Driving evaluation system, driving evaluation device, driving evaluation method, and program

Abstract

To provide a driving evaluation system, a driving evaluation device, a driving evaluation method, and a program that can further improve a driver's understanding and acceptance with respect to driving evaluation.SOLUTION: A driving evaluation system including a vehicle, a first terminal device used by a driver of the vehicle, a second terminal device used by a specific person associated with the driver, and a driving evaluation device that evaluates a driving action of the driver, comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires information about a driving action of the driver; an evaluation unit that evaluates the driving action of the driver based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit; and a providing unit that provides an evaluation result from the evaluation unit to at least one of the vehicle and the first terminal device used by the driver, wherein: the providing unit provides an evaluation result from the evaluation unit to at least one of the vehicle and the first terminal device via the second terminal device used by the specific person associated with the driver.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving evaluation system, a driving evaluation device, a driving evaluation method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, efforts to provide access to sustainable transportation systems that take into consideration vulnerable traffic participants have been gaining momentum. To achieve this, efforts are being focused on research and development to further improve traffic safety and convenience through research and development of preventive safety technologies. In this regard, a technology has recently become known that estimates a training route suitable for a driver based on an evaluation of the driver's driving aptitude and a route evaluation of each driving route obtained from the driving characteristics of multiple drivers, and provides the driver with the estimated training route (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-128344 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in preventive safety technology, if driving evaluation is based on the average route evaluation of each driving route taken from the driving characteristics of multiple drivers, the driving evaluation will vary greatly depending on the road shape and traffic environment during actual driving, which has the problem that an appropriate driving evaluation cannot be obtained, and driver satisfaction and acceptance may be compromised.

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one of the objects of the present application is to provide a driving evaluation system, a driving evaluation device, a driving evaluation method, and a program that can further improve drivers' understanding and acceptance of driving evaluations, thereby contributing to the development of sustainable transportation systems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The driving evaluation system, driving evaluation device, driving evaluation method, and program according to the present invention employ the following configuration. (1): A driving evaluation system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a vehicle, a first terminal device used by the driver of the vehicle, a second terminal device used by a specific person associated with the driver, and a driving evaluation device that evaluates the driving behavior of the driver, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires information about the driving behavior of the driver, an evaluation unit that evaluates the driving behavior of the driver based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit, and a provision unit that provides the evaluation result by the evaluation unit to at least one of the vehicle and the first terminal device used by the driver, and the provision unit provides the evaluation result by the evaluation unit to at least one of the vehicle and the first terminal device via the second terminal device used by the specific person associated with the driver.

[0007] (2): A driving evaluation device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an acquisition unit that acquires information regarding the driving behavior of a vehicle driver, an evaluation unit that evaluates the driving behavior of the driver based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit, and a provision unit that provides the evaluation result by the evaluation unit to at least one of the vehicle and a first terminal device used by the driver, wherein the provision unit provides the evaluation result by the evaluation unit to at least one of the vehicle and the first terminal device via a second terminal device used by a specific person associated with the driver.

[0008] (3): In the above aspect (2), the evaluation unit acquires the results of a primary driving evaluation in which the driver's driving behavior is evaluated based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit, and the results of a secondary driving evaluation in which the identifier evaluates the driver's driving behavior based on the results of the primary driving evaluation, and the provision unit provides at least one of the results of the primary driving evaluation and the results of the secondary driving evaluation to at least one of the vehicle and the first terminal device based on a request from the driver.

[0009] (4): In the above aspect (2), a registration unit is further provided for registering information on one or more of the specified persons, and the providing unit provides the evaluation result by the evaluation unit to a second terminal device used by a specified person designated by the driver from among the one or more specified persons registered by the registration unit.

[0010] (5): In the above aspect (2), the evaluation unit quantitatively analyzes the driving behavior of the driver on routes that the driver uses daily, estimates factors that cause fluctuations in the evaluation of the driving behavior based on the analysis results, and determines at least one of the content of driving advice to the driver and the timing of notifying the driver of the driving advice based on the estimated results.

[0011] (6): In the above aspect (5), the acquisition unit acquires the vehicle's surrounding environment and the driver's schedule information, and the evaluation unit estimates factors that cause fluctuations in the evaluation of the driving behavior based on the analysis results, the surrounding environment, the driver's state while driving included in the information on the driving behavior, and the schedule information.

[0012] (7) In the aspect (3) above, the providing unit provides an incentive to the specified person who performs the second driving evaluation.

[0013] (8): In the above aspect (2), the acquisition unit acquires a social score for the driver, and the provision unit updates the social score according to the evaluation result of the driver's driving behavior.

[0014] (9) In the aspect (2) above, the providing unit provides an incentive to the driver according to the social score of the driver.

[0015] (10): A driving evaluation method according to one embodiment of the present invention is a driving evaluation method in which a computer acquires information regarding the driving behavior of a vehicle driver, evaluates the driving behavior of the driver based on the acquired information, and provides the results of the evaluation to at least one of the vehicle and a first terminal device used by the driver via a second terminal device used by a specific person associated with the driver.

[0016] (11): A program according to one embodiment of the present invention is a program that causes a computer to acquire information regarding the driving behavior of a vehicle driver, evaluate the driving behavior of the driver based on the acquired information, and provide the results of the evaluation to at least one of the vehicle and a first terminal device used by the driver via a second terminal device used by a specific person associated with the driver. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the above aspects (1) to (11), it is possible to further improve the driver's understanding and acceptability of the driving evaluation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a driving evaluation system 1 including a driving evaluation device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a vehicle system 100 mounted on a vehicle M. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a first terminal device 200. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a driving evaluation device 400. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a driver information DB 461. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a driving action history DB 462. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of an evaluation result DB 463. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of an advice information DB 464. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an image IM10 including information about a primary driving evaluation result. [Figure 10] 10 is a diagram showing an example of an image IM20 including information about a driving evaluation result to be notified to a driver D. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing executed by the driving evaluation system 1 in the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of functions of a driving assistance device 120A according to a modified example of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of a driving evaluation system, a driving evaluation device, a driving evaluation method, and a program according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0020] [System Configuration] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a driving evaluation system 1 including a driving evaluation device according to an embodiment. The driving evaluation system 1 includes, for example, one or more vehicles M1 to Mn, first terminal devices 200-1 to 200-n used by drivers D1 to Dn who drive the vehicles M1 to Mn, second terminal devices 300-1 to 300-n used by designated persons P1 to Pn associated with each driver registered in the driving evaluation system 1, and a driving evaluation device 400. Hereinafter, except when each of the vehicles M1 to Mn is to be distinguished from one another, the vehicles will be simply referred to as "vehicle M." The same applies to the driver D, the first terminal device 200, the designated person P, and the second terminal device 300. The vehicle M (more specifically, the vehicle system 100 installed in the vehicle M), the first terminal device 200, the second terminal device 300, and the driving evaluation device 400 communicate with each other via a network NW, for example. The network NW includes, for example, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), the Internet, a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), a public line, a provider device, a dedicated line, a wireless base station, etc. Furthermore, the vehicle M may directly communicate with the first terminal device 200 via a short-range communication network such as a Wi-Fi network or Bluetooth.

[0021] The vehicle M may be, for example, a two-wheeled, three-wheeled, or four-wheeled vehicle, and its drive source may be an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, an electric motor, or a combination of these. The electric motor operates using power generated by a generator connected to the internal combustion engine or discharged power from a secondary battery or a fuel cell. The vehicle M is manually driven by a driver D, but may also be a vehicle capable of operating a driving assistance function. Examples of driving assistance functions include, but are not limited to, Road Departure Mitigation (RDM), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), and Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS). The RDM is a lane departure warning that, when the vehicle M deviates from its lane (i.e., deviates from a road marking that separates the lanes), alerts the driver D with a display or alarm to warn the driver D and to prevent the vehicle from deviating from its lane. The FCW is a function that predicts the risk of collision with a vehicle ahead of the vehicle M and outputs an alarm. If there is a risk of vehicle M colliding with a nearby obstacle (another vehicle or pedestrian), the CMBS warns the driver D with a display or alarm to urge caution, and if the vehicle approaches an obstacle, it performs at least one of steering control and acceleration / deceleration control to help avoid a collision and mitigate damage.

