Driving support control device, driving support control method, and program

Abstract

To more appropriately issue notification, when detecting deterioration of fuel consumed by a vehicle.SOLUTION: A driving support control device 20 comprises: a determination part 31 for determining whether or not a cause of deteriorating fuel consumption is due to a driver based on at least one of route information indicating a route to a destination of a vehicle, traffic information indicating a traffic state around the vehicle, and environment information indicating an environment around the vehicle, when it is determined that the fuel consumption of the vehicle is deteriorated based on vehicle information indicating the fuel consumption of the vehicle; an analysis part 32 for analyzing at least one of tendency of a driver's driving operation and tendency of a traveling route, based on at least one of driver's information about a driver of the vehicle and route information; and a notification control part 38 for performing control so as to give notice of an analysis result by changing a notification state according to the analysis result obtained by the analysis part 32, when it is determined that the cause of deteriorating the fuel consumption is due to the driver.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving assistance control device, a driving assistance method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a technique for notifying a driver of fuel efficiency information including the cause of the deterioration in fuel efficiency when the deterioration in fuel efficiency of a vehicle is detected, and urging the driver to take measures to improve fuel efficiency (see, for example, Patent Documents 1, 2 and 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-269210 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2009-031046 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2008-163781 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] If the driver's driving habits are too strong, it is difficult for the driver to immediately correct the driving operation even if the driver is repeatedly advised to improve fuel efficiency. If the driver tries to correct the driving operation, the driver may lose stable driving. In addition, if the driver wants to drive a preferred route or the shortest route even if the fuel efficiency has deteriorated, the driver may find the advice to improve fuel efficiency annoying. Thus, there is room for improvement in the notification when the deterioration of the fuel efficiency of the vehicle is detected.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a driving assistance control device, a driving assistance method, and a program that more appropriately notify a driver when a deterioration in fuel efficiency of a vehicle is detected. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the driving assistance control device of the present invention includes a determination unit that, when it is determined that the fuel efficiency of a vehicle has deteriorated based on vehicle information indicating the fuel efficiency of the vehicle, determines whether the driver is a cause of the deterioration in fuel efficiency based on at least one of route information indicating a route to the destination of the vehicle, traffic information indicating the traffic conditions around the vehicle, and environmental information indicating the environment around the vehicle; an analysis unit that analyzes at least one of the driver's driving operation tendencies and the driving route tendencies based on at least one of the driver information of the driver of the vehicle and the route information; and a notification control unit that, when it is determined that the driver is a cause of the deterioration in fuel efficiency, controls the analysis result to be notified by changing the mode of notification in accordance with the analysis result of the analysis unit.

[0007] The driving assistance method according to the present invention includes a vehicle information acquisition step of acquiring vehicle information indicating the fuel efficiency of a vehicle, a route information acquisition step of acquiring route information indicating a route to a destination of the vehicle, a traffic information acquisition step of acquiring traffic information indicating a traffic condition around the vehicle, an environmental information acquisition step of acquiring environmental information indicating an environment around the vehicle, a driver information acquisition step of acquiring driver information of a driver of the vehicle, and when it is determined that the fuel efficiency of the vehicle has deteriorated based on the vehicle information indicating the fuel efficiency of the vehicle acquired by the vehicle information acquisition step, route information indicating the route to the destination of the vehicle acquired by the route information acquisition step and the traffic information acquisition step. The method includes a determination step of determining whether or not the driver is a cause of the deterioration in fuel efficiency based on at least one of traffic information indicating the traffic conditions around the vehicle acquired by the environmental information acquisition step and environmental information indicating the environment around the vehicle acquired by the environmental information acquisition step; an analysis step of analyzing at least one of the driving operation tendencies of the driver and the driving route tendencies based on the driver information of the driver of the vehicle acquired by the driver information acquisition step; and a notification control step of, if it is determined that the driver is a cause of the deterioration in fuel efficiency, changing the manner of notification in accordance with the analysis result in the analysis step to control the notification of the analysis result.

