Obstacle notification control device and obstacle notification method

Abstract

To provide an appropriate notification of surrounding obstacles.SOLUTION: An obstacle notification control device 20 includes: an obstacle detection unit 21 that detects an obstacle around a self device; a collision possibility determination unit 25 that determines the degree of possibility that the detected obstacle will collide with the self device; a notification mode determination unit 28 that determines a notification mode based on the degree of collision possibility of the obstacle; and a notification control unit 29 that controls a notification unit to perform notification using the notification mode determined by the notification mode determination unit 28. The notification mode determination unit 28 determines the notification mode as the size of a display area where the notification is displayed, based on the degree of collision possibility.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an obstacle warning control device and an obstacle warning method. [Background technology]

[0002] One known technology for reducing the use of mobile devices while walking is one in which, when information is displayed on a display screen and the size of a face recognized by a camera on the display screen is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, an object detected by a camera taking a picture in the opposite direction from the camera is detected and the user is notified (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-145176 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, if nearby objects are detected and frequently reported, the operability of the device may be reduced due to the reports, which may be annoying to the user of the device. Therefore, it is desirable to report the detection in an appropriate manner.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has an object to notify surrounding obstacles in an appropriate manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the obstacle notification control device of the present invention comprises an obstacle detection unit that detects obstacles around the vehicle, a collision possibility determination unit that determines the degree of possibility that the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit will collide with the vehicle, a notification mode determination unit that determines the notification mode depending on the degree of collision possibility of the obstacle determined by the collision possibility determination unit, and a notification control unit that controls the notification unit to issue a notification in the notification mode determined by the notification mode determination unit, and the notification mode determination unit determines the size of the display area in which to display the notification as the notification mode depending on the degree of collision possibility.

[0007] The obstacle warning method of the present invention includes an obstacle detection step of detecting obstacles around the vehicle, a collision possibility determination step of determining the degree of possibility that the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection step will collide with the vehicle, a warning mode determination step of determining a warning mode depending on the degree of collision possibility of the obstacle determined by the collision possibility determination step, and a warning control step of controlling the warning unit to issue a warning in the warning mode determined by the warning mode determination step, wherein the warning mode determination step is performed by an obstacle warning control device to determine the size of a display area in which to display a warning as the warning mode depending on the degree of collision possibility. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an effect that a surrounding obstacle can be notified in an appropriate manner. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an obstacle alarm device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a notification mode. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing in the obstacle alarm device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an obstacle alarm device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing in the obstacle alarm device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an obstacle alarm device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing in the obstacle alarm device according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an obstacle alarm device 1 according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment.

[0011] [First embodiment] <Obstacle alarm device> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an obstacle alarm device according to a first embodiment. The obstacle alarm device 1 is implemented as one of the functions of a portable electronic device such as a smartphone. The obstacle alarm device 1 includes a sensor 11, an alarm unit 19, and an obstacle alarm control device 20. In this embodiment, the obstacle alarm device 1 issues an alarm in an alarm mode according to the degree of possibility of a collision with an obstacle while the user of the obstacle alarm device 1 is walking. The obstacle alarm device 1 changes the size of a display area (hereinafter referred to as an "alert display area") in which an alarm is displayed according to the degree of possibility of a collision between the user of the obstacle alarm device 1 and an obstacle. If a person approaching the obstacle alarm device 1 is not looking at the device, the obstacle alarm device 1 enlarges the alarm display area.

[0012] The sensor 11 is a variety of sensors that detect obstacles in the vicinity centered in front of the host vehicle. The sensor 11 is, for example, a camera that captures images of the vicinity centered in front of the host vehicle, a line-of-sight sensor, an ultrasonic sensor arranged facing the vicinity centered in front of the host vehicle, a millimeter-wave radar, a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor, or other sensor. The sensor 11 may be a combination of multiple types of sensors, such as a visible light camera and a LiDAR. In this embodiment, the sensor 11 will be described as a camera and a line-of-sight sensor. The sensor 11 may also be a wearable sensor separate from the obstacle alarm device 1. The sensor 11 outputs various detected data to the obstacle detection unit 21.

[0013] A case where the sensor 11 is a camera will be described. The camera is a visible light camera that captures an image of a person approaching the vehicle from the front. The camera is, for example, an outer camera of a smartphone. The camera outputs the captured image to the obstacle detection unit 21. The camera and the line of sight sensor may be the same visible light camera.