[0022] The vehicle M acquires information about the driving behavior of the driver D of the vehicle M (hereinafter referred to as "driving behavior information" as necessary) and transmits the acquired information to the driving evaluation device 400. The driving behavior information includes, for example, information about the driving operation of the vehicle M by the driver D and information indicating the state of the driver D while driving. The driving behavior information may include, for example, not only behavior information about the vehicle M such as the speed, acceleration, yaw rate, steering angle, position information, and route information of the vehicle M, but also the amount of operation of the driving controls, and the operation of on-board devices such as turning on the headlights and operating the wipers. The driving behavior information may also include information about the operation (execution) status of the driving assistance function (for example, the time and position of operation, and the type of driving assistance function), and may also include information recognized by a recognition unit in the vehicle system 100 (for example, the surrounding conditions of the vehicle M), camera images captured by a camera (imaging unit), passenger information, etc. Information indicating the state of the driver D while driving includes, for example, the surrounding environment of the vehicle M (for example, weather, date and time, presence or absence of surrounding vehicles such as a preceding vehicle, presence or absence of construction work, presence or absence of an accident, etc.), biological information of the driver D while driving, etc. Information indicating the state of the driver D while driving may include schedule information (planned action information) of the driver D. The vehicle M outputs information provided from the driving evaluation device 400 to notify the driver, etc. Each of the processes in the vehicle M described above is executed by the vehicle system 100 installed in the vehicle M.

[0023] The first terminal device 200 and the second terminal device 300 are, for example, smartphones or tablet terminals. The second terminal device 300 may also be a general-purpose PC (Personal Computer). The first terminal device 200 may be connected to the vehicle M and function as an in-vehicle device. The first terminal device 200 transmits information input by the driver D to the driving evaluation device 400. The first terminal device 200 also outputs information provided by the driving evaluation device 400 to notify the driver D.

[0024] The second terminal device 300 is used by a specific person P or the like who is associated with the driver D in advance, acquires information from the driving evaluation device 400, and provides the acquired information to the specific person P by displaying an image or outputting an audio message. The specific person P is, for example, a specific person related to the driver D, such as a family member (spouse or parent / child), a business associate (boss, subordinate, colleague), a lover, or a friend (in other words, a person who knows the driver D).

[0025] The driving evaluation device 400 may be, for example, a server device or a general-purpose PC, or may be a cloud server configured by cloud computing including one or more information processing devices. The driving evaluation device 400 acquires and manages driving behavior information of the driver D transmitted from multiple vehicles M, and evaluates the driving behavior of the driver D. The driving evaluation device 400 also transmits information related to the driving evaluation to the vehicle M, the first terminal device 200, the second terminal device 300, etc., to provide the information to the driver D and the specified person P. The following describes in detail the functions of the vehicle M, the first terminal device 200, and the driving evaluation device 400. Note that the second terminal device 300 can apply the same functions as the first terminal device 200, so the following describes the first terminal device 200, and a detailed description of the second terminal device 300 is omitted.

[0026] [vehicle] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a vehicle system 100 mounted on a vehicle M. The vehicle system 100 mounted on the vehicle M includes, for example, a camera 10, a radar device 12, a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) 14, an object recognition device 16, a communication device 20, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 30, a vehicle sensor 40, a biosensor 45, a navigation device 50, an MPU (Map Positioning Unit) 60, a driving operator 80, a driving force output device 92, a braking device 94, a steering device 96, and a driving assistance device 120. These devices and equipment are connected to each other via multiplexed communication lines such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication line, serial communication lines, a wireless communication network, or the like. The configuration shown in FIG. 2 is merely an example, and some of the configuration may be omitted, or other configurations may be added.

[0027] The camera 10 is, for example, a digital camera that uses a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera 10 is attached to any location on the vehicle M. When capturing an image of the front, the camera 10 is attached to the top of the front windshield, the back of the rearview mirror, or the like. The camera 10, for example, periodically captures images of the periphery of the vehicle M to obtain camera images. The camera 10 may be a stereo camera. The camera 10 may also be, for example, a camera used in a drive recorder that records video of actual driving conditions.

[0028] The radar device 12 emits radio waves such as millimeter waves around the vehicle M and detects radio waves reflected by an object (reflected waves) to detect at least the position (distance and direction) of the object. The radar device 12 is attached to any location on the vehicle M. The radar device 12 may detect the position and speed of an object using an FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method.

[0029] The LIDAR 14 irradiates the surroundings of the vehicle M with light (or electromagnetic waves with wavelengths similar to light) and measures the scattered light. The LIDAR 14 detects the distance to the target based on the time between light emission and light reception. The irradiated light is, for example, pulsed laser light. The LIDAR 14 may be attached to any location on the vehicle M.

[0030] The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on the detection results from some or all of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 to recognize the position, type, speed, etc. of the object. The object recognition device 16 outputs the recognition results to the driving assistance device 120. The object recognition device 16 may output the detection results from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 directly to the driving assistance device 120. The object recognition device 16 may be omitted from the vehicle M.

[0031] The communication device 20 includes, for example, a TCU (Telematics Control Unit). The communication device 20 communicates with the driving evaluation device 400, other driving evaluation devices 400 present in the vicinity of the vehicle M, other vehicles, etc., or with various other external devices, using a network NW such as a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth, or DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication). The communication device 20 may also perform wireless communication with a first terminal device 200 of a driver D in the vehicle M via a short-range communication network such as a Wi-Fi network or Bluetooth, or may perform wired communication with the first terminal device 200 by being connected to a communication cable or the like. The communication device 20 may also communicate with a second terminal device 300 via the network NW.

[0032] The HMI 30 presents various information to the driver D in the vehicle M and accepts input operations by the driver D. The HMI 30 includes, for example, a display device, a speaker, and a vibration device. The display device is, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic electroluminescence (EL) display. The display device is, for example, provided in the center of the instrument panel of the vehicle M or in front of the driver's seat, and is a so-called multi-information display that displays various information about the vehicle M, such as a speedometer indicating the traveling speed of the vehicle M or a tachometer indicating the rotation speed (rotational speed) of an internal combustion engine equipped in the vehicle M, the operating status of driving assistance functions, etc. The speaker outputs alarms, message sounds, voices, etc. The vibration device applies vibrations of a predetermined intensity to driving controls 80 such as the driver's seat or steering wheel to inform the driver D of the situation and give instructions, etc. The HMI 30 may also include, for example, a buzzer, a touch panel, a microphone, keys, etc.

[0033] The vehicle sensors 40 include a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects the angular velocity around a vertical axis, a steering angle sensor that detects the steering angle, etc. The vehicle sensors 40 may also include a position sensor that acquires the position of the vehicle M. The position sensor is, for example, a sensor that acquires position information (longitude and latitude information) of the vehicle M from a GPS (Global Positioning System) device. The position sensor may also be a sensor that acquires the position information using a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 51 of the navigation device 50. The vehicle sensors 40 may also include a weather sensor that predicts the weather around the vehicle M based on the illuminance, temperature, humidity, rainfall, etc. around the vehicle M. Information detected by the vehicle sensors 40 is output to the driving assistance device 120.

[0034] The biosensor 45 detects biometric information such as the heart rate, respiratory rate, body temperature, and amount of sweat of the driver D. The biosensor may be a device installed on the steering wheel or instrument panel of the vehicle M, or may be a wearable device worn by the driver D to acquire the biometric information.

[0035] The navigation device 50 includes, for example, a GNSS receiver 51, a navigation HMI 52, and a route determination unit 53. The navigation device 50 stores first map information 54 in a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or flash memory. The GNSS receiver 51 identifies the position of the vehicle M based on signals received from GNSS satellites. The position of the vehicle M may be identified or supplemented by an inertial navigation system (INS) that uses the output of the vehicle sensors 40. The navigation HMI 52 includes a display device, a speaker, a touch panel, keys, etc. The navigation HMI 52 may share some or all of the components with the HMI 30 described above. The route determination unit 53 determines, for example, a route (hereinafter, a route on a map) from the position of the vehicle M identified by the GNSS receiver 51 (or any input position) to a destination input by the driver D using the navigation HMI 52, with reference to the first map information 54. The first map information 54 is information that represents road shapes using, for example, links indicating roads and nodes connected by the links. The first map information 54 may also include information such as road curvature and gradient, and POI (Point of Interest) information. The route on the map is output to the MPU 60. The navigation device 50 may provide route guidance using the navigation HMI 52 based on the route on the map. The navigation device 50 may be realized, for example, by a function of the first terminal device 200 of the driver D. The navigation device 50 may transmit the current position and destination to a navigation server via the communication device 20, and obtain a route equivalent to the route on the map from the navigation server.

