Vehicle driving support system

Abstract

To provide a vehicle driving support system 1 which can construct excellent relationship between a driver and a vehicle 10 via a vehicle agent V.SOLUTION: A vehicle driving support system 1 is provided which supports a driving operation of a driver via a vehicle agent V. The system comprises: an information processing server 50 acquiring via a communication line 4, vehicle information which can be acquired from a vehicle 10, origination information which is originated by the driver, and delivery information which is delivered as collection data 54 via the communication line 4; response information generation means (machine learning model 55 of the information processing server 50) generating a comment of the vehicle agent V based on the collection data 54 as response information; delivery means (server control section 53 of the information processing server 50) delivering the response information to the driver; and display means (display section 15 of the vehicle 10, operation display section 33 of a portable terminal 30) for outputting the delivered response information in a browsable manner.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle driving assistance system that assists a driver in driving a vehicle by communicating with the driver through the words and actions of a vehicle agent, which is an avatar of the vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] In automobiles and other vehicles, known vehicle driving assistance systems that assist the driver in driving operations include, for example, advanced driving assistance systems that partially intervene in the driver's driving operations, and autonomous driving systems that take over driving operations from the driver under certain conditions and perform autonomous driving.

[0003] In such vehicle driving assistance systems, various types of guidance based on the situation around the vehicle, and guidance for transferring driving operations between the driver and the vehicle, are provided not only through voice and text but also through a vehicle agent, which is an avatar of the vehicle.

[0004] However, if the driver does not trust the driving assistance provided via the vehicle agent, for example, the driving assistance provided by the vehicle driving assistance system may not function effectively to ensure the safety of the driver while driving. Therefore, it is conceivable to provide the vehicle agent with a function for communicating with the driver, thereby building a good relationship between the vehicle and the driver via the vehicle agent.

[0005] For example, in Patent Document 1, an agent is provided not only in the vehicle but also in the mobile terminal owned by the driver, enabling communication with the agent on the mobile terminal even when the driver is outside the vehicle.

[0006] Furthermore, in Patent Document 1, various information obtained outside the vehicle via the agent on the mobile terminal is reflected in the communication function of the vehicle agent, making it possible to provide the driver with optimal information.

[0007] However, since Patent Document 1 accumulates information such as the driver's behavior history and search history not only inside the vehicle but also outside the vehicle, the vehicle agent's words and actions include information that the vehicle agent cannot know.

[0008] In this case, some drivers may feel uncomfortable with the vehicle agent's words and actions, or may feel that their own actions are being constantly monitored, which may lead to a negative impression of the vehicle agent. For this reason, Patent Document 1 has room for improvement, as it may not be possible to build a good relationship between the driver and the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-195578 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle driving assistance system that can build a good relationship between a driver and a vehicle via a vehicle agent. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] This invention is a vehicle driving assistance system that assists the driver's driving operation via a vehicle agent that communicates with the driver of the vehicle, and is characterized by comprising an information processing server that collects vehicle information obtainable from the vehicle, transmitted information sent by the driver, and distributed information distributed via a communication line as information via the communication line, a response information generation means that generates comments from the vehicle agent based on the collected information as response information, a distribution means that distributes the response information to the driver, and a display means that outputs the distributed response information in a viewable manner.

[0012] The vehicle information refers to information that the vehicle can know, such as information about the vehicle's state, information about the vehicle's surroundings, or a history of communication with the driver via a vehicle agent.

[0013] The above-mentioned transmitted information refers to information that can be obtained from a server or mobile device other than the information processing server, such as information posted by the driver on a social networking service, or information indicating the driver's schedule that the driver has given permission to send to the information processing server in advance.

[0014] The distribution information is information relating to the vehicle or driver that can be obtained from a server that distributes various types of information, such as weather forecasts, information relating to vehicle inspections, or information relating to vehicle recalls. The response information generating means and the distribution means refer to means provided in an information processing server or means provided in a vehicle, for example. The display means refers to a display means provided in the vehicle or a display means of a mobile terminal carried by the driver.

[0015] According to this invention, collected information includes vehicle information obtainable from the vehicle, transmitted information sent by the driver, and distributed information distributed via a communication line, so that comments from the vehicle agent distributed to the driver are prevented from including content based on, for example, the driver's behavioral history outside the vehicle or the search history of a mobile device.

[0016] In other words, the vehicle driving assistance system can prevent the vehicle agent's comments delivered to the driver from including information that the vehicle agent cannot know. Therefore, the vehicle driving assistance system can give drivers who view the vehicle agent's comments the impression that a reasonable distance is being maintained between them, rather than the impression that the vehicle agent is always close to them.

[0017] This allows the vehicle driving assistance system to allow the driver to communicate with the vehicle via the vehicle agent while preventing the driver from feeling uncomfortable or distrustful of the vehicle agent.

[0018] Therefore, the vehicle driving assistance system can improve the driver's impression of the vehicle agent, and can build a good relationship between the driver and the vehicle via the vehicle agent. As a result, the vehicle driving assistance system can ensure the driver's safety by having the driver accept the driving assistance via the vehicle agent.

[0019] As an aspect of the present invention, the information processing server may be configured to collect the transmitted information related to the vehicle and the distributed information related to the vehicle. This configuration allows the vehicle agent to limit the comments delivered to the driver to those related to the vehicle, allowing the vehicle driving assistance system to have the vehicle agent communicate with the driver while maintaining a more appropriate sense of distance from the driver.

[0020] This allows the vehicle driving assistance system to improve the driver's impression of the vehicle agent, making it easier to build a good relationship between the driver and the vehicle.

[0021] As another aspect of the present invention, the information processing server may be configured to collect, as the collected information, information permitted by the driver out of the vehicle information, the transmission information, and the distribution information.

[0022] According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the vehicle agent's comments delivered to the driver from including information that the driver does not want collected. Therefore, the vehicle driving assistance system can allow the vehicle agent to communicate with the driver while maintaining a more appropriate sense of distance from the driver.

[0023] This makes it possible for the vehicle driving assistance system to more effectively prevent the driver from feeling uncomfortable or distrustful of the vehicle agent, thereby making it easier to build a good relationship between the driver and the vehicle.

[0024] As another aspect of the present invention, the response information generating means may be configured to generate the response information that improves the driver's intimacy with the vehicle agent. According to this configuration, the comments delivered by the vehicle agent to the driver are more likely to be received favorably by the driver, which makes it easier to build a good relationship between the driver and the vehicle.

[0025] In another aspect of the present invention, the vehicle may be equipped with a driver detection means for detecting the driver seated in the driver's seat, and the distribution means may be configured to distribute the response information to the vehicle if the driver is detected by the driver detection means, and to distribute the response information to a mobile terminal carried by the driver if the driver is not detected by the driver detection means.

[0026] According to this configuration, the vehicle agent's comments can be delivered to the driver regardless of whether the driver is in the vehicle, thereby increasing opportunities for communication with the driver. This allows the vehicle driving assistance system to facilitate the establishment of a good relationship between the driver and the vehicle.

