Distraction detection device

Abstract

In the distraction determination device 1, when the lane change detection unit 28 detects a lane change in its own vehicle 10, the distraction determination unit 27 detects the driver's gaze direction as determined by the gaze direction detection unit 24. If the gaze direction is determined to be the gaze direction of at least one of the rearview mirrors (R inside the vehicle and RS / LS on the side) of the vehicle 10, based on the relative position of the vehicle 10 and other vehicles 91 and 92, then even if the driver's gaze direction exceeds the determination reference range, the driver is not determined to be in a distracted state. Therefore, even when another vehicle appears to be merging into the vehicle's lane, inappropriate determination of a distracted state can be suppressed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a distraction detection device. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, various distraction detection devices for determining a driver's distracted state have been proposed. The applicant has proposed the following distraction detection device: at a time before the vehicle's behavior changes and the turning direction of the vehicle changes towards the curve, the range of objects related to the determination of the distraction state is displaced by a predetermined amount, thereby preventing a state that is not distracted from being inappropriately determined as a distraction state (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] [Existing technical documents]

[0004] [Patent Literature]

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 5184596 Summary of the Invention

[0006] [The problem the invention aims to solve]

[0007] According to the distraction detection device in Patent Document 1, the accuracy of determining whether the driver is distracted can be improved when entering and passing through a curve. When the vehicle changes lanes or makes other driving changes, the driver's gaze may be perceived as distracted driving if it shifts to the rearview mirror or side mirror. However, Patent Document 1 does not specifically address this aspect as a technical issue.

[0008] The present invention was made in view of the above situation, and its purpose is to provide a distraction detection device that can prevent the inappropriate judgment of a distracted driving state when the driver's gaze moves to the rearview mirror or side mirror when the vehicle changes its route.

[0009] [Technical means to solve the problem]

[0010] (1) A distraction determination device comprising: a gaze direction detection unit (e.g., gaze direction detection unit 24 described later) for detecting the gaze direction of a driver; a distraction determination unit (e.g., distraction determination unit 27 described later) for determining that the driver is distracted when the gaze direction detected by the gaze direction detection unit exceeds a predetermined determination reference range; a route change detection unit (e.g., route change detection unit 28 described later) for detecting route changes of the driver's own vehicle; a surrounding vehicle detection unit (e.g., surrounding information acquisition unit 29 and other vehicle detection unit 30 described later) for detecting information of other vehicles surrounding the driver's own vehicle; and a vehicle status acquisition unit (e.g., vehicle status... The acquisition unit 25) acquires information related to the vehicle status of its own vehicle; and when the route change detection unit detects a route change of its own vehicle, the distraction determination unit detects that the driver's gaze direction detected by the gaze direction detection unit is the gaze direction of at least one of the rearview mirrors (e.g., the rearview mirror R described later) and the side rearview mirrors (e.g., the right rearview mirror RS and the left rearview mirror LS described later) of its own vehicle, which is determined based on the relative position of its own vehicle and other vehicles, and even if the driver's gaze direction exceeds the determination reference range, the driver is not determined to be in a distracted state.

[0011] (2) According to the distraction determination device of (1), wherein the lane change detection unit detects the lane change of its own vehicle as the lane change of its own vehicle, and when the lane change detection unit detects the lane change of its own vehicle, the distraction determination unit detects the driver's gaze direction detected by the gaze direction detection unit as the gaze direction towards at least one of the rearview mirrors of its own vehicle, which is determined based on the relative position of its own vehicle and other vehicles, and even if the driver's gaze direction exceeds the determination reference range, the driver is not determined to be in a distracted state.

[0012] (3) According to the distraction determination device of (1), wherein when the distance between the driver's own vehicle and another vehicle detected by the surrounding vehicle detection unit in the lane extension direction is greater than a predetermined threshold, and the driver's line of sight is detected by the line of sight direction detection unit as being towards the rearview mirror, the driver will not be determined to be in a distracted state even if the driver's line of sight exceeds the determination reference range; when the distance between the driver's own vehicle and another vehicle detected by the surrounding vehicle detection unit in the lane extension direction is less than a predetermined threshold, and the driver's line of sight is detected by the line of sight direction detection unit as being towards the side rearview mirror, the driver will not be determined to be in a distracted state even if the driver's line of sight exceeds the determination reference range.

