Driving assistance device and driving assistance procedure

Abstract

Driving assistance device (12), comprising: an information capture unit (13) which captures information, comprising: initial information indicating the surroundings of a road along which a vehicle is traveling, a second piece of information regarding a journey of the vehicle, which includes position information of the road along which the vehicle is currently traveling, and a third piece of information, which includes information about the entire route, and a fourth piece of information, which includes the remaining fuel quantity; an information gathering unit (14) which: the information captured by the information capture unit (13), and Based on the second, third and fourth pieces of information, a fifth piece of information about fuel consumption, linked to the road, is stored; a recommended driving procedure calculation unit (15) which: the fifth piece of information is extracted from a multitude of vehicles exhibiting conditions near the vehicle on the road along which the vehicle is traveling, selects a driving procedure with the best fuel efficiency from the fifth piece of information, and a recommended driving procedure with the best fuel efficiency is calculated, which is a driving procedure that is recommended at a time of driving along the road; and a notification unit (13) which provides a notification to the vehicle which is suitable for performing an automatic journey about the recommended driving procedure calculated by the recommended driving procedure calculation unit (13).

Description

Technical area

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving assistance device and a driving assistance method for recommending a driving method at a time of automatic driving on a vehicle, which is suitable for executing automatic driving. State of the art

[0002] Conventionally, a technique for calculating a fuel-saving evaluation parameter based on driving history data of a vehicle is described to suggest fuel-efficient driving advice to a user (see, for example, JP 2011-253239 A). Likewise, a technique for suggesting an improvement idea in consideration of fuel consumption to a driver of a vehicle and a vehicle administrator based on operating data obtained from the vehicle is described (see, for example, JP 2003-16572 A).

[0003] Devices and systems for driving assistance are known, among others, from CN 1 01 131 588 A, DE 11 2011 105 832 T5, WO 2015 / 064 041 A1 and JP 2015-79 369 A. SummaryTask of the invention

[0004] The fuel efficiency of a vehicle and the endurance time of components installed in the vehicle differ significantly depending on the driving technique of the vehicle and the road conditions (i.e., the driving environment and the state of the vehicle). It is considered that there is a driving method for improving fuel efficiency or a driving method for improving the endurance of components for each type of road (for example, an express highway, a general road, a road with multiple downhill / uphill gradients, and a road with multiple curves).

[0005] However, JP 2011-253239 A and JP 2003-16572 A do not provide advice (suggestion) considering the environment during vehicle driving and the vehicle's condition. JP 2011-253239 A and JP 2003-16572 A also do not consider the load capacity of the components provided in the vehicle. Furthermore, JP 2011-253239 A and JP 2003-16572 A do not consider driving assistance for the vehicle performing automatic driving. As described above, suitable driving assistance has not necessarily been implemented conventionally.

[0006] The present invention is intended to solve the problems described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a driving assistance device and a driving assistance method capable of performing appropriate driving assistance. Means of solving the problem

[0007] This object is achieved according to the invention by the subject matter of the independent claims. The dependent claims identify further preferred embodiments, and this description discloses how the invention can be carried out. Effects of the invention

[0008] According to the present invention, the driving assistance device comprises: an information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information, which is information indicating an environment of a road in a case where each of a plurality of vehicles is traveling, travel information, which is information related to a travel of each of the vehicles, and vehicle information, which is information related to each of the vehicles; an information collection unit that collects the information acquired by the information acquisition unit; a recommended driving method calculation unit that calculates a recommended driving method, which is a driving method recommended at a time of traveling along the road, based on the information collected in the information collection unit;and a notification unit that provides notification of the recommended driving method calculated by the recommended driving method calculation unit to the vehicle capable of performing automatic driving among the plurality of vehicles, thereby enabling appropriate driving assistance;

[0009] A driving assistance method includes (a) acquiring environmental information, which is information indicating an environment of a road in a case where each of a plurality of vehicles is traveling, traveling information, which is information regarding the traveling of each vehicle, and vehicle information, which is information regarding each vehicle, (b) collecting the acquired information, (c) calculating a recommended driving method, which is a driving method recommended at a time of traveling along the road, based on the collected information, and (d) providing notification of the calculated recommended driving method to the vehicle of the plurality of vehicles capable of performing automatic traveling, thereby enabling appropriate driving assistance.

