Driving skill evaluation device and vehicle

Abstract

To provide a technique for properly evaluating a driving skill of a driver of a vehicle according to an attribute of low visibility.SOLUTION: A driving skill evaluation device that evaluates a driving skill of a driver of a vehicle includes one or more processors and one or more memories communicably connected to the one or more processors, and the one or more processors determine an attribute of detected low visibility in a case where the low visibility is detected, and change an evaluation condition of the driving skill according to the determined attribute.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a driving skill evaluation device and a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Techniques for evaluating the driving skills of a vehicle driver are known.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a driving evaluation device that includes a driving data acquisition unit that acquires driving data of a vehicle that is the subject of driving evaluation, a driving data judgment unit that judges the influence of noise and / or the environment on the driving data acquired by the driving data acquisition unit, and a driving evaluation unit that performs driving evaluation based on the judgment result of the driving data judgment unit.

[0004] Patent Document 2 also discloses an on-board information recording device that automatically collects and stores at least information regarding the vehicle's operating status on the vehicle, and is characterized by comprising: a safe driving evaluation unit that compares at least one of the vehicle's speed and engine rotation speed with a threshold value and outputs an evaluation result regarding safe driving; a position information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle position information that represents the current position of the vehicle; a specific point information storage unit that stores position information that represents the horizontal position and the vertical height of the road surface for one or more specific points on a specific road as specific point information; a barometric pressure sensor; and a weather condition identification unit that, when the current position of the vehicle acquired by the position information acquisition unit and the horizontal position of the specific point information approximately coincide, identifies at least two types of weather conditions based on the height of the specific point information and a calculated altitude calculated based on the barometric pressure detected by the barometric pressure sensor, and automatically switches the threshold value referenced by the safe driving evaluation unit depending on changes in weather conditions. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-003823 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-206420 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Generally, in situations with poor visibility, compared to situations with good visibility from the vehicle, the driver of the vehicle tends to pay attention to the environment around the vehicle and therefore neglect driving behavior. Poor visibility is mainly classified into poor visibility that can be resolved by the driver and poor visibility that cannot be resolved by the driver. Furthermore, the unresolvable poor visibility is mainly classified into continuous poor visibility caused by rainfall or snowfall, etc. and momentary poor visibility caused by the headlights of oncoming vehicles, etc.

[0007] Here, the measures required of the driver to safely drive the vehicle differ depending on the attributes of the poor visibility. However, in the conventional technologies such as those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the measures required of the driver depending on the attributes of the poor visibility are not taken into consideration, and there is room for improvement in appropriately evaluating the driver's driving skills. For example, even if the headlights of an oncoming vehicle are dazzling and the driver takes an avoidance action by suddenly decelerating in order to safely drive the vehicle, the evaluation of the driving skills may be lowered due to the sudden operation, and there is a problem in that the evaluation result does not meet the driver's expectations.

[0008] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology for appropriately evaluating the driving skills of a vehicle driver according to the attributes of poor visibility. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A driving skill evaluation device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a driving skill evaluation device that evaluates the driving skills of a vehicle driver, and is equipped with one or more processors and one or more memories communicatively connected to the one or more processors, and when the one or more processors detect poor visibility, they determine attributes of the detected poor visibility and change the evaluation conditions for the driving skill according to the determined attributes.

[0010] A vehicle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a vehicle equipped with a driving skill evaluation device that evaluates the driving skills of the vehicle's driver, and when the driving skill evaluation device detects poor visibility, it determines the attributes of the detected poor visibility and changes the evaluation conditions for the driving skill according to the determined attributes. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the driving skill of a vehicle driver can be appropriately evaluated according to attributes of poor visibility. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a driving skill evaluation system including a driving skill evaluation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a driving skill evaluation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a vehicle equipped with a driving skill evaluation device according to a modified example of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operation of a driving skill evaluation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operation of a driving skill evaluation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operation of a driving skill evaluation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operation of a driving skill evaluation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0014] (1. Overall configuration of the driving skill evaluation system) 1, a driving skill evaluation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a vehicle 100 and a driving skill evaluation device 200. The vehicle 100 and the driving skill evaluation device 200 can communicate with each other via a publicly known or arbitrary network 300.

[0015] (1-1. Vehicles) Vehicle 100 is configured as a front-wheel drive four-wheel vehicle in which driving torque output from driving force source 1, which generates driving torque for vehicle 100, is transmitted to the left and right front wheels. Vehicle 100 may be a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine such as a gasoline engine or a diesel engine as driving force source 1. Vehicle 100 may also be an electric vehicle equipped with a driving motor as driving force source 1. Vehicle 100 may also be a hybrid electric vehicle equipped with both an internal combustion engine and a driving motor as driving force source 1.

[0016] The combination of drive wheels and the drive method are not limited. For example, vehicle 100 may be a rear-wheel drive vehicle, a four-wheel drive vehicle, or an electric vehicle equipped with a drive motor corresponding to each wheel. If vehicle 100 is an electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicle, vehicle 100 is equipped with a secondary battery that stores power supplied to the drive motor, and a motor or a generator such as a fuel cell that generates power to charge the battery.

[0017] In addition to the driving force source 1 described above, the vehicle 100 further includes an electric steering device 2 and brake devices 3LF, 3RF, 3LR, and 3RR (hereinafter collectively referred to as "brake devices 3" unless a distinction is required) as equipment used to control the operation of the vehicle 100.

[0018] The driving force source 1 outputs a driving torque that is transmitted to the front wheel drive shaft 5F via a transmission (not shown) and a differential mechanism 4. The driving of the driving force source 1 and the transmission is controlled by a vehicle control device 7 that includes one or more electronic control units (ECUs: Electronic Control Units).

