Driving assistance device and driving assistance method

Abstract

To provide a driving assistance device and a driving assistance method that suppress a behavior of a vehicle in response to a predetermined operation input based on a state of an occupant.SOLUTION: A driving assistance device 1 according to the present invention comprises: an annoying behavior detection unit 11 that detects an annoying behavior of another vehicle traveling around a vehicle 2; a biological information acquisition unit 12 that repeatedly acquires biological information of an occupant of the vehicle within a predetermined term after the annoying behavior is detected; an operation input unit 13 that accepts a predetermined operation input to the vehicle 2 by the occupant; and an input control unit 14 that performs control to suppress the behavior of the vehicle 2 according to the predetermined operation input when the biological information changes by a predetermined level or more after the annoying behavior is detected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a driving support device and a driving support method.

Background Art

[0002] When it is determined that a second vehicle has performed dangerous driving that affects a first vehicle, Patent Document 1 temporarily makes a predetermined change regarding the sounding of a horn or the implementation of passing according to the operation of the driver of the first vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The prior art suppresses the driver from reflexively sounding the horn or passing, but does not disclose the idea of performing control based on the driver's state at that time. For this reason, even when the driver of the vehicle calmly makes a judgment of necessity and sounds the horn, the sounding of the horn may be suppressed, which may instead cause danger.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a driving support device and a driving support method that suppress the behavior of a vehicle according to a predetermined operation input based on the state of a passenger, in view of the above-described problems.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The driving support device according to the first aspect of the present disclosure is a nuisance behavior detection unit that detects nuisance behavior of other vehicles traveling around the vehicle, a biometric information acquisition unit that repeatedly acquires biometric information of a passenger of the vehicle for a predetermined period after the nuisance behavior is detected, An operation input unit that receives a predetermined operation input to the vehicle by the passenger; An input control unit that performs control to suppress the behavior of the vehicle according to the predetermined operation input when the biological information changes by a predetermined level or more after the nuisance behavior is detected; It is provided with.

[0007] The driving support method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure is The step of detecting the nuisance behavior of other vehicles traveling around the vehicle; The step of repeatedly acquiring the biological information of the vehicle passenger for a predetermined period after the nuisance behavior is detected; The step of detecting a predetermined operation input to the vehicle by the passenger; The step of performing control to suppress the behavior of the vehicle according to the predetermined operation input when the biological information changes by a predetermined level or more after the nuisance behavior is detected; including.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a driving support device and a driving support method that suppress the behavior of a vehicle according to a predetermined operation input based on the state of the passenger.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted as necessary for clarity of explanation.

[0011] Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the driving support device 1 according to Embodiment 1. The driving support device 1 is mounted on the vehicle 2. The driving support device 1 may be an in-vehicle device such as a drive recorder or a car navigation system. The vehicle 2 includes the driving support device 1, a headlight 31, a horn 32, a biological sensor 4, and a camera 5.

[0012] The headlight 31 is an illumination device that illuminates the front of the vehicle 2. For example, it can be lit in two modes: high beam and low beam. The vehicle 2 may further include a light operation unit (e.g., a lever) for the driver to switch the lighting state of the headlight 31. By operating the light operation unit, the headlight 31 can be turned on or off. Also, by operating the light operation unit, the high beam and low beam can be switched.

[0013] The horn 32 is a device that outputs a warning sound to the surroundings of the vehicle 2. The vehicle 2 may further include a horn operation unit (e.g., a button) for the driver to sound the horn 32. For example, while the driver is pressing the horn operation unit, the horn 32 sounds.