[0010] These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Short description of the characters [ Fig. 1] is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of an information terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. [ Fig. 2] is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the information terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention. [ Fig. 3] is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a driving support device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [ Fig. 4] is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of an automatic driving device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [ Fig. 5] is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of the information terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention. [ Fig. 6] is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the information terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention. [ Fig. 7] is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the driving support device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [ Fig. 8] is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the driving support device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [ Fig. 9] is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the automatic driving device according to the embodiment of the present invention. Description of the embodiments

[0011] The embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the figures. <Ausführungsform> <konfiguration>

[0012] First, a configuration of a device that performs driving support of a vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, a driving support device 12 (see Fig. 3) a recommendation driving procedure based on information acquired by an information terminal 1 (see Fig. 1). Then an automatic driving device 17 (see Fig. 4) Automatic driving of the vehicle based on the recommended driving method calculated by the driving assistance device 12. The information terminal 1 and the driving assistance device 12 are mounted on the vehicle. The vehicle can perform automatic driving under the control of the automatic driving device 17. The present embodiment describes a case of assisting (controlling) the automatic driving of the vehicle using the automatic driving device 17.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of the information terminal 1.

[0014] As in Fig. 1, the information terminal 1 comprises a position information acquisition unit 2, an environmental information acquisition unit 3, a vehicle information acquisition unit 4, a map information acquisition unit 5, a navigation unit 6, an input unit 7, a communication unit 8 and a control unit 9.

[0015] The position information acquisition unit 2 acquires information about a current position of the vehicle. Specifically, the position information acquisition unit 2 acquires information about a current position using, for example, a global positioning system (GPS).

[0016] The environmental information acquisition unit 3 acquires environmental information, which is information indicating an environment of a road along which the vehicle travels. The environmental information includes, for example, weather information, which is information indicating weather when the vehicle travels along the road (clear weather, rainy weather, humidity, temperature, and accumulated snow, for example), information about a season, road surface information, which is information indicating a state of a road surface of the road (for example, a convex-concave state of the road surface and a deterioration state of the road surface), information about a time period when the vehicle passed the road, and information about a date when the vehicle passed the road, for example.

[0017] The weather information may be acquired from the outside via the Internet, but is not limited thereto. For example, a state of the weather around the vehicle may be determined using a camera provided in the vehicle, and information about temperature and humidity may be acquired by a sensor provided in the vehicle. Information about the season may be determined based on information from a calendar, for example. The information of the calendar may be acquired from the outside or may be stored in a storage unit not shown in the information terminal 1. The convex-concave state and a deterioration state of the road surface are detected by a sensor provided in the vehicle, for example.

[0018] The vehicle information acquisition unit 4 acquires vehicle information, which is information related to the vehicle. The vehicle information includes a vehicle type, a vehicle repair status, a vehicle rotation radius, a remaining fuel (a remaining amount of gasoline if a vehicle is a gasoline vehicle), a remaining battery charge (a remaining amount of power if a vehicle is an electric vehicle), information related to component replacement of a vehicle, a total travel distance of a vehicle, a total illumination time of a headlight, a total number of door openings and closings, a total operating time and number of wiper operations, brake operation information, accelerator operation information, attack operation information, speed information,a total number of engine rotations (if a vehicle is a gasoline vehicle) and a total number of electric motor rotations (if a vehicle is an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle), for example.

