JP2024067088A - Pickup vehicle leaving prevention method, pickup vehicle leaving prevention system, and pickup vehicle leaving prevention kit - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a pickup vehicle leaving prevention method, system, and pickup vehicle leaving prevention kit for suppressing omission of guidance to instruct an infant or the like left inside a pickup vehicle to push a button in order to issue warning sound.SOLUTION: A pickup vehicle leaving prevention method is the method of a pickup vehicle leaving prevention system 100 using a pickup vehicle A including an alighting button 1, an announce speaker 2, an on-vehicle horn 7, and a controller 3. The method includes: an ACC power source confirmation step of allowing the controller 3 to confirm ON/OFF of an ACC power source 5 of the pickup vehicle A; an announce step of allowing the announce speaker 2 to issue a message or electronic sound when the controller 3 detects depression of the alighting button 1 when the ACC power source 5 is in an ON state; and a warning sound generation step of allowing the on-vehicle horn 7 to issue warning sound when the controller 3 detects depression of the alighting button 1 when the ACC power source 5 is in an OFF state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

This invention relates to technology for preventing accidents involving small children and the like being left behind in shuttle vehicles, and in particular to technology for sounding a warning from the vehicle's onboard horn when a small child has been left behind in a shuttle vehicle.

In recent years, there have been a series of accidents in which young children died after being left behind on kindergarten shuttle buses, and the installation of devices to detect young children left behind in shuttle buses has become mandatory. As a result, various types of devices to prevent young children from being left behind have been proposed (see Non-Patent Documents 1 to 3).

For example, Non-Patent Document 1 describes a bus abandonment prevention system in which an AI camera starts monitoring the interior of the bus when the bus engine is turned off, detects any people left behind inside the bus, and sounds a buzzer to warn them.

However, systems like the one described in Non-Patent Document 1 have the problem that detection misses by AI cameras cannot be completely eliminated.

Therefore, non-patent document 2 describes a system to prevent passengers from being left behind inside the bus. In addition to using an ultrasonic sensor to monitor the interior of the bus after the engine is stopped, a buzzer sounds when the engine is stopped and the buzzer cannot be stopped unless the driver operates a buzzer installed at the rear of the bus, encouraging the driver to patrol the rear of the bus.
In addition, in kindergartens and other similar facilities, if a small child is left behind, the child is instructed to press the horn switch on the steering wheel of the shuttle vehicle to sound the vehicle's built-in horn.

Furthermore, Non-Patent Document 3 describes an SOS button that a left-behind child can press in place of the horn switch on the steering wheel.
The SOS button in Non-Patent Document 3 can be retrofitted to a kindergarten bus and is configured to alert the outside world to an abnormality using the hazard lights and onboard horn, while at the same time opening the windows slightly to prevent the temperature inside the bus from rising too high.

"SOS-0001" page on the TCI Corporation website (searched on October 20, 2022) <https://www.tci-car-item.com/sos-0001> "Hornet Car Abandonment Prevention System" page on Kato Denki Co., Ltd.'s homepage A page posted by Tomoki Special Parts Co., Ltd. on PRTIMES on October 22, 2022 <https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000001.000110777.html>

The AI camera of Non-Patent Document 1 and the ultrasonic camera of Non-Patent Document 2 have the problem of expensive equipment. In addition, in the bus abandonment prevention system of Non-Patent Document 2, if the driver becomes accustomed to stopping the buzzer, the only purpose will be to stop the buzzer, and there is a risk that patrols will be neglected. Furthermore, if these do not work, it is necessary for the child to sound the vehicle horn, but since it takes strength to press the horn switch, there is a problem that it is a heavy burden for the child to keep sounding the vehicle horn until someone notices.
In addition, with the SOS button of Non-Patent Document 3, while it is necessary to provide regular guidance to children, there is a risk that guidance will be missed for children who have just transferred to the school or students who are absent at the time of guidance.
The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and aims to provide an economical technology for preventing children from being left behind, which is capable of making a child sound the vehicle horn even when the driver's patrol or camera detection does not function properly and instruction to sound the vehicle horn is missed.

