Drive assistance device, drive assistance system, and drive assistance method

Abstract

To provide a drive assistance device capable of giving appropriate warnings according to the condition of a road on which a vehicle is traveling and the driving conditions of the vehicle.SOLUTION: A drive assistance device 100 includes a vehicle information acquisition unit 111 for acquiring vehicle information about a vehicle and an on-board information acquisition unit 112 for acquiring on-board information, which is information about the state of luggage mounted on the vehicle and / or the state of occupants riding in the vehicle. The drive assistance device 100 also includes a danger determination unit 113 that determines a degree of danger to the vehicle based on road information, which is the information stored in a storage unit 120 in advance, indicating the condition of the road on the route the vehicle is scheduled to travel, vehicle information, and on-board information. The drive assistance device 100 also includes a notification unit 114 that provides notification of warning information via an on-board device installed in the vehicle when danger is estimated on the route the vehicle is scheduled to travel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, there have been proposed techniques for issuing warnings to vehicles according to the condition of the road on which the vehicle is traveling and the vehicle's traveling conditions. Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle warning device that issues a warning to the vehicle by a warning means of a control ECU. The vehicle warning device disclosed in Patent Document 1 issues a warning of a decrease in vehicle speed due to a detected sag portion of the road and controls the vehicle speed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-257635 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The vehicle warning device disclosed in Patent Document 1 always issues a warning according to the detected sag and vehicle speed. However, in an actual vehicle, there are cases where a warning is not necessary depending on the number of passengers on board, the state of the luggage carried, the type of vehicle, etc. If a warning is issued even when a warning is not necessary, the driver may not regard the warning as important, which may lead to a delayed response to the vehicle.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems inherent in the conventional technology, and an object of the present invention is to provide a driving assistance device that can provide an appropriate warning according to the condition of the road on which the vehicle is traveling and the traveling situation of the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information related to the vehicle, an on-board information acquisition unit that acquires on-board information which is information related to the condition of luggage loaded in the vehicle and / or the condition of passengers in the vehicle, a risk determination unit that determines the level of risk to the vehicle based on information previously stored in a memory unit, including road information indicating the condition of roads on a route along which the vehicle is scheduled to travel, the vehicle information, and the on-board information, and a notification unit that notifies warning information via an on-board device installed in the vehicle when the risk determination unit predicts danger on the route along which the vehicle is scheduled to travel.

[0007] A driving assistance system according to another aspect of the present invention is a driving assistance system including an on-board device mounted on a vehicle and a driving assistance apparatus, wherein the on-board device acquires vehicle information including the driving conditions of the vehicle and on-board information which is information regarding the state of luggage loaded in the vehicle and / or the state of passengers in the vehicle via a sensor provided in the vehicle, and the driving assistance apparatus has a vehicle information acquisition unit which acquires the vehicle information from the on-board device, an on-board information acquisition unit which acquires the on-board information from the on-board device, a risk determination unit which determines a risk level to the vehicle based on information stored in advance in a memory unit, the road information indicating the state of roads on the route along which the vehicle is scheduled to travel, the vehicle information, and the on-board information, and a notification unit which notifies warning information via the on-board device provided in the vehicle when the risk determination unit estimates a risk on the route along which the vehicle is scheduled to travel.

[0008] A driving assistance method according to another aspect of the present invention is a driving assistance method executed by a computer, which acquires vehicle information regarding a vehicle, acquires on-board information which is information regarding the condition of luggage loaded in the vehicle and / or the condition of passengers in the vehicle, and determines a level of danger to the vehicle based on road information indicating the condition of roads on a route along which the vehicle is planned to travel, which is information previously stored in a memory unit, the vehicle information, and the on-board information, and if danger is estimated on the route along which the vehicle is planned to travel, notifies warning information via an on-board device installed in the vehicle. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a driving assistance device capable of issuing an appropriate warning according to the condition of the road on which the vehicle is traveling and the traveling situation of the vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a driving assistance system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2A] 2 is a diagram for explaining a crest portion of a road on which a vehicle applied to the driving assistance system according to the embodiment travels; FIG. [Figure 2B] 2 is a diagram for explaining a sag portion of a road on which a vehicle applied to the driving assistance system according to the embodiment travels. FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle device in the driving assistance system according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 5] 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6A] 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of vehicle information applied to the driving assistance device according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 6B] 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of road information applied to the driving assistance device according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 6C] 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of traffic congestion information applied to the driving assistance device according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process of the driving assistance device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process of the driving assistance device according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] The driving assistance device 100, the driving assistance system 10, and the driving assistance method according to the present embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for the convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual ratios. In addition, in the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals.

[0012] (Configuration of driving assistance system 10) 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a driving assistance system 10 according to this embodiment. The driving assistance system 10 includes a driving assistance device 100 and an in-vehicle device 200 provided in a vehicle 20. The driving assistance device 100 and the in-vehicle device 200 are capable of communicating with each other via a network 40.

