VEHICLE DISPATCH SYSTEM, AUTONOMOUS DRIVING VEHICLE, AND VEHICLE DISPATCH METHOD

• US 20190108757A1
• Filed: 09/05/2018
• Published: 04/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: WATANABE, Junya
• Granted Patent: US 10,685,571 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A vehicle dispatch system provides a vehicle dispatch service of an autonomous driving vehicle in response to a vehicle dispatch request from a user. The vehicle dispatch system includes a dispatch vehicle position estimation unit that estimates a dispatch vehicle position based on comparison of a surrounding environment recognition information, which is acquired by a sensor mounted in a dispatch vehicle, with a surrounding environment storage information, which is stored in advance, a user terminal position estimation unit configured to estimate a user terminal position, a surrounding image generation unit configured to generate a surrounding image of the dispatch vehicle based on the surrounding environment recognition information or the surrounding environment storage information, and a display processing unit configured to display a superimposed image having the dispatch vehicle position and the user terminal position superimposed on the surrounding image on a user terminal.

Claims

1. A vehicle dispatch system for an autonomous driving vehicle that provides a vehicle dispatch service in response to a vehicle dispatch request from a user, the vehicle dispatch system comprising:

a recognition information acquisition unit configured to, by a sensor mounted in a dispatch vehicle, which is the autonomous driving vehicle to be dispatched, acquire surrounding environment recognition information, which is information of a surrounding environment of the dispatch vehicle;

a storage information acquisition unit configured to acquire surrounding environment storage information, which is information of the surrounding environment of the dispatch vehicle stored in advance;

a dispatch vehicle position estimation unit configured to estimate a dispatch vehicle position, which is a position of the dispatch vehicle, based on comparison of the surrounding environment recognition information with the surrounding environment storage information;

a user terminal position estimation unit configured to estimate a user terminal position, which is a position of a user terminal;

a surrounding image generation unit configured to generate a surrounding image representing the surrounding environment of the dispatch vehicle based on the surrounding environment recognition information or the surrounding environment storage information;

a superimposed image generation unit configured to generate a superimposed image having the dispatch vehicle position and the user terminal position superimposed on the surrounding image; and

an image display unit configured to display the superimposed image on the user terminal.

2. The vehicle dispatch system according to claim 1, further comprising a pedestrian position estimation unit configured to estimate a pedestrian position, which is a position of a pedestrian around the dispatch vehicle, based on the surrounding environment recognition information,

wherein the surrounding image generation unit is configured to further superimpose the pedestrian position on the surrounding image.

3. The vehicle dispatch system according to claim 1, further comprising a pedestrian position estimation unit configured to estimate a pedestrian position, which is a position of a pedestrian around the dispatch vehicle, based on the surrounding environment recognition information,

wherein the superimposed image generation unit is configured to further superimpose the pedestrian position on the superimposed image.

4. The vehicle dispatch system according to claim 1, further comprising a management server, wherein:

the dispatch vehicle position estimation unit, the surrounding image generation unit, and the superimposed image generation unit are mounted in the dispatch vehicle;

the user terminal position estimation unit is mounted in the user terminal; and

a communication device that is mounted in the dispatch vehicle is configured to receive the user terminal position estimated by the user terminal position estimation unit through the management server and transmit the superimposed image generated by the superimposed image generation unit to the user terminal.

5. The vehicle dispatch system according to claim 1, further comprising a management server, wherein:

the dispatch vehicle position estimation unit and the surrounding image generation unit are mounted in the dispatch vehicle;

the user terminal position estimation unit is mounted in the user terminal;

the superimposed image generation unit is mounted in the management server; and

the management server is configured to receive the user terminal position estimated by the user terminal position estimation unit and the surrounding image generated by the surrounding image generation unit, and transmit the superimposed image generated by the superimposed image generation unit to the user terminal.

6. The vehicle dispatch system according to claim 1, further comprising a management server, wherein:

the surrounding image generation unit is mounted in the dispatch vehicle;

the user terminal position estimation unit is mounted in the user terminal;

the surrounding image generation unit and the superimposed image generation unit are mounted in the management server; and

the management server is configured to receive the user terminal position estimated by the user terminal position estimation unit and the surrounding image generated by the surrounding image generation unit, and transmit the superimposed image generated by the superimposed image generation unit to the user terminal.

7. The vehicle dispatch system according to claim 1, further comprising an error range estimation unit configured to estimate an error range of the user terminal position,

wherein the superimposed image generation unit is configured to further superimpose the error range on the superimposed image.

8. An autonomous driving vehicle that provides a vehicle dispatch service in response to a vehicle dispatch request from a user, the autonomous driving vehicle comprising:

a recognition information acquisition unit configured to, by a sensor mounted in a dispatch vehicle as an autonomous driving vehicle to be dispatched, acquire surrounding environment recognition information as information of a surrounding environment of the dispatch vehicle;

a storage information acquisition unit configured to acquire surrounding environment storage information as information of the surrounding environment of the dispatch vehicle stored in advance;

a dispatch vehicle position estimation unit configured to estimate a dispatch vehicle position as a position of the dispatch vehicle based on comparison of the surrounding environment recognition information with the surrounding environment storage information;

a user terminal position reception unit configured to receive a user terminal position as a position of a user terminal;

a surrounding image generation unit configured to generate a surrounding image representing the surrounding environment of the dispatch vehicle based on the surrounding environment recognition information or the surrounding environment storage information;

a superimposed image generation unit configured to generate a superimposed image having the dispatch vehicle position and the user terminal position superimposed on the surrounding image; and

an image transmission unit configured to transmit the superimposed image to the user terminal.

9. The autonomous driving vehicle according to claim 8, further comprising a pedestrian position estimation unit configured to estimate a pedestrian position as a position of a pedestrian around the dispatch vehicle based on the surrounding environment recognition information,

wherein the surrounding image generation unit is configured to further superimpose the pedestrian position on the surrounding image.

10. The autonomous driving vehicle according to claim 8, further comprising a pedestrian position estimation unit configured to estimate a pedestrian position as a position of a pedestrian around the dispatch vehicle based on the surrounding environment recognition information,

wherein the superimposed image generation unit is configured to further superimpose the pedestrian position on the superimposed image.

11. The autonomous driving vehicle according to claim 8, further comprising an error range reception unit configured to receive an error range of the user terminal position,

wherein the superimposed image generation unit is configured to further superimpose the error range on the superimposed image.

12. A vehicle dispatch method that is executed by a vehicle dispatch system for an autonomous driving vehicle providing a vehicle dispatch service in response to a vehicle dispatch request from a user, the vehicle dispatch method comprising:

by a sensor mounted in a dispatch vehicle, which is the autonomous driving vehicle to be dispatched, acquiring surrounding environment recognition information, which is information of a surrounding environment of the dispatch vehicle;

acquiring surrounding environment storage information, which is information of the surrounding environment of the dispatch vehicle stored in advance;

estimating a dispatch vehicle position, which is a position of the dispatch vehicle, based on comparison of the surrounding environment recognition information with the surrounding environment storage information;

estimating a user terminal position, which is a position of a user terminal;

generating a surrounding image representing the surrounding environment of the dispatch vehicle based on the surrounding environment recognition information or the surrounding environment storage information;

generating a superimposed image having the dispatch vehicle position and the user terminal position superimposed on the surrounding image; and

displaying the superimposed image on the user terminal.