JP2017197100A - bus - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a bus that is advantageous for bringing a side of a vehicle body closer to a stop target. A pair of front and rear infrared sensors disposed on a side portion 3 of a bus 1 that can be stopped by lying sideways 3 of a vehicle body 2 at a stop H having a stop target line Ha along a sidewalk S. Sections 6A and 6B, and a camera 5 that can irradiate infrared rays received from the first infrared sensor section 6A and received by the second infrared sensor section 6B, and that can capture the stop target line Ha. ing. In this bus 1, when the vehicle body 2 approaches the stop H, both the infrared rays along the side part 3 of the vehicle body 2 and the stop target line Ha are imaged, and it becomes easy to grasp the relative positions of the two. As a result, it is advantageous to bring the side part 3 of the vehicle body 2 closer to the stop. [Selection] Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a bus that can be stopped by lying sideways on a stop target such as a stop.

  For buses that have a fixed route such as a route bus, stop targets such as bus stops are determined in advance (see Patent Document 1). When the driver approaches the stop, the driver lays the side of the door side on the stop for passengers to get on and off.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-56081

  In order to make the traffic barrier-free, for example, to make getting on and off in a wheelchair easier, it is desirable to make the distance between the stop target on the sidewalk side where the stop is located and the bus as small as possible. However, in the past, it was only possible for the driver to determine the sense of distance visually through a side mirror or the like, and it was actually difficult to bring the side of the bus close to the stop target.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a bus that is advantageous for bringing the side of a vehicle body closer to a stop target.

  The present invention is a bus that can be stopped by placing a side portion of a vehicle body on a stop target having a stop target line along a sidewalk, and a pair of front and rear sensor portions disposed on the side portion, and one sensor And an imaging unit capable of imaging a light beam having directivity and being received by the other sensor unit, and capable of imaging a stop target line.

  The light beam has directivity, and is irradiated from the one sensor unit disposed on the side of the vehicle body to the other sensor unit, so that the light beam is along the side of the vehicle body. Furthermore, the imaging unit can image the target stop line, so when the vehicle body approaches the stop target, it captures both the light beam along the side of the vehicle body and the target stop line, and grasps the relative position of both. It becomes easy to do. As a result, it is advantageous to bring the side of the vehicle body closer to the stop target.

  In addition, the storage unit stores the line information of the light beam captured by the imaging unit and the side relative position information associated with the line information, the stop target line captured by the imaging unit, and the storage unit. It is preferable to further include a calculation unit that acquires the distance between the lines based on the line information and acquires the distance between the stop target and the side part based on the distance between the lines and the relative position information. In this configuration, since the distance between the stop target and the side part is acquired by the calculation unit, it is advantageous to bring the side part of the vehicle body closer to the stop target.

  In addition, a start detection unit that detects start of the engine is further provided, and when the start of the engine is detected by the start detection unit, the line stored in the storage unit based on the line information of the light beam captured by the imaging unit It is preferable to provide a correction unit that corrects the information and the relative position information. Since the line information and the relative position information stored in the storage unit are corrected each time the engine is started, it is advantageous for maintaining the accuracy of the distance between the stop target and the side part acquired by the calculation unit.

  The imaging unit is an infrared camera, and the light beam is preferably infrared. Even at night, both infrared rays along the side of the vehicle body and the target stop line can be imaged, and the relative positions of both can be easily grasped.

  In addition, it is preferable that a side mirror attached to the vehicle body is provided, and the imaging unit is attached to the side mirror. Rather than being attached to the vehicle body independently by itself, it is less likely to get in the way by attaching it to the side mirror.

  Moreover, it is preferable that a pair of sensor part is arrange | positioned in the position used as the same height. In this configuration, the light beam emitted by one sensor unit and received by the other sensor unit extends along the horizontal plane, and the relative position between the stop target line along the sidewalk and the side part of the vehicle body It becomes advantageous for grasping.

  Moreover, it is preferable that a pair of sensor part is arrange | positioned along the lower edge part of a vehicle body. When the pair of sensor parts are arranged at a high position, when the vehicle body is inclined, an error from the lower edge portion of the vehicle body becomes large. Since the stop target line is along the sidewalk, it is closer to the lower edge than the upper edge of the vehicle body. Therefore, the sensor unit arranged along the lower edge of the vehicle body is more advantageous for improving accuracy. .

