JP7786993B2 - Vehicle rescue device - Google Patents

Description

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a vehicle rescue device that rescues a broken-down vehicle.

Patent Document 1 below discloses an abnormality determination device that determines whether an abnormal condition has occurred in a vehicle, and if it determines that an abnormal condition has occurred in the vehicle, uses a notification means to notify the driver of the occurrence of the abnormal condition in the vehicle.

JP 2010-83437 A

The above-mentioned abnormality determination device can, for example, notify a vehicle of a malfunction, but cannot rescue the vehicle. Therefore, there is a need to rescue a malfunctioning vehicle.

A vehicle rescue device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a storage unit that stores operational information related to the operation of managed vehicles under its management, a detection unit that detects broken-down vehicles, a determination unit that determines a rescue vehicle from the managed vehicles based on the operational information to rescue the broken-down vehicle, and a guidance unit that guides at least one of the broken-down vehicle and the rescue vehicle to the other vehicle.

In this aspect, at least one of the broken-down vehicle and the rescue vehicle that will rescue the broken-down vehicle is guided to the other vehicle, allowing the rescue vehicle to rescue the broken-down vehicle as a result of the guidance.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to rescue a broken-down vehicle.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of a vehicle rescue system including a vehicle rescue device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the vehicle rescue device according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a computer used in the vehicle rescue device according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a table of operational information. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a rescue process executed by the vehicle rescue device according to the embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the rescue process executed by the vehicle rescue device according to the embodiment.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that in the description of the drawings, identical elements will be given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations will be omitted. Furthermore, the embodiments of the present disclosure described below are specific examples of the present invention, and unless otherwise specified, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a vehicle rescue system 3 including a vehicle rescue device 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle rescue system 3 is configured to include a vehicle rescue device 1 and management vehicles 2 (a plurality of management vehicles 2a, 2b, 2c, etc. will be collectively referred to as "management vehicles 2" as appropriate). The vehicle rescue device 1 and each management vehicle 2 are connected to each other via a wireless network such as a mobile communications network, and can send and receive information between them.

The vehicle rescue device 1 is a computer device that rescues a broken-down vehicle. The managed vehicle 2 is a vehicle under the management of the vehicle rescue device 1 (or the manager of the vehicle rescue device 1). The broken-down vehicle may be (any of) the managed vehicle 2.

A vehicle is a wheeled vehicle such as a truck, car, motorcycle, or train. A vehicle may be autonomous or non-autonomous (e.g., manually driven by a human driver).

In this embodiment, the vehicle is assumed to be an autonomous truck. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the vehicle is assumed to be equipped with an autonomous driving control device, which is a device that controls the autonomous driving of the vehicle itself. The autonomous driving control device may receive driving instructions, which are instructions related to driving, from the vehicle rescue device 1 via communications, and drive the vehicle in accordance with the received driving instructions. Note that if the vehicle is not autonomous, the driver will drive the vehicle in accordance with the driving instructions received from the vehicle rescue device 1, for example.

Rescue refers to helping a vehicle that is in a difficult or dangerous situation due to a breakdown or other reason. Rescue of a broken-down vehicle may be rescue of the broken-down vehicle itself (e.g., repairs, replenishment of energy such as fuel, hydrogen, or electricity), or rescue of the service being performed or provided by the broken-down vehicle (e.g., continuation or resumption of service). In this embodiment, rescue is assumed to mean the continuation of the transport service of cargo carried by the truck (transporting cargo as originally planned), but is not limited to this. In this embodiment, the term "rescue" may be replaced with support, relief, aid, assistance, assistance, aid, rescue, help, assistance, support, assistance, and assistance, as appropriate.

The vehicle rescue device 1 may rescue the broken-down vehicle using a rescue vehicle, which is a vehicle that rescues broken-down vehicles. The rescue vehicle may be (any of) the management vehicle 2. The rescue may include transferring cargo from the broken-down vehicle to the rescue vehicle.