[0036] The MPU 60 includes, for example, a recommended lane determination unit 61, and stores second map information 62 in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory. The recommended lane determination unit 61 divides the route on the map provided by the navigation device 50 into a plurality of blocks (for example, by dividing it into 100-m intervals in the vehicle travel direction), and determines a recommended lane for each block by referring to the second map information 62. The recommended lane determination unit 61 determines, for example, which lane from the left the vehicle should travel in. When there is a branch point on the route on the map, the recommended lane determination unit 61 determines the recommended lane so that the vehicle M can travel on a reasonable route to reach the branch point. The second map information 62 is map information with higher accuracy than the first map information 54. The second map information 62 includes, for example, information on the center of lanes, information on lane boundaries (road dividing lines), etc. The second map information 62 may include road information such as the number of lanes and road width, traffic regulation information (for example, road speed limits and stop locations), road signs, address information (address and postal code), facility information, telephone number information, etc. The second map information 62 may be updated as needed by the communication device 20 communicating with other devices.

[0037] The driving operators 80 include, for example, a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a shift lever, a turn signal switch, and other operators. The driving operators 80 are fitted with sensors that detect the amount of operation or the presence or absence of operation, and the detection results are output to the driving assistance device 120 or some or all of the driving force output device 92, the braking device 94, and the steering device 96.

[0038] The driving force output device 92 outputs a driving force (torque) to the drive wheels for the vehicle to travel. The driving force output device 92 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, a transmission, etc., and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls these. The ECU controls the above components in accordance with information input from the driving assistance device 120 or information input from the driving operator 80.

[0039] The braking device 94 includes, for example, a brake caliper, a cylinder that transmits hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, an electric motor that generates hydraulic pressure in the cylinder, and a brake ECU. The brake ECU controls the electric motor according to information input from the driving assistance device 120 or information input from the driving operation device 80, so that a brake torque corresponding to the braking operation is output to each wheel. The braking device 94 may include a backup mechanism that transmits hydraulic pressure generated by operation of a brake pedal included in the driving operation device 80 to the cylinder via a master cylinder. Note that the braking device 94 is not limited to the configuration described above, and may also be an electronically controlled hydraulic braking device that controls an actuator according to information input from the driving assistance device 120 to transmit hydraulic pressure from a master cylinder to the cylinder.

[0040] The steering device 96 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor changes the direction of the steered wheels by applying a force to, for example, a rack and pinion mechanism. The steering ECU drives the electric motor to change the direction of the steered wheels in accordance with information input from the driving assistance device 120 or information input from the driving operator 80. The steering device 96 may also be provided with a steering reaction force mechanism that, under the control of the driving assistance device 120, applies a predetermined reaction force to rotate the steering wheel in the direction opposite to the steering direction of the steering wheel operated by the driver D (to make it difficult to rotate in the steering direction), thereby suppressing the steering operation of the driver D.

[0041] The driving assistance device 120 includes, for example, a recognition unit 122, a driving control unit 124, a driving behavior acquisition unit 126, an HMI control unit 128, and a vehicle-side storage unit 140. Some or all of the recognition unit 122, the driving control unit 124, the driving behavior acquisition unit 126, and the HMI control unit 128 are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or an SOC (System On Chip), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device with a non-transitory storage medium) such as the HDD or flash memory of the driving assistance device 120, or may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed in the HDD or flash memory of the driving assistance device 120 by inserting the storage medium (non-transitory storage medium) into a drive device.

[0042] The vehicle-side storage unit 140 is realized by, for example, a HDD, a flash memory, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), or a RAM (Random Access Memory). The vehicle-side storage unit 140 stores, for example, driving behavior history information 142, programs, and various other information. The driving behavior history information 142 is information acquired or generated by the driving behavior acquisition unit 126, and includes driving behavior information.

[0043] The recognition unit 122 recognizes the surrounding conditions of the vehicle M based on information input from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 via the object recognition device 16. For example, based on the input information, the recognition unit 122 recognizes the position (relative position with respect to the vehicle M), speed (relative speed with respect to the vehicle M), acceleration, and other conditions of objects (e.g., other vehicles, pedestrians, road structures) around the vehicle M (within a predetermined distance). The position of the object is recognized as a position on an absolute coordinate system with a representative point of the vehicle M (e.g., the center of gravity or the center of the drive shaft) as the origin, and is used for control. The position of the object may be represented by a representative point such as the center of gravity or a corner of the object, or may be represented by an area. The "state" of the object may include the acceleration or jerk of the object, or the "behavioral state" (e.g., whether or not the object is changing lanes or is about to change lanes).

[0044] The recognition unit 122 also recognizes, for example, the lane in which the vehicle M is traveling (driving lane). For example, the recognition unit 122 recognizes the driving lane by comparing the pattern of road dividing lines (e.g., an arrangement of solid lines and dashed lines) obtained from the second map information 62 with the pattern of road dividing lines around the vehicle M recognized from the camera image of the camera 10. The recognition unit 122 may recognize the driving lane by recognizing not only road dividing lines but also road boundaries (road boundaries) including shoulders, curbs, medians, guardrails, etc. This recognition may take into account the position of the vehicle M obtained from the navigation device 50 and processing results by the INS. The recognition unit 122 recognizes stop lines, obstacles, red lights, toll booths, and other road phenomena. The recognition unit 122 may also recognize the number of surrounding lanes and road signs based on the analysis results of images captured by the camera image and map information.

[0045] Furthermore, when recognizing the driving lane, the recognition unit 122 recognizes the position and attitude of the vehicle M with respect to the driving lane. For example, the recognition unit 122 may recognize the degree of deviation of a reference point (e.g., center of gravity or center) of the vehicle M from the center of the lane and the angle it forms with a line connecting the centers of the lanes in the traveling direction of the vehicle M as the relative position and attitude of the vehicle M with respect to the driving lane. Alternatively, the recognition unit 122 may recognize the position of the reference point of the vehicle M with respect to either side edge of the driving lane (a road dividing line or a road boundary) as the relative position of the vehicle M with respect to the driving lane.

[0046] The recognition unit 122 may also analyze the camera image captured by the camera 10 using existing image analysis processing, and recognize the surrounding environment, such as the weather around the vehicle M (e.g., rain or snow), whether there is construction work or an accident in the direction of travel of the vehicle M, based on the analysis results. The recognition unit 122 may also recognize the state of the driver D (e.g., whether he is impatient, angry, sleepy), etc., based on biometric information detected by the biometric sensor 45. The recognition unit 122 may also recognize information about fellow passengers who ride in the vehicle M with the driver D. The fellow passenger information includes, for example, identification information (personal information, etc.) of the fellow passengers and information indicating their relationship with the driver D. The fellow passenger information may be input by the HMI 30, or may be acquired from information input by the first terminal device 200.

[0047] During manual driving by the driver D using the driving operator 80, the driving control unit 124 activates a driving support function (e.g., RDM, FCW, CMBS) that can be activated (executed) by the vehicle M and that satisfies a predetermined activation condition, based on the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 122. For example, when the driving control unit 124 activates a driving support function corresponding to the surrounding conditions, the driving control unit 124 alerts the driver D by displaying an image or outputting sound, or by issuing a predetermined warning using vibrations, steering reaction force, or the like. When displaying an image or outputting sound in response to the activation of a driving support function, the driving control unit 124 causes the HMI control unit 128 to output a predetermined image or sound from the HMI 30. When vibrating the steering wheel or the driver's seat, the driving control unit 124 controls the vibration device 36 to output a predetermined vibration. When applying a steering reaction force, the driving control unit 124 controls the steering reaction force mechanism of the steering device 96 to apply a steering reaction force in a predetermined direction.

[0048] Furthermore, when the driving assistance function is activated, the driving control unit 124 may generate a target trajectory so that the vehicle M travels along the recommended lane determined by the MPU 60 without coming into contact with surrounding objects, and may control at least one of the driving force output device 92, the braking device 94, and the steering device 96 so that the vehicle M travels along the generated target trajectory. As a result, one or both of the steering and speed of the vehicle M are controlled, and automatic driving of the vehicle M is performed according to the purpose.