  In addition, it is preferable to further include a steering control unit that performs driving control so that the distance acquired by the calculation unit is equal to or greater than a lower limit value at which the side portion and the stop target do not contact each other and equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. By the driving control in the steering control unit, the distance between the side part of the vehicle body and the stop target when the bus stops is stably maintained.

  The present invention is advantageous for bringing the side of the vehicle body closer to the stop target.

It is a side view of the bus concerning an embodiment. It is a rear view of the bus | bath which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of a stop target distance acquisition apparatus. The relationship between the stop target line of the stop and the side part of the vehicle body is shown. (A) is a perspective view of the stop where the stop target line is provided, and (b) is the side view of the stop target line and the side of the vehicle body. It is a rear view which shows the relationship. It is a top view which shows about the relationship between the stop target line of a stop, and the side part of a vehicle body. It is a top view which shows typically driving | running | working of a bus | bath and the stop in a stop.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

  The buses according to the present embodiment are city route buses, high-speed buses for inter-city communication, airport communication buses, and the like, and include a wide range of buses that travel on routes with a stop target such as a stop. The stop target is not limited to a stop, and may be a bus terminal or the like.

  First, the stop H (see FIGS. 2 and 4), which is a stop target, will be described. In the case of Japan, since the bus 1 travels in the left lane, the sidewalk S is on the left side, and a stop H is provided along the sidewalk S. A bus stop sign Hb (see FIG. 4A) or the like may be installed at the stop H. For example, a stop target line Ha is drawn at a stop H according to the present embodiment along a corner angle that is an edge of the sidewalk S. The stop target line Ha is formed by applying an infrared paint that can be imaged by an infrared camera. The stop target line Ha is desirably formed in a predetermined range on the near side in the traveling direction centering on a place where passengers get on and off, that is, when the door 3b of the bus 1 is located when the bus 1 stops.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a bus 1 traveling on a Japanese roadway is provided with a side 3 facing the sidewalk S, that is, a left side of the vehicle body 2 is provided with a door 3 b on which passengers get on and off. It has been. Further, side mirrors 4 are provided at the left and right positions in the front part of the vehicle body 2 near the driver's seat. The bus 1 is provided with a camera 5 that can image the side 3 of the vehicle body 2. For example, the camera 5 is attached to the lower part of the left side mirror 4. The camera 5 according to the present embodiment is an infrared camera that can image the stop target line Ha.

  A first infrared sensor portion 6A is provided at the front end position along the lower edge portion 3a of the vehicle body 2, and a second infrared sensor portion 6B is provided at the rear end position along the lower edge portion 3a. It has been. The first infrared sensor unit 6A is a sensor that irradiates infrared rays, and the second infrared sensor unit 6B is a sensor that receives infrared rays emitted from the first infrared sensor unit 6A. Infrared rays have a certain directivity and are imaged by the camera 5 as a straight line extending along the side surface of the vehicle body 2. It is possible to reverse the functions of the first infrared sensor unit 6A and the second infrared sensor unit 6B, and the infrared rays emitted from the second infrared sensor unit 6B are used as the first infrared sensor unit 6A. In this case, infrared light is imaged as a straight line by the camera 5.

  The first infrared sensor unit 6A and the second infrared sensor unit 6B are arranged at the same height. The position having the same height means a position having the same height with respect to the tire 3c in contact with the road surface. Therefore, the first infrared sensor unit 6A and the second infrared sensor unit 6B are the same. It is arranged so that the estimated height from the road surface is the same position. As a result, the infrared rays irradiated and received between the first infrared sensor unit 6A and the second infrared sensor unit 6B are linear lines substantially parallel to the road surface.

  The camera 5 can capture a certain range along the side 3 of the vehicle body 2. The imaging range of the camera 5 is fixedly set on the basis of the side part 3 of the vehicle body 2, and in the vertical direction, for example, between the first infrared sensor part 6A and the second infrared sensor part 6B. The imaging angle α is set to about 45 ° so that the range can be imaged, and in the horizontal direction, the imaging angle β is about 15 ° so that the periphery of the side portion 3 of the vehicle body 2 can be imaged. It is set (see FIG. 5).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the bus 1 includes a stop target distance acquisition device 20, and the stop target distance acquisition device 20 is connected to the steering actuator 8. The stop target distance acquisition device 20 includes the camera 5, the first infrared sensor unit 6 </ b> A, the second infrared sensor unit 6 </ b> B, the output unit 7, and an ECU [Electronic Control Unit] 10.

  The output unit 7 is a display that outputs an image captured by the camera 5, and displays predetermined information based on an output signal from the ECU 10. The output unit 7 may include a speaker that outputs audio information.