[0013] The driving assistance system 10 determines whether to issue a warning based on road information indicating road conditions on a route along which the vehicle 20 is scheduled to travel, vehicle information regarding the vehicle 20, and the traveling conditions of the vehicle 20. When the driving assistance device 100 determines that it is necessary to issue a warning, it notifies the vehicle-mounted device 200 of the vehicle 20 of warning information, and causes the vehicle-mounted device 200 to issue a warning.

[0014] The information on the road condition applied in the driving assistance system 10 is, for example, information on the crest portion and sag portion of the road. Fig. 2A is a diagram for explaining the crest portion of the road on which the vehicle 20 applied to the driving assistance system 10 travels. In this specification, the crest portion corresponds to a convex portion of a longitudinal curve having the same shape as a quadratic parabola that is convex upward so that the longitudinal gradient of the road changes from an upward gradient direction to a downward gradient direction.

[0015] 2B is a diagram for explaining a sag section of a road on which a vehicle 20 applied to the driving assistance system 10 travels. In this specification, the sag section corresponds to a concave section of a vertical curve having the same shape as a quadratic parabola that is convex downward so that the vertical gradient changes from a downward gradient direction to an upward gradient direction.

[0016] In general, drivers have difficulty visually noticing crests and sags, and the reduction in speed makes congestion more likely. In addition, when the road surface is frozen, accidents are more likely to occur due to sudden speed changes at crests and sags. In addition, when a large amount of rain falls on a sag, such as during heavy rain, water may accumulate in the sag and the vehicle 20 may become submerged. Furthermore, at crests and sags, the change in speed is large, so that accidents may occur, such as the collapse of luggage carried on the vehicle 20, or when the vehicle 20 is a vehicle carrying passengers, such as a bus, and the passengers are standing, the passengers may fall over.

[0017] On the other hand, the shapes of the crest and sag portions vary depending on the inclination angle and the length of the road. Also, there are various types of vehicles 20, such as the size of the tires and the height of the vehicle 20, and the influence of the same crest and sag portions varies depending on the type of vehicle 20. That is, depending on the type of vehicle 20, there are vehicles 20 that are not influenced by crest and sag portions with a gentle gradient, and vehicles 20 that are influenced even by crest and sag portions with a gentle gradient.

[0018] Furthermore, even in the same vehicle 20, the influence of the crest and sag portions varies depending on the condition of the luggage carried and the condition of the passengers if the vehicle 20 is a passenger transport vehicle such as a bus.

[0019] Therefore, if a warning is always issued even before passing a crest or sag section that does not affect the vehicle, the importance of the warning (the level of attention when receiving the warning) may decrease. In other words, receiving unnecessary warnings may decrease the driver's attention to the warning.

[0020] The driving assistance system 10 according to this embodiment realizes a system capable of issuing appropriate warnings according to the condition of the road on which the vehicle 20 is traveling and the driving conditions of the vehicle 20.

[0021] (Configuration of the vehicle-mounted device 200) Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the vehicle-mounted device 200 in the driving assistance system 10 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the vehicle-mounted device 200 includes a CPU 210. The vehicle-mounted device 200 also includes a speed signal IF 231, an engine signal IF 232, a GPS IF 233 (Global Positioning System), an external input IF 234, and a sensor signal IF 235. The vehicle-mounted device 200 also includes a wide-area communication module 241, a non-volatile memory 242, a volatile memory 243, an SD card 244, a SW input unit 245, and an LCD 246 (Liquid Crystal Display).

[0022] The CPU 210 executes pre-installed programs to realize various functions required for the vehicle-mounted device 200. The main operations of the CPU 210 will be described later.

[0023] The speed signal IF 231 converts a predetermined vehicle speed signal output from the vehicle side into a signal suitable for input processing by the CPU 210. The CPU 210 can grasp the traveling speed and traveling distance of the vehicle 20 by monitoring the number of pulses and the signal period of the vehicle speed signal.

[0024] The engine signal IF 232 converts a predetermined engine rotation signal output from the vehicle side into a signal suitable for input processing by the CPU 210. The CPU 210 can grasp the engine rotation speed by monitoring the number of pulses and the signal period of the engine rotation signal.

[0025] The GPSIF 233 is used to input a signal from a GPS receiver (not shown) to the CPU 210. The GPS receiver receives radio waves from a plurality of GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites and can calculate the current position of the vehicle 20, which is the reception point. The CPU 210 can obtain information on the current position from the GPS receiver via the GPSIF 233.

[0026] The external input IF 234 converts a predetermined external signal into a signal suitable for input processing by the CPU 210. For example, a signal indicating a gear position is input as the predetermined external signal. Also, a signal indicating the magnitude of acceleration applied to the vehicle 20 can be input to the external input IF 234 as an external signal. Also, the predetermined external signal may be, for example, a signal from a camera mounted inside the vehicle.