The invention made to solve the above problems is a method for preventing passengers from being left behind in a shuttle vehicle, the method using a shuttle vehicle equipped with a get-off button that the passenger presses when getting off, an announcement speaker that plays a predetermined message or an electronic sound, an in-vehicle horn that emits a warning sound, and a controller that selectively activates the announcement speaker or the in-vehicle horn in response to a signal from the get-off button, and the method includes the following steps:
The controller is characterized by executing the following steps:
(1) An ACC power confirmation step for confirming whether the ACC power of the shuttle vehicle is ON or OFF. (2) An announcement step for playing the message or electronic sound from the announcement speaker when the controller detects that the get-off button has been pressed when the ACC power is ON. (3) A warning sound generation step for generating a warning sound from the vehicle horn when the controller detects that the get-off button has been pressed when the ACC power is OFF.
Here, "persons being picked up or dropped off" includes all other people being picked up or dropped off at daycare centers, kindergartens, elementary schools, cram schools, lesson classrooms, and other facilities, as well as infants and children who are picked up or dropped off by vehicles such as minibuses.
In addition, "ACC power source" is also called accessory power source, and includes all power sources that can be turned off when the driver leaves the shuttle vehicle, such as a power source that stops flowing electricity when the engine is stopped, such as a power source in a push start button vehicle, and a power source that can supply electricity even when the engine is stopped, such as a power source in a plug-in key vehicle, but stops flowing electricity when the key is removed.

The method for preventing children from being left behind in a shuttle vehicle of the present invention is configured so that when the ACC power supply is ON and the controller detects that the get-off button has been pressed, a message or an electronic sound is played from the announcement speaker, so that when a child gets off the shuttle vehicle, the ACC power supply is turned ON and the child is made to press the get-off button, a predetermined announcement such as "We are here" or an electronic sound can be played from the speaker. By repeating this every day, the child will be more likely to remember to press the button in an emergency.
When the ACC power is OFF and the controller detects that the get-off button has been pressed, a warning sound is generated from the vehicle's onboard horn, so that a small child left behind in the vehicle can easily keep sounding the onboard horn by simply pressing the get-off button that he or she is accustomed to pressing.
In addition, young children will be regularly instructed to press the stop button if they are left behind, but having them press the stop button every time they get off the train will serve as an opportunity to instruct transfer students and others who do not receive regular training to press the stop button in an emergency.

The method for preventing leaving a shuttle vehicle of the present invention preferably includes a stop switch for stopping the operation of the on-board horn in the shuttle vehicle, and a warning sound stopping step for stopping the warning sound when the controller detects that the stop switch has been pressed when the warning sound is generated. In this way, since the driver or the like needs to enter the shuttle vehicle to stop the warning sound, the driver can be encouraged to check the interior of the shuttle vehicle.

The method for preventing abandoned shuttle vehicles of the present invention preferably includes a test step in which the shuttle vehicle is equipped with a test switch and the on-board horn emits a warning sound when the controller detects that the test switch has been pressed. In this way, the operation of the on-board horn can be checked by pressing the test switch instead of pressing the exit button.

The present invention includes a shuttle vehicle abandonment prevention system that prevents passengers being left behind in a shuttle vehicle, and includes an alighting button that the passenger presses when alighting, an announcement speaker that plays a specific message or electronic sound, an onboard horn that emits a warning sound, and a controller that selectively activates the announcement speaker or the onboard horn upon receiving a signal from the alighting button, the controller checks whether the ACC power supply of the shuttle vehicle is ON or OFF, and when the ACC power supply is ON, the controller plays the message or electronic sound from the speaker when it detects that the alighting button has been pressed, and when the ACC power supply is OFF, the controller generates a warning sound from the onboard horn.

The present invention includes a shuttle vehicle abandonment prevention kit that is attached to a shuttle vehicle to prevent passengers being left behind in the shuttle vehicle, the kit comprising: an alighting button that the passenger presses when alighting; an announcement speaker that announces a predetermined message or electronic sound; and a controller that selectively activates the announcement speaker or the vehicle horn installed in the shuttle vehicle upon receiving a signal from the alighting button. The controller checks whether the ACC power supply of the shuttle vehicle is ON or OFF, and when the ACC power supply is ON, the controller announces the message or electronic sound from the speaker when the controller detects that the alighting button has been pressed, and when the ACC power supply is OFF, the controller generates a warning sound from the vehicle horn.