[0008] The program according to the present invention includes a vehicle information acquisition step of acquiring vehicle information indicating the fuel efficiency of a vehicle, a route information acquisition step of acquiring route information indicating a route to a destination of the vehicle, a traffic information acquisition step of acquiring traffic information indicating a traffic condition around the vehicle, an environmental information acquisition step of acquiring environmental information indicating an environment around the vehicle, and a driver information acquisition step of acquiring driver information of a driver of the vehicle. When it is determined that the fuel efficiency of the vehicle has deteriorated based on the vehicle information indicating the fuel efficiency of the vehicle acquired by the vehicle information acquisition step, route information indicating the route to the destination of the vehicle acquired by the route information acquisition step and route information indicating the vehicle information acquired by the traffic information acquisition step are acquired. The method has a computer operating as a driving assistance control device execute the following steps: a determination step for determining whether or not the driver is a cause of the deterioration in fuel efficiency based on at least one of traffic information indicating the traffic conditions in the vicinity of the vehicle and environmental information indicating the environment around the vehicle acquired by the environmental information acquisition step; an analysis step for analyzing at least one of the driver's driving operation tendencies and the driving route tendencies based on the driver information of the driver of the vehicle acquired by the driver information acquisition step; and a notification control step for, if it is determined that the driver is a cause of the deterioration in fuel efficiency, changing the manner of the notification in accordance with the analysis result in the analysis step and controlling the notification to notify the analysis result. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a driving assistance control device, a driving assistance method, and a program that more appropriately notify a driver when a deterioration in fuel efficiency of a vehicle is detected. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a driving assistance device including a driving assistance control device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a notification mode for each driving tendency. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing in the driving assistance control device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A driving assistance control device, a driving assistance method, and a program according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0012] [Embodiment] <Driving assistance device> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a driving assistance device including a driving assistance control device according to an embodiment. When the fuel efficiency of a vehicle deteriorates, the driving assistance device 10 notifies a user of fuel efficiency information including a cause of the deterioration of fuel efficiency. When the cause of the deterioration of fuel efficiency is the driver, the driving assistance device 10 determines at least one of the driver's driving operation tendency (habit) and the driving route preference (tendency), and determines a notification mode based on the determination result and notifies the driver. The driving assistance device 10 may be mounted on a vehicle, or may be portable and brought into the vehicle. The driving assistance device 10 may be configured as a device installed in the vehicle, a portable terminal, or a combination of several devices. The driving assistance device 10 includes a storage unit 15, a notification unit 18, a communication unit 19, and a driving assistance control device 20.

[0013] The storage unit 15 stores at least one history of vehicle information, route information, traffic information, and environmental information, which will be described later. When the storage unit 15 stores two or more histories of vehicle information, route information, traffic information, and environmental information, the storage unit 15 stores them in a linked manner. The storage unit 15 is, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a flash memory, or a recording unit such as a memory card. Alternatively, the storage unit 15 may be an external recording unit wirelessly connected via a communication device (not shown).

[0014] The notification unit 18 notifies the user of the notification device 40 of the fuel efficiency information. The notification unit 18 includes at least one of a display unit and an audio output unit. The notification unit 18 controls the notification of the fuel efficiency information based on a control signal from a notification control unit 38 of the driving assistance control device 20.

[0015] The function of the notification unit 18 as a display unit will be described. The notification unit 18 is, for example, a display device specific to the driving assistance device 10, or a display device shared with other systems such as a navigation system. The notification unit 18 displays an image showing fuel efficiency information on the display unit based on a video signal output from a notification control unit 38 of the driving assistance control device 20.

[0016] The function of the notification unit 18 as a voice output unit will be described. The notification unit 18 is, for example, a voice output unit specific to the driving assistance device 10, or a voice output unit shared with other systems such as a navigation system. When the notification unit 18 is a voice output unit, it controls a voice indicating fuel efficiency information that is output from the voice output unit based on a voice signal output from a notification control unit 38 of the driving assistance control device 20.

[0017] The communication unit 19 is a communication unit. The communication unit 19 may perform communication via any method, such as the Internet or a mobile phone line. The communication unit 19 is connected so as to be able to communicate data with an external device via a communication network (not shown).