[0013] (4) The distraction determination device according to (3), wherein the specified threshold value is variably set based on information related to the shape of the road on which the vehicle is traveling.

[0014] (5) According to the distraction determination device of (1), wherein the route change detection unit detects the route change of its own vehicle based on the on / off status of the vehicle's direction indicator and / or the vehicle's steering status.

[0015] [The effects of the invention]

[0016] In the distraction determination device of (1), when the route change detection unit detects a route change of its own vehicle, the distraction determination unit detects that the driver's gaze direction detected by the gaze direction detection unit is towards at least one of the rearview mirrors (either the interior rearview mirror or the side rearview mirror) based on the relative position of its own vehicle and other vehicles. Even if the driver's gaze direction exceeds the determination reference range, the driver is not determined to be in a distracted state. Thus, when the vehicle changes route, inappropriate determination of a distracted state, where the driver's gaze is shifted to the interior rearview mirror or the side rearview mirror, can be prevented.

[0017] The distraction detection device in (2) is that, in particular, when the lane change detection unit detects a lane change of its own vehicle, the driver's gaze direction detected by the gaze direction detection unit is detected as the gaze direction towards at least one of the rearview mirrors provided by the vehicle, namely the interior rearview mirror and the side rearview mirror, which is determined based on the relative position of the vehicle and other vehicles. Even if the driver's gaze direction exceeds the determination reference range, the driver will not be judged as distracted. When the vehicle changes lanes, it can prevent the inappropriate judgment of a distracted driving state when the driver's gaze moves towards the interior rearview mirror or the side rearview mirror.

[0018] The distraction detection device in (3) further improves upon the distraction detection device in (1) by, when the distance between the driver's own vehicle and another vehicle in the lane extension direction exceeds a predetermined threshold, and the driver's gaze direction is detected by the gaze direction detection unit as being towards the rearview mirror, the driver is not judged to be in a distracted state even if the driver's gaze direction exceeds the judgment reference range. Furthermore, when the distance between the driver's own vehicle and another vehicle in the lane extension direction is less than the predetermined threshold, and the driver's gaze direction is detected by the gaze direction detection unit as being towards the side rearview mirror, the driver is not judged to be in a distracted state even if the driver's gaze direction exceeds the judgment reference range. Therefore, when the vehicle changes lanes, it can prevent inappropriate judgments that the driver's gaze is being judged as a distracted driving state when the driver's gaze moves towards the rearview mirror or side rearview mirror.

[0019] The distraction determination device in (4) is the same as that in the distraction determination device in (3), in particular, the threshold value is set variably based on information related to the shape of the road on which the vehicle is traveling. Thus, the conditions for the distraction determination unit not to determine the driver as distracted can be appropriately set according to the road shape such as the curvature of the curve.

[0020] The distraction detection device in (5) is, in particular, the lane change detection unit in the distraction detection device in (1) that detects lane changes of its own vehicle based on the on / off status of the vehicle's direction indicator and / or the vehicle's steering status. Therefore, lane changes of its own vehicle can be detected at the appropriate time, and a more appropriate distraction state can be determined. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a distraction detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 This diagram illustrates how a driver selectively shifts their gaze to the interior or side mirrors depending on the distance between their vehicle and other vehicles in the direction of lane extension.

[0023] Figure 3 Is it to lift the ban? Figure 2 The diagram illustrates a situation where a driver's gaze movement is considered a state of distraction.

[0024] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing performed by the processing apparatus of the distraction determination device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The present invention will be made clear hereby by describing in detail a distraction detection device as an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 This is a configuration diagram of a distraction detection device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The distraction detection device 1 is installed in a vehicle and is configured to include a processing device 2, a notification unit 3, a light source 11, a passenger camera 12, a vehicle status sensor 13, a navigation device 14, an external camera 15, a millimeter-wave radar 16, and a LiDAR 17.