[0014] Note that the vehicle 2 may include in-vehicle devices other than the headlight 31 and the horn 32 (e.g., lamps other than the headlight 31, power windows, audio equipment). By operating the headlight 31, the horn 32, the lamps, the power windows, the audio equipment, etc., the vehicle 2 performs a predetermined behavior. The predetermined behavior may be a nuisance behavior by the vehicle 2 (e.g., long-time sounding of the horn 32, excessive passing, reproduction of loud sound), or a behavior of the vehicle 2 (e.g., opening of the power window) that leads to a nuisance behavior by a passenger (e.g., the driver, a passenger) (e.g., scolding other vehicle passengers).

[0015] The biological sensor 4 measures the biological information of the passengers (e.g., the driver) of the vehicle 2. The biological sensor 4 outputs the measured biological information to the driving assistance device 1. Note that the biological sensor 4 may be included in the driving assistance device 1.

[0016] The biological sensor 4 may be a wearable sensor worn by the passenger. The biological sensor 4 may be, for example, a heart rate sensor that measures the heart rate of the passenger, or a sweating sensor that measures the sweating amount of the passenger. Also, the biological sensor 4 may be a sensor that measures the activity level (e.g., activity degree) of the passenger's brain. For example, the biological sensor 4 is a cerebral blood flow sensor attached to the ear or the like. The biological sensor 4 may measure the activity level for each region of the brain (e.g., frontal lobe, limbic system). Also, the biological sensor 4 may measure the activity level of the frontal lobe and the activity level of the whole brain. The biological sensor 4 may be an electroencephalograph that measures the activity level (e.g., activity degree) of the passenger's brain. In addition, as the biological sensor 4, a known sensor capable of acquiring biological information that can estimate the type of the passenger's emotion and the intensity of stress may be used.

[0017] Note that the biological information of the passenger may be acquired based on the face image of the passenger. In this case, the driving assistance device 1 may incorporate an in-vehicle camera that captures the interior of the vehicle. Also, the biological information of the passenger may be acquired based on the in-vehicle audio including the voice of the passenger. In this case, a microphone may be incorporated in the driving assistance device 1.

[0018] The camera 5 captures the surrounding environment (e.g., the front of the vehicle) of the vehicle 2. The camera 5 outputs the captured video of the surrounding environment to the driving assistance device. The camera may be a stereo camera.

[0019] The camera 5 may be included in the driving assistance device 1. Note that the driving assistance device 1 may be connected to other sensors (e.g., ultrasonic sensors, radars, infrared sensors, microphones) that sense the surroundings of the vehicle 2 instead of the camera 5. Or, the driving assistance device 1 may be connected to both the camera 5 and other sensors. Note that the sound output from the horns and audio devices of other vehicles may be picked up by the microphone that picks up the in-vehicle sound.

[0020] Also, the vehicle 2 may be equipped with an acceleration sensor, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) module, and a CAN (Controller Area Network) bus. The acceleration sensor detects the acceleration of the vehicle 2 and outputs the detected acceleration to the driving assistance device 1. The GNSS module acquires information indicating the current position of the vehicle 2 based on GNSS signals such as GPS (Global Positioning System) signals and outputs it to the driving assistance device 1. The CAN bus is a bus mounted on the vehicle 2. The CAN bus is connected to the electronic control units (ECUs: Electronic Control Unit) of the vehicle 2 and transmits the control information of the vehicle 2. This control information includes driving operation information (e.g., steering wheel steering angle, vehicle speed, access operation amount, brake operation amount). The information transmitted on the CAN bus is also input to the driving assistance device 1.

[0021] The vehicle 2 may further include a communication interface for communicating with any device other than the vehicle 2. The driving assistance device 1 acquires traffic jam information from communication networks such as the VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System) (registered trademark) network, the mobile communication network, and the Internet.

[0022] The driving support device 1 includes a nuisance behavior detection unit 11, a biological information acquisition unit 12, an operation input unit 13, and an input control unit 14. The driving support device 1 may be a computer including a processor and a memory (not shown). The driving support device 1 may realize the functions of the nuisance behavior detection unit 11, the biological information acquisition unit 12, the operation input unit 13, and the input control unit 14 by the processor executing a program read into the memory. Note that the nuisance behavior detection unit 11, the biological information acquisition unit 12, the operation input unit 13, and the input control unit 14 may be hardware (e.g., circuits).

