Passenger vehicle and operation management system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11961400-B2
Application number	US-202217831613-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2022
Priority date	Jun 29, 2021
Publication date	Apr 16, 2024
Grant date	Apr 16, 2024

Abstract

A congestion rate calculation unit calculates a congestion rate in the cabin based on the number of recognized passengers. When the congestion rate is more than a predetermined congestion threshold, an in-vehicle display and an in-vehicle speaker are capable of giving an alighting notification that notifies the presence of a passenger who is alighting at the next stop and seat information of the passenger, and does not make an alighting notification when the congestion rate is less than or equal to the congestion threshold in the process of the passenger vehicle heading to the next stop.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An operation management system comprising: a passenger vehicle capable of traveling a defined route and stopping at stops along the defined route; and an operation management apparatus that manages an operation of the passenger vehicle,
wherein the passenger vehicle includes an imaging device that captures an image of an interior of a cabin of the vehicle,
the operation management apparatus includes:
an image recognition unit that recognizes passengers in the in-cabin image captured by the imaging device in the process of the passenger vehicle leaving the current stop and heading to the next stop; and
a congestion rate calculation unit that calculates a congestion rate in the cabin based on the recognized passengers, and
the passenger vehicle further includes a notification unit that is capable of giving an alighting notification that notifies the presence of a passenger who is alighting at the next stop and seat information of the passenger when the congestion rate is more than a predetermined congestion threshold, and that does not make an alighting notification when the congestion rate is less than or equal to the congestion threshold in the process of the passenger vehicle heading to the next stop.

2. The operation management system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the operation management apparatus includes:
a storage unit that stores a boarding/alighting request in which a scheduled alighting stop and a reserved seat in the passenger vehicle are set;
a determination unit capable of referring to the boarding/alighting request and making an alighting determination of determining whether or not the next stop of the passenger vehicle is set as the scheduled alighting stop; and
a command unit that commands the notification unit to make the alighting notification when the alighting determination determines that the next stop of the passenger vehicle is set as the scheduled alighting stop, and
the determination unit executes the alighting determination when the congestion rate is more than the congestion threshold, and does not execute the alighting determination when the congestion rate is less than or equal to the congestion threshold.

3. The operation management system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the operation management apparatus includes:
a storage unit that stores a boarding/alighting request in which a scheduled alighting stop and a reserved seat in the passenger vehicle are set;
a determination unit that refers to the boarding/alighting request and performs an alighting determination to determine whether or not the next stop of the passenger vehicle is set as the scheduled alighting stop; and
a command unit capable of commanding the notification unit to make the alighting notification when the alighting determination determines that the next stop of the passenger vehicle is set as the scheduled alighting stop, and
the command unit commands the notification unit to make the alighting notification when the congestion rate is more than the congestion threshold, and does not command the notification unit to make the alighting notification when the congestion rate is less than or equal to the congestion threshold.

4. The operation management system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the determination unit excludes from a target of the alighting determination the boarding/alighting request that sets a seat included within a predetermined vicinity from an exit of the passenger vehicle as the reserved seat.

5. The operation management system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the boarding/alighting request stores age information of a prospective passenger in association with the scheduled alighting stop and the reserved seat, and
the determination unit excludes from the target of the alighting determination the boarding/alighting request in which a seat included within a predetermined vicinity from the exit of the passenger vehicle is set as the reserved seat and an age of the prospective passenger is more than a predetermined age threshold.

6. A passenger vehicle capable of traveling a defined route and stopping at stops along the defined route, the passenger vehicle comprising:
an imaging device that captures an image of an interior of a cabin of the vehicle;
an image recognition unit that recognizes passengers in the in-cabin image captured by the imaging device in the process of the vehicle leaving the current stop and heading to the next stop;
a congestion rate calculation unit that calculates a congestion rate in the cabin based on the recognized passengers; and
a notification unit that is capable of giving an alighting notification that notifies the presence of a passenger who is alighting at the next stop and seat information of the passenger when the congestion rate is more than a predetermined congestion threshold, and that does not make an alighting notification when the congestion rate is less than or equal to the congestion threshold in the process of the passenger vehicle heading to the next stop.

7. The passenger vehicle according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a storage unit that stores a boarding/alighting request in which a scheduled alighting stop and a reserved seat are set;
a determination unit capable of referring to the boarding/alighting request and making an alighting determination of determining whether or not the next stop is set as the scheduled alighting stop; and
a command unit that commands the notification unit to make the alighting notification when the alighting determination determines that the next stop is set as the scheduled alighting stop,
wherein the determination unit executes the alighting determination when the congestion rate is more than the congestion threshold, and does not execute the alighting determination when the congestion rate is less than or equal to the congestion threshold.

8. The passenger vehicle according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a storage unit that stores a boarding/alighting request in which a scheduled alighting stop and a reserved seat are set;
a determination unit that refers to the boarding/alighting request and performs an alighting determination to determine whether or not the next stop is set as the scheduled alighting stop; and
a command unit capable of commanding the notification unit to make the alighting notification when the alighting determination determines that the next stop is set as the scheduled alighting stop,
wherein the command unit commands the notification unit to make the alighting notification when the congestion rate is more than the congestion threshold, and does not command the notification unit to make the alighting notification when the congestion rate is less than or equal to the congestion threshold.

9. The passenger vehicle according to claim 7 ,
wherein the determination unit excludes from a target of the alighting determination the boarding/alighting request that sets a seat included within a predetermined vicinity from an exit of the passenger vehicle as the reserved seat.

10. The passenger vehicle according to claim 7 ,
wherein the boarding/alighting request stores age information of a prospective passenger in association with the scheduled alighting stop and the reserved seat, and
the determination unit excludes from the target of the alighting determination the boarding/alighting request in which a seat included within a predetermined vicinity from the exit is set as the reserved seat and an age of the prospective passenger is more than a predetermined age threshold.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Saito Hidenori

Classifications

• G08G1/133 Primary

  within the vehicle {; Indicators inside the vehicles or at stops} · CPC title

• G06V20/53

  Recognition of crowd images, e.g. recognition of crowd congestion · CPC title

• G06V20/593

  Recognising seat occupancy · CPC title

• G08G1/127 Primary

  to a central station {; Indicators in a central station} · CPC title

• B61D41/04

  Indicators for reserved seats · CPC title