Driving assistance device

Abstract

The present invention is to provide a driving assistance device capable of avoiding the uneasiness of an occupant who is driving. To solve the above problem, the driving assistance device 11 includes: a cause determination section 204 that determines the cause of the generation of the alarm sound based on the behavior information acquired by the behavior information acquisition section 201 and the surrounding information acquired by the surrounding information acquisition section 40 when the occupant state determination section 203 determines that the occupant is affected by the alarm sound; and a voice output device 91 and a display device 92 that notify the occupant of the cause of the generation of the alarm sound determined by the cause determination section 204.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a driving assistance device. BACKGROUND

[0002] In recent years, in order to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, the safety of traffic is sought to be improved. In vehicles, from the viewpoint of improving the safety of traffic, for example, it is necessary to intervene in the driving behavior from the mental aspect of the occupant to ensure the safety of traffic.

[0003] In the past, a technology has been known in which a state of an occupant is detected by a driver monitoring camera of a vehicle, and when the occupant is drowsy or lacks concentration, the driving behavior of the occupant is intervened (for example, refer to Patent Literature 1). The method described in Patent Literature 1 includes a step of monitoring a vehicle system and a driver monitoring system to cope with a low reaction time, a decrease in attention, and / or alertness of a driver.

[0004] [Prior Art Documents]

[0005] (Patent Literature)

[0006] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-511301 SUMMARY

[0007] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0008] During driving of a vehicle, an occupant of the vehicle is sometimes disturbed from concentration on driving by a situation outside the vehicle. In particular, when an alarm sound (for example, a sound of a horn) is emitted by another vehicle, the occupant pays attention to whether the alarm sound is caused by the own vehicle, and thus the concentration on driving is disturbed or becomes uneasy.

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present application is to provide a driving assistance device capable of avoiding uneasiness of an occupant who is driving.

[0010] [Technical Means for Solving the Problems]

[0011] The driving assistance device of one aspect of the present disclosure (for example, the driving assistance device 11 described below) includes: an alarm sound acquisition section (for example, the outside vehicle sound collecting device 44 described below) that acquires alarm sound information related to an alarm sound emitted by another vehicle outside a vehicle; a living body information acquisition section (for example, the living body information acquisition section 60 described below) that acquires living body information of an occupant of the vehicle; a behavior information acquisition section (for example, the behavior information acquisition section 201 described below) that acquires behavior information indicating a behavior of the vehicle; a surrounding information acquisition section (for example, the surrounding information acquisition section 40 described below) that acquires surrounding information of the vehicle; an alarm sound determination section (for example, the alarm sound determination section 202 described below) that determines whether the alarm sound is directed at the vehicle based on the alarm sound information acquired by the alarm sound acquisition section; an occupant state determination section (for example, the occupant state determination section 203 described below) that, when the alarm sound determination section determines that the alarm sound is directed at the vehicle, determines whether the occupant is affected by the alarm sound based on the living body information acquired by the living body information acquisition section; a cause determination section (for example, the cause determination section 204 described below) that, when the occupant state determination section determines that the occupant is affected by the alarm sound, determines a cause of the alarm sound based on the behavior information acquired by the behavior information acquisition section and the surrounding information acquired by the surrounding information acquisition section; and an occupant notification section (for example, the voice output device 91 and the display device 92 described below) that notifies the occupant of the cause of the alarm sound determined by the cause determination section.

[0012] Further, the cause determination section generates first notification information indicating that the cause of the alarm sound is not related to the vehicle when the cause of the alarm sound is not related to the vehicle, and generates second notification information indicating that the cause of the alarm sound is related to the vehicle when the cause of the alarm sound is related to the vehicle, and the occupant notification section notifies the occupant of the cause of the alarm sound as the first notification information or the second notification information.

[0013] Further, the occupant state determination section determines whether the occupant is affected by the alarm sound based on the living body information, thereby determining whether the occupant is affected by the alarm sound.

[0014] Further, the cause of the alarm sound includes unstable driving of the vehicle, sudden braking, sudden turning, and sudden starting of the vehicle, and driving behavior of the other vehicle.

[0015] Further, the living body information includes a captured image captured by the occupant of the vehicle or a heart rate of the occupant.

[0016] (EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION)

[0017] According to the present application, it is possible to provide a driving assist device that can avoid the uneasiness of an occupant who is driving. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a vehicle of the present embodiment.