[0023] The nuisance behavior detection unit 11 detects the nuisance behavior of other vehicles traveling around the vehicle 2. The nuisance behavior detection unit 11 may output the detection result of the nuisance behavior to the input control unit 14. The nuisance behavior detection unit 11 may detect general dangerous driving. General dangerous driving includes that the inter-vehicle distance between another vehicle and the vehicle 2 is short. General dangerous driving includes the case where another vehicle (also referred to as the preceding vehicle) traveling in front of the vehicle 2 and the vehicle 2 approach suddenly, for example, when it is detected that the relative speed of the vehicle 2 with respect to the preceding vehicle is high because the preceding vehicle decelerates suddenly. General dangerous driving includes the case where it is detected that the relative speed of another vehicle (also referred to as the following vehicle) traveling behind the vehicle 2 is extremely high, or the case where the inter-vehicle distance between the following vehicle and the vehicle 2 is short. General dangerous driving includes the case where it is detected that the vehicle 2 has been cut in by another vehicle (e.g., sudden cut-in due to a lane change of the preceding vehicle, cut-in by the following vehicle overtaking the vehicle 2).

[0024] In addition to general dangerous driving, the nuisance behavior detection unit 11 may detect that the speed of the preceding vehicle is slow even though the road on which the vehicle 2 is traveling is not congested. Further, the nuisance behavior detection unit 11 may detect that the preceding vehicle has applied sudden braking, or that the frequency of the preceding vehicle applying sudden braking is high.

[0025] The nuisance behavior detection unit 11 may measure the inter-vehicle distance based on the measurement result of a distance sensor (e.g., ultrasonic sensor), or may measure the inter-vehicle distance by applying image recognition technology to the captured image by the camera 5. The nuisance behavior detection unit 11 can calculate the relative speed of the vehicle 2 with respect to another vehicle based on the change amount of the inter-vehicle distance. The nuisance behavior detection unit 11 may use, as one of the conditions for determining that the leading vehicle has suddenly braked, the case where it detects that the brake lamp has turned on from the captured image by the camera 5. Note that the nuisance behavior detection unit 11 may determine that the leading vehicle has suddenly braked when, based on the relative speed of the vehicle 2 with respect to the leading vehicle and the traveling speed of the vehicle 2, the relative speed has increased even though the traveling speed of the vehicle 2 has not increased.

[0026] The nuisance behavior detection unit 11 may recognize, based on the output signal of the microphone, that the horn of another vehicle traveling around the vehicle 2 is sounding, or that a loud voice is being output from the audio device of another vehicle. Further, the nuisance behavior detection unit 11 may recognize that it has been passed by another vehicle by applying image recognition technology to the captured video by the camera 5.

[0027] The congestion behavior detection unit 11 may determine whether the road is congested based on the congestion information acquired via the communication interface. The driving support device 1 can more accurately determine whether another vehicle is performing annoying behaviors (e.g., sudden braking, cutting in) based on the congestion information. Also, when detecting annoying behaviors, the congestion behavior detection unit 11 may take into account information such as the type of road on which the vehicle 2 is traveling (e.g., general road, highway), the current time, the driving history of the vehicle 2, and the numbers of other vehicles. For example, when the vehicle 2 is traveling on a highway, it is considered less likely that another vehicle will suddenly brake. Also, the congestion behavior detection unit 11 can determine whether a cut-in due to overtaking by a following vehicle has occurred through license plate recognition. Further, the congestion behavior detection unit 11 can determine whether the speed of the vehicle 2 is slow based on the speed when the vehicle 2 traveled at the same location and at the same time as the current time. The congestion behavior detection unit 11 may determine whether the leading vehicle is affected by the vehicle immediately in front of the leading vehicle and take the determination result into account. The congestion behavior detection unit 11 can determine whether the vehicle immediately in front exists by determining how many meters before the intersection the vehicle 2 stopped when the vehicle 2 stopped near the intersection. The congestion behavior detection unit 11 can determine whether the driving situation of the leading vehicle is appropriate by taking into account these information and the congestion information. When the driving support device 1 detects that the driving situation of the leading vehicle is inappropriate and is an annoying behavior (e.g., aggressive driving), it may report it to the police. Also, when the driving support device 1 detects an annoying behavior, it saves the captured video of the annoying behavior in a folder different from other captured videos.