[0018] <Driver assistance control device> The driving assistance control device 20 may be implemented as one of the functions of a navigation system for a vehicle. The driving assistance control device 20 is, for example, an arithmetic processing device configured with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like. The driving assistance control device 20 executes instructions included in a program stored in a storage unit (not shown). When the fuel efficiency of the vehicle deteriorates, the driving assistance control device 20 notifies the user of fuel efficiency information including the cause of the deterioration of fuel efficiency. The driving assistance control device 20 has a vehicle information acquisition unit 21, a route information acquisition unit 22, a traffic information acquisition unit 23, an environmental information acquisition unit 24, a driver information acquisition unit 25, a determination unit 31, an analysis unit 32, a notification control unit 38, and a communication control unit 39.

[0019] The vehicle information acquisition unit 21 acquires vehicle information indicating the fuel efficiency of the vehicle and at least one of the running state and driving operation of the vehicle from a CAN (Controller Area Network) and various sensors that detect the state of the vehicle, etc. The vehicle information acquisition unit 21 stores the acquired vehicle information in the storage unit 15 as a history.

[0020] The vehicle information is information indicating at least one of the following: the vehicle's fuel efficiency, the vehicle's driving state, the vehicle speed (acceleration or deceleration), the acceleration, the brake operation, the accelerator operation, the engine speed, the idling ratio, the load weight, and the operating state of the air conditioner.

[0021] The route information acquisition unit 22 acquires route information to the destination of the vehicle from the navigation system. The route information acquisition unit 22 stores the acquired route information in the storage unit 15 as a history.

[0022] The route information is, for example, information indicating a route to a destination of the vehicle. The route information may include map information corresponding to the route to the destination of the vehicle. The map information includes, for example, at least one of roads, speed limits, gradients, curves, and traffic lights.

[0023] The traffic information acquisition unit 23 acquires traffic information from a navigation system or an external device via the communication unit 19. The traffic information acquisition unit 23 stores the acquired traffic information in the storage unit 15 as history.

[0024] The traffic information is information that indicates the state of traffic around the vehicle, and includes, for example, at least one of congestion information, construction information, and regulation information.

[0025] The environmental information acquisition unit 24 acquires environmental information from an external device via the communication unit 19. The environmental information acquisition unit 24 stores the acquired environmental information in the storage unit 15 as history.

[0026] The environmental information is information that indicates the environment around the vehicle, such as weather information.

[0027] The weather information includes, for example, temperature information. The weather information includes, for example, information on weather conditions that cause poor visibility, such as rainfall, snowfall, fog, etc. The weather information includes, for example, information on weather conditions (wind direction, wind speed) that cause increased air resistance to the traveling of a vehicle, such as strong winds.

[0028] The driver information acquisition unit 25 acquires driver information indicating the driving operation of the driver from the CAN, various sensors that detect the driving operation, etc. The driver information acquisition unit 25 stores the acquired driver information in the storage unit 15 as a history.

[0029] The driver information is information about the driver of the vehicle. The driver information is, for example, a history of driving operations such as accelerator operation, brake operation, and steering operation. The driver information may include, for example, a history of air conditioner operation. The driver information may include, for example, a history of operations in a car navigation system.

[0030] The determination unit 31 determines whether the fuel efficiency of the vehicle has deteriorated. When the determination unit 31 determines that the fuel efficiency of the vehicle has deteriorated based on the vehicle information acquisition unit 21, the route information acquisition unit 22, the traffic information acquisition unit 23, the environmental information acquisition unit 24, and the driver information acquisition unit 25, the determination unit 31 determines whether the driver is the cause of the deterioration of the fuel efficiency based on at least one of the route information acquired by the route information acquisition unit 22, the traffic information acquired by the traffic information acquisition unit 23, and the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 24.

[0031] More specifically, the determination unit 31 determines whether or not the fuel economy of the vehicle has deteriorated at predetermined intervals based on the vehicle information. The determination unit 31 determines whether or not the fuel economy of the vehicle has deteriorated based on the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 21. The determination unit 31 determines that the fuel economy of the vehicle has deteriorated, for example, when the fuel economy has deteriorated by 20% or more.

