Driving support system

Abstract

To perform a driving support which enables a driver to appropriately maintain attention.SOLUTION: A driving support system comprises: a detection section for detecting a traffic participant being present in the direction of travel of a vehicle; a database which relates and stores an appearance frequency of the traffic participant and a position on a map; an acquisition section for acquiring the appearance frequency at the position of the traffic participant detected by the detection section on the basis of the database; and a driving support section for performing a driving support including at least one of notifying a driver of the traffic participant, that is detected by the detection section, and controlling the vehicle when the appearance frequency, which is acquired by the acquisition section, is equal to or less than a threshold.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a driving assistance system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a driving assistance system that, when it is determined that a pedestrian is walking on the roadway and the pedestrian's location is within a predetermined range from the vehicle's location, issues a predetermined notification. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-207129 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the system described in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the driver will not be able to maintain their attention. For example, in urban areas, there are many pedestrians, and pedestrians frequently enter the roadway. As a result, there is a risk that numerous notifications will be issued warning about pedestrians within a predetermined range from the vehicle's position. These numerous warnings will make it difficult for the driver to maintain their attention. The present disclosure provides a driving assistance device that can provide driving assistance that allows the driver to appropriately maintain their attention. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A driving assistance system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a detection unit that detects traffic participants present in the direction of travel of a vehicle; a database that stores the appearance frequency of traffic participants in association with their positions on a map; an acquisition unit that acquires the appearance frequency at the position of the traffic participant detected by the detection unit based on the database; and a driving assistance unit that performs driving assistance including at least one of notifying the driver of the traffic participant detected by the detection unit and controlling the vehicle when the appearance frequency acquired by the acquisition unit is equal to or less than a threshold.

[0006] In this driving assistance system, traffic participants present in the vehicle's direction of travel are detected, and the appearance frequency of the detected traffic participants is acquired based on a database that stores the appearance frequency of traffic participants in association with their locations on a map. Then, if the acquired appearance frequency is equal to or less than a threshold, driving assistance is provided, including at least one of notifying the driver of the detected traffic participants and controlling the vehicle. Constantly receiving warnings about predictable events, i.e., events with a high occurrence frequency, can lead to the driver becoming accustomed to the events and potentially reducing their attention. Conversely, for unpredictable events, i.e., events with a low occurrence frequency, it is difficult for the driver to maintain their attention, requiring appropriate driving assistance. The driving assistance system provides driving assistance when a traffic participant appears at a location where the appearance frequency is equal to or less than a threshold. This allows the driving assistance system to suppress notifications about traffic participants whose appearance at the location is predictable, while reliably providing notifications about traffic participants whose appearance at the location is difficult to predict. Therefore, the driving assistance system can provide driving assistance that allows the driver to appropriately maintain their attention, compared to when providing driving assistance for all detected traffic participants.

[0007] In one embodiment, the detection unit may further detect a type of traffic participant, the database may further associate and store the type of traffic participant with an appearance frequency, and the acquisition unit may acquire the appearance frequency based on the information stored in the database and the type and location of the traffic participant detected by the detection unit. The driving assistance system can more appropriately determine whether the detected traffic participant is a traffic participant whose appearance is predictable or a traffic participant whose appearance is difficult to predict, taking into account differences in appearance frequency for each type of traffic participant.

[0008] In one embodiment, the database may further store the appearance frequency of the traffic participant in association with a date and time, and the acquisition unit may acquire the appearance frequency based on the information stored in the database and the location and date and time of the traffic participant detected by the detection unit. The driving assistance system can more appropriately determine whether the detected traffic participant is a traffic participant whose appearance is predictable or a traffic participant whose appearance is difficult to predict, taking into account differences in appearance frequency between dates and times.

[0009] In one embodiment, the detection unit may further detect weather at the location where the traffic participant is detected, the database may further associate and store the appearance frequency of the traffic participant with the weather, and the acquisition unit may acquire the appearance frequency based on the information stored in the database and the location and weather of the traffic participant detected by the detection unit. The driving assistance system can more appropriately determine whether the detected traffic participant is a traffic participant whose appearance is predictable or a traffic participant whose appearance is difficult to predict, taking into account differences in appearance frequency depending on the weather.

[0010] In one embodiment, the driving assistance unit may provide driving assistance in response to a traffic participant detected by the detection unit approaching the vehicle. The driving assistance system can more appropriately determine whether to provide driving assistance in consideration of the movement of the detected traffic participant.