[0019] The electric steering device 2 is provided on the front wheel drive shaft 5F. The electric steering device 2 includes an electric motor (not shown) and a gear mechanism (not shown), and is controlled by a vehicle control device 7 to adjust the steering angle of the front wheels. The vehicle control device 7 controls the electric steering device 2 based on the steering angle of the steering wheel 6 by the driver of the vehicle 100. If the vehicle 100 is a vehicle capable of executing automatic driving control, the vehicle control device 7 controls the electric steering device 2 based on the steering angle of the steering wheel 6 by the driver during manual driving. On the other hand, the vehicle control device 7 controls the electric steering device 2 based on an appropriately set steering angle or steering angular velocity during automatic driving.

[0020] Brake devices 3LF, 3RF, 3LR, and 3RR apply braking force to the respective wheels. The brake devices 3 may be, for example, hydraulic brake devices. In this case, the vehicle control device 7 controls the drive of a hydraulic unit 8 to adjust the hydraulic pressure supplied to each brake device 3. If the vehicle 100 is an electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicle, the brake devices 3 are used in combination with regenerative braking using a drive motor.

[0021] The vehicle control device 7 mainly includes one or more electronic control units (ECUs: Electronic Control Units) that control the driving of the driving force source 1, the electric steering device 2, and the brake device 3.

[0022] The vehicle 100 further includes an ambient environment sensor 10, a vehicle state sensor 20, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) sensor 30, a communication device 40, and a notification device 50.

[0023] The ambient environment sensor 10 includes at least one sensor that detects the ambient environment of the vehicle 100. In the vehicle 100 illustrated in Fig. 1, the ambient environment sensor 10 includes a raindrop detection sensor 11, a snowfall detection sensor 12, a frost detection sensor 13, a dirt detection sensor 14, and an illuminance sensor 15. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the number and type of ambient environment sensors 10 can be set as appropriate.

[0024] The raindrop detection sensor 11 detects the current amount of rainfall around the vehicle 100. The raindrop detection sensor 11 is provided on the outer surface of the vehicle 100, such as on the surface of a window glass of the vehicle 100 or in the vicinity thereof. The raindrop detection sensor 11 may be, for example, a light reflection sensor (photoelectric sensor) that uses infrared rays or the like. The raindrop detection sensor 11 transmits the detection result to the driving skill evaluation device 200 via the communication device 40 and the network 300.

[0025] The snowfall detection sensor 12 detects the current amount of snowfall around the vehicle 100. The snowfall detection sensor 12 is provided on the outer surface of the vehicle 100, for example, on the surface of the window glass of the vehicle 100 or in the vicinity thereof. The snowfall detection sensor 12 may be, for example, a light reflection sensor (photoelectric sensor) that uses infrared rays or the like. The snowfall detection sensor 12 transmits the detection result to the driving skill evaluation device 200 via the communication device 40 and the network 300.

[0026] The frost detection sensor 13 is a sensor that detects frost adhering to the window glass of the vehicle 100. The frost detection sensor 13 is provided on the surface of the window glass of the vehicle 100 or in its vicinity. The frost detection sensor 13 may be a camera equipped with an imaging element such as a CCD (Charged Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). Note that a driving assistance camera for collision prevention or the like may also be used as the frost detection sensor 13. The frost detection sensor 13 transmits the detection result to the driving skill evaluation device 200 via the communication device 40 and the network 300.

[0027] The dirt detection sensor 14 is a sensor that detects dirt adhering to the window glass of the vehicle 100. The dirt detection sensor 13 is provided on the surface of the window glass of the vehicle 100 or in its vicinity. The dirt detection sensor 14 may be, for example, an optical sensor, a photoelectric sensor, a camera, or the like. Note that a driving assistance camera for collision prevention or the like may also be used as the dirt detection sensor 14. The dirt detection sensor 14 transmits the detection result to the driving skill evaluation device 200 via the communication device 40 and the network 300.

[0028] The illuminance sensor 15 detects the illuminance around the vehicle 100. The illuminance sensor 15 is provided, for example, on the surface of a window glass of the vehicle 100 or in its vicinity. The illuminance sensor 15 may be a sensor equipped with a light-receiving element such as a phototransistor or a photodiode. The illuminance sensor 15 transmits the detection result to the driving skill evaluation device 200 via the communication device 40 and the network 300.

[0029] In addition, the ambient environment sensor 10 may include one or more ranging sensors selected from a radar sensor such as a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) or a millimeter wave radar, and an ultrasonic sensor.

[0030] The vehicle state sensor 20 includes at least one sensor that detects the state of the vehicle 100. The vehicle state sensor 20 may include, for example, an accelerator position sensor, a brake stroke sensor, a steering angle sensor, a brake pressure sensor, or an engine rotation speed sensor. The vehicle state sensor 20 may also include, for example, a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, or a yaw rate sensor. The vehicle state sensor 20 transmits the detection result to the driving skill evaluation device 200 via the communication device 40 and the network 300.

[0031] The GNSS sensor 30 receives satellite signals from positioning satellites such as GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites via the communication device 40. The GNSS sensor 30 transmits information indicating the current position of the vehicle 100, which is included in the received satellite signals, to the driving skill evaluation device 200 via the communication device 40 and the network 300. Note that the GNSS sensor 30 may be provided with an antenna, in addition to the GPS sensor, that receives satellite signals from other satellite systems that identify the current position of the vehicle 100.

