Driving support device, driving support method, and storage medium

Abstract

A driving support device, driving support method, and storage medium capable of appropriately evaluating a driver's driving of a vehicle. The driving support device comprises: an external information acquisition unit that acquires external information including the relative position and relative velocity of objects surrounding a moving object as viewed from the moving object; a driving information acquisition unit that acquires driving information including at least the speed and acceleration of the moving object; a driving evaluation unit that evaluates an occupant's driving based on at least one of the external information and the driving information, and initiates the evaluation of the occupant's driving when a predetermined condition is met after the occupant performs an operation; and an evaluation result reporting unit that causes a reporting device to report the evaluation result. The driving evaluation unit comprises: a first evaluation unit that performs a first evaluation of the occupant's driving over a first predetermined period from the time the operation is performed until the predetermined condition is met; and a second evaluation unit that performs a second evaluation of the occupant's driving over a second predetermined period after the predetermined condition is met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving support device, a driving support method and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Technologies for evaluating a driver's vehicle driving are known. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-128735 discloses a program that assigns a higher evaluation to the degree to which the host vehicle follows the preceding vehicle. This technology assigns a higher evaluation when the distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle is within a specified range, while issuing a warning when the vehicle's acceleration exceeds a specified value. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0004] However, with the technology described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-128735, when a preceding vehicle is located far from the host vehicle, the driver may attempt to reduce the distance between them and the preceding vehicle by applying excessive speed or acceleration before executing the evaluation program. This results in the inability to properly evaluate the driver's driving performance.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and one object of the present invention is to provide a driving support device, a driving support method, and a storage medium capable of appropriately evaluating a driver's driving of a vehicle.

[0006] Solutions to Problems

[0007] The driving support device, driving support method, and storage medium of the present invention employ the following configurations.

[0008] (1): A driving support device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: an external information acquisition unit that acquires external information including the relative position and relative speed of objects around the mobile body observed from the mobile body; a driving information acquisition unit that acquires driving information including at least the speed and acceleration of the mobile body; a driving evaluation unit that evaluates the driving of the occupant based on at least one of the external information and the driving information, and starts the evaluation of the driving of the occupant when a prescribed condition is satisfied after the occupant performs an operation; and an evaluation result reporting unit that causes a reporting device to report the result of the evaluation, the driving evaluation unit comprising: a first evaluation unit that performs a first evaluation of the driving of the occupant based on a first prescribed period from the performance of the operation to the satisfaction of the prescribed condition; and a second evaluation unit that performs a second evaluation of the driving of the occupant based on a second prescribed period after the satisfaction of the prescribed condition, the method by which the first evaluation unit performs the first evaluation being different from the method by which the second evaluation unit performs the second evaluation.

[0009] (2): In the above-mentioned aspect (1), the method for performing the first evaluation uses at least a part of the outside information and the driving information used by the method for performing the second evaluation.

[0010] (3): In the scheme of (2) above, in the method for performing the first evaluation, the driving skill of the occupant is evaluated based on the relative speed, and in the method for performing the second evaluation, with respect to the object among the objects determined to be the preceding vehicle immediately in front of the moving body, the degree of following the preceding vehicle is evaluated based on at least either the relative position of the object or the relative speed, and when the change in the relative speed becomes less than a negative first threshold value within the first prescribed period, the evaluation result reporting unit lowers the first evaluation and causes the reporting device to report a warning to the occupant.

[0011] (4): In the above-mentioned scheme (2), the driving support device further includes a storage unit for storing the past average speed and average acceleration of the moving body in a specified partition. In the method for performing the first evaluation, the driving skill of the occupant is evaluated based on the relative speed. In the method for performing the second evaluation, with respect to the object among the objects determined to be the preceding vehicle immediately in front of the moving body, the degree of following the preceding vehicle is evaluated based on at least either the relative position and the relative speed of the object. When the difference between the speed of the moving body and the average speed is greater than a second threshold value or the difference between the acceleration of the moving body and the average acceleration is greater than a third threshold value, the evaluation result reporting unit lowers the first evaluation and causes the reporting device to report a warning to the occupant.