[0014] The case where the sensor 11 is a gaze sensor will be described. The gaze sensor is a sensor that detects the gaze of a person approaching the host device from the front. The gaze sensor is located, for example, near the rear camera of a smartphone. The gaze sensor includes an infrared light emitting unit composed of a group of infrared LEDs and a pair of infrared cameras. The gaze sensor, for example, uses the pair of infrared light emitting units to emit infrared light in the direction of the face of a person approaching the host device from the front, and captures the image with the infrared camera. The gaze sensor outputs the captured image to the obstacle detection unit 21. From the image captured by the infrared camera in this way, the person detection unit 211 (described later) determines whether the person's gaze is directed toward the host device based on the positions of the person's pupils and corneal reflex. The gaze sensor may also be a visible light camera.

[0015] The notification unit 19 notifies the user in a notification manner according to the degree of possibility of collision with an obstacle. The notification unit 19 includes at least one of a display unit and an audio output unit. The notification unit 19 controls to notify based on a control signal from a notification control unit 29.

[0016] The function of the notification unit 19 as a display unit will be described. One example of the notification unit 19 is a display device of a portable electronic device such as a smartphone equipped with the obstacle notification device 1. Based on the video signal output from the notification control unit 29, the notification unit 19 displays an image to notify the driver in a notification mode according to the degree of possibility of collision with an obstacle.

[0017] The function of the notification unit 19 as an audio output unit will be described. The notification unit 19 is, for example, a portable electronic device such as a smartphone equipped with the obstacle notification device 1, or an audio output unit such as headphones connected to the portable electronic device. When the notification unit 19 is an audio output unit, it outputs audio to notify the driver in an alert mode according to the degree of possibility of collision with an obstacle, based on the audio signal output from the notification control unit 29.

[0018] <Obstacle Alert Control Device> The obstacle alarm control device 20 controls the obstacle alarm device 1 so that an alarm is given in an alarm mode according to the degree of possibility of collision with an obstacle while the user of the obstacle alarm device 1 is walking. The obstacle alarm control device 20 is an arithmetic processing device (control unit) constituted by, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an image processing processor. The obstacle alarm control device 20 loads a program stored in a storage unit (not shown) into memory and executes instructions contained in the program. The obstacle alarm control device 20 includes an obstacle detection unit 21, a collision possibility determination unit 25, an alarm mode determination unit 28, and an alarm control unit 29. The obstacle alarm control device 20 may be constituted by one or more devices.

[0019] The obstacle detection unit 21 detects obstacles around the host vehicle. More specifically, the obstacle detection unit 21 detects obstacles that exist within a predetermined range of about several tens of meters in radius centered on the host vehicle, from data acquired from the sensor 11. Furthermore, the obstacle detection unit 21 may detect obstacles approaching the host vehicle.

[0020] An obstacle is an object that may come into contact with the user of the own device. Obstacles include, for example, people other than the user of the own device, moving objects such as bicycles or vehicles, structures such as utility poles or buildings, vending machines placed on the road, flower pots, etc. In the following explanation, as an example, the obstacle will be described as a person.

[0021] In this embodiment, the obstacle detection unit 21 includes a person detection unit 211.

[0022] The person detection unit 211 detects people in the vicinity of the own device. More specifically, the person detection unit 211 detects at least one of the facial orientation and the gaze direction of a person approaching the own device (hereinafter referred to as an "approaching person"). In other words, the person detection unit 211 detects at least one of the facial orientation and the gaze direction of an approaching person who is present within a predetermined range of about several tens of meters in radius centered on the own device.

[0023] The person detection unit 211 recognizes the face of an approaching person from an image captured by a camera, which is the sensor 11, and detects the orientation of the recognized face. A known method can be used as a method for detecting the orientation of a face from an image, and is not limited thereto.

[0024] The person detection unit 211 detects the direction of the user's gaze based on an image captured by the gaze sensor, which is the sensor 11. There are no limitations on the method for detecting the gaze, but in this embodiment, the gaze is detected by the corneal reflex.

[0025] The person detection unit 211 detects whether the facial direction of an approaching person detected from video captured by the camera serving as the sensor 11, or the line of sight of the approaching person detected from video captured by the line-of-sight sensor serving as the sensor 11, is directed toward the user of the host device. The person detection unit 211 detects the degree of deviation between the facial direction or line of sight of the detected approaching person and the direction in which the host device is located. For example, if the detected facial direction or line of sight is directed toward the sensor 11, the unit detects that the approaching person is facing the host device and that the degree of deviation from the direction in which the host device is located is small. For example, if the detected facial direction or line of sight deviates from the sensor 11 by more than a first predetermined angle in at least one of the up / down or left / right directions, the unit detects that the degree of deviation from the direction in which the host device is located is large.