[0019] The components include the headlight, door, windshield wiper, brake, accelerator, and control, as described above. The vehicle's repair status is historical information indicating when and which component was repaired. The vehicle's component replacement information is information indicating that a user has replaced the component as specified, even if the component is not broken. The brake or accelerator operation information includes the total number of times the brake or accelerator is operated. Applicable to the vehicle type are a type such as a truck, a mini-car, and the like, a type corresponding to a vehicle name, or a type such as a gasoline vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, or the like.A storage unit not shown in the information terminal 1 stores information of the vehicle type, the repair status of the vehicle, the rotation radius of the vehicle, the information regarding the component replacement of the vehicle, the total travel distance of the vehicle, the total illumination time of the headlight, the total number of times the brake is operated, and the total number of times the accelerator is operated.

[0020] The map information acquisition unit 5 is formed of a storage unit such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a semiconductor memory, for example, to acquire and store the map information. The map information acquisition unit 5 can acquire the map information externally. For example, the map information acquisition unit 5 can download and acquire the map information from an external server via a communication network, for example, or can also read and acquire the map information from a storage medium such as a memory.

[0021] Based on the map information stored in the map information acquisition unit 5, a current position acquired by the position information acquisition unit 2 and a destination set by the user via the input unit 7, the navigation unit 6 calculates a route from the current position to the destination and executes route guidance.

[0022] The input unit 7 is formed, for example, from a touch screen, a software key or a hardware key to receive the operation performed by the user.

[0023] The communication unit 8 communicates with the driving assistance device 12 and the automatic driving device 17. Specifically, the communication unit 8 communicates with the driving assistance device 12 via a communication network such as the Internet. The communication unit 8 communicates with the automatic driving device 17 via, for example, an on-board vehicle LAN. The control unit 9 controls the entire information terminal 1.

[0024] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the information terminal 1.

[0025] Each function of the position information acquisition unit 2, the surrounding information acquisition unit 3, the vehicle information acquisition unit 4, the navigation unit 6, the input unit 7, the communication unit 8, and the control unit 9 in the information terminal 1 is achieved by a processing circuit. That is, the information terminal 1 includes the processing circuit for acquiring the position information, the surrounding information, and the vehicle information, searching for the route, receiving the input, communicating with the driving assistance device 12 and the automatic driving device 17, and controlling the entire information terminal 1.The processing circuit is a processor 10 (also referred to as a central processing unit, a processing device, an arithmetic device, a microprocessor, a microcomputer or a digital signal processor (DSP)) for executing a program stored in a memory 11.

[0026] Each function of the position information acquisition unit 2, the surrounding information acquisition unit 3, the vehicle information acquisition unit 4, the navigation unit 6, the input unit 7, the communication unit 8, and the control unit 9 in the information terminal 1 is achieved by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or firmware is described as a program and is stored in the memory 11. The processing circuit reads and executes the program stored in the memory 11, thereby achieving the functions of each section.That is, the information terminal 1 includes the memory 11 for storing the program for resultantly executing a step of acquiring the position information, a step of acquiring the surrounding information, a step of acquiring the vehicle information, a step of searching for the route, a step of receiving the input, a step of communicating with the driving support device 12 and the automatic driving device 17, and a step of controlling the entire information terminal 1. This program is also adopted for causing a computer to execute a procedure or method of the position information acquiring unit 2, the surrounding information acquiring unit 3, the vehicle information acquiring unit 4, the navigation unit 6, the input unit 7, the communication unit 8, and the control unit 9.For example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a magnetic floppy disk, a flexible floppy disk, an optical floppy disk, a compact floppy disk, a mini floppy disk or a digital versatile disk (DVD) falls under the memory category.

[0027] Fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of the driving support device 12.

[0028] As in Fig. 3, the driving assistance device 12 comprises a communication unit 13, a database 14, a recommended driving method calculation unit 15 and a machine learning unit 16.

[0029] The communication unit 13 (information acquisition unit) communicates with the information terminal 1. The database 14 (information collection unit) is formed of a storage device such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory, for example, to collect the information received from the information terminal 1 via the communication unit 13.

[0030] The recommended driving method calculation unit 15 calculates a recommended driving method, which is a driving method recommended when the vehicle travels along the road, based on the information collected in the database 14. For example, the recommended driving method includes a driving method for improving fuel efficiency or a driving method for improving the endurance time of the components provided in the vehicle.