[0012] (5): In any one of the above-mentioned aspects (1) to (4), the second evaluation unit performs the second evaluation on the premise that the occupant has performed an operation in advance to consent to the execution of the second evaluation before the occupant performs the operation.

[0013] (6): In a driving support method according to another embodiment of the present invention, a computer is caused to perform the following processing: obtaining external information including the relative position and relative speed of objects around the moving body observed from the moving body, obtaining driving information including at least the speed and acceleration of the moving body, evaluating the driving of the occupant based on at least one of the external information and the driving information, starting the evaluation of the driving of the occupant when a prescribed condition is satisfied after the occupant performs an operation, causing a reporting device to report the result of the evaluation, performing a first evaluation of the driving of the occupant based on a first prescribed period from the performance of the operation to the satisfaction of the prescribed condition, and performing a second evaluation of the driving of the occupant based on a second prescribed period after the satisfaction of the prescribed condition, wherein the method for performing the first evaluation is different from the method for performing the second evaluation.

[0014] (7): A storage medium of another embodiment of the present invention stores a program, which causes a computer to perform the following processing: obtaining external information including the relative position and relative speed of objects around the moving body observed from the moving body, obtaining driving information including at least the speed and acceleration of the moving body, evaluating the driving of the occupant based on at least one of the external information and the driving information, starting the evaluation of the driving of the occupant when a prescribed condition is satisfied after the occupant performs an operation, causing a reporting device to report the result of the evaluation, performing a first evaluation of the driving of the occupant based on a first prescribed period from the performance of the operation to the satisfaction of the prescribed condition, and performing a second evaluation of the driving of the occupant based on a second prescribed period after the satisfaction of the prescribed condition, wherein the method for performing the first evaluation is different from the method for performing the second evaluation.

[0015] Effects of the Invention

[0016] According to (1) to (7), the driver's driving of the mobile object can be appropriately evaluated.

[0017] According to (2), the first evaluation can be reported in a form that causes little discomfort to the driver.

[0018] According to (3) and (4), it is possible to call the attention of the occupant of the moving object who is trying to follow the preceding vehicle reluctantly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a driving support system mounted on the host vehicle M.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing an example of a tutorial menu screen displayed on the touch panel by the tutorial control unit.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of the average speed and average acceleration for each sector calculated by the travel information acquisition unit and stored in the storage unit.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of the first evaluation set by the first evaluation unit.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of the second evaluation set by the second evaluation unit.

[0024] Figure 6 This is a diagram for explaining an example of a scenario in which the driving support device according to the present embodiment is applied.

[0025] Figure 7 Is shown for dealing with Figure 6 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing by the driving support device in such a scenario.

[0026] Figure 8 It is a diagram for explaining another example of a scenario to which the driving support device according to the present embodiment is applied.

[0027] Figure 9 It is shown to deal with Figure 8 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing by the driving support device in such a scenario. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Hereinafter, embodiments of the driving support device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a driving support system 1 mounted on a vehicle M. The driving support system 1 includes a camera 10, a radar device 12, a LIDAR 14, a vehicle sensor 16, a touch panel 18, a notification device 20, and a driving support device 100. The vehicle M is an example of a "mobile object."

[0030] The camera 10 is, for example, a digital camera utilizing a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera 10 is mounted anywhere on the vehicle M. For forward imaging, the camera 10 is mounted on the upper portion of the windshield, behind the rearview mirror, or the like. For example, the camera 10 periodically and repeatedly captures the surroundings of the vehicle M. The camera 10 may also be a stereo camera.

[0031] The radar device 12 radiates radio waves, such as millimeter waves, toward the periphery of the host vehicle M and detects the radio waves (reflected waves) reflected by objects to detect at least the object's position (range and direction). The radar device 12 is mounted anywhere on the host vehicle M. The radar device 12 can also detect the position and velocity of an object using the FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method.