[0011] In one embodiment, the driving assistance unit may provide driving assistance when the occurrence frequency acquired by the acquisition unit is equal to or less than a threshold, and the current situation corresponds to at least one of the following: the road is a road the driver has never driven on before; the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined vehicle speed; the driver monitor detects that the driver is looking away; and the accident statistics are equal to or greater than a threshold. This driving assistance system provides driving assistance when a traffic participant with a low occurrence frequency has appeared, and also when the current situation is one in which an unexpected event is likely to occur or one in which it is difficult to deal with an unexpected event. This allows the driving assistance system to more appropriately determine whether to provide driving assistance by taking the current situation into consideration. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present disclosure, driving assistance can be provided that allows the driver to maintain appropriate attention. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a driving assistance system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an example of information stored in the appearance frequency database. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the driving assistance system according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a driving assistance system according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated description will be omitted.

[0015] [Overview of driving assistance system] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a driving assistance system according to an embodiment. The driving assistance system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is realized by a server 2 and a vehicle 3, and provides driving assistance to a driver of the vehicle 3. The server 2 is, for example, a computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a communication circuit, and the like. The server 2 is configured to be able to communicate with the vehicle 3. The server 2 may also be configured to be able to communicate with vehicles other than the vehicle 3. The vehicle 3 may be a vehicle driven by a driver, or may be an autonomous vehicle.

[0016] The server 2 includes an appearance frequency DB 21 (an example of a database), a collection unit 22, and a detection unit 23. The collection unit 22 and the detection unit 23 are functional components and are realized by the above-mentioned hardware. The collection unit 22 is not a required component of the server 2, and may be provided as needed.

[0017] The appearance frequency DB21 is a database that stores the appearance frequency of traffic participants in association with their locations on a map. A traffic participant is a person or object present in a traffic environment, such as a pedestrian. A traffic participant may be a bicycle, a motorcycle, or a vehicle. The appearance frequency of a traffic participant indicates the number of traffic participants counted at a specific location within a specific time period. The specific time period may be, for example, one hour, several hours, one day, one month, or one year. The appearance frequency of a traffic participant may be calculated by dividing the number of traffic participants counted in a certain time period by the total number of traffic participants counted throughout that day. In other words, the appearance frequency of a traffic participant may be calculated as a daily average value. Similarly, the appearance frequency of a traffic participant may be calculated as a value averaged over several hours, a monthly average, or a yearly average.

[0018] The appearance frequency DB 21 may further store the type of traffic participant and the appearance frequency in association with each other. The type of traffic participant is information for distinguishing between pedestrians, bicycles, motorbikes, vehicles, etc. In other words, the appearance frequency DB 21 can distinguish between pedestrians, bicycles, motorbikes, vehicles, etc. even at the same location on the map, and store the appearance frequency for each type of traffic participant.

[0019] The appearance frequency DB 21 may further store the appearance frequency of a traffic participant in association with a date and time. The date and time may be, for example, a time of day, a time period, or a date. In other words, the appearance frequency DB 21 can distinguish between different times and store the appearance frequency of a traffic participant for each date and time, even for the same location on the map.

[0020] The appearance frequency DB 21 may further store the appearance frequency of a traffic participant in association with weather. Weather conditions include, for example, sunny, rainy, cloudy, thunder, etc. In other words, the appearance frequency DB 21 can distinguish between different weather conditions even at the same location on the map and store the appearance frequency of a traffic participant for each weather condition.

[0021] The information in the appearance frequency DB21 is stored and updated by the collection unit 22. The collection unit 22 acquires information about traffic participants by communicating with the outside and stores the acquired information in the appearance frequency DB21. For example, the collection unit 22 acquires location information (terminal location information) of the mobile device by directly communicating with a mobile device owned by the traffic participant or by communicating with an external server that can communicate with the mobile device. The location information of the mobile device is used as the location information of the traffic participant. The collection unit 22 updates the appearance frequency stored in the appearance frequency DB21 based on the location information of the mobile device. The collection unit 22 may acquire not only the location information of the mobile device but also the above-mentioned type of traffic participant, date and time, and weather from the mobile device or an external server. The collection unit 22 may update the appearance frequency stored in the appearance frequency DB21 based on the acquired type of traffic participant, date and time, and weather. Note that the party from which the collection unit 22 communicates to acquire information is not limited to the mobile device owned by the traffic participant or the external server, and may be, for example, infrastructure equipment such as a camera or sensor installed on a road, or a vehicle equipped with an on-board camera or on-board sensor.