[0019] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of a driving assist device of the vehicle of the present embodiment.

[0020] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the driving assist device of the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, an embodiment of a driving assist device of the present application will be described.

[0022] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a vehicle 1 of the present embodiment. Figure 1 The outline of the vehicle 1 is shown in combination with a plan view and a side view. The vehicle 1 is, for example, a sedan-type four-wheel passenger car.

[0023] The vehicle 1 includes a control device 2. The control device 2 includes a plurality of electronic control units (ECUs) (steering ECUs 21 to stop control ECUs 29) that can be communicatively connected via an in-vehicle network. Each ECU functions as a computer that includes a processor typified by a CPU, a storage device such as a semiconductor memory, and an interface with respect to an external device. In the storage device, a program executed by the processor and data used by the processor for processing, and the like are stored. Each ECU can also include a plurality of processors, storage devices, and interfaces, and the like.

[0024] Hereinafter, the functions and the like of each of the steering ECUs 21 to the stop control ECUs 29 will be described. In addition, the number of ECUs and the functions to be responsible can be appropriately designed, and the ECUs shown in the present embodiment can be refined or integrated.

[0025] The steering ECU 21 controls an electric power steering device 3. The electric power steering device 3 includes a mechanism that steers the front wheels in accordance with a driving operation (steering operation) of a driver on a steering wheel 31. In addition, the electric power steering device 3 includes a motor for assisting the steering operation or applying a driving force required to automatically steer the front wheels, and a sensor that detects a steering angle, and the like. When the driving state of the vehicle 1 is automatic driving, the steering ECU 21 automatically controls the electric power steering device 3 in response to an instruction from the automatic driving ECU 20, and controls the traveling direction of the vehicle 1.

[0026] The travel assist ECUs 22 and 23 control the cameras 41, the LIDARs 42, the millimeter wave radars 43, and the outside sound collecting devices 44 that detect the situation around the vehicle, and process information of the detection results. The cameras 41 take pictures of the front, the side, and the rear of the vehicle 1. In the case of the present embodiment, two cameras 41 are provided at the front of the vehicle 1, and one camera 41 is provided at each of the side and the rear. The travel assist ECUs 22 and 23 can extract the outline of an object and the lane marks (white lines, etc.) on the road by analyzing the images taken by the cameras 41.

[0027] The LIDARs 42 are light detection and ranging (LIDAR) devices that detect an object around the vehicle 1 and measure the distance to the object. In the case of the present embodiment, five LIDARs 42 are provided, one at each of the corners of the front of the vehicle 1, one at the center of the rear, and one at each of the sides of the rear.

[0028] The millimeter wave radars 43 detect an object around the vehicle 1 and measure the distance to the object. In the case of the present embodiment, five millimeter wave radars 43 are provided, one at the center of the front of the vehicle 1, one at each of the corners of the front, and one at each of the corners of the rear.

[0029] The outside sound collecting devices 44 are provided at the front and the rear of the vehicle 1. The outside sound collecting devices 44 are constituted, for example, by a microphone group including a plurality of microphones having directivity.

[0030] The outside sound collecting devices 44 detect a warning sound (e.g., the sound of a horn of another vehicle) emitted from another vehicle, and can determine which microphone detected the warning sound and thus detect from which direction the warning sound was emitted. The outside sound collecting devices 44 output information about the detected warning sound and the position and direction of the source of the warning sound to the travel assist ECUs 22 and 23.

[0031] The travel assist ECU 22 controls one camera 41 at the front of the vehicle 1 and each LIDAR 42 and processes information of the detection results. The travel assist ECU 23 controls the other camera 41 at the front of the vehicle 1 and each millimeter wave radar 43 and processes information of the detection results. By including two sets of ECUs for detecting the situation around the vehicle 1, the reliability of the detection results can be improved, and by including different kinds of detection units such as the cameras 41, the LIDARs 42, and the millimeter wave radars 43, the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 can be analyzed in various ways.

[0032] The position recognition ECU 24 controls and performs information processing on the detection results of the gyro sensor 5, the GPS sensor 24b, and the communication device 24c, or the communication results. The gyro sensor 5 detects the rotational movement of the vehicle 1. The position recognition ECU 24 can determine the advancing route of the vehicle 1 based on the detection results of the gyro sensor 5 and the wheel speed, etc.