As described above, the shuttle vehicle abandonment prevention method, shuttle vehicle abandonment prevention system, and shuttle vehicle abandonment prevention kit of the present invention can be economically introduced into shuttle vehicles, and small children left behind in the vehicle can easily sound the vehicle horn.

1 is a system overview diagram of a shuttle vehicle abandonment prevention system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a flow diagram of a method for preventing a shuttle vehicle from being left behind according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment.

(Shuttle car abandonment prevention system 100)
1 shows a shuttle vehicle abandonment prevention system 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The shuttle vehicle abandonment prevention system 100 is a system for preventing non-trippers from being left behind in a shuttle vehicle when a tripper, such as an infant or child, is taken to or from a kindergarten, nursery school, or other facility. The shuttle vehicle abandonment prevention system 100 is constructed by attaching a shuttle vehicle abandonment prevention device 10 to a shuttle vehicle A.

The shuttle vehicle abandonment prevention device 10 mainly comprises an alighting button 1, an announcement speaker 2, and a controller 3, and is attached to a shuttle vehicle A equipped with at least an ACC power source 5, a steering wheel horn switch 6, an on-board horn 7, and a battery 8. The shuttle vehicle A is, for example, a shuttle bus such as a microbus.

The exit button 1 is placed near the door inside shuttle vehicle A, in a position within reach of a small child. The exit button 1 has a push button 11 and an LED light 12 (it is stated in paragraph 0037 that the LED light is not required), and is powered from the ACC power source 5 or the battery 8 via the controller 3. When the push button 11 is pressed, the LED light 12 lights up and selectively activates the announcement speaker 2 or the in-vehicle horn 7. The push button 11 is set so that even a small child can press it.

As shown in Fig. 1, the controller 3 is connected by electrical wiring to the get-off button 1, the announcement speaker 2, the ACC power source 5, the horn speaker 7, and the battery 8 installed in the shuttle vehicle, and is configured to appropriately supply power supplied from the ACC power source 5 or the battery 8 to the get-off button 1 and the announcement speaker 2. The controller 3 is connected to the vehicle horn 7 by interrupting the electrical wiring installed in the shuttle vehicle A. Fig. 1 shows an example in which the controller 3 is connected between the power source box 9 such as a fuse box or relay fuse box and the vehicle horn 7 in the shuttle vehicle A, but if the handlebar horn switch 6 and the vehicle horn 7 are connected by electrical wiring without going through the power source box 9, the controller 3 may be inserted in the middle of the electrical wiring.
In addition, there are so-called positive control and negative control for the control of the vehicle horn. The example in FIG. 1 shows a positive control, but in the case of a negative control, it is necessary to attach a relay to the controller 3 and the negative side of the vehicle horn.

The controller 3 has a control circuit consisting of analog and/or digital circuits with relays and audio ICs arranged inside a rectangular resin casing, and is configured to play a specified announcement from the announcement speaker 2 when the alight button 1 is pressed while the ACC power supply 5 is ON, and to sound the onboard horn 7 of the shuttle vehicle A continuously when the alight button 1 is pressed while the ACC power supply 5 is OFF.

The controller 3 also has a stop switch 31 on the outside of the casing to stop the warning sound of the vehicle horn, and a test switch 32 to test whether the horn speaker 7 sounds. For example, by disposing the controller 3 on a wall surface such as at the feet of the driver's seat of the shuttle vehicle A, the driver can test the vehicle horn 7 at his feet. The symbol BE in FIG. 1 indicates an earth.

(How to prevent children from being left behind in shuttle vehicles)
FIG. 2 shows a flow of a shuttle vehicle abandonment prevention method performed using the shuttle vehicle abandonment prevention system 100 of this embodiment.

(ACC power supply confirmation step S1)
In the ACC power supply confirmation step S1, the controller 3 confirms whether the ACC power supply 5 is OFF or not. When a voltage of 12V or 24V is supplied from the ACC power supply 5 to an internal relay circuit or the like, the controller 3 waits in a state in which the get-off button 1 and the announcement speaker 2 are electrically connected, and when no voltage is supplied from the ACC power supply 5 to the internal relay circuit or the like, the controller 3 waits in a state in which the get-off button 1 and the in-vehicle horn 7 are electrically connected.