[0027] As another aspect of the present invention, an output limiting means may be provided for limiting the output of the response information delivered to the vehicle when the driving operation of the driver is being assisted via the vehicle agent.

[0028] According to this configuration, the vehicle agent's comments are not output to the vehicle's display means during driving assistance, so that driving assistance via the vehicle agent can be prevented from being hindered by the vehicle agent's comments. This allows the vehicle driving assistance system to easily build a good relationship between the driver and the vehicle via the vehicle agent, while ensuring the safety of the driver who drives the vehicle.

[0029] In another aspect of the present invention, the vehicle may be equipped with a driver detection means for detecting the driver seated in the driver's seat, the information processing server may be configured to collect the communication history between the vehicle agent and the driver as the vehicle information, and the response information generation means may be configured to generate comments from the vehicle agent as the response information based on the communication history with the driver detected by the driver detection means.

[0030] This configuration prevents the vehicle agent's comments delivered to the driver from including content based on the driver's communication history with a third party. As a result, the vehicle driving assistance system can prevent the driver from feeling uncomfortable communicating with the vehicle agent and can make the driver more easily aware of the vehicle agent.

[0031] This allows the vehicle driving assistance system to improve the driver's impression of the vehicle agent, making it easier to build a good relationship between the driver and the vehicle.

[0032] In another aspect of the present invention, the information processing server may be configured to collect the driver's posts posted on a social networking service as the outgoing information, the response information generation means may be configured to generate the vehicle agent's comments on the driver's posts as the response information, and the distribution means may be configured to post the response information on the social networking service.

[0033] According to this configuration, communication between the driver and the vehicle agent can be facilitated easily and smoothly by using the social networking service used by the driver.

[0034] Furthermore, by collecting only posts from drivers using vehicles, the vehicle agent's comments delivered to the driver can be limited to content related to the vehicle, allowing the vehicle driving assistance system to maintain a more appropriate distance from the driver.

[0035] In another aspect of the present invention, the information processing server may be configured to collect the driver's schedule for using the vehicle registered by the driver as the outgoing information, and the response information generation means may be configured to generate comments from the vehicle agent as the response information based on the driver's schedule.

[0036] In another aspect of the present invention, the information processing server may be configured to collect news reports related to the use of the vehicle as the distribution information, and the response information generation means may be configured to generate comments from the vehicle agent as the response information based on the news reports related to the use of the vehicle.

[0037] The above-mentioned news related to the use of the vehicle refers to, for example, news related to driving plans, such as weather forecasts and road information, and news related to recalls, such as news related to the continued use of the vehicle.

[0038] According to this configuration, information relating to the driver's planned activities using the vehicle can be distributed to the driver as comments from the vehicle agent, thereby improving convenience for the driver. [Effects of the Invention]

[0039] The present invention can provide a vehicle driving assistance system that can build a good relationship between a driver and a vehicle via a vehicle agent. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0040] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle driving assistance system. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a vehicle driving assistance system. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an outline of a vehicle agent displayed on a display unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an outline of distribution setting information. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an outline of a machine learning model. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing a processing operation in the vehicle driving assistance system. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of an update process in the information processing server. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of a distribution process in the information processing server. [Figure 9] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of an output process in a vehicle. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a comment made by a vehicle agent to a driver. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0041] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a vehicle driving assistance system 1 that assists the driver's driving operation via a vehicle agent V that communicates with the driver of a vehicle 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG.

[0042] Note that Figure 1 shows a configuration diagram of vehicle driving assistance system 1, Figure 2 shows a block diagram of the internal configuration of vehicle driving assistance system 1, Figure 3 shows an explanatory diagram outlining the vehicle agent V displayed on display unit 15, Figure 4 shows an explanatory diagram outlining distribution setting information 546, and Figure 5 shows an explanatory diagram outlining the machine learning model 55.

[0043] The vehicle driving assistance system 1 of this embodiment is configured to alert the driver and notify them of driving assistance intervention through the words and actions of the vehicle agent V, which is the avatar of the vehicle 10, depending on the driving behavior and the situation in front of the vehicle, and to control the operation of the engine, braking system, and steering system to assist the driver in driving operations.

[0044] Furthermore, the vehicle driving assistance system 1 has a communication function that enables communication between the vehicle 10 and the driver via the vehicle agent V, in order to encourage the driver to favorably accept the intervention of driving assistance.

[0045] As shown in Figure 1, such a vehicle driving assistance system 1 includes a vehicle 10 in which a driver rides, a mobile terminal 30 owned by the driver, and an information processing server 50 connected via a communication line 4 to an SNS server 2 that provides known services and a news server 3.

[0046] First, to briefly explain the SNS server 2 and the news server 3, the SNS server 2 is a server installed by a company that provides social networking services. This social networking service is a known service in which users interact with each other, for example, by allowing a user who has an account to post messages and other users who also have accounts to view the posted messages and comment on them.

[0047] The SNS server 2 is not shown in detail as it is a well-known technology, but it is composed of a line connection unit that connects to the communication line 4, a memory unit that stores various information such as posted information posted by the driver via the mobile terminal 30, and a control unit that controls the operation of these units.

[0048] On the other hand, the news server 3 is a server installed by a company that distributes various news information via communication line 4, and distributes news information such as public announcements made by government agencies and companies, and news released by news organizations.

[0049] This news server 3 is a well-known technology and will not be shown in detail in the drawings, but it is composed of a line connection unit that connects to the communication line 4, a memory unit that stores news and other news information, and a control unit that controls the operation of these units.

[0050] Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 10 of the vehicle driving assistance system 1 in this embodiment is equipped with a driving operation detection unit 11 that detects the driving operation of the driver, a driving behavior detection unit 12 that detects the driving behavior of the vehicle 10, a surrounding condition detection unit 13 that detects the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 10, and a driver detection unit 14 that detects the driver.

[0051] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 10 includes a display unit 15, a speaker 16, a navigation unit 17, which are on-board devices of the vehicle 10, a line connection unit 18 that connects to the communication line 4, an engine, a brake device, and a steering device (not shown), and an electronic control unit (EC) that controls the operations of these devices. The ECU 19 is a control unit (hereinafter referred to as "ECU") that controls the speed of the vehicle.

[0052] In more detail, the driving operation detection unit 11 is composed of an accelerator opening sensor that detects the displacement angle of the accelerator pedal due to the driver's operation, a brake pedal stroke sensor that detects the displacement angle of the brake pedal due to the driver's operation, and a steering angle sensor that detects the displacement angle of the steering wheel due to the driver's operation.

[0053] The driving behavior detection unit 12 is composed of the above-mentioned steering angle sensor, a vehicle speed sensor that detects the rotation speed of the drive shaft connected to the wheels, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration in the longitudinal and lateral directions of the vehicle, and a yaw rate sensor that detects yaw rate.