[0022] FIG. 2 is an example of information stored in the appearance frequency database. As shown in FIG. 2, the appearance frequency DB 21 stores a location on a map and an appearance frequency in association with each other. For example, in item number "1," an appearance frequency of "100" is stored in association with the location "P1." The appearance frequency in FIG. 2 indicates, as an example, an appearance frequency per hour. In item number "1," the location "P1" is further stored in association with the type "pedestrian," the date and time "8:00 on XX month XX day," and the weather "fine." If the date and time include a time, the appearance frequency may be calculated in units of time including that time. For example, in the case of the date and time "8:00 on XX month XX day," the appearance frequency may be the appearance frequency per hour from 8:00 to 9:00 on XX month XX day.

[0023] Similarly, in item number "2," the location "P1" is associated with an appearance frequency of "5," a type of "pedestrian," a date and time of "month, day, 0:00," and a weather condition of "sunny." In item number "3," the location "P1" is associated with an appearance frequency of "10," a type of "motorcycle," a date and time of "month, day, 8:00," and a weather condition of "sunny."

[0024] In item number "4," the location "P2" is associated with an appearance frequency of "1000," a type of "pedestrian," a date and time of "daytime," and a weather condition of "sunny," and stored. In item number "5," the location "P2" is associated with an appearance frequency of "10," a type of "pedestrian," a date and time of "late night," and a weather condition of "rain," and stored.

[0025] In item number "6", the location "P3" is associated with an appearance frequency of "1", a type of "pedestrian", a date and time of "XX / XX / DAY 0:00", and a weather condition of "sunny", and these are stored. In item number "7", the location "P3" is associated with an appearance frequency of "50", a type of "bicycle", a date and time of "XX / XX / DAY 0:00", and a weather condition of "sunny", and these are stored. In item number "8", the location "P3" is associated with an appearance frequency of "20", a type of "car", a date and time of "XX / XX / DAY 0:00", and a weather condition of "cloudy", and these are stored. Subsequent item numbers will be omitted.

[0026] As described above, the appearance frequency DB 21 stores the location, type, date and time, and weather in association with the appearance frequency.

[0027] 1, the detection unit 23 of the server 2 detects traffic participants present in the traveling direction of the vehicle 3. The detection unit 23 can detect traffic participants present in the traveling direction of the vehicle 3 based on various information.

[0028] For example, the detection unit 23 may detect traffic participants present in the traveling direction of the vehicle 3 based on the location information (terminal location information) of a mobile device owned by the traffic participant. The terminal location information is acquired directly from the mobile device or via another server. The detection unit 23, for example, calculates a traveling route from the traveling direction of the vehicle 3, or acquires the traveling route from the vehicle 3. Then, the detection unit 23 matches the calculated or acquired traveling route with the terminal location information to detect traffic participants present in the traveling direction of the vehicle 3.

[0029] The detection unit 23 may detect traffic participants present in the traveling direction of the vehicle 3 based on infrastructure information. The infrastructure information is information detected by cameras or sensors installed on the road, and includes location information of the detected traffic participants. The infrastructure information is acquired directly from infrastructure facilities or via another server, etc. The detection unit 23 detects traffic participants present in the traveling direction of the vehicle 3, for example, by matching the calculated or acquired travel route of the vehicle 3 with the infrastructure information.

[0030] The detection unit 23 may detect traffic participants present in the traveling direction of the vehicle 3 based on sensor information. The sensor information is information detected by an on-board camera or on-board radar of another vehicle, and includes location information of the detected traffic participants. The sensor information is acquired directly from the other vehicle or via another server. The detection unit 23 detects traffic participants present in the traveling direction of the vehicle 3, for example, by matching the calculated or acquired travel route of the vehicle 3 with the sensor information.

[0031] When the detection unit 23 detects a traffic participant present in the traveling direction of the vehicle 3, the server 2 transmits the position of the detected traffic participant to the vehicle 3. The server 2 may transmit information including not only the position of the detected traffic participant but also the type, date and time, weather, etc.

[0032] The vehicle 3 includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 31, an HMI (Human-Machine Interface) 34, headlights 35, and an actuator 36. It is not necessary to include all of the HMI 34, headlights 35, and actuators 36; it is sufficient to have at least one selected from these.

[0033] The ECU 31 is a computer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a communication circuit, etc. The ECU 31 has, as functional components, an acquisition unit 32 and a driving assistance unit 33. The acquisition unit 32 and the driving assistance unit 33 are realized by the above-mentioned hardware.

