Driving evaluation system, in-vehicle device, information processing device, and driving evaluation method

Abstract

To appropriately make a driving evaluation for a self vehicle in a situation where three parties: the self vehicle, a vehicle ahead, and a cutting-in vehicle, are involved.SOLUTION: A driving evaluation system for making a driving evaluation of a driver of a vehicle includes an in-vehicle device and an information processing device. The in-vehicle device detects that a cutting-in vehicle has entered between a self vehicle and a vehicle ahead after a lane change. When the lane change is detected, if lighting of a turn signal on the cutting-in vehicle is detected and braking of the self vehicle is detected, or if lighting of a brake lamp of the cutting-in vehicle is not detected and braking of the self vehicle is detected, the in-vehicle device calculates self-vehicle point addition information indicating that the self vehicle has performed dangerous driving, and transmits the self-vehicle point addition information to the information processing device. The information processing device receives the self-vehicle point addition information from the in-vehicle device, and performs a driving evaluation for the driver of the self vehicle based on the received self-vehicle point addition information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving evaluation system, an in-vehicle device, an information processing device, and a driving evaluation method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known driving evaluation systems that evaluate the driving performance of drivers who drive vehicles. For example, a system has been proposed that, when sudden braking occurs, calculates a value representing the "likelihood of a rear-end collision" of the vehicle that suddenly brakes and a value representing the "likelihood of being rear-ended" of the vehicle in front, thereby grasping the likelihood of a rear-end collision based on driving characteristics (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-16875 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the conventional technology has a problem in that it does not take into consideration the driving evaluation in a situation involving three parties: the own vehicle, the preceding vehicle, and the cutting-in vehicle when a cutting-in vehicle changes lanes between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle. When driving evaluation is performed based on the behavior of the own vehicle, if the own vehicle suddenly brakes, there is a risk that the driver of the own vehicle will receive a low evaluation even if the sudden braking was caused by the cutting-in vehicle.

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention aims to provide a technology that can appropriately evaluate the driving of a vehicle in a situation involving three parties: the vehicle itself, a vehicle ahead, and a vehicle cutting in. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An exemplary driving evaluation system of the present invention is a driving evaluation system for evaluating the driving of a vehicle driver, and includes an on-board device and an information processing device. The on-board device detects that a cutting-in vehicle has changed lanes between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle and, when detecting the lane change, detects the turning on of the turn signal of the cutting-in vehicle and the braking of the host vehicle, or does not detect the turning on of the brake lamp of the cutting-in vehicle and detects the braking of the host vehicle, calculates host vehicle add-on point information indicating that the host vehicle has engaged in dangerous driving, and transmits the host vehicle add-on point information to the information processing device. The information processing device receives the host vehicle add-on point information from the on-board device and performs a driving evaluation of the driver of the host vehicle based on the received host vehicle add-on point information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, when a cutting-in vehicle changes lanes and enters between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle, if the host vehicle brakes unrelatedly due to the cutting-in vehicle, the host vehicle is evaluated as having engaged in dangerous driving. In other words, if the host vehicle brakes unrelatedly due to the cutting-in vehicle, the host vehicle is not evaluated as having engaged in dangerous driving. Instead, the host vehicle is evaluated as having engaged in an appropriate braking operation to avoid a dangerous situation caused by the cutting-in vehicle changing lanes. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately evaluate the host vehicle's driving in a situation involving three parties: the host vehicle, the preceding vehicle, and the cutting-in vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] Overall configuration diagram of the driving evaluation system of this embodiment [Figure 2] FIG. 1 shows the vehicle and information processing device configuration. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an image captured by a front camera of the vehicle shown in FIG. 2; [Figure 4] Schematic diagram showing the situation around the vehicle in Figure 3 as seen from above [Figure 5] 3 is a flowchart showing a process of calculating additional points when an in-vehicle device of FIG. 2 detects an interruption. [Figure 6]5 is a flowchart showing the calculation process of the additional point information when the in-vehicle device of FIG. 2 detects an interruption (continuation of FIG. 5). [Figure 7] A flowchart showing a driving evaluation process executed by the information processing device of FIG. 2. [Figure 8] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display of the results of the driving evaluation executed by the information processing device of FIG. 2; [Figure 9] 3 is a flowchart showing a modified example of a calculation process of added points when an intrusion is detected, which is executed by the in-vehicle device of FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the contents of the embodiments shown below.

[0010] <1. Driving evaluation system> FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a driving evaluation system 1 of this embodiment. The driving evaluation system 1 is a system that performs driving evaluation of a driver D1 of a vehicle V1. The driving evaluation system 1 includes an on-board device 10 mounted on the vehicle V1, and an information processing device 30 configured as a server device or the like. The on-board device 10 and the information processing device 30 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally via a communication network N such as a mobile communication network.

[0011] Furthermore, the information processing device 30 is connected to an external device A, such as a personal computer or mobile terminal owned by the driver D1, so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally via a communication network N. The results of the driving evaluation of the driver D1 performed by the driving evaluation system 1 can be displayed on a display unit Da included in the external device A of the driver D1.

[0012] Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram of the vehicle V1 and the information processing device 30 in Fig. 1. Note that Fig. 2 shows components necessary for explaining the features of this embodiment, and omits the description of general components.