[0054] The surrounding conditions detection unit 13 is composed of, for example, an exterior camera that is placed at the top of the front window on the passenger compartment side and captures images of the area in front of the vehicle, and a millimeter wave radar that is placed in the front bumper and receives reflected waves of millimeter waves that are emitted toward the front of the vehicle.

[0055] The driver detection unit 14 is arranged inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10 and is composed of an in-vehicle camera that mainly captures the head of the driver seated in the driver's seat, a microphone that detects the voice emitted by the driver seated in the driver's seat, and the like.

[0056] The display unit 15 is configured with a liquid crystal display arranged on an instrument panel inside the vehicle, and has the function of displaying various information based on control signals from the ECU 19 . As shown in FIG. 3, the display unit 15 displays a vehicle agent V that is an entity of the vehicle 10 and communicates with the driver.

[0057] The vehicle agent V is a three-dimensional model character placed in the three-dimensional virtual space S, and is controlled by the ECU 19 so as to operate autonomously in accordance with the content of communication with the driver.

[0058] The speaker 16 is arranged in the vehicle cabin and has the function of outputting warning sounds and voices based on the notification signal from the ECU 19 to notify the occupants. The speaker 16 outputs voice information associated with the operation of the vehicle agent V.

[0059] Although detailed illustration is omitted, the navigation unit 17 is composed of a GNSS antenna that receives GNSS signals from the Global Navigation Satellite System, and a navigation main body that performs various information processing based on the GNSS signals.

[0060] Examples of global navigation satellite systems include the Global Positioning System and the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System. satellite system).

[0061] This navigation unit 17 has the function of detecting location information indicating the current location of the vehicle, the function of storing map information, and the function of outputting to the ECU 19 an operation screen that prompts the driver to select various information and various functions based on the map information and location information.

[0062] The line connection unit 18 is configured by a wireless communication module or the like, and has the function of connecting to the communication line 4 and the function of transmitting and receiving various information via the communication line 4. The ECU 19 is made up of hardware components such as a CPU, a memory, and a storage unit for storing various types of information, and software components such as programs and data.

[0063] This ECU 19 has the functions of acquiring various signals output by the above-mentioned parts, performing various information processing based on the acquired signals, controlling the operation of the display unit 15 and speaker 16, and controlling the operation of the engine, braking device, and steering device.

[0064] More specifically, the ECU 19 works in cooperation with the driving operation detection unit 11 to calculate the accelerator opening, the brake pedal depression amount, and the steering angle of the steering wheel, and identifies the driving operation status by the driver.

[0065] Furthermore, the ECU 19 works in cooperation with the driving behavior detection unit 12 to calculate the current vehicle speed of the vehicle 10 and also works in cooperation with the driving behavior detection unit 12 to identify the driving behavior of the vehicle 10 . Additionally, the ECU 19 works in cooperation with the surrounding situation detection unit 13 to identify the situation ahead of the vehicle, and works in cooperation with the driver detection unit 14 to identify the driver seated in the driver's seat.

[0066] The ECU 19 that realizes such a function stores driver information 19a in which various information for each driver is registered. The driver information 19a includes information necessary for identifying the driver, the date and time when the driver drove, the driving behavior while driving, and a dialogue history that is a history of communication between the driver and the vehicle agent V while driving.

[0067] The mobile terminal 30 of the vehicle driving assistance system 1 is a mobile terminal owned by a driver who uses a social networking service. As shown in Fig. 2, the mobile terminal 30 includes a line connection unit 31 that connects to the communication line 4, a terminal storage unit 32 that stores various information, an operation display unit 33 that displays various information and accepts various operations from the driver, and a terminal control unit 34 that controls the operations of these units.

[0068] Specifically, the line connection unit 31 is configured by, for example, a wireless communication module, and has the function of connecting to the communication line 4 and the function of transmitting and receiving various information via the communication line 4. The terminal storage unit 32 is configured with a nonvolatile memory or the like, and has the function of writing and storing various information, and the function of reading out various information.

[0069] Furthermore, the terminal storage unit 32 stores schedule information 32a indicating the driver's schedule registered by the driver, programs for using message applications and social networking services (not shown), and the like.

[0070] The program for using this social networking service is executed by the terminal control unit 34, and realizes the functions of establishing a connection with the SNS server 2, sending messages created by the driver to the SNS server 2 as posting information, and viewing messages from other users.

[0071] The operation display unit 33 is composed of, for example, a touch panel, and has the functions of displaying various information to the driver, accepting various operations from the driver, and outputting information indicating the accepted operations to the terminal control unit 34.

[0072] The terminal control unit 34 is composed of hardware such as a CPU and memory, and software such as programs and data. This terminal control unit 34 has a processing function for sending and receiving various signals with the line connection unit 31, the terminal memory unit 32, and the operation display unit 33, a function for processing various information obtained via the communication line 4, and a function for controlling the operation of each unit connected via a specified bus.

[0073] Furthermore, if the driver has given permission to send the schedule information 32a to the information processing server 50, the terminal control unit 34 has the function of automatically sending the schedule information 32a to the information processing server 50 as schedule information to be registered in the collected data 54 described later, each time the schedule information 32a is registered by the driver's operation.

[0074] The information processing server 50 of the vehicle driving assistance system 1 is a server installed by a business that provides a communication service with the vehicle 10 via the vehicle agent V to the driver, for example. The information processing server 50 includes a line connection unit 51 that connects to the communication line 4, a server storage unit 52 that stores various information, and a server control unit 53 that controls the operations of these units.

[0075] Specifically, the line connection unit 51 is configured by, for example, a wired LAN module, and has a function of connecting to the communication line 4 and a function of transmitting and receiving various information via the communication line 4. The server storage unit 52 is configured with a hard disk or the like, and has the function of writing and storing various types of information, and the function of reading out various types of information.

[0076] The server control unit 53 is composed of hardware such as a CPU and memory, and software such as programs and data. This server control unit 53 has processing functions related to the exchange of various signals with the line connection unit 51 and the server memory unit 52, the function of processing various information acquired via the communication line 4, and the function of controlling the operation of each unit connected via a specified bus.

[0077] The information processing server 50 configured in this manner has the function of collecting various information based on conditions set by the driver from the SNS server 2, the news server 3, and the mobile terminal 30 via the communication line 4, and the function of generating comments from the vehicle agent V directed to the driver as response information based on the various collected information.

[0078] To realize the above-mentioned functions, the information processing server 50 stores collected data 54, which registers various information collected through the communication line 4, and a machine learning model 55, which generates comments from the vehicle agent V to the driver, in the server memory unit 52, as shown in FIG. 2. Although not shown in detail, the server storage unit 52 stores collected data 54 for each driver.

[0079] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the collected data 54 is composed of a vehicle database 541, a schedule database 542, a post database 543, and a news database 544 in which various information collected based on predetermined conditions is registered, as well as account information 545 and distribution setting information 546 registered by the driver.