[0033] The GPS sensor 24b detects the current position of the vehicle 1. The communication device 24c performs wireless communication with a server that provides map information, traffic information, etc., to acquire such information. The position recognition ECU 24 can access a database 24a in which map information is constructed in the storage device, and the position recognition ECU 24 can search for a route from the current position to a destination, etc.

[0034] The communication control ECU 25 includes a communication device 25a for communication between vehicles. The communication device 25a performs wireless communication with another vehicle in the vicinity, and information is exchanged between the vehicles.

[0035] The drive control ECU 26 controls the power device 6. The power device 6 is a mechanism that outputs driving force to rotate the driving wheels of the vehicle 1, and includes, for example, an engine and a transmission. The drive control ECU 26 controls the output of the engine, for example, in response to the driving operation (accelerator operation or acceleration operation) of the driver detected by an operation detection sensor 7D provided on an accelerator pedal 7A. Also, the drive control ECU 26 switches the shift stage of the transmission based on information such as the vehicle speed detected by a vehicle speed sensor 7C. When the driving state of the vehicle 1 is automatic driving, the drive control ECU 26 automatically controls the power device 6 in response to the instruction from the automatic driving ECU 20, and controls the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle 1.

[0036] The vehicle exterior notification control ECU 27 controls the direction indicator (turn signal) 8a, the headlamp 8b, and the tail lamp 8c. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the direction indicator 8a is provided at the front, the door mirror, and the rear of the vehicle 1. The headlamp 8b is provided at the front of the vehicle 1, and the tail lamp 8c is provided at the rear of the vehicle 1. Figure 1

[0037] The vehicle interior notification control ECU 28 controls the input / output device 9. The input / output device 9 outputs information to the driver and accepts information input from the driver. The input / output device 9 has a voice output device 91, a display device 92, and an input device 93.

[0038] The voice output device 91 notifies the driver of information by voice. The voice output device 91 includes a speaker that outputs voice in the vehicle 1.

[0039] ​The display device 92 notifies the driver of information by displaying an image. The display device 92 is disposed, for example, on the front surface of the driver's seat, and constitutes an instrument panel or the like. Further, here, although voice and display are cited, vibration and light can also be used to notify information. In addition, the input / output device 9 can also notify using a combination of a plurality of voice, display, vibration, or light. Further, the input / output device 9 can have different combinations, or different notification methods, depending on the level (for example, the degree of urgency) of the information to be notified.

[0040] The input device 93 is disposed at a position operable by the driver, and is a switch group that instructs the vehicle 1, but can also include a voice input device.

[0041] The stop control ECU 29 controls the brake device 10 and a parking brake (not shown), and the like. The brake device 10 is, for example, a disc brake device that is provided on each wheel of the vehicle 1, and decelerates or stops the vehicle 1 by applying resistance to the rotation of the wheel.

[0042] The stop control ECU 29 controls the operation of the brake device 10, for example, in response to the driver's driving operation (brake operation) detected by the operation detection sensor 7E provided on the brake pedal 7B. The brake device 10 and the parking brake can also be operated to maintain the stopped state of the vehicle 1. In addition, when the transmission of the power device 6 includes a parking lock mechanism, the parking lock mechanism can also be operated to maintain the stopped state of the vehicle 1.

[0043] The vehicle 1 also has a driver monitoring camera 50 that photographs the driver of the vehicle 1 and recognizes the driver of the vehicle 1. Here, the driver monitoring camera 50 is constituted by a camera, a lens, and the like, and the kind thereof is not particularly limited.

[0044] The processing of the drive assist device 11 of the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment will be described below.

[0045] Figure 2 is a view that illustrates the functional configuration of the drive assist device 11 of the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in Figure 2 , the drive assist device 11 includes the control device 2, the surrounding information acquisition section 40, the outside sound collecting device 44, the living body information acquisition section 60, the voice output device 91, and the display device 92.

[0046] The control device 2 includes the action information acquisition section 201, the alarm sound determination section 202, the occupant state determination section 203, and the cause determination section 204. The surrounding information acquisition section 40 includes the camera 41, the LIDAR 42, and the millimeter wave radar 43 described above. The living body information acquisition section 60 includes the driver monitoring camera 50 and the heart rate sensor 55.