[0027] The sensor signal IF235 is used to input information acquired by sensors provided in the vehicle 20, such as an angular velocity sensor, a weight sensor, a temperature sensor, etc., to the CPU 210. For example, when a predetermined millimeter wave sensor or a camera is provided as a sensor in the vehicle 20, the sensor signal IF235 can convert an analog signal acquired by the sensor into a digital signal and provide it to the CPU 210. For example, the information acquired via the sensor signal IF235 may include the height and weight of the cargo. Furthermore, the information acquired via the sensor signal IF235 may be the number of occupants acquired by a human presence sensor.

[0028] Furthermore, the sensor signal IF235 may obtain the inclination of the vehicle 20 from a yaw rate sensor provided on the vehicle 20, and input the inclination to the CPU 210. Furthermore, the sensor signal IF235 may sense torque value data of a driving motor, and input the obtained value to the CPU 210. Furthermore, the sensor signal IF235 may sense inclination data from an LI (load weight indicator), and input the obtained value to the CPU 210.

[0029] The wide-area communication module 241 has a function of establishing a wireless communication line with a wireless base station (not shown) provided by a mobile communication carrier, for example, and enabling wide-area wireless communication. The wide-area communication module 241 can communicate with the driving assistance device 100 via an antenna (not shown) and the network 40.

[0030] The non-volatile memory 242 is an electronic device such as a flash memory that can read data and rewrite the stored data by accessing the CPU 210. The non-volatile memory 242 is used to store data such as various parameters, constant data, programs, etc. used by the vehicle-mounted device 200.

[0031] The volatile memory 243 is a semiconductor memory device from which data can be read and written by access from the CPU 210. The volatile memory 243 is used to temporarily store various data handled by the CPU 210.

[0032] The SD card 244 is detachably connected to the vehicle-mounted device 200 using a predetermined card interface (not shown). The SD card 244 is used to store various data to be recorded by the vehicle-mounted device 200, such as operation data of the vehicle 20.

[0033] The SW input unit 245 includes switches that generate signals representing the operation states of a plurality of buttons for receiving input operations by a user such as a driver of the vehicle 20. For example, switch signals acquired by the SW input unit 245 include an ON / OFF signal of an ignition SW (not shown), an ON / OFF signal of a brake SW (not shown), an ON / OFF signal of a turn signal SW (not shown), etc. Signals of the operation states of each button (SW) are input from the SW input unit 245 to the CPU 210.

[0034] The LCD 246 is positioned on the front of the housing of the vehicle-mounted device 200 in a position that is easily visible to the driver, and is used under the control of the CPU 210 to display the operating status of the vehicle-mounted device 200 and to display information required for the user's input operations.

[0035] (Configuration of driving assistance device 100) 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the driving support device 100 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the driving support device 100 is configured by a general computer including a control unit 110, a storage unit 120, an input / output IF 130 (Interface), and a communication IF 140. The driving support device 100 may be mounted as a function on a cloud server, for example. The control unit 110 and the storage unit 120 will be described in detail later.

[0036] The input / output IF 130 is, for example, a component (interface) for a user to exchange data with the driving assistance device 100. The input / output IF 130 includes, for example, an input IF and an output IF (not shown).

[0037] The input IF in the input / output IF 130 has an interface function for inputting various information by the user, and information is input from outside the driving support device 100. Information is input to the input IF by the user via, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, a trackball, a voice recognition device, or the like, connected to the driving support device 100. The input IF can also input information as a data input terminal for inputting data from an external storage device (not shown) or the like.

[0038] The output IF in the input / output IF 130 can display vehicle information (described later) on a display device (not shown) connected to the driving support device 100. The display device is, for example, a display device, a projector device, or the like.

[0039] The communication IF 140 is an interface for enabling mutual communication between the driving assistance device 100 and the in-vehicle device 200 of the vehicle 20 via the network 40.

[0040] (Functional configuration of driving assistance device 100) Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the driving support device 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 5, the control unit 110 of the driving support device 100 includes, as functions, a vehicle information acquisition unit 111, an on-board information acquisition unit 112, a risk determination unit 113, and a notification unit 114. The control unit 110 of the driving support device 100 also includes, as functions, a traffic congestion information acquisition unit 115, and a road condition determination unit 116. Each function of the control unit 110 will be described later.

[0041] Furthermore, the control unit 110, for example, operates an operating system to control the entire driving support device 100. Furthermore, the control unit 110 operates based on a program stored in the storage unit 120 to execute each of the above-mentioned functions. Note that the program is not limited to being stored in the storage unit 120, and may be stored in, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) or the like (not shown) in the driving support device 100.