[0013] The vehicle V1 is an automobile or the like that can travel on a road surface using wheels, and is equipped with a driving force generating device, a braking device, etc. (neither of which are shown). The driving force generating device includes an internal combustion engine or a motor. The braking device is a so-called disc brake device or the like, and is used to decelerate and stop the vehicle V1 while it is traveling, and to maintain the vehicle V1 in a stopped state while it is stopped. The vehicle V1 travels and stops based on driving operations by the driver D1. The vehicle V1 is equipped with an in-vehicle device 10, a front camera 2, and a sensor unit 3.

[0014] The sensor unit 3 includes a plurality of sensors that detect information about the vehicle V1. The information about the vehicle V1 may include information about the vehicle itself and information about the surroundings of the vehicle. The plurality of sensors may include, for example, a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle V1, a steering angle sensor that detects the rotation angle of the steering wheel of the vehicle V1, a brake sensor that detects the amount of brake operation of the vehicle V1, a shift sensor that detects the operation position of the shift lever of the transmission of the vehicle V1, a vibration sensor that detects vibrations of the vehicle V1, and an inclination sensor that detects the inclination of the vehicle V1. Furthermore, the sensors include an obstacle sensor that detects people, animals, vehicles, and other objects around the vehicle V1.

[0015] The G-sensor 3g detects acceleration acting on the vehicle V1 in a predetermined axial direction, and generates and outputs the acceleration detection result as acceleration information. The G-sensor 3g may detect acceleration in two mutually orthogonal axial directions, or may detect acceleration in three mutually orthogonal axial directions. For example, the G-sensor 3g that detects acceleration in the three axial directions is used to detect acceleration in the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical directions of the vehicle V1, and this acceleration information is used to detect abnormal driving conditions of the vehicle V1, such as sudden deceleration or sharp turns. The G-sensor information is generated sequentially at a predetermined cycle and output to the in-vehicle device 10.

[0016] The front camera 2 is provided, for example, at the front end of the vehicle V1, and captures images in front of the vehicle V1. If the vehicle V1 is equipped with a drive recorder, the front camera of the drive recorder may be used as the front camera 2.

[0017] <2.In-vehicle equipment> <2-1. Configuration of in-vehicle device> When evaluating the driving of the driver D1 of the vehicle V1, the in-vehicle device 10 calculates bonus point information indicating that the vehicle V1 or another vehicle has engaged in reckless driving, and transmits the bonus point information to the information processing device 30. In this embodiment, when an cutting-in vehicle Vc changes lanes and enters between the vehicle V1 and the preceding vehicle Vf (see FIGS. 3 and 4), the in-vehicle device 10 calculates host vehicle bonus point information indicating that the vehicle V1, which is the host vehicle, has engaged in reckless driving, and other vehicle bonus point information indicating that the cutting-in vehicle Vc, which is the other vehicle, has engaged in reckless driving. The in-vehicle device 10 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a controller 13.

[0018] The own vehicle bonus point information and other vehicle bonus point information, which indicate that the own vehicle or another vehicle has engaged in reckless driving, may be calculated not only when the vehicle cuts in front of another vehicle, but also in other situations, such as when stopping at an intersection, when going straight, when turning right or left, when merging from a side road onto a main road, and in a variety of other situations.

[0019] The communication unit 11 is an interface for communicating data with other devices (the information processing device 30, other devices in the information processing device 30 that are server devices, and external devices) via the communication network N. The communication unit 11 includes a wireless communication device for performing wireless communication with the information processing device 30, and is configured by, for example, a transmission / reception device of a mobile telephone network for 5G communication (fifth generation mobile communication system).

[0020] The storage unit 12 includes a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory, and stores various information necessary for the driving evaluation process of the driver D1 of the vehicle V1. The volatile memory is, for example, a random access memory (RAM). The non-volatile memory is, for example, a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, or a hard disk drive. The non-volatile memory stores programs and data that can be read by the controller 13. At least some of the programs and data stored in the non-volatile memory may be obtained from another computer device connected by wire or wirelessly, or from a portable recording medium.

[0021] The storage unit 12 stores a score calculation program 121 , score condition data 122 , score information 123 , image data 124 , and shooting condition data 125 .

[0022] The point calculation program 121 is a program for calculating the own vehicle point information and the other vehicle point information. The point condition data 122 is condition data such as thresholds for calculating the own vehicle point information and the other vehicle point information in consideration of the cutting-in situation and the responsibility ratio, and is referenced by the point calculation program 121. The point information 123 is data of the own vehicle point information and the other vehicle point information calculated by the point calculation unit 135 described later.

[0023] The image data 124 is image data of an image captured by the front camera 2. The shooting condition data 125 is shooting condition data related to the image data 124, such as the shooting position, shooting direction, shooting date and time, and shooting condition (zoom ratio, etc.).

[0024] The controller 13 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) as a processor that performs arithmetic processing and the like, and controls various operations in the in-vehicle device 10. The controller 13 includes an acquisition unit 131, an interruption detection unit 132, an interrupting vehicle state detection unit 133, a host vehicle state detection unit 134, an added point calculation unit 135, and a provision unit 136. The functions of each of these components are realized by the CPU performing arithmetic processing in accordance with a control program stored in advance in the internal memory of the controller 13.

[0025] The acquisition unit 131 acquires image data 124 of the image captured by the front camera 2 and image capture state data 125 via the communication unit 11. These various data are stored in the storage unit 12. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an image captured by the front camera 2 of the vehicle V1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the situation around the vehicle V1 of Fig. 3 as seen from above.

