JP7683345B2 - Vehicle door lock control device and vehicle door lock control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle door lock control device and a vehicle door lock control method.

Conventionally, automatic vehicle door lock devices that lock the vehicle doors when an object approaching the vehicle is detected (Patent Document 1) are known. The device disclosed in Patent Document 1 activates a childproof mechanism that prevents the vehicle doors from being opened from inside the vehicle when an object approaching from behind the vehicle is detected while the vehicle is stopped. This prevents vehicle occupants from opening the doors without noticing another vehicle approaching from behind the vehicle.

JP 2004-098743 A

However, the automatic door lock device for a vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1 can open the door from outside the vehicle even if it detects an object approaching the vehicle. Therefore, the device disclosed in Patent Document 1 may allow the door to be opened by someone who may harm the vehicle's occupants when the vehicle is stopped.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and its purpose is to prevent the door from being opened by someone who may harm the vehicle occupants, thereby protecting the safety of the occupants.

The present invention provides a vehicle door lock control device including: a vehicle speed determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is stopped; an approaching object detection unit that, when it is determined that the vehicle is stopped, obtains a distance between the vehicle and an object present around the vehicle and detects an approaching object approaching the vehicle based on a change in the distance; a face detection unit that obtains an image of the surroundings of the vehicle, detects a facial image within a predetermined area image that includes at least an image of the approaching object among the images of the surroundings of the vehicle, and, when a facial image is detected within the predetermined area image, determines that the approaching object is an approaching person approaching the vehicle; a face authentication unit that obtains a pre-stored facial image and determines whether the facial image of the approaching person matches the pre-stored facial image; and a door lock control unit that controls the door lock of the door to be activated when the doors of the vehicle are unlocked and the facial image of the approaching person does not match the pre-stored facial image.

The present invention provides a vehicle door lock control method that determines whether a vehicle is stopped, acquires a distance between the vehicle and an object present around the vehicle when the vehicle is determined to be stopped, detects an approaching object approaching the vehicle based on a change in the distance, acquires an image of the surroundings of the vehicle, detects a facial image within a predetermined area image including at least an image of the approaching object from the image of the surroundings of the vehicle, determines that the approaching object is a person approaching the vehicle when a facial image is detected within the predetermined area image, acquires a pre-stored facial image, determines whether the facial image of the approaching person matches the pre-stored facial image, and controls the door lock of the vehicle to be activated when the vehicle doors are unlocked and the facial image of the approaching person does not match the pre-stored facial image.

The present invention can prevent the door from being opened by someone who may harm the vehicle occupants, thereby protecting the safety of the occupants.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle door lock control device 3 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a process for determining whether a person approaching the vehicle is approaching the predetermined area 2 . FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle door lock control device 3 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle door lock control device 3 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle door lock control device 3 according to the second embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, identical parts are given the same reference numerals and the description will be omitted.

First Embodiment
[Configuration of vehicle door lock control device 3]
A configuration of a vehicle door lock control device 3 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The vehicle door lock control device 3 is a device that prevents a door from being opened by a third party who may harm an occupant of the vehicle 1, thereby protecting the safety of the occupant.

The vehicle door lock control device 3 is mounted on the vehicle 1. The vehicle door lock control device 3 is configured by a control unit 10. Specifically, the control unit 10 includes a vehicle speed determination unit 11, an approaching object detection unit 12, a face detection unit 13, a face authentication unit 14, and a door lock control unit 15. The vehicle door lock control device 3 acquires necessary information from each of the distance measurement unit 20, the image capture unit 30, and the memory unit 40, and controls the vehicle door lock mechanism 51 to operate. In this embodiment, the vehicle door lock control device 3 is configured by the control unit 10, but may also include the distance measurement unit 20, the image capture unit 30, and the memory unit 40.

First, we will explain the distance measurement unit 20, the imaging unit 30, and the memory unit 40 from which the control unit 10 acquires information.

The distance measuring unit 20 detects objects present around the vehicle 1 and measures the distance between the object and the vehicle 1, and the position of the object relative to the vehicle 1. For example, the distance measuring unit 20 is configured using an object detection sensor that detects objects, such as a laser radar, millimeter wave radar, or LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). The object detection sensor can measure the distance between the object and the vehicle 1, and the position of the object relative to the vehicle 1 (relative position).