  The steering actuator 8 is an actuator that changes the steering angle of the bus 1 based on a control signal from the ECU 10. The steering actuator 8 is a motor actuator provided on the steering shaft, for example. The steering actuator 8 steers the vehicle body 2 by rotating the steering shaft.

  The ECU 10 is an electronic control unit having a CPU [Central Processing Unit], a ROM [Read Only Memory], a RAM [Random Access Memory], a CAN [Controller Area Network] communication circuit, and the like. In the ECU 10, various functions are realized by loading a program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executing the program loaded in the RAM by the CPU. The ECU 10 may be composed of a plurality of electronic control units. The ECU 10 is connected to the camera 5, the first infrared sensor unit 6A, the second infrared sensor unit 6B, the output unit 7, and the steering actuator 8 via a CAN communication circuit.

  Next, a functional configuration of the ECU 10 will be described. The ECU 10 includes a stop target line identification unit 11, a vehicle body side line information identification unit 12, a relative distance calculation unit (calculation unit) 13, a steering control unit 14, a start detection unit 15, a correction unit 16, and a storage unit 17.

  The stop target line specifying unit 11 analyzes image information captured by the camera 5 and acquires a stop target line Ha. Since the stop target line Ha is formed of infrared paint, it is possible to specify the stop target line Ha from image information captured by the camera 5 even at night.

  The vehicle body side line information specifying unit 12 analyzes the image information captured by the camera 5, specifies the infrared rays irradiated and received by the first infrared sensor unit 6A and the second infrared sensor unit 6B, and Acquired as line information (hereinafter referred to as “side surface line information”) B along the side portion 3. Here, for example, even if the first infrared sensor unit 6A is irradiated with infrared rays, if the second infrared sensor unit 6B does not detect infrared reception, the vehicle body side line information specifying unit 12 Therefore, the side line information B is not acquired. The side surface line information B acquired by the vehicle body side line information specifying unit 12 is stored in the storage unit 17.

  The storage unit 17 stores side line information B acquired by the vehicle body side line information specifying unit 12. The storage unit 17 stores relative position information of the side part 3 of the vehicle body 2 associated with the side line information B. The first infrared sensor unit 6A and the second infrared sensor unit 6B are installed in the vehicle body 2, and therefore the positions of the first infrared sensor unit 6A and the second infrared sensor unit 6B with respect to the vehicle body 2 are determined. . That is, if the position of the infrared rays irradiated and received by the first infrared sensor unit 6A and the second infrared sensor unit 6B can be recognized as the side line information B, the relative of the side part 3 of the vehicle body 2 corresponding to the side line information B Location information can be acquired. The side part 3 of the vehicle body 2 is a part that may interfere with the stop H when the bus 1 is laid on the stop H, for example, and a bumper part that protrudes from the side part 3 of the vehicle body 2 Or the lower edge 3a of the vehicle body 2 may be used.

  The relative distance calculation unit 13 compares the stop target line Ha acquired by the stop target line specifying unit 11 with the side surface line information B stored in the storage unit 17, and calculates the distance between lines (see FIG. 5) da. Calculate by calculation. For example, the relative distance calculation unit 13 assumes that the stop target line Ha and the side line information B are arranged on the same plane, and the distance between the stop target line Ha and the side line information B (distance between lines). ) Obtain Da by calculation. The relative distance calculation unit 13 also determines the distance between the stop H and the side part 3 of the vehicle body 2 based on the acquired inter-line distance Da and the relative position information of the side part 3 of the vehicle body 2 stored in the storage unit 17. Obtain Db.

  The steering control unit 14 outputs a control signal to the steering actuator 8 so that the distance Db between the stop H acquired by the relative distance calculation unit 13 and the side part 3 of the vehicle body 2 falls within a predetermined range. The lower limit value of the predetermined range is a value such that the side portion 3 of the vehicle body 2 does not come into contact with the stop H that is the stop target, and is assumed to be a predetermined error, for example, 1 cm. Moreover, the upper limit value (threshold value) of the predetermined range is, for example, a value that does not drop the front wheel of the wheelchair, for example, 6 cm. That is, the steering control unit 14 operates so that the distance Db acquired by the relative distance calculation unit 13 is equal to or greater than a lower limit value at which the side portion 3 of the vehicle body 2 and the stop H do not contact and is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. A control signal for controlling is output to the steering actuator 8. Note that the steering control unit 14 may perform speed control of the bus 1, and may decelerate, for example, when the bus 1 is approaching the stop H.