[0031] The machine learning unit 16 (the learning unit) selects, by performing machine learning, the information used when the recommended driving method calculating unit 15 calculates the recommended driving method.

[0032] The processing circuit achieves each function of the communication unit 13, the recommended driving method calculation unit 15, and the machine learning unit 16 in the driving assistance device 12. That is, the driving assistance device 12 includes the processing circuit for communicating with the information terminal 1, calculating the recommended driving method, and selecting the information used to calculate the recommended driving method. The processing circuit is the processor 10 (also referred to as the central processing unit, the processing device, the arithmetic device, the microprocessor, the microcomputer, or the DSP) for executing the program stored in the memory 11 (see Fig. 2).

[0033] Each function of the communication unit 13, the recommended driving method calculation unit 15, and the machine learning unit 16 in the driving assistance device 12 is achieved by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or firmware is described as a program and is stored in the memory 11 (see Fig. 2). The processing circuit reads and executes the program stored in the memory 11, thereby achieving the functions of each section. That is, the driving assistance device 12 includes the memory 11 for storing the program for resultingly executing a step of communicating with the information terminal 1, a step of calculating the recommended driving method, and a step of selecting the information used to calculate the recommended driving method. This program is also assumed to cause a computer to execute a procedure or process of the communication unit 13, the recommended driving method calculation unit 15, and the machine learning unit 16.For example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as a RAM, a ROM, a flash memory, an EPROM or an EEPROM, a magnetic floppy disk, a flexible floppy disk, an optical floppy disk, a compact floppy disk, a mini floppy disk or a DVD falls under the memory category.

[0034] Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of the automatic driving device 17.

[0035] As in Fig. 4, the automatic driving device 17 comprises a communication unit 18 and an automatic driving control unit 19.

[0036] The communication unit 18 communicates with the information terminal 1. The automatic driving control unit 19 controls the automatic driving of the vehicle based on the recommended driving method received from the information terminal 1 via the communication unit 18.

[0037] The processing circuit achieves each function of the communication unit 18 and the automatic driving control unit 19 in the automatic driving device 17. That is, the automatic driving device 17 includes the processing circuit for communicating with the information terminal 1 and controlling the automatic driving. The processing circuit is the processor 10 (also referred to as the central processing unit, the processing device, the arithmetic device, the microprocessor, the microcomputer, or the DSP) for executing the program stored in the memory 11 (see Fig. 2).

[0038] Each function of the communication unit 18 and the automatic driving control units 10 in the automatic driving device 17 is achieved by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software and firmware are described as a program and stored in the memory 11 (see Fig. 2). The processing circuit reads and executes the program stored in the memory 11, thereby achieving the functions of each section. That is, the automatic driving device 17 includes the memory 11 for storing the program for resulting in the execution of a step for communicating with the information terminal 1 and a step for controlling the automatic driving. This program is also intended to cause a computer to execute a procedure or method of the communication unit 18 and the automatic driving control unit 19. Here, for example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as a RAM, a ROM, a flash memory, an EPROM or an EEPROM, a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a mini disk, or a DVD falls under the memory. <betrieb>

[0039] Next, the operation of the information terminal 1, the driving support device 12 and the automatic driving device 17 will be described, respectively.

[0040] Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the information terminal 1 and an operation for transmitting the information to the driving support device 12.

[0041] In step S11, the control unit 9 acquires travel information, which is information related to the travel of the vehicle. Specifically, the control unit 9 acquires the position information of the road along which the vehicle is currently traveling as the travel information based on the current position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 2 and the map information acquired by the map information acquisition unit 5. Accordingly, the control unit 9 can determine which road and at which point the vehicle is traveling.

[0042] The control unit 9 acquires the information of a condition of a search for the route, which is set by the user via the input unit 7 to be used in the navigation unit 6, from the navigation unit 6 as the information regarding the travel.

[0043] In step S12, the environmental information acquisition unit 3 acquires the environmental information. Subsequently, the environmental information acquisition unit 3 outputs the acquired environmental information to the control unit 9.