[0049] The driving behavior acquisition unit 126 acquires information such as information input via the HMI 30, detection results from the vehicle sensors 40 and biosensors 45, information acquired by the navigation device 50, detection results (operation amounts) from sensors provided on the driving operators 80, recognition results from the recognition unit 122, and control details (operation results of the driving assistance function) from the driving control unit 124. The driving behavior acquisition unit 126 may also acquire various information (e.g., input information from the driver D, and information such as position information, speed, and acceleration information detected by sensors, etc.) from the first terminal device 200 of the driver D via the communication device 20. The driving behavior acquisition unit 126 generates driving behavior information based on the acquired information. The driving behavior acquisition unit 126 associates the generated driving behavior information with date and time information of input, detection, or control, and stores the information in the vehicle-side storage unit 140 as driving behavior history information 142. Furthermore, the driving behavior acquisition unit 126 transmits the driving behavior history information 142 to the driving evaluation device 400 at a predetermined timing (for example, at the end of driving or at a predetermined interval). Furthermore, the driving behavior acquisition unit 126 may add identification information for identifying the vehicle M (for example, a vehicle ID) and identification information for identifying the driver D (for example, a driver ID) to the information to be transmitted.

[0050] The HMI control unit 128 notifies the driver D of the vehicle M of predetermined information via the HMI 30, and acquires the details of the driver D's operations received via the HMI 30. The predetermined information includes, for example, information related to the driving of the vehicle M, such as information related to the state of the vehicle M and information related to the driving assistance function in operation. The information related to the state of the vehicle M includes, for example, information related to the speed of the vehicle M, engine RPM, shift position, etc. Furthermore, the information related to driving control may include, for example, information indicating which driving assistance function is in operation. Furthermore, the predetermined information includes, for example, an evaluation result of the driver D's driving behavior provided from the driving evaluation device 400, etc. Furthermore, the predetermined information may include information unrelated to the driving control of the vehicle M, such as television programs, content (e.g., movies) stored on a storage medium such as a DVD, etc.

[0051] For example, the HMI control unit 128 may generate an image (which may be a still image or a video) containing the above-mentioned specified information and display the generated image on the display device of the HMI 30, or may generate audio indicating the specified information and output the generated audio to the speaker of the HMI 30.

[0052] [First terminal device] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the first terminal device 200. The first terminal device 200 includes, for example, a terminal-side communication unit 210, an input unit 220, an output unit 230, a detection unit 240, a control unit 250, an application execution unit 260, and a terminal-side storage unit 270. Some or all of the control unit 250 and the application execution unit 260 are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Furthermore, some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI, ASIC, FPGA, GPU, or SOC, or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory (a storage device having a non-transitory storage medium), or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed in the storage device by inserting the storage medium into a drive device or a card slot of the first terminal device 200.

[0053] The terminal-side storage unit 270 may be realized by the various storage devices described above, or an EEPROM, a ROM, a RAM, etc. The terminal-side storage unit 270 stores, for example, a driving evaluation application 272, programs, and various other information.

[0054] The terminal-side communication unit 210 communicates with the driving evaluation device 400 and other external devices via, for example, a network NW. The terminal-side communication unit 210 may also communicate with the vehicle M via a short-range communication network or the network NW.

[0055] The input unit 220 accepts input from the driver D by operating various keys, buttons, etc. The input unit 220 may also include a microphone that accepts voice input from the driver D. The input unit 220 accepts input such as a request to use a service provided by the driving evaluation device 400, driver information, and response information regarding an inquiry as to whether or not to suppress a driving assistance function.

[0056] The output unit 230 includes, for example, a display unit and a speaker, and outputs predetermined information to the display unit and the speaker. The display unit is, for example, an LCD or an organic EL display. The input unit 220 may be configured integrally with the display unit as a touch panel. The display unit displays images corresponding to various types of information. The speaker outputs predetermined sounds. For example, the output unit 230 outputs information such as images and sounds corresponding to information provided by the driving evaluation device 400, or outputs information input by the input unit 220.

[0057] The detection unit 240 detects various types of information related to the first terminal device 200. For example, the detection unit 240 includes a position sensor, a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and the like. The position sensor detects the position of the first terminal device 200 from a GPS device, similar to the position sensor included in the vehicle sensor described above. The speed sensor detects the speed of the first terminal device 200 from the distance traveled in a predetermined time (displacement in the position information). The acceleration sensor detects the acceleration of the first terminal device 200.

[0058] The control unit 250 controls all functions of the first terminal device 200. For example, the control unit 250 controls communication by the terminal-side communication unit 210, input / output by the input unit 220 and the output unit 230, and execution of the driving evaluation application 272 by the application execution unit 260.

[0059] The application execution unit 260 is realized by executing a driving evaluation application 272 stored in the terminal-side storage unit 270. The driving evaluation application 272 is, for example, downloaded from an external device via the network NW and installed in the first terminal device 200. The driving evaluation application 272 is application software that acquires information related to the driving evaluation of the driver D of the vehicle M from the driving evaluation device 400 and outputs the acquired information to the output unit 230. The driving evaluation application 272 also transmits information input by the input unit 220 to the driving evaluation device 400, and transmits information detected by the detection unit 240 to the vehicle M and the driving evaluation device 400. Note that the transmitted information may be assigned identification information (for example, a terminal ID) or a driver ID that identifies the first terminal device 200.

[0060] In the case of the functional configuration of the second terminal device 300, in the description of the functional configuration of the first terminal device 200 described above, "first terminal device 200" is to be read as "second terminal device 300" and "driver D" is to be read as "specific person P." Furthermore, the configuration of the second terminal device 300 may not include the configuration of the detection unit 240, and the detection result by the detection unit 240 may not be transmitted.

[0061] [Driving evaluation device] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the driving evaluation device 400. The driving evaluation device 400 includes, for example, a communication unit 410, a registration unit 420, an acquisition unit 430, an evaluation unit 440, a provision unit 450, and a device-side storage unit 460. Some or all of the registration unit 420, the acquisition unit 430, the evaluation unit 440, and the provision unit 450 are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Furthermore, some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI, ASIC, FPGA, GPU, or SOC, or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (non-transitory storage medium) such as a HDD or flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed by inserting the storage medium into a drive device of the driving evaluation device 400. The driving evaluation device 400 may be realized by the operator of a driving assistance function provision service installing a program on a cloud server, in which case the owner of the hardware of the driving evaluation device 400 may be different from the operator of the service.

[0062] The device-side storage unit 460 may be realized by the various storage devices described above, or an EEPROM, a ROM, a RAM, etc. The device-side storage unit 460 stores, for example, a driver information DB (Database) 461, a driving behavior history DB 462, an evaluation result DB 463, an advice information DB 464, map information 465, programs, and various other information. At least a portion of the information included in the device-side storage unit 460 may be stored in an external device (for example, a DB server) that can communicate with the driving evaluation device 400.

[0063] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the driver information DB 461. The driver information DB 461 is information in which, for example, a driver ID is associated with personal information, terminal information, vehicle information, and specified person information. The personal information includes, for example, information such as name, age, gender, address, and contact information. The personal information may also include a social score. The social score is, for example, a score representing influence on social media such as an SNS (Social Networking Service), and is mainly used as an index for measuring influence and reliability on accounts (viewers), advertising effectiveness, and the like. The terminal information is identification information (for example, a terminal ID) that identifies the first terminal device 200 used by the driver D. The personal information may also include incentive information granted to the driver D, and the like. The terminal information may also include address information for the driving evaluation device 400 to communicate with the first terminal device 200. The vehicle information is, for example, identification information (vehicle ID) of the vehicle driven by the driver D. The vehicle information may also include address information, etc., for the driving evaluation device 400 to communicate with the vehicle M. The specified person information includes information about a specified person P associated with a driver D who can be subjected to a second driving evaluation, which will be described later, in the evaluation unit 440. The information about the specified person P also includes personal information about the specified person P, information indicating the relationship between the driver D and the specified person P (e.g., spouse, parent / child, lover, friend, boss, subordinate, colleague, etc.), and information about the second terminal device 300 used by the specified person P (e.g., terminal ID, address information for communicating with the second terminal device 300). The specified person information may also include incentive information granted according to the number and frequency of second driving evaluations performed for each specified person P, and the content of the evaluations. The data stored in the driver information DB 461 is generated based on, for example, information obtained by the registration unit 420 or the acquisition unit 430.