The vehicle rescue device 1 may perform rescue by guiding at least one of the broken-down vehicle and the rescue vehicle to the other vehicle. More specifically, the vehicle rescue device 1 may guide the broken-down vehicle to the rescue vehicle, or may guide the rescue vehicle to the broken-down vehicle, or may guide both the broken-down vehicle to the rescue vehicle and the rescue vehicle to the broken-down vehicle.

Guidance refers to leading one vehicle to another vehicle (or its location). In this embodiment, the term "guidance" may be replaced with "lead," "guide," "head," "direct," or "guide," as appropriate. Guidance may be achieved, for example, by controlling the autonomous driving of the vehicle to be guided, or by providing guidance to the driver of the vehicle to be guided via a car navigation system or the like.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the vehicle rescue device 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the vehicle rescue device 1 includes a storage unit 10 (storage unit), a detection unit 11 (detection unit), a determination unit 12 (determination unit), and a guidance unit 13 (guidance unit).

It is assumed that each functional block of the vehicle rescue device 1 functions within the vehicle rescue device 1, but this is not limited to this. For example, some of the functional blocks of the vehicle rescue device 1 may function within a computer device separate from the vehicle rescue device 1, and connected to the vehicle rescue device 1 via a network, while appropriately sending and receiving information with the vehicle rescue device 1. Furthermore, some functional blocks of the vehicle rescue device 1 may be absent, multiple functional blocks may be integrated into a single functional block, or one functional block may be separated into multiple functional blocks.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer used in the vehicle rescue device 1. As shown in Figure 3, the vehicle rescue device 1 is physically configured as a computer system including a central processing unit (CPU) 100, which is a central processing unit (processor), a RAM (Random access memory) 101 and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, which are main storage devices, an input/output device 103 such as a keyboard, microphone, and display, a communication module 104, which is a data transmission/reception device, and an auxiliary storage device 105 such as a hard disk and an SSD (Solid State Drive). The CPU 100, RAM 101, and ROM 102, the input/output device 103, the communication module 104, and the auxiliary storage device 105 may each be configured in multiple units. The functions of each functional block shown in Figure 2 are realized by loading specific computer software onto hardware such as the CPU 100 and RAM 101 shown in Figure 3, operating the input/output device 103 and the communication module 104 under the control of the CPU 100, and reading and writing data from and to the RAM 101 and the auxiliary storage device 105.

The following describes each function of the vehicle rescue device 1 shown in Figure 2.

The storage unit 10 stores operational information related to the operation of the managed vehicles 2 under its management. In this embodiment, the term "operation" may be replaced with utilization, use, or the like as appropriate. The operational information may include at least one of the following: cargo information, which is information about the cargo carried by the managed vehicles 2; current location information, which is information about the current location of the managed vehicles 2; destination information, which is information about the destination of the managed vehicles 2; map information, which is information about maps (for example, information about maps including information about locations such as parking lots where rescue work or cargo transfers can be performed); or road information, which is information about roads (for example, traffic congestion information).

The cargo information may include, for example, at least one of the following: the load capacity (the amount of cargo being loaded), the maximum load capacity of the management vehicle 2, the remaining load capacity of the cargo that can be loaded onto the management vehicle 2, or details of the cargo (type, item, quantity, etc.).

The current location information may include at least one of the latitude and longitude of the current location, identification information identifying the current location, the address of the current location, or the name of the area where the current location is located.

The destination information may include at least one of the latitude and longitude of the destination, identification information identifying the destination, the address of the destination, or the name of the area of the destination.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of an operational information table. In the example operational information table shown in Figure 4, identification information that identifies a managed vehicle 2, the payload of that managed vehicle 2, the latitude and longitude of the managed vehicle 2's current location, and the latitude and longitude of the managed vehicle's destination are associated. For example, the first record in the example operational information table shown in Figure 4 indicates that the payload of managed vehicle 2 with identification information "2a" is "1 ton," the latitude and longitude of the current location are "(35.68, 139.69)," and the latitude and longitude of the destination are "(35.69, 139.76)."

