Processing apparatus and processing method

Abstract

To properly detect a contact state of hands of a driver on an operation unit.SOLUTION: A processing apparatus 16 that performs processing for detecting a state of a driver 2 of a vehicle 1 includes: an acquisition unit which acquires hand position information on positions of hands 3 of the driver 2 and operation unit position information on a position of an operation unit in a passenger room 1a of the vehicle 1; and a processing unit which performs detection processing for detecting a state of the driver 2. The processing unit detects, in the detection processing, a contact state of the hands 3 of the driver 2 on the operation unit on the basis of the hand position information and the operation unit position information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing apparatus and a processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Technologies for detecting the state of the interior of a vehicle have been proposed. For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a technology for detecting the contact state of a driver's hand with an operating unit such as a steering wheel has been proposed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-069902 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] For example, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, a capacitance-type proximity sensor is provided on the steering wheel, and the contact state of the driver's hand with the steering wheel is detected based on the change in capacitance of the proximity sensor. However, with this technology, it may be difficult to detect the contact state of the driver's hand with the operating unit when the driver is wearing gloves, etc.

[0005] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a processing device and a processing method capable of appropriately detecting the contact state of a driver's hand with an operating unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the processing device is a processing device that performs processing related to detecting the state of the driver of the vehicle, and is equipped with an acquisition unit that acquires hand position information related to the position of the driver's hands and operation unit position information related to the position of the operation unit within the vehicle's cabin, and a processing unit that performs detection processing to detect the driver's state, and in the detection processing, the processing unit detects the contact state of the driver's hands with the operation unit based on the hand position information and the operation unit position information.

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the processing method is a processing method that performs processing related to detection of the state of a driver of a vehicle, in which an acquisition unit of the processing device acquires hand position information related to the position of the driver's hands and operation unit position information related to the position of an operation unit within the vehicle's cabin, and a processing unit of the processing device performs a detection process to detect the state of the driver's hands and, in the detection process, the processing unit detects the contact state of the driver's hands with the operation unit based on the hand position information and the operation unit position information. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately detect the contact state of the driver's hand with the operating unit. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the overall processing flow performed by the processing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of a process related to acquisition of operation unit position information performed by the processing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow relating to detection of a contact state performed by the processing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific values ​​shown in the embodiment are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are given the same reference numerals to avoid repeated explanations, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0011] <Vehicle configuration> The configuration of a vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle 1. FIG. 1 shows the interior of a passenger compartment 1a of the vehicle 1 as viewed from the front of the vehicle 1. A plurality of seats 11 are provided in the passenger compartment 1a. As shown in FIG. 1, the front row of seats 11 includes a driver's seat 11a and a passenger seat 11b. In the example of FIG. 1, a driver 2 sits in the driver's seat 11a. However, the vehicle 1 may be provided with a rear seat as the seat 11 other than the driver's seat 11a and the passenger seat 11b.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 1 includes a steering wheel 12, a steering column 13, a first passenger compartment sensor 14, a second passenger compartment sensor 15, and a processing device 16.

[0014] The steering wheel 12 is an operating part used for steering operation by the driver 2. The steering wheel 12 is provided in front of the driver's seat 11a. The steering wheel 12 is attached to the vehicle 1 via a steering column 13. For example, a base of the steering column 13 is connected to the vehicle 1, and the steering wheel 12 is attached to a tip of the steering column 13.

[0015] Here, the attitude of the steering column 13 is adjustable. For example, the steering column 13 is rotatable about a rotation axis extending in the left-right direction centered on the base of the steering column 13. By adjusting the attitude of the steering column 13, the driver 2 can perform position adjustment to adjust the position of the steering wheel 12.

[0016] A driver 2 operates the steering wheel 12 while gripping the steering wheel 12 with the hands 3 of the driver 2. In the example of Fig. 1, the steering wheel 12 is gripped by both the right hand 3a and the left hand 3b of the driver 2.

[0017] In the vehicle 1, the processing device 16 detects the contact state of the hand 3 of the driver 2 with the operating unit. In the following, an example will be described in which the processing device 16 detects the contact state of the hand 3 of the driver 2 with the steering wheel 12. However, the operating unit to be detected for the contact state may be any operating unit within the vehicle interior 1a, and may be other than the steering wheel 12, as described later.