[0064] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the driving action history DB 462. The driving action history DB 462 includes information (driving data) related to the driving of the vehicle M by the driver D. For example, the driving action history DB 462 associates, for example, date and time information, route information, weather information, fellow passenger information, biometric information, schedule information, and driving history data. This information is stored, for example, for each driver ID. The date and time information is information related to the date and time when the driver D drove the vehicle M (for example, the driving start date and time and the driving end date and time). The route information includes, for example, information related to the route traveled by the vehicle M. The route information includes information indicating which position on the route was passed and at what time. The weather information stores weather information corresponding to the date and time information and the route information. The weather information corresponding to the date and time information and the route information may be acquired, for example, from an external device via the network NW. The fellow passenger information includes, for example, information related to fellow passengers who were riding in the vehicle M with the driver D while the vehicle M was traveling.

[0065] The biometric information includes, for example, biometric information of the driver D detected by the biometric sensor 45 of the vehicle M. The schedule information includes, for example, schedule information for a predetermined period before and after the time when the driver D is driving, acquired from the vehicle M or the first terminal device 200, and schedule information for a predetermined period before and after the time when the driver D is driving, registered in the driving evaluation device 400. The driving history data includes, for example, historical data on the driving information of the vehicle M. The driving history data includes information on the driving behavior history information 142 acquired from the vehicle M. The driving history data may also include information on the number of unsafe driving behaviors (e.g., speeding, sudden acceleration, sudden deceleration, and stop sign violations) while traveling on a route, the number of times a predetermined driving assistance function (e.g., RDM, FCW, CMBS) was activated by the driving control unit 124, and the like. The data stored in the driving behavior history DB 462 is generated based on, for example, information obtained by the acquisition unit 430. At least a part of the information included in the driver information DB 461 and the driving action history DB 462 may be generated from the driving action history information 142 transmitted from the vehicle M.

[0066] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the evaluation result DB 463. The evaluation result DB 463 associates, for example, date and time information, route information, a first driving evaluation result, specified person information, and a second driving evaluation result. This information is stored, for example, for each driver ID. The first driving evaluation result and the second driving evaluation result are information acquired by the evaluation unit 440. The specified person information is information related to the specified person who performed the second driving evaluation. The data stored in the evaluation result DB 463 is, for example, generated by the evaluation unit 440.

[0067] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the advice information DB 464. The advice information DB 464 is information in which advice information and notification timing information are associated with driving situation types and tendency information. The driving situation types are, for example, information for identifying scenes or situations in which the driver D drives the vehicle M. The tendency information is, for example, information indicating the driving tendency of the driver D. The advice information is, for example, driving advice information for the driver corresponding to the driving situation types and tendency information (for example, coaching information such as precautions). The notification timing information is information regarding the timing of notifying the driver D of the advice information. The advice information DB 464 may be predetermined information or may be updated as appropriate.

[0068] The map information 465 may be the same as the map information described above (the first map information 54 and the second map information 62), or may be map information with higher resolution and a wider range.

[0069] Returning to FIG. 4, the communication unit 410 communicates with the vehicle M, the first terminal device 200, the second terminal device 300, and other external devices via a network NW or the like.

[0070] The registration unit 420 performs a registration process for drivers who use the driving evaluation system 1. For example, the registration unit 420 registers driver information in the driver information DB 461 based on a registration request from the vehicle M or the first terminal device 200. In this case, in response to the registration request, the registration unit 420 generates an image for prompting the driver D to input items included in the driver information DB 461 (e.g., personal information, terminal information, vehicle information, specified person information), etc., and transmits the image to the vehicle M or the first terminal device 200. The registration unit 420 may also receive information about driving routes that the driver D regularly uses from the vehicle M or the first terminal device 200, and register the received information as a target route for driving evaluation.

[0071] The registration unit 420 registers the information input by the driver D as driver information together with the driver ID in the driver information DB 461. The registration unit 420 may also accept an update request for driver information already registered in the driver information DB 461 from the vehicle M or the first terminal device 200, and update the target driver information.

[0072] The acquisition unit 430 acquires driving behavior information of the driver D of the vehicle M. For example, the acquisition unit 430 acquires various information from the vehicle M, the first terminal device 200, the second terminal device 300, and external devices connected via the network NW, based on information received by the communication unit 410. For example, the acquisition unit 430 acquires the driving behavior history information 142 from the vehicle M, extracts a portion of the acquired information, and generates information corresponding to each item of the driving behavior history DB 462 (date and time information, route information, weather information, passenger information, biological information, and schedule information). At least a portion of the information included in the driving behavior history information 142 may be acquired from the first terminal device 200. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 430 generates the remaining information, excluding the portion of the information described above, from the driving behavior history information 142 as driving history data. The acquisition unit 430 registers the generated various information in the driving behavior history DB 462 for each driver ID. Note that the driving history data may include content processed by the evaluation unit 440.

[0073] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 430 may acquire the advice information DB 464 from an external device or the like via the network NW, and store the acquired advice information DB 464 in the device-side storage unit 460.

[0074] The evaluation unit 440 evaluates the driving behavior of the driver D of the vehicle M. For example, the evaluation unit 440 includes a primary evaluation unit 442 and a secondary evaluation unit 444. The primary evaluation unit 442 performs a primary driving evaluation to evaluate the driving behavior of the driver D based on the information (e.g., driving behavior information) acquired by the acquisition unit 430. For example, the primary evaluation unit 442 quantitatively analyzes the driving behavior on a predetermined driving route (e.g., a pre-registered route that the driver uses daily) and performs a primary driving evaluation based on the analysis results. The quantitative analysis is, for example, analyzing the number and frequency of predetermined driving behaviors (speeding, sudden deceleration, sudden acceleration, stop sign violation, RDM activation, CMBS activation) while driving, but is not limited to this.

[0075] Furthermore, the primary evaluation unit 442 estimates factors that cause fluctuations in the evaluation of the driving behavior based on the quantitative analysis results. For example, the primary evaluation unit 442 estimates factors that cause fluctuations in the evaluation of the driving behavior (for example, driving situation types such as external factors based on the surrounding environment and internal factors based on the driver) based on the quantitative analysis results, the surrounding environment when the vehicle M is being driven (for example, time information during driving, weather, presence or absence of surrounding vehicles, presence or absence of accidents, presence or absence of construction), the state of the driver D when driving (for example, feeling anxious, feeling sleepy, etc.), and schedule information of the driver D. Then, based on the estimation results, the primary evaluation unit 442 determines at least one of the content of driving advice to the driver D and the timing of notifying (providing) the driving advice to the driver D.

[0076] The secondary evaluation unit 444 performs a secondary driving evaluation in which a designated person P evaluates the driving behavior of the driver D based on the results of the primary driving evaluation. Here, the designated person P may be one or more designated persons included in designated person information registered in advance in the driver information DB 461, or may be a designated person P set (selected) by the driver D from the one or more designated persons. By selecting the designated person P that the driver D wants to be evaluated by, it is possible to obtain an evaluation result that is highly convincing and acceptable to the driver D. The designated person P may also be a passenger. Since the passenger experiences the driving behavior of the driver D, a more accurate driving evaluation can be obtained. The designated person P may also be a designated person P randomly set from one or more designated persons. The designated person P is, for example, a specific related person such as an acquaintance of the driver D, and is not a person who provides a driving evaluation service based on the driving history. The designated person P may be set by the driver D before starting driving, or during or after driving. The driver D may select multiple designated persons P. For example, if multiple specified persons are selected, the secondary evaluation unit 444 generates the secondary driving evaluation by averaging the evaluation results of each person.

[0077] For example, the secondary evaluation unit 444 transmits information about the primary driving evaluation result evaluated by the primary evaluation unit 442 to the second terminal device 300 of the specified person P via the communication unit 410. The information about the primary driving evaluation result may include, in addition to the primary driving evaluation result, camera images during driving corresponding to the primary driving evaluation result, location information, route information, surrounding environment, driver's state, and other information. This allows the specified person P to perform a more appropriate driving evaluation using various information. Information such as images provided to the second terminal device 300 may be generated by the providing unit 450, etc. Furthermore, the secondary evaluation unit 444 acquires information from the specified person P (e.g., secondary driving evaluation result, evaluation result transmission permission information), etc., via the second terminal device 300. The evaluation results obtained by the evaluation unit 440 (primary driving evaluation result, secondary driving evaluation result) are stored in the evaluation result DB 463. Note that even if the secondary evaluation unit 444 performs a secondary driving evaluation, there may be cases where the secondary driving evaluation result is not obtained from the specified person P. Details of the functions of the evaluation unit 440 will be described later.