The operational information stored by the storage unit 10 may be updated as appropriate by the vehicle rescue device 1, etc., to reflect the current (latest) situation.

The storage unit 10 may store any information used in other calculations in the vehicle rescue device 1, as well as the results of calculations in the vehicle rescue device 1. The information stored by the storage unit 10 may be referenced as appropriate by each function of the vehicle rescue device 1.

The detection unit 11 detects a broken-down vehicle. The detection unit 11 may detect a broken-down vehicle among the managed vehicles 2 (from among the managed vehicles 2). For example, the detection unit 11 detects a broken-down vehicle by receiving a malfunction notification from the broken-down vehicle via communication, which is a notification indicating that the broken-down vehicle has broken down. The malfunction notification may include identification information for the broken-down vehicle, and the detection unit 11 may identify the broken-down vehicle based on the identification information included in the malfunction notification. The detection unit 11 may detect a broken-down vehicle by receiving a malfunction notification from another device via communication. The detection unit 11 may also detect a broken-down vehicle based on information input by the user of the vehicle rescue device 1.

The detection unit 11 may further detect the degree of failure of the broken-down vehicle. That is, the detection unit 11 may detect the broken-down vehicle and also the degree of failure of the broken-down vehicle. For example, the detection unit 11 detects the broken-down vehicle and the degree of failure by receiving a failure degree notification from the broken-down vehicle via communication, which is a notification indicating a breakdown and the degree of failure from the broken-down vehicle. The failure degree notification may include identification information for the broken-down vehicle, and the detection unit 11 may identify the broken-down vehicle based on the identification information included in the failure degree notification. The detection unit 11 may detect the broken-down vehicle and the degree of failure by receiving a failure degree notification from another device via communication. The detection unit 11 may detect the broken-down vehicle and the degree of failure based on information input by the user of the vehicle rescue device 1.

The failure degree may indicate the severity of the failure. For example, the failure degree may be indicated in three levels: "0," "1," and "2." In this case, "0" may indicate the least seriousness of the failure, and "2" may indicate the most seriousness of the failure. Alternatively, the failure degree may be indicated by a real number between "0" and "1" (for example, "0.75"). In this case, "0" may indicate the least seriousness of the failure, and "1" may indicate the most seriousness of the failure.

The vehicle may detect that its own vehicle has broken down based on abnormal sounds, vibrations, etc. detected by various sensors attached to the vehicle, and may send a malfunction notification to the detection unit 11 of the vehicle rescue device 1 based on the detection results. The vehicle may also detect that its own vehicle has broken down based on abnormal sounds, vibrations, etc. detected by various sensors attached to the vehicle, and may detect the degree of the malfunction based on the magnitude of the detected abnormal sounds, vibrations, etc., and may send a malfunction degree notification to the detection unit 11 of the vehicle rescue device 1 based on the detection results.

The detection unit 11 outputs information about the detected broken-down vehicle (e.g., identification information about the broken-down vehicle) to the determination unit 12 and the guidance unit 13. The detection unit 11 may also output information about the detected broken-down vehicle and the degree of the detected breakdown to the determination unit 12 and the guidance unit 13.

The determination unit 12 determines from the management vehicles 2 a rescue vehicle to rescue a broken-down vehicle (detected by the detection unit 11) based on the operational information (stored by the storage unit 10). More specifically, when information about the broken-down vehicle is input from the detection unit 11, the determination unit 12 references the operational information stored by the storage unit 10 and determines from the management vehicles 2 a rescue vehicle to rescue the broken-down vehicle based on the operational information.