[0018] The first compartment sensor 14 detects the state inside the compartment 1a. The first compartment sensor 14 is attached to the steering column 13. Therefore, when the position of the steering wheel 12 is adjusted, the first compartment sensor 14 moves together with the steering wheel 12. The first compartment sensor 14 may be attached to the steering wheel 12. An example of the first compartment sensor 14 is a camera. In the following, an example in which the first compartment sensor 14 is a camera will be described. However, as described later, the first compartment sensor 14 may be a sensor other than a camera. The first compartment sensor 14 is provided facing rearward and captures an image of the face of the driver 2 and the state inside the compartment 1a behind the driver 2.

[0019] The second vehicle interior sensor 15 detects the state inside the vehicle interior 1a. The second vehicle interior sensor 15 is fixedly provided at a specific position inside the vehicle interior 1a. For example, the second vehicle interior sensor 15 is provided near the rearview mirror inside the vehicle interior 1a. Therefore, the second vehicle interior sensor 15 does not move together with the steering wheel 12 when the position of the steering wheel 12 is adjusted. The second vehicle interior sensor 15 may be, for example, a radar. In the following, an example in which the second vehicle interior sensor 15 is a radar will be described. However, as described later, the second vehicle interior sensor 15 may be a sensor other than a radar. The second vehicle interior sensor 15 is provided facing downward and rearward.

[0020] Each seat 11 and the steering wheel 12 in the vehicle interior 1a are located within the detection range of the second vehicle interior sensor 15. The hands 3 of the driver 2 sitting in the driver's seat 11a are also located within the detection range of the second vehicle interior sensor 15. Since the periphery of the steering wheel 12 is also located within the detection range of the second vehicle interior sensor 15, at least when the hands 3 of the driver 2 are near the steering wheel 12, the hands 3 of the driver 2 are located within the detection range of the second vehicle interior sensor 15.

[0021] The processing device 16 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) which is an arithmetic processing device, a ROM (Read Only Memory) which is a storage element for storing programs and arithmetic parameters used by the CPU, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) which is a storage element for temporarily storing parameters that change appropriately during execution of the CPU. The processing device 16 may be, for example, one unit, or may be divided into multiple units. When the processing device 16 is divided into multiple units, various functions described below may be shared among the multiple units.

[0022] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the processing device 16. As shown in Fig. 2, the processing device 16 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 16a, a processing unit 16b, and a control unit 16c.

[0023] The acquisition unit 16a acquires information from each device in the vehicle 1. For example, the acquisition unit 16a acquires information from the first vehicle interior sensor 14 and the second vehicle interior sensor 15. Note that in this specification, the acquisition of information may include the extraction or generation (e.g., calculation) of information.

[0024] The processing unit 16b performs a detection process to detect the state of the driver 2. In particular, the processing unit 16b detects the contact state of the hands 3 of the driver 2 with the steering wheel 12 in the detection process.

[0025] The control unit 16c controls the operation of each device in the vehicle 1. The control unit 16c can execute automatic driving control to automatically drive the vehicle 1 without operation by the driver 2, for example, by controlling the operation of a drive source (for example, a driving motor or an engine) and a brake device of the vehicle 1.

[0026] <Operation of the processing device> The operation of the processing device 16 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0027] As described above, the processing device 16 detects the contact state of the hand 3 of the driver 2 with the steering wheel 12. Here, as a method for detecting the above-mentioned contact state, for example, there is a method of providing a capacitance-type proximity sensor on the steering wheel 12 and detecting the contact state of the hand 3 of the driver 2 with the steering wheel 12 based on a change in capacitance of the proximity sensor. However, with such a technique, it may be difficult to detect the contact state of the hand 3 of the driver 2 with the steering wheel 12 when the driver 2 is wearing gloves, etc. In this embodiment, by implementing some improvements in the process related to the detection of the above-mentioned contact state performed by the processing device 16, it becomes possible to appropriately detect the contact state of the hand 3 of the driver 2 with the steering wheel 12.

[0028] Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the overall processing flow performed by the processing device 16. Step S101 in Fig. 3 corresponds to the start of the processing flow shown in Fig. 3. Step S106 in Fig. 3 corresponds to the end of the processing flow shown in Fig. 3. The processing flow shown in Fig. 3 is repeatedly executed at preset time intervals, for example.

