Processing method, program, processing apparatus, and detection system

• US 10,272,920 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2014
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Shikii, Shinichi, Kusukame, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hilgendorf, Dale W
• Application Number:
  US14/509,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20150105976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,665 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00742 by detection of the vehicle occupants' presence; by detection of conditions relating to the body of occupants, e.g. using radiant heat detectors
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00785 by the detection of humidity or frost
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00964 Control systems or circuits characterised by including features for automatic and non-automatic control, e.g. for changing from automatic to manual control
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/00 Indexing scheme associated with groups B60K35/00 or B60K37/00 relating to details of instruments or dashboards
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/195 Blocking or enabling display functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/197 Blocking or enabling of input functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/21 using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/48 Sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/04 responsive to presence or absence of the driver, e.g. to weight or lack thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/65 Instruments specially adapted for specific vehicle types or users, e.g. for left- or right-hand drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/654 the user being the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/656 the user being a passenger
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0818 Inactivity or incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0827 due to sleepiness
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0881 Seat occupation; Driver or passenger presence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 : Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 : using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 : using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A processing method for a processing apparatus, the processing method causing a computer of the processing apparatus to execute steps comprising: detecting a position and a state of a passenger inside a vehicle on the basis of information indicating a state of space including seats of the vehicle, the information obtained from a sensor provided inside the vehicle, notifying an operator of the vehicle of the detected position and state of the passenger, and transmitting, upon detecting an operation, which is performed by the operator of the vehicle, for controlling a device near the detected position of the passenger, a control command corresponding to the operation to the device.

Claims

1. A processing method for a processing apparatus, the processing method causing a computer of the processing apparatus to perform a process comprising:

detecting a position and a state of a passenger inside a vehicle on a basis of information indicating a state of space including seats inside the vehicle, the information being obtained from a sensor provided inside the vehicle;

notifying an operator of the vehicle of the detected position and the detected state of the passenger inside the vehicle; and

transmitting, upon detecting an operation, the operation being performed by the operator of the vehicle in response to the notifying, for controlling a device near the detected position of the passenger, a control command corresponding to the operation to the device,

wherein, the processing apparatus is connected to a display in front of the operator of the vehicle,

wherein, in the notifying, a display screen indicating a diagram including the seats inside the vehicle is displayed on the display, an icon corresponding to the detected state of the passenger inside the vehicle at a position of the diagram corresponding to the detected position of the passenger is displayed on the display, and an icon for controlling the device near the detected position of the passenger in the diagram is displayed on the display,

wherein, if it has been detected that the icon for controlling the device has been selected, a control command for the device corresponding to the selected icon for controlling the device is transmitted to the device,

wherein the information obtained from the sensor is information indicating temperature distribution in the space including the seats inside the vehicle, and

wherein the detected position of the passenger and whether the passenger is asleep are determined on a basis of the temperature distribution, and, if it has been determined that the passenger is asleep, an icon, indicating that the passenger is asleep, is displayed on the display.

2. The processing method according to claim 1,

wherein an icon for controlling, among air conditioners installed at a plurality of positions inside the vehicle, an air conditioner installed near the detected position of the passenger is displayed, as the icon for controlling the device, on the display, and

wherein, if it has been detected that the icon for controlling the air conditioner has been selected, a control command for controlling at least any of air volume, set temperature, and a wind direction of the air conditioner corresponding to the icon for controlling the air conditioner.

3. The processing method according to claim 1,

wherein whether the passenger is wearing a seatbelt is detected on a basis of the temperature distribution in the vehicle, and, if it has been determined that the passenger is not wearing the seatbelt, the operator of the vehicle is notified that the passenger is not wearing the seatbelt.

4. The processing method according to claim 1,

wherein a position of a seatbelt worn by the passenger is detected on a basis of the temperature distribution in the vehicle, and warning information is issued on a basis of the detected position of the passenger and the detected position of the seatbelt.

5. The processing method according to claim 1,

the processing method further causes the computer of the processing apparatus to perform detecting whether the vehicle is running or stationary,

wherein the display is inhibited from displaying the icon for controlling the device when the detecting detects that the vehicle is running, and

wherein the display is permitted to display the icon for controlling the device when the detecting detects that the vehicle is stationary.