A specific example will be explained using the example operational information table shown in Figure 4. If the identification information of the broken-down vehicle is "2a," for example, the determination unit 12 references the example operational information table shown in Figure 4 and determines, as a rescue vehicle, a managed vehicle 2 with identification information "2c" whose load capacity is less than a predetermined amount (e.g., "2 tons") (and whose identification information is other than "2a"). Other determination examples include determining, as a rescue vehicle, a managed vehicle 2 whose remaining load capacity (not shown) is equal to or greater than the load capacity of the broken-down vehicle; determining, as a rescue vehicle, a managed vehicle 2 whose current location is closest to the broken-down vehicle's current location; determining, as a rescue vehicle, a managed vehicle 2 that has the potential to reach the broken-down vehicle's current location most quickly based on at least one of map information (e.g., information about maps including information about locations such as parking lots where rescue work or cargo transfers can be performed) or road information (e.g., traffic congestion information) (e.g., if the broken-down vehicle is on an elevated road, , when other management vehicles 2 are on ground roads, even if their current locations on and under the overpass are very close, considering that the rescue vehicle must enter the overpass, it may be quicker to guide a management vehicle 2 on the same overpass even if the distance is somewhat greater), determining as the rescue vehicle the management vehicle 2 whose destination is closest to the destination of the broken-down vehicle, determining as the rescue vehicle the management vehicle 2 whose load capacity is less than a specified amount and whose sum of the distance between its current location and the current location of the broken-down vehicle and the distance between its destination and the destination of the broken-down vehicle is the smallest, etc.

The determination unit 12 may also determine a rescue vehicle based on the degree of failure (detected by the detection unit 11). That is, the determination unit 12 may determine a rescue vehicle from the management vehicles 2 to rescue the broken-down vehicle based on the operational information and the degree of failure. More specifically, when information about the broken-down vehicle and the degree of failure is input from the detection unit 11, the determination unit 12 references the operational information stored by the storage unit 10 and determines a rescue vehicle from the management vehicles 2 to rescue the broken-down vehicle based on the operational information and the degree of failure.

For example, the determination unit 12 may estimate the remaining driving distance or remaining driving time of the failed vehicle based on the degree of failure. Specifically, if the degree of failure is "0," the determination unit 12 may estimate the remaining driving distance of the failed vehicle to be "10 km" or the remaining driving time to be "1 hour." If the degree of failure is "1," the determination unit 12 may estimate the remaining driving distance of the failed vehicle to be "5 km" or the remaining driving time to be "30 minutes." If the degree of failure is "2," the determination unit 12 may then refer to the operational information, for example, and determine as a rescue vehicle a managed vehicle 2 whose current location is within the range of the estimated remaining driving distance from the current location of the failed vehicle. Alternatively, the determination unit 12 may refer to the operational information, for example, and determine as a rescue vehicle a managed vehicle 2 whose current location is within the range of the product of the estimated remaining driving time from the current location of the failed vehicle and a predetermined speed (e.g., 20 km/h).

The determination unit 12 outputs information about the determined rescue vehicle (e.g., the rescue vehicle's identification information) to the guidance unit 13.

The guidance unit 13 guides at least one of the broken-down vehicle (detected by the detection unit 11) or the rescue vehicle (determined by the determination unit 12) to the other vehicle. More specifically, when information about the broken-down vehicle (and the degree of failure) is input from the detection unit 11 and information about the rescue vehicle is input from the determination unit 12, the guidance unit 13 guides at least one of the broken-down vehicle and the rescue vehicle to the other vehicle. For example, the guidance unit 13 guides the broken-down vehicle to the rescue vehicle by sending a driving instruction to the broken-down vehicle to move to the location of the rescue vehicle. For another example, the guidance unit 13 guides the rescue vehicle to the broken-down vehicle by sending a driving instruction to the rescue vehicle to move to the location of the broken-down vehicle. Furthermore, for example, the guidance unit 13 may send a driving instruction to the broken-down vehicle to move to an intermediate position between the broken-down vehicle and the rescue vehicle, and may also send a driving instruction to the rescue vehicle to move to the intermediate position, thereby guiding the broken-down vehicle to the rescue vehicle and guiding the rescue vehicle to the broken-down vehicle.