[0026] The first predetermined angle is an angle at which the user of the own aircraft can be recognized within the field of view of an approaching person, and is, for example, about 45 degrees.

[0027] The collision possibility determination unit 25 determines whether there is a possibility of collision between the host vehicle and an obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 21. The collision possibility determination unit 25 determines the degree of possibility that the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 21 will collide with the host vehicle.

[0028] The degree of collision possibility may be roughly determined using three levels, for example, "low," "medium," and "high." The degree of collision possibility may also be determined more precisely, for example, using a range from 0% to 100%.

[0029] The collision possibility determination unit 25 determines the degree of collision possibility based on the distance between the user of the own aircraft and the obstacle and the relative speed between the user of the own aircraft and the obstacle.

[0030] For example, the collision possibility determination unit 25 determines the degree of collision possibility to be lower the longer the distance between the user of the own aircraft and the obstacle, and higher the shorter the distance. This is because the shorter the distance between the user of the own aircraft and the obstacle, the closer an approaching person is, and the higher the possibility of collision. For example, the collision possibility determination unit 25 determines the collision possibility to be "high" when the distance between the user of the own aircraft and the obstacle is less than 5 m, determines the collision possibility to be "medium" when the distance is 5 m or more but less than 15 m, and determines the collision possibility to be "low" when the distance is 15 m or more but less than 30 m. In this case, if the distance between the user of the own aircraft and the obstacle is 30 m or more, the collision possibility is determined to be "none."

[0031] For example, the collision possibility determination unit 25 determines the degree of collision possibility to be lower the lower the relative speed between the user of the own aircraft and the obstacle, and higher the higher the relative speed. This is because the faster the relative speed between the user of the own aircraft and the obstacle, the more likely it is that an approaching person will reach the position of the own aircraft in a shorter time and collide with the user of the own aircraft. For example, the collision possibility determination unit 25 determines that the collision possibility is "none" when the relative speed between the user of the own aircraft and the obstacle is zero km / h or less than zero km / h. When the relative speed is zero km / h, the distance between the own aircraft and the obstacle does not change. When the relative speed is less than zero km / h, the distance between the own aircraft and the obstacle changes in a direction that moves away from each other.

[0032] The collision possibility determination unit 25 may further determine the degree of possibility that an obstacle will collide with the user's device based on the degree of deviation between the facial direction or line of sight of the approaching person detected by the person detection unit 211 and the direction in which the user's device is located. For example, the collision possibility determination unit 25 determines the degree of collision possibility to be lower the smaller the degree of deviation between the facial direction or line of sight of the approaching person and the direction in which the user's device is located, and higher the degree of collision possibility. This is because, if the degree of deviation between the facial direction or line of sight of the approaching person and the direction in which the user's device is located is large, the approaching person may be walking while using a smartphone or looking away. In such cases, there is a high possibility that the approaching person will collide with the user of the user's device. This is because, if the degree of deviation between the facial direction or line of sight of the approaching person and the direction in which the user's device is located is small, the approaching person will notice the user of the user's device and the possibility of a collision is low.

[0033] The notification mode determination unit 28 determines the notification mode according to the degree of collision possibility with the obstacle determined by the collision possibility determination unit 25. In this embodiment, the notification mode determination unit 28 determines the size of the notification display area as the notification mode according to the degree of collision possibility. The notification mode determination unit 28 determines a notification mode in which the size of the notification display area is larger as the degree of collision possibility is higher, and the size of the notification display area is smaller as the degree of collision possibility is lower.

[0034] In this embodiment, the notification mode determination unit 28 may determine the size of the notification display area as the notification mode based on the degree of deviation between the facial direction and line of sight of the approaching person and the direction in which the host aircraft is located. The notification mode determination unit 28 determines the size of the notification display area as the notification mode in accordance with the degree of collision possibility determined based on the degree of deviation between the facial direction or line of sight of the approaching person and the direction in which the host aircraft is located. The notification mode determination unit 28 determines a notification mode in which the size of the notification display area is increased because the greater the degree of deviation between the facial direction or line of sight of the approaching person and the direction in which the host aircraft is located, the higher the degree of collision possibility is determined, and determines a notification mode in which the size of the notification display area is reduced because the smaller the degree of deviation / collision possibility is determined.