[0032] The predetermined interval is, for example, a predetermined time interval of about 10 minutes, or a predetermined distance interval of about 5 km.

[0033] The determination unit 31 determines whether the driver is the cause of the deterioration of fuel efficiency based on at least one of the route information, the traffic information, and the environmental information indicating the environment around the vehicle. More specifically, the determination unit 31 determines whether the driver is the cause of the deterioration of fuel efficiency based on at least one of the route information acquired by the route information acquisition unit 22, the traffic information acquired by the traffic information acquisition unit 23, and the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 24.

[0034] The determination unit 31 determines that the driver is the cause of the deterioration in fuel efficiency when there are no special circumstances such as route information indicating that the route has many gradients, curves or stop signs, traffic information indicating congestion, construction or restrictions, and environmental information indicating poor visibility or strong winds, and fuel efficiency is deteriorating.

[0035] The analysis unit 32 analyzes at least one of the driver's driving operation tendency (habits) and the driving route tendency (habits).

[0036] The analysis unit 32 analyzes the driving operation tendency of the driver based on the driver information of the vehicle driver. More specifically, the analysis unit 32 analyzes the driving operation tendency of the driver based on the history of the driver information stored in the memory unit 15.

[0037] For example, based on the driver information history, if the number of accelerations and decelerations is high compared to standard driving operations that are stored in advance, the analysis unit 32 determines that the high number of accelerations and decelerations is a tendency of the driver's driving operations.

[0038] For example, if the analysis unit 32 determines based on the driver information history that the driver repeatedly decelerates suddenly just before turning right or left or stopping over a specified period of time, the analysis unit 32 determines that the driver's driving tendency is to decelerate suddenly just before turning right or left or stopping.

[0039] For example, if the analysis unit 32 determines based on the driver information history that the driver repeatedly accelerates suddenly when starting off over a predetermined period of time, the analysis unit 32 determines that the driver's driving tendency is to accelerate suddenly when starting off.

[0040] For example, based on the driver information history, if it is repeatedly indicated over a predetermined period of time that the driver accelerates and passes through an intersection when the light turns yellow, the analysis unit 32 determines that the driver's driving tendency is to accelerate and pass through an intersection when the light turns yellow.

[0041] For example, if the analysis unit 32 determines based on the driver information history that the driver repeatedly idles unnecessarily over a specified period of time even when it is not harsh winter or when the vehicle is parked for a long period of time, the analysis unit 32 determines that unnecessary idling even when it is not harsh winter or when the vehicle is parked for a long period of time is a tendency of the driver's driving operation.

[0042] For example, based on the driver information history, if there are many lane changes compared to standard driving operations that are stored in advance, the analysis unit 32 determines that frequent lane changes are a tendency of the driver's driving operations.

[0043] For example, when the analysis unit 32 determines that the driver's driving operation tends to use the air conditioner even when the temperature is not high, based on the driver information history and the use of the air conditioner is indicated when the temperature is equal to or lower than a threshold temperature repeatedly over a predetermined period of time. The threshold temperature is, for example, 25°C.

[0044] For example, if the set temperature of the air conditioner is repeatedly indicated to be low (high) over a predetermined period based on the driver information history, the analysis unit 32 determines that the set temperature of the air conditioner is low (high) as a driving operation tendency of the driver. If the set temperature of the air conditioner is 25°C or higher during heating, the set temperature of the air conditioner is determined to be high. If the set temperature of the air conditioner is 20°C or lower during cooling, the set temperature of the air conditioner is determined to be low.

[0045] For example, if the analysis unit 32 determines that the air conditioner's air volume is too strong repeatedly over a predetermined period based on the driver information history, the analysis unit 32 determines that the air conditioner's air volume is too strong as a driving operation tendency of the driver.

[0046] The analysis unit 32 analyzes the tendency of the driving route based on the route information of the vehicle. More specifically, the analysis unit 32 analyzes the tendency of the driving route based on the history of the route information stored in the storage unit 15.

[0047] For example, if the analysis unit 32 determines based on the route information history that the driver has repeatedly driven routes that include traffic jams or uphill sections and have beautiful scenery over a specified period of time, the analysis unit 32 determines that the driver's driving routes have a tendency to drive routes that include traffic jams or uphill sections and have beautiful scenery.