[0080] The vehicle database 541 of the collected data 54 is a database in which vehicle information that can be acquired from the vehicle 10 and is based on distribution setting information 546, which will be described later, is registered. The vehicle information may include, for example, information indicating the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 10, location information indicating the current location of the vehicle 10, information indicating the driver currently driving, and information indicating the dialogue history with the vehicle agent V.

[0081] The schedule database 542 of the collected data 54 is a database in which schedule information based on distribution setting information 546, which will be described later, is registered among the schedule information transmitted from the mobile terminal 30 of the driver. The posting database 543 of the collected data 54 is a database in which, of the driver's posting information that can be acquired from the SNS server 2, posting information based on distribution setting information 546, which will be described later, is registered. The news report database 544 of the collected data 54 is a database in which news report information that can be acquired from the news server 3 and is based on distribution setting information 546, which will be described later, is registered.

[0082] The account information 545 of the collected data 54 includes the account and password for the vehicle agent V to use the social networking service as a user, and the driver's account name on the social networking service.

[0083] The distribution setting information 546 of the collected data 54 sets and registers information that can be acquired from the vehicle 10, the mobile terminal 30, the SNS server 2, and the news server 3, and whether or not the information can be registered in the collected data 54. In other words, the distribution setting information 546 is information for limiting the comments of the vehicle agent V distributed to the driver to a genre desired by the driver.

[0084] Of the information that can be obtained from the vehicle 10, the mobile terminal 30, the SNS server 2, and the news server 3, information related to the vehicle 10 or information concerning the vehicle 10 is fixed as registerable so that it is mandatory to register it in the collected data 54, while the driver can arbitrarily set whether or not the other information can be registered in the collected data 54.

[0085] In this distribution setting information 546, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, vehicle information that can be obtained from the vehicle 10 is registered, such as information indicating the driver at the time of driving, information indicating the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 10, location information indicating the current location of the vehicle 10, and a dialogue history with the vehicle agent V.

[0086] The distribution setting information 546 is set to permit all vehicle information obtainable from the vehicle 10 to be registered in the collected data 54 . It should be noted that information indicating the driver who is driving, information indicating the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 10, and location information indicating the current location of the vehicle 10 are set to be required to be registered in the collected data 54.

[0087] Furthermore, in the distribution setting information 546, as schedule information that can be acquired from the mobile terminal 30, a schedule for using the vehicle 10 and other schedules are registered. The distribution setting information 546 is set to permit registration of the plan to use the vehicle 10 in the collected data 54, among the plan information that can be acquired from the mobile terminal 30. It should be noted that the plan to use the vehicle 10 is set to be mandatory to be registered in the collected data 54 as plan information related to the vehicle 10 .

[0088] Furthermore, in the distribution setting information 546, posts related to the vehicle 10, posts about hobbies and preferences, and other posts are registered as post information that can be acquired from the SNS server 2. The distribution setting information 546 is set to permit registration in the collected data 54 of posts related to the vehicle 10 and posts about hobbies and preferences among the posted information that can be acquired from the SNS server 2. It should be noted that posts related to the vehicle 10 are set to be mandatory to be registered in the collected data 54 as posted information related to the vehicle 10 .

[0089] Additionally, in the distribution setting information 546, weather forecasts, traffic information, recall information for the vehicle 10, and hot news are registered as news information that can be acquired from the news server 3. The distribution setting information 546 is set to permit weather forecasts, among the news information obtainable from the news server 3, to be registered in the collected data . It should be noted that the weather forecast is set as mandatory information to be registered in the collected data 54 as news information related to the use of the vehicle 10 .

[0090] On the other hand, the machine learning model 55 is an estimation algorithm using a neural network consisting of, for example, an input layer 55a to which input information is input, an intermediate layer 55b, and an output layer 55c to which output information is output, as shown in Figure 5. This machine learning model 55 is constructed to generate response information, which is a comment from the vehicle agent V to the driver, based on the collected data 54.

[0091] The response information is, for example, information posted to a social networking service as a reply to the driver's post, or information sent as a message to the driver's mobile terminal 30.

[0092] Specifically, as shown in Figure 5, the machine learning model 55 is constructed so that input information is vehicle information from a vehicle database 541, schedule information from a schedule database 542, posted information from a post database 543, news information from a news database 544, and date and time information indicating the current date and time, and the above-mentioned response information is obtained as output information in response to the input information.

[0093] In this case, the machine learning model 55 is configured to generate comments to be posted on social networking services and messages to be sent to the mobile terminal 30 according to the current date and time so that the timing of delivery to the driver is optimal.

[0094] Furthermore, the machine learning model 55 is constructed so that the comments of the vehicle agent V will increase the driver's intimacy and liking for the vehicle agent V, or will be appropriately supportive of the driver.

[0095] The machine learning model 55 is constructed by adjusting the output interval of the response information, which is the comments of the vehicle agent V, so that the frequency of delivery of the comments of the vehicle agent V is not excessive.

[0096] For example, the machine learning model 55 is built to generate comments for a driver's posts in the next few weeks, or to generate comments inviting the driver to go for a drive if the weather forecast for the weekend is sunny and the driver has free time.

[0097] Furthermore, for example, the machine learning model 55 is constructed to generate comments that reminisce about past memories based on the driver's past interaction history with the vehicle agent V, or to generate comments that inform the driver of news information such as weather forecasts or recalls of the vehicle 10.

[0098] Such a machine learning model 55 is constructed by repeatedly learning from input information such as information that identifies the vehicle 10, such as the model name and images, desirable comments as replies to posted information, desirable comments for the driver's planned activities using the vehicle 10, and comments that encourage the use of the vehicle 10 without making the driver uncomfortable, as training data.

[0099] Furthermore, the machine learning model 55 is constructed by repeatedly learning suitable comments for combinations of vehicle information, schedule information, posted information, news report information, and date and time information as training data for the input information.

[0100] At this time, the machine learning model 55 learns by repeatedly adjusting the weighting and the judgment threshold based on the training data so that the output information in response to the input information becomes response information that improves the degree of intimacy and favorability.

[0101] Next, the processing operations of the vehicle driving assistance system 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 shows a sequence diagram of the processing operations in the vehicle driving assistance system 1, FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of the update processing in the information processing server 50, and FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of the distribution processing in the information processing server 50. In FIG.

[0102] Furthermore, Figure 9 shows a flowchart of the output processing in the vehicle 10, Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a comment from the vehicle agent V to the driver, Figure 10(a) shows an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of output to the mobile terminal 30, and Figure 10(b) shows an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of output to the vehicle 10.

[0103] First, in the vehicle driving assistance system 1, when a schedule is registered by the driver's operation, the terminal control unit 34 of the mobile terminal 30, which is permitted by the driver to send schedule information 32a, sends the registered schedule information 32a to the information processing server 50 (step S101), as shown in FIG. 6.