[0035] The notification mode determination unit 28 determines, as the notification mode, the size of an icon image to be displayed as an obstacle caution symbol on the display screen of the vehicle, according to the degree of collision possibility with an obstacle. For example, the notification mode determination unit 28 determines, as the notification mode, the size of the icon image to be a size that does not reduce the visibility of the display screen when the degree of collision possibility with an obstacle is low, a size that slightly reduces the visibility of the display screen when the degree of collision possibility with an obstacle is medium, and a size that covers the entire display screen and greatly reduces the visibility when the degree of collision possibility with an obstacle is high.

[0036] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a notification mode. When it is determined that the collision possibility is low, an icon image representing an obstacle caution symbol is displayed in a small area in the upper left corner of the display screen of the player's device. When it is determined that the collision possibility is medium, an icon image representing an obstacle caution symbol is displayed in a larger area in the upper left corner of the display screen of the player's device than when the collision possibility is low. In these two cases, the icon image does not cover the entire display screen of the player's device, so operability of the player's device is not reduced, and the user can continue operating the player's device. When it is determined that the collision possibility is high, an icon image reporting an approaching obstacle is displayed in an area covering the entire display screen in the center of the display screen of the player's device. In this case, since the icon image covers the entire display screen of the player's device, operability of the player's device is reduced, and the user interrupts operation of the player's device.

[0037] The notification mode determination unit 28 may determine the notification mode to be provided by sound or vibration in addition to display, depending on the degree of collision possibility. For example, when it is determined that the degree of collision possibility is high, the notification mode determination unit 28 increases the size of the notification display area and determines that the notification mode is to be provided by sound and vibration.

[0038] The notification control unit 29 controls the notification unit 19 to make a notification in the notification mode determined by the notification mode determination unit 28.

[0039] <Processing in the Obstacle Alarm Control Device> Next, information processing in the obstacle alarm device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing in the obstacle alarm device according to the first embodiment. For example, when the obstacle alarm function of the obstacle alarm device 1 is turned on, the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 3 is executed.

[0040] For example, when so-called "walking while using a smartphone," which is walking while looking at the display screen of the portable electronic device that is the user's device, is detected, the obstacle alert function is turned on. For example, when the display screen of the user's device is on and the walking of the user of the device is detected, the obstacle alert function may be turned on. For example, when the display screen of the user's device is on, the obstacle alert function may be turned on regardless of the state of the user of the device. When "walking while using a smartphone" is detected and then becomes undetected, the obstacle alert function is turned off. The function for detecting "walking while using a smartphone" can be any known method and is not limited.

[0041] The obstacle alarm control device 20 starts detecting an approaching person (step S101). More specifically, the obstacle alarm control device 20 starts detecting an approaching person based on data detected by the sensor 11 using the person detection unit 211. The obstacle alarm control device 20 starts detecting at least one of the facial direction and line of sight of the approaching person using the person detection unit 211. The obstacle alarm control device 20 starts detecting the degree of deviation between the facial direction or line of sight of the detected approaching person and the direction in which the vehicle is located using the person detection unit 211. The obstacle alarm control device 20 proceeds to step S102.

[0042] The obstacle alarm control device 20 determines whether there is a possibility of collision (step S102). More specifically, the obstacle alarm control device 20 determines, by the collision possibility determination unit 25, whether there is a possibility of collision between the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 21 and the host vehicle. The obstacle alarm control device 20 further determines, by the collision possibility determination unit 25, the degree of possibility of the obstacle colliding with the host vehicle. If the obstacle alarm control device 20 determines that there is a possibility of collision (Yes in step S102), the process proceeds to step S103. If the obstacle alarm control device 20 determines that there is no possibility of collision (No in step S102), the process of step S102 is executed again.

[0043] If it is determined that there is a possibility of collision (Yes in step S102), the obstacle alarm control device 20 determines the alarm mode (step S103). More specifically, the obstacle alarm control device 20 determines an alarm mode by using the alarm mode determination unit 28, in which the size of the alarm display area is increased as the degree of collision possibility increases, and the size of the alarm display area is decreased as the degree of collision possibility decreases. Furthermore, the obstacle alarm control device 20 may determine the size of the alarm display area as the alarm mode, depending on the degree of collision possibility determined by the alarm mode determination unit 28 based on the degree of deviation between the facial direction or line of sight of the approaching person and the direction in which the vehicle is located. The obstacle alarm control device 20 proceeds to step S104.