[0032] LIDAR 14 irradiates light (or electromagnetic waves of a wavelength close to light) around the vehicle M and measures the scattered light. LIDAR 14 detects the distance to the target based on the time between light emission and light reception. The irradiated light is, for example, a pulsed laser. LIDAR 14 is mounted anywhere on the vehicle M.

[0033] The vehicle sensor 16 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the host vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects angular velocity about a vertical axis, and an azimuth sensor that detects the orientation of the host vehicle M.

[0034] The touch panel 18 is constructed by stacking a display unit, such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or organic EL (Electroluminescence), and an input unit capable of detecting the operator's touch position using a coordinate detection mechanism. The display unit displays GUI (Graphical User Interface) switches for operation. When the input unit detects a touch, tap, or slide operation on a GUI switch, it generates an operation signal indicating that the GUI switch has been touched and outputs the operation signal to the driving support device 100.

[0035] The reporting device 20 has a reporting function for the user. For example, the reporting device 20 can generate a report by outputting sound from a sound output device (not shown), or by communicating with another device, such as an information processing terminal held by the user. The reporting device 20 performs the reporting operation under the control of the evaluation result reporting unit 150, described later.

[0036] The driving support device 100 includes, for example, a coaching control unit 110, an external information acquisition unit 120, a driving information acquisition unit 130, a driving evaluation unit 140, an evaluation result reporting unit 150, and a storage unit 160. Each of the coaching control unit 110, the external information acquisition unit 120, the driving information acquisition unit 130, the driving evaluation unit 140, and the evaluation result reporting unit 150 is implemented by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Furthermore, some or all of these components may be implemented using hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or through a combination of software and hardware. The program may be pre-stored in a storage device (a storage device having a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD or flash memory of the driving support device 100, or may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM. Alternatively, the program may be installed in the HDD or flash memory of the driving support device 100 by attaching a storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) to a drive device. The storage unit 160 may be implemented, for example, by ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, SD card, RAM (Random Access Memory), registers, or the like.

[0037] The coaching control unit 110 performs various controls related to coaching the occupant regarding the driving of the host vehicle M. Coaching, as used herein, refers to evaluating the occupant's driving of the host vehicle M according to the occupant's set objectives, such as following the preceding vehicle, adjusting acceleration and deceleration, and controlling the vehicle's position in the lane width direction. This evaluation is then communicated to the occupant to promote driving improvement. For example, when following the preceding vehicle, the coaching control unit 110 sets a higher evaluation for the distance between the occupant and the preceding vehicle, taking into account relative speed and vehicle speed. The closer the distance to the preceding vehicle is to a point where the vehicle can stop, and the closer the relative speed is to zero, the higher the evaluation. For example, the coaching control unit 110 displays a coaching menu screen on the touch panel 18 for the occupant to specify coaching details, or receives a selection from the occupant on the coaching menu screen on the touch panel 18 and executes processing corresponding to the selection.

[0038] Figure 2 1 is a diagram showing an example of a tutorial menu screen displayed on the touch panel 18 by the tutorial control unit 110. Figure 2In the example, area A1 shows a drop-down list for selecting tutoring content, area A2 shows a tutoring start button, and area A3 shows detailed information related to tutoring. In area A1, as described above, tutoring content includes various purposes, but in this embodiment, "follow-up tutoring" is selected.

[0039] When the occupant of the host vehicle M presses the coaching start button in area A2, this information is transmitted to the coaching control unit 110, which then initiates coaching. On the other hand, if the coaching content is "follow-up coaching," coaching requires the presence of a preceding vehicle ahead of the host vehicle M. Therefore, as shown in area A3, after the coaching start button is pressed, the coaching control unit 110 identifies the presence of a preceding vehicle from the surrounding objects included in the external information acquired by the external information acquisition unit 120, and initiates coaching when the preceding vehicle is identified.

[0040] The external information acquisition unit 120 performs sensor fusion processing on part or all of the detection results of the camera 10, the radar device 12 and the LIDAR 14 to obtain external information such as the types of surrounding objects existing around the vehicle M and the relative positions and relative speeds of the surrounding objects observed from the vehicle M.