[0047] The biological information acquisition unit 60 acquires biological information of the occupant. For example, the biological information acquisition unit 60 acquires an image of the occupant by the driver monitoring camera 50 as the biological information. Alternatively, the biological information acquisition unit 60 acquires a heart rate of the occupant by the heart rate sensor 55 as the biological information. The heart rate sensor 55 is provided in a seat of the seat of the occupant, for example, and acquires the heart rate of the occupant as the biological information.

[0048] That is, the biological information includes an image of the occupant who takes a picture of the vehicle 1 or a heart rate of the occupant. In addition, the biological information acquisition unit 60 can acquire the biological information by both of the driver monitoring camera 50 and the heart rate sensor 55, or can acquire the biological information by either of the driver monitoring camera 50 and the heart rate sensor 55.

[0049] The surrounding information acquisition unit 40 acquires surrounding information of the vehicle 1. For example, the surrounding information acquisition unit 40 acquires surrounding information of the front, the side, and the rear of the vehicle 1. The surrounding information is an image of the front, the side, and the rear of the vehicle 1, for example, acquired by the camera 41. In addition, the surrounding information can be data of the front, the side, and the rear of the vehicle 1, for example, acquired by the LIDAR 42 or the millimeter wave radar 43.

[0050] The behavior information acquisition unit 201 acquires behavior information indicating a behavior of the vehicle 1 from the steering ECU 21.

[0051] The alarm sound determination unit 202 determines whether an alarm sound is directed to the vehicle 1 based on alarm sound information acquired by the outside sound collecting device 44. For example, the alarm sound determination unit 202 determines that the alarm sound is directed to the vehicle 1 when the alarm sound information includes information indicating that the alarm sound is emitted from another vehicle that is relatively close to the vehicle 1.

[0052] When the alarm sound determination unit 202 determines that the alarm sound is directed to the vehicle 1, the occupant state determination unit 203 determines whether the occupant is affected by the alarm sound based on the biological information acquired by the biological information acquisition unit 60.

[0053] Specifically, the occupant state determination unit 203 determines whether the occupant is affected by the alarm sound by determining whether the occupant is in a physically or mentally unstable condition (whether the occupant becomes uneasy) based on the biological information.

[0054] For example, when the living body information is a captured image including a body movement of the occupant, and the body movement of the occupant is more than usual, the occupant state determination portion 203 determines that the occupant is in a physically or mentally unstable condition. Also, when the living body information is a captured image including a facial expression of the occupant, and the facial expression coincides with a specific pattern, the occupant state determination portion 203 determines that the occupant is in a physically or mentally unstable condition. Also, when the living body information is a heart rate, and the heart rate is more than usual, the occupant state determination portion 203 determines that the occupant is in a physically or mentally unstable condition.

[0055] When the occupant state determination portion 203 determines that the occupant is affected by the alarm sound, the cause determination portion 204 determines the cause of generation of the alarm sound based on the action information acquired by the action information acquisition portion 201 and the surrounding information acquired by the surrounding information acquisition portion 40 within a certain period (for example, within the past 5 seconds).

[0056] Here, the cause of generation of the alarm sound includes unstable driving of the vehicle 1, sudden braking, sudden turning, and sudden starting of the vehicle 1, and driving behavior of other vehicles.

[0057] For example, when the acquired action information includes a snaking drive of the vehicle 1, and the acquired surrounding information includes other vehicles approaching the vehicle 1, the cause determination portion 204 determines that the cause of generation of the alarm sound is unstable driving of the vehicle 1. Also, for example, when the acquired action information includes sudden braking of the vehicle 1, and the acquired surrounding information includes other vehicles traveling behind the vehicle 1, the cause determination portion 204 determines that the cause of generation of the alarm sound is sudden braking of the vehicle 1.

[0058] The voice output device 91 and the display device 92 notify the occupant of the cause of generation of the alarm sound determined by the cause determination portion 204. Specifically, the voice output device 91 notifies the occupant of the cause of generation of the alarm sound determined by the cause determination portion 204 by sound. Also, the display device 92 notifies the occupant of the cause of generation of the alarm sound determined by the cause determination portion 204 by image.

[0059] Further, the cause determination portion 204 generates first notification information indicating that the cause of generation of the alarm sound is not related to the vehicle 1 when the cause of generation of the alarm sound is not related to the vehicle. For example, the cause determination portion 204 generates a message including a sound and an image such as "The horn was not sounded for this vehicle, so please do not worry" as the first notification information.