[0104] Furthermore, when power is supplied from the battery to the ECU 19 of the vehicle 10, the ECU 19 of the vehicle 10 executes a predetermined stored program as shown in FIG. 6 to identify the driver seated in the driver's seat (step S102). At this time, the ECU 19 identifies the driver seated in the driver's seat based on the driver information 19a and the information acquired from the driver detection unit 14.

[0105] Furthermore, the ECU 19 acquires information indicating the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 10 identified based on a signal from the surrounding conditions detection unit 13, location information indicating the current location acquired from the navigation unit 17, and information indicating the interaction history with the vehicle agent V.

[0106] Then, the ECU 19 generates vehicle information that associates information indicating the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 10, location information indicating the current location, and information indicating the dialogue history with information indicating the driver currently driving, which was identified in step S102, and then transmits the generated vehicle information to the information processing server 50 (step S103).

[0107] Thereafter, the ECU 19 proceeds to the output process of step S112, which will be described later, and then repeats the processes of steps S102, S103, and S112 until the supply of electric power is interrupted.

[0108] In response to this, the server control unit 53 of the information processing server 50 executes a predetermined stored program as shown in FIG. 6 and starts an information collection process to collect various information necessary to generate comments of the vehicle agent V for the driver (step S104).

[0109] At this time, every time the server control unit 53 acquires vehicle information from the vehicle 10 or schedule information from the mobile terminal 30, the server control unit 53 associates the acquired vehicle information or schedule information with the current date and time and temporarily stores them. Furthermore, when the information collection process is started, the server control unit 53 performs a process for acquiring information distributed by the SNS server 2 and the news server 3.

[0110] Specifically, the server control unit 53 acquires the driver's account name from the account information 545 of the collected data 54, and transmits to the SNS server 2 request information requesting viewing of the posted information corresponding to the driver's account name. Furthermore, the server control unit 53 transmits request information to the news server 3 requesting viewing of the news information.

[0111] At this time, the SNS server 2, which has acquired the request information requesting viewing of the posted information, transmits the posted information corresponding to the account name indicated by the request information to the information processing server 50 (step S105), as shown in FIG. Furthermore, the news server 3, which has acquired the request information requesting viewing of news information, transmits the viewable news information to the information processing server 50, as shown in FIG. 6 (step S106).

[0112] When the posted information from the SNS server 2 and the news information from the news server 3 are acquired, the server control unit 53 of the information processing server 50 temporarily stores posted information that is newer than the date and time of the posted information registered in the posting database 543, and temporarily stores news information that is newer than the date and time of the news information registered in the news database 544, as shown in Figure 6.

[0113] Then, the server control unit 53 starts an update process for updating the vehicle database 541, the schedule database 542, the post database 543, and the news database 544 (step S107). More specifically, after starting the update process, the server control unit 53 determines whether new vehicle information is temporarily stored as shown in FIG. 7 (step S121).

[0114] If new vehicle information is temporarily stored (step S121: Yes), the server control unit 53 determines whether the temporarily stored vehicle information is information that can be registered based on the information registered in the distribution setting information 546 (step S122).

[0115] For example, in the distribution setting information 546 in FIG. 4, all of the vehicle information is set to be registerable, so the server control unit 53 determines that the temporarily stored vehicle information is registerable.

[0116] If the temporarily stored vehicle information can be registered (step S122: Yes), the server control unit 53 registers and updates the temporarily stored vehicle information in the vehicle database 541 in association with the current date and time, as shown in FIG. 7 (step S123). Thereafter, the server control unit 53 determines whether new schedule information is temporarily stored (step S124).

[0117] In addition, if no new vehicle information has been acquired in step S121 (step S121: No), or if the temporarily stored vehicle information cannot be registered in step S122 (step S122: No), the server control unit 53 proceeds to step S124.

[0118] When new schedule information is acquired and temporarily stored (step S124: Yes), the server control unit 53 determines whether the temporarily stored schedule information is information that can be registered based on the information registered in the distribution setting information 546 (step S125).

[0119] For example, in the distribution setting information 546 of Figure 4, the plan to use vehicle 10 is set to be registerable, so if the temporarily stored plan information is assigned a character string indicating that vehicle 10 will be used, the server control unit 53 determines that the temporarily stored plan information is registerable.

[0120] If the temporarily stored schedule information can be registered (step S125: Yes), the server control unit 53 registers and updates the temporarily stored schedule information in schedule database 542, as shown in FIG. 7 (step S126). Thereafter, server control unit 53 determines whether new posted information is temporarily stored (step S127).

[0121] In addition, if no new schedule information has been acquired in step S124 (step S124: No), or if the temporarily stored schedule information cannot be registered in step S125 (step S125: No), server control unit 53 also proceeds to step S127.

[0122] If new posted information is acquired and temporarily stored (step S127: Yes), server control unit 53 determines whether the temporarily stored posted information is information that can be registered based on the information registered in distribution setting information 546 (step S128).

[0123] For example, in the distribution setting information 546 of Figure 4, posts involving vehicle 10 are set to be registerable, so if the temporarily stored posted information contains a string, hashtag, or video indicating that vehicle 10 is involved, the server control unit 53 determines that the temporarily stored posted information is information that can be registered.

[0124] Furthermore, since the distribution setting information 546 in Figure 4 is set to allow posts of hobbies and preferences to be registered, the server control unit 53 determines that the temporarily stored post information can be registered if the temporarily stored post information contains a character string, hashtag, or video image indicating a pre-set hobbies and preferences.

[0125] If the temporarily stored posted information can be registered (step S128: Yes), server control unit 53 registers and updates the temporarily stored posted information in posting database 543, as shown in FIG. 7 (step S129). Thereafter, the server control unit 53 determines whether new news information is temporarily stored (step S130).

[0126] In addition, if no new posted information has been acquired in step S127 (step S127: No), or if the temporarily stored posted information cannot be registered in step S128 (step S128: No), server control unit 53 also proceeds to step S130.

[0127] If new news information is temporarily stored (step S130: Yes), the server control unit 53 determines whether the temporarily stored news information is information that can be registered based on the information registered in the distribution setting information 546 (step S131).

[0128] For example, in the distribution setting information 546 of Figure 4, weather forecasts are set to be registerable, so if the temporarily stored news information is a weather forecast, the server control unit 53 determines that the temporarily stored news information is registerable.

[0129] If the temporarily stored news information can be registered (step S131: Yes), the server control unit 53 registers and updates the temporarily stored news information in the news database 544 (step S132), as shown in Figure 7, and then terminates the update process and proceeds to step S108 in Figure 6.

[0130] In addition, if no new news information has been acquired in step S130 (step S130: No), or if the temporarily stored news information cannot be registered in step S131 (step S131: No), the server control unit 53 terminates the update process and proceeds to step S108 in Figure 6.

[0131] Returning to FIG. 6, when the update process is completed, the server control unit 53 starts a response information generation process for generating a comment of the vehicle agent V directed to the driver, as shown in FIG. 6 (step S108).