[0034] When the acquisition unit 32 receives the position of a traffic participant present in the traveling direction of the vehicle 3, it acquires the appearance frequency at the position of the traffic participant based on the appearance frequency DB 21. The acquisition unit 32 acquires the appearance frequency corresponding to the position of the traffic participant from the appearance frequency DB 21 by querying the server 2 using the position of the traffic participant as a search key. The acquisition unit 32 may acquire the appearance frequency from the appearance frequency DB 21 based not only on the position of the detected traffic participant but also on the type of the detected traffic participant, the date and time of detection, the detected weather, etc. By setting the search conditions in detail, a more appropriate appearance frequency can be acquired.

[0035] The driving assistance unit 33 determines whether the appearance frequency acquired by the acquisition unit 32 is equal to or less than a threshold. The threshold is set in advance to determine the appearance frequency. The threshold is set to analyze the appearance frequency of all positions and determine whether the position is a position where traffic participants often appear. The threshold may be determined using a statistical method (e.g., average or median) or may be set empirically. A position where the appearance frequency is equal to or less than the threshold is considered to be a position where traffic participants often appear. Therefore, a situation where a traffic participant appears at a position where the appearance frequency is equal to or less than the threshold is a situation that is difficult for the driver to handle, that is, a situation where attention is likely to be low. Attention is synonymous with vigilance, alertness, concentration, etc., and is an indicator of delayed reaction. Therefore, a position where the appearance frequency is equal to or less than the threshold is a position where driving assistance should be performed.

[0036] The driving assistance unit 33 provides driving assistance when the acquired appearance frequency is equal to or less than a threshold. The driving assistance includes at least one of notifying the driver of the traffic participants detected by the detection unit 23 and controlling the vehicle 3.

[0037] The notification to the driver by the driving assistance unit 33 is executed via the HMI 34. The HMI 34 is a device for realizing communication between the vehicle 3 and the driver, and includes, for example, a touch display, a speaker, and the like. The driving assistance unit 33 may display the location of the detected traffic participant on a map on the display, may display the location of the detected traffic participant in text, or may output the location of the traffic participant by voice via the speaker. The information notified to the driver may include not only the location of the traffic participant, but also other information such as the type of traffic participant.

[0038] The control of the vehicle 3 by the driving assistance unit 33 is a control for mitigating situations where attention is likely to be reduced. For example, the driving assistance unit 33 controls the lighting of the headlights 35 so as to mainly illuminate the position of the detected traffic participant. The headlights 35 are, for example, a plurality of lights arranged in the vehicle width direction, and are configured so that the light irradiation position can be controlled depending on the lighting position of each light. The headlights 35 may be configured so that the irradiation position can be changed by including an actuator. Turning on the headlights 35 can make it easier for the driver to notice traffic participants.

[0039] The control of the vehicle 3 by the driving assistance unit 33 may be control to avoid situations where attention is likely to be reduced. For example, the driving assistance unit 33 operates the actuators 36 to slow down the vehicle 3 or to drive the vehicle 3 away from the position of traffic participants by steering control. The actuators 36 may include an engine actuator, a brake actuator, and a steering actuator.

[0040] The driving assistance unit 33 may determine whether to perform driving assistance by adding various conditions to the condition that the appearance frequency acquired by the acquisition unit 32 is equal to or lower than a threshold. For example, the driving assistance unit 33 may perform driving assistance when a traffic participant detected by the detection unit 23 is approaching the vehicle 3. For example, the driving assistance unit 33 sequentially acquires the positions of the traffic participants from the detection unit 23, and determines whether the distance between the traffic participant and the vehicle 3 is changing to become shorter based on the change in the positions over time. In this way, the driving assistance unit 33 does not perform driving assistance when the traffic participant is not approaching the vehicle 3, thereby avoiding the execution of ineffective driving assistance.

[0041] In addition to determining the appearance frequency, the driving assistance unit 33 may perform driving assistance if the road is one that the driver has never driven on before. For example, the driving assistance unit 33 determines, based on the driving history, whether the road on which the driver is currently driving is one that the driver has never driven on before.

[0042] In addition to determining the occurrence frequency, the driving assistance unit 33 may also perform driving assistance if the road is one the driver has never driven on before. For example, the driving assistance unit 33 determines, based on the driving history, whether the road the driver is currently driving on is one the driver has never driven on before. On a road the driver has never driven on before, the driver has no experience and is forced to react to every event, which can lead to a situation where attention is likely to be reduced. By performing driving assistance when the occurrence frequency acquired by the acquisition unit 32 is below a threshold and the road is one the driver has never driven on before, the driving assistance unit 33 can overcome situations where attention is likely to be reduced and allow the driver to appropriately maintain attention.