The distance measuring unit 20 is installed at a position where it can detect objects around the vehicle 1. In detail, the distance measuring unit 20 is installed at the front, left and right sides, and rear of the vehicle 1. The installation position of the distance measuring unit 20 is not limited to this. For example, the distance measuring unit 20 may be configured as a single unit that detects the front, left and right sides, and rear, and installed on the roof of the vehicle 1. This allows the distance measuring unit 20 to detect objects around the vehicle 1. The distance measuring unit 20 continuously measures the distance between the vehicle 1 and objects around the vehicle 1, and the positions of the objects around the vehicle 1 relative to the vehicle 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as "positions") at a predetermined period, and transmits the measurement results to the control unit 10. The predetermined period is, for example, 0.5 seconds.

The imaging unit 30 captures an image of the surroundings of the vehicle 1. For example, the imaging unit 30 is configured using a camera equipped with an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) image sensor or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor, and is installed in a position where it can capture an image of the surroundings of the vehicle 1.

The imaging unit 30 may be installed at the front, left and right sides, and rear of the vehicle 1 in the same manner as the distance measuring unit 20, or an imaging unit 30 configured with a 360-degree camera capable of capturing an image of 360 degrees at once may be installed on the roof of the vehicle 1. The imaging unit 30 continuously captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle 1 at a predetermined cycle and transmits the captured images to the control unit 10.

The storage unit 40 is configured as an information storage device including a hard disk drive (HDD) and a solid state drive (SSD). The storage unit 40 pre-stores facial images of people who will be occupants of the vehicle 1 received from the control unit 10. The storage unit 40 may be mounted on the vehicle 1 or may be mounted in the vehicle door lock control device 3.

Next, we will explain the door lock mechanism 51 equipped on the vehicle 1.

The door lock mechanism 51 is a mechanism that locks and unlocks the doors of the vehicle 1. When the door lock mechanism 51 is in a locked state, the door will not open even if the door handle is operated, and when it is in an unlocked state, the door can be opened with the door handle. The door lock mechanism 51 is controlled by a BCM (Body Control Module) (not shown).

The door lock mechanism 51 locks or unlocks the doors when an occupant of the vehicle 1 manually operates a lock knob on the door. The door lock mechanism 51 also locks or unlocks the doors by operating an actuator based on the operation of an operating switch by the occupant of the vehicle 1. The door lock mechanism 51 can also simultaneously lock or unlock all the doors by operating the actuator.

Next, the control unit 10 provided in the vehicle door lock control device 3 will be described. The control unit 10 is a general-purpose microcomputer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), memories such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory), and an input/output unit. A computer program for functioning as the vehicle door lock control device 3 is installed in the microcomputer. By executing the computer program, the microcomputer functions as multiple information processing circuits (11, 12, 13, 14, 15) provided in the vehicle door lock control device 3.

In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the multiple information processing circuits (11, 12, 13, 14, 15) provided in the vehicle door lock control device 3 are realized by software, but it is also possible to configure the information processing circuits by preparing dedicated hardware for executing each information process. Also, the multiple information processing circuits may be configured by individual hardware.

The control unit 10 determines whether the vehicle 1 is stopped, and when it is determined that the vehicle 1 is stopped, obtains the distance between the vehicle 1 and objects present around the vehicle 1 from the distance measuring unit 20, and detects an approaching object approaching the vehicle 1 based on the change in distance. The control unit 10 obtains an image around the vehicle 1 from the imaging unit 30, detects a facial image in a predetermined area image including at least an image of an approaching object among the images around the vehicle 1, and determines that the approaching object is an approaching person approaching the vehicle 1 when a facial image is detected in the predetermined area image. The control unit 10 then obtains a pre-stored facial image from the storage unit 40, and determines whether the facial image of the approaching person matches the pre-stored facial image. When the doors of the vehicle 1 are unlocked and the facial image of the approaching person does not match the pre-stored facial image, the control unit 10 controls the door lock mechanism 51 to operate the door lock.

The control unit 10 acquires a facial image for determining whether or not the facial image of a person approaching the vehicle 1 matches a facial image previously stored in the storage unit 40. The control unit 10 may acquire the facial image, for example, via a USB port and an SD card slot provided as an input unit (not shown) in the control unit 10, or may acquire the facial image via wireless communication with a smartphone by providing a wireless communication unit. The control unit 10 transmits the acquired facial image to the storage unit 40. As a result, the facial image is stored in the storage unit 40. The stored facial image is a facial image of a person who will board the vehicle 1, that is, a person who will be an occupant of the vehicle 1. Therefore, by storing facial images of people who are scheduled to board the vehicle 1 in the future, such as family members and friends, in advance, it is possible to prevent the door lock from being activated when family members, friends, etc. board the vehicle 1.