  The start detection unit 15 detects the start of the engine by the driver. The detection of engine start is detected indirectly, for example, by detecting the key operation of the driver, or indirectly by starting imaging with the camera 5 or starting infrared irradiation with the first infrared sensor unit 6A. Alternatively, engine start may be detected.

  When the start detection unit 15 detects the start of the engine, the correction unit 16 calibrates the relative position information of the side part 3 of the vehicle body 2 based on the side surface line information B acquired by the vehicle body side line information specifying unit 12. (to correct. For example, the correction unit 16 causes the storage unit 17 to store the side line information B acquired by the vehicle body side line information specifying unit 12 after the engine is started as update information. Further, the correction unit 16 acquires the relative position information of the side part 3 of the vehicle body 2 associated with the updated new side line information B, and stores the relative position information in the storage unit 17 as update information. Note that when the side line information B and the relative position information of the side part 3 of the vehicle body 2 are not yet stored in the storage unit 17, the correction unit 16 performs new registration instead of calibration (correction).

  Next, stop distance acquisition control will be described. In the bus 1, when the engine is started, the camera 5 is driven to start imaging. The first infrared sensor unit 6A emits infrared rays, and the second infrared sensor unit 6B receives the infrared rays.

  The vehicle body side line information specifying unit 12 of the ECU 10 acquires infrared rays captured by the camera 5 as side surface line information B, and the correction unit 16 is a side portion of the vehicle body 2 associated with the side surface line information B and the side surface line information B. 3 is stored in the storage unit 17. The correction unit 16 newly registers the side line information B and the relative position information of the side part 3 of the vehicle body 2 in the storage unit 17.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the traveling bus 1 approaches the stop H, the stop target line Ha enters the imaging range of the camera 5 (see FIG. 5). Here, the stop target line specifying unit 11 of the ECU 10 analyzes the image information captured by the camera 5 and acquires the stop target line Ha.

  Next, the relative distance calculation unit 13 of the ECU 10 compares the stop target line Ha acquired by the stop target line specifying unit 11 with the side surface line information B stored in the storage unit 17, and calculates the interline distance Da by calculation. Ask. The relative distance calculation unit 13 also determines the distance between the stop H and the side part 3 of the vehicle body 2 based on the acquired inter-line distance Da and the relative position information of the side part 3 of the vehicle body 2 stored in the storage unit 17. Db is acquired (see FIG. 4B). The distance Db acquired here is displayed on the output unit 7, for example. The driver can visually confirm the distance Db, and lays the bus 1 next to the stop H, taking care that the distance Db is as short as possible.

  In addition, it is possible to perform automatic steering control instead of laying on the stop H by the driver's steering operation. For example, the steering control unit 14 of the ECU 10 monitors the distance Db acquired by the relative distance calculation unit 13, and outputs a control signal such that the distance Db falls within a predetermined range to the steering actuator 8. It is also possible to perform the deceleration and stop control.

  When the vehicle is stopped at the stop H and the engine is turned off and then the engine is started, the start detection unit 15 detects the start of the engine. When the start detection unit 15 detects the start of the engine, the correction unit 16 calibrates the relative position information of the side portion 3 of the vehicle body 2 based on the side surface line information B acquired by the vehicle body side line information specifying unit 12. To do.

  As described above, the bus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a pair of front and rear sensor units, that is, the first infrared sensor unit 6A and the second infrared sensor unit 6B, and the camera 5 installed on the vehicle body 2 includes: The infrared rays received from the first infrared sensor unit 6A and received by the second infrared sensor unit 6B are imaged. The first infrared sensor unit 6A and the second infrared sensor unit 6B are disposed on the side part 3 of the vehicle body 2, and the infrared rays have directivity, so that the infrared rays travel along the side parts 3 of the vehicle body 2. Yes. Moreover, since the camera 5 can image the stop target line Ha of the stop H, when the vehicle body 2 approaches the stop target, it captures both the infrared rays along the side part 3 of the vehicle body 2 and the stop target line Ha. Thus, it becomes easy to grasp the relative positions of the two. As a result, it is advantageous to bring the side part 3 of the vehicle body 2 closer to the stop target.

  Further, the bus 1 according to the present embodiment obtains the distance Db between the stop target and the side part 3 of the vehicle body 2 by the relative distance calculation unit 13, which is advantageous for bringing the side part 3 of the vehicle body 2 closer to the stop target. Become.