[0043] In addition to determining the occurrence frequency, the driving assistance unit 33 may also perform driving assistance if the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined vehicle speed. The predetermined vehicle speed can be set as appropriate, and may be set to approximately 90% of the vehicle speed limit, for example. For example, the driving assistance unit 33 acquires the predetermined vehicle speed of the road on which the vehicle is traveling based on infrastructure information, and compares the acquired predetermined vehicle speed with the vehicle speed of the vehicle 3 to determine whether the vehicle speed exceeds the predetermined vehicle speed. A situation in which the vehicle speed exceeds the predetermined vehicle speed is one in which it is difficult to deal with an unexpected situation. By performing driving assistance when the occurrence frequency acquired by the acquisition unit 32 is equal to or lower than a threshold and the vehicle speed exceeds the predetermined vehicle speed, the driving assistance unit 33 can overcome situations in which attention is likely to decrease and allow the driver to maintain appropriate attention.

[0044] In addition to determining the occurrence frequency, the driving assistance unit 33 may also perform driving assistance when the driver monitor detects that the driver is looking away. The driver monitor is an image sensor provided in the cabin of the vehicle 3 and monitors the driver. For example, the driving assistance unit 33 detects that the driver is looking away based on an image captured by the driver monitor. A situation in which the driver is looking away is a situation in which it is difficult to deal with an unexpected event. By performing driving assistance when the occurrence frequency acquired by the acquisition unit 32 is equal to or lower than a threshold and the driver monitor detects that the driver is looking away, the driving assistance unit 33 can overcome a situation in which attention is likely to decrease and allow the driver to maintain appropriate attention.

[0045] In addition to determining the occurrence frequency, the driving assistance unit 33 may also perform driving assistance if the accident statistics are equal to or greater than a threshold. The accident statistics are acquired, for example, from an external server. The threshold is set in advance to determine the number of accidents. The threshold may be determined using a statistical method (for example, an average or median) or may be set empirically. A situation in which the accident statistics are equal to or greater than the threshold is likely to be a situation in which it is difficult to deal with an unexpected event, such as a place with poor visibility. By performing driving assistance when the occurrence frequency acquired by the acquisition unit 32 is equal to or less than the threshold and the accident statistics are equal to or greater than the threshold, the driving assistance unit 33 can overcome situations in which attention is likely to be reduced and allow the driver to maintain appropriate attention.

[0046] In addition to determining the occurrence frequency, the driving assistance unit 33 may combine multiple of the above-mentioned situation determinations to ultimately determine whether or not to perform driving assistance. For example, the driving assistance unit 33 may perform driving assistance when several of the above-mentioned situations apply.

[0047] [Driving assistance system operation] Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the driving assistance system according to one embodiment. The flowchart shown in Fig. 3 is executed when the driver of the vehicle 3 issues a command to start the driving assistance system service. As shown in Fig. 3, first, in step S10, the server 2 determines whether the detection unit 21 has detected a traffic participant present in the traveling direction of the vehicle 3.

[0048] If a traffic participant is detected (step S10: YES), in step S12, the acquisition unit 32 receives the position of the traffic participant present in the direction of travel of the vehicle 3 and acquires the appearance frequency at the traffic participant's position by querying the server 2.

[0049] Next, in Step S14, the driving assistance unit 33 determines whether the acquired appearance frequency is equal to or less than a threshold. If it is determined that the acquired appearance frequency is equal to or less than the threshold (Step S14: YES), the driving assistance unit 33 executes driving assistance in Step S16. When Step S16 ends, the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 ends.

[0050] If a traffic participant is not detected (step S10: NO), or if it is determined that the occurrence frequency is not below the threshold (step S14: NO), driving assistance is not performed and the flowchart shown in Figure 3 ends.

[0051] 3 ends, the process is executed from the beginning of the flowchart until a termination condition is met, which may be met, for example, when the driver instructs the driving assistance system to terminate its service.