Next, we will explain in detail the multiple information processing circuits that the control unit 10 has.

The control unit 10 includes a vehicle speed determination unit 11, an approaching object detection unit 12, a face detection unit 13, a face authentication unit 14, and a door lock control unit 15.

The vehicle speed determination unit 11 calculates the speed of the vehicle 1 and determines whether the vehicle 1 is stopped or not. For example, when the vehicle speed determination unit 11 detects that the speed of the vehicle 1 is 3 km/h or less, it determines that the vehicle has stopped. Furthermore, in addition to the speed of the vehicle 1, the vehicle speed determination unit 11 calculates the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle 1. The speed of the vehicle 1 at which it is determined that the vehicle 1 has stopped can be set appropriately.

The vehicle speed determination unit 11 acquires vehicle speed pulses output from wheel speed sensors provided on each wheel of the vehicle 1, and can calculate the number of rotations of each wheel of the vehicle 1 by measuring the number of pulses output per unit time or the time interval between pulses. This allows the vehicle speed determination unit 11 to calculate the speed of the vehicle 1 based on the number of rotations of each wheel, and to calculate acceleration and deceleration from changes in the speed of the vehicle 1.

When the vehicle speed determination unit 11 has determined that the vehicle 1 is stopped, the approaching object detection unit 12 acquires the distance between the object and the vehicle 1 from the distance measurement unit 20. The approaching object detection unit 12 detects an object approaching the vehicle 1 based on a change in the acquired distance between the object and the vehicle 1.

More specifically, when the vehicle speed determination unit 11 has determined that the vehicle 1 is stopped, the approaching object detection unit 12 continuously acquires the distance between the vehicle 1 and objects present around the vehicle 1 measured by the distance measurement unit 20 at a predetermined cycle. This allows the approaching object detection unit 12 to calculate the change in the distance between the vehicle 1 and objects present around the vehicle 1. This allows the approaching object detection unit 12 to detect an approaching object approaching the vehicle 1.

The approaching object detection unit 12 sets a calculation area within a radius of 6 m from the center position of the vehicle 1 as the calculation area for calculating the change in the distance between the vehicle 1 and objects present around the vehicle 1. The calculation area can be set appropriately according to the size of the vehicle 1.

Furthermore, when the vehicle speed determination unit 11 determines that the vehicle 1 is stopped, the approaching object detection unit 12 acquires the positions of objects present around the vehicle 1 from the distance measurement unit 20, and identifies the direction of the approaching object based on the change in the position of the objects present around the vehicle 1.

More specifically, when the vehicle speed determination unit 11 has determined that the vehicle 1 is stopped, the approaching object detection unit 12 continuously acquires the positions of objects present around the vehicle 1 measured by the distance measurement unit 20 at a predetermined cycle. This allows the approaching object detection unit 12 to calculate the amount of change in the position of an approaching object approaching the vehicle 1, and to identify the direction of the approaching object based on the amount of change.

The approaching object detection unit 12 transmits the position and direction of an object approaching the vehicle 1 to the face detection unit 13.

The face detection unit 13 acquires an image of the surroundings of the vehicle 1 from the imaging unit 30. The face detection unit 13 detects a face image within a predetermined area image that includes at least an image of an approaching object from among the acquired images of the surroundings of the vehicle 1, and when a face image is detected within the predetermined area image, it determines that the approaching object is a person approaching the vehicle 1.

Specifically, the face detection unit 13 determines whether the direction of the approaching object is a direction in which the object is entering a predetermined area 2 around the vehicle 1, and if the direction of the approaching object is a direction in which the object is entering the predetermined area 2, it detects a face image within the predetermined area including the approaching object. The predetermined area 2 of the vehicle 1 will be described later with reference to FIG. 2.

First, when the face detection unit 13 determines that the direction of the approaching object is a direction entering the predetermined area 2, it acquires an image of the surroundings of the vehicle 1 from the imaging unit 30 and acquires the position of the approaching object from the approaching object detection unit 12. This allows the face detection unit 13 to acquire a predetermined area image including an image of the approaching object based on the position of the approaching object from the image of the surroundings of the vehicle 1.