[0048] For example, if the analysis unit 32 determines based on the route information history that the driver has repeatedly taken shortcuts during congestion or traffic jams over a specified period of time, the analysis unit 32 determines that the driver's driving route has a tendency to take shortcuts during congestion or traffic jams.

[0049] For example, if the analysis unit 32 determines based on the route information history that the driver has repeatedly driven without setting a route over a predetermined period of time, the analysis unit 32 determines that driving without setting a route is a tendency of the driver's driving routes.

[0050] The notification control unit 38 controls the notification so as to change the notification mode in accordance with the analysis result of the analysis unit 32 and notify the analysis result.

[0051] The notification mode is at least any one of the contents of the notification, the timing of the notification, the number of notifications, and the notification recipients according to the analysis results of the analysis unit 32.

[0052] For example, if it is analyzed that the number of accelerations and decelerations is higher than average and that fuel efficiency will deteriorate, the driver may be advised to try to release the accelerator just before the vehicle comes to a stop and use the engine brake to slow down the speed, rather than pressing the accelerator until the vehicle is about to come to a stop and then suddenly braking.However, if the driver has strong driving habits (repeating the same type of driving operation more times than average), he or she may not be accustomed to operating the engine brake, which may cause inconvenience to following vehicles or create traffic jams.

[0053] Therefore, for example, when it is analyzed that the number of accelerations and decelerations is higher than the standard and fuel economy is deteriorated, the notification control unit 38 advises the driver to leave a margin of distance between vehicles and reduce the number of accelerations and decelerations. In this way, when the driver's driving habits are too strong, the notification control unit 38 advises the driver to use driving operations that are not the most effective for improving fuel economy but that are easy to acquire driving sense and skills even if the driver has driving habits.

[0054] In addition, if the driver is notified immediately after the deterioration of fuel efficiency is detected, the driver can be made to specifically recognize the situation and be alerted in real time, but if the driver is advised on driving operations that are not easy to handle while driving, the driver may feel anxious or annoyed, and may not be able to drive stably. Therefore, the notification control unit 38 notifies the driver after moving to a safe place due to road or traffic conditions, or when there is sufficient time to drive.

[0055] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a notification mode for each driving tendency. The notification control unit 38 notifies the driver of the notification content shown in FIG.

[0056] For example, when the driver has a tendency (habit) of accelerating and decelerating frequently even when there is no traffic jam, the notification control unit 38 notifies the driver of one of the following advices: "Keep a constant speed", "Adjust the accelerator pedal pressure to keep a constant speed", or "Keep a margin of distance between vehicles". In this case, the notification control unit 38 immediately notifies the driver if the vehicle is not on a downhill or curve after detecting the deterioration of fuel efficiency. For example, when the driver has a driving habit, the notification control unit 38 increases the number of notifications compared to when the driver does not have the driving habit. For example, when the current position of the vehicle is on a downhill or curve, if the driver has the driving habit, the notification control unit 38 notifies the driver after the downhill or curve ends.

[0057] For example, when the driver has a tendency to suddenly decelerate just before turning or stopping, the notification control unit 38 issues one of the following advice: "Slow down early," or "Slow down early, release the accelerator early to apply engine brake, and apply the brakes after the speed has decreased." In this case, when issuing a notification just before a point where the driver will turn or stop after detecting a deterioration in fuel efficiency, if the driver has a driving habit, the notification control unit 38 issues the notification earlier (when there is sufficient time before approaching each point) compared to when the driver does not have the driving habit.

[0058] For example, when the driver has a driving tendency to suddenly accelerate when starting, the notification control unit 38 notifies the driver of one of the advices, "Start (accelerate) slowly" or "Adjust the accelerator pedal pressure so as to start (accelerate) slowly." In this case, the notification control unit 38 notifies the driver, for example, immediately after detecting the deterioration of fuel efficiency or before starting.