[0028] The biometric information acquisition unit 12 repeatedly acquires biometric information of the vehicle occupant (e.g., the driver) for a predetermined period after the nuisance behavior detection unit 11 detects a nuisance behavior. Specifically, the biometric information acquisition unit 12 acquires biometric information from a biometric sensor 4 such as a smartwatch or a wearable device, which can estimate the type of the occupant's emotion (e.g., anger) and the intensity of stress. The biometric information is, for example, the heart rate, the amount of sweating, the body temperature, etc. The biometric information acquisition unit 12 may analyze the body temperature and emotion of the occupant based on the face image of the occupant. Further, the biometric information acquisition unit 12 may determine the anger and irritation of the occupant based on the voice including the voice of the occupant, which is picked up by a microphone.

[0029] In addition, the biometric information acquisition unit 12 may acquire information (e.g., cerebral blood flow and electroencephalogram) indicating the activity amount of the occupant's brain from a biometric sensor 4 such as a cerebral blood flow sensor or an electroencephalograph.

[0030] The operation input unit 13 receives a predetermined operation input to the vehicle 2 by the occupant (e.g., the driver). Specifically, the predetermined operation input is an operation input to the headlight 31, the horn 32, a lamp other than the headlight 31, a power window, an audio device, etc. The headlight 31, the horn 32, etc. perform an operation leading to a nuisance behavior by the vehicle 2 or a nuisance behavior by the occupant of the vehicle 2. Receiving the operation input may be acquiring (e.g., detecting) the operation input performed by the occupant.

[0031] The operation input unit 13 may receive an operation input related to passing by the horn 32 (horn) or the headlight 31 via the CAN. Passing may be repeating the flashing of the headlight 31, repeating the switching between the high beam and the low beam, or traveling with the high beam on. The operation input related to passing includes an operation input for turning on the headlight 31 to the high beam and an operation input for flashing the hazard. The operation input unit 13 may receive a predetermined operation input based on the in-vehicle video, and may also receive a predetermined operation input (e.g., voice input) based on the in-vehicle voice.

[0032] In addition, the operation input unit 13 may acquire operation inputs for sudden acceleration or sudden braking. The operation input unit 13 may acquire operation inputs via CAN, may acquire operation inputs from the measurement results of an acceleration sensor, or may acquire operation inputs from changes in the position information acquired by GNSS.

[0033] The operation input unit 13 may acquire from the audio device an operation input for setting the volume of the audio device to a high volume.

[0034] After a nuisance behavior is detected, when the biometric information changes by a predetermined level or more in a direction indicating that the stress of the passenger has increased, the input control unit 14 performs control to suppress the behavior of the vehicle 2 according to a predetermined operation input. The input control unit 14 may perform control to invalidate the operation input. At this time, the predetermined value may be determined in advance for each type of biometric information to be acquired, or may be settable by the user.

[0035] For example, the input control unit 14 may set the operation input for the passenger (e.g., the driver) to sound the horn 32 to be invalid. Alternatively, the input control unit 14 may change the volume, sounding time, tone color, pitch, etc. of the warning sound. For example, the input control unit 14 may suppress the volume or change the sounding time to a short time. The input control unit 14 may change the tone color from the normal tone color (e.g., Boo) to a tone color (e.g., Pooh) that is considered less likely to give discomfort to the listener. When the passenger continues to press the horn 32, the input control unit 14 may change the warning sound from a continuous sound (e.g., Boo) to an intermittent sound (e.g., Boo·Boo).