[0042] 5, the storage unit 120 stores information included in a vehicle information DB 121 (DB: Database), a road information DB 122, and a traffic congestion information DB 123 as data. The storage unit 120 for storing each of these data may be one or more. For example, a single storage unit 120 may be configured to store the data in separate areas. Alternatively, the data may be distributed and stored in a plurality of storage devices installed in physically separate locations.

[0043] Fig. 6A is a diagram for explaining an example of vehicle information applied to the driving support device 100 according to this embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 6A, information related to "vehicle ID", "vehicle model", "tire size", "vehicle height", "mounting information", "position", "speed", "acceleration", "engine speed", "incline angle", and "time" is stored.

[0044] The "Vehicle ID" field stores information for identifying the vehicle 20 that is the support target of the driving support system 10. The "Vehicle Type" field stores information related to the vehicle type that indicates the type of the vehicle 20.

[0045] The "Tire Size" field stores information regarding the size (outer diameter) of the tires of the vehicle 20. The "Vehicle Height" field stores information regarding the vehicle height (minimum ground clearance) that indicates the vertical distance from the horizontal ground surface to the lowest point of the vehicle 20.

[0046] The "Onboard Information" field stores information regarding the height and weight of the cargo carried and the number of passengers on board. The "Position", "Speed", "Acceleration", "Engine RPM", and "Tilt Angle" fields store information regarding the "Position", "Speed", "Acceleration", "Engine RPM", and "Tilt Angle" of the vehicle 20 acquired and transmitted via the vehicle-mounted device 200. The "Time" field stores information regarding the time when the information regarding the "Position", "Speed", "Acceleration", "Engine RPM", and / or "Tilt Angle" was stored.

[0047] 6B is a diagram for explaining an example of road information applied to the driving support device 100 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6B, the road information stores information on "position", "state", and "level". The information stored in this road information includes information previously detected while the vehicle 20 was traveling.

[0048] The "Position" field stores information about the position of the stored road information. The "Status" field indicates the state of the road at the location indicated by "Position". In the example shown in FIG. 6B, the "Status" field shows the crest and sag portions, but the road conditions are not limited to these two states. The "Level" field indicates the level of the contents stored in "Status". In this embodiment, the larger the number stored in "Level", the higher the level of the item indicated in "Status". For example, crest level 3 has a larger inclination angle for uphill and downhill than crest level 1.

[0049] Fig. 6C is a diagram for explaining an example of traffic congestion information applied to the driving assistance device 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 6C, the traffic congestion information stores information on "location", "status", and "level". The traffic congestion information may be information acquired by a beacon terminal mounted on the vehicle 20 or ETC (registered trademark) 2.0. In addition, the traffic congestion information may be information acquired by the driving assistance device 100 via the Internet.

[0050] The "Location" field stores location information where the congestion is occurring. The "Status" field stores information indicating the state of the congestion by the length of the congestion. The "Level" field stores information indicating the state of the congestion by a level (numerical value). For example, in this embodiment, if the length of the congestion is less than 4 km, it is determined as level 1, if it is between 4 km and 9 km, it is determined as level 2, and if it is 9 km or more, it is determined as level 3.

[0051] Next, each function of the control unit 110 of the driving assistance device 100 will be described in detail.

[0052] The vehicle information acquisition unit 111 acquires vehicle information related to the vehicle 20. The information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 111 is, for example, information related to "vehicle ID", "vehicle model", "tire size", and "vehicle height" shown in Fig. 6A. The information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 111 is information related to the traveling of the vehicle 20 (traveling conditions) related to "position", "speed", "acceleration", "engine speed", "incline angle", and "time" shown in Fig. 6A.

[0053] For example, a part of the vehicle information may be registered in advance in the in-vehicle device 200, and the driving support device 100 may acquire the information from the in-vehicle device 200 via the network 40 and store the information in the vehicle information DB 121. Alternatively, the vehicle information may be input in advance by a user via the input / output IF 130 of the driving support device 100 and stored in the vehicle information DB 121. Among the vehicle information, information related to the driving conditions is information acquired by the in-vehicle device 200 at a predetermined timing during actual driving of the vehicle 20.

[0054] The information relating to "position" may be information acquired via the GPS IF 233 of the in-vehicle device 200 and sent to the driving assistance device 100. Moreover, the information relating to "speed" may be information acquired via the speed signal IF 231 of the in-vehicle device 200 and sent to the driving assistance device 100. Moreover, the information relating to "acceleration" may be information acquired via the sensor signal IF 235 of the in-vehicle device 200 and sent to the driving assistance device 100.

[0055] Furthermore, the information regarding "engine speed" may be information acquired via the engine signal IF 232 of the in-vehicle device 200 and sent to the driving support device 100. Furthermore, the information regarding "time" may be information acquired via the CPU 210 of the in-vehicle device 200 and sent to the driving support device 100. Alternatively, the information regarding "time" may be information regarding the time at which information regarding the vehicle 20 periodically sent from the in-vehicle device 200 is stored in the vehicle information DB 121.