[0044] The obstacle alarm control device 20 issues an alarm (step S104). More specifically, the obstacle alarm control device 20 controls the alarm unit 19 via the alarm control unit 29 to issue an alarm in the alarm mode determined by the alarm mode determination unit 28. The obstacle alarm control device 20 proceeds to step S105.

[0045] The obstacle alarm control device 20 determines whether or not to end the processing of the obstacle alarm function (step S105). For example, if the power of the obstacle alarm device 1 is turned off or the obstacle alarm function is turned off, the obstacle alarm control device 20 determines to end the processing (Yes in step S105) and ends the processing. If the above does not apply, the obstacle alarm control device 20 does not determine to end the processing (No in step S105) and executes the processing of step S102 again.

[0046] <Effects> As described above, in this embodiment, the size of the display area displaying the notification is determined as the notification mode depending on the degree of collision possibility with an obstacle in the vicinity of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the notification mode is determined such that the size of the notification display area is increased as the degree of collision possibility increases, and the size of the notification display area is decreased as the degree of collision possibility decreases. According to this embodiment, when the collision possibility is high, the display area of ​​the obstacle caution symbol is increased, and the user of the vehicle is prompted to suspend operation, thereby urging the user to pay attention to the surroundings. According to this embodiment, when the collision possibility is low, the display area of ​​the obstacle caution symbol is reduced, allowing the user to continue operating the vehicle. In this way, according to this embodiment, it is possible to notify the user of surrounding obstacles in an appropriate manner.

[0047] In this embodiment, the size of the display area for displaying the notification is determined as the notification mode based on the degree of deviation between the facial direction and line of sight of the approaching person and the direction in which the user's aircraft is located. In this embodiment, if the degree of deviation between the facial direction or line of sight of the approaching person and the direction in which the user's aircraft is located is large, there is a high possibility that the approaching person will collide with the user of the aircraft. Therefore, by enlarging the display area of ​​the obstacle caution symbol and causing the user of the aircraft to suspend operation, the user can be prompted to pay attention to their surroundings. According to this embodiment, if the degree of deviation between the facial direction or line of sight of the approaching person and the direction in which the user's aircraft is located is small, there is a low possibility that the approaching person will collide with the user of the aircraft. Therefore, when the possibility of collision is low, the display area of ​​the obstacle caution symbol is kept small, allowing the user to continue operating the aircraft.

[0048] In this embodiment, when the possibility of a collision is high, a warning can be given by sound or vibration in addition to a visual indication, so that the user can be more reliably urged to pay attention to the surroundings.

[0049] [Second embodiment] An obstacle alarm device 1A according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an obstacle alarm device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow in the obstacle alarm device according to the second embodiment. The basic configuration of the obstacle alarm device 1A is similar to that of the obstacle alarm device 1 of the first embodiment. In the following description, the same or corresponding reference numerals are used for components that are similar to those of the obstacle alarm device 1, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The same applies to the following embodiments. In this embodiment, the obstacle alarm device 1A differs from the first embodiment in that the obstacle detection unit 21A includes a person detection unit 211A and a feeling estimation unit 212A, and in the processing in the alarm mode determination unit 28A.

[0050] In this embodiment, when a person who appears to be intentionally bumping into the vehicle is detected, the size of the notification display area is enlarged to notify the person.

[0051] The obstacle detection unit 21A includes a person detection unit 211A and a feeling estimation unit 212A.

[0052] The emotion estimation unit 212A recognizes the facial expression of the approaching person detected by the person detection unit 211A and estimates the emotion of the approaching person. The emotion estimation unit 212A estimates an emotion such as anger, such as glaring, from the facial expression of the approaching person detected from the video captured by the camera, which is the sensor 11. The method of estimating emotion from the video of the face can be any known method and is not limited to this.

[0053] When either the facial orientation or line of sight of the approaching person is within a predetermined range from the direction in which the vehicle is located, the notification mode determination unit 28A may further determine the size of the notification display area as the notification mode based on the emotion of the approaching person. If the notification mode determination unit 28A estimates that the approaching person is angry, there is a high possibility that the person will intentionally bump into the vehicle, and therefore the notification mode determination unit 28A issues a notification in the same notification mode as when the degree of collision possibility is high, such as by increasing the size of the notification display area.