[0029] 3 starts, in step S102, the processing unit 16b detects the presence or absence of the driver 2. Specifically, the processing unit 16b detects the presence or absence of the driver 2 in the vehicle 1.

[0030] In step S102, the processing unit 16b may detect the presence or absence of the driver 2 based on, for example, the detection result of a radar as the second compartment sensor 15. For example, the second compartment sensor 15 can detect the distance between an object in the compartment 1a and the second compartment sensor 15. Therefore, when a person is sitting in the driver's seat 11a, the second compartment sensor 15 can detect the contraction of the person's chest accompanying the person's breathing. Therefore, the processing unit 16b can determine whether the driver 2 is sitting in the driver's seat 11a based on the detection result of the second compartment sensor 15.

[0031] Furthermore, in step S102, the processing unit 16b may detect the presence or absence of the driver 2 based on, for example, a detection result of a camera serving as the first compartment sensor 14. For example, the processing unit 16b can recognize the face or body of the person sitting in the seat 11 by performing image processing on the image captured by the first compartment sensor 14. Therefore, the processing unit 16b can determine whether the driver 2 is sitting in the driver's seat 11a based on the image captured by the first compartment sensor 14.

[0032] Furthermore, in step S102, the processing unit 16b may detect the presence or absence of the driver 2 based on both the detection result of the radar serving as the second compartment sensor 15 and an image captured by the camera serving as the first compartment sensor 14. For example, the processing unit 16b first performs processing to detect the presence or absence of the driver 2 using one of the first compartment sensor 14 and the second compartment sensor 15. If the presence or absence of the driver 2 cannot be detected in this processing, the processing unit 16b may perform processing to detect the presence or absence of the driver 2 again using the other of the first compartment sensor 14 and the second compartment sensor 15.

[0033] The sensor used in step S102 is not limited to the above example. For example, the processing unit 16b may detect the presence or absence of the driver 2 based on the detection result of a seating sensor provided in the driver's seat 11a.

[0034] After step S102, in step S103, the acquisition unit 16a acquires operation unit position information.

[0035] The operation unit position information is information relating to the position of the operation unit within the vehicle interior 1a. The operation unit position information may be, for example, information that directly indicates the position of the operation unit, or information that can be substantially converted into the position of the operation unit. In the example of Figs. 3 to 5, the operation unit position information is information relating to the position of the steering wheel 12.

[0036] Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow relating to acquisition of operation unit position information performed by the processing device 16. The process flow shown in Fig. 4 is executed in step S103 in Fig. 3. Step S201 in Fig. 4 corresponds to the start of the process flow shown in Fig. 4. Step S206 in Fig. 4 corresponds to the end of the process flow shown in Fig. 4.

[0037] For example, the acquisition unit 16a acquires the operation unit position information based on the detection result of a camera serving as the first vehicle interior sensor 14. Below, an example will be mainly described in which the acquisition unit 16a acquires the operation unit position information using a camera serving as the first vehicle interior sensor 14. However, as will be described later, the acquisition unit 16a may acquire the operation unit position information using a radar serving as the second vehicle interior sensor 15.

[0038] When the process flow shown in FIG. 4 starts, in step S202, the acquisition unit 16a determines whether or not the detection result of the first vehicle interior sensor 14 is valid.

[0039] In step S203 described later, for example, position adjustment information related to the position adjustment of the steering wheel 12 is acquired by recognizing a specific portion, such as a pillar, in the vehicle interior 1a reflected in an image captured by a camera serving as the first vehicle interior sensor 14. Therefore, in order to appropriately perform the process of acquiring the position adjustment information described later, it is necessary that the detection result of the first vehicle interior sensor 14 is valid.

[0040] In step S202, for example, when an unintended object such as the arm of the driver 2 is captured in the image captured by the first compartment sensor 14 and all or most of the specific body part is not captured in the image, the acquisition unit 16a determines that the detection result of the first compartment sensor 14 is invalid. On the other hand, when all or most of the specific body part is captured in the image captured by the first compartment sensor 14, the acquisition unit 16a determines that the detection result of the first compartment sensor 14 is valid. Note that the acquisition unit 16a may determine that the detection result of the first compartment sensor 14 is invalid when an abnormality is detected in the first compartment sensor 14 itself.