[0060] On the other hand, when the cause of the generation of the alarm sound is related to the vehicle 1, the cause determination section 204 generates second notification information indicating that the cause of the generation of the alarm sound is related to the vehicle 1. For example, the cause determination section 204 generates a message including a sound and an image such as "a siren is being sounded for this vehicle, please be careful of driving" as the second notification information. In addition, the cause determination section 204 can also generate a message such as "a siren is being sounded for this vehicle, this vehicle is swaying, please be careful of driving" that informs the occupant of the cause of the generation of the alarm sound as the second notification information.

[0061] Then, the voice output device 91 and the display device 92 notify the occupant of the cause of the generation of the alarm sound as the first notification information or the second notification information.

[0062] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating the process of the driving assist device 11 of the present embodiment.

[0063] In step S1, the outside sound collecting device 44 acquires alarm sound information related to an alarm sound emitted by another vehicle outside the vehicle 1.

[0064] In step S2, the living body information acquisition section 60 acquires living body information of the occupant by the driver monitoring camera 50 and / or the heart rate sensor 55.

[0065] In step S3, the action information acquisition section 201 acquires action information indicating the action of the vehicle 1 from the steering ECU 21.

[0066] In step S4, the surrounding information acquisition section 40 acquires surrounding information of the vehicle 1.

[0067] In step S5, the alarm sound determination section 202 determines whether the alarm sound is directed at the vehicle 1 based on the alarm sound information acquired by the outside sound collecting device 44. If the alarm sound is directed at the vehicle 1 (Yes), the process moves to step S6. On the other hand, if the alarm sound is not directed at the vehicle 1 (No), the process returns to step S1.

[0068] In step S6, the occupant state determination section 203 determines whether the occupant is affected by the alarm sound based on the living body information acquired by the living body information acquisition section 60. If the occupant is affected by the alarm sound (Yes), the process moves to step S7. On the other hand, if the occupant is not affected by the alarm sound (No), the process returns to step S1.

[0069] In step S7, the cause determination portion 204 determines the cause of the generation of the alarm sound based on the action information acquired by the action information acquisition portion 201 and the surrounding information acquired by the surrounding information acquisition portion 40. If the cause of the generation of the alarm sound is not related to the vehicle 1 (No), the processing moves to step S8. On the other hand, if the cause of the generation of the alarm sound is related to the vehicle 1 (Yes), the processing moves to step S9.

[0070] In step S8, the cause determination portion 204 generates first notification information indicating that the cause of the generation of the alarm sound is not related to the vehicle 1. Then, the voice output device 91 and the display device 92 notify the occupant of the cause of the generation of the alarm sound as the first notification information.

[0071] In step S9, the cause determination portion 204 generates second notification information indicating that the cause of the generation of the alarm sound is related to the vehicle 1. The voice output device 91 and the display device 92 notify the occupant of the cause of the generation of the alarm sound as the second notification information.

[0072] According to the present embodiment, for example, the following effects are exerted.

[0073] The driving assistance device 11 includes: an outside sound collecting device 44 that acquires alarm sound information related to an alarm sound emitted by another vehicle outside the vehicle 1; a living body information acquisition portion 60 that acquires living body information of an occupant of the vehicle 1; an action information acquisition portion 201 that acquires action information indicating an action of the vehicle 1; a surrounding information acquisition portion 40 that acquires surrounding information of the vehicle 1; an alarm sound determination portion 202 that determines whether an alarm sound is directed at the vehicle 1 based on the alarm sound information acquired by the outside sound collecting device 44; an occupant state determination portion 203 that, when the alarm sound determination portion 202 determines that an alarm sound is directed at the vehicle 1, determines whether the occupant is affected by the alarm sound based on the living body information acquired by the living body information acquisition portion 60; a cause determination portion 204 that, when the occupant state determination portion 203 determines that the occupant is affected by the alarm sound, determines the cause of the generation of the alarm sound based on the action information acquired by the action information acquisition portion 201 and the surrounding information acquired by the surrounding information acquisition portion 40; and a voice output device 91 and a display device 92 that notify the occupant of the cause of the generation of the alarm sound determined by the cause determination portion 204.