[0132] Specifically, the server control unit 53 inputs the vehicle information from the vehicle database 541, the schedule information from the schedule database 542, the posting information from the posting database 543, and the news information from the news database 544 as input information to the input layer 55a of the machine learning model 55 read from the server memory unit 52.

[0133] At this time, the machine learning model 55 passes the input information from the input layer 55a to the intermediate layer 55b, and from the intermediate layer 55b to the output layer 55c, while performing comparisons with pre-learned weights and thresholds to generate comments for the vehicle agent V.

[0134] Furthermore, if the comment of the generated vehicle agent V is a reply to a post of the driver posted on a social networking service, the machine learning model 55 assigns an identifier to the comment of the generated vehicle agent V indicating that it is a reply to the driver's post.

[0135] Alternatively, if the comment of the generated vehicle agent V is a message to be sent to the vehicle 10 or the mobile terminal 30, the machine learning model 55 assigns an identifier to the comment of the generated vehicle agent V indicating that it is being sent to the vehicle 10 or the mobile terminal 30.

[0136] In this way, the machine learning model 55 generates response information in which the above-mentioned identifier is added to the comment of the vehicle agent V, and outputs the generated response information as output information. For example, if today's weather forecast based on news reports is sunny and the driver's schedule for today is free based on schedule information, machine learning model 55 generates a comment such as "The weather is nice, why don't we go out together?"

[0137] Also, for example, if the current location information based on the vehicle information is close to a location indicated by a post containing an image taken with the vehicle 10, the machine learning model 55 generates a comment such as, "We took a photo together near here before."

[0138] When the machine learning model 55 outputs the response information, the server control unit 53 starts a distribution process of transmitting the response information to the vehicle 10, the mobile terminal 30, or the SNS server 2, as shown in FIG. 6 (step S109).

[0139] When the distribution process starts, the server control unit 53 determines whether the response information is a reply to the driver's post posted on the social networking service based on the identifier assigned to the response information, as shown in FIG. 8 (step S141).

[0140] If the response information is a reply to the driver's post (step S141: Yes), the server control unit 53 associates the response information generated in step S108 with the account of the vehicle agent V for using social networking services and sends it to the SNS server 2 (step S142).

[0141] At this time, the server control unit 53 transmits the response information to the SNS server 2 so that it can be accepted as a reply to the driver's post. Thereafter, the server control unit 53 ends the distribution process, returns the process to step S104 in FIG. 6, and then repeats the processes of step S104 and steps S107 to S109.

[0142] On the other hand, the SNS server 2 that has acquired the response information from the information processing server 50 accepts and stores the acquired response information as a reply to the driver's post, as shown in FIG. 6 (step S110).

[0143] At this time, the SNS server 2 notifies the driver's account that there is a reply from the vehicle agent V to the driver's post. This allows the driver to know the reply from the vehicle agent V to his / her post.

[0144] In step S141 of FIG. 8, if the response information is not a reply to the driver's post (step S141: No), the server control unit 53 determines whether the driver is seated in the driver's seat and driving based on the vehicle information (step S143).

[0145] If the driver is not seated in the driver's seat (step S143: No), the server control unit 53 transmits the response information acquired from the information processing server 50 to the mobile terminal 30 (step S144). Thereafter, the server control unit 53 ends the distribution process, returns the process to step S104 in FIG. 6, and then repeats the processes of step S104 and steps S107 to S109.

[0146] At this time, the terminal control unit 34 of the mobile terminal 30 that has acquired the response information from the information processing server 50 starts the display process (step S111), as shown in FIG. 6, and outputs a screen (not shown) notifying the user of an incoming call to the message app to the operation display unit 33.

[0147] When the driver's operation to start the message application is accepted, the terminal control unit 34 starts the message application and displays on the operation display unit 33 a message screen 201 that enables the acquired response information to be viewed.

[0148] This message screen 201 displays, for example, as shown in Figure 10(a), the sender name "My Car" indicating the vehicle 10, and a message inviting the driver to go for a drive, "The weather is nice, why don't you go out with me?", which was generated in step S108 of Figure 6.

[0149] Furthermore, in step S143 of FIG. 8, if the driver is seated in the driver's seat and driving (step S143: Yes), the server control unit 53 transmits the response information acquired from the information processing server 50 to the vehicle 10 (step S145).

[0150] Thereafter, the server control unit 53 ends the distribution process, returns the process to step S104 in FIG. 6, and then repeats the processes of step S104 and steps S107 to S109.

[0151] Meanwhile, the ECU 19 of the vehicle 10 that acquires the response information determines whether or not the response information has been acquired from the information processing server 50 in the output process that starts the repeated process as described above, as shown in FIG. 9 (step S151).

[0152] If response information has not been acquired from the information processing server 50 (step S151: No), the ECU 19 ends the output process as shown in FIG. 9, and returns the process to step S102 as described above.

[0153] On the other hand, when the response information is received from the information processing server 50 (step S151: Yes), the ECU 19 determines whether or not the driving operation of the driver is being assisted, as shown in FIG. 9 (step S152). In step S152, if the driver's driving operation is not being assisted (step S152: No), the acquired response information is output to the display unit 15 (step S153).

[0154] At this time, the ECU 19 displays the comment of the vehicle agent V indicated by the response information on the display unit 15, and controls the operation of the vehicle agent V in accordance with the comment of the vehicle agent V. Furthermore, the ECU 19 outputs the comment of the vehicle agent V indicated by the response information to the speaker 16 as the vehicle agent V's words associated with the vehicle agent V's action.

[0155] For example, as shown in FIG. 10(b), the ECU 19 controls the movement of the vehicle agent V in the three-dimensional virtual space S to make it appear happy, and displays a message generated in step S108 of FIG. 6, such as "We took a photo together near here before," recounting memories of a drive with the driver.

[0156] After displaying the response information on the display unit 15, the ECU 19 ends the output process as shown in FIG. 9, and returns the process to step S102 as described above. In the above-mentioned step S152, if the driver's driving operation is being assisted (step S152: Yes), the ECU 19 skips outputting the acquired response information to the display unit 15, and returns the process to the above-mentioned step S102 in FIG. 6.

[0157] This allows the ECU 19 to prevent driving assistance via the vehicle agent V from being hindered by the display of response information. In this way, the vehicle driving assistance system 1 enables communication between the vehicle 10 and the driver via the vehicle agent V, thereby improving the driver's affinity and liking for the vehicle agent V.

[0158] As described above, the vehicle driving assistance system 1 of this embodiment is a system that assists the driver in driving the vehicle 10 via the vehicle agent V that communicates with the driver.

[0159] This vehicle driving assistance system 1 is equipped with an information processing server 50 that acquires, via the communication line 4, vehicle information that can be acquired from the vehicle 10, outgoing information (posted information and scheduled information) sent by the driver, and distribution information (news information) distributed via the communication line 4 as collected information.