[0041] If it is determined that the detection result of the first vehicle interior sensor 14 is valid (step S202 / YES), the process proceeds to step S203. On the other hand, if it is determined that the detection result of the first vehicle interior sensor 14 is not valid (step S202 / NO), the process proceeds to step S205.

[0042] If the determination in step S202 is YES, in step S203, the acquisition unit 16a acquires position adjustment information.

[0043] The position adjustment information is information on position adjustment for adjusting the position of the steering wheel 12. The position adjustment information may be, for example, information directly indicating the amount and direction of adjustment from the reference position of the steering wheel 12 to the current position, or may be information that can be substantially converted into the amount and direction of adjustment. The reference position of the steering wheel 12 is set appropriately, and may be, for example, the center position within the adjustment range of the position of the steering wheel 12. The information indicating the reference position of the steering wheel 12 is, for example, stored in advance in the processing device 16. The reference position of the steering wheel 12 may be a fixed position set in advance, or may be a position at any time in the past that is not fixed (for example, a position after the previous position adjustment, etc.).

[0044] In step S203, the acquisition unit 16a acquires position adjustment information based on, for example, the detection result of the first vehicle interior sensor 14. For example, the acquisition unit 16a recognizes a specific part, such as a pillar, in the vehicle interior 1a reflected in an image captured by a camera serving as the first vehicle interior sensor 14 by performing image processing on the image. As described above, the first vehicle interior sensor 14 moves together with the steering wheel 12 when the position of the steering wheel 12 is adjusted. Therefore, the display position of the specific part in the image captured by the first vehicle interior sensor 14 changes with the position adjustment of the steering wheel 12. Therefore, the acquisition unit 16a can acquire information indicating the adjustment amount and adjustment direction in the position adjustment of the steering wheel 12 as position adjustment information based on the display position of the specific part in the image captured by the first vehicle interior sensor 14.

[0045] After step S203, in step S204, the acquisition unit 16a acquires operation unit position information based on the position adjustment information, and the processing flow shown in FIG. 4 ends.

[0046] In step S204, the acquisition unit 16a acquires, for example, a position obtained by adding an adjustment amount indicated by the position adjustment information to an adjustment direction indicated by the position adjustment information with respect to a reference position of the steering wheel 12, as the operation unit position information.

[0047] If the determination in step S202 is NO, in step S205, the acquisition unit 16a acquires operation unit position information not based on the position adjustment information, and the processing flow shown in FIG. 4 ends.

[0048] If the result of the determination in step S202 is NO, the position adjustment information is not acquired. Therefore, in step S205, the acquisition unit 16a acquires, for example, the reference position of the steering wheel 12 as the operation unit position information. Note that, if the result of the determination in step S202 is NO, the acquisition unit 16a may repeat the determination in step S202 for a predetermined time. Thereby, for example, when the situation in which the driver 2's arm covers the front of the camera serving as the first vehicle interior sensor 14 is resolved, the acquisition unit 16a can appropriately execute step S203.

[0049] In the above, an example has been described in which the acquisition unit 16a acquires the operation unit position information using a camera as the first vehicle interior sensor 14. However, the acquisition unit 16a may acquire the operation unit position information using a radar as the second vehicle interior sensor 15. In this case, for example, the sensor used in each process in the flowchart of Fig. 4 described above is replaced from the first vehicle interior sensor 14 to the second vehicle interior sensor 15. Such an example will be described below.

[0050] For example, in step S202, the acquisition unit 16a determines whether or not the detection result of the radar as the second compartment sensor 15 is valid, instead of the detection result of the first compartment sensor 14. In step S202, the acquisition unit 16a determines that the detection result of the second compartment sensor 15 is invalid when, for example, the front surface of the second compartment sensor 15 is covered by an unintended object such as the arm of the driver 2 and the steering wheel 12 cannot be detected by the second compartment sensor 15. Note that the acquisition unit 16a may determine that the detection result of the second compartment sensor 15 is invalid when an abnormality is detected in the second compartment sensor 15 itself.

[0051] If it is determined that the detection result of the second vehicle interior sensor 15 is valid (step S202 / YES), the process proceeds to step S203. On the other hand, if it is determined that the detection result of the second vehicle interior sensor 15 is not valid (step S202 / NO), the process proceeds to step S205.