[0059] For example, if the driver has a driving tendency to accelerate and pass through an intersection when the light turns yellow, the notification control unit 38 issues an advice such as "Avoid sudden acceleration near an intersection." In this case, when issuing a notification before an intersection that is passed after detecting deterioration in fuel efficiency, if the driver has a driving habit, the notification control unit 38 issues the notification earlier (when there is sufficient time before approaching each point) compared to when the driver does not have the driving habit.

[0060] For example, when there is a driving tendency to unnecessary idling even when it is not a severe winter or when the vehicle is not parked for a long time, the notification control unit 38 issues an advice to "stop idling." In this case, the notification control unit 38 issues a notification, for example, immediately after detecting deterioration in fuel efficiency or when the vehicle is parked.

[0061] For example, if the driver has a tendency to frequently change lanes, the notification control unit 38 issues an advice such as "Avoid changing lanes." In this case, the notification control unit 38 issues a notification immediately after detecting deterioration in fuel efficiency or when the driver frequently changes lanes.

[0062] For example, when there is a tendency to use the air conditioner even though the temperature is not high, the notification control unit 38 issues the advice "Turn off the air conditioner and open the window." In this case, the notification control unit 38 issues the notification immediately after detecting deterioration in fuel efficiency or when the air conditioner is used, for example.

[0063] For example, if the air conditioner temperature setting tends to be too low (high), the notification control unit 38 issues the advice "Reconsider the temperature setting." In this case, the notification control unit 38 issues the notification immediately after detecting a deterioration in fuel efficiency or when the air conditioner is in use, for example.

[0064] For example, if the air conditioner's air volume tends to be too strong, the notification control unit 38 issues the advice "Reassess the air volume." In this case, the notification control unit 38 issues the notification immediately after detecting a deterioration in fuel efficiency or when the air conditioner is in use, for example.

[0065] For example, if the driver tends to drive on a scenic route even if the route is congested or has an uphill section, the notification control unit 38 issues advice such as "A route with poor fuel efficiency has been set" or "We can guide you to an alternative route that avoids the congested route or uphill section." In this case, the notification control unit 38 issues a notification immediately after detecting the deterioration of fuel efficiency or during route search, for example.

[0066] For example, if there is a tendency to take shortcuts during congestion, the notification control unit 38 issues one of the following advice: "Take a route with poor fuel efficiency," "We can recommend an alternative route that avoids narrow alleys and unpaved roads with many stops and acceleration / deceleration," or "We can recommend an alternative route with better fuel efficiency or travel time." In this case, the notification control unit 38 issues a notification immediately after detecting a deterioration in fuel efficiency or during route searching, for example.

[0067] For example, when there is a tendency not to set a route, the notification control unit 38 notifies the driver of one of the advices, "No route is set" or "If you set a route, we can guide you to a route with good fuel efficiency or required time." In this case, the notification control unit 38 notifies the driver, for example, immediately after detecting a deterioration in fuel efficiency or during route search.

[0068] In this embodiment, the notification control unit 38 may change the mode of notification when fuel efficiency does not improve after the notification. More specifically, when the fuel efficiency of the vehicle deteriorates after the notification and it is determined that the driver is the cause of the deterioration of fuel efficiency, the notification control unit 38 may repeat a notification similar to the content already notified (the driver's cause is the same or similar), and may change the mode of notification according to the number of repetitions. For example, when the number of repetitions is less than a predetermined value, the notification control unit 38 changes the content of the notification to compulsory advice, and when the number of repetitions is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the notification control unit 38 temporarily suspends the notification during driving and changes the notification to be given at least when driving ends or when driving starts next time.

[0069] In this embodiment, if fuel economy does not improve after the notification, the notification control unit 38 may increase the number of notifications by, for example, repeating the notification at a predetermined time interval.

[0070] In this embodiment, if the fuel economy does not improve after the notification, the notification control unit 38 may notify a person other than the driver. If the vehicle is a business vehicle, in other words, if the vehicle is driven for business purposes, the notification control unit 38 notifies a supervisor, such as the driver's boss, in addition to the driver himself / herself.

[0071] The communication control unit 39 controls transmission and reception of data via the communication unit 19. The communication control unit 39 receives data via the communication unit 19, for example, from an external device.

[0072] <Processing in the driving assistance control device> Next, information processing in the driving assistance device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the driving assistance control device according to the embodiment.