[0026] Light source 11 illuminates the subject (e.g., the face of a driver sitting in the driver's seat) with visible light or infrared light.

[0027] The passenger camera 12 is configured to include at least the face of the driver sitting in the driver's seat in its field of view, and to obtain an image output containing the driver's face in the visible light area or the infrared area.

[0028] The vehicle status sensor 13 includes a vehicle speed sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a yaw rate sensor, a steering angle sensor, and left and right turn indicator operation status sensors. The vehicle speed sensor detects the vehicle's speed, the gyroscope sensor detects the vehicle's attitude and direction of travel, and the yaw rate sensor detects the yaw rate (the angular velocity of the vehicle's center of gravity around its vertical axis). Furthermore, the steering angle sensor detects the steering wheel angle (steering angle) or the corresponding actual steering angle (turning angle). Additionally, the left and right turn indicator operation status sensors detect the operation status of the left and right turn indicators. The vehicle status sensor 13 supplies detection signals, including vehicle speed, attitude, yaw rate, steering angle, turning angle, and the operation status of the left and right turn indicators, as various vehicle information detected in the aforementioned manner, to the processing device 2.

[0029] The navigation device 14 receives positioning signals, such as GPS (Global Positioning System) signals used to determine the vehicle's position via satellite, and calculates the vehicle's current position using these positioning signals. Furthermore, the navigation device 14 performs autonomous navigation calculations based on detection signals of the vehicle's speed and yaw rate output from the vehicle state sensor 13, including the vehicle speed sensor and yaw rate sensor (not shown), to calculate the vehicle's current position.

[0030] In addition, the navigation device 14 has road coordinate data required for map matching based on the current location of its own vehicle, which is used as map data. Furthermore, the navigation device 14 has data required for route finding and route guidance, such as nodes as latitude and longitude coordinates of specified locations including intersections and forks, road segments as lines connecting the nodes, distances between road segments, and road shape (e.g., information related to the radius of curvature of curves), width, intersection angles, and types, which are used as map data.

[0031] The external camera 15 is configured to include at least the exterior of the vehicle, encompassing its surroundings, as its field of view, acquiring image information in either the visible light or infrared region. Figure 1 It is typically marked as a box, but multiple boxes may be set depending on the specifications of the vehicle.

[0032] Millimeter-wave radar 16 detects objects around the vehicle and measures the distance to those objects. Millimeter-wave radar 16 in Figure 1 It is typically marked as a box, but multiple boxes may be set depending on the specifications of the vehicle.

[0033] The LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) 17 detects objects around the vehicle and measures the distance to those objects. The LIDAR 17... Figure 1 It is typically marked as a box, but multiple boxes may be set depending on the specifications of the vehicle.

[0034] The processing device 2 is composed of an illumination control unit 21, an image capture control unit 22, a face image acquisition unit 23, a line of sight direction detection unit 24, a vehicle status acquisition unit 25, a curve detection unit 26, a distraction determination unit 27, a road change detection unit 28, a surrounding information acquisition unit 29, a other vehicle detection unit 30, a relative direction detection unit 31, and a notification control unit 32.

[0035] The illumination control unit 21 controls the illumination of the light source 11. The shooting control unit 22 controls the shooting of the passenger camera 12. The face image acquisition unit 23 acquires the face image output from the passenger camera 12. The gaze direction detection unit 24 performs recognition processing, such as calculating the feature quantities and shape discrimination of the driver's left and right eyeballs as the detection objects, based on the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit 23. The gaze direction detection unit 24 further detects the driver's gaze direction and fixation point through prescribed gaze detection processing, using the center position of the iris or pupil of the eyeball, the center position of the Purkinje figure as the infrared reflection image of the corneal surface, the center position of the eyeball, and the position of the inner corner of the eye, based on the results of the recognition processing.