[0026] The cut-in detection unit 132 acquires information about the state ahead of the vehicle V1, that is, information about the cut-in of another vehicle, based on the image captured by the front camera 2. In detail, the cut-in detection unit 132 detects that the cut-in vehicle Vc has changed lanes and entered between the vehicle V1 and the leading vehicle Vf, by performing image analysis processing on the image data 124 of the image captured by the front camera 2 and stored in the storage unit 12.

[0027] At this time, the cutting-in detection unit 132 estimates a first inter-vehicle distance L1 (see FIG. 4) between the leading vehicle Vf and the cutting-in vehicle Vc by image analysis processing of the image data 124. The cutting-in detection unit 132 also estimates a second inter-vehicle distance L2 (see FIG. 4) between the cutting-in vehicle Vc and the vehicle V1 by image analysis processing of the image data 124.

[0028] Regarding the inter-vehicle distance between the leading vehicle Vf and the cutting-in vehicle Vc, a first reference distance used for comparison with the first inter-vehicle distance L1 is determined in advance and stored in the memory unit 12. Furthermore, regarding the inter-vehicle distance between the cutting-in vehicle Vc and the vehicle V1, a second reference distance used for comparison with the second inter-vehicle distance L2 is determined in advance and stored in the memory unit 12.

[0029] The cutting-in vehicle state detection unit 133 acquires information about the state of the cutting-in vehicle Vc based on the image captured by the front camera 2. In detail, the cutting-in vehicle state detection unit 133 detects whether the turn signal Lw of the cutting-in vehicle Vc is on and whether the brake lamp Lb of the cutting-in vehicle Vc is on by performing image analysis processing on the image data 124 of the image captured by the front camera 2 and stored in the storage unit 12.

[0030] The host vehicle state detection unit 134 acquires information about the state of the host vehicle V1 based on the sensor detection values output from the sensor unit 3. In detail, the host vehicle state detection unit 134 detects braking (deceleration) of the vehicle V1 based on acceleration information of the vehicle V1 detected by the G sensor 3g.

[0031] The bonus point calculation unit 135 makes various determinations in the situation where the cutting-in vehicle Vc cuts in between the vehicle V1 and the preceding vehicle Vf detected by the cutting-in detection unit 132, and calculates bonus point information indicating that the host vehicle or another vehicle has engaged in dangerous driving. In detail, the bonus point calculation unit 135 calculates the host vehicle bonus point information and the other vehicle bonus point information by reflecting the cutting-in situation, using the bonus point calculation program 121 and the bonus point condition data 122 stored in the storage unit 12. Furthermore, the bonus point calculation unit 135 calculates the responsibility ratio between the host vehicle's responsibility and the cutting-in vehicle's responsibility based on the calculated host vehicle bonus point information and the other vehicle bonus point information.

[0032] The providing unit 136 provides the own vehicle additional point information, other vehicle additional point information, and responsibility ratio data calculated by the additional point calculation unit 135 to the information processing device 30. This makes it possible for the information processing device 30 to perform a driving evaluation of the driver D1 of the vehicle V1 in relation to the cutting-in vehicle Vc changing lanes and entering between the vehicle V1 and the preceding vehicle Vf.

[0033] <2-2. Operational example of in-vehicle device> 5 and 6 are flowcharts showing the score information calculation process when an interruption is detected, which is executed by the in-vehicle device 10 of Fig. 2. The operation according to this flowchart is realized by a computer program (score calculation program 121) executed by the controller 13 (a computer constituting the controller 13).

[0034] A computer program that causes a computer device to implement the driving evaluation method according to this embodiment is included in the scope of this embodiment. A computer-readable nonvolatile recording medium that records such a computer program is also included in the scope of this embodiment. The computer program that causes a computer device to implement the driving evaluation method according to this embodiment may be composed of only one program, or may be composed of multiple programs.

[0035] The processing shown in Figures 5 and 6 begins, for example, when vehicle V1 starts up and the front camera 2 begins capturing images of the area in front of vehicle V1, and the cut-in detection unit 132 detects a lane change by cut-in vehicle Vc between vehicle V1 and the preceding vehicle Vf (see Figures 3 and 4).

[0036] In step S101, the controller 13 (cut-in detection unit 132) estimates the first inter-vehicle distance L1 between the forward vehicle Vf and the cutting-in vehicle Vc and the second inter-vehicle distance L2 between the cutting-in vehicle Vc and vehicle V1 by performing image analysis processing on the image data 124 of the image captured by the forward camera 2 and stored in the memory unit 12, and then proceeds to step S102.

[0037] In step S102, the controller 13 (cutting-in vehicle state detection unit 133) determines whether the turn signal Lw of the cutting-in vehicle Vc is on or not by image analysis processing of the image data 124, and if it is on, proceeds to step S103, and if it is not on, proceeds to step S106.

[0038] In step S103, the controller 13 (vehicle state detection unit 134) determines whether the vehicle V1 has braked based on the acceleration information of the G sensor 3g, and if the vehicle V1 has braked, proceeds to step S104, and if the vehicle V1 has not braked, proceeds to step S105.

[0039] In step S104, the controller 13 (additional point calculation unit 135) calculates, for example, 10 points for the own vehicle V1 as the own vehicle's own vehicle's responsibility as the own vehicle's ...

[0040] The points added as the own vehicle point information and other vehicle point information are predetermined for each evaluation item and stored in the storage unit 12. The points added can be changed arbitrarily as needed from the information processing device 30. The same applies to the following steps.

