MOBILE UNIT CONTROL DEVICE AND MOBILE UNIT

• US 20180093625A1
• Filed: 09/29/2017
• Published: 04/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Shintani, Tomoko, Yuhara, Hiromitsu, Soma, Eisuke, Goto, Shinichiro
• Granted Patent: US 10,569,727 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/149 Instrument input by detecting viewing direction not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/165 Videos and animations
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/797 at the vehicle exterior
• 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 35/22 Display screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/26 using acoustic output
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/037 for occupant comfort , e.g. for automatic adjustment of appliances according to personal settings, e.g. seats, mirrors, steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/174 Facial expression recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/18 Eye characteristics, e.g. of the iris
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/193 Preprocessing; Feature extraction

Abstract

A mobile unit control device is installed in a vehicle and includes a user detector that detects a user located within a first predetermined distance from the vehicle; a sight line detector that detects the direction of the sight line of the user detected by the user detector; and a response controller that performs interest response processing of, when the sight line detector detects that the sight line of the user is directed toward the vehicle, actuating an accessory (e.g., headlights, tail lamps) provided in the vehicle to change in a manner recognizable from outside the vehicle.

Claims

1. A mobile unit control device functioning in a mobile unit comprising:

a user detector that detects a user located within a first predetermined distance from said mobile unit;

an interest estimation controller configured to estimate whether the user detected by said user detector is interested in said mobile unit; and

a response controller that performs interest response processing of, when said interest estimation controller estimates that said user is interested in said mobile unit, actuating an accessory provided in said mobile unit to change in a manner recognizable by said user.

2. The mobile unit control device according to claim 1, wherein

said interest estimation controller detects a direction of a sight line of said user, and estimates that said user is interested in said mobile unit when the sight line of said user is directed toward said mobile unit.

3. The mobile unit control device according to claim 1 further comprising

a usage history information acquisition controller that acquires usage history information indicating usage history of said mobile unit by said user, wherein

said response controller performs said interest response processing, when an unused time, which is time elapsed from the last usage of said mobile unit by said user extracted from said usage history information, is equal to or longer than a first predetermined time.

4. The mobile unit control device according to claim 3, wherein

said response controller varies the state of said accessory actuated in said interest response processing more drastically as the unused time becomes longer.

5. The mobile unit control device according to claim 1 further comprising an emotion estimation controller that estimates an emotion of said user, wherein

said response controller performs said interest response processing, when an emotion level of said user estimated by said emotion estimation controller is increased.

6. The mobile unit control device according to claim 5, wherein

said response controller varies the state of said accessory actuated in said interest response processing more drastically with a larger increase in the emotion level of said user estimated by said emotion estimation controller.

7. The mobile unit control device according to claim 1 further comprising an emotion estimation controller that estimates an emotion of said user, wherein

said response controller performs said interest response processing, when an emotion level of said user estimated by said emotion estimation part is equal to or higher than a predetermined level.

8. The mobile unit control device according to claim 7, wherein

said response controller varies the state of said accessory actuated in said interest response processing more drastically with a higher emotion level of said user estimated by said emotion estimation part.

9. The mobile unit control device according to claim 1 further comprising a plan information acquisition controller that acquires plan information indicating a plan of said user, wherein

said response controller avoids performing said interest response processing, when said plan information acquired indicates that said user has a plan within an immediate second predetermined time.

10. The mobile unit control device according to claim 1 further comprising:

a mobile unit location detector that detects a location of said mobile unit; and

a home information acquisition controller that acquires home information indicating a location of said user'"'"'s home, wherein

in said interest response processing, said response controller actuates an accessory to output a sound when the location of said mobile unit detected by said mobile unit location detector is within a second predetermined distance from the location of said user'"'"'s home, and said response controller prevents the accessory from outputting the sound when the location of said mobile unit detected by said mobile unit location detector is not within the second predetermined distance from the location of said user'"'"'s home.

11. The mobile unit control device according to claim 1 further comprising a weather information acquisition controller that acquires weather information, wherein

said response controller avoids performing said interest response processing, when said weather information indicates that the current weather or weather within an immediate third predetermined time is bad.

12. The mobile unit control device according to claim 1, wherein:

said user detector detects a position of said user relative to said mobile unit, the accessory includes a plurality of accessories; and

said response controller selects at least one of said accessories to be actuated in said interest response processing from among the plurality of said accessories included in said mobile unit, depending on said position of said user relative to said mobile unit.

13. The mobile unit control device according to claim 1 further comprising a wash detector that detects that said mobile unit is being washed, wherein

said response controller performs said interest response processing, when said wash detector detects that said mobile unit is being washed or it is within a fourth predetermined time from a end time point of the wash when said wash detector ends detection that said mobile unit is being washed.

14. A mobile unit comprising the mobile unit control device according to claim 1.

15. The mobile unit control device according to claim 1, wherein the mobile unit is a vehicle.

16. The mobile unit control device according to claim 1, wherein the interest estimation controller analyzes behavior of the user to estimate whether the user detected by said user detector is interested in said mobile unit.

17. The mobile unit control device according to claim 5, wherein the emotion level is a level of positive emotion.

18. The mobile unit control device according to claim 7, wherein the emotion level is a level of positive emotion.

19. A mobile unit control method to control a mobile unit, the method comprising steps of:

(i) detecting, by using a computer, a user located within a first predetermined distance from the mobile unit;

(ii) estimating, by using the computer, whether the user detected by step (i) is interested in said mobile unit; and

(iii) performs, by using the computer, interest response processing of, when it is estimated that said user is interested in said mobile unit, actuating an accessory provided in said mobile unit to change in a manner recognizable by said user.