[0052] If the determination in step S202 is YES, in step S203, the acquisition unit 16a acquires position adjustment information based on the detection result of the radar serving as the second compartment sensor 15, instead of the detection result of the first compartment sensor 14. For example, the second compartment sensor 15 can detect the relative position of the steering wheel 12 with respect to the second compartment sensor 15. Therefore, the acquisition unit 16a can acquire information indicating the adjustment amount and adjustment direction in the position adjustment of the steering wheel 12 as position adjustment information based on the detection result of the second compartment sensor 15.

[0053] In step S204, the acquisition unit 16a acquires the operation unit position information based on the position adjustment information, for example, in the same manner as in the example in which the operation unit position information is acquired using a camera as the first vehicle interior sensor 14. However, the acquisition unit 16a may directly acquire information indicating the position of the steering wheel 12 after the position adjustment as the operation unit position information based on the detection result of the second vehicle interior sensor 15 without performing step S203.

[0054] If the determination in step S202 is NO, then in step S205, the acquisition unit 16a acquires the reference position of the steering wheel 12 as the operation unit position information, for example, in the same manner as in the example in which the operation unit position information is acquired using a camera serving as the first vehicle interior sensor 14. Note that if the determination in step S202 is NO, the acquisition unit 16a may repeat the determination in step S202 for a predetermined time. Thereby, for example, when the situation in which the driver 2's arm is no longer covering the front of the radar serving as the second vehicle interior sensor 15 is resolved, the acquisition unit 16a can appropriately execute step S203.

[0055] The acquisition unit 16a may acquire the operation unit position information based on both an image captured by a camera serving as the first vehicle interior sensor 14 and a detection result of a radar serving as the second vehicle interior sensor 15. For example, the acquisition unit 16a first performs a process for acquiring the operation unit position information using one of the first vehicle interior sensor 14 and the second vehicle interior sensor 15. For example, if the acquisition unit 16a is unable to acquire position adjustment information in this process, the processing unit 16b may perform the process for acquiring the operation unit position information again using the other of the first vehicle interior sensor 14 and the second vehicle interior sensor 15.

[0056] The description will be continued below by returning to Fig. 3. After step S103 in Fig. 3, in step S104, the acquisition unit 16a acquires hand position information.

[0057] The hand position information is information related to the position of the hands 3 of the driver 2. The hand position information may be, for example, information that directly indicates the position of the hands 3 of the driver 2, or may be information that can be substantially converted into the position of the hands 3 of the driver 2.

[0058] For example, the acquisition unit 16a acquires hand position information based on the detection result of the radar as the second cabin sensor 15. As described above, the second cabin sensor 15 does not move together with the steering wheel 12 when the position of the steering wheel 12 is adjusted. Therefore, regardless of how the position of the steering wheel 12 is adjusted, the hand 3 of the driver 2 sitting in the driver's seat 11a is located within the detection range of the second cabin sensor 15. Therefore, the second cabin sensor 15 can detect the relative position of the hand 3 of the driver 2 with respect to the second cabin sensor 15. In detail, when at least the hand 3 of the driver 2 is near the steering wheel 12, the second cabin sensor 15 can detect the relative position of the hand 3 of the driver 2 with respect to the second cabin sensor 15. Therefore, the acquisition unit 16a can acquire hand position information based on the relative position of the hand 3 of the driver 2 with respect to the second cabin sensor 15.

[0059] Here, the acquisition unit 16a can determine whether the hand 3 of the driver 2 detected by the second vehicle interior sensor 15 is the right hand 3a or the left hand 3b, for example, based on an image captured by a camera serving as the first vehicle interior sensor 14. For example, the acquisition unit 16a can recognize the positions of the joints of the driver 2 by performing image processing on an image showing a part of the body of the driver 2. The acquisition unit 16a can determine whether the hand 3 of the driver 2 detected by the second vehicle interior sensor 15 is the right hand 3a or the left hand 3b, based on the result of such recognition. Therefore, the acquisition unit 16a can acquire right hand position information related to the position of the right hand 3a of the driver 2 and left hand position information related to the position of the left hand 3b of the driver 2 as hand position information.

[0060] After step S104, in step S105, the processing unit 16b performs a detection process to detect the contact state of the hand 3 of the driver 2 with the steering wheel 12, and the processing flow shown in FIG. 3 ends.