[0056] The information regarding the “inclination angle” is information regarding the inclination of the vehicle 20 that is acquired by a yaw rate sensor mounted on the vehicle 20 and sent to the driving assistance device 100 via the vehicle-mounted device 200 .

[0057] The on-board information acquisition unit 112 acquires on-board information, which is information regarding the state of luggage loaded on the vehicle 20 and / or the state of passengers on board the vehicle 20. The information acquired by the on-board information acquisition unit 112 is, for example, information regarding "on-board information" shown in FIG. 6A.

[0058] The information relating to the "on-board information" may be information acquired via the sensor signal IF 235 of the vehicle-mounted device 200 and sent to the driving assistance device 100, as described above.

[0059] The risk determination unit 113 determines the risk to the vehicle 20 based on information previously stored in the memory unit 120, including road information indicating the condition of roads on the route along which the vehicle 20 is scheduled to travel, vehicle information, and on-board information.

[0060] Specifically, the risk level determining unit 113 may determine that a road on a route along which the vehicle 20 is scheduled to travel is dangerous when, for example, the level of the crest portion of the road information is high (level 3).

[0061] Furthermore, even if the level of the crest portion of the road information is high (Level 1), the risk level determination unit 113 may determine that the road is dangerous if the tire size or vehicle height is shorter than a predetermined length. For example, the predetermined length of the tire size may be 50 cm. Also, the predetermined length of the vehicle height may be 30 cm.

[0062] In addition, the danger level determination unit 113 may determine that there is danger even if the level of the crest portion of the road information is high (level 1) if the height of the cargo in the cargo and occupant information is higher than a predetermined height or if there are more than a predetermined number of occupants on board.

[0063] When the risk level determination unit 113 estimates a risk on the route along which the vehicle 20 is scheduled to travel, the notification unit 114 notifies warning information via the vehicle-mounted device 200 provided in the vehicle 20. The vehicle-mounted device 200 that has acquired the warning information may display the warning information via the LCD 246. Alternatively, a warning may be generated by voice via a speaker. For example, the warning information may be a warning about a crest portion or a sag portion, such as "Be careful, there is a crest ahead" or "Be careful, there is a sag ahead."

[0064] The traffic congestion information acquisition unit 115 acquires traffic congestion information of the route along which the vehicle 20 is traveling via a GPS provided in the vehicle-mounted device 200. The traffic congestion information acquisition unit 115 may acquire the traffic congestion information as information acquired by a beacon terminal mounted on the vehicle 20 or ETC (registered trademark) 2.0. In addition, the traffic congestion information acquisition unit 115 may acquire the traffic congestion information as information acquired by the driving assistance device 100 via the Internet.

[0065] The road condition determination unit 116 determines the condition of the road on which the vehicle 20 is traveling based on the vehicle information and the congestion information, and stores the determined condition as road information in the storage unit 120. For example, the road condition determination unit 116 determines the road information according to the inclination angle included in the vehicle information at a predetermined position and the level of congestion included in the congestion information.

[0066] Specifically, the road condition determination unit 116 determines a position where an upward slope changes to a downward slope as a crest portion, and determines a position where a downward slope changes to an upward slope as a sag portion. The levels of the crest portion and the sag portion may be determined based on the inclination angle acquired as the vehicle information, as well as on acceleration information. Furthermore, the levels of the crest portion and the sag portion may be determined based on the level of congestion indicated by the congestion information, as well as on the inclination angle and acceleration information acquired as the vehicle information.

[0067] For example, when the upward inclination angle is large and no traffic jam occurs while decelerating, the crest and sag levels are generated according to the inclination angle and acceleration. When the upward inclination angle is large and traffic jam occurs while decelerating, the crest and sag levels are generated according to the acceleration information that takes into account the inclination angle and traffic jam information, taking into account the deceleration due to traffic jam. Specifically, when the upward inclination angle is large and traffic jam occurs while decelerating, traffic jam information is taken into account so that the value of the deceleration is subtracted. That is, the adjustment here is to reduce the deceleration due to traffic jam, since the deceleration due to traffic jam is larger than the deceleration due to the upward inclination in addition to the deceleration due to the upward inclination.

[0068] This enables the driving assistance device 100 according to this embodiment to detect the levels of the crest portion and the sag portion more accurately.

[0069] (Outline of processing flow of driving support device 100) Next, the flow of processing in the driving assistance device 100 will be shown using the flowcharts shown in Figures 7 and 8. The series of operations of the driving assistance device 100 shown in the flowcharts of Figures 7 and 8 starts when the driving assistance device 100 is started, and ends when the work is completed. The processing in the flowcharts shown in Figures 7 and 8 also ends when the power is turned off or an interrupt occurs to end the processing. In addition, in the following explanation of the flowcharts, the same contents as those described in the above explanation of the driving assistance system 10 and the driving assistance device 100 will be omitted or simplified.