More specifically, the position coordinates of objects around the vehicle 1 output by the distance measuring unit 20 and the pixel positions of the image of the surroundings of the vehicle 1 acquired by the imaging unit 30 are synchronized in advance. Therefore, the face detection unit 13 can select the pixel positions of the image of the surroundings of the vehicle 1 that correspond to the positions of the objects detected by the distance measuring unit 20. This allows the face detection unit 13 to extract an image corresponding to an approaching object from the image of the surroundings of the vehicle 1 acquired from the imaging unit 30.

The specified area image may be, for example, an image of the upper half of the area in the vertical length of the image of the approaching object, or an area image that is a specified range larger than the image of the approaching object. The area image that is a specified range larger than the image of the approaching object is, for example, a rectangular or elliptical area image that is set to include an area up to 10 cm away from the image of the approaching object.

Next, the face detection unit 13 detects a face image from within the specified area image. The face detection unit 13 can detect a person's face from the specified area image by using a known face detection function. The face detection function works by an algorithm that detects skin-colored parts from within the specified area image and detects those parts as a face, or detects parts from within the specified area image that have similar feature points related to facial parts, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth, in terms of their representative model shapes and positional relationships, and detects those parts as a face.

When a face image is detected within the predetermined area image, the face detection unit 13 determines that the approaching object is a person approaching the vehicle 1. This detects the face image of the approaching person.

The face authentication unit 14 retrieves a pre-stored face image from the memory unit 40 and determines whether the face image of the approaching person matches the pre-stored face image.

By using known face recognition technology, the face authentication unit 14 can determine whether the face image of the approaching person matches a face image stored in advance. For example, the face authentication unit 14 can extract features such as the relative positions and sizes of facial parts, the eyes, nose, and chin shape from the face image, and calculate the degree of similarity of the extracted features, thereby determining whether the face image of the approaching person matches a face image stored in advance in the memory unit 40.

The face authentication unit 14 transmits the result of the determination as to whether the face image of the approaching person matches a face image previously stored in the memory unit 40 to the door lock control unit 15.

The door lock control unit 15 controls the door to be locked when the door is unlocked and the facial image of the approaching person does not match the facial image pre-stored in the memory unit 40.

For example, when the door is unlocked and the facial image of the approaching person does not match the facial image pre-stored in the memory unit 40, the door lock control unit 15 transmits a door lock activation signal to the BCM provided in the vehicle 1 to instruct it to activate the door lock mechanism 51. The door lock control unit 15 can determine whether the door is locked or unlocked by acquiring information indicating the door lock state transmitted from the BCM.

The BCM, which receives the door lock activation signal, controls the door lock mechanism 51 to activate the door lock. Note that the method of activating the door lock is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 10 and the door lock mechanism 51 may be electrically connected, and the control unit 10 may directly activate the door lock. Even if the door lock is activated by the door lock control unit 15, the door lock can be released from inside the vehicle 1.

When the door lock control unit 15 determines that the deceleration of the vehicle 1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined deceleration, or when it determines that the airbag of the vehicle 1 has been deployed, it prohibits control to activate the door lock.

The door lock control unit 15 can determine whether the deceleration of the vehicle 1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined deceleration by acquiring the deceleration of the vehicle 1 from the vehicle speed determination unit 11. The predetermined deceleration is the deceleration that occurs when the vehicle 1 collides with an object in an accident. The predetermined deceleration is, for example, minus 1.5 G.

The door lock control unit 15 can determine whether the airbag has been activated by receiving a signal indicating whether the airbag has been activated from an airbag ECU (Electronic Control Unit) (not shown).

Next, referring to FIG. 2, a schematic explanation will be given of the process in which the approaching object detection unit 12 detects an object approaching the vehicle 1 when the vehicle 1 is stopped, and the process in which the approaching object determines whether the direction of the approaching object is entering the specified area 2.

Figure 2 shows objects A and B that are present around vehicle 1 and approach the stopped vehicle 1. Object A (t1) and object B (t1) are the positions of objects A and B at time t1, and object A (t2) and object B (t2) are the positions of objects A and B at time t2. Note that objects A and B are people.

The approaching object detection unit 12 continuously acquires the distance between object A and vehicle 1 and the distance between object B and vehicle 1 from the distance measurement unit 20 at a predetermined cycle. Specifically, the approaching object detection unit 12 acquires the distance between object A (t1) and vehicle 1 and the distance between object B (t1) and vehicle 1 at time t1, and acquires the distance between object A (t2) and vehicle 1 and the distance between object B (t2) and vehicle 1 at time t2.