(Step S2: Check the exit button)
The get-off button confirmation step S2 is a step for determining whether or not the get-off button 1 has been pressed when the ACC power supply 5 is ON.
When the shuttle vehicle A arrives at a facility such as a kindergarten and allows an infant (person being picked up or dropped off) to disembark, the infant is allowed to disembark without stopping the engine of the shuttle vehicle A, or with the ACC power supply 5 at least turned on. The infant is instructed in advance to press the disembark button 1 when disembarking. In this way, by having the person being picked up and dropped off press the disembark button 1 on a regular basis, the infant can be easily made to think of pressing the disembark button 1 if the person being picked up and dropped off is left behind and trapped in the shuttle vehicle A. In addition, for infants who are absent during advance instruction or students who have suddenly transferred to the facility, instruction is given to press the button when disembarking for the first time, but here, instruction can also be given to press the disembark button 1 even if the person is left behind.

(Announcement step S3)
The announcement step S3 is a step in which a predetermined message is played from the announcement speaker 2 when the alight button 1 is pressed with the ACC power supply 5 ON. When the ACC power supply 5 is ON and the person being picked up presses the push button 11 of the alight button 1, the LED light 12 lights up and at the same time a predetermined message pre-recorded in the voice IC, such as "We are here," is played. When the push button 11 is released, the LED light 12 goes out. Each time multiple people being picked up press the push button in turn, the LED light 12 lights up and a message is played.

(Step S4: Check the exit button)
The get-off button confirmation step S4 is a step for confirming whether or not the get-off button 1 has been pressed when the ACC power supply 5 is OFF.
If an infant or child does not get off the vehicle after arriving at a kindergarten or the like because they fall asleep or for some other reason, and the driver or other person does not notice this and turns off the engine and ACC power supply 5 of shuttle vehicle A, locks the doors, and leaves shuttle vehicle A, the infant or child will be left behind in shuttle vehicle A. When the infant or child realizes that they have been left behind, they will easily think of pressing the alight button 1, since they are accustomed to pressing the alight button on a regular basis.

(Warning sound generation step S5)
The warning sound generation step S5 is a step in which, when the controller 3 recognizes that the get-off button 1 has been pressed in the get-off button confirmation step S4, the controller 3 generates a warning sound from the in-vehicle horn 7. Once the get-off button 1 is pressed, the warning sound continues to sound.
In this way, by issuing a warning sound, it is possible to inform people nearby that the person being picked up has been picked up by the shuttle vehicle.

(Stop switch confirmation step S6)
The stop switch confirmation step S6 is a step in which the controller 3 detects that the stop switch 31 has been pressed when a warning sound is generated.

(Warning sound stop step S7)
The warning sound stopping step S7 is a step in which the controller 3 stops the warning sound when it detects in the stop switch checking step S6 that the stop switch 31 has been pressed.
When the driver of the shuttle vehicle A or a staff member of the kindergarten notices that the on-board horn 7 has generated a warning sound in the warning sound generation step S5, the driver opens the door of the shuttle vehicle A and presses the stop switch 31 provided on the controller 3. When the controller 3 detects that the stop switch 31 has been pressed, the warning sound stops.

(Test step S8)
The test step S8 is a step in which the controller 3 causes the vehicle horn 7 to generate a warning sound when the controller 3 detects that the test switch 32 has been pressed.
When the driver leaves the shuttle vehicle after the trip is over, he or she can check that the vehicle horn 7 is working properly by pressing a test switch 32 located at the driver's feet.

As described above, in the shuttle vehicle abandonment prevention method according to this embodiment, if it is confirmed that the ACC power supply 5 is ON in the ACC power supply confirmation step S1 and the alight button 1 is ON in the alight button confirmation step S2, a normal announcement for alighting is played in the announcement step S3, and if it is confirmed that the ACC power supply 5 is OFF in the ACC power supply confirmation step S1 and the alight button 1 is ON in the alight button confirmation step S4, a warning sound is generated from the vehicle horn 7 in the warning sound generation step S5. Therefore, by having the person being picked up and dropped off press the alight button 1 and playing a specified announcement when getting off from shuttle vehicle A, the person being picked up and dropped off can get into the habit of pressing the alight button 1, and can easily think of pressing the alight button 1 when they are left behind in the shuttle vehicle.