[0044] In step S13, the vehicle information acquisition unit 4 acquires the vehicle information. Subsequently, the vehicle information acquisition unit 4 outputs the acquired vehicle information to the control unit 9.

[0045] In step S14, the control unit 9 transmits the travel information, the surrounding information, and the vehicle information to the driving assistance device 12 via the communication unit 8. At this time, the control unit 9 can only transmit the information selected by the user via the input unit 7 to the driving assistance device 12. The information transmitted to the driving assistance device 12 includes at least the position information. The information terminal 1 transmits the information to the driving assistance device 12 at a fixed time interval.

[0046] Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the information terminal 1, and an operation for receiving the information regarding the recommended driving method from the driving support device 12.

[0047] In step S21, the control unit 9 determines whether or not the information regarding the recommended driving method has been received from the driving assistance device 12 via the communication unit 8. If the information regarding the recommended driving method has been received from the driving assistance device 12, the processing proceeds to step S22. However, if the information regarding the recommended driving method has not been received from the driving assistance device 12, the processing in step S21 repeats.

[0048] In step S22, the control unit 9 transmits the information received from the driving support device 12 regarding the recommended driving method to the automatic driving device 17.

[0049] Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the driving support device 12 and an operation for transmitting the information regarding the recommended driving method to the information terminal 1.

[0050] In step S31, the communication unit 13 receives the information from the information terminal 1.

[0051] In step S32, the communication unit 13 stores the information received from the information terminal 1 in the database 14. At this time, the database 14 stores the information associated with the position information. That is, the information received from the information terminal 1 installed in each vehicle is associated with the position information and collected in the database 14.

[0052] The fuel consumption information for each vehicle is linked to the road and stored in the database 14. Here, the calculation of fuel consumption will be described. The information received by the information terminal 1 includes position information, total travel distance information, and remaining fuel information. A distance between two points, which is a difference between a total travel distance at one point on a road and a total travel distance at another point on the road, can be detected based on the position information and the total travel distance information. A difference in remaining fuel between the above two points can be detected as an amount of fuel consumed between the two points based on the position information and the remaining fuel information.Then, fuel consumption can be determined based on the distance between the two points and the amount of fuel consumed between the two points. The fuel consumption can be calculated by the driving assistance device 12 as described above, or it can also be calculated by the information terminal 1.

[0053] In step S33, the recommended driving method calculation unit 15 calculates the recommended driving method on the road along which the vehicle is traveling based on the information collected in the database 14. The recommended driving method calculation unit 15 outputs the information regarding the calculated recommended driving method to the communication unit 13. At this time, information regarding the recommended driving method output to the communication unit 13 includes information necessary for achieving the recommended driving method (for example, speed information, brake operation information, accelerator operation information, and control operation information).

[0054] Specifically, the recommended driving method calculation unit 15 extracts information about the fuel consumption of a plurality of vehicles having conditions (e.g., vehicle type, season, and environment) near the vehicle on the road along which the vehicle is traveling, and selects the driving method with the best fuel efficiency from the information. As described above, the recommended driving method calculation unit 15 calculates the driving method with the best fuel efficiency as the recommended driving method based on the condition of the vehicle on the road along which the vehicle is traveling.

[0055] The recommended driving method calculation unit 15 calculates the driving method for improving the load-bearing capacity of the components as the recommended driving method based on the information regarding the vehicle components collected in the database 14. For example, if the database 14 collects information regarding components of vehicles A, B, and C that have the same vehicle type, and a component of vehicle C is the most load-bearing, the recommended driving method calculation unit 15 determines that the driving method of vehicle C improves the load-bearing capacity of the component.

[0056] In step S34, the communication unit 13 transmits the information regarding the recommended driving method calculated by the recommended driving method calculation unit 15 to the information terminal 1.

[0057] Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the driving support device 12, and particularly illustrating an operation of the machine learning unit 16.

[0058] In step S41, the machine learning unit 16 makes a selection of the information used to calculate the recommended driving method in the recommended driving method calculation unit 15 based on the information collected in the database 14. The information used to calculate the recommended driving method belongs to the information regarding the state and components of the vehicle described in step S33 in Fig. 7, as described above.