[0036] The vehicle status acquisition unit 25 acquires vehicle status information related to various states of its own vehicle based on signals from various detection results output by the vehicle status sensor. In other words, the vehicle status acquisition unit 25 acquires information such as the vehicle's speed, vehicle posture, direction of travel and turning direction, actual steering angle corresponding to the steering wheel angle (steering angle), and information related to the operation of the left and right direction indicators, as information on the vehicle's driving behavior.

[0037] The curve detection unit 26 detects whether there is a curve and the direction of the curve in front of its own vehicle within a specified distance (e.g., within 2 seconds before reaching the curve entrance) based on road data from the navigation device 14, or the steering wheel angle (steering angle) output from the vehicle status sensor 13, or the actual steering angle (turning angle) corresponding to the steering wheel angle. It then issues a judgment reference range change instruction to the distraction judgment unit 27, which changes the judgment reference range that does not conform to the distraction state as described later.

[0038] In addition to detecting whether there is a curve ahead of the vehicle within a specified distance and the direction of the curve, the curve detection unit 26 also detects the curvature of the curve.

[0039] The distraction determination unit 27 determines whether the driver is in a distracted state based on the driver's gaze direction detected by the gaze direction detection unit 24. In other words, the distraction determination unit 27 determines whether the driver's gaze direction is within the range that does not meet the criteria for a distraction state. Furthermore, if the distraction determination unit 27 determines that the driver's gaze direction remains outside the criteria range for a predetermined time or more, it issues a distraction state determination output. On the other hand, if the driver's gaze direction is within the criteria range, it issues a non-distraction state determination output.

[0040] The judgment reference range of the distraction judgment unit 27 is changed according to the condition of the curve by a judgment reference range change command from the curve detection unit 26. As a result, the distraction judgment state of the distraction judgment unit 27 is adapted to the condition of the curve.

[0041] The lane change detection unit 28 detects whether its own vehicle is in a lane change state, including lane change, based on information about its own vehicle's steering angle and / or turning angle, which are vehicle status information acquired by the vehicle status acquisition unit 25, and information related to the operation status of the left and right direction indicators. When it detects that the vehicle is in a lane change state, it provides the information to the distraction determination unit 27.

[0042] The surrounding information acquisition unit 29 acquires surrounding information related to the status of its vehicle's surroundings from the external camera 15, millimeter-wave radar 16, and LIDAR 17. This surrounding information includes, for example, information related to whether there are other vehicles or obstacles in front of, to the sides of, and behind the vehicle, as well as the distance and direction to any existing other vehicles or obstacles. The surrounding information acquisition unit 29 then supplies the acquired surrounding information to the other vehicle detection unit 30.

[0043] The Other Vehicle Detection Unit 30 detects the presence and relative position of other vehicles related to its own vehicle's movement based on the surrounding information provided by the Surrounding Information Acquisition Unit 29, and issues detection information accordingly. In other words, the Surrounding Information Acquisition Unit 29 and the Other Vehicle Detection Unit 30 constitute a Surrounding Vehicle Detection Unit that detects information about other vehicles around its own vehicle.

[0044] Based on the detection output of the other vehicle detection unit 30, when the other vehicle detection unit 30 detects the presence of another vehicle, the relative direction detection unit 31 calculates and obtains relative direction information indicating the relative direction of the other vehicle when its own vehicle is taken as a reference, and supplies this relative direction information to the distraction determination unit 27. The relative direction detection unit 31 not only supplies the relative direction information to the distraction determination unit 27, but also directly supplies the detection information from the other vehicle detection unit 30 related to the presence or absence of other vehicles and their relative positions to the distraction determination unit 27 as is.

[0045] The distraction determination unit 27 releases the distraction state determination under specific circumstances based on the instruction from the route change detection unit 28. Even if the driver's line of sight detected by the line of sight direction detection unit 24 is outside the determination reference range, the distraction state determination is released.