[0041] In step S105, the controller 13 (additional point calculation unit 135) calculates, for the vehicle V1 which is the subject vehicle and the other vehicle Vc which is the cutting-in vehicle, an addition point of, for example, 0 points which is the subject vehicle's responsibility as subject vehicle addition point information, and an addition point of, for example, 0 points which is the cutting-in vehicle's responsibility as other vehicle addition point information, and proceeds to step S109.

[0042] In step S106, the controller 13 (vehicle state detection unit 134) determines whether the vehicle V1 has braked based on the acceleration information of the G sensor 3g, and if the vehicle V1 has braked, proceeds to step S107, and if the vehicle V1 has not braked, proceeds to step S108.

[0043] In step S107, the controller 13 (additional point calculation unit 135) calculates, for example, 25 points for the cut-in vehicle's responsibility as other vehicle addition point information for the cut-in vehicle Vc, and proceeds to step S109. In detail, when the controller 13 (additional point calculation unit 135) does not detect the illumination of the turn signal Lw of the cut-in vehicle Vc and detects the braking of vehicle V1, it calculates other vehicle addition point information indicating that the cut-in vehicle Vc engaged in reckless driving.

[0044] In step S108, the controller 13 (the point calculation unit 135) calculates, for example, 10 points for the cut-in vehicle's responsibility as other vehicle point information for the cut-in vehicle Vc, and proceeds to step S109. In detail, if the controller 13 (the point calculation unit 135) does not detect the illumination of the turn signal Lw of the cut-in vehicle Vc and does not detect the braking of vehicle V1, it calculates other vehicle point information indicating that the cut-in vehicle Vc engaged in reckless driving.

[0045] In step S109, the controller 13 (interrupt detection unit 132) determines whether the first inter-vehicle distance L1 estimated in step S101 is equal to or greater than a predetermined first reference distance, and if it is equal to or greater than the first reference distance, proceeds to step S110, and if it is less than the first reference distance, proceeds to step S111.

[0046] In step S110, the controller 13 (additional point calculation unit 135) calculates, for the vehicle V1, which is the subject vehicle, and the other vehicle, the cutting-in vehicle Vc, as subject vehicle addition point information, for example, an addition point of 0 points, which is the subject vehicle's responsibility, and as other vehicle addition point information, for example, an addition point of 0 points, which is the other vehicle's responsibility, and proceeds to step S114 (see Figure 6).

[0047] In step S111, the controller 13 (vehicle state detection unit 134) determines whether the vehicle V1 has braked based on the acceleration information of the G sensor 3g, and if the vehicle V1 has braked, proceeds to step S112, and if the vehicle V1 has not braked, proceeds to step S113.

[0048] In step S112, the controller 13 (the point calculation unit 135) calculates, for example, 25 points for the cut-in vehicle's responsibility as other vehicle point information for the cut-in vehicle Vc, and proceeds to step S114 (see FIG. 6 ). In detail, when the first inter-vehicle distance L1 is less than a predetermined first reference distance and braking of the vehicle V1 is detected, the controller 13 (the point calculation unit 135) calculates other vehicle point information indicating that the cut-in vehicle Vc engaged in reckless driving.

[0049] In step S113, the controller 13 (the point calculation unit 135) calculates, for example, 10 points for the cut-in vehicle's responsibility as other vehicle point information for the cut-in vehicle Vc, and proceeds to step S114 (see FIG. 6 ). In detail, when the first inter-vehicle distance L1 is less than a predetermined first reference distance and braking of the vehicle V1 is not detected, the controller 13 (the point calculation unit 135) calculates other vehicle point information indicating that the cut-in vehicle Vc engaged in dangerous driving. That is, when the first inter-vehicle distance L1 is less than the first reference distance and braking of the vehicle V1 is detected (step S112), the controller 13 (the point calculation unit 135) calculates the other vehicle point information so that more points are added when braking of the vehicle V1 is detected (step S112) than when braking of the vehicle V1 is not detected (step S113).

[0050] In step S114 (see FIG. 6), the controller 13 (cutting-in vehicle state detection unit 133) determines whether the brake lamps Lb of the cutting-in vehicle Vc are lit by performing image analysis processing on the image data 124, and if they are lit, proceeds to step S115, and if they are not lit, proceeds to step S118.

[0051] In step S115, the controller 13 (vehicle state detection unit 134) determines whether the vehicle V1 has braked based on the acceleration information of the G sensor 3g, and if the vehicle V1 has braked, proceeds to step S116, and if the vehicle V1 has not braked, proceeds to step S117.

[0052] In step S116, the controller 13 (additional point calculation unit 135) calculates, for example, 25 points for the cut-in vehicle's responsibility as other vehicle addition point information for the cut-in vehicle Vc, and proceeds to step S121. In detail, when the controller 13 (additional point calculation unit 135) detects the illumination of the brake lamp Lb of the cut-in vehicle Vc and also detects the braking of vehicle V1, it calculates host vehicle addition point information indicating that the cut-in vehicle Vc engaged in reckless driving.

[0053] In step S117, the controller 13 (additional point calculation unit 135) calculates, for the vehicle V1 which is the subject vehicle and the other vehicle Vc which is the cutting-in vehicle, an addition point of, for example, 0 points which is the subject vehicle's responsibility as the subject vehicle's additional point information, and an addition point of, for example, 0 points which is the cutting-in vehicle's responsibility as the other vehicle's additional point information, and proceeds to step S121.