[0059] For example, if the information about the total illumination time of the headlight and the brightness is not assumed to have a relationship with fuel efficiency and is therefore not used to calculate the recommended driving method, when a vehicle that turns on the headlights to perform automatic driving to set a route from a vehicle ahead subsequently appears, the information about the total illumination time of the headlight and the brightness may have an influence on fuel efficiency. In this way, the relationship between fuel efficiency or component load capacity is verified with the information that was not previously used to calculate the recommended driving method, thus improving the recommended driving method.However, after regularly checking the relationship with the fuel efficiency or the load capacity of the component, it may be found that the information initially used to calculate the recommended driving method has no relationship with the fuel efficiency or the load capacity of the component. In the above case, the information initially used to calculate the recommended driving method is not used to calculate the recommended color method, thus the recommended driving method can be improved.

[0060] The machine learning unit 16 checks the information collected in the database 14 as described above to select the information to be used. The recommended driving method calculation unit 15 calculates the recommended driving method. The machine learning unit 16 may check the information at a fixed time interval or may check the information at the time of receiving new information from the information terminal 1.

[0061] In step S42, the machine learning unit 16 provides the recommended driving method calculation unit 15 with a notification of the information used to calculate the recommended driving method. The recommended driving method calculation unit 15 calculates the recommended driving method based on the information provided by the machine learning unit 16.

[0062] Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the automatic driving device 17.

[0063] In step S51, the communication unit 18 receives the information regarding the recommended driving method from the information terminal 1.

[0064] In step S52, the automatic driving control unit 19 controls the automatic driving of the vehicle based on the received information regarding the recommended driving method. Specifically, the automatic driving control unit 19 controls a speed of the vehicle, a brake operation, an accelerator operation, and an operation of a control element, for example, to achieve the recommended driving method. The automatic driving control unit 19 receives the route information calculated by the navigation unit 6 from the information terminal 1. Accordingly, the automatic driving control unit 19 controls the automatic driving such that the vehicle travels along the route received from the information terminal 1.

[0065] As described above, the present embodiment enables appropriate driving assistance. Specifically, automatic driving can be performed based on the driving method for improving fuel efficiency or the driving method for improving component durability.

[0066] The information terminal 1 described above can be applied not only to an on-board vehicle navigation device, that is, a vehicle navigation device, but also to a portable navigation device (PND) that can be mounted on the vehicle, and a mobile communication terminal (e.g., a mobile phone, a smartphone, and a tablet terminal). The driving support device 12 functions as a server.

[0067] Each function of each element of the information terminal 1 and the driving support device 12 can be distributed in the information terminal 1 and the driving support device 12. For example, the Fig. 1, the information terminal 1 comprises the recommended driving method calculation unit 15 and the machine learning unit 16 of the Fig. 3. The information terminal 1 and the automatic driving device 17 can be formed integrally.

[0068] Also, the above configuration can also obtain the effect similar to that of the above-described embodiments.

[0069] Software for executing the operation in the above-described embodiments (a driving support method) may be incorporated in a server or a mobile communication terminal, for example.

[0070] Specifically, an example of the driving support method described above includes (a) acquiring information including surrounding information which is information indicating surroundings of a road in a case where each of a plurality of vehicles is traveling, traveling information which is information regarding the traveling of each vehicle, and vehicle information which is information regarding each vehicle, (b) collecting the acquired information, (c) calculating a recommended driving method which is a driving method recommended at a time of traveling along the road based on the collected information, and (d) providing the vehicle capable of performing automatic traveling among the plurality of vehicles with notification of the calculated recommended driving method.

[0071] As described above, the software for performing the operation in the above embodiment is incorporated in and operated in the server or the mobile communication terminal, thus the effect similar to that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

[0072] The control unit 9 can calculate the information about the more accurate current position of the vehicle based on the current position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 2, the vehicle speed information which the vehicle information acquisition unit 4 acquires from a vehicle speed sensor, and angular velocity information of the vehicle which the vehicle information acquisition unit 4 acquires from a gyroscope sensor.

