Automated drive device and automated drive method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11807223-B2
Application number	US-202117502581-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2021
Priority date	Dec 22, 2020
Publication date	Nov 7, 2023
Grant date	Nov 7, 2023

Abstract

An automated drive device that automatically stops a vehicle in a pick-up and drop-off area in which a passenger gets and off the vehicle includes at least one processor and at least one memory that stores a program and information to be read by the at least one processor. The processor is configured to acquire the type of the passenger before the vehicle reaches the pick-up and drop-off area as a first process. The processor is configured to change a behavior for stopping the vehicle in the pick-up and drop-off area in accordance with the type of the passenger as a second process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An automated drive device that automatically drives a vehicle along a travel lane, enters the vehicle into a bus bay from the travel lane and stops the vehicle in a pick-up and drop-off area in which a passenger gets on and off the vehicle, the automated drive device comprising:
at least one processor configured to:
acquire a type of the passenger before the vehicle reaches the pick-up and drop-off area,
when the type of the passenger is a vulnerable pedestrian, control the vehicle to enter into the bus bay from the travel lane when the vehicle is a first distance from the pick-up and drop-off area, and
when the type of the passenger is not a vulnerable pedestrian, control the vehicle to enter into the bus bay from the travel lane when the vehicle is a second distance from the pick-up and drop-off area, the first distance is greater than the second distance, and

at least one memory that stores a program and information to be read by the at least one processor.

2. The automated drive device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to, when a plurality of the passengers is waiting at the waiting position and at least one of the passengers is a vulnerable pedestrian, control the vehicle to enter into the bus bay from the travel lane when the vehicle is the first distance from the pick-up and drop-off area.

3. The automated drive device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
perform a first vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle such that an entrance to the vehicle is aligned with a waiting position for the passenger when the type of the passenger acquired is a vulnerable pedestrian; and
perform a second vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle at a position determined in advance in the pick-up and drop-off area in the second process when the type of the passenger acquired in the first process is not a vulnerable pedestrian.

4. The automated drive device according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to perform the first vehicle stopping operation when a plurality of the passengers is waiting at the waiting position and at least one of the passengers is a vulnerable pedestrian.

5. The automated drive device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
perform a first vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle such that an entrance to the vehicle is aligned with a waiting position for the passenger when the type of the passenger acquired is a vulnerable pedestrian or a person carrying heavy baggage; and
perform a second vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle at a position determined in advance in the pick-up and drop-off area when the type of the passenger acquired is neither a vulnerable pedestrian nor a person carrying heavy baggage.

6. The automated drive device according to claim 5 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to perform the first vehicle stopping operation when a plurality of the passengers is waiting at the waiting position and at least one of the passengers is a vulnerable pedestrian or a person carrying heavy baggage.

7. An automated drive method of automatically driving a vehicle along a travel lane, entering the vehicle into a bus bay from the travel lane, and stopping the vehicle in a pick-up and drop-off area in which a passenger gets on and off the vehicle, the automated drive method comprising:
acquiring, by at least one processor, a type of the passenger before the vehicle reaches the pick-up and drop-off area;
when the type of the passenger is a vulnerable pedestrian, controlling the vehicle, by the at least one processor, to enter into the bus bay from the travel lane when the vehicle is a first distance from the pick-up and drop-off area; and
when the type of the passenger is not a vulnerable pedestrian, controlling the vehicle, by the at least one processor, to enter into the bus bay from the travel lane when the vehicle is a second distance from the pick-up and drop-off area, the first distance is greater than the second distance.

8. The automated drive method according to claim 7 , wherein:
when the type of the passenger acquired is a vulnerable pedestrian, a first vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle such that an entrance to the vehicle is aligned with a waiting position for the passenger is performed; and
when the type of the passenger acquired is not a vulnerable pedestrian, a second vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle at a position determined in advance in the pick-up and drop-off area is performed.

9. The automated drive method according to claim 7 , wherein:
when the type of the passenger acquired is a vulnerable pedestrian or a person carrying heavy baggage, a first vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle such that an entrance to the vehicle is aligned with a waiting position for the passenger is performed; and
when the type of the passenger acquired is neither a vulnerable pedestrian nor a person carrying heavy baggage, a second vehicle stopping operation to stop the vehicle at a position determined in advance in the pick-up and drop-off area is performed.

10. The automated drive device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine whether the passengers include a vulnerable pedestrian.

11. The automated drive method according to claim 7 further comprising determining, by the at least one processor, whether the passengers include a vulnerable pedestrian.

12. The automated drive device according to claim 1 , wherein the bus bay is provided on an outer side of the travel lane in which the vehicle travels.

13. The automated drive method according to claim 7 , wherein the bus bay is provided on an outer side of the travel lane in which the vehicle travels.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ueki Nobukazu
• Hotta Daichi
• Abe Sadayuki

Classifications

• B60W30/06 Primary

  Automatic manoeuvring for parking · CPC title

• B60W2300/10

  Buses · CPC title

• B60W2540/043

  Identity of occupants · CPC title

• G08G1/166 Primary

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

• B60W60/00253 Primary

  Taxi operations · CPC title