[0061] In the detection process, the processing unit 16b detects the contact state of the hand 3 of the driver 2 with the steering wheel 12 based on the hand position information acquired in step S104 and the operation unit position information acquired in step S103.

[0062] Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow relating to detection of a contact state performed by the processing device 16. The process flow shown in Fig. 5 is executed in step S105 in Fig. 3. Step S301 in Fig. 5 corresponds to the start of the process flow shown in Fig. 5. Step S304 in Fig. 5 corresponds to the end of the process flow shown in Fig. 5.

[0063] When the process flow shown in FIG. 5 starts, the processing unit 16b detects the contact state of the right hand 3a of the driver 2 with the steering wheel 12 in step S302.

[0064] In step S302, the processing unit 16b detects the contact state of the right hand 3a of the driver 2 with the steering wheel 12 based on the right hand position information and the operation unit position information. For example, the processing unit 16b specifies the distance between the right hand 3a and the steering wheel 12 based on the position of the right hand 3a indicated by the right hand position information and the position of the steering wheel 12 indicated by the operation unit position information. Then, when the distance between the right hand 3a and the steering wheel 12 is shorter than a threshold, the processing unit 16b determines that the right hand 3a is in contact with the steering wheel 12. On the other hand, when the distance between the right hand 3a and the steering wheel 12 is longer than the threshold, the processing unit 16b determines that the right hand 3a is not in contact with the steering wheel 12. In this way, the threshold is set to a value short enough to determine that the hand 3 is in contact with the steering wheel 12.

[0065] After step S302, in step S303, the processing unit 16b detects a contact state of the left hand 3b of the driver 2 with the steering wheel 12, and the processing flow shown in FIG. 5 ends.

[0066] In step S302, the processing unit 16b detects the contact state of the left hand 3b of the driver 2 with the steering wheel 12 based on the left hand position information and the operation unit position information. For example, the processing unit 16b specifies the distance between the left hand 3b and the steering wheel 12 based on the position of the left hand 3b indicated by the left hand position information and the position of the steering wheel 12 indicated by the operation unit position information. Then, when the distance between the left hand 3b and the steering wheel 12 is shorter than a threshold, the processing unit 16b determines that the left hand 3b is in contact with the steering wheel 12. On the other hand, when the distance between the left hand 3b and the steering wheel 12 is longer than the threshold, the processing unit 16b determines that the left hand 3b is not in contact with the steering wheel 12.

[0067] As described above, the processing device 16 can detect the contact state of the hand 3 of the driver 2 with the steering wheel 12. The detection result of the contact state is used, for example, in the automatic driving control performed by the control unit 16c. For example, the control unit 16c may permit the automatic driving control only when both the right hand 3a and the left hand 3b are in contact with the steering wheel 12. Also, for example, when at least one of the right hand 3a and the left hand 3b is not in contact with the steering wheel 12 while the automatic driving control is being executed, the control unit 16c may notify the driver 2 to that effect.

[0068] As described above, in the processing device 16, the acquisition unit 16a acquires hand position information on the position of the hand 3 of the driver 2 and operation unit position information on the position of the steering wheel 12, and the processing unit 16b performs a detection process to detect the state of the driver 2. Then, in the detection process, the processing unit 16b detects the contact state of the hand 3 of the driver 2 with the steering wheel 12 based on the hand position information and the operation unit position information. As a result, even when it is difficult to detect the contact state by a method of detecting the contact state using a capacitance-type proximity sensor provided on the steering wheel 12 (for example, when the driver 2 is wearing gloves), it is possible to detect the contact state of the hand 3 of the driver 2 with the steering wheel 12. Therefore, according to the processing device 16, it is possible to appropriately detect the contact state of the hand 3 of the driver 2 with the steering wheel 12.

[0069] Examples of the processing performed by the processing device 16 have been described above with reference to Fig. 3 to Fig. 5. However, the processing performed by the processing device 16 is not limited to the above examples of processing, and may be, for example, processing obtained by appropriately modifying the above examples of processing.

[0070] For example, in the above description, an example has been described in which the first vehicle interior sensor 14 is a camera. However, the first vehicle interior sensor 14 may be a sensor other than a camera. For example, the first vehicle interior sensor 14 may be a radar. In this case, for example, in step S203 of FIG. 4, the acquisition unit 16a may acquire position adjustment information using a radar as the first vehicle interior sensor 14 that moves together with the steering wheel 12 when the position of the steering wheel 12 is adjusted.