[0054] Next, information processing in the obstacle alarm device 1A will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Steps S111, S112, S115, and S116 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 5 are similar to steps S101, S102, S104, and S105 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 3.

[0055] If it is determined that there is a possibility of collision (Yes in step S112), the obstacle alarm control device 20A estimates the emotion of the approaching person (step S113). More specifically, the obstacle alarm control device 20A estimates an emotion such as anger, such as glaring, from the facial expression of the approaching person detected from the video captured by the camera, which is the sensor 11, using the emotion estimation unit 212A. The obstacle alarm control device 20A proceeds to step S114.

[0056] The obstacle alarm control device 20A determines the alarm mode (step S114). More specifically, the obstacle alarm control device 20A may determine the size of the alarm display area as the alarm mode based on the emotion of the approaching person, in addition to determining the alarm mode by the alarm mode determination unit 28A in the same manner as in step S103. The obstacle alarm control device 20A proceeds to step S115.

[0057] <Effects> As described above, in this embodiment, when either the facial orientation or line of sight of the approaching person is within a predetermined range from the direction in which the vehicle is located, the size of the display area in which the notification is displayed can be determined as the notification mode based on the emotion of the approaching person. According to this embodiment, if anger is estimated to be felt by the approaching person, there is a high possibility that the person will intentionally bump into the vehicle, so the notification can be issued in the same notification mode as when the possibility of a collision is high, such as by increasing the size of the notification display area. According to this embodiment, the user can be more reliably urged to pay attention to their surroundings.

[0058] [Third embodiment] An obstacle alarm device 1B according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7. Fig. 6 is a block diagram of an obstacle alarm device according to a third embodiment. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow in the obstacle alarm device according to the third embodiment. The basic configuration of the obstacle alarm device 1B is similar to that of the obstacle alarm device 1A of the first embodiment. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it includes a gyro sensor 12B and a ground angle detection unit 26B, and in the processing of the alarm mode determination unit 28B.

[0059] In this embodiment, when the player's device is facing downward, the player's gaze is likely to be directed downward and not forward, so the notification display area is enlarged to notify the player.

[0060] The gyro sensor 12B is a three-axis gyro sensor or the like that can detect the attitude of the aircraft, ie, the angle of the aircraft with respect to the ground.

[0061] Ground angle detection unit 26B detects the ground angle of the host aircraft. More specifically, ground angle detection unit 26B detects the ground angle of the host aircraft, which indicates the degree to which the host aircraft is tilted with respect to the ground or the vertical direction, based on sensor data detected by gyro sensor 12B.

[0062] When either the facial orientation or line of sight of the approaching person is within a predetermined range from the direction in which the host aircraft is located, the notification mode determination unit 28B may further determine the size of the notification display area as the notification mode based on the host aircraft's ground angle. The notification mode determination unit 28B may determine a notification mode in which the size of the notification display area increases as the host aircraft's ground angle decreases, in other words, as the direction of the normal to the host aircraft's display screen approaches the vertical direction, and the size of the notification display area decreases as the host aircraft's ground angle increases. For example, when the host aircraft's ground angle is equal to or less than a second predetermined angle, the user of the host aircraft will look down and will not pay close attention to what is ahead, so the notification mode determination unit 28B may issue a notification in the same notification mode as when the likelihood of a collision is high, such as by increasing the size of the notification display area.

[0063] The second predetermined angle is, for example, an angle of approximately 45° or less that is close to parallel to the ground. The second predetermined angle is an angle that narrows the forward field of view when the user is looking at the display screen of the player's aircraft.

[0064] Next, information processing in the obstacle alarm device 1B will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Steps S121, S122, S125, and S126 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 7 are similar to steps S101, S102, S104, and S105 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 3.

[0065] If it is determined that there is a possibility of collision (Yes in step S122), the obstacle alarm control device 20B detects the ground angle of the host vehicle (step S123). More specifically, the obstacle alarm control device 20B detects the ground angle of the host vehicle using the ground angle detection unit 26B based on the sensor data detected by the gyro sensor 12B. The obstacle alarm control device 20B proceeds to step S124.