In addition, in this embodiment, when a warning sound is emitted, a stop switch confirmation step S6 is provided to detect that the stop switch 31 has been pressed, and a warning sound stop step S7 is provided to stop the warning sound when the stop switch 31 is pressed. Since the stop switch 31 is disposed inside the shuttle vehicle A, in order to stop the warning sound, it is necessary to enter the shuttle vehicle A and operate the stop switch 31, and the driver can be prompted to enter the shuttle vehicle.

In addition, since the stop switch 31 is provided separately from the disembarkation button 1, it is possible to prevent the passenger being picked up or dropped off from accidentally stopping the warning sound.

In addition, a test switch 32 is provided near the driver's seat, allowing the driver to easily check that a warning sound is being emitted from the horn speaker, preventing the driver from neglecting to check.

As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, the exit button may not have an LED light, may be installed in a location other than near the door, or may have multiple buttons. The controller may be installed in a location other than the driver's feet, and the stop switch and test switch may be installed in a location away from the controller. Hazard lights may be made to flash along with the warning sound, or a warning light installed separately on the roof of the shuttle vehicle may be used in combination. It may also be used in combination with the technologies described in Non-Patent Documents 1 to 3 above.

1. Get off button 2. Announcement speaker 3. Controller 32. Test switch 5. ACC power supply 7. Vehicle horn A. Shuttle car

Claims (5)

A method for preventing a person being dropped off from being left behind in a shuttle vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: a stop button that a person being picked up presses when getting off; an announcement speaker that plays a predetermined message or an electronic sound; an in-vehicle horn that emits a warning sound; and a controller that selectively activates the announcement speaker or the in-vehicle horn upon receiving a signal from the stop button, the method comprising the steps of:
The method for preventing a shuttle vehicle from being left behind is characterized in that the controller executes the following steps.
(1) An ACC power confirmation step for confirming whether the ACC power of the shuttle vehicle is ON or OFF. (2) An announcement step for playing the message or electronic sound from the announcement speaker when the controller detects that the get-off button has been pressed while the ACC power is ON. (3) An alarm sound generation step for generating an alarm sound from the vehicle horn when the controller detects that the get-off button has been pressed while the ACC power is OFF. A stop switch for stopping the operation of the vehicle horn is provided in the shuttle vehicle,
The method for preventing a shuttle vehicle from being left behind as described in claim 1, further comprising a warning sound stopping step in which the controller stops the warning sound when it detects that the stop switch has been pressed when the warning sound is generated. the shuttle vehicle is equipped with a test switch;
The method for preventing a shuttle vehicle from being left behind according to claim 1 , further comprising a test step of causing the vehicle horn to emit a warning sound when the controller detects that the test switch has been pressed. A shuttle vehicle abandonment prevention system that prevents a person being picked up or dropped off from being left behind in a shuttle vehicle,
A button that the passenger presses when getting off the bus;
An announcement speaker that broadcasts a predetermined message or electronic sound;
A car horn that emits a warning sound,
a controller that selectively activates the announcement speaker or the vehicle horn in response to a signal from the exit button;
The controller checks whether the ACC power supply of the shuttle vehicle is ON or OFF, and when the ACC power supply is ON and the controller detects that the get-off button has been pressed, the controller plays the message or electronic sound from the announcement speaker, and when the ACC power supply is OFF and the controller detects that the get-off button has been pressed, the controller generates a warning sound from the vehicle horn. This is a shuttle vehicle abandonment prevention system. A shuttle car abandonment prevention kit that is attached to a shuttle car to prevent a person being picked up or dropped off from being left behind in the shuttle car,
A button that the passenger presses when getting off the bus;
An announcement speaker that broadcasts a predetermined message or electronic sound;
a controller that selectively activates the announcement speaker or an in-vehicle horn installed in the shuttle vehicle in response to a signal from the exit button;
The shuttle vehicle abandonment prevention kit is characterized in that the controller checks whether the ACC power supply of the shuttle vehicle is ON or OFF, and when the ACC power supply is ON and the controller detects that the get-off button has been pressed, the controller plays the message or electronic sound from the announcement speaker, and when the ACC power supply is OFF and the controller detects that the get-off button has been pressed, the controller generates a warning sound from the vehicle horn.

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