[0052] (Summary of the embodiment) The driving assistance system 1 detects traffic participants present in the traveling direction of the vehicle 3 and acquires the appearance frequency at the position of the detected traffic participant based on an appearance frequency database 21 that stores the appearance frequency of traffic participants in association with their positions on a map. If the acquired appearance frequency is equal to or less than a threshold, driving assistance is provided, including at least one of notifying the driver of the detected traffic participant and controlling the vehicle 3. Constantly receiving warnings about predictable events, i.e., events with a high appearance frequency, can lead to the driver becoming accustomed to the events and potentially reducing their attention. Conversely, for unforeseen events, i.e., events with a low appearance frequency, it is difficult for the driver to maintain their attention, and appropriate driving assistance is therefore required. The driving assistance system 1 provides driving assistance in response to the appearance of a traffic participant at a position where the appearance frequency is equal to or less than a threshold. This allows the driving assistance system 1 to suppress notifications about traffic participants whose appearance at the position is predictable and reliably provide notifications about traffic participants whose appearance at the position is difficult to predict. Therefore, the driving assistance system 1 can provide driving assistance that allows the driver to appropriately maintain their attention, compared to when providing driving assistance for all detected traffic participants.

[0053] Although exemplary embodiments have been described above, various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made without being limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments.

[0054] For example, each component of the driving assistance system 1 may be provided in either the server 2 or the vehicle 3, and is not limited to the form shown in FIG. 1. As an example, a case will be illustrated in which all components are provided in the vehicle. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a driving assistance system according to a modified example. The driving assistance system 1A shown in FIG. 4 is different from the driving assistance system 1 of FIG. 1 in that the server 2 does not include the detection unit 23, and the vehicle 3 includes the detection unit 23A and the appearance frequency DB 21A, but is otherwise the same. The following description will focus on the differences from the driving assistance system 1, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 4, the ECU 31 includes a detection unit 23A, an acquisition unit 32, a driving assistance unit 33, and an occurrence frequency DB 21A. The detection unit 23A, like the detection unit 23, detects traffic participants present in the traveling direction of the vehicle 3. The detection unit 23A is functionally identical to the detection unit 23, except that the route from which the information used for detection is acquired may differ. The occurrence frequency DB 21A is a database that is updated based on the occurrence frequency DB 21. For example, the occurrence frequency DB 21A is copied (synchronized) with the occurrence frequency DB 21 at a predetermined timing. In other words, the occurrence frequency DB 21A has the same information as the occurrence frequency DB 21, although the freshness of the information varies. The update timing is determined appropriately.

[0056] The driving assistance system 1A described above can operate in the same manner as the driving assistance system 1, and can provide driving assistance that allows the driver to maintain appropriate attention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1...driving assistance system, 2...server, 3...vehicle, 21, 21A...occurrence frequency DB, 23, 23A...detection unit, 32...acquisition unit, 33...driving assistance unit

Claims

1. a detection unit that detects traffic participants present in the traveling direction of the vehicle; a database that stores the appearance frequency of the traffic participants in association with their positions on a map; an acquisition unit that acquires an appearance frequency at the location of the traffic participant detected by the detection unit based on the database; a driving assistance unit that performs driving assistance including at least one of notifying a driver of the traffic participant detected by the detection unit and controlling the vehicle when the appearance frequency acquired by the acquisition unit is equal to or less than a threshold; A driving assistance system equipped with:

2. The detection unit further detects the type of the traffic participant, The database further stores the types of traffic participants and their appearance frequencies in association with each other; The driving assistance system according to claim 1 , wherein the acquisition unit acquires the appearance frequency based on the information stored in the database and the type and location of the traffic participant detected by the detection unit.

3. The database further stores the appearance frequency of the traffic participant and a date and time in association with each other; The driving assistance system according to claim 1 , wherein the acquisition unit acquires the appearance frequency based on the information stored in the database and the location and date and time of the traffic participant detected by the detection unit.

4. The detection unit further detects the weather at the location where the traffic participant is detected; The database further stores the appearance frequency of the traffic participants and weather conditions in association with each other; The driving assistance system according to claim 1 , wherein the acquisition unit acquires the appearance frequency based on the information stored in the database and the location of the traffic participant and the weather detected by the detection unit.

5. The driving assistance system according to claim 1 , wherein the driving assistance unit performs the driving assistance in response to the traffic participant detected by the detection unit approaching the vehicle.

6. 2. The driving assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the driving assistance unit performs the driving assistance in accordance with a situation where the occurrence frequency acquired by the acquisition unit is equal to or lower than a threshold, and further where the current situation corresponds to at least one of a situation where the driver is traveling on a road for the first time, a situation where the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined vehicle speed, a situation where a driver monitor detects that the driver is looking away, and a situation where accident statistics are equal to or higher than a threshold.

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