[0041] The driving information acquisition unit 130 acquires driving information including the speed and acceleration of the host vehicle M from the vehicle sensor 16 . The driving information acquisition unit 130 further uses a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver (not shown) included in the host vehicle M and map information to identify the zone (road, intersection) in which the host vehicle M is located, calculates the average speed and average acceleration for each zone, and stores the calculated values ​​in the storage unit 160 .

[0042] Figure 3 : is a diagram showing an example of the average speed and average acceleration for each section calculated by the driving information acquisition unit 130 and stored in the storage unit 160. Figure 3 In FIG. 1 , a solid line indicates the average speed and average acceleration of the host vehicle M in a certain section, and a dotted line indicates the current speed and acceleration (ie, driving information) of the host vehicle M in the section. Figure 3 The graph of only directly shows the speed of the vehicle M, but the acceleration of the vehicle M can be easily derived by finding the slope of the speed of the vehicle M. Figure 3 In the case of , it is found that the current acceleration CA is higher than the past average acceleration PA of the host vehicle M. As described later, the driving evaluation unit 140 evaluates the occupant's driving of the host vehicle M by comparing the driving information with the past average speed and average acceleration of the host vehicle M.

[0043] The driving evaluation unit 140 evaluates the occupant's driving of the host vehicle M based on at least one of the external information acquired by the external information acquisition unit 120 and the driving information acquired by the driving information acquisition unit 130. After the occupant presses the coaching start button and the external information acquisition unit 120 identifies the preceding vehicle, the driving evaluation unit 140 begins evaluating the occupant's driving of the host vehicle M. Pressing the coaching start button is an example of a "passenger operation," and identifying the preceding vehicle by the external information acquisition unit 120 is an example of a "predetermined condition."

[0044] The driving evaluation unit 140 includes a first evaluation unit 141 and a second evaluation unit 142. The first evaluation unit 141 evaluates the occupant's driving skills based on the relative speed of the preceding vehicle during the first predetermined period, from the time the coaching start button is pressed until the preceding vehicle is identified by the external information acquisition unit 120 (hereinafter referred to as the "first evaluation"). Specifically, for example, if the change in relative speed during the first predetermined period falls below a negative first threshold, the first evaluation unit 141 sets a lower first evaluation. This means that the host vehicle M is rapidly approaching the preceding vehicle during the first predetermined period. In this embodiment, relative speed is defined as the relative speed of surrounding objects as viewed from the host vehicle M, so a negative first threshold is used in the above determination. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration; the relative speed may also be defined as the relative speed of the host vehicle M as viewed from surrounding objects, and in the above determination, the first evaluation may be set to a low value if the change in relative speed exceeds a positive first threshold.

[0045] Figure 4 14 is a diagram showing an example of the first evaluation set by the first evaluation unit 141 . Figure 4 This shows a scenario where, after the occupant of the vehicle M presses the coaching start button, the front vehicle is identified by the external information acquisition unit 120 and the first evaluation unit 141 performs evaluation. Figure 4 , the first evaluation unit 141 determines that the change in relative speed has become less than the negative first threshold value, and therefore sets the first evaluation value to a lower value, indicating that "do not force yourself to follow." This configuration allows the occupants of the host vehicle M to be alerted if they attempt to increase speed or acceleration excessively to reduce the distance between them and the preceding vehicle in order to execute coaching, even if the preceding vehicle is moving away from the host vehicle M.

