the target passenger position is illuminated.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a projector that projects an image on a surface of the floor board,
wherein in the passenger guidance control, the control device controls the projector to project the image indicating a target passenger position corresponding to the target passenger distribution, or controls the projector to project the image that prompts movement to the target passenger position.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a monitor,
wherein in the passenger guidance control, the control device displays information indicating a target passenger position corresponding to the target passenger distribution on the monitor.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising an actuator that changes an inclination of the floor board,
wherein in the passenger guidance control, the control device controls the actuator to change the inclination of the floor board to guide the passengers in a direction toward a target passenger position corresponding to the target passenger distribution.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the passenger distribution detection device includes a plurality of load meters provided below the floor board, and
the passenger distribution includes a weight of each of the passengers on the floor board.

7. The vehicle according to claim 6 ,
wherein the passenger distribution detection device further includes a camera that captures an image of a passenger space above the floor board, and
the control device estimates a height of each of the passengers based on the image captured by the camera, estimates a height of a center of gravity of each of the passengers based on the height and the weight of each of the passengers, and determines the target passenger distribution based on the weight and the height of the center of gravity of each of the passengers.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein when the vehicle passes through a slope, a step, or a cant road, the control device executes the passenger guidance control by correcting the target passenger distribution based on an inclination of the vehicle.

9. A vehicle control system for controlling a vehicle including a floor board on which passengers ride, the vehicle control system comprising:
a passenger distribution detection device configured to detect a current passenger distribution that is a distribution of the passengers on the floor board; and
a control device configured to execute a passenger guidance control that determines a target passenger distribution to increase a stability of the vehicle based on the current passenger distribution detected by the passenger distribution detection device and guides the passengers on the floor board such that the current passenger distribution approaches the target passenger distribution.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Narita Saki
• Kanata Tetsuya
• Iwami Yozo
• Honda Daisaku
• Katsumata Yuhei
• Fukudome Hideki
• Watabe Takuya
• Ichikawa Naoko
• Maniwa Yuta
• Nishikawa Yuki

Classifications

• B60W30/02 Primary

  Control of vehicle driving stability · CPC title

• B60Q3/76

  for spotlighting, e.g. reading lamps (spotlighting on or for specific fittings B60Q3/20; spotlighting in mass transit vehicles B60Q3/44) · CPC title

• B60W40/13

  Load or weight · CPC title

• B62D25/2009

  in connection with other superstructure subunits · CPC title

• B62D51/001

  characterised by the vehicle control device (mechanical features of control devices in general G05G; arrangements of vehicle control devices in general B60K20/00, B60K23/00, B60K26/00) · CPC title