[0074] Thus, the driving assistance device 11 can notify the occupant who is driving of the cause of the generation of the alarm sound emitted by another vehicle, and therefore, the driving assistance device 11 can avoid the uneasiness of the occupant who is driving.

[0075] Further, the cause determination unit 204 generates first notification information indicating that the cause of the generation of the alarm sound is not related to the vehicle 1 when the cause of the generation of the alarm sound is not related to the vehicle 1, and generates second notification information indicating that the cause of the generation of the alarm sound is related to the vehicle 1 when the cause of the generation of the alarm sound is related to the vehicle 1. The voice output device 91 and the display device 92 notify the occupant of the cause of the generation of the alarm sound as the first notification information or the second notification information.

[0076] Thus, the driving assistance device 11 can notify the occupant of whether the cause of the generation of the alarm sound by the other vehicle is related to the own vehicle, and therefore, the driving assistance device 11 can avoid the uneasiness of the occupant who is driving.

[0077] Further, the occupant state determination unit 203 determines whether the occupant is affected by the alarm sound by determining whether the occupant is in a physically or mentally unstable condition on the basis of the living body information. Thus, the driving assistance device 11 can appropriately determine whether the occupant is affected by the alarm sound, that is, whether the occupant becomes uneasy.

[0078] Further, the cause of the generation of the alarm sound includes unstable driving of the vehicle 1, sudden braking, sudden turning, and sudden starting of the vehicle 1, and driving behavior of the other vehicle. Thus, the driving assistance device 11 can appropriately determine the cause of the generation of the alarm sound.

[0079] Further, the living body information includes a captured image obtained by capturing the occupant of the vehicle 1 or a heart rate of the occupant. Thus, the driving assistance device 11 can determine whether the occupant who is driving is uneasy on the basis of the living body information.

[0080] The above describes an embodiment of the present application, but the present application is not limited to this. The detailed configuration can be appropriately changed within the scope of the gist of the present application.

[0081] REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0082] 1: vehicle

[0083] 2: control device

[0084] 11: driving assistance device

[0085] 40: surrounding information acquisition unit

[0086] 44: outside sound collecting device

[0087] 50: driver monitoring camera

[0088] 55: heart rate sensor

[0089] 60: living body information acquisition unit

[0090] 201: action information acquisition unit

[0091] 202: alarm sound determination section

[0092] 203: occupant state determination section

[0093] 204: cause determination section

[0094] 91: voice output device

[0095] 92: display device

Claims

1. A driving assistance device comprising: an alarm sound acquisition section that acquires alarm sound information about an alarm sound emitted by another vehicle outside a vehicle; a living body information acquisition section that acquires living body information of an occupant of the vehicle; an action information acquisition section that acquires action information indicating an action of the vehicle; a surrounding information acquisition section that acquires surrounding information of the vehicle; an alarm sound determination section that determines whether the alarm sound is directed at the vehicle based on the alarm sound information acquired by the alarm sound acquisition section; an occupant state determination section that, when the alarm sound determination section determines that the alarm sound is directed at the vehicle, determines whether the occupant is affected by the alarm sound based on the living body information acquired by the living body information acquisition section; a cause determination section that, when the occupant state determination section determines that the occupant is affected by the alarm sound, determines a cause of the alarm sound based on the action information acquired by the action information acquisition section and the surrounding information acquired by the surrounding information acquisition section; and an occupant notification section that notifies the occupant of the cause of the alarm sound determined by the cause determination section.

2. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the cause determination section generates first notification information indicating that the cause of the alarm sound is unrelated to the vehicle when the cause of the alarm sound is unrelated to the vehicle, and generates second notification information indicating that the cause of the alarm sound is related to the vehicle when the cause of the alarm sound is related to the vehicle, the occupant notification section notifies the occupant of the cause of the alarm sound of the first notification information or the second notification information.

3. The driving assist apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the occupant state determination section determines whether the occupant is affected by the alarm sound based on the living body information determining whether the occupant is in a physically or mentally unstable condition.

4. The driving assist apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cause of the alarm sound includes unstable driving of the vehicle, sudden braking, sudden turning, and sudden starting of the vehicle, and driving behavior of the other vehicle.

5. The driving assist apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the living body information includes a captured image obtained by capturing the occupant of the vehicle or a heart rate of the occupant.

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