[0046] Furthermore, in another scenario, if a preceding vehicle, a candidate for following, starts moving at an excessively high speed or acceleration after the occupant of the host vehicle M presses the coaching start button, the occupant of the host vehicle M may be tempted to follow the preceding vehicle at an excessively high speed or acceleration. Therefore, after the coaching start button is pressed, if the speed of the host vehicle M exceeds the past average speed stored in the storage unit 160 by a second threshold or more, or if the acceleration of the host vehicle M exceeds the past average acceleration stored in the storage unit 160 by a third threshold or more, the first evaluation unit 141 sets a lower first evaluation value, which is then displayed on the touch panel 18. As described above, the past average speed and average acceleration are stored for each zone in which the host vehicle M has traveled. Therefore, during the comparison, the first evaluation unit 141 identifies the zone in which the host vehicle M is currently located and retrieves the average speed and average acceleration corresponding to that zone from the storage unit 160. This configuration can alert the occupant of the host vehicle M who is tempted to forcefully follow the preceding vehicle.

[0047] In the above determination, the first evaluation unit 141 compares the value obtained by subtracting the average speed from the speed of the host vehicle M with the second threshold value, and also compares the value obtained by subtracting the average acceleration from the acceleration of the host vehicle M with the third threshold value. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the first evaluation unit 141 may also make a determination by, for example, comparing the absolute value of the difference between the speed of the host vehicle M and the average speed, the square error, and the threshold value, or by comparing the absolute value of the difference between the acceleration of the host vehicle M and the average acceleration, the square error, and the threshold value.

[0048] The second evaluation unit 142 evaluates the degree of following of the host vehicle M with respect to the preceding vehicle based on at least one of the relative position and relative speed of the preceding vehicle during a second predetermined period after the preceding vehicle is identified by the external information acquisition unit 120 (hereinafter referred to as the "second evaluation"). Specifically, for example, the second evaluation unit 142 sets the second evaluation higher if the relative position of the preceding vehicle, even taking into account the relative speed, or the host vehicle speed is close to a stop-able level, or if the relative speed is close to zero, during the second predetermined period. The second evaluation unit 142 may also set the second evaluation lower if the host vehicle M is traveling at an excessively high speed or acceleration during the second predetermined period, based on driving information of the host vehicle M.

[0049] Figure 5 14 is a diagram showing an example of the second evaluation set by the second evaluation unit 142 . Figure 5This shows a scenario where, after the occupant of the vehicle M presses the coaching start button, the external information acquisition unit 120 identifies the preceding vehicle, and then performs follow-up coaching during the second predetermined period, after which the second evaluation unit 142 performs evaluation. Figure 5 In the case of , the second evaluation unit 142 determines that the degree of following the preceding vehicle by the host vehicle M is high during the second predetermined period, and therefore sets the second evaluation to a high value such as “excellent”.

[0050] The evaluation result reporting unit 150 displays the evaluation result of the driving evaluation unit 140 on the touch panel 18 or reports the result to the reporting device 20. The storage unit 160 stores the past average speed and average acceleration acquired by the driving information acquisition unit 130 for each segment.

[0051] Next, refer to Figure 6 , a scenario in which the driving support device 100 according to this embodiment is applied will be described. Figure 6 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of a scenario in which the driving support device 100 according to the present embodiment is applied. Figure 6 In the example, the host vehicle M stops at an intersection after the coaching start button is pressed. In front of the host vehicle M, another vehicle M1 traveling in another lane is turning left and entering the lane of the host vehicle M. At this time, the occupant of the host vehicle M may try to overtake the other vehicle M1 by applying excessive speed or acceleration in order to start coaching with the other vehicle M1 as the leading vehicle.

[0052] Figure 7 It is shown to deal with Figure 6 The following is a flowchart illustrating an example of the process flow of the driving support device 100 in such a scenario. First, the driving support device 100 uses the coaching control unit 110 to receive coaching content input by the occupant of the vehicle M on the touch panel 18 (step S100). Specifically, the driving support device 100 receives that the occupant of the vehicle M has selected "Follow-up Coaching" on the touch panel 18. The selection of "Follow-up Coaching" is an example of "the occupant's prior consent to the execution of the second evaluation."