[0054] In step S118, the controller 13 (vehicle state detection unit 134) determines whether the vehicle V1 has braked based on the acceleration information of the G sensor 3g, and if the vehicle V1 has braked, proceeds to step S119, and if the vehicle V1 has not braked, proceeds to step S120.

[0055] In step S119, the controller 13 (additional point calculation unit 135) calculates, for example, 10 points for the own vehicle V1 as the own vehicle's responsibility as the own vehicle's additional point information, and proceeds to step S121. In detail, when the controller 13 (additional point calculation unit 135) does not detect the illumination of the brake lamp Lb of the cutting-in vehicle Vc and detects the braking of vehicle V1, it calculates own vehicle's additional point information indicating that vehicle V1 engaged in reckless driving.

[0056] In step S120, the controller 13 (additional point calculation unit 135) calculates, for the vehicle V1, which is the subject vehicle, and the other vehicle, the cutting-in vehicle Vc, as subject vehicle addition point information, for example, an addition point of 0 points, which is the subject vehicle's responsibility, and as other vehicle addition point information, for example, an addition point of 0 points, which is the cutting-in vehicle's responsibility, and proceeds to step S121.

[0057] In step S121, the controller 13 (interrupt detection unit 132) determines whether the second inter-vehicle distance L2 estimated in step S101 is equal to or greater than a predetermined second reference distance, and if it is equal to or greater than the second reference distance, proceeds to step S122, and if it is less than the second reference distance, proceeds to step S123.

[0058] In step S122, the controller 13 (additional point calculation unit 135) calculates, for the vehicle V1 which is the subject vehicle and the other vehicle Vc which is the cutting-in vehicle, an addition point of, for example, 0 points which is the subject vehicle's responsibility as the subject vehicle's additional point information, and an addition point of, for example, 0 points which is the cutting-in vehicle's responsibility as the other vehicle's additional point information, and proceeds to step S126.

[0059] In step S123, the controller 13 (vehicle state detection unit 134) determines whether the vehicle V1 has braked based on the acceleration information of the G sensor 3g, and if the vehicle V1 has braked, proceeds to step S124, and if the vehicle V1 has not braked, proceeds to step S125.

[0060] In step S124, the controller 13 (additional point calculation unit 135) calculates, for example, 25 points for the cut-in vehicle's responsibility as other vehicle addition point information for the cut-in vehicle Vc, and proceeds to step S126. In detail, when the second inter-vehicle distance L2 is less than a predetermined second reference distance and braking of vehicle V1 is detected, the controller 13 (additional point calculation unit 135) calculates other vehicle addition point information indicating that the cut-in vehicle Vc engaged in reckless driving.

[0061] In step S125, the controller 13 (additional point calculation unit 135) calculates, for example, 10 points for the cut-in vehicle's responsibility as other vehicle addition point information for the cut-in vehicle Vc, and proceeds to step S126. In detail, when the second inter-vehicle distance L2 is less than a predetermined first reference distance and braking of the vehicle V1 is not detected, the controller 13 (additional point calculation unit 135) calculates other vehicle addition point information indicating that the cut-in vehicle Vc engaged in reckless driving. That is, when the second inter-vehicle distance L2 is less than the second reference distance and braking of the vehicle V1 is detected (step S124), the controller 13 (additional point calculation unit 135) calculates the other vehicle addition point information so that, when the second inter-vehicle distance L2 is less than the second reference distance, more points are added when braking of the vehicle V1 is detected (step S124) than when braking of the vehicle V1 is not detected (step S125).

[0062] In step S126, the controller 13 (point calculation unit 135) calculates the responsibility ratio between the own vehicle's responsibility and the cutting-in vehicle's responsibility based on the own vehicle's point information and other vehicle's point information calculated up to that point, and then proceeds to step S127.

[0063] In step S127, the controller 13 (providing unit 136) provides (transmits) the own vehicle additional point information, other vehicle additional point information, and responsibility ratio data calculated by the additional point calculation unit 135 to the information processing device 30, and ends the process.

[0064] According to the above configuration, when a cutting-in vehicle Vc changes lanes and enters between the host vehicle V1 and the preceding vehicle Vf, if the vehicle V1 brakes not due to the cutting-in vehicle Vc, the vehicle V1 is evaluated as having engaged in dangerous driving. In other words, if the vehicle V1 brakes due to the cutting-in vehicle Vc, the vehicle V1 is not evaluated as having engaged in dangerous driving. For example, the vehicle V1 may be evaluated as having engaged in an appropriate braking operation to avoid a dangerous situation caused by the cutting-in vehicle Vc changing lanes. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately evaluate the driving of the host vehicle in a situation involving the three parties: the host vehicle V1, the preceding vehicle Vf, and the cutting-in vehicle Vc.

[0065] Furthermore, when a cutting-in vehicle Vc changes lanes and enters between the host vehicle V1 and the preceding vehicle Vf, if the cutting-in vehicle V1 brakes due to the cutting-in vehicle Vc, the cutting-in vehicle Vc is evaluated as having engaged in dangerous driving. In other words, if the braking of the vehicle V1 is not due to the cutting-in vehicle Vc, the cutting-in vehicle Vc is not evaluated as having engaged in dangerous driving. For example, the evaluation may be that the braking was inappropriate due to the carelessness of the driver D1. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately evaluate the driving of the host vehicle in a situation involving the three parties of the host vehicle V1, the preceding vehicle Vf, and the cutting-in vehicle Vc.