[0070] First, notification of caution information (warning information) to the vehicle 20 shown in FIG. 7 will be described.

[0071] In step S701, the vehicle information acquisition unit 111 acquires vehicle information related to the vehicle 20. The information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 111 is, for example, information related to "vehicle ID", "vehicle model", "tire size", and "vehicle height" shown in Fig. 6A. The information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 111 is information related to the traveling of the vehicle 20 (traveling conditions) related to "position", "speed", "acceleration", "engine speed", "incline angle", and "time" shown in Fig. 6A. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S702.

[0072] In step S702, the on-board information acquisition unit 112 acquires on-board information, which is information regarding the state of luggage on board the vehicle 20 and / or the state of passengers on board the vehicle 20. The information acquired by the on-board information acquisition unit 112 is, for example, information regarding "on-board information" shown in FIG. 6A. The information regarding "on-board information" may be information acquired via the sensor signal IF 235 of the vehicle-mounted device 200 and sent to the driving assistance device 100, as described above. Then, the process proceeds to step S703.

[0073] In step S703, the risk determination unit 113 determines the risk to the vehicle 20 based on the road information indicating the state of the roads along the route along which the vehicle 20 is scheduled to travel, the vehicle information, and the onboard information, which are information stored in advance in the storage unit 120. Then, the process proceeds to step S704.

[0074] In step S704, if the risk determination unit 113 determines that the determined risk level is one that requires notification (step S704: YES), the process proceeds to step S705. On the other hand, in step S704, if the risk determination unit 113 determines that the determined risk level is one that does not require notification (step S704: NO), the process proceeds to step S706.

[0075] In step S705, when the risk level determination unit 113 estimates risk on the route along which the vehicle 20 is scheduled to travel, the notification unit 114 notifies warning information via the vehicle-mounted device 200 provided in the vehicle 20. The vehicle-mounted device 200 that has acquired the warning information may display the warning information via the LCD 246. Alternatively, the vehicle-mounted device 200 may generate a warning by voice via a speaker. For example, the warning information may be a warning about a crest portion or a sag portion, such as "Be careful, there is a crest ahead" or "Be careful, there is a sag ahead". After that, the process proceeds to step S706.

[0076] In step S706, if the control unit 110 determines that the system of the driving assistance device 100 has been terminated (step S706: YES), the process ends. On the other hand, in step S706, if the control unit 110 determines that the system of the driving assistance device 100 has not been terminated (step S706: NO), the process returns to step S702, and the process from step S702 is repeated. In this embodiment, the system may be terminated, for example, when the vehicle 20 arrives at the destination.

[0077] Next, the process of acquiring road conditions will be described with reference to FIG.

[0078] In step S801, the vehicle information acquisition unit 111 acquires vehicle information related to the vehicle 20. The information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 111 is, for example, information related to "vehicle ID", "vehicle model", "tire size", and "vehicle height" shown in Fig. 6A. The information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 111 is information related to the traveling of the vehicle 20 (traveling conditions) related to "position", "speed", "acceleration", "engine speed", "incline angle", and "time" shown in Fig. 6A. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S802.

[0079] In step S802, the control unit 110 determines whether the vehicle 20 is accelerating or decelerating based on the acquired "acceleration" information. In step S802, if the control unit 110 determines that the vehicle 20 is accelerating or decelerating based on the acquired "acceleration" information (step S802: YES), the process proceeds to step S803. On the other hand, in step S802, if the control unit 110 determines that the vehicle 20 is not accelerating or decelerating based on the acquired "acceleration" information (step S802: NO), the process returns to step S801, and the process from step S801 is repeated.

[0080] In step S803, the traffic congestion information acquisition unit 115 acquires traffic congestion information of the route along which the vehicle 20 is traveling via a GPS provided in the vehicle-mounted device 200. The traffic congestion information acquisition unit 115 may acquire the traffic congestion information as information acquired by a beacon terminal mounted on the vehicle 20 or ETC (registered trademark) 2.0. The traffic congestion information acquisition unit 115 may also acquire the traffic congestion information as information acquired by the driving assistance device 100 via the Internet. After that, the process proceeds to step S804.

[0081] In step S804, the road condition determination unit 116 determines the condition of the road on which the vehicle 20 is traveling based on the vehicle information and the congestion information. For example, the road condition determination unit 116 determines the road information according to the inclination angle included in the vehicle information at a predetermined position and the congestion level included in the congestion information. Then, the process proceeds to step S805.