[0073] The driving assistance control device 20 determines whether or not fuel efficiency has deteriorated (step S101). More specifically, the driving assistance control device 20 determines whether or not fuel efficiency has deteriorated based on vehicle information using the determination unit 31. When the determination unit 31 determines that fuel efficiency has deteriorated (Yes in step S101), the driving assistance control device 20 proceeds to step S102. When the determination unit 31 does not determine that fuel efficiency has deteriorated (No in step S101), the driving assistance control device 20 executes the process of step S101 again.

[0074] When it is determined that the fuel economy has deteriorated (Yes in step S101), the driving assistance control device 20 determines whether or not the driver is the cause (step S102). More specifically, when the driving assistance control device 20 determines by the determination unit 31 that the driver is the cause of the deterioration of fuel economy when there are no special circumstances such as route information indicating that the route has many gradients, curves, or stops, traffic information indicating congestion, construction, and regulations, and environmental information indicating poor visibility and strong winds, the driving assistance control device 20 determines that the driver is the cause of the deterioration of fuel economy. When the determination unit 31 determines that the driver is the cause (Yes in step S102), the driving assistance control device 20 proceeds to step S103. When the determination unit 31 determines that the driver is not the cause (No in step S102), the driving assistance control device 20 proceeds to step S105.

[0075] When it is determined that the driver is the cause (Yes in step S102), the cause is analyzed (step S103). More specifically, the driving assistance control device 20 analyzes at least one of the tendency of the driver's driving operation and the tendency of the driving route by the analysis unit 32. The driving assistance control device 20 proceeds to step S104.

[0076] The driving assistance control device 20 notifies the fuel efficiency information including the factors (step S104). More specifically, the driving assistance control device 20 controls the notification control unit 38 to change the notification mode according to the analysis result of the analysis unit, and to notify the fuel efficiency information including the analysis result. The driving assistance control device 20 ends the process.

[0077] The driving assistance control device 20 notifies the fuel efficiency information (step S105). More specifically, the driving assistance control device 20 controls the notification control unit 38 to notify the fuel efficiency information. The driving assistance control device 20 ends the processing. Here, the fuel efficiency information may be, for example, fuel efficiency information including factors other than the driver (tire wear, oil change, oil filter change, etc.) based on information acquired from various sensors that detect the state of the vehicle.

[0078] <Effects> As described above, according to this embodiment, when the fuel efficiency of the vehicle deteriorates, the fuel efficiency information including the cause of the deterioration of the fuel efficiency can be notified to the user. According to this embodiment, when the cause of the deterioration of the fuel efficiency is the driver, at least one of the driver's driving tendency (habit) and the driving route preference (tendency) is determined, and the driver can be notified by determining the notification mode based on the determination result. According to this embodiment, when the cause of the deterioration of the fuel efficiency is the driver, the driver's driving tendency and the driving route preference are taken into account, and the fuel efficiency information can be appropriately notified to the driver. In this way, this embodiment can more appropriately notify when the deterioration of the fuel efficiency of the vehicle is detected. This embodiment can increase the effectiveness of the response.

[0079] In this embodiment, the manner in which fuel efficiency information is notified is changed according to the analysis result. As a result, this embodiment can reduce the risk that the driver will unintentionally try to correct the driving operation and impair stable driving. This embodiment can reduce the risk that the driver will find advice for improving fuel efficiency annoying.

[0080] In this embodiment, if the fuel economy does not improve after the notification, the manner of notification can be changed. According to this embodiment, the fuel economy information can be notified more appropriately.

[0081] Each component of the illustrated driving support device 10 is a functional concept, and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as illustrated. In other words, the specific form of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or part of the device may be functionally or physically distributed or integrated in any unit depending on the processing load and usage status of each device.

[0082] The configuration of the driving assistance device 10 is realized, for example, as software by a program loaded into a memory. In the above embodiment, the functional blocks are described as being realized by the cooperation of these hardware and software. In other words, these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by only hardware, only software, or a combination of both.