[0160] Furthermore, the vehicle driving assistance system 1 is equipped with a response information generation means (machine learning model 55 of the information processing server 50) that generates comments from the vehicle agent V based on the collected information as response information, and a distribution means (server control unit 53 of the information processing server 50) that distributes the response information to the driver.

[0161] The vehicle driving assistance system 1 is provided with a display means (the display unit 15 of the vehicle 10, the operation display unit 33 of the mobile terminal 30) that outputs the distributed response information in a viewable manner.

[0162] According to this configuration, the collected information includes vehicle information obtainable from the vehicle 10, transmitted information (posted information and scheduled information) sent by the driver, and distributed information (news information) distributed via the communication line 4, so that the comments of the vehicle agent V distributed to the driver are prevented from including content based on, for example, the driver's behavioral history outside the vehicle or the search history of the mobile terminal 30.

[0163] In other words, the vehicle driving assistance system 1 can prevent the vehicle agent V from including information that the vehicle agent V cannot know in the comments that the vehicle agent V delivers to the driver. Therefore, the vehicle driving assistance system 1 can give the driver who views the comments of the vehicle agent V the impression that a reasonable distance is being maintained between the driver and the vehicle agent V, rather than the impression that the vehicle agent V is always close to the driver.

[0164] As a result, the vehicle driving assistance system 1 can allow the driver to communicate with the vehicle 10 via the vehicle agent V while suppressing the driver from feeling uncomfortable or distrustful of the vehicle agent V.

[0165] Therefore, the vehicle driving assistance system 1 can improve the driver's impression of the vehicle agent V, and can build a good relationship between the driver and the vehicle 10 via the vehicle agent V. As a result, the vehicle driving assistance system 1 can ensure the driver's safety by having the driver accept the driving assistance via the vehicle agent V.

[0166] The information processing server 50 is configured to collect transmitted information (posted information, scheduled information) relating to the vehicle 10 and distributed information (news information) relating to the vehicle 10. According to this configuration, the comments of the vehicle agent V delivered to the driver can be limited to content related to the vehicle 10. Therefore, the vehicle driving assistance system 1 can allow the vehicle agent V to communicate with the driver while maintaining a more appropriate sense of distance from the driver.

[0167] As a result, the vehicle driving assistance system 1 can improve the driver's impression of the vehicle agent V, and can therefore easily build a good relationship between the driver and the vehicle 10.

[0168] The information processing server 50 is configured to collect, as collected information, information permitted by the driver from among vehicle information, transmitted information (posted information, scheduled information), and distributed information (report information). According to this configuration, the comments of the vehicle agent V delivered to the driver can be prevented from including information that the driver does not want to collect.

[0169] Therefore, the vehicle driving assistance system 1 can allow the vehicle agent V to communicate with the driver while maintaining a more appropriate sense of distance from the driver. As a result, the vehicle driving assistance system 1 can further reduce the driver's sense of discomfort or distrust toward the vehicle agent V, making it easier to build a good relationship between the driver and the vehicle 10.

[0170] The response information generating means (machine learning model 55) is configured to generate response information that improves the degree of familiarity between the driver and the vehicle agent V. According to this configuration, the comments of the vehicle agent V delivered to the driver are more likely to be received favorably by the driver, which makes it easier to build a good relationship between the driver and the vehicle 10.

[0171] The vehicle driving assistance system 1 also includes a driver detection means (driver detection unit 14 and ECU 19) for detecting a driver seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle 10. The distribution means (server control unit 53) is configured to distribute response information to the vehicle 10 if the driver is detected by the driver detection means, and to distribute response information to the mobile terminal 30 owned by the driver if the driver is not detected by the driver detection means.

[0172] According to this configuration, comments from the vehicle agent V can be delivered to the driver regardless of whether the driver is in the vehicle 10, thereby increasing opportunities for communication with the driver. This allows the vehicle driving assistance system 1 to easily build a good relationship between the driver and the vehicle 10.

[0173] In addition, the vehicle driving assistance system 1 includes an output limiting means (ECU 19 of the vehicle 10) that limits the output of response information delivered to the vehicle 10 when assisting the driver's driving operation via the vehicle agent V.

[0174] According to this configuration, comments from the vehicle agent V are not output to the display unit 15 of the vehicle 10 during driving assistance, so that driving assistance via the vehicle agent V can be prevented from being hindered by comments from the vehicle agent V. As a result, the vehicle driving assistance system 1 can easily build a good relationship between the driver and the vehicle 10 via the vehicle agent V, while ensuring the safety of the driver who drives the vehicle 10.

[0175] The vehicle driving assistance system 1 also includes a driver detection means (driver detection unit 14 and ECU 19) for detecting a driver seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle 10. Furthermore, the information processing server 50 is configured to collect a dialogue history between the vehicle agent V and the driver as vehicle information.

[0176] The response information generating means (machine learning model 55) is configured to generate comments of the vehicle agent V as response information based on the dialogue history with the driver detected by the driver detecting means.

[0177] This configuration can prevent the comments of the vehicle agent V delivered to the driver from including content based on the history of communication with a third party. Therefore, the vehicle driving assistance system 1 can prevent the driver from feeling uncomfortable in communication with the vehicle agent V and can make the driver more easily recognize the vehicle agent V.

[0178] As a result, the vehicle driving assistance system 1 can improve the driver's impression of the vehicle agent V, and can therefore easily build a good relationship between the driver and the vehicle 10.

[0179] The information processing server 50 is also configured to collect posts by drivers posted on social networking services as outgoing information. Furthermore, the response information generating means (machine learning model 55) is configured to generate a comment from the vehicle agent V in response to the driver's post as response information. The distribution means (server control unit 53) is configured to post the response information to a social networking service.

[0180] According to this configuration, communication between the driver and the vehicle agent V can be facilitated easily and smoothly by using the social networking service used by the driver.

[0181] Furthermore, for example, by collecting only posts from drivers using the vehicle 10, the comments delivered by the vehicle agent V to the driver can be limited to content related to the vehicle 10, allowing the vehicle driving assistance system 1 to maintain a more appropriate distance from the driver.

[0182] The information processing server 50 is configured to collect, as outgoing information, the driver's schedule for using the vehicle 10 registered by the driver. The response information generating means (machine learning model 55) is configured to generate, as response information, comments from the vehicle agent V based on the driver's action schedule.

[0183] The information processing server 50 is configured to collect, as distribution information, news reports relating to the use of the vehicle 10. The response information generating means (machine learning model 55) is configured to generate, as response information, comments from the vehicle agent V based on the news reports relating to the use of the vehicle 10.

[0184] According to this configuration, information relating to the driver's planned activities using the vehicle 10 can be distributed to the driver as comments from the vehicle agent V, thereby improving convenience for the driver.