[0053] Next, the driving support device 100 receives a click of the coaching start button on the touch panel 18 by the occupant of the host vehicle M using the coaching control unit 110 (step S101). Next, the driving support device 100 uses the external information acquisition unit 120 to determine whether there is a preceding vehicle in the vicinity of the host vehicle M (step S102). If it is determined that there is no preceding vehicle, the driving support device 100 executes the process of step S102 again. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is a preceding vehicle, the driving support device 100 uses the driving information acquisition unit 130 to obtain the most recent driving information of the host vehicle M (step S103).

[0054] Next, the driving support device 100 uses the driving evaluation unit 140 to determine whether the vehicle M has performed a stop-and-start (i.e., accelerated from a stopped state) based on the most recent driving information obtained (step S104). If it is determined that the vehicle M has not performed a stop-and-start, the driving support device 100 uses the first evaluation unit 141 to set the first evaluation higher (step S105). The driving support device 100 then proceeds to step S111. On the other hand, if it is determined that a stop-and-start has been performed, the driving support device 100 uses the driving information acquisition unit 130 to reference the storage unit 160 and obtain past driving information corresponding to the zone in which the vehicle M is currently located (step S106).

[0055] Next, the driving support device 100 uses the first evaluation unit 141 to determine whether the change in the relative speed of the preceding vehicle has fallen below a first negative threshold value during the first predetermined period from when the coaching start button was pressed until the preceding vehicle was identified by the external information acquisition unit 120 (step S107). If the change in the relative speed of the preceding vehicle has not fallen below the first negative threshold value, the first evaluation unit 141 compares the most recent driving information with past driving information to determine whether the host vehicle M has been traveling at a high speed or has taken an abrupt start (step S108). Specifically, the first evaluation unit 141 determines whether the speed of the host vehicle M is higher than the average speed of the past by a second threshold value or higher, or whether the acceleration of the host vehicle M is higher than the average acceleration of the past by a third threshold value or higher. If it is determined that the host vehicle M has not been traveling at a high speed or has not taken an abrupt start, the first evaluation unit 141 sets the first evaluation value higher.

[0056] On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle M is traveling at a high speed or starting suddenly, the first evaluation unit 141 sets the first evaluation to a lower level (step S109). Accordingly, the driving support device 100 uses the evaluation result reporting unit 150 to cause the reporting device 20 to report, as a first evaluation, the situation that the vehicle M is driving reluctantly (step S110). Afterwards, the driving support device 100 uses the coaching control unit 110 to start following coaching, and performs following coaching during the second prescribed period (step S111). After the second prescribed period has passed, the second evaluation unit 142 evaluates the occupant's driving of the vehicle M, and the reporting device 20 reports the evaluation result (step S112). Thus, the processing of the flowchart ends. According to the processing of the above flowchart, it is possible to alert the occupant of a moving body who wants to reluctantly follow the preceding vehicle in order to execute coaching.

[0057] In the above flowchart, it is determined whether the vehicle M has stopped and started, whether the change in relative speed is less than the negative first threshold value, and whether the vehicle M has traveled at a high speed or started rapidly compared with past driving information. However, the present invention is not limited to this structure, and it is sufficient to at least determine whether the change in relative speed is less than the negative first threshold value. In this way, it is also possible to deal with Figure 6 That kind of scene.

[0058] Next, refer to Figure 8 , other scenarios to which the driving support device 100 of this embodiment is applied will be described. Figure 8 1 is a diagram for explaining another example of a scenario in which the driving support device 100 according to the present embodiment is applied. Figure 8 In the example, assume that vehicle M stops at an intersection after the coaching start button is pressed. Another vehicle M1 stops ahead of it, but then suddenly starts moving. In this situation, the occupants of vehicle M might attempt to overtake vehicle M1 by applying excessive speed or acceleration in order to initiate coaching with vehicle M1 as the leading vehicle.

[0059] Figure 9 It is shown to deal with Figure 8 A flowchart showing an example of the process flow of the driving support device 100 in such a scene. The process from step S200 to step S203 is the same as that from step S201 to step S202. Figure 7 The processing from step S100 to step S103 is the same, so the description is omitted.

