# US 12,215,983 B2 · Riding-together vehicle control device and system

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- Number: US 12,215,983 B2
- Document ID: US12215983B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/414,629
- Filed: 2018-12-17
- Published: 2022-03-03
- Granted: 2025-02-04
- Earliest claimed: 2018-12-17
- Assignees: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.; RENAULT s.a.s.
- Applicants: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.; Renault S.A.S.
- Inventors: Eijo Iwasaki
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12215983B2

## CPC

- G01C 21/3461: {Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types or segments such as motorways, toll roads or ferries}
- G07C 9/00571: {operated by interacting with a central unit}
- B60W 60/001: {Planning or execution of driving tasks}
- G01C 21/3438: {Rendezvous; Ride sharing}
- G06V 20/56: exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
- G06V 20/59: inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions
- G07B 15/00: Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points (handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00)
- G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S)
- G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
- B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- G07B: TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS

## Abstract

A vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a riding cancel switch and a controller. In a case where a first user in the vehicle permitted a riding-together with a second user, after the vehicle stopped at a riding location where the second user will ride on the vehicle, then, when the riding cancel switch is operated before a door of the vehicle is fully opened, the controller prohibits unlocking of the door or opening of the door.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vehicle control device used for a vehicle in which a plurality of users can ride, and which can automatically travel, the vehicle control device comprising:
a first controller configured to unlock or open a door of the vehicle; and
a second controller configured to:
receive a signal from an operation unit mounted inside the vehicle and operated by a first user in the vehicle; and
instruct the first controller to unlock or open the door after detecting that the vehicle has stopped at a riding location where a second user will ride on the vehicle;
wherein the first controller is further configured to:
prohibit fully opening the door after the vehicle has stopped at the riding location where the second user, who is permitted for riding-together by the first user, will ride on the vehicle and when the signal is input from the operation unit while opening the door from a closed position to a fully open position such that the door is partially open when the first controller prohibits fully opening the door of the vehicle,
acquire information related to outside environment of the vehicle or information related to the second user, and
prohibit unlocking the door only when it is determined that the acquired information satisfies a predetermined condition.

### Claim 2

A vehicle control device that is used for a vehicle in which a plurality of users can ride, and which can automatically travel, the vehicle control device comprising:
a first controller configured to unlock or open a door of the vehicle; and
a second controller configured to:
receive a signal from an operation unit mounted inside the vehicle operated by a first passenger in the vehicle; and
instruct the first controller to unlock or open the door after detecting that the vehicle has stopped at a riding location where a second passenger will ride on the vehicle,
wherein the first controller is configured to prohibit fully opening the door after the vehicle has stopped at the riding location where the second passenger will ride on the vehicle and when the signal was input from the operation unit while opening the door from a closed position to a fully open position such that the door is partially open when the first controller prohibits fully opening the door of the vehicle.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle is a riding-together travelling service vehicle by a plurality of passengers.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the first controller is configured to lock or close the door when the first controller detects a signal indicating that a riding cancel switch has been operated.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the first controller is configured to:
acquire information related to an outside environment of the vehicle or information related to the second passenger, and
prohibit unlocking the door only when it is determined that the acquired information satisfies a predetermined condition.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The vehicle control device according to claim 5, wherein:
the information relating to outside environment of the vehicle includes a captured image at the riding location of the second passenger, and
the information relating to the second passenger includes a data input based on an operation of a person outside the vehicle at the riding location of the second passenger.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The vehicle control device according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined condition includes in a case where the second passenger cannot be identified from the captured image at the riding location of the second passenger, the captured image means the information relating to outside environment of the vehicle, or in a case where the data input based on the operation of the person outside the vehicle at the riding location of the second passenger does not coincide with a reserved information relating to the second passenger, the data input based on the operation of the person outside the vehicle at the riding location of the second passenger means the information relating to the second passenger.

### Claim 8

A vehicle control system that is used for a vehicle in which a plurality of users can ride, and which can automatically travel, the vehicle comprising:
a switch that is operated when a first passenger in the vehicle cancels riding of a second passenger, and
a controller,
wherein the controller prohibits fully opening a door of the vehicle after the vehicle has stopped at a riding location where the second passenger will ride on the vehicle and when the controller has detected that the first passenger who permitted a riding-together with the second passenger operated the switch while opening the door from a closed position to a fully open position such that the door is partially open when the first controller prohibits fully opening the door of the vehicle.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The vehicle control system according to claim 8, further comprising:
a computer capable of communicating with the vehicle, the vehicle further comprising:
a camera that captures images around the vehicle and inside the vehicle or a microphone that acquires voice outside the vehicle and inside the vehicle,
wherein when the computer detected that the first passenger operated the switch, the computer determines a validity of the operation by the first passenger using information acquired from the camera or the microphone.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The vehicle control system according to claim 9, wherein:
the computer further comprises that a storage device that stores information relating to the first passenger and the second passenger, and
the computer determines the validity using past histories relating to the first passenger and the second passenger, the past histories are stored in the storage device.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The vehicle control system according to claim 10, wherein after the computer determined the validity, the computer stores the determination result of the validity as the history of the first passenger and the second passenger in the storage device.