The approaching object detection unit 12 calculates the change in the distance between object A and vehicle 1 and the change in the distance between object B and vehicle 1 from time t1 to time t2. Based on the change in the distance between object A and vehicle 1 and the change in the distance between object B and vehicle 1, the approaching object detection unit 12 determines whether the distance between object A and vehicle 1 and the distance between object B and vehicle 1 are shortening.

Objects A and B are objects approaching vehicle 1, and the distance between object A and vehicle 1 and the distance between object B and vehicle 1 are becoming shorter. Therefore, the object detection unit 12 detects objects A and B as approaching objects A and B approaching vehicle 1. The measured distance between the object and vehicle 1 is the straight-line distance from the center position of vehicle 1 to the center position of the object.

The approaching object detection unit 12 calculates the amount of change in the positions of approaching objects A and B, and identifies the direction Ad of approaching object A and the direction Bd of approaching object B.

The approaching object detection unit 12 determines whether the direction Ad of approaching object A and the direction Bd of approaching object B are directions of entering the specified area 2.

The specified area 2 is an area that is set to surround the vehicle 1, and is set broadly on the right and left sides of the vehicle 1. The maximum distance from the center position of the vehicle 1 to the specified area 2 on the left and right sides of the vehicle 1 is, for example, 2 m.

The direction Ad of approaching object A is not entering the specified area 2, and the direction Bd of approaching object B is entering the specified area 2. Therefore, the approaching object detection unit 12 determines that the direction Bd of approaching object B is entering the specified area 2.

[Vehicle door lock control method]
Next, an example of the process of the vehicle door lock control device 3 shown in Fig. 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The operation of the vehicle door lock control device 3 shown in the flowchart of Fig. 3 starts at the same time that the accessory switch of the vehicle 1 is turned ON, and ends when the accessory switch of the vehicle 1 is turned OFF.

In step S10, the vehicle speed determination unit 11 determines whether the vehicle 1 is stopped. For example, when the vehicle speed determination unit 11 detects that the speed of the vehicle 1 is 3 km/h or less, it determines that the vehicle 1 is stopped.

In step S10, if the vehicle speed determination unit 11 determines that the vehicle 1 is not stopped (NO in step S10), the process proceeds to step S110.

In step S10, if the vehicle speed determination unit 11 determines that the vehicle 1 is stopped (YES in step S10), the process proceeds to step S20.

In step S20, the approaching object detection unit 12 obtains the distance between the vehicle 1 and objects present around the vehicle 1 from the distance measurement unit 20, and the process proceeds to step S30.

In step S30, the approaching object detection unit 12 acquires the positions (relative positions) of objects present around the vehicle 1 with respect to the vehicle 1 from the distance measurement unit 20, and the process proceeds to step S40.

In step S40, the face detection unit 13 acquires an image of the surroundings of the vehicle 1 from the imaging unit 30, and the process proceeds to step S50.

In step S50, the approaching object detection unit 12 detects an approaching object approaching the vehicle 1 based on a change in the distance between the object and the vehicle 1. Also in step S50, the approaching object detection unit 12 determines the direction of the approaching object by calculating the amount of change in the position of the approaching object approaching the vehicle 1.

In step S50, if the approaching object detection unit 12 detects an object approaching the vehicle 1 (YES in step S50), the process proceeds to step S60.

In step S50, if the approaching object detection unit 12 does not detect an object approaching the vehicle 1 (NO in step S50), the process proceeds to step S110.

In step S60, the face detection unit 13 detects a face image from within a predetermined area image that includes at least an image of an approaching object from among the acquired images of the surroundings of the vehicle 1.

More specifically, the face detection unit 13 determines whether the direction of the approaching object is entering a specified area 2 around the vehicle 1 based on a change in the position of the approaching object, and if the direction of the approaching object is entering the specified area 2, detects a face image from within the specified area that includes the approaching object.

In step S60, if the face detection unit 13 is unable to detect a face image within the specified area image (NO in step S60), the process proceeds to step S110.

In step S60, if the face detection unit 13 detects a face image within the specified area image (YES in step S60), the process proceeds to step S70.

In step S70, the face detection unit 13 determines that the approaching object whose face image has been detected within the specified area image is a person approaching the vehicle 1.