[0032] The communication device 40 includes at least one communication interface. As the communication interface, for example, an interface compatible with a mobile communication standard such as the 4th generation (4G) standard, the 5th generation (5G) standard, or the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, or a local area network (LAN) interface can be used. The vehicle 100 transmits and receives various information between the vehicle 100 and the driving skill evaluation device 200 via the communication device 40 and the network 300.

[0033] The notification device 50 is driven by the vehicle control device 7 and notifies the driver of the vehicle 100 of various information by means of image or text display, audio output, or the like. The notification device 50 may include, for example, a display device provided in the instrument panel, or may include a speaker or the like provided in the vehicle 100. The display device may be a display device of a navigation system. The notification device 50 may also include a HUD (Head Up Display) that displays information on the front window of the vehicle 100.

[0034] (1-2. Driving Skill Evaluation Device) A driving skill evaluation device 200 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0035] (1-2-1. Configuration example) The driving skill evaluation device 200 functions as a device for evaluating the driving skill of the driver of the vehicle 100 by having one or more processors such as CPUs (Central Processing Units) execute a computer program. The computer program is a computer program for causing the processor to execute the operations to be performed by the driving skill evaluation device 200, which will be described later. The computer program executed by the processor may be recorded on a recording medium that functions as a storage unit (memory) 220, which will be described later, or may be recorded on a recording medium built into the driving skill evaluation device 200 or any recording medium that can be externally attached to the driving skill evaluation device 200.

[0036] Recording media for recording computer programs may include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical recording media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, and Blu-ray (registered trademark), magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, memory elements such as RAMs and ROMs, flash memories such as USB memories and SSDs, and other media capable of storing programs.

[0037] The driving skill evaluation device 200 is a computer such as a server belonging to a cloud computing system or other computing system. The driving skill evaluation device 200 is capable of communicating with the vehicle 100 via a publicly known or arbitrary network 300.

[0038] However, some or all of the components of the driving skill evaluation device 200 may be mounted on the vehicle 100. As exemplified in Fig. 3, when all of the components of the driving skill evaluation device 200 are mounted on the vehicle 100, the driving skill evaluation device 200 may be connected to the vehicle control device 7 via a dedicated line or a communication means such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) or a LIN (Local Inter Net). Furthermore, the driving skill evaluation device 200 may be configured to be able to communicate directly with the surrounding environment sensor 10, the vehicle state sensor 20, the GNSS sensor 30, the communication device 40, the notification device 50, etc.

[0039] Returning to FIG. 2, the driving skill evaluation device 200 includes a processing unit 210, a storage unit 220, and a communication unit 230.

[0040] (Processing section) The processing unit 210 includes one or more processors such as a CPU and various peripheral components. Part or all of the processing unit may be configured with updatable components such as firmware, or may be a program module executed by instructions from the CPU.

[0041] (Storage part) The storage unit 220 is configured with one or more storage elements such as RAM or ROM communicably connected to the processing unit 210. However, the type and number of storage units are not particularly limited. The storage unit 220 stores information such as computer programs executed by the processing unit 210, various parameters used in arithmetic processing, detection data, and arithmetic results. Specifically, the storage unit 220 stores information indicating evaluation conditions for driving skills that can be overwritten and saved (modified) by the processing unit 210, and is referred to as appropriate by the processing unit 210 in the processing described below.

[0042] (Communications Department) The communication unit 230 is configured with one or more communication interfaces communicatively connected to the processing unit 210. As the communication interface, for example, an interface compatible with a mobile communication standard or a LAN standard can be used. The communication unit 230 transmits various information used in the operation of the vehicle 100 and receives various information obtained by the operation of the vehicle 100. Specifically, the communication unit 230 transmits information indicating the evaluation result of the driving skill by the driving skill evaluation device 200 to the vehicle 100 via the network 300. As a result, when the vehicle 100 receives the evaluation result of the driving skill via the communication device 40, the evaluation result of the driving skill is fed back to the driver via the notification device 50.

[0043] (1-2-2. Functional configuration of the processing unit) The functional configuration of the processing unit 210 of the driving skill evaluation device 200 will be described. The processing unit 210 includes an acquisition unit 211, a determination unit 212, a change unit 213, and an evaluation unit 214. These units are functions realized by execution of a computer program by one or more processors such as a CPU. However, some or all of the acquisition unit 211, the determination unit 212, the change unit 213, and the evaluation unit 214 may be configured using analog circuits.

[0044] (Acquisition Department) The acquisition unit 211 acquires information indicating the position of the vehicle 100, information indicating the state of the vehicle 100, and information indicating the visibility condition of the vehicle 100. The acquisition unit 211 acquires this information from the vehicle 100 via the communication unit 230 and stores it in the storage unit 220.

[0045] The information indicating the position of the vehicle 100 may be, for example, information indicating the current position of the vehicle 100 that can be acquired from the GNSS sensor 30 of the vehicle 100.

[0046] The information indicating the state of the vehicle 100 includes: - Information indicating the vehicle speed obtained from the vehicle speed sensor of the vehicle 100; - Information indicating acceleration obtained from an acceleration sensor of the vehicle 100; - information indicating the steering angle obtained from the steering angle sensor of the vehicle 100; and - Information indicating the yaw rate obtained from the yaw rate sensor of the vehicle 100 The information indicating the state of the vehicle 100 may include information indicating a jerk calculated by differentiating the acceleration with respect to time.

[0047] Further, the information indicating the state of the vehicle 100 may further include - Information indicating the operation status of the window washer of the vehicle 100 acquired from the vehicle control device 7, and - Information indicating the operation status of the defogger of the vehicle 100 One or more of the following are exemplified.