The guidance unit 13 may provide guidance based on the degree of failure (detected by the detection unit 11). For example, if the degree of failure is "0", the guidance unit 13 may guide the broken-down vehicle to a rescue vehicle, if the degree of failure is "1", the guidance unit 13 may guide both the broken-down vehicle and the rescue vehicle to each other, or if the degree of failure is "2", the guidance unit 13 may guide the rescue vehicle to the broken-down vehicle.

Next, an example of the processing executed by the vehicle rescue device 1 will be described with reference to Figure 5. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the rescue processing executed by the vehicle rescue device 1.

First, the detection unit 11 detects a broken-down vehicle (step S1). Next, the determination unit 12 determines a rescue vehicle from the management vehicles 2 to rescue the broken-down vehicle detected in S1 based on the operational information stored by the storage unit 10 (step S2). Next, the guidance unit 13 guides at least one of the broken-down vehicle detected in S1 or the rescue vehicle determined in S2 to the other vehicle (step S3). Next, as a result of the guidance in S3, the broken-down vehicle detected in S1 and the rescue vehicle determined in S2 approach each other, and the rescue vehicle rescues the broken-down vehicle (step S4). In other words, the vehicle rescue device 1 rescues the broken-down vehicle.

Next, another example of processing executed by the vehicle rescue device 1 will be described with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing another example of rescue processing executed by the vehicle rescue device 1.

First, the detection unit 11 detects the broken-down vehicle and the degree of the breakdown (Step S10). Next, the detection unit 11 determines whether the degree of the breakdown detected in S10 is serious (greater than a predetermined threshold) (Step S11). If the degree of the breakdown is determined to be serious in S11 (S11: YES), the vehicle rescue device 1 (or the guidance unit 13) stops the broken-down vehicle detected in S10 (by sending a driving instruction to the broken-down vehicle to stop) (Step S12). Next, the determination unit 12 determines from the managed vehicles 2 a rescue vehicle to rescue the broken-down vehicle detected in S10 based on the operational information stored by the storage unit 10 (Step S13). Next, the guidance unit 13 guides the rescue vehicle determined in S13 to the broken-down vehicle detected in S10 (Step S14). Next, as a result of the guidance, the broken-down vehicle and the rescue vehicle approach each other, and the rescue vehicle rescues the broken-down vehicle (Step S15), and the processing ends. In other words, the vehicle rescue device 1 rescues the broken-down vehicle.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S11 that the degree of failure is not serious (S11: NO), the determination unit 12 estimates the remaining driving distance or remaining driving time of the broken-down vehicle detected in S10 (step S16). Next, the vehicle rescue device 1 (or the determination unit 12) determines whether the broken-down vehicle detected in S10 is permitted to drive based on at least one of the remaining driving distance estimated in S16, the remaining driving time estimated in S16, or the operational information stored by the storage unit 10 (including luggage information, current location information, destination information, map information, or road information) (step S17). Next, the vehicle rescue device 1 (or the determination unit 12) determines whether permission to drive has been granted in S17 (step S18). If permission to drive has not been granted in S18 (S18: NO), proceed to S12. Furthermore, by determining whether to allow driving in S17 based on map information or road information, for example, even if the broken-down vehicle is able to drive the full distance or time, the risk of causing a secondary disaster can be reduced if rescue would require time or effort (for example, if the vehicle is stopped in a tunnel) after driving the full distance.

On the other hand, if travel is permitted in S18 (S18: YES), the determination unit 12 determines from the management vehicles 2 a rescue vehicle to rescue the broken-down vehicle detected in S10 based on the operational information stored by the storage unit 10 (step S19). Next, the guidance unit 13 guides at least one of the broken-down vehicle detected in S10 or the rescue vehicle determined in S19 to the other vehicle (step S20), and proceeds to S15.

Next, we will explain the effects of the vehicle rescue device 1 according to this embodiment.