[0078] The providing unit 450 generates various information (e.g., images and sounds) processed by the registration unit 420, the acquisition unit 430, and the evaluation unit 440, and transmits the generated information to the vehicle M, the first terminal device 200, the second terminal device 300, etc., to provide the information to the driver D and the specified person P. For example, the providing unit 450 provides the evaluation result by the evaluation unit 440 to at least one of the vehicle M and the first terminal device 200 used by the driver D. For example, the providing unit 450 provides the evaluation result by the evaluation unit 440 (e.g., a primary driving evaluation result) to at least one of the vehicle M and the first terminal device 200 via the second terminal device 300 used by the specified person P associated with the driver D. Furthermore, when the evaluation result includes a primary driving evaluation result and a secondary driving evaluation result, the providing unit 450 may provide at least one of the primary driving evaluation result and the secondary driving evaluation result to at least one of the vehicle M and the first terminal device, based on a request from the driver D. The providing unit 450 may also provide driving advice information to be notified to the driver D.

[0079] [Evaluation Department] Next, the function of the evaluation unit 440 will be described in detail. For example, based on the speed information or acceleration information of the vehicle M included in the driving behavior information, the primary evaluation unit 442 evaluates that the vehicle is accelerating suddenly if the increase in speed within a predetermined time period is equal to or greater than a first threshold, and evaluates that the vehicle is decelerating suddenly if the decrease in speed is equal to or greater than a second threshold. The primary evaluation unit 442 also acquires the speed and position information of the vehicle M for each predetermined time period included in the driving behavior information, and references the map information 465 based on the position information to acquire traffic regulation information (speed limit, stop sign location, etc.) for the road on which the vehicle M is traveling. Then, for example, the primary evaluation unit 442 evaluates that the vehicle M is speeding if the speed of the vehicle M exceeds the speed limit by a predetermined speed or more. The primary evaluation unit 442 also evaluates that the vehicle M is violating a stop sign if the speed of the vehicle M near the stop sign location is not zero (0) (if the vehicle is not stopped).

[0080] Furthermore, the primary evaluation unit 442 acquires the number of times that the evaluation has been performed for each of the above-mentioned evaluation contents for a predetermined route (for example, a driving route that is used daily). Furthermore, the primary evaluation unit 442 may acquire the number of times that each of the driving assistance functions installed in the vehicle M has been activated on the predetermined route.

[0081] Furthermore, the primary evaluation unit 442 compares the acquired number of times with a reference number set in advance for each evaluation content, and evaluates the frequency of the driving behavior depending on whether the acquired number of times is equal to or greater than the reference number. For example, the primary evaluation unit 442 evaluates that speeding is frequent if the number of speeding incidents is equal to or greater than the reference number, and evaluates that speeding is infrequent (or safe driving) if the number of speeding incidents is less than the reference number. Furthermore, the primary evaluation unit 442 may vary the content of the evaluation depending on the difference from the reference number (for example, very frequent, very infrequent, etc.). Note that the above-mentioned reference number may be changed depending on the surrounding environment of the vehicle M and the state of the driver D during driving. This allows for a more appropriate primary driving evaluation to be obtained.

[0082] The secondary evaluation unit 444 causes the providing unit 450 to generate an image including information related to the primary driving evaluation result evaluated by the primary evaluation unit 442, and transmits the generated image to the second terminal device 300 of the specified person P via the communication unit 410. The secondary evaluation unit 444 may also cause the providing unit 450 to generate audio corresponding to the content displayed in the image and transmit it to the second terminal device 300. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an image IM10 including information related to the primary driving evaluation result. Note that the display mode of the image IM10, such as the layout and display content, is not limited to the example of FIG. 9. The same applies to an image IM20 shown in FIG. 10, which will be described later.

[0083] Image IM10 has a primary evaluation result display area AR11, a secondary evaluation input area AR12, and a switch display area AR13. The primary evaluation result display area AR11 displays, for example, information about driver D evaluated by the primary evaluation unit 442, the date and time of the driving to be evaluated (which may be only the date or only the time), route information, and information about the primary driving evaluation result (which may include number of times information). In addition to the above information, the primary evaluation result display area AR11 may also display information about the camera image and surrounding environment during the driving when the primary evaluation was performed, and the state of driver D.

[0084] The secondary evaluation input area AR12 displays information for inquiring whether the specified person P will perform a secondary driving evaluation based on the primary evaluation, and an input area AR14 for inputting the secondary driving evaluation. In addition to character information (text information), image information IM11 such as pictograms and stamp images may be input into the input area AR14.

[0085] The switch display area AR13 includes, for example, information for inquiring whether to permit transmission of the primary driving evaluation result (including the secondary driving evaluation result if it has been input) to the driver D, an icon IC11 for accepting permission to transmit, and an icon IC12 for accepting denial of permission (or suspending transmission for a predetermined period of time). The icons IC11 and IC12 are, for example, GUI (Graphical User Interface) switches. For example, when the second terminal device 300 accepts that the designated person P has selected the icon IC11, the second terminal device 300 transmits to the driving evaluation device 400 the information input in the input area AR14 and information indicating that the designated person P has permitted the transmission, and terminates the display of the image IM10. When the second terminal device 300 accepts that the designated person P has selected the icon IC12, the second terminal device 300 transmits to the driving evaluation device 400 information indicating that the designated person P has not permitted the transmission, and terminates the display of the image IM10. The second terminal device 300 may transmit information entered in the input area AR14 after temporarily suspending transmission, instead of information indicating that the designated person P did not permit transmission. In this case, the second terminal device 300 may determine that the designated person P has operated the icon IC12 to indicate their intention to temporarily suspend transmission, and may re-display information inquiring whether or not to permit transmission after a predetermined time, thereby confirming the designated person P's intention, or may automatically transmit the information after the time has passed. This has the secondary effect of reducing the operational burden on the designated person P who performs the secondary evaluation. Furthermore, adding a function to suspend transmission for a predetermined time allows the designated person P to evaluate the driver D at any time and to check and modify the evaluation content before transmission, thereby taking into consideration the operating environment of the designated person P.

[0086] In addition, when the provision unit 450 receives that the icon IC11 has been selected, it may generate an image inquiring of the specified person P regarding information regarding the timing of notification, send it to the second terminal device 300, and obtain the information regarding the timing of notification.

[0087] The evaluation unit 440 stores the first driving evaluation result and the second driving evaluation result in the evaluation result DB 463 in association with the date and time information, the route information, and the information of the specific person who performed the second driving evaluation.

[0088] The providing unit 450, for example, generates an image including information about the evaluation result of the evaluating unit 440 (for example, at least one of the primary driving evaluation result and the secondary driving evaluation result selected by the driver D), and provides the image to at least one selected by the driver D from the vehicle M and the first terminal device 200, thereby notifying the driver D of the driving evaluation result. The providing unit 450 may also generate a sound corresponding to the content displayed in the image and transmit it to the second terminal device 300. The timing of transmitting the driving evaluation result may be set by the specified person P via the second terminal device 300, or may be set by the driver D.

[0089] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an image IM20 including information related to the driving evaluation result to be notified to the driver D. The image IM20 has an evaluation result display area AR21 and a switch display area AR22. The evaluation result display area AR21 displays, for example, driving evaluation information obtained by the primary evaluation unit 442 or the secondary evaluation unit 444. The evaluation result display area AR21 shown in FIG. 10 displays a primary driving evaluation and a secondary driving evaluation. The evaluation result display area AR21 may also display image information IM21 such as pictograms or stamp images, or advice information, which will be described later.

[0090] The switch display area AR22 includes, for example, an icon IC21 that accepts termination of display of the image IM20 by the driver D. When it is accepted that the icon IC21 has been selected, the first terminal device 200 terminates display of the image IM20.

[0091] As described above, in the embodiment, the driving evaluation result confirmed by the specified person P can be notified to the driver D at a timing designated by the specified person P. Therefore, if the specified person P is a family member living with the driver D, the specified person P can check the current state (condition) of the driver D and then transmit the driving evaluation when the driver D is in a stable mood. Furthermore, since the specified person P is expected to be a person who is well acquainted with the personality, lifestyle patterns, etc. of the driver D, the specified person P can notify the driver D of the evaluation result at a timing that does not make the driver D feel uncomfortable. This can further improve the driver D's understanding and acceptability of the driving evaluation. This can therefore increase the continuity of use of the driving evaluation system 1.