[0073] The information terminal 1 can Fig. 5, even if the vehicle is not performing automatic driving.

[0074] Regarding the information regarding the recommended driving method transmitted from the driving support device 12 to the information terminal 1, the user can select the driving method for improving fuel efficiency or the driving method for improving the load capacity of the component as the recommended driving method via the input unit 7.

[0075] The driving support device 12 can provide a dealer or a component manufacturer with a notification of a component whose replacement time is determined to be approaching based on the information regarding the component collected in the database 14. In the above case, the dealer or the component manufacturer can prepare for a component to be replaced, thus a stock of the component can be easily adjusted.

[0076] According to the present invention, any embodiment may be suitably changed or omitted within the scope of the invention.

[0077] While the present invention has been particularly shown and described, the foregoing description is in all aspects illustrative and not restrictive. It should therefore be understood that numerous modifications and variations may be devised without departing from the scope of the invention. Explanation of the REFERENCE SYMBOLS 1 information terminal 2 Position information acquisition unit 3 Environmental information acquisition unit 4 Vehicle information acquisition unit 5 Map information acquisition unit 6 Navigation unit 7 Input unit 8 Communication unit 9 Control unit 10 processor 11 storage 12 driving support device 13 Communication unit 14 Database 15 Recommended driving procedure calculation unit 16 Machine Learning Unit 17 Automatic driving device 18 Communication unit 19 Automatic drive control unit< / betrieb> < / konfiguration>

Claims

[1] Driving assistance device (12) comprising: an information acquisition unit (13) which acquires information, comprising: a first piece of information indicating an environment of a road along which a vehicle is traveling, a second piece of information relating to a journey of the vehicle, which includes position information of the road along which the vehicle is currently traveling, and a third piece of information comprising information about an entire route, and fourth information comprising a remaining fuel quantity; an information collection unit (14) which: collects the information acquired by the information acquisition unit (13), and based on the second, third and fourth information, stores a fifth piece of road-related fuel consumption information; a recommended driving procedure calculation unit (15), which: the fifth information is taken from a plurality of vehicles exhibiting conditions close to the vehicle on the road along which the vehicle is traveling, selects a driving method with the best fuel efficiency from the fifth information, and calculates a recommended driving method with the best fuel efficiency, which is a driving method recommended at a time of driving along the road; and a notification unit (13) which provides the vehicle capable of performing automatic driving with a notification of the recommended driving method calculated by the recommended driving method calculation unit (13). [2] The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the first information includes weather information which is information indicating a weather when the vehicle travels along the road and / or road surface information which is information indicating a state of a road surface of the road. [3] The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the second information includes position information of the vehicle. [4] The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the third information includes speed information of the vehicle, operation information of an operation member, operation information of an accelerator, operation information of a brake, remaining fuel information, and information regarding a component provided in the vehicle. [5] The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the recommended driving method is a driving method for improving fuel efficiency or a driving method for improving load capacity of a component provided in the vehicle. [6] The driving support device according to claim 1, further comprising a learning unit (16) which performs selection using mechanical learning of the information used for calculation of the recommended driving method performed by the recommended driving method calculation unit (15). [7] Driving assistance method, comprising: Capturing information, comprehensive a first piece of information indicating an environment of a road along which a vehicle is traveling, a second piece of information relating to a journey of the vehicle, which includes position information of the road along which the vehicle is currently traveling, and a third piece of information comprising information about an entire route, and fourth information comprising a remaining fuel quantity; Collecting the collected information; storing, based on the second, third and fourth information, a fifth road-related fuel consumption information; extracting the fifth information from a plurality of vehicles having conditions near the vehicle on the road along which the vehicle is traveling; Selecting a driving method with best fuel efficiency from the fifth information; Calculating a recommended driving method with the best fuel efficiency, which is a driving method recommended at a time of traveling along the road; and Providing the vehicle capable of performing automatic driving with a notification of the calculated driving procedure.

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