[0066] In addition, the responsibility ratio between the own vehicle and the cutting-in vehicle is calculated based on the own vehicle's point information and other vehicle's point information. By quantifying the responsibility ratio, it becomes easier to check the data related to the responsibility ratio. Furthermore, by using the quantified responsibility ratio as it is for driving evaluation, it becomes possible to streamline evaluation man-hours.

[0067] Furthermore, as described above, when other vehicle bonus point information is calculated for the cases where vehicle V1 brakes and where vehicle V1 does not brake in a situation where cutting-in vehicle Vc has engaged in reckless driving, the other vehicle bonus point information is calculated so that the bonus points are higher when vehicle V1 brakes than when vehicle V1 does not brake. This allows other vehicle bonus point information indicating that cutting-in vehicle Vc has engaged in reckless driving to be calculated appropriately based on the impact of cutting-in on the vehicle.

[0068] <3. Information processing device> <3-1. Configuration of information processing device> 1 and 2, the information processing device 30 is a server device installed in a data management center related to driver driving evaluations. The server device may be a physical server or a virtual server. The information processing device 30 receives subject vehicle addition point information and other vehicle addition point information related to driving evaluations from the in-vehicle device 10, and performs a driving evaluation of the driver D1 of the vehicle V1 based on the received addition point information. The information processing device 30 includes a communication unit 31, a memory unit 32, and a controller 33.

[0069] The communication unit 31 is an interface for communicating data with other devices (the in-vehicle device 10, other devices in the vehicle V1, and external devices) via a communication network. The communication unit 31 includes a wireless communication device for wireless communication with the vehicle V1, and is configured by a transmission / reception device for a mobile telephone network of, for example, 5G communication (fifth generation mobile communication system).

[0070] The storage unit 32 includes a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory, and stores various information necessary for the driving evaluation process of the driver D1 of the vehicle V1. The volatile memory is, for example, a random access memory (RAM). The non-volatile memory is, for example, a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, or a hard disk drive. The non-volatile memory stores programs and data that can be read by the controller 33. At least some of the programs and data stored in the non-volatile memory may be obtained from another computer device connected by wire or wirelessly, or from a portable recording medium.

[0071] The storage unit 32 stores a driving evaluation program 321, added point information 123, image data 124, and image capture state data 125.

[0072] The driving evaluation program 321 is a program for comprehensively evaluating the driving of the driver D1 of the vehicle V1. The bonus point information 123 is data of the own vehicle bonus point information and other vehicle bonus point information related to the driving evaluation of the driver D1 calculated by the controller 13 (bonus point calculation unit 135) of the in-vehicle device 10 and received from the in-vehicle device 10, and is referenced by the driving evaluation program 321. The image data 124 and the shooting state data 125 are various types of data used in the in-vehicle device 10 to calculate the bonus point information 322.

[0073] The controller 33 includes a CPU as a processor that performs arithmetic processing and the like, and performs various controls in the information processing device 30. The controller 33 includes an acquisition unit 331, a driving evaluation unit 332, and a provision unit 333. The functions of each of these components are realized by the CPU performing arithmetic processing in accordance with a control program stored in advance in the internal memory of the controller 33.

[0074] The acquisition unit 331 acquires, via the communication unit 31, the added point information 123 calculated by the in-vehicle device 10, and the image data 124 and the shooting state data 125 used to calculate the added point information 322 in the in-vehicle device 10. These various data are stored in the storage unit 32.

[0075] The driving evaluation unit 332 performs a driving evaluation of the driver D1 of the vehicle V1 by calculating various data related to the driving evaluation of the driver D1 of the vehicle V1 using the driving evaluation program 321 and the point addition information 123 stored in the memory unit 32. Note that in this embodiment, the evaluation is performed only for a situation in which an cutting-in vehicle Vc changes lanes and enters between the vehicle V1 and the preceding vehicle Vf, but the driving evaluation unit 332 can perform a driving evaluation that also includes a wide variety of other situations.

[0076] The providing unit 333 provides (transmits) the results of the driving evaluation of the driver D1 of the vehicle V1 performed by the driving evaluation unit 332 to the external device A. This allows the driver D1 to view the driving evaluation results of the driver D1 on the display unit Da of the external device A, such as a mobile terminal owned by the driver D1 (see FIG. 8).

[0077] <3-2. Example of operation of information processing device> Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the driving evaluation process executed by the information processing device 30 in Fig. 2. The operation according to this flowchart is realized by a computer program (driving evaluation program 321) executed by the controller 33 (the computer constituting the controller 33).

[0078] The process shown in FIG. 7 is started when a driving evaluation manager or the like performs a driving evaluation process for a driver D1 of a vehicle V1, and an operation to start the driving evaluation process is performed using an operation unit such as a keyboard.

[0079] In step S201, the controller 33 (acquisition unit 331) receives data related to the driving evaluation of the driver D1 of the vehicle V1 (additional score information 123, image data 124, shooting status data 125) from the in-vehicle device 10 via the communication unit 31, stores the data in the memory unit 32, and proceeds to step S202.

[0080] In step S202, the controller 33 (driving evaluation unit 332) evaluates the driving of the driver D1 of the vehicle V1 using the added point information 123 stored in the memory unit 32, and then ends the process. Note that in this embodiment, evaluation is performed only for a situation in which an intruding vehicle Vc changes lanes and enters between the vehicle V1 and the preceding vehicle Vf.