[0036] The input control unit 14 may invalidate the operation input for changing the headlight 31 to high beam. The input control unit 14 may also perform control to suppress the light quantity of the headlight 31 set to high beam or to lower the angle of the high beam. The input control unit 14 may set the operation input to the power window to be invalid for a predetermined number of seconds (e.g., 6 seconds). The 6 seconds, which is the predetermined number of seconds at this time, is a value set based on the control method of the emotion of anger, which states that the peak of the emotion of anger is 6 seconds and the emotion of anger weakens thereafter. It is preferable that the predetermined number of seconds can be set appropriately for each passenger.

[0037] Specifically, after detecting the nuisance behavior and after the heart rate, sweating amount, etc. increase above a predetermined level, the input control unit 14 performs control to suppress the behavior of the vehicle 2 during the period until the heart rate, sweating amount, etc. start to decrease. The input control unit 14 may perform control to suppress the behavior of the vehicle 2 until the point in time indicating that the activity level of the prefrontal lobe of the brain has increased. Note that the input control unit 14 may perform control to suppress the behavior of the vehicle 2 during the period from the point in time indicating that the activity level of the limbic system of the brain or the activity level of the entire brain has increased to the point in time indicating that the activity level of the prefrontal lobe of the brain has increased. It is known that the emotion of anger occurs in the limbic system of the brain and is suppressed by the prefrontal lobe. The limbic system of the brain controls emotions, and an increase in its activity level indicates the occurrence of a strong emotion. The prefrontal lobe of the brain controls rationality, and an increase in its activity level indicates that rationality has started to work and the person has become calm. After the input control unit 14 indicates that the activity level of the prefrontal lobe of the brain has increased, if the actual heart rate, sweating amount, etc. of the passenger decrease, the input control unit 14 may terminate the suppression of the operation input and make the operation input valid.

[0038] In addition, when the biometric information of the passenger changes by a predetermined level or more, the input control unit 14 may present information to prompt the vehicle 2's passengers to maintain a safe distance or to calm down. The information to prompt the passenger to calm down may be, for example, voice notifications such as "Please wait a moment" or "Let's count to six seconds". The input control unit 14 may perform a countdown for a predetermined number of seconds (e.g., six seconds). Also, when the input control unit 14 detects annoying behavior of another vehicle or when the biometric information of the passenger changes by a predetermined level or more, it may propose a route change and present information indicating a new route to the passenger.

[0039] Figure 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the driving support method according to Embodiment 1. First, the annoying behavior detection unit 11 of the driving support device 1 detects annoying behavior of another vehicle (step S11). Next, the biometric information acquisition unit 12 of the driving support device 1 acquires the biometric information of the passengers of the vehicle 2 (step S12). Next, the operation input unit 13 of the driving support device 1 determines whether a predetermined operation input to the vehicle 2 has been made by the passenger (step S13).

[0040] If a predetermined operation input has been made, the input control unit 14 of the driving support device 1 determines whether the biometric information has changed by a predetermined level or more after the annoying behavior has been detected (step S14). If the biometric information has changed by a predetermined level or more (YES in step S14), the input control unit 14 performs control to suppress the behavior of the vehicle 2 (step S15), and the vehicle 2 performs a suppressed behavior. On the other hand, if the biometric information has not changed by a predetermined level or more (NO in step S14), the input control unit 14 does not perform control to suppress the behavior of the vehicle, and the vehicle 2 performs an unsuppressed behavior.