  In the bus 1 according to this embodiment, the side line information B stored in the storage unit 17 and the relative position information of the side part 3 of the vehicle body 2 are corrected every time the engine is started. As a result, it is advantageous to maintain the accuracy of the distance Db between the stop H acquired by the relative distance calculation unit 13 and the side part 3 of the vehicle body 2.

  Further, for example, if the distance is to be recognized by an ultrasonic sensor or the like, the distance can be measured only when the bus is at a very low speed just before the stop. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the side line information B is acquired using an infrared camera and infrared rays, the speed range in which the distance Db can be measured is expanded, and the side portion 3 of the vehicle body 2 is also used at night. Both the infrared rays along the line and the stop target line Ha can be imaged, and the relative positions of both can be easily grasped.

  Further, in this embodiment, the camera 5 is attached to the side mirror 4, and therefore, it is less likely to get in the way than the camera 5 is attached to the vehicle body 2 independently.

  In addition, since the first infrared sensor unit 6A and the second infrared sensor unit 6B are arranged at the same height, the first infrared sensor unit 6A emits light and the second infrared sensor unit 6B. The light rays received by the light beam extend along the horizontal plane, which is advantageous for grasping the relative position between the stop target line Ha along the sidewalk S and the side portion 3 of the vehicle body 2.

  Further, the first infrared sensor unit 6 </ b> A and the second infrared sensor unit 6 </ b> B are arranged along the lower edge 3 a of the vehicle body 2. If the first infrared sensor unit 6A and the second infrared sensor unit 6B are arranged at a high position, an error with the lower edge portion 3a of the vehicle body 2 increases when the vehicle body 2 tilts. Since the stop target line Ha is along the sidewalk S, the stop target line Ha is closer to the lower edge portion 3a than the upper edge portion of the vehicle body 2. Accordingly, the first infrared sensor unit 6A and the second infrared sensor unit 6B are connected to the vehicle body 2. It is more advantageous to improve the accuracy when it is arranged along the lower edge 3a.

  Further, the steering control unit 14 controls the operation so that the distance Db acquired by the relative distance calculation unit 13 is equal to or greater than a lower limit value at which the side portion 3 of the vehicle body 2 and the stop H do not contact and is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. A control signal is output to the steering actuator 8. As a result, the distance Db between the side portion 3 of the vehicle body 2 and the stop H when the bus 1 stops is stably maintained.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on this embodiment, this invention is not limited only to said embodiment. For example, if visible light is used instead of infrared light and the visible light can be acquired as line information, a camera capable of imaging the visible light can be used as the imaging unit.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Bus, 2 ... Car body, 3 ... Side part, 4 ... Side mirror, 5 ... Camera (imaging part), 6A ... 1st infrared sensor part, 6B ... 2nd infrared sensor part, 13 ... Relative distance calculation part (Calculation unit), 14 ... Steering control unit, 17 ... Storage unit, B ... Side line information (line information), Da ... Distance between lines, H ... Stop (stop target), Ha ... Stop target line, S ... Sidewalk.

Claims (8)

It is a bus that can be parked on the side of the car body on a stop target with a stop target line along the sidewalk,
A pair of front and rear sensor parts arranged on the side part;
A bus comprising: an imaging unit that irradiates from one of the sensor units, receives light from the other sensor unit, and captures a directional beam; A storage unit that stores line information of the light beam imaged by the imaging unit, and relative position information of the side part associated with the line information;
The stop target line is acquired based on the stop target line imaged by the imaging unit and the line information stored in the storage unit, and based on the inter-line distance and the relative position information. The bus according to claim 1, further comprising a calculation unit that obtains a distance between the side and the side part. A start detection unit for detecting the start of the engine;
When the start detection unit detects the start of the engine, the line information stored in the storage unit and the relative position information are obtained based on the line information of the light beam imaged by the imaging unit. The bus according to claim 2, further comprising a correction unit for correcting.   The bus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging unit is an infrared camera, and the light beam is infrared light. A side mirror attached to the vehicle body,
The bus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging unit is attached to the side mirror.   The bus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the pair of sensor units are arranged at positions having the same height.   The bus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the pair of sensor portions are arranged along a lower edge portion of the vehicle body.   The steering control part which controls driving | running | working is further provided so that the distance acquired by the said calculating part may be more than the lower limit which the said side part and the said stop target do not contact, and below a predetermined threshold value. Item 2. The bus according to item 2.

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