6. The processing method according to claim 1,

wherein the sensor is an infrared array sensor, and

wherein the information obtained from the sensor is a thermal image indicating temperature distribution in the space including the seats inside the vehicle.

7. The processing method according to claim 1,

wherein the vehicle is an automobile.

8. The processing method according to claim 1,

wherein the detected state of the passenger is a physiological state of the passenger.

9. The processing method according to claim 1,

wherein the detected position and the detected state of the passenger is detected based on thermal imaging by the sensor.

10. The processing method according to claim 1,

wherein the detected state of the passenger is a sleep state of the passenger.

11. The processing method according to claim 1,

wherein the detected position is a position of a particular body part of the passenger.

12. The processing method according to claim 1,

wherein the operator of the vehicle is a driver of the vehicle.

13. A processing method for a processing apparatus, the processing method causing a computer of the processing apparatus to perform a process comprising:

detecting a position and a state of a passenger inside a vehicle on a basis of information indicating a state of space including seats inside the vehicle, the information being obtained from a sensor provided inside the vehicle;

notifying an operator of the vehicle of the detected position and the detected state of the passenger inside the vehicle; and

transmitting, upon detecting an operation, the operation being performed by the operator of the vehicle in response to the notifying, for controlling a device near the detected position of the passenger, a control command corresponding to the operation to the device,

wherein, the processing apparatus is connected to a display in front of the operator of the vehicle,

wherein, in the notifying, a display screen indicating a diagram including the seats inside the vehicle is displayed on the display, an icon corresponding to the detected state of the passenger inside the vehicle at a position of the diagram corresponding to the detected position of the passenger is displayed on the display, and an icon for controlling the device near the detected position of the passenger in the diagram is displayed on the display,

wherein, if it has been detected that the icon for controlling the device has been selected, a control command for the device corresponding to the selected icon for controlling the device is transmitted to the device,

wherein the information obtained from the sensor is information indicating temperature distribution in the space including the seats inside the vehicle, and

wherein whether the passenger is asleep is determined on a basis of an amount of variation in the temperature distribution over time, the variation in the temperature distribution being obtained from the sensor, and, if it has been determined that the passenger is asleep, an icon, indicating that the passenger is asleep, is displayed on the display.

14. A processing method for a processing apparatus, the processing method causing a computer of the processing apparatus to perform a process comprising:

detecting a position and a state of a passenger inside a vehicle on a basis of information indicating a state of space including seats inside the vehicle, the information being obtained from a sensor provided inside the vehicle;

notifying an operator of the vehicle of the detected position and the detected state of the passenger inside the vehicle; and

transmitting, upon detecting an operation, the operation being performed by the operator of the vehicle in response to the notifying, for controlling a device near the detected position of the passenger, a control command corresponding to the operation to the device,

wherein the information obtained from the sensor is information indicating temperature distribution in the space including the seats inside the vehicle,

wherein whether the passenger is wearing a seatbelt is detected on a basis of the temperature distribution in the vehicle, and, if it has been determined that the passenger is not wearing the seatbelt, the operator of the vehicle is notified that the passenger is not wearing the seatbelt, and

wherein the seatbelt includes two materials having different values of emissivity, and whether the seatbelt is used is detected by detecting a pattern of temperature distribution corresponding to the two materials.

15. A processing method for a processing apparatus, the processing method causing a computer of the processing apparatus to perform a process comprising:

detecting a position and a state of a passenger inside a vehicle on a basis of information indicating a state of space including seats inside the vehicle, the information being obtained from a sensor provided inside the vehicle;

notifying an operator of the vehicle of the detected position and the detected state of the passenger inside the vehicle; and

transmitting, upon detecting an operation, the operation being performed by the operator of the vehicle in response to the notifying, for controlling a device near the detected position of the passenger, a control command corresponding to the operation to the device,

wherein the information obtained from the sensor is information indicating temperature distribution in the space including the seats inside the vehicle,

wherein a position of a seatbelt worn by the passenger is detected on a basis of the temperature distribution in the vehicle, and warning information is issued on a basis of the detected position of the passenger and the detected position of the seatbelt, and

wherein the seatbelt includes two materials having different values of emissivity, and the detected position of the seatbelt is detected by detecting a pattern of temperature distribution corresponding to the two materials.