[0092] The primary evaluation unit 442 may aggregate and quantitatively analyze the primary driving evaluation results of a predetermined route (a route used daily) over a predetermined period, and acquire a trend (trend information) of the evaluation results based on the results of the quantitative analysis (aggregation results over the predetermined period). Furthermore, the primary evaluation unit 442 estimates factors (driving situation types) that cause fluctuations in the content of the acquired trend information (changes in the trend). These factors are estimated based on the surrounding environment of the vehicle M, the driving state of the driver D, and schedule information. The primary evaluation unit 442 then refers to the advice information DB 464 using the trend information and the driving situation type, and acquires corresponding advice information and notification timing information if there is a match. For example, in the advice information DB 464 shown in FIG. 8, if the trend information is "frequently exceeding the speed limit" and the driving situation type is "driving in clear weather," the advice information will be "obey the speed limit," and the notification timing will be "the morning of the next day when the weather forecast for the next day is clear." Also, even if the trend information is "frequent speeding," if the driving situation type is "driving late at night," the advice information will be "be careful not to drive too fast at night," and the notification timing will be "if it is after 8:00 PM and you have not returned home."

[0093] The providing unit 450 provides the advice information acquired by the primary evaluation unit 442 to at least one of the vehicle M or the first terminal device 200 at the timing set in the notification timing information. Whether or not the notification timing is met is determined using various information such as schedule information of the driver D, location information of the first terminal device 200, and weather information. In this way, even if the driving evaluation tendency is the same, the content of the driving advice and the timing of notification of the advice can be changed depending on the type of driving situation, so that information that is highly convincing and acceptable to the driver D can be provided.

[0094] The providing unit 450 provides incentives to the designated person P who performs the secondary driving evaluation based on the number of evaluations, frequency, and content of the evaluations. The provision of incentives may include various benefits such as free provision of a predetermined service, discounts, points, and gifts. This motivates the designated person P to perform the secondary driving evaluation and makes it easier to provide feedback on the driving evaluation, including the secondary driving evaluation, to the driver D. This further increases the utility value of the driving evaluation system 1. If the secondary driving evaluation result improves the driver D's safe driving, the providing unit 450 may provide an additional incentive to the designated person P who performed the secondary driving evaluation. Furthermore, instead of the designated person P being set by the driver D or randomly selected by one or more designated persons, the designated person P may volunteer to perform the secondary driving evaluation via the second terminal device 300 in order to receive the incentive. Furthermore, the providing unit 450 may provide the incentive when a predetermined condition, such as when the driver D gives permission, is met in order to prevent fraudulent acquisition of the incentive. This incentive information may be registered in the driver information DB 461 or may be provided to the second terminal device 300.

[0095] Furthermore, the providing unit 450 may acquire the social score of the driver D from the driver information DB 461 or an external device, and update the social score according to the driving evaluation results for the driving behavior of the driver D. For example, a driver D who receives a good evaluation of his / her driving behavior will have a good score, which will encourage the driver D and increase his / her motivation to drive safely. On the other hand, a driver D who receives a poor evaluation will have a bad score, which is expected to improve the driver D's driving. In this way, by updating the social score based on the driving evaluation results, the driver D's motivation to drive safely can be increased.

[0096] The providing unit 450 may switch whether or not to update the social score based on the driving evaluation result in response to an instruction from the driver D. This makes it possible to prevent score updates that are not intended by the driver D, and to provide a service that is suitable for the driver D. The providing unit 450 may also provide an incentive to the driver D in accordance with the social score of the driver D. This incentive information may be registered in the driver information DB 461, or may be provided to the first terminal device 200. This makes it possible to further increase the motivation of the driver D to drive safely.

[0097] [Processing Sequence] 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing executed by the driving evaluation system 1 in the embodiment. In the example of FIG. 11, a process flow will be described among the vehicle M (vehicle system 100), the first terminal device 200 used by the driver D of the vehicle M, the driving evaluation device 400, and the second terminal device 300 used by the specified person P. In the following description, it is assumed that information about the driver D has already been registered in the driver information DB 461 of the driving evaluation device 400.

[0098] 11, the first terminal device 200 accepts the setting of a specific person P by the driver D (step S100) and transmits the accepted information of the specific person P to the driving evaluation device 400 (step S110). Note that the processes of steps S100 and S110 may be performed before, during, or after driving. Next, the vehicle M acquires driving behavior information of the driver D (step S120) and transmits the acquired driving behavior information (driving behavior history information 142) to the driving evaluation device 400 (step S130).

[0099] The driving evaluation device 400 performs a driving evaluation (primary driving evaluation) that evaluates the driving behavior of the driver D based on the information acquired from the vehicle M (step S140). Next, the driving evaluation device 400 generates information regarding the evaluation result (primary driving evaluation result) (step S150) and transmits the information to the second terminal device 300 of the set specific person P (step S160).

[0100] The second terminal device 300 outputs the evaluation result received from the driving evaluation device 400 and notifies the specified person P (step S170), and accepts a second driving evaluation from the specified person P in response to the first driving evaluation (step S180). Next, the second terminal device 300 transmits the second driving evaluation result to the driving evaluation device 400 (step S190).

[0101] The driving evaluation device 400 associates the primary driving evaluation result with the secondary driving evaluation result and stores them in the evaluation result DB 463 (step S200), and transmits them to the first terminal device 200 at a predetermined timing (step S210). The first terminal device 200 outputs the evaluation result regarding the driving received from the driving evaluation device 400 (at least one of the primary driving evaluation result and the secondary driving evaluation result) and notifies the driver D (step S220). This ends the processing of this sequence.

[0102] 11, the acceptance of the setting of the designated person P in step S100 and the transmission of the designated person information in step S110 may be performed by the vehicle M. Furthermore, in the processes of steps S210 and S220, the primary driving evaluation result and the secondary driving evaluation result may be transmitted to the vehicle M instead of (or in addition to) the first terminal device 200, and the evaluation results may be output from the HMI 30 of the vehicle M. Furthermore, which of the primary driving evaluation result and the secondary driving evaluation result is to be provided is set by the driver D, for example, but may also be set by the designated person P, or may be set depending on the time period for providing the results, the content of the evaluation results, etc. The same applies to whether the results are to be provided to the first terminal device 200 or the vehicle M.

[0103] [Variations] In the embodiment, the driving evaluation results provided to the driver are not limited to the above examples, and other evaluation results may be provided. For example, the providing unit 450 may present details of daily driving behavior and statistical results, as well as information such as changes from the previous day and changes from the previous week. Furthermore, information on areas that have improved or deteriorated after providing driving advice information may also be provided as evaluation results. Furthermore, if the driver deviates from a regular route due to traffic congestion, road construction, or the like, the evaluating unit 440 may exclude that part or the entirety from the driving evaluation and perform a primary driving evaluation, for example. By performing such processing, it is possible to provide a comparison of daily driving evaluations on a fixed regular route, which can further improve the persuasiveness and acceptability of the driving evaluation.

[0104] In the embodiment, at least some of the functions of the driving evaluation device 400 may be provided in the vehicle M. For example, at least one of the evaluation unit 440 and the provision unit 450 of the driving evaluation device 400 may be provided on the driving assistance device side of the vehicle M. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of functions of a driving assistance device 120A in a modified embodiment. The driving assistance device 120A shown in FIG. 12 replaces the driving assistance device 120 of the vehicle system 100 shown in FIG. 2. The driving assistance device 120A includes a recognition unit 122, a traveling control unit 124, a driving behavior acquisition unit 126, an HMI control unit 128, an evaluation unit 130, a provision unit 132, and a vehicle-side storage unit 140. In the example of FIG. 12, the driving behavior acquisition unit 126 is an example of an "acquisition unit." The driving assistance device 120A differs from the driving assistance device 120 in that it includes the evaluation unit 130 and the provision unit 132. Therefore, the following description will mainly focus on the evaluation unit 130 and the provision unit 132, and descriptions of other functions will be omitted.