[0048] The information indicating the visibility status of the vehicle 100 includes: - Information indicating the detection result of the raindrop detection sensor 11 of the vehicle 100; - Information indicating the detection result of the snowfall detection sensor 12 of the vehicle 100; - Information indicating the detection result of the frost detection sensor 13 of the vehicle 100; - information indicating the detection result of the dirt sensor 14 of the vehicle 100, and - Information indicating the detection result of the illuminance sensor 15 of the vehicle 100 One or more of the following are exemplified.

[0049] (Judgment Department) When poor visibility is detected, the determination unit 212 determines the attribute of the detected poor visibility. Specifically, when poor visibility is detected, the determination unit 212 determines whether the attribute of the poor visibility is a first attribute, a second attribute, or a third attribute.

[0050] The first attribute may be an attribute indicating poor visibility that lasts for a first duration or longer. Specifically, the first attribute may be an attribute indicating poor visibility due to rainfall, snowfall, or the like. The determination unit 212 may determine that the attribute of poor visibility is the first attribute when the amount of rainfall detected by the raindrop detection sensor 11 of the vehicle 100 exceeds a specified value. The determination unit 212 may also determine that the attribute of poor visibility is the first attribute when the amount of snowfall detected by the snowfall detection sensor 12 of the vehicle 100 exceeds a specified value. However, the first attribute is not necessarily limited to the above-mentioned attributes as long as it is an attribute indicating poor visibility that lasts for a first duration or longer. For example, the determination unit 212 may determine that the attribute of poor visibility is the first attribute when the amount of dirt caused by falling snow, dust, or the like detected by the dirt detection sensor 14 of the vehicle 100 is so great that it cannot be removed even by operating the window washer. The first duration is, for example, from several tens of minutes to several hours, but the present disclosure is not limited to this.

[0051] Here, the determination unit 212 may determine whether the duration of poor visibility is equal to or longer than a first duration based on weather information for the area in which the vehicle 100 is traveling. In this case, if the determination unit 212 determines that the duration of poor visibility is equal to or longer than the first duration, the determination unit 212 determines that the attribute of the detected poor visibility is the first attribute. Note that the area in which the vehicle 100 is traveling can be appropriately determined from information indicating the current position of the vehicle 100 acquired by the acquisition unit 211 from the vehicle 100 via the communication unit 230. Furthermore, the weather information can be appropriately acquired by the acquisition unit 211 from, for example, an external server via the communication unit 230.

[0052] The second attribute may be an attribute indicating poor visibility that lasts less than a second duration. Specifically, the second attribute may be an attribute indicating poor visibility caused by passing through a tunnel entrance or exit or the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. The determination unit 212 may determine that the attribute of poor visibility is the second attribute when the amount of change per unit time of illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 15 of the vehicle 100 exceeds a specified value. However, the second attribute in the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to the above-mentioned attribute as long as it is an attribute indicating poor visibility that lasts less than the second duration. Note that the second duration may be, for example, several seconds to several minutes, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0053] The third attribute may be an attribute indicating poor visibility that can be resolved by the driver of the vehicle 100. Specifically, the third attribute may be an attribute indicating poor visibility caused by dirt on the outside of the window glass due to bird droppings, oil film, or the like, or poor visibility caused by fogging on the inside of the window glass. The determination unit 212 may determine that the attribute of poor visibility is the third attribute when the amount of dirt detected by the dirt detection sensor 14 of the vehicle 100 exceeds a specified value. The determination unit 212 may also determine that the attribute of poor visibility is the third attribute when the amount of frost detected by the frost detection sensor 13 of the vehicle 100 exceeds a specified value. However, the third attribute in the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to the above-mentioned attributes as long as it is an attribute indicating poor visibility that can be resolved by the driver of the vehicle 100. For example, the determination unit 212 may determine that the attribute of poor visibility is the third attribute when the amount of dirt caused by falling snow, dust, or the like detected by the dirt detection sensor 14 of the vehicle 100 is such that it can be resolved by operating a window washer.

[0054] (Changed part) The change unit 213 changes the evaluation conditions for the driving skill of the driver of the vehicle 100 according to the attribute of poor visibility determined by the determination unit 212.

[0055] Here, evaluation conditions regarding measures that the driver of vehicle 100 should take with respect to vehicle 100 may be determined in advance for each attribute of poor visibility. In this case, the evaluation conditions may be stored in advance in storage unit 220 so as to be referable by change unit 213. Change unit 213 may identify, from among a plurality of evaluation conditions, an evaluation condition that corresponds to the attribute of poor visibility determined by determination unit 212, by referring to storage unit 220. Change unit 213 may also change the evaluation conditions under normal circumstances to the identified evaluation conditions. Note that, an example of the evaluation conditions under normal circumstances is the average appropriate ranges of vehicle speed, acceleration, and jerk when vehicle 100 travels at a legal speed in a situation where poor visibility does not exist, such as on a clear day, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0056] When the attribute of poor visibility is a first attribute indicating poor visibility whose duration is equal to or longer than a first duration, the change unit 213 may perform the following process. That is, the change unit 213 may change the evaluation conditions for the driving skill according to the first attribute by setting an operation for reducing the driving force of the vehicle 100 as a measure to be taken by the driver of the vehicle 100. Details of the operation for reducing the driving force of the vehicle 100 will be described later.

[0057] When the attribute of poor visibility is a second attribute indicating poor visibility whose duration is less than a second duration, the change unit 213 may perform the following process. That is, the change unit 213 may change the evaluation conditions for the driving skill according to the second attribute by setting abrupt operation of the vehicle 100 as a measure to be taken by the driver of the vehicle 100. Details of abrupt operation of the vehicle 100 will be described later.