[0083] The components described above include those that a person skilled in the art can easily imagine and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the configurations described above can be appropriately combined. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the configurations are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 10 Driving assistance devices 15 Storage section 18. Notification Department 19 Communications Department 20 Driving assistance control device 21 Vehicle Information Acquisition Department 22 Route information acquisition unit 23 Traffic information acquisition department 24 Environmental Information Acquisition Department 25 Driver Information Acquisition Department 31 Judgment section 32 Analysis Department 38 Notification control section 39 Communication control section

Claims

1. a determination unit that, when it is determined that the fuel efficiency of the vehicle has deteriorated based on vehicle information indicating the fuel efficiency of the vehicle, determines whether or not the driver is the cause of the deterioration of the fuel efficiency based on at least one of route information indicating a route to a destination of the vehicle, traffic information indicating a traffic state around the vehicle, and environmental information indicating an environment around the vehicle; an analysis unit that analyzes at least one of a driving operation tendency of the driver of the vehicle and a driving route tendency based on at least one of driver information of the driver of the vehicle and the route information; a notification control unit that controls, when it is determined that the driver is the cause of the deterioration of fuel efficiency, to change a manner of notification in accordance with an analysis result of the analysis unit and to notify the analysis result; A driving assistance control device comprising:

2. The notification control unit, when fuel efficiency is not improved after notifying the analysis result, changes a manner of notification and notifies the user. The driving assistance control device according to claim 1 .

3. The notification mode is at least one of the content of the notification according to the analysis result of the analysis unit, the timing of the notification, the number of notifications, and the notification destination. The driving assistance control device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a vehicle information acquisition step of acquiring vehicle information indicating the fuel efficiency of the vehicle, a route information acquisition step of acquiring route information indicating a route to a destination of the vehicle, a traffic information acquisition step of acquiring traffic information indicating traffic conditions around the vehicle, an environmental information acquisition step of acquiring environmental information indicating the environment around the vehicle, and a driver information acquisition step of acquiring driver information of the driver of the vehicle. If it is determined that the fuel efficiency of the vehicle has deteriorated based on the vehicle information indicating the fuel efficiency of the vehicle acquired by the vehicle information acquisition step, a determination step of determining whether or not the driver is a cause of the deterioration of the fuel efficiency based on at least one of route information indicating the route to the destination of the vehicle acquired by the route information acquisition step, traffic information indicating traffic conditions around the vehicle acquired by the traffic information acquisition step, and environmental information indicating the environment around the vehicle acquired by the environmental information acquisition step. an analysis step of analyzing at least one of a driving operation tendency of the driver and a driving route tendency of the driver based on the driver information of the driver of the vehicle acquired by the driver information acquisition step; a notification control step of controlling the notification of the analysis result by changing a notification mode in accordance with the analysis result in the analysis step when it is determined that the driver is the cause of the deterioration of fuel efficiency; A driving assistance method comprising:

5. a vehicle information acquisition step of acquiring vehicle information indicating the fuel efficiency of the vehicle, a route information acquisition step of acquiring route information indicating a route to a destination of the vehicle, a traffic information acquisition step of acquiring traffic information indicating traffic conditions around the vehicle, an environmental information acquisition step of acquiring environmental information indicating the environment around the vehicle, and a driver information acquisition step of acquiring driver information of the driver of the vehicle. If it is determined that the fuel efficiency of the vehicle has deteriorated based on the vehicle information indicating the fuel efficiency of the vehicle acquired by the vehicle information acquisition step, a determination step of determining whether or not the driver is a cause of the deterioration of the fuel efficiency based on at least one of route information indicating the route to the destination of the vehicle acquired by the route information acquisition step, traffic information indicating traffic conditions around the vehicle acquired by the traffic information acquisition step, and environmental information indicating the environment around the vehicle acquired by the environmental information acquisition step. an analysis step of analyzing at least one of a driving operation tendency of the driver and a driving route tendency of the driver based on the driver information of the driver of the vehicle acquired by the driver information acquisition step; a notification control step of controlling the notification of the analysis result by changing a notification mode in accordance with the analysis result in the analysis step when it is determined that the driver is the cause of the deterioration of fuel efficiency; A program for causing a computer operating as a driving assistance control device to execute the above.

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