[0105] The evaluation unit 130 evaluates the driving behavior of the driver D of the vehicle M based on the driving behavior history information 142, similar to the evaluation unit 440 described above. The evaluation content includes a first driving evaluation and a second driving evaluation, similar to the above. When performing the second driving evaluation, the evaluation unit 130 transmits information including the first driving evaluation result to the second terminal device 300 of a predetermined specific person P and acquires the second driving evaluation result from the second terminal device 300. The provision unit 132, similar to the provision unit 450, generates images, sounds, etc., and outputs them to the HMI 30 or provides them to the first terminal device 200. The provision unit 132 may also provide the driving evaluation result and the driving behavior history information 142 to the driving evaluation device 400 or an external device at a predetermined timing. In this way, according to the modified example, the driving evaluation process and the provision process can be realized on the vehicle system side.

[0106] Furthermore, in the embodiment, at least some of the functions of the driving evaluation device 400 may be provided in the first terminal device 200 or the second terminal device 300. In this case, for example, at least one of the evaluation unit 440 and the provision unit 450 of the driving evaluation device 400 is provided on the terminal device side of the first terminal device 200 or the second terminal device 300, and each application execution unit executes a driving evaluation application to execute the processing of the evaluation unit 440 or the provision unit 450. This allows the driving evaluation processing and the provision processing to be realized on the terminal device side.

[0107] Furthermore, at least a part of the configuration of the driving evaluation system 1 of the embodiment may be installed outside the country (overseas). For example, in the configuration of the driving evaluation system 1 of the embodiment, if the driving evaluation device 400 is installed domestically and the second terminal device 300 is installed overseas, the second driving evaluation is acquired from overseas. Furthermore, if the driving evaluation device 400 is installed domestically and the first terminal device 200 or the vehicle M is installed overseas, the driving action history information 142 is acquired from overseas.

[0108] As described above, according to the embodiment, a driving evaluation system 1 includes a vehicle M, a first terminal device 200 used by a driver D of the vehicle M, a second terminal device 300 used by a specific person P associated with the driver D, and a driving evaluation device 400 that evaluates the driving behavior of the driver D, and includes an acquisition unit 430 that acquires information about the driving behavior of the driver D, an evaluation unit 440 that evaluates the driving behavior of the driver D based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 430, and a provision unit 450 that provides the evaluation result by the evaluation unit 440 to at least one of the vehicle M and the first terminal device 200 used by the driver D, and the provision unit 450 provides the evaluation result by the evaluation unit 440 to at least one of the vehicle M and the first terminal device 200 via the second terminal device 300 used by the specific person associated with the driver D, thereby further improving the driver's satisfaction and acceptability of the driving evaluation.

[0109] Furthermore, according to the embodiment, by notifying a specific person related to the driver of the primary driving evaluation result, the driver D's acceptability and acceptability of the driving evaluation result can be improved through feedback such as support, empathy, and sympathy from a highly trusted person. Furthermore, according to the embodiment, the driver D can freely select two evaluation results, for example, a primary driving evaluation result based on driving behavior and a secondary driving evaluation result that includes feedback from a specific person with whom the primary driving evaluation result is shared. This makes it easier to obtain the desired driving evaluation result and improves usability. Furthermore, according to the embodiment, the driver can freely set or change the specific person who will perform the secondary driving evaluation. This not only improves usability by expanding the secondary driving evaluation, but also strengthens security, such as preventing unauthorized use by third parties. Furthermore, according to the embodiment, driving evaluation results performed using regularly used routes can be accumulated and statistically analyzed to estimate how the influence of external factors, etc., is reflected in the evaluation result. Furthermore, as a result of the analysis, appropriate driving behavior can be advised in scenes or situations where there is a possibility of being affected by external factors, thereby further improving acceptability. Furthermore, according to the embodiment, the quality of driving advice information (contents, etc.) can be improved by incorporating disturbance factors such as weather, temperature, day / night detection by a sensing device, driver condition detection by a biosensor, and the driver's time schedule. Furthermore, in the embodiment, allowing a third party to use the driving evaluation device 400 also enables the third party to analyze fluctuations in driving evaluation caused by the road environment.

[0110] The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows. a storage medium for storing computer-readable instructions; a processor connected to the storage medium; The processor executes the computer-readable instructions to: Obtaining information about the driving behavior of a driver of a vehicle; Evaluating the driving behavior of the driver based on the acquired information; providing the result of the evaluation to at least one of the vehicle and a first terminal device used by the driver via a second terminal device used by a specific person associated with the driver; Driving evaluation device.

[0111] The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0112] 1...driving evaluation system, 10...camera, 12...radar device, 14...LIDAR, 16...object recognition device, 20...communication device, 30...HMI, 40...vehicle sensor, 45...biometric sensor, 50...navigation device, 60...MPU, 80...driving operator, 100...vehicle system, 120, 120A...driving assistance device, 122...recognition unit, 124...driving control unit, 126...driving behavior acquisition unit, 128...HMI control unit, 130, 4 40...Evaluation unit, 132, 450...Providing unit, 140...Vehicle side memory unit, 200...First terminal device, 210...Terminal side communication unit, 220...Input unit, 230...Output unit, 240...Detecting unit, 250...Control unit, 260...Application execution unit, 270...Terminal side memory unit, 300...Second terminal device, 400...Driving evaluation device, 410...Communication unit, 420...Registration unit, 430...Acquisition unit, 442...Primary evaluation unit, 444...Second evaluation unit, 460...Device side memory unit

Claims

1. A driving evaluation system including a vehicle, a first terminal device used by a driver of the vehicle, a second terminal device used by a specific person associated with the driver, and a driving evaluation device that evaluates the driving behavior of the driver, an acquisition unit that acquires information about the driver's driving behavior; an evaluation unit that evaluates the driving behavior of the driver based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit; a providing unit that provides the evaluation result by the evaluating unit to at least one of the vehicle and a first terminal device used by the driver, the providing unit provides the evaluation result by the evaluating unit to at least one of the vehicle and the first terminal device via a second terminal device used by a specific person associated with the driver. Driving evaluation system.

2. an acquisition unit that acquires information about the driving behavior of a driver of the vehicle; an evaluation unit that evaluates the driving behavior of the driver based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit; a providing unit that provides the evaluation result by the evaluating unit to at least one of the vehicle and a first terminal device used by the driver, the providing unit provides the evaluation result by the evaluating unit to at least one of the vehicle and the first terminal device via a second terminal device used by a specific person associated with the driver. Driving evaluation device.

3. The evaluation unit acquires a result of a primary driving evaluation that evaluates the driving behavior of the driver based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit, and a result of a secondary driving evaluation in which the specified person evaluates the driving behavior of the driver based on the result of the primary driving evaluation, the providing unit provides at least one of the result of the primary driving evaluation and the result of the secondary driving evaluation to at least one of the vehicle and the first terminal device, based on a request from the driver. The driving evaluation device according to claim 2 .

4. A registration unit that registers information on one or more of the specified persons, The providing unit provides the evaluation result by the evaluating unit to a second terminal device used by a specific person designated by the driver among the one or more specific people registered by the registration unit. The driving evaluation device according to claim 2 .

5. the evaluation unit quantitatively analyzes the driving behavior of the driver for routes that the driver regularly uses, estimates factors that cause fluctuations in the evaluation of the driving behavior based on the analysis results, and determines at least one of the content of driving advice to the driver and the timing of notifying the driver of the driving advice based on the estimation results. The driving evaluation device according to claim 2 .

6. the acquisition unit acquires information about the surrounding environment of the vehicle and the driver's schedule, the evaluation unit estimates factors that cause fluctuations in the evaluation of the driving behavior based on the analysis result, the surrounding environment, the driver's state while driving included in the information on the driving behavior, and schedule information. The driving evaluation device according to claim 5 .

7. The providing unit provides an incentive to the specified person who performs the second driving evaluation. The driving evaluation device according to claim 3 .

8. The acquisition unit acquires a social score for the driver, The providing unit updates the social score according to an evaluation result of the driving behavior of the driver. The driving evaluation device according to claim 2 .

9. The providing unit provides an incentive to the driver according to the social score of the driver. The driving evaluation device according to claim 8 .

10. The computer Obtaining information about the driving behavior of a driver of a vehicle; Evaluating the driving behavior of the driver based on the acquired information; providing a result of the evaluation to at least one of the vehicle and a first terminal device used by the driver via a second terminal device used by a specific person associated with the driver; Driving evaluation methods.

11. On the computer, Obtaining information about the driving behavior of a driver of a vehicle; Evaluating the driving behavior of the driver based on the acquired information; providing the result of the evaluation to at least one of the vehicle and a first terminal device used by the driver via a second terminal device used by a specific person associated with the driver; program.

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