[0046] In detail, when the lane change detection unit 28 detects a lane change in its own vehicle, the distraction determination unit 27 detects that the driver's gaze direction, as detected by the gaze direction detection unit 24, is directed toward at least one of the rearview mirrors (either the interior rearview mirror or the side rearview mirror) based on the relative position of the vehicle and other vehicles. Even if the driver's gaze direction exceeds the determination reference range, the driver is not determined to be distracted. At this time, the relative position of the own vehicle and other vehicles is extracted from the presence and relative position detection information related to the vehicle's movement provided by the relative direction detection unit 31 from the other vehicle detection unit 30. Furthermore, the operation of the distraction determination unit 27 is performed similarly in the case of lane changes, particularly lane changes.

[0047] Here, when the distraction determination unit 27 receives the relative direction information indicating the relative direction of another vehicle when its own vehicle is regarded as a reference from the relative direction detection unit 31, it will issue a non-distraction state determination output even if the line of sight detected by the line of sight direction detection unit 24 stays outside the determination reference range for more than a predetermined time.

[0048] The distraction determination unit 27 supplies its determination output to the notification control unit 32. When the determination output supplied by the distraction determination unit 27 indicates a distraction state, the notification control unit 32 issues an alarm control command to the notification unit 3 to control the alarm mode of the notification unit 3. The alarm mode of the notification unit 3 may include varying the intensity of the alarm sound or intermittent looping, verbal message output, illumination of warning lights, text display, or graphic display, etc.

[0049] When the notification unit 3 issues a notification under the control of the notification control unit 32, it stops issuing the notification at the moment when the relative direction detection unit 31 begins calculations related to the acquisition of the relative direction. At the moment when the relative direction detection unit begins calculations related to the detection of the relative direction, the driver of the vehicle is more likely to shift their gaze to ensure safety; therefore, the notification of alarms and other notifications by the notification unit stops at that moment. This suppresses unnecessary alarms and other notifications, thus minimizing disruption to driving comfort.

[0050] Figure 2 This diagram illustrates how a driver selectively shifts their gaze to the rearview mirror or side mirror depending on the distance between their vehicle and other vehicles in the direction of lane extension. In Figure 2, it is assumed that the first other vehicle 91 is traveling at a relatively close distance behind the driver's vehicle 10, and the second other vehicle 92 is traveling at a relatively far distance behind the driver's vehicle 10.

[0051] The driver of vehicle 10 intends to change lanes to the right, causing the right turn indicator RT to turn off. To check for a first other vehicle 91 traveling at a relatively close distance, the driver of vehicle 10 will look in their right-side rearview mirror. Conversely, to check for a second other vehicle 92 traveling at a relatively distant distance, the driver will look in their interior rearview mirror.

[0052] On the other hand, the surrounding information acquisition unit 29 and the other vehicle detection unit 30 of the vehicle 10 capture the presence of the first other vehicle 91 and the second other vehicle 92 and their relative positions including distances, and supply the captured information to the distraction determination unit 27 via the relative direction detection unit 31. Moreover, the illumination of the right turn indicator RT of the vehicle 10 is detected by the vehicle status sensor 13 and acquired by the vehicle status acquisition unit 25 as vehicle status information.

[0053] When the distance between the driver's own vehicle and another vehicle (second other vehicle 92) detected by the surrounding vehicle detection unit (surrounding information acquisition unit 29 and other vehicle detection unit 30) in the lane extension direction is greater than a predetermined threshold, and the driver's line of sight is detected by the line of sight direction detection unit 24 as being towards the rearview mirror, the distraction determination unit 27 will not determine the driver as distracted even if the driver's line of sight is outside the determination reference range.

[0054] Furthermore, when the distance between the driver's own vehicle and another vehicle (first other vehicle 91) detected by the surrounding vehicle detection unit (surrounding information acquisition unit 29 and other vehicle detection unit 30) in the lane extension direction is less than a predetermined threshold, and the driver's line of sight is detected by the line of sight direction detection unit 24 as being towards the side rearview mirror, the distraction determination unit 27 will not determine the driver as distracted even if the driver's line of sight exceeds the determination reference range.