In step S80, the face authentication unit 14 retrieves a pre-stored face image from the memory unit 40 and determines whether the face image of the approaching person matches the pre-stored face image.

In step S80, if the face authentication unit 14 determines that the face image of the approaching person matches a face image previously stored in the memory unit 40 (NO in step S80), the process proceeds to step S110.

In step S80, if the face authentication unit 14 determines that the face image of the approaching person does not match the face image pre-stored in the memory unit 40 (YES in step S80), the process proceeds to step S90.

In step S90, the door lock control unit 15 determines whether the door is unlocked.

If the door lock control unit 15 determines in step S90 that the door is locked (NO in step S90), the process proceeds to step S110.

If the door lock control unit 15 determines in step S90 that the door is unlocked (YES in step S90), the process proceeds to step S100.

In step S100, the door lock control unit 15 controls the door lock to be activated. Specifically, the door lock control unit 15 transmits a door lock activation signal to the BCM provided in the vehicle 1 to instruct the BCM to activate the door lock mechanism 51, activates the door lock, and the process proceeds to step S110.

In step S110, the power supply control unit (not shown) of the control unit 10 acquires the state of the accessory switch and determines the state of the accessory switch. If the power supply control unit determines that the accessory switch is ON (NO in step S110), the process returns to step S10. If the power supply control unit determines that the accessory switch is OFF (YES in step S110), the process performs a shutdown process and ends.

[Action and Effect]
As described above, according to the first embodiment, the following advantageous effects can be obtained.

The vehicle door lock control device 3 determines whether the vehicle 1 is stopped, and when it is determined that the vehicle 1 is stopped, detects an approaching object approaching the vehicle 1 based on a change in the distance between the object and the vehicle 1. The vehicle door lock control device 3 detects a facial image within a predetermined area image that includes at least an image of the approaching object among images of the surroundings of the vehicle 1, and when a facial image is detected within the predetermined area image, determines that the approaching object is a person approaching the vehicle 1.

This allows the vehicle door lock control device 3 to detect objects approaching the vehicle 1 when the vehicle 1 is stopped, and to identify a person approaching the vehicle 1 from among the approaching objects.

The vehicle door lock control device 3 determines whether the facial image of the approaching person matches a pre-stored facial image, and controls the door lock to be activated if the door of the vehicle 1 is unlocked and the facial image of the approaching person does not match the pre-stored facial image.

This allows the vehicle door lock control device 3 to determine whether or not the approaching person approaching the vehicle 1 is a person who will be riding in the vehicle 1, and if the approaching person is a person other than a person who will be riding in the vehicle 1 and the door is unlocked, it can lock the door of the vehicle 1. In other words, it is possible to prevent the door of the vehicle 1 from being opened by a person who may harm the occupants of the vehicle 1, thereby protecting the safety of the occupants.

The vehicle door lock control device 3 measures the position of an object present around the vehicle 1, and identifies the direction of the approaching object based on a change in the position of the object present around the vehicle 1. If the direction of the approaching object is a direction of entering a specified area 2 around the vehicle 1, the vehicle door lock control device 3 detects a face image within a specified area image that includes an image of the approaching object.

This allows the vehicle door lock control device 3 to more accurately detect objects approaching the door of the vehicle 1. Furthermore, the vehicle door lock control device 3 can reduce the processing required to detect facial images of objects that do not enter the specified area 2 around the vehicle 1, thereby reducing the processing load on the control unit 10.

When the vehicle door lock control device 3 determines that the deceleration of the vehicle 1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined deceleration, or when it determines that the airbag of the vehicle 1 has been deployed, it prohibits the door lock of the vehicle 1 from being activated. In this way, the vehicle door lock control device 3 allows a person outside the vehicle to quickly rescue the occupants of the vehicle 1 in the event of an accident involving the vehicle 1.

Second Embodiment
[Configuration of vehicle door lock control device 3]
The configuration of the vehicle door lock control device 3 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The difference from the first embodiment is that the second embodiment further includes a window control unit 16 that controls the closing of the windows of the vehicle 1. Therefore, only the difference will be described, and the description of the other common configurations will be omitted.

If the facial image of the approaching person does not match the facial image pre-stored in the memory unit 40, the window control unit 16 activates the window opening/closing mechanism 52 provided in the vehicle 1 to close the windows of the vehicle 1. The window opening/closing mechanism 52 is controlled by the BCM.