[0060] After obtaining the most recent driving information of the host vehicle M, the driving support device 100 uses the driving evaluation unit 140 to determine whether the host vehicle M is accelerating based on the obtained most recent driving information (step S204). If the host vehicle M is determined not to be accelerating, the driving support device 100 uses the first evaluation unit 141 to set the first evaluation higher (step S207). The driving support device 100 then proceeds to step S210. On the other hand, if the host vehicle M is determined to be accelerating, the driving support device 100 uses the driving information acquisition unit 130 to reference the storage unit 160 and obtain past driving information corresponding to the zone in which the host vehicle M is currently located (step S205).

[0061] Next, the driving support device 100 uses the first evaluation unit 141 to determine whether the vehicle M was traveling at a high speed or making a sudden start during the first predetermined period from when the coaching start button was pressed until the preceding vehicle was identified by the external information acquisition unit 120 (step S206). Specifically, the first evaluation unit 141 determines whether the speed of the vehicle M is higher than the past average speed by a second threshold or higher, or whether the acceleration of the vehicle M is higher than the past average acceleration by a third threshold or higher. If it is determined that the vehicle M was not traveling at a high speed or making a sudden start, the first evaluation unit 141 sets the first evaluation value higher.

[0062] On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle M is traveling at a high speed or starting suddenly, the first evaluation unit 141 sets the first evaluation to a lower level (step S208). Accordingly, the driving support device 100 uses the evaluation result reporting unit 150 to cause the reporting device 20 to report as a first evaluation that attention should be paid to the fact that the vehicle M is traveling reluctantly (step S209). Afterwards, the driving support device 100 uses the coaching control unit 110 to start following coaching, and performs following coaching during the second prescribed period (step S210). After the second prescribed period has passed, the second evaluation unit 142 evaluates the occupant's driving of the vehicle M, and the reporting device 20 reports the evaluation result (step S211). Thus, the processing of the flowchart ends. According to the processing of the above flowchart, it is possible to alert the occupant of a moving body who wants to reluctantly follow the preceding vehicle in order to execute coaching.

[0063] In the above flowchart, it is determined whether the vehicle M is accelerating and whether the vehicle M has been traveling at a high speed or has started rapidly compared with past driving information. However, the present invention is not limited to this structure, and it is sufficient to at least determine whether the vehicle M has been traveling at a high speed or has started rapidly compared with past driving information. In this way, it is also possible to deal with Figure 8 That kind of scene.

[0064] According to the embodiment described above, if, between the time when the occupant of the host vehicle M requests coaching and the time the leading vehicle is identified, the host vehicle M attempts to forcibly follow the leading vehicle in order to execute coaching, the first evaluation unit detects this situation based on the change in relative speed and a comparison between current and past driving information, and warns the occupant. This allows for appropriate evaluation of the driver's driving of the mobile object.

[0065] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the method for performing the first evaluation uses relative speed, and the method for performing the second evaluation uses at least one of relative position, relative speed, and driving information of the vehicle M. In other words, the method for performing the first evaluation uses at least a portion of the external information and driving information used by the method for performing the second evaluation, and can report the first evaluation in a form that is less offensive to the occupants of the vehicle M.

[0066] The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows.

[0067] A driving support device comprising:

[0068] a storage device storing a program; and

[0069] Hardware processor,

[0070] The hardware processor performs the following processing by executing the program stored in the storage device:

[0071] Acquiring external information including relative positions and relative velocities of objects around the moving body as viewed from the moving body,

[0072] Acquiring driving information including at least the speed and acceleration of the moving object,

[0073] The evaluation of the occupant's driving is performed based on at least one of the external information and the driving information, and the evaluation of the occupant's driving is started when a predetermined condition is satisfied after the occupant's operation.

[0074] reporting the results of the evaluation to a reporting device,

[0075] performing a first evaluation of the occupant's driving during a first predetermined period from when the operation is performed to when the predetermined condition is satisfied,

[0076] performing a second evaluation of the occupant's driving during a second predetermined period after the predetermined condition is satisfied,

[0077] A method for the first evaluation by the first evaluation unit is different from a method for the second evaluation by the second evaluation unit.