[0055] Figure 3 It is to lift the Figure 2 The diagram illustrates a situation where the driver of vehicle 10's line of sight is considered a state of distraction. Figure 3 The following situation is illustrated schematically: depending on whether the driver D of vehicle 10 is looking in the direction of the rearview mirror R or the right rearview mirror RS (left rearview mirror LS), the movement of the driver D's gaze toward the direction associated with these directions is considered a distracted state. Figure 3 In the diagram, the area in which the driver D directs his gaze according to the situation, and the determination cancellation area B, which is the area where the distraction determination unit 27 does not determine the driver to be in a distracted state even if it exceeds the determination reference range, is represented by a shading line.

[0056] When driver D confirms a second, other vehicle 92 at a relatively distant distance, he will look towards the rearview mirror R. Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the middle, the driver D of vehicle 10 intends to change lanes to the right, causing the right turn indicator RT to turn off. When driver D confirms the relatively close proximity of the first other vehicle 91, he will turn his gaze to the right-side rearview mirror RS. The direction of driver D's gaze is always determined by the gaze direction detection unit 24 ( Figure 1 Furthermore, the first other vehicle 91 and the second other vehicle 92 were continuously captured by the surrounding vehicle detection department (surrounding information acquisition department 29 and other vehicle detection department 30).

[0057] In other words, when driver D confirms a second other vehicle 92 at a relatively distant distance, the other vehicle detection unit 30 detects the relative position of the second other vehicle 92 relative to his own vehicle 10. Furthermore, the gaze direction detection unit 24 detects the direction of driver D's gaze towards the rearview mirror R. At this time, the distraction determination unit 27 sets a determination release zone B for when driver D observes the rearview mirror R. When setting the determination release zone B, the relative position of the other vehicle 92 relative to his own vehicle 10 detected by the other vehicle detection unit 30 is measured in terms of distance in the lane extension direction, and a distance exceeding a predetermined threshold is set as a setting condition.

[0058] Furthermore, when driver D confirms that the first other vehicle 91 is relatively close, the other vehicle detection unit 30 detects the relative position of the first other vehicle 91 relative to its own vehicle 10. Also, the gaze direction detection unit 24 detects the direction of driver D's gaze toward the right-side rearview mirror RS. At this time, the distraction determination unit 27 sets a determination release zone B for when driver D observes the right-side rearview mirror RS. When setting the determination release zone B, the relative position of the other vehicle 92 detected by the other vehicle detection unit 30 relative to its own vehicle 10 is detected as a distance in the lane extension direction, and a distance less than a predetermined threshold is set as a setting condition.

[0059] The specified threshold value can be variably set based on the curve curvature-related detection information from the curve detection unit 26, for example, according to the shape of the road on which the vehicle 10 is traveling. Thus, based on the shape of the road, such as the curve curvature, the conditions are appropriately set such that even if the driver's line of sight is outside the judgment reference range, the distraction judgment unit will not judge the driver as distracted.

[0060] When driver D shifts his gaze to a position further rearward than the right-side rearview mirror RS, the gaze direction detection unit 24 detects the direction of driver D's gaze at this time. The gaze direction detection unit 24 detects that driver D is looking towards a position further rearward than the right-side rearview mirror RS. At this time, the distraction determination unit 27 sets the determination deactivation area B for when driver D is observing a position further rearward than the right-side rearview mirror RS.

[0061] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing performed by the processing device 2 of the distraction determination device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. First, the gaze direction detection unit 24 detects the driver's gaze direction using a predetermined gaze detection process (step S1).

[0062] Then, the lane change detection unit 28 detects whether its own vehicle is in a lane change state (step S2) based on information about its own vehicle's steering angle and / or turning angle, which are vehicle status information acquired by the vehicle status acquisition unit 25, and information related to the operation status of the left and right direction indicators.

[0063] Next, the surrounding vehicle detection unit, which includes the surrounding information acquisition unit 29 and the other vehicle detection unit 30, detects the presence and relative positions of other vehicles around its own vehicle (step S3).