[0058] When the attribute of poor visibility is a third attribute indicating poor visibility that can be resolved by the driver of the vehicle 100, the change unit 213 may perform the following process. That is, the change unit 213 may change the evaluation conditions for the driving skill in accordance with the third attribute by setting an operation on the vehicle 100 to resolve the poor visibility as a measure to be taken by the driver of the vehicle 100. The operation on the vehicle 100 to resolve the poor visibility will be described later.

[0059] (Evaluation Department) The evaluation unit 214 evaluates the driving skill of the driver of the vehicle 100 based on the evaluation conditions for the driving skill changed by the change unit 213. Information indicating the evaluation result by the evaluation unit 214 may be transmitted to the vehicle 100 via the communication unit 230 and the network 300.

[0060] If the attribute of poor visibility is a first attribute and the driver performs an operation to reduce the driving force of the vehicle 100 within a predetermined time after poor visibility is detected, the evaluation unit 214 may evaluate that the driving skill in a situation of poor visibility belonging to the first attribute is appropriate. On the other hand, if the attribute of poor visibility is the first attribute and the driver does not perform an operation to reduce the driving force of the vehicle 100 within a predetermined time after poor visibility is detected, the evaluation unit 214 may evaluate that the driving skill in a situation of poor visibility belonging to the first attribute is inappropriate. Note that the predetermined time is exemplified as several seconds to several tens of seconds, for example, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto and can be set appropriately taking into consideration the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100, etc.

[0061] If the attribute of poor visibility is the second attribute and the driver performs an abrupt operation on the vehicle 100 within a predetermined time after the detection of poor visibility, the evaluation unit 214 may evaluate the driving skill in a situation of poor visibility belonging to the second attribute as appropriate. Furthermore, the range within which the driving skill is evaluated as appropriate in a situation of poor visibility belonging to the second attribute may be set wider than the range within which the driving skill is evaluated as appropriate under normal circumstances. On the other hand, if the attribute of poor visibility is the second attribute and the driver does not perform an abrupt operation on the vehicle 100 within a predetermined time after the detection of poor visibility, the evaluation unit 214 may evaluate the driving skill in a situation of poor visibility belonging to the second attribute as inappropriate. The predetermined time may be, for example, several seconds to several tens of seconds, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto and may be set appropriately taking into account the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100, etc.

[0062] If the attribute of poor visibility is the third attribute and the driver performs an operation on the vehicle 100 to resolve the poor visibility within a predetermined time after the poor visibility is detected, the evaluation unit 214 may evaluate that the driving skill in a situation of poor visibility belonging to the third attribute is appropriate. On the other hand, if the attribute of poor visibility is the third attribute and the driver does not perform an operation on the vehicle 100 to resolve the poor visibility within a predetermined time after the poor visibility is detected, the evaluation unit 214 may evaluate that the driving skill in a situation of poor visibility belonging to the third attribute is inappropriate. Note that the predetermined time is exemplified as several seconds to several tens of seconds, for example, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto and can be set appropriately taking into account the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100, etc.

[0063] (1-2-3. Example of operation of driving skill evaluation device) An example of the operation of the driving skill evaluation device 200 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to flowcharts shown in FIGS.

[0064] 4, in step S11, a system including the driving skill evaluation device 200 is started up. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S12.

[0065] In step S12, the acquisition unit 211 acquires information indicating the visibility conditions of the vehicle 100. In this operation example, the acquisition unit 211 also acquires information indicating the position of the vehicle 100 and information indicating the state of the vehicle 100. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S13.

[0066] In this operation example, the acquisition unit 211 performs the process of step S12 at predetermined time intervals while the driving skill evaluation is being performed or while the vehicle 100 is traveling, and stores the acquired information in the storage unit 220 in association with the acquisition time. Note that the predetermined time intervals can be set appropriately taking into consideration the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100, etc.

[0067] In this operation example, the information indicating the state of the vehicle 100 is - information indicating the speed of the vehicle 100; - information indicating the acceleration of the vehicle 100; - information indicating the jerk of the vehicle 100; - information indicating the steering angle of the steering wheel 6 of the vehicle 100; - information indicating the yaw rate of the vehicle 100; - Information indicating the operation status of the windshield washer of the vehicle 100; and - Information indicating the operation status of the defogger of the vehicle 100 The information indicating the state of the vehicle 100 is not necessarily limited to the above-mentioned information, as long as it is information that changes due to an operation of the vehicle 100 by the driver of the vehicle 100.

[0068] In this operation example, the information indicating the visibility condition of the vehicle 100 is - Information indicating the detection result of the raindrop detection sensor 11 of the vehicle 100; - Information indicating the detection result of the snowfall detection sensor 12 of the vehicle 100; - Information indicating the detection result of the frost detection sensor 13 of the vehicle 100; - Information indicating the detection result of the dirt detection sensor 14 of the vehicle 100, and - Information indicating the detection result of the illuminance sensor 15 of the vehicle 100 The information indicating the visibility status of the vehicle 100 is not necessarily limited to the information described above.

[0069] In step S13, the determination unit 212 determines whether poor visibility has been detected based on the information indicating the visibility conditions of the vehicle 100 acquired in step S12.

[0070] In this operation example, the determination unit 212: - the amount of rainfall detected by the raindrop detection sensor 11 of the vehicle 100; - the amount of snowfall detected by the snowfall detection sensor 12 of the vehicle 100; - the amount of frost detected by the frost detection sensor 13 of the vehicle 100; The amount of dirt detected by the dirt detection sensor 14 of the vehicle 100, and - Amount of change in illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 15 of the vehicle 100 If any of the above exceeds a predetermined value, it is determined that poor visibility has been detected. The predetermined value can be set appropriately for each cause of poor visibility.