[0071] Also, for example, in the above description, an example has been described in which the second vehicle interior sensor 15 is a radar. However, the second vehicle interior sensor 15 may be a sensor other than a radar. For example, the second vehicle interior sensor 15 may be a camera. In this case, for example, in step S104 of FIG. 3, the acquisition unit 16a may acquire hand position information using a camera as the second vehicle interior sensor 15 that does not move together with the steering wheel 12 when the position of the steering wheel 12 is adjusted.

[0072] Also, for example, in the above description, an example has been described in which the acquisition unit 16a acquires right hand position information related to the position of the right hand 3a of the driver 2 and left hand position information related to the position of the left hand 3b of the driver 2 as hand position information. However, the acquisition unit 16a may simply acquire hand position information related to the position of the hand 3 without distinguishing whether the hand 3 of the driver 2 is the right hand 3a or the left hand 3b. In this case, for example, when the distance between the hand 3 and the steering wheel 12 is shorter than a threshold value, the processing unit 16b determines that the hand 3 is in contact with the steering wheel 12. On the other hand, when the distance between the hand 3 and the steering wheel 12 is longer than the threshold value, the processing unit 16b determines that the hand 3 is not in contact with the steering wheel 12.

[0073] Also, for example, in the above description, the processing unit 16b detects the contact state of the hand 3 of the driver 2 with the steering wheel 12. However, the operation unit to be the target of the contact state detection may be an operation unit inside the vehicle interior 1a, and may be other than the steering wheel 12. For example, the processing unit 16b may detect the contact state of the hand 3 of the driver 2 with a shift lever.

[0074] <Effects of the treatment device> The effects of the processing device 16 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0075] The processing device 16 includes an acquisition unit 16a that acquires hand position information on the position of the hand 3 of the driver 2 and operation unit position information on the position of an operation unit (the steering wheel 12 in the above example) in the cabin 1a of the vehicle 1, and a processing unit 16b that performs a detection process to detect the state of the driver 2. In the detection process, the processing unit 16b detects the contact state of the hand 3 of the driver 2 with the operation unit based on the hand position information and the operation unit position information. This makes it possible to detect the contact state of the hand 3 of the driver 2 with the operation unit even in cases where it is difficult to detect the contact state by a method of detecting the contact state using a capacitance-type proximity sensor provided in the operation unit (for example, when the driver 2 is wearing gloves). Therefore, the processing device 16 can appropriately detect the contact state of the hand 3 of the driver 2 with the operation unit.

[0076] Preferably, in the processing device 16, the operation unit is the steering wheel 12 of the vehicle 1. This makes it possible to appropriately detect the contact state of the hands 3 of the driver 2 with the steering wheel 12.

[0077] Preferably, in the processing device 16, the acquisition unit 16a acquires position adjustment information related to the position adjustment for adjusting the position of the steering wheel 12, and acquires the operation unit position information based on the position adjustment information. This makes it possible to acquire the operation unit position information with high accuracy, taking into account the position adjustment of the steering wheel 12. Therefore, the contact state of the hand 3 of the driver 2 with the steering wheel 12 can be detected with high accuracy.

[0078] Preferably, in the processing device 16, the vehicle 1 is provided with a first cabin sensor 14 that detects the state inside the cabin 1a and moves together with the steering wheel 12 when the position of the steering wheel 12 is adjusted, and the acquisition unit 16a acquires the position adjustment information based on the detection result of the first cabin sensor 14. Thereby, by using the first cabin sensor 14 that moves together with the steering wheel 12 when the position of the steering wheel 12 is adjusted, the position adjustment information can be acquired with high accuracy. Therefore, the operation unit position information can be acquired with high accuracy, and the contact state of the driver's 2's hand 3 with the steering wheel 12 can be detected with high accuracy.

[0079] Preferably, in the processing device 16, the vehicle 1 is provided with a second cabin sensor 15 that detects the state inside the cabin 1a and does not move together with the steering wheel 12 when the position of the steering wheel 12 is adjusted, and the acquisition unit 16a acquires the hand position information based on the detection result of the second cabin sensor 15. This makes it possible to appropriately acquire the hand position information by using the second cabin sensor 15 that does not move together with the steering wheel 12 when the position of the steering wheel 12 is adjusted. Therefore, the contact state of the driver's 2's hands 3 with the steering wheel 12 can be more appropriately detected.