[0064] Furthermore, based on the detection output of the other vehicle detection unit 30, the relative direction detection unit 31 calculates and obtains relative direction information representing the relative direction of the other vehicle when its own vehicle is regarded as a reference for the other vehicle detected by the other vehicle detection unit 30, and supplies the relative direction information to the distraction determination unit 27 (step S4).

[0065] The distraction determination unit 27 receives relative direction information from the relative direction detection unit 31, which indicates the relative direction of other vehicles when the driver's vehicle is considered as a reference. Even if the driver's line of sight is detected to be directed towards at least one of the rearview mirrors (the interior rearview mirror and the side rearview mirror) based on the relative position of the driver and other vehicles, and the driver's line of sight is outside the determination reference range, the determination that the driver is in a distracted state is lifted (step S5). Thus, when the driver changes direction, the inappropriate determination of a distracted state, where the driver's line of sight is shifted to the interior rearview mirror or the side rearview mirror, can be prevented.

[0066] The distraction detection device 1 according to this embodiment has the following effects.

[0067] In the distraction determination device 1 of (1), when the route change detection unit 28 detects a route change in its own vehicle 10, the distraction determination unit 27 detects that the driver's gaze direction detected by the gaze direction detection unit 24 is towards at least one of the rearview mirrors (R inside the vehicle and RS (LS) on the side of the vehicle 10) based on the relative position of the vehicle 10 and other vehicles 91 and 92. Even if the driver's gaze direction exceeds the determination reference range, the driver is not determined to be in a distracted state. Thus, when the vehicle 10 changes its route, it can prevent the inappropriate determination that the driver's gaze is considered to be in a distracted state when the driver's gaze moves towards the rearview mirror R or the side rearview mirror RS (LS).

[0068] The distraction detection device 1 in (2) is, in particular, when the lane change detection unit 28 detects a lane change of its own vehicle 10, the driver's gaze direction detected by the gaze direction detection unit 24 is detected as the gaze direction towards at least one of the rearview mirrors R (interior mirror) and RS (side mirror) (LS) provided on its own vehicle 10, determined based on the relative position of its own vehicle 10 and other vehicles 91, 92. Even if the driver's gaze direction exceeds the determination reference range, the driver will not be judged as distracted. When its own vehicle 10 changes lanes, it can prevent the inappropriate judgment of a distracted driving state when the driver's gaze moves towards the rearview mirror R or the side mirror RS (LS).

[0069] The distraction detection device 1 in (3) further includes the distraction detection device 1 in (1) or (2). When the distance between the driver's own vehicle 10 and other vehicles in the lane extension direction is greater than a predetermined threshold, the distraction detection unit 27 detects by the gaze direction detection unit 24 that the driver's gaze direction is towards the interior rearview mirror R. Even if the driver's gaze direction exceeds the determination reference range, the driver will not be judged as distracted. Moreover, when the distance between the driver's own vehicle 10 and other vehicles 91 and 92 in the lane extension direction is less than a predetermined threshold, the gaze direction detection unit 24 detects by the gaze direction detection unit 24 that the driver's gaze direction is towards the side rearview mirror RS (LS). Even if the driver's gaze direction exceeds the determination reference range, the driver will not be judged as distracted. Thus, when the driver's own vehicle 10 changes lanes, it can prevent the inappropriate judgment of a distracted driving state when the driver's gaze moves towards the interior rearview mirror R or the side rearview mirror RS (LS).

[0070] The distraction determination device 1 in (4) is the same as the distraction determination device 1 in (3), in particular, the threshold value is set variably based on information related to the shape of the road on which the vehicle 10 is traveling. Thus, according to the shape of the road such as the curvature of the curve, the conditions are appropriately set such that even if the driver's line of sight is outside the determination reference range, the distraction determination unit will not determine that the driver is in a distracted state.

[0071] The distraction determination device 1 in (5) is, in particular, the road change detection unit 28 in the distraction determination device 1 in (1) detects the road change of its own vehicle 10 based on the on / off status of the vehicle's direction indicator TR and / or the vehicle's steering status. Therefore, the road change of its own vehicle 10 can be detected at the appropriate time, and a more appropriate determination of the distraction state can be made.