[0078] While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments at all, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A driving support device, wherein: The driving support device includes: an external information acquisition unit that acquires external information including relative positions and relative speeds of objects around the moving body as viewed from the moving body; a driving information acquisition unit configured to acquire driving information including at least a speed and an acceleration of the moving object; a driving evaluation unit that evaluates the occupant's driving based on at least one of the external information and the travel information, and starts the evaluation of the occupant's driving when a predetermined condition is satisfied after the occupant performs an operation; and an evaluation result reporting unit that causes a reporting device to report the evaluation result; The driving evaluation unit includes: a first evaluation unit that performs a first evaluation of the occupant's driving over a first predetermined period from when the operation is performed to when the predetermined condition is satisfied; as well as a second evaluation unit that performs a second evaluation of the occupant's driving during a second predetermined period after the predetermined condition is satisfied; A method for the first evaluation by the first evaluation unit is different from a method for the second evaluation by the second evaluation unit.

2. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein: The method of performing the first evaluation uses at least a portion of the outside information and the driving information used by the method of performing the second evaluation.

3. The driving support device according to claim 2, wherein: In the first evaluation method, the driving skill of the occupant is evaluated based on the relative speed. In the method for performing the second evaluation, with respect to the object determined to be a preceding vehicle immediately in front of the mobile body, the degree of following the preceding vehicle is evaluated based on at least either the relative position or the relative speed of the object. The evaluation result reporting unit lowers the first evaluation and causes the reporting device to report a warning to the occupant when the amount of change in the relative speed becomes smaller than a first negative threshold value within the first predetermined period.

4. The driving support device according to claim 2, wherein: further comprising a storage unit for storing past average speed and average acceleration of the moving object in a predetermined section, In the first evaluation method, the driving skill of the occupant is evaluated based on the relative speed. In the method for performing the second evaluation, with respect to the object determined to be a preceding vehicle immediately in front of the moving body, the degree of following the preceding vehicle is evaluated based on at least either the relative position or the relative speed of the object. The evaluation result reporting unit lowers the first evaluation and causes the reporting device to report a warning to the occupant when the difference between the speed of the moving object and the average speed is greater than a second threshold or the difference between the acceleration of the moving object and the average acceleration is greater than a third threshold.

5. The driving support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The second evaluation unit performs the second evaluation on the premise that the occupant has performed an operation in advance to consent to the execution of the second evaluation before the occupant performs the operation.

6. A driving support method, wherein: The driving support method causes the computer to perform the following processing: Acquiring external information including relative positions and relative velocities of objects around the moving body as viewed from the moving body, Acquiring driving information including at least the speed and acceleration of the moving object, The evaluation of the occupant's driving is performed based on at least one of the external information and the driving information, and the evaluation of the occupant's driving is started when a predetermined condition is satisfied after the occupant performs an operation. causing a reporting device to report the results of said evaluation, performing a first evaluation of the occupant's driving during a first predetermined period from when the operation is performed to when the predetermined condition is satisfied, performing a second evaluation of the occupant's driving during a second predetermined period after the predetermined condition is satisfied, The method of performing the first evaluation is different from the method of performing the second evaluation.

7. A storage medium storing a program, wherein: The program causes the computer to execute the following processing: Acquiring external information including relative positions and relative velocities of objects around the moving body as viewed from the moving body, Acquiring driving information including at least the speed and acceleration of the moving object, The evaluation of the occupant's driving is performed based on at least one of the external information and the driving information, and the evaluation of the occupant's driving is started when a predetermined condition is satisfied after the occupant performs an operation. causing a reporting device to report the results of said evaluation, performing a first evaluation of the occupant's driving during a first predetermined period from when the operation is performed to when the predetermined condition is satisfied, performing a second evaluation of the occupant's driving during a second predetermined period after the predetermined condition is satisfied, The method of performing the first evaluation is different from the method of performing the second evaluation.

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