[0081] Then, in response to a request from the driver D1 of the vehicle V1, the controller 33 (providing unit 333) transmits the driving evaluation result of the driver D1 shown in Fig. 8 to the external device A of the driver D1. Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of displaying the results of the driving evaluation executed by the information processing device 30 of Fig. 2.

[0082] The display unit Da of the external device A displays the driving evaluation results of the driver D1 shown in Fig. 8. The driving evaluation results may include, for example, an overall score a1 for the driving operation, comments a2, and a circular radar chart a3. The radar chart a3 illustrates the characteristics of each driving operation, such as sudden deceleration, speeding, and swaying, as well as the overall balance.

[0083] In this embodiment, the evaluation is performed on a situation where an intruding vehicle Vc changes lanes and enters between the vehicle V1 and the preceding vehicle Vf, and the evaluation is included as part of the category of "sudden deceleration," for example. The category of "sudden deceleration" also includes a wide variety of other situations.

[0084] <4. Modifications> Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a modified example of a point calculation process when an interruption is detected, which is executed by the in-vehicle device 10 of Fig. 2. The operation according to this flowchart is realized by a computer program (point calculation program 121) executed by the controller 13 (a computer constituting the controller 13).

[0085] The basic flow of the process shown in Fig. 9 is the same as the process shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. Thus, in step S301, steps S101 to S125 of the operational flow shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 are performed, and then the process proceeds to step S302.

[0086] In step S302, the controller 13 (point calculation unit 135) calculates the responsibility ratio between the own vehicle's responsibility and the cutting-in vehicle's responsibility based on the own vehicle's point information and the other vehicle's point information calculated during step S301, and then proceeds to step S303.

[0087] In step S303, the controller 13 (addition point calculation unit 135) determines whether the vehicle addition point information calculated in step S302 exceeds a predetermined addition point standard value, and if it exceeds the value, proceeds to step S304, and if it does not exceed the value, proceeds to step S305.

[0088] Regarding the own vehicle's added point information, a point addition reference value for evaluating the magnitude of the own vehicle's added point information is determined in advance and stored in the storage unit 12.

[0089] In step S304, the controller 13 (providing unit 136) provides (transmits) the own vehicle additional point information, other vehicle additional point information, and responsibility ratio data calculated by the additional point calculation unit 135 to the information processing device 30, and ends the process.

[0090] In step S305, the controller 13 (providing unit 136) stops providing (transmitting) the own vehicle additional point information, other vehicle additional point information, and responsibility ratio data calculated by the additional point calculation unit 135 to the information processing device 30, and ends the processing.

[0091] According to the above configuration, the in-vehicle device 10 transmits the calculated vehicle point information to the information processing device 30 when the calculated vehicle point information is greater than the point reference value. When the vehicle's responsibility percentage is large, the need for a driving evaluation is high, and data related to the driving evaluation is transmitted to the information processing device 30. When the vehicle's responsibility percentage is small, data related to the driving evaluation is not transmitted to the information processing device 30, which suppresses unnecessary communications and enables the storage capacity of the server device to be reduced.

[0092] Furthermore, the in-vehicle device 10 may change the weighting of the host vehicle adding point information based on the state of the host vehicle V1 when calculating the host vehicle adding point information. Furthermore, the in-vehicle device 10 may change the weighting of the other vehicle adding point information based on the state of the cutting-in vehicle Vc when calculating the other vehicle adding point information.

[0093] That is, when calculating the own vehicle's bonus point information and the other vehicle's bonus point information, the bonus point calculation unit 135 may not only add a fixed number of points, such as 10 points or 25 points, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, but may also change the weighting for each evaluation item, i.e., may calculate the importance of each evaluation item by quantitatively evaluating it. It is preferable to appropriately change the weighting of the own vehicle's bonus point information and the other vehicle's bonus point information in accordance with the importance of violations under the Road Traffic Act, such as failure to turn on a turn signal (failure to signal), failure to maintain a safe distance, and inattention to the road ahead. This makes it possible to set the weighting of rules to be followed according to the purpose of the driving evaluation. The weighting of the own vehicle's bonus point information and the other vehicle's bonus point information can be arbitrarily changed as appropriate by the information processing device 30.

[0094] <5. Things to keep in mind> Various technical features disclosed as embodiments in this specification may be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the technical creation. In other words, the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all respects and are not limiting. The technical scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the description of the above-described embodiments, and includes all modifications that fall within the meaning and scope of the claims. Furthermore, the multiple embodiments described in this specification may be combined as appropriate to the extent possible.

[0095] In the above embodiment, various functions are realized by software through the arithmetic processing of a CPU in accordance with a program, but at least some of these functions may be realized by electrical hardware resources. All or part of the hardware resources may be realized by, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). Conversely, at least some of the functions realized by hardware resources may be realized by software.