[0072] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate changes can be made to the details within the scope of the present invention. For example, it may be configured such that when a desire to change lanes from one's own vehicle to another vehicle's lane is sent via inter-vehicle communication, movement of the gaze toward the rearview mirror or side mirror is not considered a distraction without waiting for other conditions.

[0073] Figure Labels

[0074] 1: Distraction detection device

[0075] 2: Processing device

[0076] 3: Notification Department

[0077] 10: Own vehicle

[0078] 11: Light source

[0079] 12: Passenger Camera

[0080] 13: Vehicle Status Sensors

[0081] 14: Navigation device

[0082] 15: External camera

[0083] 16: Millimeter-wave radar

[0084] 17: LIDAR

[0085] 21: Irradiation Control Unit

[0086] 22: Filming Control Department

[0087] 23: Facial Image Acquisition Unit

[0088] 24: Line of Sight Detection Unit

[0089] 25: Vehicle Status Acquisition Department

[0090] 26: Curve Inspection Department

[0091] 27: Distraction Detection Department

[0092] 28: Route Change Inspection Department

[0093] 29: Surrounding Area Information Acquisition Department (part of the Surrounding Area Vehicle Inspection Department)

[0094] 30: Other people's vehicle inspection department (another part of the surrounding vehicle inspection departments)

[0095] 31: Relative Direction Detection Unit

[0096] 32: Notify the Control Department

[0097] 91, 92: Other people's vehicles

[0098] R: Rearview mirror

[0099] LS: Left rearview mirror

[0100] RS: Right-side rearview mirror

Claims

1. A distraction detection device, comprising: The line-of-sight detection unit detects the driver's line-of-sight direction; The distraction determination unit determines that the driver is in a distracted state when the gaze direction detected by the gaze direction detection unit exceeds a predetermined determination reference range. Route Change Inspection Department: Inspect your vehicle for route changes. The surrounding vehicle inspection department inspects information about other vehicles in the vicinity of your vehicle. and The vehicle status acquisition unit acquires information related to the vehicle status of its own vehicle; and The distraction determination unit When the route change detection unit detects a route change of its own vehicle, After the gaze direction detection unit detects that the driver's gaze direction corresponds to either the interior rearview mirror or the side rearview mirror of the vehicle, which is determined based on the relative distance between the vehicle and other vehicles, the unit will proceed even if the driver's gaze direction exceeds the determination reference range. The driver will not be judged as distracted.

2. The distraction determination device according to claim 1, wherein the lane change detection unit detects the lane change of its own vehicle as the lane change of its own vehicle. The distraction determination unit When the lane change detection unit detects a lane change of its own vehicle, After the gaze direction detection unit detects that the driver's gaze direction corresponds to either the interior rearview mirror or the side rearview mirror of the vehicle, which is determined based on the relative distance between the vehicle and other vehicles, the unit will proceed even if the driver's gaze direction exceeds the determination reference range. The driver will not be judged as distracted.

3. The distraction determination device according to claim 1, wherein the distraction determination unit is When the distance between one's own vehicle and other vehicles detected by the surrounding vehicle detection unit in the lane extension direction is greater than a predetermined threshold value. After the gaze direction detection unit detects that the driver's gaze direction corresponds to the direction toward the rearview mirror, even if the driver's gaze direction exceeds the determination reference range, The driver will not be classified as distracted. When the distance between one's own vehicle and other vehicles detected by the surrounding vehicle detection unit in the lane extension direction is less than a predetermined threshold value. After the gaze direction detection unit detects that the driver's gaze direction corresponds to the direction toward the side rearview mirror, even if the driver's gaze direction exceeds the determination reference range, The driver will not be judged as distracted.

4. The distraction detection device according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined threshold value is variably set based on information related to the shape of the road on which the vehicle is traveling.

5. The distraction determination device according to claim 1, wherein the route change detection unit detects the route change of the vehicle based on the on / off status of the vehicle's direction indicator and / or the vehicle's steering status.

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