[0082] In step S805, the road condition determination unit 116 determines whether or not it is necessary to record the road conditions. In step S805, if the road condition determination unit 116 determines that it is necessary to record the road conditions (step S805: YES), the process proceeds to step S806. On the other hand, in step S805, if the road condition determination unit 116 determines that it is not necessary to record the road conditions (step S805: NO), the process proceeds to step S807.

[0083] In step S806, the road condition determination unit 116 records the road conditions. Specifically, the road condition determination unit 116 stores the condition of the road on which the vehicle 20 is traveling as road information in the storage unit 120. After that, the process proceeds to step S807.

[0084] In step S807, if the control unit 110 determines that the system of the driving support device 100 has been terminated (step S807: YES), the process ends. On the other hand, in step S706, if the control unit 110 determines that the system of the driving support device 100 has not been terminated (step S807: NO), the process returns to step S801, and the process from step S801 is repeated. In this embodiment, the system may be terminated, for example, when the vehicle 20 arrives at the destination.

[0085] As described above, the driving support device 100 includes a vehicle information acquisition unit 111 that acquires vehicle information related to the vehicle 20, and an on-board information acquisition unit 112 that acquires on-board information that is information related to the state of luggage loaded on the vehicle 20 and / or the state of passengers on board the vehicle 20. The driving support device 100 also includes a risk determination unit 113 that determines a risk level for the vehicle 20 based on road information indicating the state of roads on a route along which the vehicle 20 is scheduled to travel, vehicle information, and on-board information, which are information that are stored in advance in the storage unit 120. The driving support device 100 also includes a notification unit 114 that notifies warning information via the vehicle-mounted device 200 provided in the vehicle 20 when the risk determination unit 113 estimates a risk on a route along which the vehicle 20 is scheduled to travel.

[0086] This enables the driving assistance device 100 to give an appropriate warning according to the condition of the road on which the vehicle 20 is traveling, the traveling conditions of the vehicle 20, and the conditions of the loaded baggage and occupants.

[0087] The driving support device 100 may further include a traffic congestion information acquisition unit 115 that acquires traffic congestion information of the route along which the vehicle 20 travels via a GPS provided in the in-vehicle device 200. The driving support device 100 may further include a road condition determination unit 116 that determines the condition of the road along which the vehicle 20 travels based on the vehicle information and the traffic congestion information, and stores the determined condition as road information in the storage unit 120. This enables the driving support device 100 to more accurately determine the road condition and store the determined condition in the storage unit 120.

[0088] (Other embodiments) Although the embodiments have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the present embodiments are not limited to the contents described in the above embodiments. 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. Various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the configurations can be made without departing from the spirit of the embodiments.

[0089] In addition, a computer program (driving assistance program) that causes a computer to execute the processing (driving assistance method) in the driving assistance device 100 described above, and a computer-readable recording medium on which the program is recorded, are included in the scope of this embodiment. Here, any type of computer-readable recording medium may be used. In addition, the computer program is not limited to one recorded on the recording medium, and may be one transmitted via a telecommunications line, a wireless or wired communication line, a network such as the Internet, or the like.

[0090] The features of the driving assistance device 100, the driving assistance system 10, and the driving assistance method will be described below.

[0091] The driving support device 100 according to the first aspect includes a vehicle information acquisition unit 111 that acquires vehicle information related to the vehicle 20, and an on-board information acquisition unit 112 that acquires on-board information that is information related to the state of luggage loaded on the vehicle 20 and / or the state of a passenger on board the vehicle 20. The driving support device 100 also includes a risk determination unit 113 that determines a risk level for the vehicle 20 based on road information indicating the state of roads on a route along which the vehicle 20 is scheduled to travel, the vehicle information, and the on-board information, which are information that are stored in advance in the storage unit 120. The driving support device 100 also includes a notification unit 114 that notifies warning information via the vehicle-mounted device 200 provided in the vehicle 20 when the risk determination unit 113 estimates a risk on a route along which the vehicle 20 is scheduled to travel.

[0092] According to the above configuration, the driving assistance device 100 can appropriately issue a warning according to the condition of the road on which the vehicle 20 is traveling, the traveling conditions of the vehicle 20, and the conditions of the loaded baggage and occupants.

[0093] The driving support device 100 according to the second embodiment may further include a traffic congestion information acquisition unit 115 that acquires traffic congestion information of the route along which the vehicle 20 travels, via a GPS provided in the in-vehicle device 200. The driving support device 100 may further include a road condition determination unit 116 that determines the condition of the road along which the vehicle 20 travels, based on the vehicle information and the traffic congestion information, and stores the determined condition in the storage unit 120 as road information.

[0094] According to the above configuration, the driving assistance device 100 can determine the road conditions more accurately and store the determined conditions in the storage unit 120.

