Non-manipulation operation system and method for preparing for non-manipulation operation of vehicle

• US 8,903,587 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2011
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Hattori, Toshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Shelley
• Application Number:
  US13/280,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20120101660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2, 701/23
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa

Abstract

A notification unit causes a notification device to notify that a consent input person has whereabouts of a responsibility related to a non-manipulation operation to operate a vehicle without manipulation of an occupant of the vehicle. An information acquisition unit obtains consent-input person information for identifying the consent input person who inputs a consent into an operation unit, after the notification unit notifies the whereabouts of the responsibility. A record unit associates consent information on the inputted consent with the obtained consent-input person information to cause a storage unit to store the associated information. A control unit starts the non-manipulation operation of the vehicle, in response to input of the consent, after the notification unit notifies the whereabouts of the responsibility.

Claims

1. A non-manipulation operation system comprising:

a notification unit configured to, before start of a non-manipulation operation to operate a vehicle without manipulation of an occupant of the vehicle, cause a notification device to notify that a consent input person has whereabouts of a responsibility related to the non-manipulation operation;

a consent-input person information acquisition unit configured to, after the notification unit notifies the whereabouts of the responsibility, obtain consent-input person information for identifying the consent input person who inputs a consent into an operation unit;

a record unit configured to associate consent information on the consent inputted into the operation unit with the consent-input person information obtained by the consent-input person information acquisition unit to cause a consent-input person information storage unit to store the consent information and the consent-input person information being associated; and

a non-manipulation operation control unit configured to, after the notification unit notifies the whereabouts of the responsibility, start the non-manipulation operation of the vehicle, in response to input of the consent into the operation unit.

2. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 1, wherein the non-manipulation operation control unit is further configured to start the non-manipulation operation of the vehicle in response to that the consent-input person information acquisition unit obtains the consent-input person information.

3. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 1, wherein

the system is equipped in the vehicle including a vehicle-side wireless communication unit configured as the consent-input person information storage unit to implement wireless communications with a base station equipped with a basestation-side storage unit, and

the record unit is further configured to cause the vehicle-side wireless communication unit to associate the consent information with the consent-input person information and to cause the basestation-side storage unit to store the consent information and the consent-input person information being associated.

4. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 1, wherein

the system is equipped in the vehicle including a vehicle-side storage unit as the consent-input person information storage unit, and

the record unit is further configured to associate the consent information with the consent-input person information and to cause the vehicle-side storage unit to store the consent information and the consent-input person information being associated.

5. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 1, wherein

the record unit is further configured to, according to the consent-input person information and consent-input enabled person information, determine whether the consent input person coincides with a consent-input enabled person who can input the consent effectively, the consent-input enabled person information being on the consent-input enabled person,

the record unit is further configured to, on determination that the consent input person coincides with the consent-input enabled person, associate the consent information with the consent-input person information and store the consent information and the consent-input person information being associated,

the non-manipulation operation control unit is further configured to, according to the consent-input person information and the consent-input enabled person information, determine whether the consent input person coincides with the consent-input enabled person, and

the non-manipulation operation control unit is further configured to, when determining that the consent input person coincides with the consent-input enabled person, start the non-manipulation operation of the vehicle.

6. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 5, further comprising:

a consent-input enabled person information acquisition unit configured to obtain the consent-input enabled person information; and

a registration unit configured to cause a consent-input enabled person information storage unit to register the consent-input enabled person information.

7. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 6, wherein

the system is equipped in the vehicle including a vehicle-side wireless communication unit configured as the consent-input enabled person information storage unit to implement wireless communications with a base station equipped with a basestation-side storage unit,

the registration unit is further configured to cause the vehicle-side wireless communication unit to register the consent-input enabled person information on the basestation-side storage unit, and

the non-manipulation operation control unit is further configured to cause the vehicle-side wireless communication unit to determine whether the consent input person coincides with the consent-input enabled person.

8. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 6, wherein

the system is equipped in the vehicle including a vehicle-side storage unit as the consent-input enabled person information storage unit, and

the registration unit is further configured to register the consent-input enabled person information on the vehicle-side storage unit.

9. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit is further configured to notify a content of an insurance applied when an accident occurs in the non-manipulation operation of the vehicle.

10. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 1, wherein the consent-input person information acquisition unit is further configured to cause an imaging device to obtain an image of a face of the consent input person who inputs the consent into the operation unit and to obtain facial image information on the obtained image as the consent-input person information.

11. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 1, wherein the consent-input person information acquisition unit is further configured to cause an imaging device to obtain an image of a driver'"'"'s license of the consent input person who inputs the consent into the operation unit and to obtain driver'"'"'s license image information on the obtained image as the consent-input person information.

12. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 1, wherein the consent-input person information acquisition unit is further configured to cause an imaging device to obtain an image of a fingerprint of the consent input person who inputs the consent into the operation unit and to obtain fingerprint image information on the obtained image as the consent-input person information.

13. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 1, wherein the consent-input person information acquisition unit is further configured to enable a person to input personal information on the consent input person, who inputs the consent into the operation unit, into the operation unit and to obtain the personal information on the consent input person as the consent-input person information.

14. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 5, wherein the consent-input enabled person information acquisition unit is further configured to obtain the consent-input enabled person information, which is same kind as the consent-input person information obtained by the consent-input person information acquisition unit.

15. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a history record unit configured to, in response to input of the consent into the operation unit, record at least one of a time period history and a vehicle position history when the non-manipulation operation is started.

16. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an automatic driving operation control unit configured as the non-manipulation operation control unit to implement an automatic operation to operate the vehicle without manipulation of a person.

17. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 16, wherein the automatic driving operation control unit is further configured to implement an automatic traveling as the automatic operation to cause the vehicle to automatically travel along with a path to a destination.

18. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 16, wherein the automatic driving operation control unit is further configured to implement an automatic parking as the automatic operation to cause the vehicle to automatically park in a target parking partition.

19. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 16, wherein the automatic driving operation control unit is further configured to implement an automatic tailing as the automatic operation to cause the vehicle to automatically tail a target preceding vehicle.

20. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 16, wherein the automatic driving operation control unit is further configured to implement an automatic braking as the automatic operation to cause the vehicle to automatically brake the vehicle.

21. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 16, wherein the system is equipped in the vehicle including the notification unit and the operation unit located at a driver'"'"'s seat.

22. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 1, further comprising:

the notification unit configured to notify, before start of the non-manipulation operation, that the consent input person has the whereabouts of the responsibility related to the non-manipulation operation of the vehicle; and

the operation unit configured to, after the notification unit notifies the whereabouts of the responsibility, receive input of the consent.

23. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 22, wherein the notification unit and the operation unit are equipped in a base station,

the non-manipulation operation system further comprising:

a vehicle-side wireless communication unit equipped in the vehicle and configured to implement wireless communications with the base station.

24. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a remote operation device located outside of the vehicle or configured to be carried by a person, the remote operation device being configured to enable a person to input an operation instruction for the vehicle into the remote operation device; and

a remote operation control unit equipped as the non-manipulation operation control unit in the vehicle and configured to operate the vehicle according to the operation instruction from the remote operation device.

25. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 24, further comprising:

a remote operation request unit configured to enable an occupant of the vehicle to manipulate the remote operation request unit in order to request a person to manipulate the remote operation device to implement a remote driving operation of the vehicle; and

a transmission unit configured to transmit a remote operation request signal to the remote operation device in response to manipulation of the remote operation request unit, wherein

the remote operation device includes;

a receiving unit configured to receive the remote operation request signal; and

a request notification unit configured to notify a user of the remote control request in response to the remote operation request signal received by the receiving unit.

26. The non-manipulation operation system according to claim 25, wherein the remote operation request unit is a voice input unit including a microphone.

27. A method for preparing for a non-manipulation operation to operate a vehicle without manipulation of an occupant of a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving input of a consent to the non-manipulation operation from a consent input person;

notifying that the consent input person has whereabouts of a responsibility related to the non-manipulation operation;

obtaining consent-input person information for identifying the consent input person;

associating consent information on the inputted consent with the obtained consent-input person information;

storing the consent information and the consent-input person information being associated; and

starting the non-manipulation operation in response to receiving the input of the consent after the notifying.

28. A computer readable medium comprising instructions executed by a computer, the instructions including the method according to claim 27.