[0185] In correspondence between the configuration of this invention and the above-mentioned embodiment, The transmitted information of the present invention corresponds to the posted information and the scheduled information of the embodiment, Similarly, The distribution information corresponds to the news information, The collected information corresponds to the collected data 54, The response information generating means corresponds to the machine learning model 55; The distribution means corresponds to the server control unit 53, The display means corresponds to the display unit 15 and the operation display unit 33. The driver detection means corresponds to the driver detection unit 14 and the EUC 19; The output limiting means corresponds to the ECU 19, The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and many other embodiments can be obtained.

[0186] For example, the shape and design of the vehicle agent V displayed on the display unit 15 are not limited to those in the above-described embodiment, and may be any other suitable shape and design. Alternatively, instead of a three-dimensional model, a two-dimensional image character, an avatar or an anthropomorphized character representing the vehicle 10, or the like may be displayed on the display unit 15.

[0187] Furthermore, the vehicle driving assistance system 1 is not limited to the configuration described above, and may include, for example, a rain sensor that detects rainfall, a camera that detects conditions behind and to the sides of the vehicle, a millimeter-wave radar, and sensors. The vehicle driving assistance system 1 may also assist the driver in driving based on the vehicle position detected by the navigation unit 17 and map data. Furthermore, the distribution setting information 546 shown in FIG. 4 is an example, and is not limited to this. The distribution setting information 546 may have any appropriate configuration as long as the driver can select the information that he or she desires to be distributed.

[0188] In addition, in the distribution setting information 546, information related to or concerning the vehicle 10 is set to be required to be registered in the collected data 54, but this is not limited to this, and the driver may be able to arbitrarily set whether or not to register the information in the collected data 54.

[0189] Furthermore, although the information to be registered in the collected data 54 is limited by the distribution setting information 546, this is not limitative, and for example, the information to be registered in the collected data 54 may be limited to information related to or concerning the vehicle 10 without providing the distribution setting information 546. As a result, the vehicle driving assistance system 1 can prevent information that the vehicle agent V does not know from being included in the comments of the vehicle agent V directed to the driver, similar to the above-described embodiment.

[0190] In addition, when the driver registers a schedule on the mobile terminal 30, it is automatically sent to the information processing server 50, but this is not limited to this, and the schedule registered by the driver may be sent to and stored on a cloud server different from the information processing server 50. In this case, the information processing server 50 acquires schedule information indicating the driver's schedule from the cloud server in the information collection process of step S104 in FIG. 6, similar to the posted information.

[0191] Furthermore, the information processing server 50 generates and distributes the vehicle agent V's comments to the driver, but this is not limited to this, and the ECU 19 of the vehicle 10 may generate and distribute the vehicle agent V's comments to the driver.

[0192] Furthermore, the machine learning model 55 of the information processing server 50 is an estimation algorithm using a neural network consisting of an input layer 55a, an intermediate layer 55b, and an output layer 55c, but is not limited to this and may be an estimation algorithm of any appropriate configuration as long as it is capable of outputting response information.

[0193] Furthermore, the vehicle agent V's comments directed to the driver are generated by the machine learning model 55 of the information processing server 50, but this is not limited to this, and the vehicle agent V's comments may be generated by an appropriate processing operation that does not use the machine learning model 55.

[0194] Furthermore, the processing flow in the vehicle driving assistance system 1 in Figure 6, the processing flow in the information processing server 50 in Figures 7 and 8, and the processing flow in the vehicle 10 in Figure 9 are examples, and are not limited to these, and any appropriate processing flow may be used.

[0195] Furthermore, although vehicle information is transmitted to the information processing server 50 in step S103 of Figure 6, the timing of transmitting the vehicle information is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, while the vehicle 10 is parked, information indicating the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 10 and location information indicating the current location may be transmitted to the information processing server 50 as vehicle information. This makes it possible to notify a driver resting at home that it is starting to rain around the vehicle 10, for example.

[0196] 9, the ECU 19 of the vehicle 10 determines whether or not the driver's driving operation is being assisted, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the determination of whether or not the driver's driving operation is being assisted may be made by the information processing server 50. In this case, the vehicle information transmitted from the vehicle 10 to the information processing server 50 is transmitted in association with information indicating whether or not the driver's driving operation is being assisted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0197] 1. Vehicle driving assistance system 4. Communication lines 10...Vehicle 14...Driver detection unit 15…Display section 19...ECU 30...Mobile device 33...Operation display section 50...Information processing server 53...Server control unit 54...Collected data 55...Machine learning model V…Vehicle Agent

Claims

1. A vehicle driving assistance system that assists a driver of a vehicle with a driving operation via a vehicle agent that communicates with the driver, an information processing server that collects vehicle information obtainable from the vehicle, transmitted information transmitted by the driver, and distributed information distributed via a communication line as information via the communication line; a response information generating means for generating a comment of the vehicle agent based on the collected information as response information; a distribution means for distributing the response information to the driver; a display means for outputting the distributed response information in a viewable manner; Vehicle driving assistance system.

2. The information processing server The transmission information relating to the vehicle and the distribution information relating to the vehicle are collected. The vehicle driving assistance system according to claim 1 .

3. The information processing server The vehicle information, the transmission information, and the distribution information are collected as the collected information, and information permitted by the driver is collected. The vehicle driving assistance system according to claim 1 .

4. The response information generating means The response information is generated to improve the driver's familiarity with the vehicle agent. The vehicle driving assistance system according to claim 1 .

5. The vehicle is provided with a driver detection means for detecting the driver seated in the driver's seat, The distribution means When the driver is detected by the driver detection means, the response information is delivered to the vehicle, and when the driver is not detected by the driver detection means, the response information is delivered to a mobile terminal carried by the driver. The vehicle driving assistance system according to claim 1 .

6. and an output limiting means for limiting the output of the response information delivered to the vehicle when the driving operation of the driver is being supported via the vehicle agent. The vehicle driving assistance system according to claim 1 .

7. The vehicle is provided with a driver detection means for detecting the driver seated in the driver's seat, The information processing server a configuration in which a history of the communication between the vehicle agent and the driver is collected as the vehicle information; The response information generating means The vehicle agent generates a comment as the response information based on the history of communication with the driver detected by the driver detection means. The vehicle driving assistance system according to claim 1 .

8. The information processing server The system is configured to collect posts by the driver posted on a social networking service as the transmitted information, The response information generating means a comment from the vehicle agent in response to the driver's post is generated as the response information; The distribution means The response information is posted to the social networking service. The vehicle driving assistance system according to claim 1 .

9. The information processing server a configuration in which a schedule of the driver using the vehicle registered by the driver is collected as the transmission information; The response information generating means The vehicle agent generates a comment as the response information based on the schedule of the driver. The vehicle driving assistance system according to claim 1 .

10. The information processing server a configuration in which news reports relating to use of the vehicle are collected as the distribution information; The response information generating means The response information is generated based on a comment from the vehicle agent on the basis of a report relating to the use of the vehicle. The vehicle driving assistance system according to claim 1 .

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