[0071] If it is determined that poor visibility has been detected (step S13: YES), the process proceeds to step S14. On the other hand, if it is determined that poor visibility has not been detected (step S13: NO), the process returns to step S12. At this time, the evaluation conditions for driving skill are set to the evaluation conditions for normal driving.

[0072] In step S14, the determination unit 212 determines the attribute of poor visibility. In this operation example, the determination unit 212 determines whether the attribute of poor visibility is the first attribute, the second attribute, or the third attribute.

[0073] As described above in detail, the first attribute is an attribute indicating poor visibility that lasts for a first duration or longer, the second attribute is an attribute indicating poor visibility that lasts for less than a second duration, and the third attribute is an attribute indicating poor visibility that can be resolved by the driver.

[0074] First, a detailed description will be given of the case where the attribute of poor visibility is determined to be the first attribute in step S14 with reference to FIG.

[0075] In step S21, the change unit 213 changes the evaluation condition for the driving skill to the first evaluation condition by setting an operation for reducing the driving force of the vehicle 100 as a measure to be taken by the driver of the vehicle 100. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S22.

[0076] In this operation example, the action to be taken by the driver of vehicle 100 is to reduce the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal of vehicle 100 or increase the amount of depression of the brake pedal of vehicle 100. Therefore, change unit 213 sets the upper limit of the appropriate range of the vehicle speed of vehicle 100 lower than that in normal times. For example, the upper limit of the vehicle speed in normal times is set to 40 km / h to 50 km / h, while the upper limit of the vehicle speed in poor visibility is set to 20 km / h to 40 km / h. Accordingly, the appropriate ranges of acceleration / deceleration and jerk are also set narrower than those in normal times. Note that the appropriate range of the vehicle speed in normal times is, for example, an average appropriate range of the vehicle speed when vehicle 100 travels at a legal speed in a situation where there is no poor visibility, such as on a clear day, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0077] In step S22, the evaluation unit 214 evaluates the driving skill of the driver of the vehicle 100 based on the first evaluation condition changed in step S21. As described above, when the attribute of poor visibility is the first attribute, an operation to reduce the driving force of the vehicle 100 is set as a measure to be taken by the driver of the vehicle 100. Therefore, when the driver of the vehicle 100 performs an operation to reduce the driving force of the vehicle 100 within a predetermined time after poor visibility is detected in step S13, the evaluation unit 214 evaluates that the driving skill in a situation of poor visibility belonging to the first attribute is appropriate. In this case, the evaluation unit 214 may add points to the evaluation of the driving skill in response to the operation performed by the driver of the vehicle 100.

[0078] On the other hand, if the driver of the vehicle 100 does not perform an operation to reduce the driving force of the vehicle 100 within a predetermined time after poor visibility is detected, the evaluation unit 214 evaluates that the driving skill in a poor visibility situation belonging to the first attribute is inappropriate. In this case, the evaluation unit 214 may deduct points from the evaluation of the driving skill because the driver of the vehicle 100 did not perform the operation.

[0079] In this operation example, the evaluation unit 214 evaluates the driving skill as appropriate if the vehicle speed, acceleration, and jerk of the vehicle 100 are all within the appropriate range changed in step S21 within a predetermined time after poor visibility is detected in step S13.

[0080] On the other hand, if any of the speed, acceleration, and jerk of the vehicle 100 is not within the appropriate range changed in step S21 within a predetermined time after poor visibility is detected in step S13, the evaluation unit 214 evaluates that the driving skill is inappropriate. Then, the process proceeds to step S23.

[0081] The result of the evaluation in step S22 may be notified to the driver of the vehicle 100 via the communication unit 230 and the network 300. As a result, if the evaluation unit 214 evaluates the driving skill as appropriate, feedback is provided to the driver that the driver was able to respond safely in a situation of poor visibility belonging to the first attribute. On the other hand, if the evaluation unit 214 evaluates the driving skill as inappropriate, feedback is provided to the driver that the driver was unable to respond safely in a situation of poor visibility belonging to the first attribute. Note that this feedback may be provided immediately after the evaluation or after driving has ended.

[0082] In step S23, the determination unit 212 determines whether the system including the driving skill evaluation device 200 has stopped. If it is determined that the system has stopped (step S23: YES), the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the system has not stopped (step S23: NO), the process returns to step S12 shown in FIG. 4.

[0083] Next, a case where the attribute of poor visibility is determined to be the second attribute in step S14 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0084] In step S31, the change unit 213 changes the evaluation condition for the driving skill to the second evaluation condition by setting a sudden operation on the vehicle 100 as an action to be taken by the driver of the vehicle 100. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S32.

[0085] In this operation example, the action that the driver of the vehicle 100 should take is, for example, a sudden decrease in the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal of the vehicle 100 or a sudden increase in the amount of depression of the brake pedal. Therefore, the change unit 213 sets the appropriate range of the acceleration / deceleration or jerk (rate of change of acceleration) of the vehicle 100 to an appropriate range wider than that in normal times. For example, the upper limit of the appropriate range of deceleration in normal times is 3.0 m / s in absolute value. 2 The upper limit of the appropriate range of deceleration during poor visibility is set to 4.5 m / s. 2 The appropriate range of acceleration / deceleration or jerk under normal circumstances is, for example, an average appropriate range of acceleration / deceleration or jerk when vehicle 100 travels at the legal speed in a situation where there is no poor visibility, such as on a clear day, but the present disclosure is not limited to this.