[0041] When a predetermined operation input is not made (NO in step S13), when the biometric information does not change (NO in step S14), or after performing control to suppress the behavior of the vehicle 2, the driving support device 1 determines whether a predetermined period has elapsed (step S16). When the predetermined period has not elapsed (NO in step S16), the biometric information acquisition unit 12 acquires the biometric information again in step S12, and when the predetermined period has elapsed (YES in step S16), the driving support device 1 ends the process.

[0042] In the first embodiment, when detecting the annoying behavior of another vehicle and when the passenger of the vehicle 2 is in an angry state, it suppresses the reflexive behavior of the passenger of the vehicle 2. The first embodiment can prevent the vehicle 2 from performing aggressive driving when its driving is obstructed by another vehicle. Further, when detecting the aggressive driving of another vehicle, the first embodiment can prevent the behavior of revenge by the passenger of the vehicle 2, thereby preventing the escalation of the annoying behavior of another vehicle. The first embodiment detects the annoying behavior of another vehicle and suppresses the reflexive behavior of the passenger of the vehicle 2 while it is detected that the passenger of the vehicle 2 is in an angry state, more specifically, until the activity level of the frontal lobe of the brain of the passenger of the vehicle 2 increases and rationality begins to work.

[0043] As described above, the present invention has been described in accordance with the above embodiments, but the present invention is not limited only to the configurations of the above embodiments, and of course includes various modifications, corrections, and combinations that can be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the invention of the claims of the present patent application.

[0044] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, it has been described as a hardware configuration, but it is not limited thereto. The present disclosure can also be realized by causing a CPU to execute a computer program for any process.

[0045] In the above example, when the program is loaded into a computer, it includes a set of instructions (or software code) for causing the computer to perform one or more functions described in the embodiments. The program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium or a tangible storage medium. By way of example and not limitation, a computer-readable medium or a tangible storage medium includes random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, solid-state drive (SSD), or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray (registered trademark) disc, or other optical disc storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices. The program may be transmitted on a transitory computer-readable medium or a communication medium. By way of example and not limitation, a transitory computer-readable medium or a communication medium includes electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0046] 1 Driving assistance device 11 Annoying behavior detection unit 12 Biometric information acquisition unit 13 Operation input unit 14 Input control unit 2 Vehicle 31 Headlight 32 Horn 4 Biometric sensor 5 Camera

Claims

1. An annoyance behavior detection unit that detects annoying behaviors of other vehicles traveling around the vehicle; A biometric information acquisition unit that repeatedly acquires biometric information of the vehicle's passengers for a predetermined period after the annoying behavior is detected; An operation input unit that receives a predetermined operation input to the vehicle by the passenger; An input control unit that performs control to suppress the behavior of the vehicle according to the predetermined operation input when the biometric information changes by a predetermined level or more after the annoying behavior is detected A driving support device comprising the above.

2. The biometric information acquisition unit acquires the passenger's heart rate or sweating amount as the biometric information, The operation input unit receives, as the operation input, an operation input related to honking or passing by the passenger, When the heart rate or the sweating amount increases after the annoying behavior is detected, the input control unit invalidates the operation input or suppresses the volume of the horn or the amount of light for passing until the heart rate or the sweating amount begins to decrease The driving support device according to Claim 1.

3. The input control unit invalidates the operation input until the time when it is shown that the activity amount of the frontal lobe of the passenger's brain has increased The driving support device according to Claim 1 or 2.

4. When the heart rate or the sweating amount of the passenger decreases after it is shown that the activity amount of the frontal lobe of the brain has increased, the input control unit validates the operation input The driving support device according to Claim 3.

5. A step of detecting annoying behaviors of other vehicles traveling around the vehicle; A step of repeatedly acquiring biometric information of the vehicle's passengers for a predetermined period after the annoying behavior is detected; A step of receiving a predetermined operation input to the vehicle by the passenger; A step of performing control to suppress the behavior of the vehicle according to the predetermined operation input when the biometric information changes by a predetermined level or more after the annoying behavior is detected A driving support method including the above.

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