IP Library Granted Patent US 12,429,347
Granted Patent B2
US 12,429,347 · App. 18/357,306 · Granted Sep 30, 2025

Control apparatus, vehicle, and control method

Inventors: Chikage Kubo (Chofu, JP); Kenichi Yamada (Nisshin, JP); Yuki Tatsumoto (Seto, JP); Hiromitsu Fujii (Kariya, JP); Mitsuhiro Naito (Okazaki, JP)
Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
G01C21/3484B60W60/0025B60W2540/047
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,429,347
App. No.
18/357,306
Granted
Sep 30, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A control apparatus includes a controller configured to acquire, as profile data, data read from a medium held by each of users when each of the users gets on a vehicle to be operated with the users on board to a destination having a plurality of facilities, identify, based on the acquired profile data, a facility from among the plurality of facilities at which each of the users is to get off the vehicle, and perform control of operating the vehicle along a route including the identified facility.

Claims (43)

1. A control apparatus comprising a controller configured to:

acquire, as profile data, data read from a medium held by each of users when each of the users gets on a vehicle to be operated with the users on board to a destination having a plurality of facilities, wherein the destination includes a factory, and the plurality of facilities include a plurality of buildings;

identify, based on the acquired profile data, a facility from among the plurality of facilities at which each of the users is to get off the vehicle;

set a route including the identified facility;

acquire line data indicating a user required to operate each line in the factory;

determine, based on the profile data, whether the user indicated by the acquired line data is on board the vehicle;

upon determining that time remaining until a scheduled operation starting time of a first line is below a threshold and that a first user required to operate the first line is on board the vehicle, adjust an order of traveling of the vehicle around facilities included in the route by putting off facilities other than a first facility with the first line; and

control, by transmitting an operation command to the vehicle, the vehicle to autonomously travel along the route in the adjusted order.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:

acquire, as the profile data, identification data uniquely identifying each of the users;

search a database for building data indicating a building in which a user identified by the profile data works; and

identify the building indicated by the obtained building data, as a facility at which the user is to get off the vehicle.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a memory in which the database is built.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a communication interface configured to be connected to an external storage in which the database is built.

5. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:

acquire, as the profile data, building data indicating a building in which each of the users works; and

identify the building indicated by the profile data, as a facility at which each of the users is to get off the vehicle.

6. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:

further acquire job type data indicating a job type of each of the users; and

adjust, according to the job type indicated by the acquired job type data, the order of traveling of the vehicle around the facilities included in the route.

7. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:

further acquire schedule data indicating a work starting time of each of the users; and

adjust, according to the work starting time indicated by the acquired schedule data, the order of traveling of the vehicle around the facilities included in the route.

8. The control apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the controller is further configured to put off a facility at which a user whose work starting time is not indicated in the schedule data is to get off, in the order of traveling of the vehicle around the facilities included in the route.

9. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the medium is an employee identification card of each of the users.

10. A vehicle comprising the control apparatus according to claim 1 .

11. A control method performed by a controller, comprising:

acquiring, as profile data, data read from a medium held by each of users when each of the users gets on a vehicle to be operated with the users on board to a destination having a plurality of facilities, wherein the destination includes a factory, and the plurality of facilities include a plurality of buildings;

identifying, based on the acquired profile data, a facility from among the plurality of facilities at which each of the users is to get off the vehicle;

setting a route including the identified facility;

acquiring line data indicating a user required to operate each line in the factory;

determining, based on the profile data, whether the user indicated by the acquired line data is on board the vehicle;

upon determining that time remaining until a scheduled operation starting time of a first line is below a threshold and that a first user required to operate the first line is on board the vehicle, adjusting an order of traveling of the vehicle around facilities included in the route by putting off facilities other than a first facility with the first line; and

controlling, by transmitting an operation command to the vehicle, the vehicle to autonomously travel along the route in the adjusted order.

12. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:

acquire, as the profile data, identification data uniquely identifying each of the users; and

determine that the first user is on board the vehicle when the user identified by the profile data matches the first user indicated by the acquired line data.

13. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:

acquire, as the profile data, identification data uniquely identifying each of the users; and

determine that no user required to operate any line in the factory is on board when the user identified by the profile data does not match any user required to operate any line in the factory, which is indicated by the line data.

14. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the order of traveling of the vehicle so that the vehicle passes first through the first facility at which the first user is to get off.

15. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the medium is a terminal apparatus of each of the users, and

the controller is further configured to acquire the profile data on each user by receiving, from the vehicle, data received from the terminal apparatus of the user when short-range wireless communication is performed between the terminal apparatus of the user and a receiver mounted in the vehicle.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 24, 2023
From: KUBO, CHIKAGE; YAMADA, KENICHI; TATSUMOTO, YUKI; FUJII, HIROMITSU; NAITO, MITSUHIRO
To: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 064355/0648 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2022-125908 · Aug 5, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240044660A1 · Feb 8, 2024
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