[0086] In step S31, the action to be taken by the driver of the vehicle 100 may be a sudden steering operation. In this case, the change unit 213 may set the appropriate range of the steering angle change of the steering wheel 6 to be wider than that in normal times. For example, the upper limit of the appropriate range of the steering angle change in normal times may be set to 2.5 deg / s. 2 The upper limit of the appropriate range of steering angle change during poor visibility is set to 4.0 deg / s. 2 The appropriate range of steering angle change in normal times is set to an average appropriate range of steering angle change in a situation where there is no poor visibility, such as on a clear day, but the present disclosure is not limited to this.

[0087] In step S32, the evaluation unit 214 evaluates the driving skill of the driver of the vehicle 100 based on the second evaluation condition changed in step S31. As described above, when the attribute of poor visibility is the second attribute, a sudden operation of the vehicle 100 is set as the measure to be taken by the driver of the vehicle 100. Therefore, when the driver of the vehicle 100 performs a sudden operation of the vehicle 100 within a predetermined time after the detection of poor visibility in step S13, the evaluation unit 214 evaluates that the driving skill under a situation of poor visibility belonging to the second attribute is appropriate. In this case, the evaluation unit 214 may add points to the evaluation of the driving skill indicative of the operation performed by the driver of the vehicle 100.

[0088] On the other hand, if the driver of the vehicle 100 does not perform any sudden operation on the vehicle 100 within a predetermined time after the detection of poor visibility, the evaluation unit 214 evaluates that the driving skill in a poor visibility situation belonging to the second attribute is inappropriate. In this case, the evaluation unit 214 may deduct points in the evaluation of the driving skill from the fact that the driver of the vehicle 100 did not perform the operation. Note that the predetermined time can be set appropriately taking into consideration the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100, etc.

[0089] In this operation example, the evaluation unit 214 evaluates the driving skill as appropriate if both the rate of change of acceleration and the rate of change of jerk of the vehicle 100 are within the appropriate range changed in step S31 within a predetermined time after poor visibility is detected in step S13.

[0090] On the other hand, if either the rate of change in acceleration or the rate of change in jerk of vehicle 100 is not included in the appropriate range changed in step S31 within a predetermined time after poor visibility is detected in step S13, evaluation unit 214 evaluates that the driving skill is inappropriate. Then, the process proceeds to step S33.

[0091] The result of the evaluation in step S32 may be notified to the driver of the vehicle 100 via the communication unit 230 and the network 300. As a result, if the evaluation unit 214 evaluates the driving skill as appropriate, feedback is provided to the driver that the driver was able to respond safely in a situation of poor visibility belonging to the second attribute. On the other hand, if the evaluation unit 214 evaluates the driving skill as inappropriate, feedback is provided to the driver that the driver was unable to respond safely in a situation of poor visibility belonging to the second attribute. Note that this feedback may be provided immediately after the evaluation or after driving has ended.

[0092] In step S33, the determination unit 212 determines whether the system including the driving skill evaluation device 200 has stopped. If it is determined that the system has stopped (step S33: YES), the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the system has not stopped (step S33: NO), the process returns to step S12 shown in FIG. 4.

[0093] Next, a case where the attribute of poor visibility is determined to be the third attribute in step S14 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0094] In step S41, the change unit 213 changes the evaluation condition for driving skill to the third evaluation condition by setting an operation on the vehicle 100 to resolve poor visibility as a measure to be taken by the driver of the vehicle 100. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S42.

[0095] In this operation example, if the poor visibility is caused by bird droppings or dirt such as an oil film, the change unit 213 sets the operation of the window washer of the vehicle 100 within a predetermined time after the poor visibility is detected as the measure to be taken by the driver of the vehicle 100.

[0096] In addition, in this operation example, if the poor visibility is caused by fogging inside the vehicle cabin, the change unit 213 sets the operation of the defogger of the vehicle 100 within a predetermined time after the poor visibility is detected as the measure to be taken by the driver of the vehicle 100.

[0097] Note that the change unit 213 may set the activation of the defogger of the vehicle 100 within a predetermined time after poor visibility is detected as a measure to be taken by the driver of the vehicle 100 only when the yaw rate of the vehicle 100 is equal to or less than a specified value. This is because, when the driver of the vehicle 100 activates the defogger, he or she temporarily holds the steering wheel 6 with one hand, and therefore, from the viewpoint of safety, it is preferable to set the defogger only when the yaw rate of the vehicle 100 is equal to or less than a specified value. However, if the vehicle 100 is a vehicle in which the defogger can be activated without taking one's hands off the steering wheel 6, the change unit 213 does not need to change the setting related to the yaw rate.

[0098] In step S42, the evaluation unit 214 evaluates the driving skill of the driver of the vehicle 100 based on the third evaluation condition changed in step S41. As described above, when the attribute of poor visibility is the third attribute, an operation on the vehicle 100 to resolve the poor visibility is set as a measure to be taken by the driver of the vehicle 100. Therefore, when the driver of the vehicle 100 performs an operation on the vehicle 100 to resolve the poor visibility within a predetermined time after the poor visibility is detected in step S13, the evaluation unit 214 evaluates that the driving skill in a situation of poor visibility belonging to the third attribute is appropriate. In this case, the evaluation unit 214 may add points to the fact that the driver of the vehicle 100 has performed the operation in question in the evaluation of the driving skill.