[0066] The obstacle alarm control device 20B determines the alarm mode (step S124). More specifically, the obstacle alarm control device 20B may determine the size of the alarm display area as the alarm mode based on the aircraft's angle with respect to the ground, in addition to determining the alarm mode in the same manner as in step S103 using the alarm mode determination unit 28B. The obstacle alarm control device 20 proceeds to step S125.

[0067] <Effects> As described above, in this embodiment, the size of the display area in which the notification is displayed can be determined as the notification mode based on the angle of the own aircraft with respect to the ground. According to this embodiment, since the user of the own aircraft will be looking down and will not be paying attention to what is ahead, the notification can be made in the same notification mode as when the degree of collision possibility is high, such as by increasing the size of the notification display area.

[0068] The components of the obstacle warning device shown in the figure are conceptual functional components and do not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. In other words, the specific form of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or part of the devices may be functionally or physically distributed or integrated in any unit depending on the processing load and usage status of each device.

[0069] The configuration of the obstacle warning device is realized, for example, as software, by a program loaded into a memory. In the above embodiment, the configuration has been described as functional blocks realized by the cooperation of these hardware and software. In other words, these functional blocks can be realized in various forms, using only hardware, only software, or a combination of both.

[0070] The components described above include those that can be easily imagined by a person skilled in the art and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the configurations described above can be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the configurations are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0071] In the above, the sensor 11 detects an obstacle approaching from the front of the host vehicle, but it may also detect an obstacle approaching from the rear of the host vehicle.

[0072] The collision possibility determination criterion in the collision possibility determination unit 25 may be set by learning. For example, after an alarm is issued by the obstacle alarm device 1, whether the obstacle has been avoided naturally, whether a collision with the obstacle has occurred, or whether a sudden avoidance has occurred after a near collision with the obstacle is detected is detected based on whether an impact has been detected by a gyro sensor or the like of the vehicle, and whether a sudden change has occurred in the vehicle's moving speed. If a collision with the obstacle or a sudden avoidance after a near collision with the obstacle is detected, the determination criterion is changed so that a high collision possibility is more likely to be determined. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1 Obstacle alarm device 11 Sensors 19. Information Department 20 Obstacle notification control device 21 Obstacle detection unit 211 Person detection unit 25 Collision possibility determination unit 28 Notification mode determination unit 29 Notification control unit

Claims

1. an obstacle detection unit that detects obstacles around the vehicle; a collision possibility determination unit that determines a degree of possibility that the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit will collide with the host aircraft; a notification mode determination unit that determines a notification mode in accordance with the degree of collision possibility with the obstacle determined by the collision possibility determination unit; a notification control unit that controls the notification unit to perform notification in the notification mode determined by the notification mode determination unit; Equipped with The notification mode determination unit determines a size of a display area in which a notification is displayed as the notification mode in accordance with the degree of collision possibility. Obstacle warning control device.

2. the obstacle detection unit includes a person detection unit that detects at least one of a facial orientation and a line of sight direction of a person approaching the host aircraft; the notification mode determination unit determines, as the notification mode, a size of a display area in which to display a notification, based on a degree of deviation between at least one of a facial orientation and a line of sight direction of the person and a direction in which the host device is located; The obstacle warning control device according to claim 1 .

3. the obstacle detection unit includes a person detection unit that detects at least one of a facial orientation and a line of sight direction of a person approaching the host vehicle, and an emotion estimation unit that recognizes a facial expression of the person and estimates an emotion of the person, the notification mode determination unit determines, as the notification mode, a size of a display area in which to display a notification, based on the emotion of the person estimated by the emotion estimation unit, when either a facial orientation or a line of sight direction of the person is within a predetermined range from a direction in which the host device is located. The obstacle warning control device according to claim 1 .

4. a ground angle detection unit that detects the ground angle of the aircraft; Furthermore, the notification mode determination unit determines, as the notification mode, a size of a display area in which a notification is displayed, based on the ground angle detected by the ground angle detection unit. The obstacle warning control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. an obstacle detection step of detecting obstacles around the vehicle; a collision possibility determination step of determining a degree of possibility that the obstacle detected in the obstacle detection step will collide with the host aircraft; a notification mode determination step of determining a notification mode in accordance with the degree of collision possibility with the obstacle determined in the collision possibility determination step; a notification control step of controlling a notification unit to perform notification in the notification mode determined in the notification mode determination step; Including, the notification manner determination step determines a size of a display area in which a notification is displayed as the notification manner in accordance with the degree of collision possibility; The obstacle warning method is executed by an obstacle warning control device.

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