Specifically, the window control unit 16 transmits a window closing instruction signal to the BCM provided in the vehicle 1 to instruct it to operate the window opening and closing mechanism. The BCM that receives the window closing instruction signal controls the window opening and closing mechanism 52 to operate and close the window. Note that the method of controlling the window opening and closing mechanism 52 is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 10 and the window opening and closing mechanism 52 may be electrically connected, and the control unit 10 may be configured to directly operate the window opening and closing mechanism 52.

[Vehicle door lock control method]
Next, an example of the process of the vehicle door lock control device 3 shown in Fig. 4 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The difference from the first embodiment is that step S105 is further included. Therefore, only the difference will be described, and the description of the other common configurations will be omitted.

In step S105, the window control unit 16 operates the window opening/closing mechanism 52 provided in the vehicle 1 to close the window. Specifically, the window closing instruction signal is transmitted to the BCM to instruct the BCM to close the window, and the window opening/closing mechanism 52 is operated to close the window.

[Action and Effect]
As described above, according to the second embodiment, the following advantageous effects can be obtained.

The vehicle door lock control device 3 controls the vehicle 1 windows to close if the facial image of the approaching person does not match the pre-stored facial image. This allows the vehicle door lock control device 3 to prevent the approaching person from being harmed through the window by someone other than a passenger in the vehicle 1, thereby protecting the safety of the occupants.

As described above, an embodiment of the present invention has been described, but the descriptions and drawings that form part of this disclosure should not be understood as limiting this invention. Various alternative embodiments, examples, and operating techniques will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 vehicle 2 specified area 3 vehicle door lock control device 10 control unit 11 vehicle speed determination unit 12 approaching object detection unit 13 face detection unit 14 face authentication unit 15 door lock control unit 16 window control unit 20 distance measurement unit 30 imaging unit 40 storage unit 51 door lock mechanism 52 window opening/closing mechanism

Claims (5)

a vehicle speed determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is stopped;
an approaching object detection unit that, when it is determined that the vehicle is stopped, acquires a distance between the vehicle and an object present around the vehicle, and detects an approaching object approaching the vehicle based on a change in the distance;
a face detection unit that acquires an image of the surroundings of the vehicle, detects a face image from an upper half of a vertical length in a predetermined area image including at least an image of the approaching object among the image of the surroundings of the vehicle based on a pixel position corresponding to the position of the approaching object, and determines that the approaching object is a person approaching the vehicle when a face image is detected in the upper half of the vertical length in the predetermined area image;
a face authentication unit that acquires a pre-stored face image and determines whether or not the face image of the approaching person matches the pre-stored face image;
and a door lock control unit that controls the door to be locked when the door of the vehicle is unlocked and the facial image of the approaching person does not match the pre-stored facial image. the approaching object detection unit acquires a position of an object present around the vehicle, and identifies a direction of the approaching object based on a change in the position of the object;
2. The vehicle door lock control device according to claim 1, wherein the face detection unit detects a face image within the predetermined area image including an image of the approaching object when the direction of the approaching object is a direction of entering a predetermined area around the vehicle. 3. The vehicle door lock control device according to claim 1, wherein the door lock control unit prohibits activation of the door lock of the vehicle when it determines that the deceleration of the vehicle has reached a predetermined deceleration or greater, or when it determines that an airbag of the vehicle has been deployed. A window control unit that controls the vehicle window to be closed,
3. The vehicle door lock control device according to claim 1, wherein the window control unit controls to close the vehicle window when the face image of the approaching person does not match the pre-stored face image. Determine whether the vehicle is stopped;
acquiring a distance between the vehicle and an object present around the vehicle in a state where the vehicle is determined to be stopped, and detecting an approaching object approaching the vehicle based on a change in the distance;
acquiring an image of the surroundings of the vehicle, and detecting a face image from an upper half region of a vertical length within a predetermined region image including at least an image of the approaching object among the image of the surroundings of the vehicle, based on a pixel position corresponding to the position of the approaching object ;
When a face image is detected in an upper half of the predetermined area image in the vertical direction , the approaching object is determined to be a person approaching the vehicle,
acquiring a pre-stored face image, and determining whether or not the face image of the approaching person matches the pre-stored face image;
The vehicle door lock control method controls the door to be locked when the door of the vehicle is unlocked and the facial image of the approaching person does not match the pre-stored facial image.

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