[0095] The driving assistance system 10 according to the third embodiment includes an on-board device 200 mounted on the vehicle 20 and a driving assistance device 100. The on-board device 200 acquires vehicle information including the traveling status of the vehicle 20 and on-board information that is information regarding the state of luggage mounted on the vehicle 20 and / or the state of passengers riding in the vehicle 20 via a sensor provided on the vehicle 20. The driving assistance device 100 includes a vehicle information acquisition unit 111 that acquires the vehicle information from the on-board device 200, and an on-board information acquisition unit 112 that acquires the on-board information from the on-board device 200. The driving assistance device 100 also includes a risk determination unit 113 that determines a risk to the vehicle 20 based on road information indicating the state of roads on a route along which the vehicle 20 is scheduled to travel, the vehicle information, and the on-board information, which are information stored in advance in the storage unit 120. Furthermore, the driving assistance device 100 has a notification unit 114 that notifies warning information via the vehicle-mounted device 200 installed in the vehicle 20 when the danger level determination unit 113 predicts danger on the route along which the vehicle 20 is scheduled to travel.

[0096] According to the above configuration, the driving assistance system 10 can issue an appropriate warning depending on the condition of the road on which the vehicle 20 is traveling, the traveling conditions of the vehicle 20, and the conditions of the loaded luggage and occupants.

[0097] A driving assistance method according to a fourth aspect is a driving assistance method executed by a computer. The driving assistance method acquires vehicle information related to the vehicle 20, and acquires on-board information which is information related to the state of luggage loaded on the vehicle 20 and / or the state of passengers on board the vehicle 20. The driving assistance method also determines a degree of danger to the vehicle 20 based on road information indicating the state of roads on a route along which the vehicle 20 is scheduled to travel, the vehicle information, and the on-board information, which are information stored in advance in the storage unit 120. Furthermore, the driving assistance method notifies warning information via the vehicle-mounted device 200 provided in the vehicle 20 when a danger is estimated on the route along which the vehicle 20 is scheduled to travel.

[0098] According to the above configuration, the driving assistance method can provide an appropriate warning depending on the condition of the road on which the vehicle 20 is traveling, the traveling conditions of the vehicle 20, and the conditions of the luggage and occupants carried by the vehicle 20. [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] 10 Driving assistance systems 20 Vehicles 40 Network 100 Driving support device 110 Control section 111 Vehicle Information Acquisition Department 112 Onboard Information Acquisition Unit 113 Risk Assessment Department 114 Notification Department 115 Traffic Information Acquisition Unit 116 Road Condition Judgment Unit 120 Storage section 121 Vehicle Information DB 122 Road information DB 123 Traffic Information DB 130 Input / Output Interface 140 Communication Interface 200 Onboard equipment

Claims

1. A vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information related to a vehicle; a loading information acquisition unit that acquires loading information, which is information regarding the status of luggage loaded in the vehicle and / or the status of passengers riding in the vehicle; a risk determination unit that determines a risk to the vehicle based on road information that indicates a road condition on a route along which the vehicle is to travel, the vehicle information, and the on-board information, the road information being information that is stored in advance in a storage unit; a notification unit that notifies a driver of warning information via an in-vehicle device provided in the vehicle when the risk determination unit estimates a risk on a route along which the vehicle is scheduled to travel; A driving assistance device comprising:

2. a congestion information acquisition unit that acquires congestion information of a route along which the vehicle is traveling via a GPS provided in the vehicle-mounted device; a road condition determination unit that determines a condition of a road on which the vehicle is traveling based on the vehicle information and the congestion information, and stores the determined condition as the road information in the storage unit; The driving assistance device of claim 1 further comprising:

3. A driving assistance system including an on-board device mounted on a vehicle and a driving assistance device, The vehicle-mounted device acquires vehicle information including a driving status of the vehicle and on-board information which is information regarding a state of luggage loaded on the vehicle and / or a state of a passenger on the vehicle via a sensor provided on the vehicle; The driving assistance device includes: a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires the vehicle information from the vehicle-mounted device; an on-board information acquisition unit that acquires the on-board information from the on-board device; a risk determination unit that determines a risk to the vehicle based on road information that indicates a road condition on a route along which the vehicle is to travel, the vehicle information, and the on-board information, the road information being information that is stored in advance in a storage unit; a notification unit that notifies a driver of a risk via the vehicle-mounted device provided in the vehicle when the risk determination unit estimates a risk on a route along which the vehicle is scheduled to travel; A driving assistance system having the above-mentioned features.

4. A driving assistance method implemented by a computer, comprising: Obtain vehicle information about the vehicle; Acquire loading information which is information regarding the status of luggage loaded on the vehicle and / or the status of passengers on board the vehicle; determining a degree of danger to the vehicle based on road information, which is information stored in advance in a storage unit and indicates a state of a road along a route along which the vehicle is to travel, the vehicle information, and the on-board information; A driving assistance method comprising: when a danger is estimated on a route along which the vehicle is scheduled to travel, notifying the driver of warning information via an on-board device provided in the vehicle.

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