In the vehicle rescue device 1, the storage unit 10 stores operational information regarding the operation of managed vehicles 2 under its management, the detection unit 11 detects broken-down vehicles, the determination unit 12 determines a rescue vehicle from the managed vehicles 2 to rescue the broken-down vehicle detected by the detection unit 11 based on the operational information stored by the storage unit 10, and the guidance unit 13 guides at least one of the broken-down vehicle detected by the detection unit 11 or the rescue vehicle determined by the determination unit 12 to the other vehicle. With this configuration, at least one of the broken-down vehicle or the rescue vehicle to rescue the broken-down vehicle is guided to the other vehicle, allowing the rescue vehicle to rescue the broken-down vehicle as a result of the guidance.

Furthermore, according to the vehicle rescue device 1, the detection unit 11 may further detect the degree of failure of the broken-down vehicle, and the determination unit 12 may determine the rescue vehicle based further on the degree of failure detected by the detection unit 11. With this configuration, the rescue vehicle is determined further based on the degree of failure, making it possible to determine a more appropriate rescue vehicle according to the degree of failure.

Furthermore, with the vehicle rescue device 1, the detection unit 11 may further detect the degree of malfunction of the broken-down vehicle, and the guidance unit 13 may provide guidance based on the degree of malfunction detected by the detection unit 11. With this configuration, guidance is based on the degree of malfunction, allowing for more appropriate guidance according to the degree of malfunction.

Furthermore, according to the vehicle rescue device 1, the operational information includes at least one of information regarding the cargo carried by the management vehicle 2, information regarding the current location of the management vehicle 2, information regarding the destination of the management vehicle 2, information regarding maps, or information regarding roads, and rescue may include transferring cargo from the broken-down vehicle to a rescue vehicle. With this configuration, for example, the cargo transport service provided by the broken-down vehicle can be continued by having the rescue vehicle transport the cargo transferred from the broken-down vehicle instead.

A modified example of this embodiment will be described. Some or all of the functional blocks of the vehicle rescue device 1 may be provided in each of the management vehicles 2. For example, the management vehicle 2 may include a storage unit 10 that stores operational information related to the operation of the management vehicles 2 under the management (of the vehicle rescue device 1); a detection unit 11 that detects broken-down vehicles (detects that the host vehicle is a broken-down vehicle); a determination unit 12 that determines from the management vehicle 2 a rescue vehicle to rescue the broken-down vehicle (host vehicle) detected by the detection unit 11 based on the operational information stored in the storage unit 10; and a guidance unit 13 that guides at least one of the broken-down vehicle (host vehicle) detected by the detection unit 11 or the rescue vehicle determined by the determination unit 12 to the other vehicle. When some of the functional blocks are provided in the vehicle rescue device 1 and the remaining functional blocks are provided in each of the management vehicles 2, the functional blocks of both vehicles function in the same way by transmitting and receiving information to each other and coordinating with each other via communication (between the vehicle rescue device 1 and the management vehicle 2).

1...vehicle rescue device, 2...managed vehicle, 3...vehicle rescue system, 10...storage unit, 11...detection unit, 12...determination unit, 13...guidance unit, 100...CPU, 101...RAM, 102...ROM, 103...input/output device, 104...communication module, 105...auxiliary storage device.

Claims (3)

a storage unit for storing operational information relating to the operation of managed vehicles under its management;
a detection unit that detects a malfunctioning vehicle;
a determination unit that determines a rescue vehicle that will rescue the broken-down vehicle from the management vehicles based on the operation information;
a guidance unit that guides the broken-down vehicle to the rescue vehicle , or that guides the broken-down vehicle to the rescue vehicle and also guides the rescue vehicle to the broken-down vehicle ;
A vehicle rescue device comprising: The detection unit further detects the degree of failure of the broken-down vehicle,
The determination unit determines the rescue vehicle further based on the degree of failure, or the guidance unit guides the rescue vehicle based on the degree of failure.
The vehicle rescue device according to claim 1 . The operational information includes at least one of information about the cargo carried by the management vehicle, information about the current location of the management vehicle, information about the destination of the management vehicle, information about a map, or information about a road,
The rescue includes transferring cargo from the broken-down vehicle to the rescue vehicle.
The vehicle rescue device according to claim 1 or 2.