[0080] Preferably, in the processing device 16, the acquisition unit 16a acquires right hand position information on the position of the right hand 3a of the driver 2 and left hand position information on the position of the left hand 3b of the driver 2 as hand position information, and the processing unit 16b detects the contact state of the right hand 3a of the driver 2 with the operation unit (in the above example, the steering wheel 12) and the contact state of the left hand 3b of the driver 2 with the operation unit (in the above example, the steering wheel 12) based on the right hand position information, the left hand position information, and the operation unit position information in the detection process. This makes it possible to distinguish whether the hand 3 of the driver 2 is the right hand 3a or the left hand 3b, and to detect the contact state of the hand 3 of the driver 2 with the operation unit in more detail.

[0081] The above describes a preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings. However, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modified or altered examples within the scope of the claims also fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0082] For example, the processes described herein using flowcharts do not necessarily have to be performed in the order shown in the flowcharts, some process steps may be performed in parallel, additional process steps may be employed, and some process steps may be omitted.

[0083] Also, for example, the series of processes by the processing device 16 described above may be realized using any of software, hardware, and a combination of software and hardware. The programs constituting the software are stored in advance, for example, in a storage medium provided inside or outside the information processing device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 1 vehicle 1a Cabin 2. Driver 3. Move 3a right hand 3b left hand 11 seats 11a Driver's seat 11b Passenger seat 12 Steering wheel 13 Steering column 14 First vehicle interior sensor 15 2nd vehicle interior sensor 16 Processing equipment 16a Acquisition part 16b Processing section 16c Control section

Claims

1. A processing device (16) for performing processing related to detection of a state of a driver (2) of a vehicle (1), an acquisition unit (16a) that acquires hand position information relating to a position of the driver's hand (3) and operation unit position information relating to a position of an operation unit in a cabin (1a) of the vehicle (1); A processing unit (16b) that performs a detection process to detect the state of the driver (2); Equipped with The processing unit (16b) detects a contact state of the hand (3) of the driver (2) with the operation unit based on the hand position information and the operation unit position information in the detection process. Processing unit.

2. The operation unit is a steering wheel (12) of the vehicle (1). The processing device of claim 1 .

3. The acquisition unit (16a) obtaining position adjustment information relating to a position adjustment for adjusting a position of the steering wheel (12); acquiring the operation unit position information based on the position adjustment information; The processing device according to claim 2 .

4. The vehicle (1) is provided with a first cabin sensor (14) that detects a state inside the cabin (1a) and moves integrally with the steering wheel (12) when the position adjustment is performed; The acquisition unit (16a) acquires the position adjustment information based on a detection result of the first vehicle interior sensor (14). The processing device according to claim 3 .

5. The vehicle (1) is provided with a second cabin sensor (15) that detects a state in the cabin (1a) and does not move together with the steering wheel (12) when a position adjustment is performed to adjust the position of the steering wheel (12); The acquisition unit (16a) acquires the hand position information based on a detection result of the second vehicle interior sensor (15). The processing device according to claim 2 .

6. The acquisition unit (16a) acquires, as the hand position information, right hand position information relating to a position of a right hand (3a) of the driver (2) and left hand position information relating to a position of a left hand (3b) of the driver (2); In the detection process, the processing unit (16b) detects a contact state of the right hand (3a) of the driver (2) with respect to the operation unit and a contact state of the left hand (3b) of the driver (2) with respect to the operation unit based on the right hand position information, the left hand position information, and the operation unit position information. The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. A processing method for performing processing related to detection of a state of a driver (2) of a vehicle (1), comprising: an acquisition unit (16a) of a processing device (16) acquires hand position information relating to the position of the driver's hand (3) and operation unit position information relating to the position of an operation unit in a passenger compartment (1a) of the vehicle (1); a processing unit (16b) of the processing device (16) performs a detection process to detect the state of the driver (2); The processing unit (16b) detects a contact state of the hand (3) of the driver (2) with the operation unit based on the hand position information and the operation unit position information in the detection process. Processing methods.

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