[0099] On the other hand, if the driver of the vehicle 100 does not perform an operation on the vehicle 100 to eliminate the poor visibility within a predetermined time after the poor visibility is detected, the evaluation unit 214 evaluates that the driving skill in a poor visibility situation belonging to the third attribute is inappropriate. In this case, the evaluation unit 214 may deduct points in the evaluation of the driving skill for the fact that the driver of the vehicle 100 has not performed the operation.

[0100] First, a case where poor visibility is caused by bird droppings or dirt such as an oil film will be described. In this operation example, if the window washer of the vehicle 100 is activated within a predetermined time after poor visibility is detected in step S13, the evaluation unit 214 evaluates the driving skill as appropriate. On the other hand, if the window washer of the vehicle 100 is not activated within a predetermined time after poor visibility is detected in step S13, the evaluation unit 214 evaluates the driving skill as inappropriate. The process then proceeds to step S43.

[0101] Next, a case where poor visibility is caused by fogging inside the vehicle cabin will be described. In this operation example, the evaluation unit 214 evaluates the driving skill as appropriate if the defogger of the vehicle 100 is activated within a predetermined time after the poor visibility is detected in step S13. On the other hand, by referring to the memory unit 220, the evaluation unit 214 evaluates the driving skill as inappropriate if the defogger of the vehicle 100 is not activated within a predetermined time after the poor visibility is detected in step S13. Here, the evaluation unit 214 may evaluate the driving skill as appropriate if the yaw rate of the vehicle 100 is equal to or less than a specified value and if the defogger of the vehicle 100 is activated within a predetermined time after the poor visibility is detected in step S13. However, as described above, evaluation of the yaw rate is not essential. The process then proceeds to step S43.

[0102] In addition, in step S42, the evaluation unit 214 may evaluate the driving skills higher by, for example, increasing the number of points added to the evaluation of driving skills the shorter the time between when poor visibility is detected in step S13 and when the driver performs an operation on the vehicle 100 to resolve the poor visibility.

[0103] The result of the evaluation in step S42 may be notified to the driver of the vehicle 100 via the communication unit 230 and the network 300. As a result, if the evaluation unit 214 evaluates the driving skill as appropriate, feedback is provided to the driver that the driver was able to respond safely in a situation of poor visibility belonging to the third attribute. On the other hand, if the evaluation unit 214 evaluates the driving skill as inappropriate, feedback is provided to the driver that the driver was unable to respond safely in a situation of poor visibility belonging to the third attribute. Note that this feedback may be provided immediately after the evaluation or after driving has ended.

[0104] In step S43, the determination unit 212 determines whether the system including the driving skill evaluation device 200 has stopped. If it is determined that the system has stopped (step S43: YES), the process ends. On the other hand, if it is not determined that the system has stopped (step S43: NO), the process returns to step S12.

[0105] (effect) As described above, when poor visibility is detected, the processing unit 210 of the driving skill evaluation device 200 according to this embodiment determines the attributes of the detected poor visibility. Then, the processing unit 210 changes the evaluation conditions for the driving skill of the driver of the vehicle 100 according to the determined attributes. With this configuration, the driving skill of the driver of the vehicle 100 can be appropriately evaluated according to the attributes of the poor visibility. In other words, by dynamically changing the evaluation logic for the driving skill according to the attributes of the poor visibility, an evaluation result that meets the expectations of the driver of the vehicle 100 can be obtained.

[0106] Although preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains can conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component or step can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple components or steps can be combined or divided into one.

[0107] The technology of the present disclosure can also be realized as a vehicle 400 equipped with the driving skill evaluation device 200 described in the above-mentioned embodiment, an evaluation method performed by the driving skill evaluation device 200, a computer program that causes a computer to function as the above-mentioned driving skill evaluation device, and a non-temporary tangible recording medium on which the computer program is recorded. [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 100: vehicle, 10: ambient environment sensor, 11: raindrop detection sensor, 12: snowfall detection sensor, 13: frost detection sensor, 14: dirt detection sensor, 15: illuminance sensor, 20: vehicle condition sensor, 200: driving skill evaluation device, 210: processing unit, 211: acquisition unit, 212: determination unit, 213: change unit, 214: evaluation unit, 220: memory unit, 230: communication unit, 400: vehicle

Claims

1. A driving skill evaluation device for evaluating the driving skill of a vehicle driver, one or more processors; and one or more memories communicatively coupled to the one or more processors; the one or more processors: if poor visibility is detected, determining an attribute of the detected poor visibility; changing the evaluation conditions for the driving skill according to the determined attributes; Driving skill assessment device.

2. the attributes include a first attribute indicative of poor visibility having a duration equal to or greater than a first duration; the one or more processors: when the attribute is determined to be the first attribute, changing the evaluation condition in accordance with the first attribute by setting an operation to reduce the driving force of the vehicle within a predetermined time after the poor visibility is detected as a measure to be taken by the driver; The driving skill evaluation device according to claim 1 .

3. the attributes include a second attribute indicative of poor visibility having a duration less than a second duration; the one or more processors: when the attribute is determined to be the second attribute, changing the evaluation condition in accordance with the second attribute by setting a sudden operation of the vehicle within a predetermined time after the detection of the poor visibility as an action to be taken by the driver. The driving skill evaluation device according to claim 1 .

4. the attributes include a third attribute indicative of poor visibility that can be resolved by the driver; the one or more processors: when the attribute is determined to be the third attribute, changing the evaluation condition in accordance with the third attribute by setting an operation on the vehicle to eliminate the poor visibility within a predetermined time after the poor visibility is detected as a measure to be taken by the driver. The driving skill evaluation device according to claim 1 .

5. A vehicle equipped with the driving skill evaluation device according to claim 1.

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