[0096] The information processing device 30 may also include a computer program that causes a processor (computer) to realize at least some of the functions of the driving evaluation system 1 (the on-board device 10, the information processing device 30). Such a computer program can be stored in a computer-readable nonvolatile recording medium (for example, the above-mentioned nonvolatile memory, an optical recording medium (for example, an optical disk), a magneto-optical recording medium (for example, a magneto-optical disk), a USB memory, or an SD card, etc.) and provided (sold, etc.), or can be provided from a server device via a communication line such as the Internet, i.e., by downloading. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 1. Driving evaluation system 2. Front camera 3 Sensor section 3g G-sensor 10 Onboard equipment 11 Communications Department 12 Storage section 13 Controller 30 Information processing equipment 31 Communications Department 32 Storage section 33 Controller D1 Driver L1 1st following distance L2 2nd following distance Lb brake light Lw turn signal V1 vehicle (own vehicle) Vc Cut-in vehicle Vf Front vehicle

Claims

1. A driving evaluation system for evaluating the driving of a vehicle driver, The vehicle-mounted device and the information processing device are provided. The in-vehicle device Detects that a vehicle has changed lanes and entered between the vehicle and the vehicle ahead, When the lane change is detected, When detecting the illumination of the turn signal of the cutting-in vehicle and detecting the braking of the host vehicle, or when not detecting the illumination of the brake lamp of the cutting-in vehicle and detecting the braking of the host vehicle, calculate host vehicle point addition information indicating that the host vehicle has engaged in dangerous driving, and transmit the host vehicle point addition information to the information processing device; The information processing device includes: receiving the vehicle point addition information from the in-vehicle device; Evaluating the driving of the driver of the vehicle based on the received vehicle point information. Driving evaluation system.

2. The in-vehicle device Estimating a first inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the cutting-in vehicle and a second inter-vehicle distance between the cutting-in vehicle and the host vehicle; When the lane change is detected, if the lighting of the turn signal of the cutting-in vehicle is not detected, or if the first inter-vehicle distance is less than a predetermined first reference distance, or if the lighting of the brake lamp of the cutting-in vehicle is detected and the braking of the host vehicle is detected, or if the second inter-vehicle distance is less than a predetermined second reference distance, calculate other vehicle addition point information indicating that the cutting-in vehicle has engaged in dangerous driving, and transmit the other vehicle addition point information to the information processing device; The information processing device includes: receiving the other vehicle point addition information from the in-vehicle device; evaluating the driving of the driver of the own vehicle based on the received own vehicle point addition information and other vehicle point addition information; The driving evaluation system according to claim 1 .

3. The in-vehicle device When the lane change is detected, In each of the cases where the turning on of a turn signal of the cutting-in vehicle is not detected, where the first inter-vehicle distance is less than the first reference distance, and where the second inter-vehicle distance is less than the second reference distance, the other vehicle's additional point information is calculated so that the additional points are greater when the braking of the own vehicle is detected than when the braking of the own vehicle is not detected. The driving evaluation system according to claim 2 .

4. When the calculated vehicle point information is greater than a point reference value, the in-vehicle device transmits the vehicle point information to the information processing device. The driving evaluation system according to claim 1 .

5. the in-vehicle device changes a weighting of the host vehicle additional point information based on a state of the host vehicle when calculating the host vehicle additional point information; The driving evaluation system according to claim 1 .

6. the in-vehicle device changes a weighting of the other vehicle's additional point information based on a state of the cutting-in vehicle when calculating the other vehicle's additional point information. The driving evaluation system according to claim 2 or 3.

7. 6. An in-vehicle device in the driving evaluation system according to claim 1.

8. An information processing device in the driving evaluation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

9. A driving evaluation method in which an in-vehicle device and an information processing device evaluate the driving of a vehicle driver, The in-vehicle device Detects that a vehicle has changed lanes and entered between the vehicle and the vehicle ahead, When detecting the lane change, if the turning on of the turn signal of the cutting-in vehicle is detected and the braking of the host vehicle is detected, or if the turning on of the brake lamp of the cutting-in vehicle is not detected and the braking of the host vehicle is detected, the host vehicle's additional point information indicating that the host vehicle has engaged in dangerous driving is calculated; Transmitting the vehicle point addition information to the information processing device; The information processing device includes: receiving the vehicle point addition information from the in-vehicle device; Evaluating the driving of the driver of the vehicle based on the received vehicle point information. Driving evaluation methods.

10. The in-vehicle device Estimating a first inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the cutting-in vehicle and a second inter-vehicle distance between the cutting-in vehicle and the host vehicle; When the lane change is detected, if the lighting of the turn signal of the cutting-in vehicle is not detected, or if the first inter-vehicle distance is less than a predetermined first reference distance, or if the lighting of the brake lamp of the cutting-in vehicle is detected and the braking of the host vehicle is detected, or if the second inter-vehicle distance is less than a predetermined second reference distance, calculate other vehicle addition point information indicating that the cutting-in vehicle has engaged in dangerous driving, and transmit the other vehicle addition point information to the information processing device; The information processing device includes: receiving the other vehicle point addition information from the in-vehicle device; evaluating the driving of the driver of the own vehicle based on the received own vehicle point addition information and other vehicle point addition information; The driving evaluation method according to claim 9 .

11. A driving evaluation program for evaluating the driving of a vehicle driver, Detects that a vehicle has changed lanes and entered between the vehicle and the vehicle ahead, When the lane change is detected, When the lighting of the turn signal of the cutting-in vehicle is detected and the braking of the host vehicle is detected, or when the lighting of the brake lamp of the cutting-in vehicle is not detected and the braking of the host vehicle is detected, the host vehicle additional point information indicating that the host vehicle has engaged in dangerous driving is calculated; causing a computer to perform a procedure of evaluating the driving of the driver of the vehicle based on the vehicle point addition information; Driving assessment program.

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